James Comer

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 884, which prohibits individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia. On November 21, 2022, the D.C. Government enacted the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, permitting noncitizen residents to vote in D.C. local elections. This includes illegal immigrants and even foreign diplomats whose interests may be opposed to the interests of Americans. This radical change to Washington, D.C.'s election laws upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. For instance, Washington, D.C., Mayor Bowser withheld her signature on the act, something she has done only a handful of times. Last Congress, when an identical bill was brought to the floor, 262 Members voted in favor, including 52 of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Unfortunately, the Senate refused to take up this bipartisan, commonsense bill to maintain election integrity in our Nation's Capital. The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship. Diluting that right by extending it to noncitizens, whether here legally or illegally, undermines the voice of Washington, D.C., residents. Article I of the Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the Nation's Capital, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is charged with ensuring responsible governance in the District, including its election laws. I urge my colleagues to support Representative August Pfluger's bill to restore commonsense protections and ensure that only United States citizens have the right to vote in local D.C. elections. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gill).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil).

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague on the other side of the aisle, the U.S. Congress has a constitutional role to oversee Washington, D.C., law and intervene as necessary. D.C.'s noncitizen voting law is a dangerous policy. Only American citizens should be permitted to vote in this country, especially right here in the Nation's Capital city. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to prohibit those who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 160) to amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to support S. 160, the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act. This bill will amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to allow the Department of Defense to, once again, sell excess aircraft and aircraft parts for wildfire suppression. This will help facilitate the acquisition of excess military aircraft for the aerial wildfire suppression fleet. This lifesaving authority protects our aerial firefighters and brings in revenue from military aircraft that are not needed. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office anticipates this legislation will reduce government spending. Our brave first responders work tirelessly on the front lines, fighting wildfires that continue to get more dangerous every year. This bipartisan, commonsense bill gives these brave men and women access to more equipment that is critical in an emergency. Mr. Speaker, I thank Senators Tim Sheehy and Martin Heinrich for introducing this important legislation which passed the Senate unanimously in April. I also thank Representative Dan Newhouse for introducing the House companion bill and leading the charge in this Chamber. I encourage my colleagues to once again support S. 160. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, which will protect our brave aerial firefighters across the country. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3490) to require the Government Accountability Office to produce a report on esophageal cancer, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives has lost a true statesman. Gerry Connolly was a father, a husband, friend, and a lifelong public servant that dedicated his life to his constituents, his community, and his country. I was deeply saddened to hear about his sudden passing. From the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gerry Connolly was a devoted public servant from Virginia's 11th Congressional District. In Congress, Gerry Connolly was a friend to many of us. He was steadfast in fighting for what he believed in, but he was always committed to bipartisanship where he thought we could agree. Over his tenure on this committee, I am proud to say we cosponsored eight bills together, including the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, the FedRAMP Authorization Act, and the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act. Mr. Speaker, I know I am not alone in that. Many of my Republican committee colleagues found Gerry Connolly to be a partner and a friend. I extend my condolences to his family and also to the members of his staff. We lost our colleague after a short but courageous fight against esophageal cancer, one of the deadliest and fastest growing cancer diagnoses among Americans today. The symptoms of this cancer are often overlooked or misdiagnosed, leading to late detection and limited treatment options. Through this legislation, we hope to raise awareness about esophageal cancer to improve the odds for those who contract this disease. I am proud to have joined Ranking Member Gerry Connolly in cosponsoring the Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act and look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on its passage into law. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring the legacy of our friend and colleague, Gerry Connolly. I hope that this legislation can shed some light on the impact of esophageal cancer on Federal Government public servants. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, many parts of Kentucky are just now recovering from a devastating flood that we saw a few weeks ago. I thank the first responders who were first on the scene, and thank our utility crews who worked day and night to restore utilities. I want to let the families who lost everything know that if there is anything my office can do to be of any assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. President Trump has signed a declaration for individual assistance. FEMA should be on the ground, working with families to try to help identify any type of assistance that the families in need can qualify for, and I encourage FEMA to continue to work with the local governments to ensure that the heavy burden of debris removal is reimbursed by the Federal Government. That is something that my office will continue to ensure to see that it happens. We have had devastating floods. The government's responsibility is to help those in need, and that is what we expect to do. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to make that point loud and clear and hope that we can continue to work through the recovery phase.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 856) to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget conduct a review to determine the impact of the lowest price technically acceptable source selection process on national security, and for other purposes.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear to my constituents in Kentucky what my objectives are over the next 22 months of the 119th Congress. First of all, President Trump received an overwhelming mandate not just in Kentucky's First Congressional District, but all across Kentucky. The mandate was to do two major things. First of all, obviously, the mandate involved draining the swamp. That is what President Trump campaigned on; and, secondly, to pass an America First agenda. With respect to draining the swamp, President Trump nominated disrupters to lead his Cabinet and agencies, people like Kash Patel at the FBI; John Ratcliffe at the CIA; and RFK, Jr., at HHS. I was proud to support every single nominee, and I am pretty confident that every single nominee will win Senate confirmation, which has never happened before. With respect to passing an America First agenda, the first step in that was what we voted on last week, a budget reconciliation bill. I was proud to work with our House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as a major committee of jurisdiction on the budget reconciliation bill. We pledged to come up with $50 billion in savings to go along with the first real effort in the entire 8 years I have been in Congress by this body to actually save money and to cut wasteful, unnecessary expenses which is what the mandate was all about. This is what President Trump campaigned on not just in Kentucky but all across America. I pledge to continue to work with President Trump. Next, he has asked us to pass a continuing resolution. It is a shame that Congress is broken. In the entire 8 years I have been here, the Senate has failed to pass any individual appropriations bill, and this is what we have to do to be able to pass the Trump agenda with respect to renewing the Trump tax cuts, with respect to creating and passing legislation to prohibit tax on tips and tax on overtime, and all the new blue-collar, working-class tax cuts that President Trump campaigned on and received a mandate to do. After the mandate, draining the swamp, and passing the America First agenda, next is to work with DOGE. In the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee we created a DOGE Subcommittee. I asked Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia to lead that subcommittee. The first three hearings of that subcommittee have involved improper payments and looking at the USAID's mishandling of funds. The next hearing will be on defunding NPR and other government-funded media outlets. This is exactly what President Trump campaigned on. This is exactly what I talked about with my constituents when I ran for reelection last November. We want to look at the spending. I know there are protesters, there are the Indivisible groups funded by George Soros who also funded the Congressional Integrity Project who spent at least $2 million harassing me over past 2 years with banners and all the TV cameras, the mobile TV units that drove through rural Kentucky trying to intimidate me from the Biden investigation, which, by the way, ended with Joe Biden's last act as President of the United States to pardon his entire family. I know my friends on the other side of the aisle don't like to think about that, but that is a fact. All DOGE is wanting to do is look at spending and see if we can cut out unnecessary spending. I think the American taxpayers want that. We continue to pledge to see if we can find wasteful spending and eliminate it altogether. Recognizing Terry Forcht of the Forcht Bank

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Terry Forcht, Forcht Group of Kentucky chairman and CEO of the Forcht Bank, for an impressive 40 years of service and dedication to communities across the Commonwealth, including in the First Congressional District. The core banking principles of Forcht Bank are respecting the customer, offering competitive rates, and serving the community. Across Kentucky, with 23 banking centers and three loan production offices, Forcht Bank continues to serve Kentuckians and Bluegrass businesses. Mr. Forcht's role has allowed for the enhancement and visionary leadership of Forcht Bank to celebrate this 40th anniversary signifying exceptional dedication and service to Kentucky communities. I consider Terry Forcht a close friend, and I appreciate all that he has done for all the communities in Kentucky and all the charitable organizations. I congratulate him on his outstanding achievement.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, which will streamline cybersecurity vulnerability disclosure to protect Federal IT systems. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1515) to increase access to agency guidance documents.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1515, the Guidance Out of Darkness Act, or the GOOD Act. Regulatory guidance includes agency statements that, while not intended to have the force and effect of law, establish agency policies of statutory, regulatory, or technical issues. Because such guidance communicates how an agency will administer their law and its programs, it has a significant effect on regulated entities. Regulated entities in the public should know what agency guidance says about the laws and programs that affect them. However, guidance documents are not easy to find. They are not consistently posted on agency websites. This inconsistency burdens regulated entities, and it especially burdens small businesses who often lack the resources to hire compliance experts. The problem is so bad that agency guidance documents are known as regulatory dark matter. For a brief time, the first Trump administration was able to bring helpful and needed sunshine to the situation. Following the GOOD Act's passage by the House during the 115th Congress, the first Trump administration voluntarily adopted the bill's reforms through an October 2019 executive order after the Senate failed to act. Under the executive order, guidance was required to become fully transparent online. Across the government, each agency was directed to make available on its website a single, searchable indexed database with links to all guidance documents in effect. As a result, for the first time, Members of the public could easily find whatever agency guidance they needed online in a central location. The order was in effect during 2019 and 2020 but was regrettably rescinded by the Biden administration. As a result, agencies pulled down their guidance web pages, and guidance, once again, fell into darkness, increasing the potential for agency abuse. This is why we need to, once again, pass the GOOD Act in the House and require agencies to publish their regulatory guidance in a single, easily accessible location. The American public deserves nothing less from their government. I thank my committee colleague, Representative Ro Khanna from California, for cosponsoring my legislation, and I especially thank the ranking member for working with my staff to help us advance a bipartisan bill here today. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this simple and necessary transparency bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.