Mónica De La Cruz

Ms. De La CRUZ

Ms. De La CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and extraordinary legacy of Lieutenant Santiago C. Soliz, a cherished family man, proud veteran, and devoted public servant from Alice, Texas. A proud graduate of Alice High School, Lt. Soliz went on to answer the call of duty through his service in the United States Army. Upon returning home, he chose to continue serving his community, dedicating more than three decades of service to the Alice Police Department. Beyond his long and distinguished career, Lt. Soliz was the heart and foundation of his family. Alongside his beloved wife, Belen, they built a home filled with love for their children, Juan Carlos and Monica, and grandchildren, Mason and Karley. Lt. Soliz lived a life defined by strength, selfless service, and love for his family and community.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4646, the Whistleblower Protection Act, which passed with bipartisan support out of the Financial Services Committee. Texas families are stretching every dollar right now while scammers are cashing in on taxpayer-funded programs. While Texas families play by the rules, scammers and corrupt leaders shouldn't get rewarded. That is why I am working to stop the abuse and bring accountability back to Washington, and this bill brings us closer to that goal by strengthening whistleblower protections for those wanting to rightfully blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. Whistleblower protections are one of the most effective tools that we have to combat waste, fraud, and abuse throughout our government. This bipartisan legislation is simple. It clarifies that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, a vital step that is necessary due to the bureaucratic implementation of congressionally enacted enhanced whistleblower protections originally passed in 2013. When Congress initially passed these enhanced whistleblower protections in 2013, known as section 4712, it intended them to apply to both contracts awarded before these protections became law and to contracts that predated section 4712 becoming law but have since been modified. Unfortunately, many HUD programs have contracts that are often decades long, meaning that there are still active HUD contracts that predate 2013 and do not include key protections from section 4712, leaving thousands of HUD contractors with uncertainty. This legislation fixes that by providing much-needed clarity to HUD and ensuring that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, regardless of when a contract was signed. This is something HUD has even asked for, most recently in their fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress. We must never allow retaliation against people who are simply trying to act in the taxpayers' best interests, and I will never stop rooting out corruption and cutting government waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting my bill, the bipartisan Whistleblower Protection Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4646) to clarify that whistleblower protections described in section 4712 of title 41, United States Code, apply to any contract funded from amounts appropriated to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), the sponsor of this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 8278, the Fostering the Use of Technology to Uphold Regulatory Effectiveness in Supervision Act, or the FUTURES Act. This bipartisan, commonsense measure addresses a real challenge. As technology evolves at unprecedented speed and banks and financial firms adopt new tools, do our financial regulators have the technology and expertise they need to keep pace? I am proud to support the FUTURES Act, led by Representatives Marlin Stutzman and Bill Foster, which takes important steps toward modernizing our Federal financial regulatory agencies. The FUTURES Act provides Congress with a comprehensive view of the roadblocks hindering our supervisors' ability to effectively regulate and supervise their financial institutions. It does so by providing Congress with a clear picture of the technology regulators currently use, where critical gaps exist, and what barriers stand in the way of closing those gaps. If our regulators and supervisors cannot keep pace with a constantly evolving market, there is a legitimate risk to both financial market stability and the broader economy. We must equip agencies with the tools they need to effectively oversee the ever-changing landscape of global finance. A crucial first step in doing so is to remove roadblocks, outdated agency practices, procurement barriers, and needless bureaucracy that slows the adoption of cutting-edge supervisory technology. The FUTURES Act would identify and address these roadblocks and help enable more effective, realtime oversight of markets and institutions. This is a critical step to create a more transparent and efficient supervisory environment for financial institutions and market participants of all sizes. The bill also takes a look at whether agencies can recruit, train, and retain the technical experts needed to meet their missions. Just as we hold our financial institutions to rigorous standards on cybersecurity and vendor oversight, we should equip our regulators to meet the same high bars. I look forward to the insights this bill will generate and how they will guide future engagement to improve supervision across the Federal financial system. I supported this bipartisan, commonsense bill last Congress and during our committee markup in May, and I am pleased to do so today. All of my colleagues at the Financial Services Committee supported this bill, and I urge the rest of my colleagues in the House to join us in passing this important bipartisan bill. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Stutzman and Mr. Foster for their leadership, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the CBO estimate for this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8278) to require certain supervisory agencies to assess their technological capabilities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn), the sponsor of this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I note that although H.R. 2978 has not been reported out of Judiciary Committee, which also received a referral for the bill, the Judiciary Committee supports H.R. 2978 being considered today under suspension of the rules. I thank Chairman Jordan for his committee's support. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2978, the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act, or GUARD Act. Financial fraud is one of the fastest-growing threats facing hardworking Americans, particularly seniors and retirees who have spent decades saving for the future. Today, sophisticated scammers are using technology to target vulnerable Americans through increasingly complex schemes. The GUARD Act helps address this challenge by allowing State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to use existing Federal grant funding to investigate financial fraud. This bill also gives law enforcement greater access to modern investigative tools by allowing Federal agencies to assist State and local authorities with blockchain tracing and related technologies. These tools can help law enforcement follow the money, identify bad actors, and recover funds that have been stolen from victims. As scammers continue to develop new ways to exploit Americans, our law enforcement agencies must have the tools and information necessary to keep pace. This bipartisan bill takes a commonsense approach by strengthening coordination between Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement, while providing the resources needed to investigate and disrupt financial fraud. More importantly, the GUARD Act will help protect seniors and retirees who have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to be protected from predatory actors. I thank Representatives Nunn, Fitzgerald, and Gottheimer for their leadership on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2978, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2978) to permit State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies that receive eligible Federal grant funds to use such funds for investigating elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and general financial fraud, and to clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain), the House Republican Conference chairwoman and sponsor of this bill.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Republican Conference Chairwoman McClain's Common Cents Act. Rather than spending more money producing a coin than the coin itself is worth, this straightforward, commonsense bill ensures that Congress is a good steward of taxpayers' dollars by providing long-term fiscally responsible solutions. Mr. Speaker, let's look at the numbers. According to an audit of the United States Mint, it costs $3.69 to make a 1-cent penny. In fact, for 19 consecutive years, the U.S. Government has spent more than one penny to make one penny. In 2024 alone, taxpayers lost more than $85 million producing pennies. Chairwoman McClain's bill eliminates that wasteful spending by codifying President Trump's directive to the Mint to stop producing new pennies for circulation. However, we also need to make sure we are not solving one problem by creating another. If we stop making pennies, then Americans are likely to use more nickels, and at nearly 14 cents to produce nickels, they aren't exactly a bargain either. That is why this bill gives the Treasury Secretary the flexibility to move a lower-cost composite for the nickel, again, saving taxpayers money. The bill also provides a clear uniform standard for rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel when exact change isn't available, ensuring our small businesses have the certainty they need. Importantly, the bill keeps Congress informed by requiring Treasury to notify the House and Senate and explain their reasoning before discontinuing any additional circulating coins. This is very simple. The Federal Government should not spend more money to make something than it is worth itself. We should look for savings where we can, modernize outdated practices, and ensure businesses and consumers have certainty at the register. Mr. Speaker, this is what responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars looks like. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Chairwoman McClain's bipartisan Common Cents Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the CBO estimate for this bill.