Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Here we go again, not talking about the subject at hand but trying to distract people. It is the same old, tired song and dance. Our friends revert to demonizing and misrepresenting the big, beautiful bill. They say you can't make this stuff up, but that is what they do. We are having one success after another, and it is driving our friends across the aisle to distraction. When they had full control of the levers of power just a few years ago, they expanded the Federal Government with an unprecedented $11 trillion in spending, $6 trillion of which has been added to the national debt. What is most revealing is their refusal to articulate a single program, a single outlay, or a single area of Federal spending they want to reduce on behalf of taxpayers. They want every single dime of taxpayer money, and they don't like the historic cutting of $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse in H.R. 1. They can't stomach the $9 billion here in this discretionary cuts to wasteful spending. There is no upper limit to the amount of taxpayer dollars they will throw at their government-centered schemes. How about a million? Can democrats articulate a cut to Federal spending in the amount of a million? How about in the thousands, like the $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda or the $8,000 for promoting vegan food in Zambia that we are cutting now? They can't do it, and that is very unfortunate because it has dire consequences for our Nation. The fact is, we can't work in a bipartisan fashion to cut Federal spending anymore, and that wasn't always the case. Our colleagues are addicted to a tax-and-spend formula that has been bankrupting our government. But we won't stand idly by. We won't wait on Democrats to take their heads out of the sand or wake up from this woke-induced coma. We are taking bold action at every level and in every facet of the Federal Government to get our Federal spending under control. We will do it $8,000 at a time when we have to or $1.6 trillion at a time when we can. We have been given this mandate, and the American people are counting on us. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which mandates that all public broadcasting programs must demonstrate strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs. There are a myriad of statistical studies that prove that they are not. Perhaps most damning for NPR is the fact that it had to utilize a $1.9 million Federal grant to ``improve objectivity and diverse viewpoints'' last year. This is despite the fact that NPR's CEO recently testified, as our colleague said, that she didn't witness any bias at the organization. Then why the need for the Federal grant? The problem with the Public Broadcasting Act is that it lacks an enforcement mechanism, so we will go with our constitutional prerogatives here to enforce the law. It starts with the rescission of funding. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, we are far from weak. We are doing what the American people want us to do, and that is to let them keep more of their money and not take it and let unnamed bureaucrats spend it on their behalf. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am not quite ready to close, but will be shortly.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, all night, our colleagues across the aisle have been talking about what we are not here to discuss, which is this rescissions package. They keep trying to distract the American people with things that we are not here to talk about. The American people do not want to see their hard-earned tax dollars being squandered, not one bit. At its core, H.R. 4 is about shutting off the spigot of wasteful money, clawing back the tax dollars of Americans, and ensuring that wasteful and unnecessary spending is uprooted and left to wither and die. It is just that simple. That is all there is to it. With more rescissions packages on the horizon, the President and Speaker have indicated that the best is yet to come. We are doing our job to help save the American taxpayers' dollars. We know how hard it is to earn those dollars, and we don't want to see them squandered. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the previous question, ``yes'' on the rule, and ``yes'' on the underlying bill.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Tawanda Dickens, who is a civilian employee with the United States Capitol Police. Ms. Dickens, as most of us call her, will be retiring in August after many years of remarkable service. Her work is often unseen, as she covers the late-night shift within the Capitol complex, but I, along with many others, agree that her work makes a real positive difference to those of us who know her. I am so fortunate that Ms. Dickens not only helped me often, but, as she did with many, many others, she befriended me. She is someone who is a friend to many here in the people's House, and she is respected by all who know her. I congratulate Ms. Dickens on her well-deserved retirement. May God continue to bless her and her family as she enters this new and exciting chapter of her life.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the underlying legislation. The four separate measures being considered under this rule all have a singular commonality. They serve to put American interests first, where they should always be. All of us can agree that within the global markets, and on the global stage, America must always remain competitive and stand tall. That is not sometimes. That is not occasionally. That is not part of the time. That is always. From protecting consumer privacy to ushering in a new era of financial innovation, providing for the common defense of the Nation to strengthening the dominance of the American dollar, these pieces of legislation are as consequential as they are vital. This is the caliber of legislation that the American people expect our Republican majority to deliver. Republicans here in the people's House continue to exceed that mark. We have done it many times before, and this week, we will do it again. One of the four bills being considered under this rule is H.R. 4016, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2026. This legislation provides for appropriations for the DOD for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2026. Mr. Speaker, you know as well as I do that Congress' first solemn responsibility, one of many, is to provide for the common defense of the Nation. In total, H.R. 4016 provides $831.5 billion and adheres to the budgetary top line put forward in the President's FY26 budget request. Consider for a moment the provisions contained within this legislation that uphold Congress' responsibility. Mr. Speaker, there is $189 billion for Active-Duty, Reserve, and National Guard military personnel, which is $6.6 billion above the fiscal year 2025 enacted level. There is an increase of 3.8 percent in basic pay for all military personnel beginning January 1 of next year. There are sizeable investments in research and development, procurement efforts, and operation and maintenance. Mr. Speaker, I will vote ``yes'' on the rule and ``yes'' on the four underlying measures, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 566 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I claim time in favor of consideration of the resolution.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the question before the House is: Should the House now consider House Resolution 566? Though the resolution waives all points of order against consideration of the motion to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1, the Committee on Rules is not aware of any violation of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, nor has the Congressional Budget Office identified any violation of the act. The reason for this motion is plain and obvious. It is not a legitimate attempt to question consideration, but simply a dilatory tactic to further delay consideration of this historic legislation and to give the Democrats more time to mislead Americans. We must dispense with this question of consideration so we can move the process forward and enact the agenda President Trump and the American people have demanded. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote ``yes'' on the question of consideration of the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, Republicans stand ready to deliver H.R. 1 directly to the President's desk for his signature. Late last year, the American people rallied en masse behind the Republican vision for a renewed Nation. It is a nation no longer blighted by the cataclysmic failures of the previous administration, and a nation primed and ready to enter the golden age. One of the many strong reinforced byproducts of our Republican vision is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It is one of the most consequential pieces of legislation that any party has ever passed and for good reason. The provisions interwoven in this legislation are monumental. They are what the American people voted for in November: historic tax relief for working families; massive investments to secure our Nation's borders; capturing generational savings; and slashing waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently for those who truly need them. Mr. Speaker, I could opine at length about the wins that Republicans have secured in this bill, wins that we have been highlighting to the American people for months. Meanwhile, our Democratic colleagues have resorted to fear-mongering and wailing from their bully pulpits in the hopes of deceiving the American people. For months, we have heard Democrats claim that the sky was falling, that all hope is lost because H.R. 1 will bring about the end times, and a litany of other outlandish and absurd claims. They are so desperate to smear H.R. 1 and deny the American people the policies that the American people overwhelmingly voted for in November. Let's again focus on what this bill accomplishes. It yields the single greatest cut in wasteful government spending in congressional history by slashing far more than a trillion dollars of bloat. It preserves the greatest battle-tested set of tax cuts for working families that our Nation has ever seen or our economy has ever realized. It doubles down on the border priorities of the most successful enforcement efforts by a President in our Nation's history. It realigns our economy in defense of American workers, American energy, American businesses, and American job creators to unleash the engines of our economy, raise the tide of our economic standards, and bring a new definition of American greatness to the world. Perhaps the reason why Democrats are so desperate to smear this legislation is because they are caught in their own self-inflicted malaise of denial. Perhaps they still can't accept that Americans chose Republicans to lead the Nation instead of them. That said, Mr. Speaker, Republicans are not distracted by that fear- mongering and doomsaying of those who want H.R. 1 to fail. The facts are on our side, and we have been cutting through the noise by bringing those facts to the American people for months. So that the record is clear, a vote against this legislation is a vote to green-light the largest tax increase in American history being levied against everyday men and women, to decimate millions of jobs across America, and to kneecap the capabilities and readiness of the Nation's military. This is not fear-mongering like what our colleagues across the aisle have been engaging in. These are just facts. Mr. Speaker, the pathway forward is crystal clear. The House must pass this rule and pass the Senate amendment to H.R. 1 so that more wins can be delivered to the American people. The American people deserve to keep winning, and to deny them that opportunity is a flagrant disservice. This legislation is the embodiment of the America First agenda, and we would all do well to remember that. Failure at this critical juncture is not an option. This clock is ticking. The President and the American people are waiting. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Langworthy).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McDowell).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Haridopolos).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford).