Ruben Gallego

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, as you know, Members of this House disagree on a whole range of topics, but one rare point of bipartisan agreement concerns the ZTE Corporation. We have all heard complaints about the theft of trade secrets by ZTE and other major Chinese companies. We all know that when American companies are forced into licensing and disclosure agreements with Chinese State-owned enterprises, American technology is as good as stolen. We have all sat through hearings and briefings on the significant threat that ZTE and its brother, Huawei, pose to our national security. That is why it is concerning that President Trump decided to let ZTE off the hook for secretly doing business with Iran and North Korea. Of course, this decision wasn't the only one affecting international trade that the Trump administration has made in recent weeks. He is imposing tariffs on our allies in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. His Ambassador to Germany has disgraced himself in the capital of our biggest European partner. He continues to insult our best trading partners by labeling them as security threats. That is right, Mr. Speaker. Donald Trump is giving aid and comfort to ZTE, a known corporate enemy of America, while at the same time going out of his way to alienate our closest friends and allies around the world. But why? I am sure it is just a fluke that Trump is allowing ZTE to resume its purchases of U.S. technology immediately following China's decision to award Ivanka Trump seven new Chinese trademarks. I am positive it is just a coincidence that Trump cut a deal with ZTE right away after various Chinese entities offered $1 billion in financing to a resort with ties to the Trump organization. Just a coincidence. There is nothing to see here, says the Trump administration. Don't ask any questions. Don't demand any information. Just look the other way. How did we get here, Mr. Speaker? Where is the Grand Old Party as Donald Trump erodes our alliances, makes nice with our enemies, and ignites a global trade war? We need to get to the bottom of whether there was a quid pro quo with China over ZTE, and we need to get to work on tough legislation to prevent China from illicitly acquiring American technology, especially technology with important defense applications and capabilities. Bipartisan bills for this purpose with broad support from both parties have already been introduced. The Republican leadership should immediately bring those bipartisan bills to the floor for debate and consideration. That is what the American people expect. They want this body to stand up to America's adversaries and to stand up for America's laws and values. They want us to reassert our power as a coequal branch of government. Trump is tearing down America's alliances. We must preserve them. Trump is sucking up to dictators and repressive regimes all around the world. We must condemn them. More importantly, Trump and his cronies are using the Presidency to enrich themselves, and we must stop them. Let's put an end to the Trump of business model: quid pro quo, pay to play, this for that. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the day when my Republican friends are courageous enough to say out loud what many of them whisper here in these hallways: that coddling Chinese companies like ZTE is reckless, that attacking our allies is dangerous, that using high office for personal gain is flat-out wrong.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I came down to the floor today to give a gentle reminder and a wake-up call to Chairman Gowdy and to Speaker Ryan. I know they have a lot going on. The Speaker is flying out to do a fundraiser today. But I want to make sure he actually understood that what we know, also from multiple media outlets, is that this President is using a phone that is potentially compromising national security. Rather than use the best, most secure communication technology in the world, President Trump just reaches into his pocket and pulls out his regular off-the-shelf phone when he wants to discuss matters of state. Now, he can switch to another phone, a government-provided phone, one that is secure, and he can still even tweet from that phone, but, for some reason, he is still stuck on this phone that is a national security risk. Why would the leader of the free world, and our Commander in Chief, expose sensitive communication to foreign intelligence agencies? Why would he act in such a reckless, negligent manner? Well, according to news reports, the simple answer is that Donald Trump uses his personal cell phone because he just feels like it; it is more convenient for him. Forget the rules and forget the warnings from the military. He just does what he wants and ignores the consequences. I want to highlight this story for Chairman Gowdy and Speaker Ryan because I know they care deeply about data security at the highest level of our government. After all, when Secretary Clinton was found to have used her personal email server, they launched multiple, month-long investigations. They spent millions of tax dollars conducting five emergency hearings, including four, coincidentally, right before the election, and ended up issuing more than 70 subpoenas. Their efforts helped generate huge amounts of media coverage. In one 6-day period, The New York Times ran as many cover stories about Hillary Clinton's emails as they did about all of the policy issues combined in the 69 days leading up to the election. But now that President Trump's widely irresponsible use of his personal cell phone has been exposed, now that we know he could be exposing America's secrets to our gravest enemies, surely my Republican friends are going to be just as worried about data security as they were in the past and conduct some oversight. Surely, they will. They surely will demand and request all the documents, hold hearings, and question witnesses. Surely. They will want to get to the bottom of this scandal as soon as possible. Prior to the election, Chairman Gowdy explained to the reporters: This investigation is not about politics. This is not even about one individual. If it wasn't about politics, and if it wasn't just about stopping Hillary Clinton, the Speaker of the House and the chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee should certainly feel interested in investigating the President's cell phone use. And yet, coincidentally, they have been completely silent. Not one press statement, not one letter, not one word of warning to the White House. It is almost as if they have no interest in conducting real oversight of this President. It is almost as if they are more interested in helping this President than holding him accountable. It is almost as if this Republican Party has completely lost its moral compass under this President. Mr. Speaker, perhaps my good friend, Congressman Ted Lieu, could shed some light on more of these troubling issues for me.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I was a free lunch kid growing up. I was the young man that brought his ID card to the lunch lady and she looked on the back for the yellow sticker and I received free breakfasts and free lunches. I know what it is like to come from a home with a lot of love but not a lot of money. I can tell you for a fact that kids with backgrounds like me cannot succeed in the classroom if they are worried about the next meal. That is why this GOP farm bill is so reprehensible. Republicans are proposing SNAP cuts that will kick a quarter-of-a-million students off of the free lunch program. That is right, Mr. Speaker. They have just given massive tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, but now, to save money, they are trying to pass a bill that could cause poor kids across this country to go hungry. This legislation is a direct attack on my constituents. It is a direct attack on the poor. One in four families in my district alone counts on SNAP to put food on the table. They deserve better. Our country deserves better. I urge my colleagues to oppose this shameful legislation.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. That is all right. All is forgiven.

Mr. GALLEGO. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, we have our favorite cause, or celebrity nowadays, the EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, who, so far, has spent $800,000 for around-the-clock security, nearly twice the cost of security for Pruitt's two immediate predecessors; $105,000 in first- class commercial airline tickets during his first year in office, including a $40,000 trip to Morocco to promote the use of natural gas, which doesn't even fall under the EPA mission. He spent $1,600 on a first-class plane ticket from Washington to New York in order to make two brief television appearances defending the decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. You could take a train that will take you just as long and will end up being, privately, one-tenth of that price if you wanted to go with everyday Americans instead of trying to live it up. He also did an $84,000 trip to Italy to meet with G7 Environment Ministers and took a private Vatican tour; more than $58,000 on chartered flights, including a $36,068 flight from Cincinnati, where Pruitt appeared alongside Trump at an event to New York, where he caught a flight for his Italy trip; a $5,719 intra-State flight from Denver to Durango, Colorado--I have done this trip before. It does not cost you $5,719--despite Governor Hickenlooper's offer of a State plane ride, which would have been free; $120,000 for a right-leaning PR firm, known for its campaign-style opposition research that may have been used to target career EPA employees; and another $43,000 on a soundproof phone booth for Pruitt's office and $6,000 on biometric fingerprinting locks for that booth. Pruitt also bypassed the White House in order to grant raises to two of his aides worth tens of thousands of dollars. Pruitt's former deputy chief of staff reports that Pruitt far outspent the $5,000 decorating allowance for his office, frequently stayed in luxury hotels that exceeded even the 300 percent per diem government rate cap for exceptional circumstances, and directed staff to find official reasons for Pruitt to fly home to Oklahoma or to various cities he wished to visit at taxpayer expense. I would like to point out that we haven't even fully done 2 years in the Trump administration and we are talking about so many of his own Cabinet members who are creating waste, fraud, and abuse. Had any of this occurred during the time when President Obama occupied the White House, we would have a Congress--specifically, the Republican-led Congress--talking about this every day. They would have oversight hearings. They would actually be trying to keep the Presidency in check. Instead, with very few exceptions, what we have is a Republican Congress that is part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, millions of Americans will stop procrastinating and sit down and do their taxes. Nobody likes paying taxes, but what people really hate is when their tax dollars are wasted or, worse, when the money they have worked so hard to earn, money that could have gone to paying for their mortgage or the rent, or money that could have gone to pay our troops or rebuild our roads instead ends up in the pockets of corrupt politicians. When that happens, when a public official takes your hard-earned money and uses it to pay, for example, for a first-class flight or a fancy hotel, the American taxpayer has a right to know. That is why, today, we have written a letter to every worker in this country who pays taxes. You can find it posted on our websites or on medium.com. Our letter simply lists, for the benefit of everyone who will be sending in a return before April 17, some of the ways that the Trump administration has been spending your money. The American taxpayer has a right to know where those dollars are going. With the help of the gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu), my good friend, I would like to share with you a quick accounting of the Trump Cabinet's spending habits. We think a pattern will quickly emerge. While Lincoln had his ``Team of Rivals'' and Kennedy assembled the ``Best and the Brightest,'' Donald Trump is running a ``Cabinet of Corruption.'' So let's get started. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. GALLEGO. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, another example, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, nearly $1 million on seven military flights, instead of flying commercial like his predecessors, including a day trip to Ottawa with his fiancee, a $26,900 military flight to Kentucky in August-- coincidentally, while at the same time there is a solar eclipse, a trip that is still under investigation by the investigator general.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about HUD Secretary Ben Carson: for a mahogany dining set for his office, $31,000.

Mr. GALLEGO. That is, actually, they were personal planes that he took that cost a total of $500,000, Congressman Lieu.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, when the President ran for office, he ran on a saying: drain the swamp. Does this look like you are draining the swamp? Does the list of people and the list of corruption we have seen, does that look like you are draining the swamp? No, it seems like you are just adding it. All you are doing is adding more and more to the culture of corruption and creating that swamp. If the President was serious about it, if my colleagues were also serious about draining the swamp, then they need to keep their own party and their own Cabinet members in check because, right now, that is not happening.

Mr. GALLEGO. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, if you wonder why these Cabinet members feel that they can get away with this, if you wonder why some of these lifelong career politicians and executives think that this is a good idea, it is because they look at the top. They look at the top and they say: Well, my leader, President Trump, is allowed to do this, why can't I also take part? It is the leadership at the top that is creating this culture. It is the leadership at the top that is not draining the swamp, but only making it swampier. That is why you see Secretary Mnuchin, that is why you see Pruitt, that is why you see all of these people basically acting like the President: wasteful with our tax dollars, abusing our tax dollars, and not even trying to explain why, or feeling bad about why they did it.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, while you are filling out your taxes--I already did mine. I did not procrastinate this time, thank God. I am sure Congressman Lieu is a lot more organized and probably got it done 3 months ago--but when you are doing your taxes, and when you pay your taxes, just remember, some of that money has gone into the pockets of some politicians who did not need it. It could have gone somewhere else. It could have gone to your favorite issue. It could have gone to our troops. It could have gone to some of our more important causes. Instead, it was because one Cabinet member decided that he needed to take a first-class trip instead of sitting in coach like the rest of us. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that, for 242 years, whenever and wherever America's freedom has been threatened, we called in the Marines. A Marine Corps infantry platoon is trained to close with and destroy the enemy by firearm and maneuver. That is what we do. That is our purpose. Marines kick in the door and kill the bad guys. Period. I know because that is what I had to do in Iraq. My platoon fought door-to- door against deadly insurgents. For this mission, the Marine Corps issued me an M-16 A4. The M-16 is a weapon designed with exquisite precision for the singular purpose of killing as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. It is not for deer hunting. It is for killing people. The original M-16 was relentlessly refined to take enemy lives in combat. But you might know the version available in stores called an AR-15. Republicans and their bosses at the NRA believe almost anyone should be able to carry this weapon of war. That is right. Republicans honestly believe that this killing machine has a place in our communities. They think that a weapon very similar to one I carried in Al Anbar belongs on the streets of Phoenix. That is idiotic, and I will explain why. Republicans aren't just ignoring the voices of the thousands of victims. They are also denying basic physics. Because a round from an AR-15 is larger and leaves the muzzle traveling faster, it will impact the body without about three times more energy than a bullet from a handgun. Surgeons treating the Parkland victims described organs that looked like ``overripe melons smashed by a sledgehammer.'' They talk about exit wounds as big as oranges. They recount opening bodies of these children, hoping to stem the bleeding, and discovering that, as one doctor put it, ``there was nothing left to repair.'' And here is the thing: that is not an unexpected outcome. Delivering fatal wounds that no surgeon can fix is the whole point of these weapons. That is precisely why they were given to us in combat. The AR-15 also has a standard magazine of 30 rounds. Those 30 rounds are necessary if you are putting down suppressive fire or engaging insurgents. They are not very useful when you are hunting deer. Mr. Speaker, I can confidently say that if you need more than a handful of shots to put down the deer, you are probably the problem, not the weapon. In addition, the AR-15 has a significantly faster effective rate of fire than a bolt-action hunting rifle or a handgun. That means you can shoot more people in less time. That means police officers responding to the scene of a shooting will be outgunned and outmatched. That means more children will die in the classrooms before help can arrive. I went through literally thousands of hours of training to become a marine. It was arduous and grueling. I was taught how to clean and care for my weapon. I had to pass a rigorous marksmanship test. I was only armed after I earned the privilege and responsibility for that weapon. In contrast, my Republican friends think anyone should be able to walk into a sporting goods store anywhere in America and walk out with an AR-15. When children are slaughtered in their classrooms, we respond with thoughts and prayers instead of smarter policies or stronger laws. We are asked to simply accept this bloodshed as an unavoidable fact of American life. Not anymore. How about this? Let's reform our background check system. Let's ban assault rifles and keep weapons of war out of our communities. Then, if people are truly desperate to fire those types of weapons, they can do what I did: go to www.marines.mil and enlist. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding contributions made by Arizona PBS and to celebrate its long history of service to the children of the City of Phoenix and the State of Arizona. Arizona PBS is dedicated to supporting students, families and educators with content focused on national, common core and state standards. Since 2010, the Arizona PBS Educational Outreach team has reached nearly 750,000 families and more than 60,000 teachers and teachers-in- training across the state through large-scale events and special community development workshops. In addition, Arizona PBS provides educational assets through the Arizona PBS LearningMedia online portal in English, Spanish and Navajo, as well as professional development services to help guide individuals into careers in early childhood education. I am especially grateful for PBS's efforts to help families from diverse backgrounds to prepare their children to enter kindergarten by providing free online apps and games as well as off-screen activities for early learning. Last month, Arizona PBS launched a 24/7 children's channel, Arizona PBS KIDS, featuring an array of programming to help young children master important skills, ranging from reading and basic math and science to problem solving and emotional skills. This new channel is available over the air and online to educate, entertain and inspire children of all backgrounds across Arizona. In closing, I want to recognize an event held in my district on February 17, 2018 in which PBS invited children and families to the heart of downtown to celebrate education, community and exploration. Mr. Speaker, I also want to once again pay tribute to the outstanding work of Arizona PBS in helping to mold the young minds and future leaders of our great state.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, in June, seven American heroes died on a dark night when a ship collided with an American destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald. Among the dead were immigrants from Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as sons of workers who journeyed north from Guatemala. As one of the sailors who survived explained: You are crammed in with all sorts of cultures on the ship, but when you are on the Fitzgerald, you are family. Just like the Fitzgerald, my unit in Iraq included men of many races and religions. We were a family, too, and it made us stronger. Madam Speaker, what is true of our military is also true of our country. Lots of nations have democratic institutions, plenty of countries have good schools, and all too many, as we know, wield powerful weapons; but what makes America great, what makes America powerful, and what makes America America is that, since our founding, we have thrown our doors open to the world, and we have kept them open to the strivers and the dreamers from every corner of the globe. We didn't become the greatest, most powerful country in the world because we let in a certain group of people and then slammed the door behind them. No, Madam Speaker, we built this country by making America the only country in the world where anyone from anywhere can accomplish anything. President Reagan may have summed it up best when he explained that: You can go to Japan to live but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. Anyone can come to America to live and become an American. Unfortunately, our current President and his friends in Congress want to turn their backs on what made America great. Their anti-immigrant agenda will lead to the deportation of millions and drastic cuts in legal immigration. The last time Congress restricted immigration in this way was almost 100 years ago. Back then, conservatives were worried that there were too many Italians and Jews who were arriving on our shores. Now, they are concerned about Mexican, Nigerian, and Chinese immigrants. The rhetoric may have shifted, the targets may have changed, but it is the same kind of backward, un-American thinking that existed then. The American people are too smart for this. We don't fear people who don't speak like us or look like us or even pray the way we do. Time and time again, we have rejected the racists and the nativists of this country. We have done it before, and we will do it again. Madam Speaker, I don't have to look at the polls to tell you that there are a lot more Americans like Aaron Chamberlin from Phoenix than like Donald Trump. Aaron is a restaurant owner in Phoenix. When he learned that a young prep chef named Suny Santana was undocumented, Aaron said Suny could stay as long as he found a way to fix his undocumented status. Thankfully, Suny qualified for DACA. He worked hard and thrived. In fact, he did so well that Aaron offered to partner with him in opening his very own new restaurant in downtown Phoenix. But then, cruelly and without warning, President Trump terminated DACA and stripped away Suny's status, throwing his entire life into limbo. Democrats are fighting for Dreamers like Suny and for businessowners like Aaron who believe in them. We are also fighting for veterans like Miguel Perez of Chicago. Miguel has lived in this country since he was 8 years old. He served two tours in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD as a result of his service. Unfortunately, as is too often the case with us, this led to problems with addiction. Miguel deserves our support. Instead, he is facing deportation. As I speak, Miguel is currently sitting in an ICE detention center in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which happens to be in the district of our Speaker, Paul Ryan. Miguel isn't alone. Hundreds of immigrants who served our country in uniform could now be deported at the behest of a President who has never served one day in service to this country. These are men and women who took an oath to protect and defend this Nation. They have earned the right to call this country home. They have earned the right to call themselves Americans. To deport these brave men and women after they have fought under our flag dishonors the service of all of us who risked our lives for this country. We must find a way to protect Dreamers and immigrant families, including brave immigrants who served in uniform. The American people are on our side. They know that Trump's fearful vision for our future is incompatible with who we are as Americans. They are proud to live in a country that attracts the brightest minds and the hardest workers from all around the world. They understand that exclusion and hate are the exact opposite of what makes America America. This Nation did not become great by kicking out immigrants who fight hard like Miguel or who dream big like Suny. Unlike every other country on Earth, we aren't defined by where we come from, but we are defined by what we believe. Donald Trump may not understand that, but the American people do. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of Bishop Alexis Thomas, who passed away on January 18, 2018. Bishop Alexis Thomas was many things to many people. He was a pastor, a leader, and a friend. He was a father, a son and a brother. He was a dynamic and passionate leader not just at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, but throughout our community in Phoenix. Having received his license to preach the gospel at the young age of seven, it is perhaps unsurprising that Bishop Thomas was destined for a life in service of God and his community. Before he was ordained as the Bishop of the State of Arizona in 2003, Bishop Thomas served for eighteen years as the Senior Pastor of Pilgrim Rest, which grew by leaps and bounds under his compassionate leadership. Bishop Thomas' service extended well beyond Pilgrim West Baptist Church. Not only did he serve on the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce, but he also founded the African American Christian Clergy Coalition in 2001 and co-founded the African American Strategic Alliance Coalition in Phoenix. I want to take this opportunity not only to remember and celebrate Bishop Thomas' many accomplishments, but also to share my sincere condolences with Bishop Thomas' family and friends, as well as with the broader Phoenix community mourning his loss. I was fortunate enough to work alongside Bishop Thomas on issues of social justice. We served together as a part of My Brother's Keeper, and I witnessed firsthand his boundless determination to make our community--and our world--a better place. Bishop Thomas will be recalled fondly by many as a counselor, friend and mentor. He will also be remembered as a man with a sincere and remarkable vision for change. Through our work together in support of the Congressional Black Caucus, I feel incredibly fortunate that I was able to witness Bishop Thomas' inspiring leadership firsthand. Bishop Thomas worked miracles large and small every day. He touched more lives than perhaps we will ever know. Mr. Speaker, while we are devastated by his loss, we know that Bishop Thomas' legacy of service and love will live on forever in our community.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained in my congressional district and was not present for two roll call votes on Monday, January 29, 2018. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: Roll Call Vote No. 45--S. 534, Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, as amended--YES; and Roll Call Vote No. 46--H.R. 1457, To establish requirements for use of a driver's license or personal identification card by certain financial institutions for opening an account or obtaining a financial product or service, and for other purposes, as amended--YES.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Bishop Alexis Thomas, who passed away on January 18, 2018. Bishop Thomas was many things to many people. He was an inspiring pastor. He was a father, a son, and a brother. He was a dynamic and passionate leader not just at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, but throughout our community in Phoenix. Under his careful stewardship, Pilgrim Rest grew by leaps and bounds. However, Bishop Thomas' service extended well beyond the church. Bishop Thomas founded the African American Christian Clergy Coalition and cofounded the African American Strategic Alliance Coalition in Phoenix. Thanks to these endeavors and many others, Bishop Thomas will be remembered as a man with a remarkable vision for change who was taken from us way too soon. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to call Bishop Thomas my friend. I can personally attest that he worked miracles, large and small, every day in Phoenix and in Arizona. He touched more lives than we will ever know. And though we are devastated by his loss, we know that his legacy of service and love will live forever in our community.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, there they go again. Donald Trump and Paul Ryan are dusting off a familiar Republican playbook. I will break it down for you: Step one, slash taxes for millionaires and billionaires; Step two, explode the deficit; Step three, use rising deficits to justify cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; Step four, accuse Democrats of being irresponsible for opposing said cuts; Step five, repeat. Repeat as the rich get richer, repeat as the deficit grows larger, repeat as working families struggle, and repeat as the social safety net disintegrates. We saw it a decade ago under President Bush, and we are seeing it again right now. But you don't have to take my word for it, Mr. Speaker. The Republican tax bill will add $1.5 trillion to our national debt over the next decade, yet Paul Ryan is already claiming that we need to cut entitlements to get America's finances under control. Last week, Ryan warned: ``We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform. . . . Frankly, it's the healthcare entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt . . . that's really where the problem lies.'' Not true, Mr. Speaker. Our problem doesn't lie with lifesaving healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Our problem lies with this monstrosity of a tax bill. What if we tried a different approach? What if, instead of slashing Medicare to pay for tax cuts for Trump's cronies, we said no to this scam of a tax bill? What if we said no to raising taxes on middle class families? What if we said no to hurting students to help the largest companies in the world? What if we said no to a tax bill written by high-paid lobbyists for wealthy donors behind closed doors? What if, just once, the Republican majority actually passed a bill to make life easier for Americans living paycheck to paycheck? It is a crazy idea, right? But if Republicans come to their senses and want to work on real tax reform for working Americans, they know where to find us, but I won't hold my breath.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I cast a vote in error. On the Roll Call Vote No. 598, I had intended to vote in the following manner: Roll Call Vote No. 598--Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017-- No.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, we know that the Republican tax plan is a massive, unconscionable giveaway to millionaires and billionaires. We know that it will blow up the deficit and do nothing to raise wages or create solid middle class jobs. What we don't know, Mr. Speaker, is how much the GOP tax proposal will personally benefit Donald Trump. That is because, unlike every other American President, Donald Trump has refused to disclose his tax returns. Trump claimed that he couldn't release his returns throughout the campaign because he was ``under audit.'' But, Mr. Speaker, he never provided any concrete proof. More importantly, the IRS confirmed that being under audit in no way prohibits someone from making their returns public. In fact, President Nixon did just that while he was in office. More recently, when The Economist magazine asked Trump about releasing his returns, he said: ``I don't know. That's a very interesting question. I doubt it. I doubt it . . . Nobody cares about my tax return except for the reporters. Oh, at some point I'll release them. Maybe I'll release them after I'm finished. . . .'' That is right, Mr. Speaker, we will have to wait until Trump leaves office just to find out just how much money he made thanks to his own tax reform bill. And my Republican friends are apparently just fine with that. There is a shocker. They don't care that Donald Trump is using his office to enrich himself. They don't care that we can't even say with any certainty exactly how much richer he is going to get. They don't care about the debt. They don't care about the deficit. They don't care about making our tax system fairer. Literally, the only thing they care about and that truly matters to House Republicans is that they get to cut taxes for the richest Americans, the people who need a tax cut least of all. Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump does not need a tax cut, neither does Secretary Mnuchin or Secretary DeVos or Secretary Tillerson or Paris Hilton, but they are going to get one if Republicans have their way. In 2012, Paul Ryan said: ``We have a debt crisis right in front of us, and what brings down great empires, past and future, is debt.'' In 2013, Paul Ryan said: ``Our debt is the biggest threat to this country. We have to tackle this problem before it tackles us.'' In 2016, Donald Trump said: ``I am the king of debt. I love debt.'' It certainly seems like Speaker Ryan has come around to President Trump's way of thinking. Republicans are planning to add $1.5 trillion to our national debt, and they couldn't be happier about it. Here is the simple reality, Mr. Speaker. Republicans only care about deficits when they want to cut spending on programs for the poor or for veterans or for the elderly or for our children. Republicans only care about debt when they want to slash Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Speaker, Republicans only care about debt and are only fiscally responsible when there is a Democrat in the White House. The American people are now seeing right through this hypocrisy, just like they see right through Donald Trump's excuses about his tax returns. They want us to reject this Republican tax plan, and it is about time we started listening to them.