Ruben Gallego

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Every committee has jurisdiction over a set of agencies. Those agencies each have something called an inspector general. These officials are responsible for investigating waste, fraud, and abuse at each agency and reporting back to Congress.

Mr. GALLEGO. Well, Ted, Congress can actually request an inspector general report.

Mr. GALLEGO. Exactly.

Mr. GALLEGO. So what have we learned today? Unfortunately, we have learned that our Republican colleagues are unwilling or afraid, either-or, to use their power vested in them by the Constitution on behalf of the American people to keep the executive in check.

Mr. GALLEGO. It is shameful that we are going on recess right now while we know that there are foreign adversaries targeting our elections, targeting our elected officials; we have a President that we cannot get straight answers out of, and this Republican-led Congress refuses to act. So maybe it is time to turn control of this Chamber over to Members who are willing to hold this administration accountable. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak about a brave young woman, an Arizonan named Vanessa Ramirez. When she was just 23 years old, Vanessa received a devastating diagnosis. Doctors told her that she had ovarian cancer, yet Vanessa refused to put her dreams on hold. She somehow managed to fit in chemotherapy sessions between her classes at Arizona State. Eventually, Vanessa pulled through. She beat cancer, and, today, she has two happy, healthy kids. Vanessa has overcome a lot in her young life, but thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there is one challenge she won't be forced to endure: going without health insurance. Despite her preexisting condition, Vanessa was able to purchase an affordable plan through the ObamaCare marketplace. Her children are also covered under KidsCare, our State's Children's Health Insurance Program. However, if Donald Trump gets his way, Vanessa's story soon could take a sad turn. Having abolished the individual mandate, Republican State attorneys general, backed by President Trump, are now arguing in court that rules prohibiting insurers from charging higher rates on the basis of a preexisting condition or even denying coverage completely should be ruled unconstitutional. The mandate is so central to ObamaCare, Republicans claim that, without it, the courts should simply throw out the whole Affordable Care Act altogether. Their arguments are clearly baseless. But if Republicans succeed, millions of Americans like Vanessa could quickly lose their coverage. Of course, that is not all the Trump administration is doing to undermine the Affordable Care Act. President Trump blocked cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers, sending shock waves of uncertainty through insurance markets across the Nation and raising costs for consumers in premiums. Trump also cut open-enrollment periods and slashed funding to help Americans sign up for insurance. Trump and the GOP don't care about the people they are hurting. His only objective is to erase the legacy of his predecessor. Mr. Speaker, no issue crystalizes the differences between our two political parties like this one. Democrats don't think your insurance company should be allowed to drop you because you get sick. Democrats don't believe you should go bankrupt and lose your home simply because you get in an accident. Democrats are committed to the belief that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, for every single American. On the other hand, Republicans want to turn back the clock to a time when a minor diagnosis could lead to the loss of coverage, when young people were kicked off their parents' plan as soon as they turned 18, when simply being a woman somehow qualified as a preexisting condition. That is not right. Mr. Speaker, Republicans couldn't repeal the Affordable Care Act in Congress. Now they are just trying to sabotage it from the White House, and millions of Americans, like Vanessa Ramirez, could lose access to lifesaving care as a result. We can't allow that to happen.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6124, the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act. I am pleased to support this common sense, bipartisan bill that will extend a basic right to tribal leaders across the country: the ability to retire with dignity and security. Astonishing as it may seem, elected tribal leaders, including those who have already paid into Social Security, can no longer contribute to--or access the benefits of--this critical safety net program. After a lifetime of service to their communities, tribal leaders shouldn't have to struggle to make ends meet. They deserve the same access to Social Security as every other American. This speaks to a broader problem, Mr. Speaker. As the first inhabitants of our homeland, the interests of Native Americans should be a primary consideration when federal policy makers go to work--not an afterthought. But, too often, the unique considerations of Indian Country are just that . . . an afterthought. Nevertheless, every decision we make in this body--from the Farm Bill to healthcare to tax policy--every decision we make impacts our Native American brothers and sisters. Earlier today, in the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs, we heard from the tribe whose members helped the Pilgrims survive that first winter in Plymouth. Their good will is part of the reason you and I are here today. Moving forward, it's incumbent upon us to demonstrate the same generosity of spirit that was shown to our nation's founders. And we can start here and now. I urge my colleagues to support this common sense legislation today, and to fully consider the implications of new policies on Indian Country in the future.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, grazing on public lands is a privilege-- not a right--and ranchers who use these lands should abide by the law and pay their fair share. On average, Federal rates for grazing are more than 90 percent lower than what the private sector charges. In fact, these rates are so low that the government actually loses money administering the grazing program. My amendment would simply reaffirm that grazing permits or leases should not be issued to anyone who refuses to comply with BLM regulations, including the payment of fees. Mr. Chairman, this is a narrow amendment, but it speaks to a broader principle. We can't claim to support the rule of law and then look the other way when ranchers like Cliven Bundy ignore their obligations. Bundy thumbed his nose at the executive and judicial branches of our government, running up over $1 million in unpaid fees. He then put the lives of local and Federal officials in danger during a standoff at his Nevada ranch. Later, when two Oregon ranchers named Dwight and Steven Hammond, who also have a history of disregarding grazing regulations, were sent to Federal prison for fires they potentially set near Federal lands, members of the Bundy family led an armed occupation of the national wildlife refuge. Mr. Chairman, President Trump recently pardoned the Hammonds, validating these violent tactics and insulting the courageous law enforcement officers who risked their lives during the confrontation in Oregon. With these pardons, Trump has effectively given his blessing to groups who intimidated, threatened, and occupied local communities. He has legitimized Bundy's extreme right-wing movements. Make no mistake, Donald Trump is sending a clear message to militant and antigovernment organizations: You can break the law, threaten Federal employees, and endanger public safety with complete impunity. That is unacceptable. Mr. Chairman, freeloading on Federal land is unlawful and unfair. Let's pass my amendment and reaffirm that the ranchers need to play by the rules just like the rest of us. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, let's face it: Ranchers who refuse to pay what they owe the Federal Government are freeloaders, pure and simple. If you don't pay your taxes, you go to jail. If you don't pay your mortgage, you get your house taken away. Ranchers are not more special than any other Americans. They are freeloaders, and they should pay for their freeloading. Congress should not stand for it. Let's pass my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of a young mother. Her name is Rosa. Just like my mom, she came to America in search of a better life. Rosa's home was in Trujillo, Honduras, where she lived with her aging parents and her son, Juan. Violent gangs controlled the town, and Rosa feared her young son would be targeted like so many others in her neighborhood. Under these desperate circumstances, Rosa did what any loving mother would do. She took her modest life savings and her son and fled north in search of safety. When they finally made it to the U.S. border near Yuma, Arizona, Rosa and Juan were met by American authorities who asked her an ominous question: Don't you know we're separating children from their families here? She told them no, but it was too late. Rosa and Juan are still separated. Mr. Speaker, the administration is now reuniting a small number of these families due, in part, to Donald Trump's orders. But let's be clear. This isn't happening out of concern for their welfare. As usual, Donald Trump is only doing the right thing because a court is making him do it. Trump still wants to set up tent camps in our military bases. He still wants to eviscerate legal protections for migrant children, and he still wants to lock up families. Donald Trump's goal is to present mothers and children fleeing unspeakable violence with an impossible choice: immediate deportation or indefinite detention. That is appalling. On the other hand, the Members of this body have an easy choice: make excuses for Trump, or take a stand against the state-sponsored mistreatment of children. It is not a tough decision. We know what we need to do.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to follow Mr. Rush, who was my Congressman growing up all through high school and actually in elementary school. Mr. Speaker, at this very moment, House Republicans are racing out of Washington. Families are being torn apart; children are being ripped from the arms of their mothers; and women who have fled horrific violence are being deported back to their abusers. Yet my Republican colleagues are nowhere to be found. Where are they, Mr. Speaker? House Republicans are fleeing the scene of an accident. They are running from the shame and embarrassment of yesterday's vote on the GOP immigration bill. They are headed for the exits while thousands of kids cry in cages at our borders tonight. That is right, with the world watching and with a humanitarian crisis unfolding right here in America, Speaker Ryan and the House Republicans simply just gave up and went home. The other party fought for weeks behind closed doors. They traded accusations and insults, many of which were quickly leaked to the press. Yesterday, they finally put an immigration bill on the House floor, and it failed by the largest margin in recent memory. But instead of allowing a vote on a true compromise, like the Aguilar-Hurd legislation, Speaker Ryan and his leadership team decided to call it quits. They chose to put their fingers in their ears while thousands of kids are crying out for their mothers. Mr. Speaker, 121-301. That was the vote yesterday, and 121-301 tells the story of a Republican Conference in crisis. When he officially retires, 121-301 should be in the first line of any story written about Paul Ryan's speakership. If Republicans aren't interested in governing, they should at least step aside and let Democrats take over. If Speaker Ryan isn't interested in actually solving problems, he should get an early start on his retirement, because right now, it sure looks like House Republicans are more interested in fighting each other than fighting for the American people. Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing a lot about civility as of late. Republicans are upset that Members of this body have said mean things about the President. Republicans whine on FOX News about the White House press secretary being turned away from a restaurant. Republicans writing in the opinion pages are wringing their hands about the deterioration of our public discourse. Give me a break already. Isn't it time that we worried less about the lack of civility in our politics and more about the lack of humanity in our government? Here is all I ask: When my Republic colleagues are enjoying their fireworks and barbecues with their loved ones next week, I hope they will spare a thought for the mothers separated from their loved ones because of Donald Trump's outrageous cruelty. And I hope, just for a minute, that my Republican friends will pause and think about their own responsibility for this tragedy. I hope, just for a moment, that they will stop to wonder what future generations of Americans will say about the leaders of today who opted for silence or civility in the face of so much human suffering. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, ZTE and Huawei Technologies are owned by the Chinese Government. Time and time again, we have seen that these companies, along with many others, abuse and manipulate their placement in the market to attack sensitive American communications, the technology sector as a whole, and our national critical infrastructure. There is no partisan disagreement on this point. Congress has been briefed many times on Chinese cyber attacks, espionage, and trade secret theft. We all know this is a problem. It is therefore astonishing, Mr. Chairman, that it is still possible that U.S. taxpayer dollars could be used to buy goods and services from these two bad apples. My amendment would change that. Put simply--and it is very simple, Mr. Chairman--my amendment would prevent funds under this act to procure any goods or services from these two companies. This should be the start of a larger, coordinated effort to harden our defense supply chain, sensitive communications networks, and critical industries and infrastructure from modern threats, whether they come from China or anywhere else. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with my friends and colleagues in both parties in making that a reality, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support just as strongly as my friend from Virginia in support of the amendment from my good friend from Connecticut. Mr. Chairman, we have a serious strategic issue with respect to submarines. This amendment would give the Navy the option--just an option, Mr. Chairman, not a requirement--to procure submarines at a faster rate than it is currently planning right now. As we face bigger threats from China, from Russia, and in force projection in general, we need to look at all options, all especially when we are routinely briefed, as we all are on the Armed Services Committee, on the strategic deficiencies that we find right now. Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to point out and make sure everyone knows I have zero shipyards in Arizona. We do not build any ships in Arizona. We are landlocked. I support this amendment not just because I am a marine and because I am a patron; I think it is in the best interests of our country and national defense.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, in Trump's ``Cabinet of corruption,'' one individual stands head and shoulders above the rest. He is a man that Senator Udall crowned ``the Emperor of the Swamp.'' If we created a Mount Rushmore of American corruption, his face would be carved into it. His scandals are so outrageous that even Sarah Sanders has stopped defending him and just started telling jokes at his expense. I am speaking, of course, about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. I will give you an example. Pruitt tried to use his office to get his wife a Chick-fil-A franchise. When he was questioned about it, the EPA chief said: It is one of the best restaurants in the country. We need more of them in Tulsa and we need more of them across the country. Anyway, it is an exciting time. Mr. Speaker, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a chicken sandwich just as much as any other person, but Scott Pruitt talks about Chick-fil-A like they are some kind of social service or some group that hands out food to the homeless. He thinks it is an organization setting up soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Frankly, this is probably one of the weakest excuses I have ever heard from any administration, but this administration seems to specialize in weak excuses. Scott also rented a Washington, D.C., apartment from a lobbyist with matters before the EPA. And it won't surprise you at all that he got a really good sweetheart deal. Pruitt was paying $50 a night and was only charged the days he actually slept there. Now, for everybody back in Arizona who may not understand this, the D.C. rental market is really high here. Let just assure you, what he did was not normal and probably illegal. I am not a lawyer or a law enforcement officer, but this arrangement definitely looks like a bribe to me. And that is not all. This week, we learned that Pruitt ordered his government bodyguards to seek out a luxury moisturizer that is exclusively offered to patrons of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu), my friend and colleague.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, before we go into the top 10, I think one of the pretty scandalous other abuses of taxpayers is the fact that he had his personal detail asking and searching for used Trump mattresses. Now, this is not a joke, this is not from an episode of ``Veep.'' Your EPA Administrator, a supposed adult in the room, is using taxpayer dollars to try to find used Trump mattresses. Right now, all I can think of are two things. Number one, this person is just egregiously using our taxpayer dollars in the worst possible manner. And, number two, he is trying to set up one of the weirdest bed and breakfasts in the history of Washington, D.C. But this is actually real. This is not TV. This is actually happening in your government. Mr. Speaker, let me go into the top 10 things that EPA Administrator Pruitt has done to embarrass this country, and possible corruption. And 10 is what we have. There are a lot more than that, but we have to at least keep this somewhat bitable for everybody else. Let me start with number 10, as recently reported: the mess hall. Pruitt has overused his privileges at the swanky, but affordable, White House mess hall, despite being warned against doing so. Now, the mess hall is basically a cafeteria for the top officers of the White House. I have been in it. I was there under the Obama administration. It is an honor to be invited to go, and it is great food at a very low price. Pruitt has misused this privilege so much so that he has been asked to not come back. You are that egregious that, as a sitting member of the Cabinet, you have been told by White House staff to not come back to the cafeteria. That tells you a lot. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu) to tell us about number nine.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I also recommend just taking the Metro. It is much quicker, but that is just me. Number eight, $130 fountain pens: Scott Pruitt has spent over $1,500 taxpayer dollars on personalized $130 fountain pens. Now, I recommend the BIC pen. It does the job well. But, more importantly, it seems like, on one hand, he doesn't seem to mind spending taxpayer dollars on really expensive things, such as these really fancy pens, and then personally, in his own personal life, he is really cheap by looking for cheap used Trump mattresses. So he is, essentially, using the taxpayer dollar as his personal piggy bank so he can live the lifestyle he wants. On to the mattress. Pruitt used his EPA staff to help him look for a discount Trump Home Luxury Plush Euro Pillow Top mattress. It is apparently his favorite. He also inappropriately used aids to look for apartments and help arrange family vacations to the Rose Bowl. Ted and I are lucky to have some very smart, young staff, and they work hard, but they are not here to be our personal valets. They are here to make sure we do our job well, we get to our meetings, and we have the resources that we need to make the right decisions. They certainly aren't there to help you find the right type of Trump Home Luxury Plush Euro Pillow Top mattress. I definitely don't recommend that. Or, as Ted Lieu has said, there is the internet. You can find it there also. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu).

Mr. GALLEGO. Number five, first class travel: Pruitt has spent over $100,000 on first class commercial travel since entering office, citing security concerns, apparently not satisfied with his $3.5 million currently spent on security escort. Let me tell you, number one, unfortunately for, I think, many Americans, nobody knows who Scott Pruitt is. You do not need to be flying first class for, quote/unquote, security reasons, and you certainly should not be making the American public be paying for your first class tickets.

Mr. GALLEGO. Number three, unsanctioned raises: In a time in America where every American is hoping to just get a pay raise next month, Scott Pruitt was told: You are not allowed to give your employees--the certain employees that he wanted to give--a pay raise. He was specifically told: They do not deserve that pay raise. You will not give them a pay raise. So instead, he used an obscure provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act to actually find a way to give them a pay raise in spite of the White House saying: You will not give them a pay raise. Now, this would be actually somewhat okay, in my opinion, if he was actually trying to protect safe drinking water, but, in fact, he is not doing that. He is actually only using the fund to pay for these increases for his well-connected friends and get them higher pay.

Mr. GALLEGO. Look, you have an EPA Administrator who is literally using his staff to go track down and try to speak to the CEO of Chick- fil-A to try to get a very hard-to-get franchise, essentially using his public office to put pressure on them to get a very, very hard-to-get and lucrative franchise. In any world, if we had just told you that this was being done by 1 or 2 or even 10 people, this all would not just be really, really, really weird, but really, really, really corrupt. But the fact that there is one person that is doing this, and consistently doing this, and has not been fired by the man who said he enjoys firing people, by the man who had a show for so many years about firing people, and yet for some reason, he cannot find a reason to fire this weird, corrupt EPA Administrator, that is the problem here. You have a corrupt Cabinet official and you have a Presidency that will not keep him in check. I yield to my good friend, Ted Lieu, to close.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lieu for his comments during this Special Order. To finish, we had a President who said he was going to come and drain the swamp. Scott Pruitt is the swamp. He is the biggest swamp monster there is right now when it comes to the culture of corruption here in Washington, D.C. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and not present for one roll call vote on Wednesday, June 6, 2018. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: Roll Call Vote No. 237--Motion to Recommit with Instructions--Water Resources Development Act of 2018--YES.