Marjorie Greene

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, my amendment will prohibit funding for the Uniting for Ukraine program. This is a streamlined, categorical parole process that allows an unlimited number of illegal aliens into our country from Ukraine. There have been over 9 million illegal aliens who have invaded our country since Joe Biden took office. It is unprecedented. Just last month, over 300,000 illegals invaded our country, the most ever recorded in a single month. Over this past weekend, Border Patrol reported there were over 11,000 illegal alien encounters in just a 24- hour period. I deeply sympathize with the innocent people in Ukraine, especially since our government is forcing a proxy war there by funding and fueling the war instead of pushing peace in this country. However, America is facing our own war at our southern border, and we cannot stand to address every global crisis when our own house is not in order, not safe. We cannot afford to violate our own immigration laws on behalf of a global crisis, especially a global crisis that the United States Government is fueling and funding. The United States is fueling the war in Ukraine by sending tanks, ammunition, F-16s, and over $113 billion taxpayer dollars and counting, especially when the debate in Washington and the argument is about more money for Ukraine. The Uniting for Ukraine process grants mass categorical parole to these individuals, which is a complete violation of our own immigration laws. Parole is to be granted on a case-by-case basis, as required by the law. Although many claim the specific process is granting parole on a case-by-case basis, based on a proven track record, this administration doesn't even know what case by case means. They just know mass migration into the United States. Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas continue to abuse our immigration laws and create categorical parole for illegal aliens into our country. Secretary Mayorkas has already granted temporary legal status to 75,000 Ukrainians under the temporary protected status designation, which includes benefits such as work permits, Social Security numbers, and driver's licenses. This Uniting for Ukraine process has no numerical cap, which means an unlimited number of illegal aliens from Ukraine can come and displace American workers. Our country needs to put American citizens first for once. We need to win the war at the southern border that the Mexican cartels are waging on our country before granting parole to an unlimited number of individuals and allowing them to remain here for an indefinite amount of time. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I will remind the House and the American people watching at home that Democrats aren't worried about shutdowns. They love shutdowns. They shut down America for almost 2 years. People are still suffering from the Democratic, communist shutdowns. I don't know why they keep complaining about it because they are the party that forced it on the American people while they are complaining about it for themselves. That is so pathetic. Everyone here gets a taxpayer-funded paycheck, so don't whine about shutdowns when you shut down America on the very people who pay your salary. Let's talk about allowing an unlimited number of Ukrainians into the country on the American taxpayer dime. This war is not supported by American taxpayers, not Americans. Over 55 percent of Americans do not want to fund it anymore. We want to talk about funding Border Patrol agents. Let's talk about funding Border Patrol so they can secure our border, not be the welcoming committee to the entire world for the United States of America. Mr. Chair, I ask the House to pass my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act. Democrats' radical Green New Deal agenda is once again being forced on the American people. This comes on the heels after the Biden administration has sold 40 percent of our oil reserves and none have been replenished, endangering our national security. They passed the Green New Deal and multiple bills, the infrastructure bill, to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S., even though there is no mass demand for electric vehicles. They are also forcing Americans to go net zero by 2035, a date that our current President will unlikely ever even see. Forcing Americans to have no choice in the type of automobile that they drive, on the type of engine that they prefer is forcing every American's knee to bend to China, our worst enemy. This is traitorous to autoworkers, traitorous to auto unions, and traitorous to every American auto consumer.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, first I would like to acknowledge all the amazing women that serve in our Nation's military and the mothers that serve in our Nation's military. But I will respond to something I heard a few minutes ago here, the pronouncement, the actual statement that abortion is women's healthcare. I state for the record, abortion is not healthcare in any way. Abortion is the murder of the unborn child in a woman's womb. Abortion is defined as taking a life. It doesn't save a life. It kills a life. Abortion methods are brutal, horrific, absolutely some of the worst things in today's times; ripping the limbs off an unborn baby, ripping its head off, killing it with chemicals inside of its mother's womb. This is not something that taxpayers should have to ever pay for. This is something that honestly should not exist. Abortion is murder, and it is evil. We should be supporting mothers in the military. We should be supporting women's actual healthcare, and that is not abortion.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise today to ask the House to support my amendment No. 3, which will cut the $73 million increase in funding for the NATO Security Investment Program. This is simply keeping the NATO funding at the same level as last year's appropriations level. I think this is very important. The United States overwhelmingly contributes more than our fair share to NATO for Europe's defense, and it is time for European countries to pay their dues. While our own border is overrun by border-crossers and deadly, poisonous fentanyl daily, we continue to send hundreds of billions of dollars to NATO to defend Ukraine's democracy, even though they aren't even a NATO member nation. Investing in NATO security is an America-last policy. All increases in funding should be investing in the United States of America's security and the defense of our own border. President Trump was exactly right when he called on European nations to put the required minimum of 2 percent of their GDP toward NATO defense spending. Most NATO countries still don't meet that requirement, and the U.S. ends up paying for 70 percent of the alliance's defenses. This is outrageous. The American people do not like paying for other countries' defenses when our borders are overrun daily. The current 2023 defense expenditure for NATO countries has the United States at $860 billion. The United States of America's military is not meant to be the world's police. As we find ourselves funding a war in Ukraine, when the United States' position should be pushing for peace, not paying for and not funding war and the death of innocent people, we should not increase our spending and increase the amount of funding by $73 million more to the NATO Security Investment Program. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, perhaps my colleagues are confused. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Ukraine has not been accepted into NATO. Why are they using defense of Ukraine for their argument for an additional $73 million increase for the NATO security investment program? That makes absolutely no sense. If you want to talk about national security, Mr. Chair, let's talk about the American people's national security. My colleague across the aisle speaks of hostile nations and how they present a clear danger to America's national security. Well, you have to look no further than the southern border. The southern border is where hostile nations are invading our country every single day with poisonous fentanyl, which is murdering over 300 Americans a day. If there is going to be an increase in funding for the defense of any nation, it should be the United States of America's border in defense of American lives. Mr. Chair, I would like to add, my position and the position of most Americans is peace, not funding the murder and death in continued foreign wars, defending other countries' democracies while completely ignoring our own. Mr. Chair, I ask the House to pass my amendment that keeps the spending level at the same level it was this previous appropriations bill--the same level. An increase in $73 million is another step towards funding world war III. It is another step in United States aggression over a country that is not even a member of NATO in the name of a NATO security investment program. This is absolute madness. It is outrageous. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. May I inquire how much time I have remaining?

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I will wrap this up. It is very simple. We are at $32 trillion in debt. There is no need to increase spending over the level that it was last year. Americans are already spending $860 billion for NATO for the defense of other nations. There is no reason to increase it by $73 million. My amendment is very simple: It is asking to keep the appropriations level the same as it was this past year. Mr. Chair, I ask the House to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, my amendment asks the House to support striking the funding for the Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion. The Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion in the VA is charged with promoting woke DEI initiatives. My amendment would strike over $86 million of funding for this woke office which provides training for VA employees to teach them about their implicit bias. Just for you to understand what implicit bias means, Mr. Chairman, because it was something I had to look up myself, implicit bias--this is ACORN--implicit bias refers to a person's unconscious attitudes about other communities that can affect their behavior to those members. Unconscious attitudes? We are funding $86 million for people to be trained about things they feel that they don't know that they feel? This makes absolutely no sense for the care of our great veterans. Instead of spending millions of tax dollars on woke ideology, we should put that money toward making the VA an agency that actually helps our heroes and our great veterans who served our military and our country and who desperately need good care. When I am at home in my district and I speak to veterans there, that is what I hear them talk about to me constantly: is the care that they want to receive at the VA, but yet they are failed so many times? Sick and injured veterans suffering with PTSD, depression, and mental illness and who are on the verge of suicide don't care if VA employees serving them have checked their White privilege. They just want to get the treatment that they need. Just for some examples for the House to hear about the type of training that happens in this DEI department that is costing the American taxpayers $86 million, a few examples are managing gender diversity in the VA, managing implicit bias--remember those are feelings you don't know you have--valuing workforce diversity in the workplace inclusion; participating effective diversity and inclusion in the workplace for managers, supervisors, and team leaders; understanding micro behaviors in the VA work environment. It is time to put $86 million to taking care of our veterans' healthcare needs. That is the right place to spend the money. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, the great news for all of us here today is that the Constitution declared long ago that all of us are created equal. It is time that we started acknowledging that in all of our funding, in all of our departments, and all across America, and, as well, that our veterans are created equal. We don't have to spend $86 million on educating everyone on how different they are. It is time to start treating everyone equally. As far as sexual harassment claims, private businesses all across the country are able to handle these without having special diversity, equity, and inclusion departments to handle sexual harassment. That is usually handled in human resources or among managers who can handle the situation. Management has always been a problem in the VA. We do not need to fund $86 million creating a big, woke department that is actually already created. We should spend $86 million, again, toward helping our veterans. Our veterans have enough issues they face. Not too long ago there was a tragic story in Georgia where one of our veterans committed suicide while waiting for the care in the waiting office at the VA. This should never ever happen. This type of funding, $86 million, again, should not go towards educating people about gender and gender bias, educating people about their skin color, and educating people about how they think unconsciously without knowing how they think. These are the type of woke ideologies that divide and separate Americans and that veterans could care less about. They care about the care that they will receive, they care about having their appointments, they care about their medical treatment, and they care about one another. One of the things veterans care most about is the fact that they suffer with PTSD from all the foreign wars that they have been sent to and served in. It is time we take better care of our veterans and stop dividing America with identity politics. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on January 21, 2021, I introduced Articles of Impeachment against Joe Biden, and less than 2 weeks later, I was kicked off all of my committees by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They said it was for Facebook comments and replies and likes, but we all know the truth. It was because my Articles of Impeachment on Joe Biden were correct. He was indeed abusing his power as Vice President of the United States. Now we have more information to prove that not only was I right then, but it was more damning than we already knew, but I will roll back. President Trump was wrongfully impeached twice, and both of these impeachments must be expunged by the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to talk about is the difference in the type of information we have. The Democrats brought out the Steele dossier. The Steele dossier was written as a Democrat political opposition research paper. The information was written by a contractor, and it was fed to the FBI with no transparency on sub sources. The contractor had no primary source information, and the FBI operationalized uncorroborated claims to secure FISA warrants on political campaign officials of the opposing political party. Information was later debunked by Congress, the Inspector General, and special counsel investigations; but the mainstream media won Pulitzer Prizes on the bogus Russian narrative, and then they led the witch hunt leading to impeaching President Trump over a phone call with the President of Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House what type of information we actually have. We have an FBI form called an FD-1023 form. Here is the difference for the public listening. On the FD-1023 form, the information originated from an FBI informant who had been relied on for many years and was considered the FBI's top informant and was also paid roughly $200,000 over multiple years by the FBI. Information was written by the FBI agent on the official FBI form and relied on with no additional sub sources. The FBI informant was a direct ear- and eyewitness to the information provided. The FBI apparently took no action to further the investigative claim. The FBI has refused to describe any investigative steps to assess the investigative information; therefore, it has not been debunked despite the White House's lies and false claims. The mainstream media has largely ignored the story or parroted the White House false claims. What does the FD-1023 form tell us? I will tell you exactly what it says, Mr. Speaker, because not only have I read it, but I also have it in my possession right here. This is a form that the American people and the entire public should have because it is unclassified. Nevertheless, Christopher Wray, the Director of the FBI, forced us to read it in a SCIF and would not hand it over to us. Thankfully, Senator Chuck Grassley released this form because it was provided to him by a brave whistleblower. This form entails the damning information that then-Vice President Joe Biden took a $5 million bribe from the oligarch that owns Burisma. Not only did Joe Biden take a $5 million bribe, so did Hunter Biden. What did Joe Biden deliver as Vice President of the United States? He got Viktor Shokin, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, fired from his job. How did Vice President Joe Biden get that done? He threatened to withhold $1 billion of USAID to Ukraine until Viktor Shokin was fired. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? He was fired. In 2016 Joe Biden himself bragged to the foreign council and told them that he got him fired. He bragged about it. It is on video. Even so, that is not all they have done. Hunter Biden has also gotten his father on the phone over two dozen times to talk with his business partners and talk with them about the business that they are doing. Even more so, in our possession through our investigations on our Republican-led committees, we also have a WhatsApp chat from Hunter Biden which says: I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Who is his father? Joe Biden. It continues on: Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. What I am demanding is that the Republican-led House of Representatives move forward on an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden because this type of corruption should never be allowed to stand. We must expunge President Trump's wrongful impeachments, and we must impeach Joe Biden.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise today to ask the House to pass my amendment to pull the funding for the war in Ukraine. I am the proud daughter of a Navy combat veteran who served in the Vietnam war. I am also a grateful American for the freedoms I have the great honor to possess, and I fully respect our country's brave men and women who have fought and those that died so that Americans can be free. I believe that in order to achieve world peace, America must have the strongest military in the world but only cautiously use our tremendous force when our national security is threatened. In recent years, we have seen our great military and those who serve our country be used too often for the defense of foreign nations, and we have far too many veterans today who suffer physically and mentally from the foreign wars they were sent to fight. We have seen too many American flag-draped caskets return home to grieving families. While our troops are not yet on the ground in Ukraine, fighting to defend another country's border that is not our own, most Americans fear that could soon be the case because they know Washington's bloodlust for war is an addiction that seems almost impossible to be undone. While Americans struggle with the record-high inflation caused by failed government policies, many hardworking Americans can barely pay their bills. After decades of America-last policies that have built up other countries' economies while destroying American manufacturing, sending our jobs overseas, and crippling the middle class, creating the massive divide between the rich and the poor, Americans no longer want to pay for and go fight Washington's forever foreign wars. Yet, disconnected from the will of Americans just over a year ago, Congress voted to send $113 billion to Ukraine, a sum of money that is approximately 10 times the cost of building our own border wall. Today, we are debating the National Defense Authorization Act that contains even more money to be sent to Ukraine while the $113 billion already authorized has not yet even been spent. The amendment I am offering today will pull the $300 million in funding to Ukraine from the National Defense Authorization Act. The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important funding bills that Congress passes year after year. This is the funding of our Nation's defense. This is the funding for the Department of Defense. This is the funding for the good men and women who serve in our military. The Department of Defense's website makes its mission clear. It says that its mission is to deter war and protect our Nation's national security. With the Department of Defense mission being very clear in stating what the mission is, no money funding and fueling the Ukraine war belongs in our National Defense Authorization Act because this is for our Nation, not for another nation, not for Ukraine. Ukraine is not the 51st State. Sending money to fund a war in a foreign country does not deter war, it continues it. It causes it. It enables it and it allows it. Sending money to fund a war in a foreign country against a nuclear-armed nation does not protect our national security, it endangers our national security. It endangers every single American. It endangers the entire world. We do not want World War III. I rise today to encourage all of my colleagues to consider that they can pass another funding bill to fund money going to Ukraine without it being in our National Defense Authorization Act. I ask my colleagues and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I again remind Congress that Ukraine is not the 51st State of America. This is not a NATO ally, and this is our National Defense Authorization Act, for our Nation, for the United States of America with 50 States. I would also like to remind Congress that the Department of Defense has failed its audit every single year, year over year. Last year alone, they could not account for over 61 percent of their assets. The Department of Defense is not doing a good job with the money that Congress allows for it to have for our Nation's defense, and I think that it is important, again, for everyone in Congress to realize the American people don't work hard every single day to pay for other countries' borders to be defended. They want our border defended. We have 300 Americans dying every single day from fentanyl poisoning that is coming from China and the Mexican cartels. If our Department of Defense wants to defend America, we should be defending our border and not proclaiming our righteousness talking about a war in Ukraine. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise today to address the House about our National Defense Authorization Act. I want to remind the House that the National Defense Authorization Act is to fund the Department of Defense, whose mission is stated on their website. That says that their mission is to deter war and protect our Nation's national security interests. My amendment is to stop cluster munitions or cluster munitions technology from being sold or transferred to Ukraine. Cluster bombs are brutal and inhumane weapons that cause lasting harm to civilians in areas where they are used. When a cluster bomb is deployed, it launches multiple different submunitions, which are smaller bombs, in all different directions. The impact radius of cluster bombs varies but can be as high as several football fields. This causes more widespread destruction, imposing a greater risk to civilian areas, which kills lives. It doesn't save lives. Also, this is an escalation in war. It doesn't deter war. The dud rate varies per bomb, and the dud rate is very important. They can typically be anywhere between 2 percent and as high as 40 percent. These bombs are very unreliable, which makes them very dangerous. Congress even passed a law in 2009 that says the U.S. cannot deploy or transfer cluster munitions with a dud rate higher than 1 percent, but the President can sign a waiver to bypass this restriction. The Biden administration says that they will not deliver cluster bombs to Ukraine with a dud rate higher than 2.35 percent. Again, the dud rate is known to be anywhere between 2 percent and as high as 40 percent, which means we do not know. Also, over 120 countries are party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of these weapons, including most of the U.S.'s NATO allies, which is extremely important. I remind the House that Ukraine is not a NATO member nation. What is next? Chemical or biological weapons? Nuclear weapons? Again, this is an escalation of war that does not belong in our Nation's funding bill for the Department of Defense. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs).