Dan Goldman

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 221 and NAY on Roll Call No. 222. personal explanation

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 208 and YEA on Roll Call No. 209.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends and fellow New Yorkers, Chairman Garbarino and Representative Mike Lawler, for their partnership and work on this bill. We have over 300 of our colleagues who have joined in this effort, and I am deeply grateful for their support as the Representative of 9/11 in Congress. We must honor our promise to never forget, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this critical legislation.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for her support, as well as the chairman for moving this forward. I rise today in support of H.R. 1993, the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act, as we are fast approaching the 25th anniversary of the worst attack on American soil in our history, a day when we lost almost 3,000 of our loved ones, neighbors, and friends in a coordinated attack by terrorists who wanted to destroy the very values for which our country stands: liberty and justice for all. We can never forget those we lost, and I will never forget that day myself, watching from my apartment building less than a mile away as the second plane hurled itself into the towers. Then, seeing people covered in soot walking uptown while our heroes, the NYPD, the New York Fire Department charged downtown into the building to try to save whomever they could. Nor can we forget what came in the days and weeks that followed: countless heroes who rushed into the danger, who then spent months on a pile that turned out to be poisonous, searching for survivors. These individuals are the very best of us, and their selflessness and courage embody the resilience of our city, what it means to be a New Yorker, and our country. We will never forget them. Since 9/11, more people have died from 9/11-related health problems than even died that day. I was proud to have joined last year with my Republican colleagues from New York to ensure that we fully fund and indefinitely fund the World Trade Center Health Program, which now has well over 100,000 members from every State in the country. As we approach this anniversary, I am proud to lead this bill to direct the Department of Treasury to issue coins to commemorate this dark day in American history and to ensure that the events of September 11, 2001, are forever enshrined in our collective memory. Commemorative coins recognize some of the most important events and people in American history: the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that outlawed racial segregation, the brave African-American high school students at Little Rock Central High School after Brown v. Board of Education, the astronauts who took the first steps on the Moon. It is fitting that the victims and heroes of 9/11 will be honored in this same way. Proceeds from the sale of this coin will go directly to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to support its critical work educating future generations and remembering those we lost. This legislation has received overwhelming bipartisan support.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today, due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted NO on Roll Call No. 174 and YEA on Roll Call No. 175. personal explanation

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today, due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 138 and YEA on Roll Call No. 139.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 137.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 127, YEA on Roll Call No. 128, and YEA on Roll Call No. 129. personal explanation

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today, due to a commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 125 and YEA on Roll Call No. 126.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an urgent commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 109 and YEA on Roll Call No. 110.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an urgent commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 105.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an urgent commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 97.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss this administration's massive coverup of the Epstein files in order to conceal President Trump's involvement. This coverup reached its apex last month when Attorney General Pam Bondi falsely testified under oath before the House Committee on the Judiciary. The Attorney General testified: ``There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime. Everyone knows that.'' This is a lie. In the 3 million or so documents that the DOJ has disclosed to Congress under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, there is credible evidence that Donald Trump committed a crime. That, of course, excludes the nearly 3 million pages that the DOJ is refusing to turn over. Donald Trump is mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files. There are multiple allegations that he sexually assaulted young girls, but I want to focus on one victim's allegations that the FBI unquestionably found to be credible. The DOJ tried to hide reports of three of the four interviews that this victim gave to the FBI, but pressure from the media and Congress forced them to disclose them. Now we know why. She credibly accuses Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her when she was between 13 and 15. In each of her interviews, this victim recited the same account of her interaction with Donald Trump. On August 7, 2019, she explained that she was between 13 and 15 when she was left alone with Donald Trump, who ``mentioned something to the effect of, `Let me teach you how little girls are supposed to be.' Trump unzipped his pants and put [her] head down, `down to his penis. [The victim] bit the [s] out of it.' Trump struck [the victim] and said words to the effect of: `Get this little [b] the hell out of here.' [The victim] advised she bit Trump's penis because he disgusted her.'' She provided some additional details in the next interview 2 weeks later. Then, a month later, she met again with the FBI and asked ``what the point would be of providing the information at this point in her life when there was a strong possibility nothing could be done about it.'' She didn't speak to the FBI again, but the FBI certainly found her story credible. In a 21-page PowerPoint presentation that the FBI made to prosecutors, they included this victim's testimony. They would not have done so if they did not find the evidence credible, which means that Attorney General Bondi lied when she stated under oath that there is no evidence that Donald Trump committed a crime. We are just scratching the surface because the Epstein files also reveal that Donald Trump has made false statements over the past quarter century about Jeffrey Epstein. We know, in 2002, he called him a terrific guy and said: ``It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.'' In a birthday card in 2003 that Donald Trump gave to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday, Donald wrote for himself: ``We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.'' ``Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?'' ``A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday--and may every day be another wonderful secret.'' In that same year, Palm Beach County opened an investigation into Epstein that eventually was turned over to the FBI. The investigation became public in 2006, and the Palm Beach County police chief received a call quickly after from Donald Trump, where Trump told him: ``Thank goodness you're stopping him. Everyone has known he's been doing this.'' What innocent person calls the police chief about an investigation upon just learning about it? The recent documents also show that Jeffrey Epstein e-mailed Ghislaine Maxwell and said: ``I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump. [Redacted victim] spent hours at my house with him. He has never once been mentioned.'' Trump also denied that he ever went on Epstein's plane, but, of course, the Southern District of New York said that he was on his plane eight times, often with young women. The reason why this matters is because we don't have half of the Epstein files. If the Attorney General is covering this up in such a degree that she is redacting things from the public that she then shows to Congress, what else is she covering up? I will just show that this document here was redacted to the public. It was unredacted to Congress, and it completely disputes everything that Donald Trump has said about Jeffrey Epstein, about what he knew about the allegations, about his disgusting behavior, about whether he had ever been to Jeffrey Epstein's house, saying: ``I may have been there with my wife.'' Asked if any young girls were there, ``No. May have been children of guests, but that's it.'' Well, we know that is not the case. Now, why is this important? Because if the Attorney General is covering up this information that she then reveals to Congress, what else is she covering up about Donald Trump's involvement in the Epstein files?

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn the skyrocketing wealth inequality in this country. Over the last couple of decades, the rich have gotten richer while working families have been left behind. The very wealthiest of Americans pay an average effective tax rate of 3.4 percent. Elon Musk pays 3.3 percent. Jeff Bezos pays 1 percent. Yet, wage-earning Americans pay nearly 30 percent. Put simply, our tax system is rigged. That is why I introduced the ROBINHOOD Act, to make these billionaires pay their fair share so that we can deliver universal childcare and Medicare for all. These billionaires avoid paying taxes because their assets and money is in stock. They don't sell their stock. Instead, they take out loans against their stock, and they don't pay taxes on their loans. Put simply, this bill would tax those loans and would generate nearly $30 billion of revenue. This is the right way to tackle our wealth inequality and to make the wealthy pay their fair share.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an urgent commitment in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 70.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the out-of-control, untrained, secret ICE paramilitary that is beating and killing Americans all around the country. Under this administration, rogue, lawless immigration agents are sowing chaos, causing terror and fear, and inciting violence on our streets. They are doing it with impunity because there is no accountability from the FBI. This is not the America we know and love. This is not the democracy that freed itself from a king. This is fascism, pure and simple. If the administration will not hold these rogue agents accountable, then we must do it. That is why we must pass my ICE OUT Act to end the current qualified immunity standard for ICE and CBP agents and ensure victims of this excessive force can seek justice and accountability. I will keep pushing Congress to do everything in its power to rein in this authoritarian immigration dragnet and get ICE out of our communities.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a prior commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 13, YEA on Roll Call No. 14, and YEA on Roll Call No. 15. personal explanation

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California and Representative Randall for hosting this Special Order. Seven days ago, the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits expired. For years, these credits allowed millions of Americans to afford health insurance that they would otherwise not be able to get. For tens of millions of others, these tax credits drastically lowered premiums--for some families, by as much as thousands of dollars. They gave working families essential relief amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis that Donald Trump has only made worse. Without these tax credits, an estimated 5 million Americans will lose their insurance as a result of higher premium costs. Today, House Democrats successfully forced this body to vote to extend those tax credits so that those 5 million Americans can hold on to their health insurance with a 3-year extension of these premium tax credits, and it passed this body. Now, this bill goes to the Senate, which must pass it in order to save health insurance for millions of Americans. In my State of New York alone, more than 140,000 people relied on the tax credits. These credits also supported an additional 1.7 million New Yorkers who would probably otherwise not be able to afford health insurance. One constituent of mine who lives in public housing and holds a good job told me that without these tax credits, her monthly premiums have gone from $450 to more than $1,000, which she simply cannot afford. She is in her sixties and will be left with no health insurance. It is not just those eligible for the tax credits who will suffer. That is because when people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They delay preventative care. They skip prescriptions. They end up in emergency rooms. Emergency rooms become overrun, and care gets worse and more delayed. Costs rise for everyone, and all outcomes suffer. Because of months of inaction by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, those tax credits have expired and will be gone without this legislation that we passed today. This is nothing short of a crisis, and it is a crisis created entirely by the President of the United States and his Republican Party. Let me say this clearly to the American people. If you cannot afford health insurance anymore, you have one person and one party to blame: Donald Trump and the Republican Party. It is the same party that cut taxes for billionaires and cut Medicaid for working-class Americans. Mr. Speaker, you can count on one thing at all times with this Republican Party: They will always choose billionaires over babies.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today because the vote was closed despite my being present in the well and attempting to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 343.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an important personal matter. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 335 and YEA on Roll Call No. 336. personal explanation

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn the excessive violence that we are seeing from Federal immigration agents on the streets of Chicago, New York, New Orleans, and all across the country. Donald Trump's militarized secret ICE agents are creating fear and terror around our country. Their lawless behavior has no place in our democracy, and I am proud to lead Democrats in fighting back. That is why I introduced the No Secret Police Act to get rid of masks, to require agents to show identification, and to hold ICE accountable. Soviet-style secret police have no place in the America I know and love. According to ICE's own data, 70 percent of immigrants arrested have no criminal history whatsoever, and just 5 percent have violent criminal convictions. Despite the lies that we hear coming out of the White House, ICE is meeting its quotas by targeting hardworking immigrants, many here lawfully, simply trying to pursue the American Dream. The first and easiest step to correct this problem is to pass my No Secret Police Act. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do so without delay.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of H.R. 1327, the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act. In December, the world watched as the Assad regime in Syria collapsed after 53 years of brutality and repression. As President Biden stated at the time, Assad's fall ushered a ``historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.'' However, many also warned that the potential resurgence of terrorist groups in the regions, like the Islamic State or al-Qaida, could pose a significant threat to Americans and U.S. interests in the region and the homeland. The Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act is responsive to those warnings, and I thank my colleague Mr. Luttrell for introducing this. It ensures that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with intelligence community partners, will evaluate and monitor terrorist threats to the United States posed by individuals in Syria affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization or a specially designated global terrorist organization. This is essential to ensure that the new government in Syria is growing with the United States' support and in a way that defeats terrorism on the world's stage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to be vigilant about potential terrorist threats to the homeland. This bill ensures that the Department of Homeland Security will do just that. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1736, the Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act. This bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations' use of generative artificial intelligence applications. Mr. Speaker, we have all seen AI permeate our lives in both positive and negative ways. AI streamlines workflows, has made breakthroughs in the medical field, and can dramatically increase the speed at which Americans are able to do work. We have also seen the dark side of AI through biased and discriminatory algorithms and deepfake videos. This bill recognizes the danger that AI can pose when employed by terrorists who seek to harm our homeland. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to analyze incidents where foreign terrorist organizations have used or attempted to use generative AI to spread violent extremist messaging and to recruit, radicalize, or plot attacks. This is a commonsense bill that will help the Department get ahead of terrorism threats. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.