J. Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, let me conclude the discussion on H.R. 935 by thanking my friend from Michigan for his persistent leadership over many Congresses on this topic. I urge my colleagues to support him in this effort, putting it over the goal line, and getting a great result out of the Senate in the days ahead. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the committee in support of H.R. 935, the Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act. I particularly want to thank the bill's sponsor, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), for his leadership on this issue on behalf of small businesses across our country. The importance of small businesses to our economy, our job creation, and the innovation across our Nation cannot be overstated. They are the backbone of all of our communities. In October 2020, the SBA, the Small Business Administration, reported that there were 31.7 million small businesses in the United States. Yet, too often Democrats' heavy-handed approach to business regulation in this country can put that success at risk. A one-size-fits-all regulatory approach disproportionately burdens small enterprises. For those looking to grow through merger and acquisition, they often face additional costs, the expense of that transaction. The committee has found that merger and acquisition brokers provide crucial services to small businesses whose owners desire to sell the business or merge with another firm. However, certain of these brokers face significant compliance costs, including SEC registration fees, which, of course, are passed on to their clients, the small businesses. H.R. 935 helps to alleviate these costs by amending the Exchange Act to create a simplified registration system for these kinds of merger and acquisition brokers. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the SEC, agrees with the premise of this bill. In fact, back in 2014, the SEC issued a no-action letter to exempt certain M&A brokers from registration, and that no- action letter, Madam Speaker, is relied upon today. Without a change in law, the regulated community is left in a state of uncertainty when it comes to Federal securities laws. The gentleman from Michigan's bill will clarify, simplify, and provide much-needed certainty as to that process without compromising important investor protections. I also remind my colleagues that this bill has passed the House in previous Congresses. Therefore, our committee urges our colleagues to support H.R. 935, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6015, the Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act. I thank Congresswoman Frankel and the numerous original cosponsors for their work on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, Ben Ferencz was the last surviving prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials. A few minutes ago, we were reflecting on how few Army Rangers we have left from World War II. Truly, the Greatest Generation is passing before us. Ben Ferencz is one of the few people remaining on Earth who had a front row seat to witness the horrors brought about by Nazi Germany before and during the war. As we witness the horrors now being carried out in Ukraine, it has never been more important for the world to hear his story. Ben Ferencz's family fled to New York City to escape Romania's persecution of the Hungarian Jews. As a young man, Ferencz studied at the City College of New York and attended Harvard Law on a scholarship. After graduating from Harvard in 1943, Ferencz joined the U.S. Army. Like so many Americans, this was a decision that put him face to face with the potential of death and face to face with the worst case of persecution and genocide in history, the Holocaust. After 2 years at Camp Davis in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, Ferencz was transferred to the headquarters of General Patton's Third Army. There he was assigned to a team tasked with setting up a war crimes branch, collecting the evidence of the horrors that had been carried out at the recently liberated concentration camps. One of those liberators in April 1945 was my father-in-law, Captain William A. McKenzie, a brand-new graduate of Texas A&M University, an Army engineer with Patton's Third Army. One spring day in April 1945, their convoy rolled up to the gates of Buchenwald concentration camp. There, he bore witness to the Nazi terror, a terror that started with an ideology of hate and superiority based on race and creed. Bill McKenzie was just a good kid from Texas, put in an incredible position, and that was being one of the first U.S. Army officers to see smoke still coming out of the chimneys, bodies stacked up, and survivors. In 1994, at the 50th anniversary of freedom in Europe and Paris, Bill McKenzie, that skinny captain from Texas A&M, got to meet a survivor from Buchenwald, Jacques Graubart, who was from Brussels, who had been imprisoned in Buchenwald and survived, and 50 years later, they met face to face in Paris, France. Mr. McKenzie swaggered up to this man and said, Well, what unit were you in in World War II? And Mr. Gruber said, I wasn't in a unit. I was in the Buchenwald concentration camp. And Mr. McKenzie was so caught with emotion, so embarrassed for his question, that he said, I never expected to meet a survivor. And Jacques looked at Bill McKenzie and said, I never expected to meet someone who saved us to say thank you. So today, we are back on this floor to thank the work of Ben Ferencz and so many Americans and other Allies who worked against the ideology of the Nazis, such an affront to American values. And Ben Ferencz was there to put those puzzle pieces together that those American Army officers found at Buchenwald. Ben Ferencz would travel to that concentration camp. He would collect the evidence of the horrors. He would honor us with the work in that war crimes branch. And Sergeant Ferencz was honorably discharged in 1945 and recruited to work on those trials for many, many years. For three years he led the researchers investigating those records, and we know it was no easy task. As the lead prosecutor for the Einsatzgruppen case, Ben Ferencz successfully convicted 22 men for taking part in a mobile death squad, which was responsible for nearly a third of Jewish civilian deaths. His work at the Nuremburg trials established an incredible mandate for international criminal responsibility for the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. And Ben Ferencz' work, his sacrifice, echoes true for all of us as we see what Assad has done in Syria, and we see what Putin is doing in Ukraine. Ferencz' career spanned several decades and included fighting for proper compensation for the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust and working to establish an International Criminal Court. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to come together in support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Ms. Frankel for her leadership, Congresswoman Manning for her testimony there, and we all, on both sides of the aisle, stand in recognition of Ben Ferencz' pioneering efforts of his and his colleagues in the Nuremberg trials for laying out the protection of evidence, the careful documentation of it, preserving a way to convict the perpetrators of the Holocaust. Those lessons and Ben Ferencz' legacy live on today, as just a few months ago we received one of our first convictions in a court in Germany of an Assad henchman for murder and mayhem in Syria. There is no doubt in my mind that the chain of evidence and the actions of this Congress, the actions of the United Nations, to promptly set up an evidence protection and evidence documentation effort for Ukraine will bear fruit in coming days. Those are all efforts standing on the shoulders of Ben Ferencz and his colleagues in Nuremburg. I urge all my colleagues to support this recognition of his efforts. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7081, the Ukraine Comprehensive Debt Payment Relief Act. Last month, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy gave a speech about rebuilding a free, sovereign, and democratic future for his sovereign nation of Ukraine. While it seems distant now, with Putin's war raging, we, in fact, must start to think about the country's eventual rebuilding, recovery, and rebirth. The United States and our allies must support Ukraine to ensure that its debt repayments don't overwhelm the country while it continues to confront Russia's invasion and keeps up the fight every day, not only on the war front but on the home front in trying to keep its domestic operations functioning. In fact, Madam Speaker, Ukraine is spending roughly some $5 billion a day in its core functions for government. So while Putin is pulverizing villages, plazas, parks, and ports, the Ukrainian Government presses on, serving its citizens. But when this war is over, Ukraine will face an enormous financing need that will require international financial institutions to step in with support. I am pleased to support this legislation, which calls for a suspension of Ukraine's debt service payments and urges debt relief from multilateral and bilateral creditors. When you think of the hundreds of billions and certainly possibly trillions of dollars of long-term reconstruction that faces Ukraine, you have to recognize the need now for conserving cash flow and conserving its resources. That rebuilding is going to take immense good government; investment in the country's municipal, health, and education infrastructure; energy resilience; and energy independence. That will be a special opportunity to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Prior to the war, Ukraine's economy had stagnated for too long. Therefore, international financial institutions should assess how best to foster Ukrainian industries that can expand exports, earn hard currency, and move forward. This bill is an important step in our bilateral and multilateral efforts to help Ukraine mush on, get through this war, maintain its services to its citizens, and fight Putin to the end with his leaving the country. This legislation was reported out of our committee unanimously, and I look forward to its passage today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I reiterate my thanks to my friend from Illinois for his work on this bill as one key component of helping Ukraine have the financial wherewithal, the financial resources, to fight back against Putin's illegal invasion. I remind my colleagues that this debt suspension has a 7-year sunset in the bill, that this is in no way a panacea, but it is an absolutely critical element in the cash flow conservation for the Ukrainians as they attempt to deliver the important services that they have to in their country of over 40 million people while a war wages on their domestic and sovereign ground. Madam Speaker, let me urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill. I thank the gentleman from Illinois, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Congresswoman Wagner's bill, H.R. 6891, the Isolate Russian Government Officials Act. As the United States and our allies confront Russia's aggression in Ukraine, we must show the world that the Congress can unite around bipartisan legislation to hold the Putin regime accountable. I thank my friend, Congresswoman Wagner, who recognized early that Russia's invasion of Ukraine required a complete rethinking of Moscow's involvement and engagement in our international organizations. Congresswoman Wagner is eminently qualified for that as she is a senior member of both the House Financial Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has had the distinction of serving our Nation abroad as our Ambassador. Congresswoman Wagner's bill would establish that U.S. policy is to exclude Russia from participating in key international bodies until Moscow withdraws completely from Ukraine. I think Americans join us in knowing that it is illogical and unreasonable for a country that threatens peace in Europe and financial stability globally to take part in overseeing the world's many multilateral financial system organizations. Our strong sanctions against the Putin regime have been vital to raising the costs and imposing new ones, as we have talked about on this floor today, on Moscow, on Putin's leadership, on his cronies. But Moscow must pay a diplomatic cost as well. We were in Romania and Poland, many of us on both sides of the aisle, over the last few weeks, and we have also had some extraordinary presentations by the distinguished Ambassador to the United Nations from Ukraine. Universally, diplomats in the European Union, across Europe, and at the United Nations are asking themselves: Are we really going to have business as usual when a member of the U.N. Security Council invades another United Nations member and destroys a country? Today, we are proposing to employ a heavy diplomatic cost on Moscow, and that means leaving Russian Government officials on the outside, Madam Speaker, looking in. After H.R. 6891 was introduced, Russia was suspended from the Bank for International Settlements and agreed to no longer participate in the meetings of the FSB, the Financial Stability Board. These moves would be codified in law when Mrs. Wagner's bill is enacted. We now need the G20 to follow suit. While it is a symbolic step for Treasury Secretary Yellen and other allied officials to walk out of the recent G20 meeting last month, where Russian representatives were attending, this Congress and our transatlantic partners need to do more. Under this bill, a hostile Russia would have no future in the G20. H.R. 6891 presents a clear choice for the Putin regime: End your destabilizing, illegal violations of Ukrainian sovereignty or remain an international pariah. Our response to Putin's invasion should signal to China a similar fate awaits Beijing should it ever decide to follow in Putin's ill- conceived footsteps. The costs imposed on Russia through this bill foreshadow costs that China or any other nation bears if it violates the international norms of behavior. This strong measure passed unanimously in the House Financial Services Committee, and I, too, welcome its passage on this House floor. I thank Chair Waters for her work on H.R. 6891 and appreciate the strong bipartisan work on this important national security, economic security, and diplomatic cost measure. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the author of H.R. 6891. Let me reiterate Congresswoman Wagner's experience as the vice chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee and vice chairwoman for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. First, I reiterate my thanks to Mrs. Wagner for her leadership on this bill and as she has done so well ably, even as a diplomat in our own House of Representatives, provided leadership through the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Financial Services on this issue. Secondly, let me reiterate Mr. Connolly's comment that we do speak in one voice on this House floor as it relates to Putin's illegal, unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation, Ukraine, particularly egregious for a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, to place the world in this position. But I think we do have to take to heart Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations' view of ``we are not going to have business as usual.'' So while we speak as one voice here in the people's House, let's encourage the executive branch, under President Biden, to also speak with one voice on this point. Let's not have weasel words from former Secretary Kerry talking about, ``Oh, but we need the Russians' support on climate'' or Jake Sullivan saying, ``Oh, but we have got to have Russian support negotiating with Iran on the failed JCPOA reentry project of this administration.'' I agree it is not business as usual, and you can't have it both ways when you are having Ukraine, a nation of over 40 million people, the size of the State of Texas, in the heart of central Europe, invaded by a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. It is outrageous. They don't have a seat at the table, and this bill demonstrates it and demonstrates that strong bipartisan view in the House of Representatives that Putin doesn't deserve a seat at the table. I think Americans, as I said earlier, believe it is illogical and unreasonable for a country that threatens peace on the Continent of Europe and financial stability globally in any way, shape, or form, take part in overseeing the economic affairs of our international order. Therefore, I reiterate that this bipartisan support for Ukraine is fully embraced in H.R. 6891. I urge all Members to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation being considered here on the House floor, the Russia and Belarus SDR Exchange Prohibition Act, H.R. 6899. This legislation would prohibit the United States from exchanging any Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, with Russia or Belarus. These SDRs are reserve assets issued by the International Monetary Fund, the IMF. This bill would also require the Secretary of the Treasury to work with other IMF member countries to prevent them from doing the same. Now, let's be blunt. We should be especially concerned by Russia's ability to exchange its SDRs for Chinese renminbi or pledge their SDRs for a loan that isn't transparent to the world in support of Russia's illegal invasion by a country such as China, using those reserve assets. This is a particular risk, as Moscow is increasingly forced to potentially turn to China in response to global sanctions imposed on the nation of Russia and its central bank. Mr. Speaker, the world is watching, and we must send a message that the United States is not standing idly by and allowing SDR assets to be used to finance the destruction of Ukraine. Russia alone owns over $25 billion of these IMF reserve assets, and these IMF assets represent unconditional liquidity and a source of financing for the Kremlin. It is important to note that of that $25 billion of SDR assets on the books of the Russian central bank, more than $17 billion of it was just recently gifted to czar Putin last year, through the Biden administration's $650 billion green-lighting of a general SDR allocation by the IMF. Nearly a billion dollars in SDRs were also awarded to Belarus last year, a move that our colleagues from the bipartisan Friends of Belarus Caucus warned would be rewarding state-sponsored violence against civilians. Now, Mr. Speaker, on this House floor, in our committee, and in many other forums over many months, I urged Treasury Secretary Yellen and the administration not to pursue this flawed policy. There were superior policy choices with an eye to benefiting the poorest nations on our globe that have had the hardest macroeconomic impact as a result of COVID-19, superior policy choices, far superior to an across-the- board general allocation, because not only do wealthy countries get that allocation and the poor countries get it, but the foes of freedom get the allocation. We are back on this House floor today talking about the ramifications of when that happens. Two foes of freedom today, no doubt, are Belarus and Russia. My warnings came long before the invasion of Ukraine began, but those warnings were not heeded. Today, we come to the House floor united as a bipartisan leadership team saying under no circumstances should the central banks of Belarus and Russia in any way, shape, or form have access to their special drawing rights, pledge their special drawing rights, or exchange their special drawing rights, and we once again urge our Treasury Secretary to put up the guardrails, lay those rules of the road out, prohibit anyone who is a member of the IMF from doing likewise. That work with our allies at the IMF is critical to ensure that China or some other nation doesn't throw Vladimir Putin an SDR lifeline. Passing this bill, too, sends a clear signal to Beijing that the United States will not tolerate such a move, and I would argue our European Transatlantic partners would not tolerate such a move. This bill also requires the administration to oppose conventional loans to Russia or Belarus if they approach the IMF as a lender of last resort. This is important, because as we seek to exert maximum pressure against these regimes, we cannot, as Mr. Sherman talked about a few minutes ago, allow loopholes to be exploited for potential assistance from the IMF. H.R. 6899 presents a clear choice to Russia and Belarus: End the destabilizing activities in Ukraine or find yourself shut off from emergency liquidity just like on this floor we have talked about shutting off diplomatic efforts at global responsibility. I conclude my comments by thanking Chair Waters and her Democratic colleagues for their support of this bill and her work on this bill and her recognition of what a tragedy a backdoor bailout of Russia by others using central bank assets would be. We will continue to find a way to deprive Russia of cash and financing as it continues to wage war in Ukraine. H.R. 6899 is a strong step in that direction. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. As Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, this body, on a bipartisan basis, will continue to ensure that we are using all the levers to exert and utilize maximum pressure, maximum lethal assistance pressure to Ukraine, maximum diplomatic pressure through isolating Russia in international organizations, and maximum economic pressure that we are talking about on this floor, of which H.R. 6899 is one cog in that wheel. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Joe Manchin, who have introduced the companion legislation to H.R. 6899 in the U.S. Senate. I look forward to this becoming law soon. I urge all my colleagues to support the Russia and Belarus SDR Exchange Prohibition Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Illinois for managing the bill. It is also good to be on this House floor again talking on an issue that we share in common, and that is the importance of sanctions being successful as a part of our strategy to get Mr. Putin out of Ukraine. So it has been very good to partner with my friend from California (Mr. Sherman) on H.R. 7066, the Russia and Belarus Financial Sanctions Act. Madam Speaker, U.S. financial institutions are already prohibited from engaging in transactions with sanctioned Russian entities, but H.R. 7066 extends that prohibition to entities owned or controlled by U.S. financial institutions as well. This is a commonsense provision, and it has helped other sanctions programs be more successful, and I cite particularly the efforts to isolate Iran and North Korea. Under the President's ongoing Russia measures, anyone providing support to a sanctioned person runs the risk of being sanctioned themselves. We know that U.S. financial institutions are fully aware of us. Congress expects their full compliance and to be watchful on their affiliates that may also do business with Russia. As the U.S. continues to pressure the Putin regime, we must seek and prevent opportunities for Russia to find loopholes for non-U.S. financial institutions. I am glad to see that our current sanctions on Russia are making it more difficult for Moscow to find alternatives to Western banks. However, opportunities remain for us to tighten these multilateral sanctions and increase pressure on Russia, particularly in Russia's energy exports. Both the United States and Europe continue to provide carve-outs for energy transactions, and the next step on the sanctions ladder is to close these loopholes so that Russia cannot receive hard currency by selling oil and gas. I hope that Republicans and Democrats can work together to pursue this kind of policy and continue to collaborate on how to tighten the financial noose around Putin. Just as we worked on this bill together, I hope Members on both sides of the aisle will come together and support the work of my friend from California. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I missed Roll Call No. 127. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Wilson from South Carolina, for his leadership on this effort. Of course, I have to thank my good friend, our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Greg Meeks, for his immense work for many weeks on trying to get this done and done in the right way. I rise in support of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. We have to thank two essential people for this concept. Winston Churchill thought up the idea of lend-lease. He talked his essential partner in the very special transatlantic relationship, FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, into this concept. Roosevelt sold it to the Congress, and it is a real moment in history that we are back on this House floor supporting lend-lease. Congress came together to arm Britain in the face of the blitz by the Nazis, but today, we find ourselves in a very similar situation with Putin systematically bombing and shelling the peaceful villages and cities of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people bravely defending their own sovereign land in the face of evil. When I was in Romania 2 weeks ago, the Prime Minister there described their fighting spirit as: The Ukrainian people fight with lions' hearts. This bill will expedite the resources needed for Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia's illegal, unwarranted, and brutal war in Ukraine. In every single meeting with our Ukrainian friends, parliamentarians, ministers, citizens, and our own colleagues, the answer is: While they appreciate the American response and the response of 30 other nations, they need weapons, and they need them now. In history, victory and defeat can come down to days and weeks, if not hours. There have been too many delays already in getting Ukraine the military equipment they need. That is why I am pleased to see that we are enacting this Churchillian idea, born in World War II, a strategy now that will set the foundation for victory in this war and the President's authority to get the weapons to the brave Ukrainians fighting for their own independence and freedom. Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill. I thank the Members who worked on it so diligently.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for yielding. And unlike my friend from Knox County, Tennessee, I have the utmost respect for his ability to manage a Special Order with great aplomb, style, and skill. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time to talk tonight about something that I have reflected on now for the 7 years that I have served in the House. Over those 7 years, I have been to our southwest border 7 times, and I am in preparation right now to go back next week. So I rise tonight to bring attention to what is a growing crisis at our southwest border and share the fear and the frustration that are experienced there by those communities, their law enforcement officers, their schools, their churches, and to reflect on the Biden administration's just continued neglect there. Mr. Speaker, this is shocking to us because the first order of good governance by the executive is to protect the homeland, secure it, protect the people. Public safety is such a critical element in each of our communities so it makes no sense to any of us, whether we served for a brief period of time or for decades here, that our executive would leave our borders so open, so vulnerable. Over the last 6 months, we have had over a million migrant encounters at our southern border, with over 221,000 last month alone. That is a high for the Biden administration; 221,000 encounters. As my friend who just spoke suggested, that doesn't count the ones we don't catch, the so-called getaways. Mr. Speaker, this overwhelming number of migrants swarming our southwest border, though, should come as no surprise based on the actions of the administration. So shocked, yes, because the executive has abandoned its primary mission. But surprise, no. And let me explain why, Mr. Speaker. In the earliest days of his Presidency, President Biden repealed the Trump-era policies that discouraged illegal immigrants from flooding our borders and kept our communities safe. And this was after a lot of trial and error. I think Mr. Trump went through possibly three Secretaries of Homeland Security and had a lot of frustration at this very tough challenge. But in President Biden's decision to do away with those Trump policies that were ultimately working so effectively, he replaced them with nothing. Now here again, I have to express shock--perhaps not surprise, as this is a crisis-oriented administration--but certainly shock because no successful manager ends a working policy and replaces it with nothing. If you buy a business and you want to change the HR policy, you don't just say: Hey, starting tomorrow, there is no HR policy. I will let you know what it is in a few months. It is nuts. President Biden's efforts to suspend and terminate the border wall construction are costing taxpayers between $1.8 and $2 billion because we are still paying those contractors to build the wall that is not being built due to contract penalties. Of course, the State of Texas has stepped in, and perhaps they are going to take on some of that and build it themselves using Texas' taxpayer dollars for a national/ international border. Now, as my friend said a few minutes ago, the administration is moving forward to end what is called title 42. Title 42 has proven to be an effective effort at contributing to border security. And while the Biden administration continues to use it less and less--in fact, last month, Mr. Speaker, 50 percent of all the migrant encounters were processed for expulsion under title 42. So it is a critical element of both public health and public safety at the border. President Biden proposes to have that policy end here in just a few weeks, in the middle of May. Yet, he has proposed no policy to replace it. Again, we can expect a surge at our border. In fact, the Customs and Border Patrol, the executive branch agency responsible for guarding our border, securing our border, expects that to surge to 18,000 migrant encounters per day. Now, whoa, let's do the math because that sounds unbelievable, but you are talking 18,000. That is a half a million people per month. We are running right now annualized--I just reported it to you--at about 2 million encounters. And this is a half million per month; six million people. Really? We really think that is border security? We think that is an appropriate policy for this great Nation? It is insane. We will see the impact of this crisis throughout our communities. And as many of my colleagues have said, every State is a border State now as a result of this irresponsible approach. Mr. Speaker, the truth is the Biden administration has made it clear they have no plan, apparently, to secure our border. They certainly had a year and a half to demonstrate that they have one, and it is the American people that are suffering. So in summary, what are the ramifications? Millions coming into our country illegally without proper documentation and without the right public health concerns. Every State now is a border State. As reported a few minutes ago, there were 42 people caught by CBP that are on the terrorist watch list. Now, let me say, I was at the Chula Vista Station years ago. And it was common practice that people would come in, they would throw their legal documents away--a passport, an ID of some kind--put them in the trash, sew them in their clothing, not disclosed, and say they are from whatever country they said they were from. And that basically creates a new identity for them in our system. Mr. Speaker, so if 42 people have been caught, how many have come in that are on that terrorist watch list that have a mal-intent on our country? Ramifications; record human trafficking. And the cartels--our great friends in Mexico, virtually a cartel-driven border--making $5,000, $6,000 on Venmo, or in a promise to pay for each person trafficked, they are at millions, hundreds of millions--$400 million a month, some estimate--of making cash off this effort. Crime along the border is rampant, fentanyl and drugs on our streets. We lost 100,000 people last year to an opioid overdose. The fastest rising cause of death for young people across this country, 25 to 50 years old; 100,000 dead, double what we lost in the Vietnam war, and fentanyl is pouring across that border. In fact, we have interdicted--again, what we have caught--we have interdicted enough fentanyl, this vitally poisonous drug, to kill 7.4 billion people, and this is spiraling costs to our counties and our border States. Mr. Speaker, there is no plan. There is no policy. There are national security ramifications with an open border. It is irresponsible. It is incompetent. And I call on Secretary Mayorkas to resign his job as a failure. This administration has failed the American people and the border. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for his leadership.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from South Carolina for the time, and, of course, I thank my friend, Mr. Phillips, for leading the debate on this important issue. Once again, we gather on the House floor in unity--Republicans and Democrats--to counter Putin's behavior. Last year, I cofounded the first Congressional Task Force for American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad with my friend, Ted Deutch, from Florida. I thank Representative Stevens for being one of the first members of that task force, and that is why I rise in strong support of my friend Haley Stevens' resolution which calls for the release of Paul Whelan who is, in fact, unjustly imprisoned in Russia. We have heard today in the debates some of the details of Paul's arrest and nearly 2 years in pretrial detention with no evidence publicly presented justifying wrongdoing. All parts of our government, especially Members of Congress, who directly represent the families of those held hostage or wrongfully detained, must engage with friends and enemies alike, to ensure that Americans in situations like Paul Whelan's are expeditiously brought home. Further, Congress must continue to engage with the administration in situations like these to disincentivize the wrongful detention or hostage taking of Americans. Last year, we passed a similar resolution on this floor in support of Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan. It was, in fact, rewarding this morning to hear that Trevor was released; but, he should have never been held, and the exchange of prisoners should have never been necessary. But today, Mr. Speaker, on a combined basis, Republicans and Democrats, let us issue a message to Paul Whelan: We have not forgotten you. And let this message be clear that countries that engage in political hostage taking must stop the disgraceful practice and be held accountable. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support Representative Stevens' resolution.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, April 26, 2022, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted. Over a lengthy career, Olmsted was an author, journalist, public official, city planner, landscape architect, and creative genius who transformed the American landscape. Olmsted's philosophy and designs influenced the development of beautiful and functional landscapes, including parks and parkways, college campuses, planned communities, estates, cemeteries, recreation areas, and specialized landscapes for arboreta and expositions including, the U.S. Capitol grounds, New York City's Central Park, Yosemite Valley, Hot Springs National Park, and Stanford University. Olmsted is remembered as the premier landscape architect in the United States during the 19th century and is considered to be the founder of landscape architecture in the United States. He was also one of the first individuals to promote the idea of national parks in his 1865 Yosemite Report. Olmsted believed that thoughtful landscape designs should promote community, advance democracy, provide recreational opportunities in urban environments, nurture and invigorate public health, and encourage the development of livable communities. Olmsted's associates, sons, and successor firms carried out his philosophy and designs well into the 20th century, leaving a tremendous legacy of historic landscapes that continues to benefit the people of the United States and visitors throughout the world. Olmsted inspired the development of large parks and park systems for public benefit in urban areas, creating a legacy of parks that are a singular feature of the urban experience. Olmsted's landscape designs play a vital role in the enrichment of quality of life in hundreds of communities across the United States who are celebrating this bicentennial anniversary as part of a coordinated national and local celebration. I commend this occasion and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the remarkable achievement of Petit Jean Meats, marking 100 years of business in central Arkansas. Petit Jean Meats was established in 1922 by the late Felix Schlosser, searching for a better opportunity after escaping an inflation-ravaged Germany. He found that opportunity in Morrilton, Arkansas, and opened a small retail market, which has now expanded into a 48,000-square foot processing plant. The story of Petit Jean Meats is truly inspirational, and today, it is still owned by that same family. Current owner David Ruff says: ``We still do things the old-fashioned way, which gives our meats that old-fashioned flavor.'' I commend Petit Jean Meats for this outstanding achievement, and I wish them continued success.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7276, the Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act. I am a proud cosponsor of this important legislation, and I thank Chairman Meeks and the committee for working with Ranking Member McCaul on this critical, bipartisan bill. Last weekend, the world saw in Bucha what the Ukrainian people have been telling us since the start of this invasion, that the Russians are indiscriminately torturing and executing Ukrainian men, women, and children. It is important in these periods of conflict that the United States contribute to collecting, analyzing, and preserving critical evidence of war crimes and other atrocities. For two decades Putin has gone unchecked and never paid a diplomatic or even economic price for his 22 years of mania. He has never faced, until he met the Ukrainians, true armed resistance. He leveled Grozny, destroyed historic Aleppo with his coconspirator and partner, Assad, and he waltzed into Crimea, Mr. Speaker, in 2014 without firing a shot. The line has been finally drawn in Ukraine. This House, on a bipartisan basis, has worked to document Assad's mass murder in Syria. As a result of that work and the work of the United Nations Mechanism, we have had a recent conviction in Koblenz, Germany, of a Syrian intelligence official for crimes against humanity. The U.N. recently approved an independent inquiry into Ukraine. That is precisely the same step of a decade ago in Syria. Enacting this legislation will ensure that the United States contributes to this effort. I encourage all my colleagues to support this important bill, and I thank Mr. Meeks and Mr. McCaul for their leadership.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the attack on families in rural America by the Biden administration in their reallocation of Emergency Rental Assistance funds. As of March 31, unspent ERA funds from rural States, like my home State of Arkansas, are being taken and given to a handful of blue States, like New York, California, and New Jersey, who have already received and spent their own share of Emergency Rental Assistance funds. As the Treasury claws back this money, this reallocation of funds will disproportionately affect rural America. The reallocation of ERA money is unfair and turns a blind eye to the needs of renters who have not received rental assistance simply because they live in rural areas of our country. To stand up for rural Arkansans and Americans across the country, I have introduced the Protecting Rural Renters Act, which will prohibit the ERA funds originally promised to our rural areas from being reallocated elsewhere. This act would simply remove the State allocations from the statutory claw-backs and effectively prevent these funds from being taken away from our rural citizens. This is in the best interests of our Nation.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of World War II veteran Alice Beatty and to honor her service in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corp. Alice Beatty was born in Conway, Arkansas on August 23, 1921. At the age of 21, Alice joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and landed on the beach at Normandy just weeks after D-Day. Alice Beatty was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze star, the World War II Victory Medal, three overseas service bars, and the Women's Army Corps Service Medal in recognition of her service during World War II. Alice was also the first woman in the state of Arkansas to receive the French Legion of Honor Medal. Alice was a pioneer of her time, and I am proud to highlight her service to our Nation and honor her memory during Women's History Month.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize award-winning journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed in Ukraine at the hands of Russian soldiers. Brent was a Little Rock native who traveled around the world to share the stories and lift the voices of individuals who otherwise may not have been heard. At the time of his tragic death, Brent was in Ukraine, covering the current refugee crisis that has developed because of Russia's unwarranted and illegal invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Brent made a difference in the Arkansas arts community as co-founder of the Little Rock Film Festival and serving as a mentor within the community. My prayers are with Brent, his family, his friends, and all that were blessed to know him.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues on this House floor and remember our good friend, the dedicated dean of the House, Congressman Don Young, from the great State of Alaska. Don had a fire in him. He exuded joy in everything he did. And when he walked into a room, you knew he was there. Don was passionate in his desire to serve the people of Alaska, and for almost 50 years, he did just that. Don loved this House and chaired two of our key committees, Natural Resources and Transportation. As a freshman, yes, I, like, so many new members, sat mistakenly in his seat. The big bear growled me away. Once during a vote series, I voted ``no'' on a Don Young bill building roads in Alaska and walked out of the Chamber. Three minutes later, the whip team is texting me. Representative Ann Wagner is texting me: Don Young is screaming your name on the House floor. He wants to know why you voted ``no''. I went to dinner. The next morning, I found him and asked if he still needed me. He asked why I was a ``no''. I told him, and he smiled with that great big smile and asked if I could vote for his Alaskan fishing bill the next week. I said, yes, you bet, Mr. Chairman. You bet. I would like to extend my condolences to Anne, his children, and all who loved him. Don was a great man who will not be forgotten. May his life of service be an example to us all. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, inflation is a thief, and many of us believe that the Federal Reserve is behind the curve in fighting that thief. History is repeating itself, Madam Speaker, and Jay Powell is now fighting and facing precisely what his predecessor Arthur Burns called the ``anguish of central banking'' in 1979. Sustained stagflation, high current inflation, growing high inflationary expectations, and now a commodity shock, these are all of the problems that Chair Burns faced in the 1970s. While I welcome the Fed's action to shrink the balance sheet and start with the 25 basis-point increase in short-term rate targets, this process should have started in 2020. In my view, they should have been more aggressive this week and supported a 50 basis-point increase in short-term rates. It is time for Congress to reassess and debate the central bank's mandate. In my view, the Fed should have a single mandate focused on containing inflation and keeping prices in check for Americans at the pump, at the grocery store, and whenever they pull out their wallet.