J. Hill

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3190) to amend the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022 to extend the sunset, to require a determination with respect to the imposition of sanctions on certain persons of Burma, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our vice chairman, Mr. Huizenga's bill, the BRAVE Burma Act. The vice chairman is also a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Burma has been plagued with an ongoing humanitarian crisis for far too long. The Burmese people have been the victims of genocide as a direct result of the military junta's use of funds that fuel these abhorrent acts. The bill introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) addresses this crisis head-on. H.R. 3190 requires the Treasury Secretary to limit any increase in Myanmar's influence at the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, so long as it is governed by the military dictatorship. This bill also requires the President to annually determine whether the United States should impose stronger sanctions on the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, their economic bank, and any foreigners working in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy. I commend the vice chairman for his hard work and leadership in fighting for the humanitarian rights in Burma by cutting off the source of the funding that is empowering these human rights travesties. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the CBO estimate for this bill.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), the author of this important bill, the vice chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his dedicated work on our committee, as well as the Committee on Foreign Affairs, in crafting economic deterrence to bad actors--certainly, the military junta in Myanmar is a bad actor--calling loudly for a strong bipartisan vote in this House on the BRAVE Burma Act, which I hope then will be promptly considered by the Senate. This is when the legislative branch and the executive branch work best together, when we are in alignment on putting pressure against bad actors around the world. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his work. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote because I was in a legislative meeting that ran over. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 32.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Cole and Chairman Joyce for their good work on our side of the aisle and the committee at large for producing this constructive, good appropriations bill. I rise in support of the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations Act. This bill funds key government agencies that are focused on economic stability, fiscal responsibility, and national security. As chair of the House Financial Services Committee, I am proud that key provisions included in this bill were championed by our committee. My bill, H.R. 1474, the International Nuclear Energy Financing Act, expands U.S. financing tools for civilian nuclear energy projects abroad, helping U.S. companies compete globally while promoting safe and reliable energy as an alternative energy source from opposing nations. It requires the Treasury to advocate for nuclear energy assistance at the World Bank and other international financial institutions, including the establishment of Nuclear Energy Assistance Trust Funds. Also included in this funding package is Congresswoman Salazar's H.R. 6892. This is a critical piece of the bill that authorizes a capital increase for the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB Invest, an arm of the Bank devoted to private-sector growth in Latin America. Empowering the IDB Invest helps expand opportunities for U.S. businesses and strengthens their economic partnership and footprint in Latin America and counters growing influence from our global competitors. We cannot overlook also, Mr. Chairman, the importance of adequate funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is included in this bill. Strong capital markets are essential to American economic leadership, and ensuring that the SEC has the resources, clear rules, and effective oversight to carry out its mission is essential. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his leadership. I appreciate the time today, and I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I was in discussion with another Member on the floor. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 8, H.R. 504.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, America recently witnessed the new mayor of America's largest city share his democratic socialism vision with New Yorkers. He pledged to ``replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.'' Here in our Nation's semiquincentennial, 250 years of liberty, the new mayor rejected the fundamentals of American hard work and the extraordinary benefits of markets that have freed billions from hunger and poverty around the globe. Anyone with even a basic knowledge of history knows that government- enforced collectivism always ends in poverty, death, and despair. Mr. Speaker, look at Cuba, where the warmth of communism has left people with no rights, no freedom, and driving cars from the 1940s and 1950s; or Xinjiang, China, where the Uyghurs are imprisoned and enslaved to labor; or certainly no modest case, the Korean Peninsula, North Korea, where people are in darkness for 12 months a year and where people are stunted by malnutrition and oppression and live in darkness, literally and figuratively. Compare that to South Korea, Mr. Speaker. In less than three generations since the end of the Korean conflict, the average South Korean is three inches taller, lives 12 years longer, and earns 18 times more than their northern struggling counterpart. Same people; same peninsula. One system embraced the individual; the other, the collective. Of course, there are the millions starved to death and thrown into the gulags by Mao's China and Stalin's Soviet Union. These aren't abstract failures, Mr. Speaker. They are graveyards built on broken bodies. What starts as hope ends in tyranny and death every time. Coptic Christians in Egypt

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to shed light on the discrimination faced by Coptic Christians in Egypt. Coptic Christians face restrictions on building churches, have limited representation in government, and, tragically, have been targets of violence and persecution. They are attacked in the streets, held as political prisoners, and have little recourse. The discrimination they face not only violates their basic human rights, but also undermines Egypt's rich cultural diversity and history, as well as Egypt's own legal commitments to its citizens. It is critical for the international community to encourage the Egyptian government to further embrace religious tolerance, effectively protect minority rights, and ensure equality under the law for all of its citizens. It is important for us to bring to light these issues and do all we can to promote our values: that no matter what race or religion, all people deserve dignity and respect. As the Coptic Pope Tawadros II told me: ``All Egyptians take their water from the Nile.'' In that spirit, Egypt has work to do. Recognizing Dr. Cam Patterson

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the leadership of Dr. Cam Patterson, our former chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Last year, Dr. Patterson announced his decision to step down from his leadership position after 7 years of focused, dedicated service to the university, the medical school, and the people of Arkansas. Under his leadership, UAMS continued its commitment to excellence. As UAMS faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Patterson helped expand access to care across the State and navigated the pandemic while strengthening the university's reputation for excellence and research, patient care, and medical education. As he remains at UAMS as a professor of cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Patterson will continue to advance his spirit of innovation, compassion, and service. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Patterson for his leadership and for always putting Arkansas families first. Condolences to the Family of Doug LaMalfa

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in condolence to Jill LaMalfa and the LaMalfa family of northern California, that beautiful area north of Sacramento, deep in the wilderness, home to Mt. Shasta. There was no better representation of the people of California than Doug LaMalfa. He was a gentle giant. I had so much fun with him over the years. He was such a committed person to his constituents, to the State of California, to public service, to his relationships on both sides of the aisle. He had deep respect. From the most liberal Democrat in California to the most conservative Republican down in Texas, they all loved Doug LaMalfa. He will be missed. Mr. Speaker, Martha and I share our condolences. We pray for the family at this tragic loss, but we are grateful for our friendship and service with Doug LaMalfa.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6500, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Extension Act, introduced by Chairman Jason Smith. This bill reauthorizes the AGOA program--first established by Congress in 2000. AGOA is a nonreciprocal U.S. trade preference program that encourages trade and investment with sub-Saharan African countries. Economic benefits of AGOA include: The bolstering of economic growth. Promoted economic and political reform. Improved U.S. economic relations in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Diversified supply chains. New markets for American goods and services. Stronger and diversified American investments. National security benefits of AGOA include: Peace and stability in a region that our adversaries, such as China, are trying to exploit. An American presence in a region rich in critical minerals. American values are being promoted abroad, resulting in governance improvements that align sub-Saharan African nations with American foreign policy. AGOA greatly benefits our national security and economy. For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6500.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand on the floor with my colleague from Arkansas, our distinguished chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and our colleagues to give the American people some perspective on the important action that President Trump has taken that reasserts America's leadership in the Western Hemisphere, counters our rivals for that Western Hemisphere influence, Russia, Iran, China, and keep America safer by taking this action. The communist, authoritarian government in Caracas has long been an adversary of the United States. In the early 2000s, our relationship with Venezuela was strained when they named strongman Hugo Chavez as their leader. Maduro was a leader in the Chavez government, Mr. Speaker, and was a full partner in the anti-American policies and the growing partnership with Cuba, China, and Russia. In 2013, Maduro became the president of Venezuela after Chavez' death. He continued those communist partnerships, compounded the anti- American rhetoric and strategy by adding the goal of becoming a narcostate. From 2014 to 2015, the United States began to sanction Venezuelan officials for drug trafficking. In 2017, the United States escalated sanctions against the Maduro government for its links to the illicit drug trade. In 2019, the United States no longer recognized Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president. As a result, the United States officially cut diplomatic ties with the Maduro regime. In 2020, the Department of Justice charged Maduro with narcoterrorism, and the United States offered a $15 million reward for his capture. In 2024, in my view, Mr. Speaker, was the last straw when Maduro lost the national election and annulled the results. He simply is a cheap, drug-dealing, election fraudster. Don't take Republicans on this side of the aisle's word for it, Mr. Speaker. The European Union, the United States Government under the Biden and the Trump administrations, the Organization of American States, his neighbors, they all agree Maduro stole the election in 2024 and compounded it by annulling the results. The regime was one long string of repression and human rights abuses. Over 8 million Venezuelans have fled Venezuela, their home country, because of Maduro. Republicans and Democrats have acknowledged that Maduro has been a national security threat to the United States, and that is why I have to call out the hypocrisy that I have witnessed in recent days from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The Western Hemisphere is America's backyard. It is also why I am pleased that the recently released National Security Strategy reasserts the Monroe Doctrine with current American security interests. Under the National Security Strategy, the United States will enlist allies in the Western Hemisphere to partner in controlling migration, halting drug trafficking, and mutually strengthening stability and security. Also, under the Trump National Security Strategy, the United States will expand our goals and partners in the Western Hemisphere by bringing in new countries, building new relationships, bolstering America as the top choice as a security and an economic partner. The strength of the Trump administration, combined with the exceptional execution by our law enforcement and military operators, showcases, Mr. Speaker, how serious the United States is to keep our country safe, keep our people safe, keep our streets safe, and secure our allied economic and security interests from the tip of Argentina and Chile to Canada. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arkansas for his leadership.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Stauber for the time. I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3187. First, I thank my good friend and fellow Arkansan Chairman Westerman for advancing my bill from the committee to the House floor. I thank all the members of the Natural Resources Committee for their bipartisan and unanimous support. As noted, my bill seeks to transfer ownership of a vacant Federal building owned by the U.S. Forest Service at 1069 Fourche Avenue in Perryville, Arkansas, to Perry County. This property is no longer in use by the Forest Service, and there are no plans for its utilization by them. That has been the case, Mr. Speaker, for well over a decade. Perry County is a very small, rural community with a population of around 10,000. About 16 percent of the residents there live below the poverty line. About 77 percent of the county is forested, and 72 percent of that land is privately owned. The U.S. Forest Service is the largest public landowner in the county, managing 119,000 acres as a part of the Ouachita National Forest. For several years, Perry County has mightily sought to acquire this property. However, due to limited resources and that high poverty rate, this small county has been unable to easily navigate the complex Federal rules and to find a way to purchase the property outright. My legislation would enable the Federal Government to convey the property at no cost to the county with all the benefits that Mr. Stauber outlined. The building will require many significant repairs, but the county does have that repair budget appropriated. Once restored, the facility will support many local programs. Specifically, the University of Arkansas extension program, the Perry County Conservation District, and, importantly, it will serve as a meeting place for our 4-H youth development program. These organizations are currently struggling with limited options for meeting space in Perryville. This cures that problem. My bill provides Perry County with a much-needed facility to expand youth development, agricultural education, and community health initiatives. I thank Perry County Judge Larry Blackmon, Perryville Mayor John Roland, the Perry County Extension Office, the Perry County Chamber of Commerce, and the Perry County Farm Bureau, all for working with us collectively both on the Natural Resources Committee staff and my staff to bring this forward and make it a reality. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join the committee and me in supporting a unanimous vote for H.R. 3187.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mrs. Wagner for her work as our subcommittee chair of Capital Markets in this Congress. I thank our vice chairman of the full committee that you will hear from tonight, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) who for three Congresses served as chair of Capital Markets or ranking member on this subcommittee. This work tonight represents over a decade of effort on a bipartisan basis, both sides of the aisle, to advance economic growth for our citizens, and for our businesses by advancing their ability--at a lower cost, in a more effective way--of raising money from working out of their garage and crowdsourcing their idea to bring their idea to life, through angel investing all the way through to lowering the cost to be a public company. Mr. Chairman, exactly 1 year ago this week, when I aspired to serve as chair of the House Financial Services Committee, I asked my colleagues: Can you tell me how many companies are in the Wilshire 5000 Index? There was silence in the room. Mr. Chairman, there was silence in the room because it is not 5,000 companies, it was 3,700. Why? It is because we don't have enough qualified public companies in this great Nation--the largest economy in the world--to have 5,000 public companies in the Wilshire 5000. Tonight we do something about that. We make it easier to be a public company in America. We make it easier if you have a great idea to crowdsource that idea, raise money from friends and family, and we make it easier if you are an individual investor to have other opportunities in which to invest. Before I served in this House, I conducted many private placements to help people start their own business, and Reg D of the SEC is what you do that under. Those are the rules of the SEC to privately raise money to help somebody start a business. In that effort, you have to be an accredited investor in order to invest. What if you invented the technology that is doing the business, but you did not have a million-dollar net worth and a $250,000 income? Mr. Chairman, you can't be an investor--it is your technology--unless you are the CEO or a board member. This bill corrects that. It says if you have an expertise in a particular area, you can become an accredited investor. Tonight, Mr. Chair, we believe in Steve Case's admonition to the whole Nation, ``The Rise of the Rest.'' We want America to thrive no matter what side of the tracks you grow up on or what your education level is. We want hard work, savings, and investment rewarded. Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Gottheimer, and Mr. Meeks have delivered that in the INVEST Act, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 879, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 58) denouncing the horrors of socialism, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a ``yes'' vote on this resolution should be a relatively straightforward, easy decision. It simply states that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementations of socialist policies in the United States of America. It is a statement that I would hope all of our elected leaders in the United States up and down our system of government could support. Socialism ignores the side of a man and woman that is the spirit. It dulls the human capacity for self-initiative, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking. For those who have concerns about the resolution, I just invite them to read it. It outlines the pain and hardship experienced by millions around the world who have suffered under socialist regimes. This is something that the sponsor of the resolution, Congresswoman Salazar of Florida, has focused on combating for her entire career. Congresswoman Salazar is the daughter of Cuban exiles and was born in Miami's Little Havana. Representative Salazar has led the charge against socialist policies. This resolution today is just one example of her commitment to her constituents and our entire Nation. The contrast between the successful policies under market capitalism and the freedoms associated with, particularly, our robust democracy here in America and socialism across the world and in history could not be starker. I cannot express this enough: This resolution is not just a messaging bill or, as some from across the aisle have called it, a waste of time. It is not that to the people and the families who have experienced the horrors and atrocities associated with socialist regimes. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Salazar for her work on this. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote a vigorous ``yes'' on this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy my good friend from California's long lectures to this House on her views about current events. I am always grateful for her point of view. Mr. Speaker, I would share from my perspective that the shutdown was borne fully and irresponsibly by the United States Senate, by just a handful of Democratic Senators with their leader, Mr. Schumer, that refused to keep the government open while we continue debates about something we do every day here, which is, what are the ways and means to fund the American Government. This House body under Speaker Mike Johnson with bipartisan vote, I might add, had a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open for those 42 days. Yet, 14 times, Senate Democrats denied funding to air traffic controllers, denied funding to farm assistance, and denied funding for all the Federal programs, inconveniencing States, hurting families, and hurting Federal workers. Further, perhaps, unlike some, I certainly gave up my pay for those 42 days by direction of this House. I was not going to be paid personally as a Member of Congress while we see this kind of lack of responsibility out of the Senate. Today, what we are talking about here in the most vigorous democracy in the land in our 250th year, we are talking about rejecting socialism that punishes freedom, punishes individual action, and tears families apart. That is what we are here to talk about. We are not here to rattle down about current events. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Florida, Congresswoman Salazar, leads our Western Hemisphere Subcommittee in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and what better person, Mr. Speaker, to have this responsibility. Born in Little Havana in Miami, daughter of Cuban exiles, let her tell you how cushy life was under Castro's Communist socialist dictatorship. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar).

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), who grew up in Korea, and as a young girl immigrated here to the United States of America. She knows the truth of postwar Korea and how challenging it was. She compared the Korea of her childhood to the Korea of today: Democracy, freedom, vigorous democracy, amazingly vigorous democracy in Korea today. Mrs. Kim is now the chairwoman of our East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs. What a transition and what a great voice to condemn socialism.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose), my good friend, a prominent member of the House Financial Services Committee, and very active on financial policy in this House.