Mike Haridopolos

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on a very important issue that is facing more and more communities as they are faced with pressure from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, commonly known as the CFPB. What was created under the guise of consumer protection has instead become a regulatory juggernaut, unaccountable and insulated from the very people it claims to serve, the consumers. From the beginning, the CFPB was designed to operate outside the bounds of congressional oversight. It was built to be an agency that answers to no one, making sweeping financial regulations without the scrutiny that our Constitution demands. Its most recent Director turned his bureaucratic machine into a weapon against economic growth, limiting access to credit and strangling the very small businesses and community banks that form the backbone of our economy. The problem is clear. First and foremost, a lack of accountability. The CFPB functions without proper congressional oversight, wielding immense power without the input of elected Representatives. No agency should have the ability to dictate financial policy without being held accountable by the people. Second, funding without oversight. Unlike nearly every other Federal agency, the CFPB is funded directly by the Federal Reserve, rather than through the regular congressional appropriation process. This structure allows it to bypass the checks and balances system that protects taxpayers from runaway regulatory excess. Third, a constitutional violation. The power to tax and spend belongs to Congress. That is not a tradition. That is the law. The CFPB structure is a direct affront to the principle, undermining the separation of powers that defines our democracy. The consequences have been devastating. The CFPB's heavyhanded regulations are cutting off access to credit for those who need it most. Small businesses are struggling to secure the loans necessary to grow and create jobs. Entrepreneurs, working families, and farmers are finding it harder to get the capital that they need to succeed. The community banks that support Main Street are drowning under the weight of this unnecessary and costly compliance burden. Madam Speaker, this is not how government by the people and for the people should function. The solution is simple: Congress must reassert its constitutional authority. We must bring the CFPB under the regular appropriations process, ensuring that no agency operates without unchecked power. Regulatory agencies must answer to the people, not operate as independent kingdoms making rules without congressional oversight. Madam Speaker, we stand at a crossroads. We cannot allow an unaccountable bureaucracy to continue restricting access to capital, hindering small businesses, and suffocating economic opportunity. We must restore the balance of power and ensure transparency and put the authority back where it belongs: with the American people through its elected Representatives. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join Chairman French Hill and my colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee in finally reining in the CFPB, restoring congressional oversight, and reaffirming our commitment to the principles of accountability and economic freedom. The future of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and hardworking families depends on it.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late, great Major General Mason M. Patrick. General Patrick, a West Virginia native, West Point graduate, and World War I veteran, honorably served our Nation for 41 years. In 1921, General Patrick oversaw the creation of the United States Army Air Corps, the precursor to our modern-day Air Force. Recognizing that true leadership comes from experience, he learned to fly at the age of 59. His vision to place air power in its own branch was instrumental in building the world's first formidable Air Force. In 1950, Patrick Air Force Base, in my district, was named in his honor, recognizing his historic contributions to military aviation. Today, this base is known as Patrick Space Force Base, a testament to how America's leadership in the skies has evolved to dominate new frontiers. His vision for America's air power laid the groundwork for today's advances in space exploration and defense. May we always remember General Patrick's contribution to our Nation.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, as a new Member of Congress, I am honored to be on the floor today to support this good bill. For decades, it has been suspected that China manipulates its exchange rate to keep the dollar value of their currency artificially low. Why do they do this? To simply manipulate the market, to encourage exports and discourage imports, tipping the scales in their favor. That is not free trade, nor is it fair trade. Even the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund both prohibit the use of currency manipulation to gain trade advantages. However, like so many other issues, the Chinese Communist Party's lack of transparency on this issue has been a roadblock to taking action to end this unfair practice. Let's bring their trade practices into the sunlight. This brilliant bill by my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Meuser, who chairs the Financial Services Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, will require Treasury to push IMF members to take China's lack of transparency into account when considering China's shareholding at the Fund. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this good bill as a step forward toward fairer trade with the Communist dictatorship.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this to the floor and my colleagues across the aisle for working together on this important bill. It is great that common sense is making a comeback in America. I applaud the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Nunn of Iowa. He has done a remarkable job of bringing this to the forefront as people recognize the impact that burdensome paperwork can have on our American economy. In recent years, the previous administration imposed complex and costly beneficial ownership requirements, backed by the threat of civil and criminal penalties. Compliance could cost up to $8,000 per year, and little was done by the Treasury Department to communicate those requirements to businessowners. As a result, with little clarity and even less time to comply, over 30 million small businesses are now facing the risk of thousands of dollars in fines and potentially years behind bars if egregious. Why are we making criminal suspects out of businessowners? American businesses already file a considerable amount of paperwork to ensure that money launderers and bad actors are unable to operate through shell corporations, as the chairman highlighted. Why are millions of American small businesses now forced to file these regulations when they have already been burdened by so much extra paperwork? This extension will also give our new Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Bessent, the time to apply common sense in helping small businesses meet these reporting requirements. This bill is a strong start to reduce the immense regulatory burden that America's small businesses face each day, and it protects businessowners from unjust criminal liability. Let's pass this bill and get back to common sense.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible work of Eta Space, a business in my district that is shaping the future of American space exploration. As we return to the Moon and set our sights on Mars, one challenge remains: the ability to refuel spacecraft in orbit. This requires storing fuels at temperatures hundreds of degrees below freezing and transferring them while traveling at 17,000 miles per hour in microgravity. That is no easy task. The dedicated team at Eta Space has been at the forefront of solving this challenge, but like so many small businesses driving innovation, they need support at a critical moment. That support came from a local community bank that provided essential credit to keep them moving forward. Thanks to that local support, Eta Space is thriving. Later this year, they will launch their satellite to advance the future of American spaceflight. Community banks are the cornerstone of our entrepreneurial spirit, and on the Financial Services Committee under Chairman Hill, we are making community banking great again.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. 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 topic of this Special Order.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, lives destroyed, trust violated, and hearts broken, this is the story of illegal immigration. Young girls and boys have been sold into sexual slavery. Hundreds of thousands have been killed by fentanyl. Hundreds of known terrorists have entered our Nation. Schools, hospitals, and towns have been overrun by numbers of illegal aliens and the high cost of taxpayers. Criminals entered and preyed on our citizens. Sadly, many committed murder and rape. Yet, we learned just over 2 weeks ago that this is a problem that could be quickly solved, and that is what is happening today with the election and actions of our new President. This crisis can be quickly solved with commonsense and decisive action. Today, I am joined by other freshmen Members of this Congress who are problem-solvers, people who have made it work at the local level at businesses across our country, and they understand how to get things done just like our President has been doing for the last 2\1/2\ weeks. The first of our speakers today comes from the experienced Missouri Legislature, serving in both the house and senate. He has great accomplishments as both an attorney and a doctor. He represents a central part of Missouri just west of St. Louis, and he is a person who back in 2008 knew this problem was coming to a head. He sponsored and passed legislation to make sure we did not have sanctuary cities. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder), the Congressman from the Third District.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, next we have Congressman Tony Wied from the great State of Wisconsin. He represents the northeastern portion of Wisconsin, the Eighth Congressional District. He comes with the real-world experience of being a businessowner, as he and his wife have developed an amazing business in their neck of the woods. He serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Agriculture, as well as the Committee on Small Business. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Wied).

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, my next speaker, Representative Brad Knott, is a Federal prosecutor, and he has seen firsthand the challenges that come with illegal immigration. It was one of the ways that I truly learned about what was going on at the border. Congressman Knott and I had long discussions about the challenges we faced at the Department of Justice and the everyday trials and tribulations that people face because of this illegal activity. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Knott), who represents central North Carolina in District 13.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the good words of the Congressman from the 13th District of North Carolina giving real-world examples of how this unfair policy has impacted so many of us not just with dollars but with lives. As I mentioned earlier, this is a crime which we must end. The good news is we are moving in that direction. What I have mentioned before is so telling, and that is the idea of lives destroyed, trust violated, and hearts broken. America is the land of opportunity and equal justice. What was so frustrating in watching this issue grow over the last 4 years is that as people are paying more and more for rent, gasoline, and the basics of life, here was the Federal Government actually subsidizing illegal activity by giving phone cards, giving cash cards, free housing, and other benefits while the Americans were suffering each and every day. To further complicate that issue, they were hiding not only illegal individuals but people who had committed crimes in sanctuary cities. Everyone in that neighborhood knew exactly who these people were. We saw on day one when Donald Trump took the Office of the Presidency once again, those people were quickly identified, arrested, and deported or put into jail if they committed a completely violent act. It was a no-brainer. As our colleagues before me talked about, all he had to do was nothing. It is the ultimate goal of life, just show up and do nothing, and you would actually continue to solve a problem. However, the former President actually took action. New executive orders repealed the successful policies of President Trump, and the problem grew and grew and grew. Just a couple of weeks ago, I reached out to the place that I used to serve in the Florida legislature talking to what is called AHCA. AHCA is the group that oversees our healthcare system in Florida. The numbers are there in concrete form. Over half a billion dollars was put on the backs of taxpayers because illegal aliens accessed the medical system for free through Medicaid or other devices, and those cost shifts would take place. That means that half a billion dollars was taken out of taxpayers' pockets that could have been spent on schools, hospitals, roads, the environment, or even tax reduction. Instead, it was spent on folks who shouldn't be here, period. Mr. Speaker, as you can imagine, my last name is a unique one. My dad was actually born in Athens, Greece, but he came here to make a better life. He wanted to play by the rules. That is the second thing I want to get into tonight. There are millions of people who want to come here legally. Yet, they are being cut in line by people who are undercutting the rule of law. Those folks want to contribute. They have skills that we need: Science, technology, engineering, math, and other skills that we desperately need in this potential growing economy, especially if the Trump tax cuts are reinforced. However, instead, we continue to spend, spend, spend with no hope in sight for folks who just don't want to contribute to the American Dream. It is a great frustration because, Mr. Speaker, when you look at the graphs before, the President called it correctly, his policies actually worked. It is so enlightening for all of us and such a joy that when the President simply went back to the old policy, the number of illegals diminished to almost zero. That means we can now go after those people who have been preying on the system, whether it be for financial or more, let's just say, devious reasons. I am proud to represent the great State of Florida. They have been aggressive about illegal immigration. In one of my first days in the Florida Legislature, one of the bills that was introduced was to give the illegal aliens a driver's license, a ticket to ride, so to speak. Fortunately, we were able to kill such legislation. Congressman Unger back in 2008 passed legislation to get tough on sanctuary cities. Those policies simply work. I think what all of us want, whether on the left side of the aisle or our side, we want problem solvers in America again. We want people who just want to come here and get things done. Candidly, I think that is why so many people love President Trump. He is a problem solver. He looks at a problem in a common sense way. He doesn't automatically put a Republican or a Democratic spin on it. He said: How do we solve the problem? He talked to the experts. He put those items in place, and the border crisis went away in his first term. He implemented those policies once again 2 weeks into office, and we are back in a successful border. Without a successful border, we simply don't have a nation. Again, I am encouraged by these actions. I am just amazed that the prior President and his team would turn their backs on the American people who gave them this opportunity to lead. It is going to be a challenging time to get this thing right. The good news is that with President Trump in place, we have seen the changes in a clear and let's just say discernible way. As we look at the testimony earlier by Congressman Knott, it is one of the reasons I wanted to have this conversation today. A few weeks ago before we were actually sworn into office, Congressman Knott and I sat down in Boston. I said: What is really happening at the Department of Justice? Why are they not prosecuting these crimes? As he mentioned in his very eloquent speech, he walks us through the crisis. He tells us how simple it is to solve this crisis, and the other team just chooses to turn a blind eye. The statistics are pretty overwhelming with the number of people who were in challenging situations. Just to give you an idea, Mr. Speaker, of how frustrating it is to so many people on this issue. As the Biden administration was winding down, they were actually looking to sell off the very border wall that the American public had already paid for. You talk about insulting; it is to the highest degree. They are literally letting this metal rot and rust in the desert instead of just simply putting it up. I am glad to see, I must admit, one of the real highlights of my early career here in Congress was actually seeing the bipartisanship that was shown on the Laken Riley bill. It was a pleasant surprise given the rhetoric of the prior 4 years. I hope it is a sign of things to come. I happen to serve on the Financial Services Committee, I serve on the Science Committee, and I chair the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Those should be bipartisan solutions in which we come across the aisle and solve problems as opposed to pointing fingers. I really appreciate the kind words of the President this morning during his address at the National Day of Prayer. He talked about reaching across the aisle and solving problems in a concrete way. This issue should be one where we all solve that problem. Again, I don't care about who gets the support because the American people support the idea of finally closing the gates to these people who come across illegally and opening the door once again to smart, commonsense legal immigration as opposed to illegal immigration. As I get ready to close, I am thankful, first of all, for these types of opportunities. America is such a unique place. I noticed as the other side of the aisle is going to have their Special Order hour today, that we need to have these constructive dialogues. It seemed so hyperbolic during the campaign, the pointing of fingers, but it is so nice to see a quick and decisive result in talking about illegal immigration and how quickly we can solve this issue and truly secure our border and remove those people who should not be here. I am so glad the President is going after those violent offenders first, the ones who have been protected by sanctuary cities. My former Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has now taken the reins at the Attorney General's Office. She is a tough-on-crime prosecutor. She is not a politico. She is a person who has been a problem solver throughout her career and who cared about her State and now her Nation. She is saying: We will go after those offenders. If the law is not going to be enforced and it is a sanctuary city, then move over. We are taking away the funding. We are extracting these people who have preyed on the system for too long and who have been protected, sadly, by the political class in their community. The political class who has been turning their backs on the very people who put them into power and into office. I hope that we can have this constructive dialogue, and I am optimistic that the Senate will take up our tough border ideas so that we can, again, create a logical immigration system that created so many opportunities for each of us. We each have a story about how our parents, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents, for that matter, came to this country. That is that dream of America, that they want to come to America, assimilate, and live the American Dream. Sadly, the actions of the previous administration undercut that very ideal because people take a sour view of immigration. As I get ready to close today, I am sorry that the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crank) could not make it back from his other obligations, but I appreciate the good words of Congressman Knott, Congressman Onder, and Congressman Wied. They have done a remarkable job of putting a human face on illegal immigration. Let us never forget that the biggest victims of this, besides the crisis with fentanyl, are those young boys and girls who have been sold into sexual slavery. I don't like the term ``human trafficking'' because it is such a bland term. The term is ``sexual slavery,'' and I can't imagine the horrors that these individuals have gone through as they came across the border thinking that they would be given an opportunity in America. Instead, they were sentenced to a life of evil. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight on this important issue, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and extend my gratitude to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and the dedicated men and women of the sheriff's department for their unwavering commitment to protecting our community. Just last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Sheriff Ivey and actually go on a ride-along and see the challenges they face each and every day. That day, deputies actually arrested a man who was found to be in possession of enough fentanyl to kill 20,000 people. This dangerous reality that our law enforcement officers confront every day is due to the failures of the prior administration to secure our border. The deadly impact of fentanyl has devastated communities across America, and strong action must be taken to end this crisis. Mr. Speaker, I thank Sheriff Ivey and the brave men and women of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office for this opportunity to see firsthand the challenges they face, and I will continue to stand with law enforcement as we fight to keep our communities safe.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to recognize two remarkable athletes in our community, C.J. Gardner- Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jawaan Taylor of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are facing off this weekend in Super Bowl LIX. These two extraordinary athletes, who are actually cousins, started their journeys at Cocoa High School and continued their football years at the University of Florida. They are now making their hometown proud as we watch them take opposite sides of the field in the biggest game of the year. Their story is one of hard work, perseverance, and excellence, values that define Brevard County. This year continues a remarkable condition as it marks the fifth consecutive year that Brevard County has been represented in the Super Bowl, proving that our community is the home to some of the best athletes in the country. To Jawaan, Go Chiefs. To C.J., Go Birds. Good luck to both of them. Their hometown is always behind them. Go Tigers.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to congratulate the remarkable Cocoa High School football team for their third consecutive State championship. I would like to take this opportunity to commend them and celebrate the exceptional leadership of their head coach, Ryan Schneider, whose dedication to excellence has been instrumental in guiding these young athletes to achieve great success on and off the field. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to Cocoa Mayor Mike Blake for his support of the team and his efforts to promote athletics within our community. To the many seniors who will continue their athletic career at exceptional universities across the country, I wish them the best of luck. I hope they will continue to make Brevard County proud.

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS

Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in my first speech on the House floor to applaud the men and women powering America's spaceflight industry. I am a proud resident of Florida's Space Coast, the launchpad for America's journey to the stars since the early days of NASA. This is not just our past. It is our future. Madam Speaker, 2024 was a record-breaking year for the Space Coast, with 93 successful launches crossing our skies. In just the first few weeks of 2025, five more launches have taken place, proving that America's new golden age of spaceflight is alive and well. This renaissance has been powered by game-changing private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, whose ingenuity has turned spaceflight into a thriving ecosystem of public-private collaboration. Dominance in space is central to America's economic strength and military readiness. I am confident that with the leadership of Chairman Babin and President Trump, America will remain the global leader in space exploration and innovation.