Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for his thoughtful remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks. We are living in a time when there is great polarization in our politics, but the issue that we are talking about here today is how to bring Democrats and Republicans together, because as Democrats and Republicans and liberals and conservatives we do have a mutual interest in survival. If nuclear weapons are ever used in this current day, then nobody wins. What we are talking about is the salvation or the destruction of our civilization from nuclear death. The stakes could not be higher, and yet what is shocking to many of us is the lack of urgency and the lack of attention to this subject. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Tlaib and all of my colleagues who have been here today because this is the most important issue, quite frankly, facing our planet. Mr. Speaker, we can never ignore the fact that behind the conference room discussions about the utility of nuclear weapons, behind the corporate lobbying for nuclear modernization spending, this is a story of human suffering. The Nobel Committee awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the organization Nihon Hidankyo for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again. Nihon Hidankyo is a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors form Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 2 weeks, members of this organization along with activists and citizens from Japan and around the world will gather in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. They will amplify this clear and existential message: that nuclear weapons must never ever be used again. This organization keeps alive the testimony of the ``survivors''; ``Hibakusha'' of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are the witnesses to the indescribable, the unthinkable, the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons. Nihon Hidankyo highlights the nuclear taboo, the concept that nuclear weapons should never be used, an idea that is under threat from the growth in nuclear arsenals around the world. Among the organization's aims is an international treaty for nuclear disarmament. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or TPNW, was adopted on July 7, 2017, and entered into force on January 22, 2021. It is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. Mr. Speaker, 73 nations are party to the treaty. The United States is not. Neither are the other eight nuclear powers. We won't get there overnight, but we should not abandon the goal. My resolution, coauthored with the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda), H. Res. 317, calls for good faith negotiations with the other eight nuclear arms states to halt any further buildup of nuclear arsenals and to aggressively pursue a verifiable and irreversible agreement or agreements to verifiably reduce and eliminate their nuclear arsenals according to a negotiated timetable. I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution and join us in our efforts. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his eloquent remarks. There is so much more that needs to be said, yet our time is coming to a close. Let me end by saying that when I was in college in the late 1970s, I interned for Senator George McGovern, no relation, but a leader on arms control issues. I was able to accompany him to a debate with William F. Buckley at Yale University titled ``Resolved: That the SALT Talks Are in the Interests of U.S. National Security.'' Of course, the SALT talks were the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. George McGovern closed the debate--and I remember this like it was yesterday--I thought very powerfully. He said that he recalls that when he was a young Senator in 1963, they were debating the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and Senator Everett Dirksen, who was the Republican Senate minority leader at the time, ``took to the floor to close the debate. He said that he had just reread John Hersey's `Hiroshima,' the description of what happened to that great city, the morning after--the scene of one family sitting charred around the breakfast table; out in the yard, bits and pieces of children's clothing; the broken arm of a doll; toys and debris scattered over the landscape. And he said: `I thought about that scene, and I said that someday Everett Dirksen will be buried in Illinois, and when that happens, I don't want them to put on my gravestone: `He knew about this, and he didn't care.' '' Mr. Speaker, we all know the realities of nuclear weapons and their devastation, and the fact that if they were ever used, it would result in the total annihilation of our planet. The question for all of us is: Are we going to do anything about it? I said earlier that one of the most troubling factors in this whole topic is the lack of urgency here in Congress. We don't talk about this. We are not pushing for arms control. We are not setting goals for the total abolition of nuclear weapons. Instead, we are, just out of habit, voting in favor of military budgets that contribute to the problem. I think, at this moment, as we approach the 80th anniversaries of these horrible events, this is a time for us to step up and to do something before it is too late. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to commemorate and have moments of silence to remind their constituencies of the anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I urge them to join with us in a bipartisan way in doing something about it. George McGovern ended his debate with William Buckley at Yale by saying this: ``Many years ago, in ancient wisdom, it was said: I have set before thee two choices, life or death. Therefore, choose life that thee and thy seed may live.'' Mr. Speaker, that is the choice I want the United States to make at this moment. I hope that we are up to the task, and I hope that we don't just continue to ignore the perils of nuclear warfare. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this process sucks. None of what we are doing here today is about governing. We aren't here to improve healthcare access or to put money back in hardworking people's pockets or to make life better for Americans or, for that matter, anybody in any way. We are here because Republicans want to protect powerful people. They want to protect billionaires and protect those at the top. It is about doing Donald Trump's bidding. Shame on them. Earlier this week, I offered a simple amendment to release the Epstein files that Donald Trump, his AG, his FBI director, and his supporters tell us contain a list of clients of Jeffrey Epstein. Let the American people make up their own mind. But Republicans voted it down, every single one of them. Why? Because Donald Trump, for whatever reason, doesn't want these records to get out anymore. After years of promising America that his administration would release the Epstein files and tapes, Trump is now calling it a hoax. He is calling his own supporters stupid for believing the things he told them, and you are deeming adoption of a bullshit resolution on Epstein that does nothing. Let me be clear. This resolution does not have the force of law. This does not have the force of law. It is political theater. It is a smokescreen for Republicans to hide from doing something that would demand Trump's DOJ release of these files. This is a glorified press release, a talking point to save face, something they can wave around and say: See, we care, so they can walk free of shame while doing absolutely nothing. This nonbinding resolution does nothing to get these files released. Mr. Speaker, when we asked them when this nonbinding, useless resolution is coming to the House floor, the answer was, well, it is up to the majority leader. Mr. Speaker, either Republicans want to actually release the files, or they don't. There is no middle ground here. Republicans don't get credit for pretending to care. They don't get points for playing PR games while the people who enabled Epstein's abuse go unnamed and unpunished. This is why people hate Congress. This is why they don't trust government. Republicans talk about supporting the victims. They talk about holding powerful people accountable, but it is lipservice. When the time comes to do something, they come up with a phony, fake vote to give themselves political cover, which brings me to this rescissions package, Mr. Speaker, another disaster, fiscal irresponsibility masquerading as cuts. The other side just added $4 trillion to the debt with their big, ugly, billionaire-tax-break bill. The big, ugly bill costs 450 times what these rescissions will save. It doesn't even come close. Mr. Speaker, I should mention that these rescissions are also deeply harmful. It cuts funding for international aid that provides lifesaving healthcare. People are going to die because of these cuts. It undermines Ukraine and our allies. It slashes public broadcasting that delivers essential news to communities nationwide. Republicans call it tightening the belt, but it is the same old story. Republicans blow up the budget for billionaires, and then they nickel and dime everyone else to pretend that they care about the debt and the deficit. It is nuts. If we were all being honest here, nobody even truly knows exactly what the hell is in this bill. As Senator Tillis, a Republican, said: ``I suspect we're going to find out there are some things that we're going to regret.'' Susan Collins, another Republican, said: ``The rescissions package has a big problem--nobody really knows what program reductions are in it.'' You can't make this stuff up. Finally, let's not forget that the Trump administration, as we speak, is illegally withholding over $425 billion in congressionally approved funding while Republicans in Congress rush to get these rescissions done, covering for the President once again, afraid to raise an eyebrow to question what he is doing. This is not how this place should work. None of what we have experienced with this majority is normal. This is government by chaos, run by a party that can't count its own votes, can't pass its own rules, and can't stand up to the White House after all of their broken promises. This week has been shameful. People are watching. They see what is happening, and they are tired of being sold out, spun, and left behind. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is concerned about unchecked deficits and debt. He just voted for a bill to add $4 trillion to the debt. Come on. Give me a break. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the Democratic leader.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, you have to love the gentleman from Georgia when he says that he worries about the deficit and the debt. My question is, why the hell did you vote for the big, ugly bill that adds $4 trillion to the debt? It makes no sense. Mr. Speaker, I urge that we defeat the previous question, and I will offer an amendment to the rule to immediately bring up to the House floor H.R. 4405, the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced by Representatives Khanna and Massie under a closed rule with 1 hour of debate. Mr. Speaker, tonight in the Rules Committee, Democrats offered a motion, several motions, to allow a vote on the floor to actually release the Epstein files, and Republicans on the committee just voted to block it, time and time again. The only reason it won't be considered on the floor immediately after this rule passes is because of nine Republicans on the Rules Committee who voted no. Now with the previous question, I will give the entire Republican Conference another chance to vote to release the Epstein files, the only other chance to vote on it this week. As I just said, the resolution Republicans just voted on in the Rules Committee is a glorified press release. It is nonbinding. The Republicans are pretending to do something because they are feeling the heat at home, but it won't even come to the House floor this week, Mr. Speaker. We can't even get a commitment for when it is coming to the floor. The bipartisan bill we are offering, if we defeat the previous question, would actually release the files. It would have the power of law. It would not be a glorified press release. Ask yourself, Mr. Speaker, why would anybody want to stop this bill from getting a vote? What are Republicans so afraid of? Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), the sponsor of the bill, to discuss our proposal.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me go back to something the gentleman said in his long and rambling speech. He talked about a coverup. Let me just say to him, who is doing the coverup? You guys are in charge. You control the White House. You control the House. You control the Senate. Get a grip on reality, for God's sake. Either you don't want to know the truth because you have been conned by Trump that there is nothing in the files, or you are afraid that there might be something in the files. You are in charge. By the way, I was hoping the majority leader would tell us when he is going to schedule the vote on his meaningless bill on the Epstein files, but I think we will have to wait until he gets back on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman voted for the big, ugly bill and added $4 trillion to the debt. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, according to CBO, the top 1 percent get 22 percent of the tax cuts. The top 20 percent get 66 percent of the tax cuts. Only in a Republican mind would that be considered fair. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. That was riveting. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker Emerita.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), who is the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, my head is about to explode. That guy just voted to increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and he is trying to blame Democrats for Jeffrey Epstein. Who was President when Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell? It was Donald Trump. Who is in charge now and blocking the release of the files? It is Donald Trump, so please. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, that guy voted to add $4 trillion to the debt, too. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how many more speakers the gentlewoman has.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, before I close, let's talk about what is actually in front of us. This rescissions package is a joke. Republicans passed a massive tax giveaway for the rich, one of the most expensive in history. That giveaway was 450 times the size of these rescissions, and every single Republican who spoke tonight voted to add $4 trillion to the debt-- every single one of them. This isn't even good policy or process. It is rushed. It is sloppy. Even Republicans in the Senate are warning about the consequences, but the House majority doesn't care. They are more interested in headlines than outcomes. Once again, it is everyday people who pay the price. Mr. Speaker, let us end where we started: the Epstein files. Republicans can take a real vote today, a vote that will put them on the side of truth and justice, a vote to tell victims that we hear you, we see you, and we will not protect the powerful at your expense. Instead, they are choosing cowardice. They are choosing obedience to Trump, so they cooked up this nonbinding resolution, a press release, pretending to do something. Let's be clear: Republicans can either vote to release the files or vote to bury them. If every Republican votes to block our attempt to release the records, they are telling Epstein's victims that they don't matter as much as their political convenience. That should disgust every single one of us. This place deserves better. This country deserves better. The victims, most of all, deserve the truth. Release the Epstein files. Release the Epstein files. Release the files. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.