Nicole Malliotakis

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Chair, my amendment would prohibit any funds from being used by the Department of Homeland Security to assist the Department of Defense to house illegal immigrants at military installations within the United States, specifically, referring to Coast Guard bases. I had an amendment earlier today that passed by voice vote with no opposition. The reason why this is needed, unfortunately, is because the Governor of New York State, which I represent, sent a letter on May 12 to President Biden requesting that national parks as well as military installations and naval resources in and across the northeast be utilized as available space to maintain critical and essential public services to shelter and house migrants. I know that it is hard to believe that in a post-9/11 world, the Governor of New York, of all places, would actually want to house citizens of other countries on our military installations, but sadly, that is the reality of what my Governor is requesting of the administration. It is not the first time that this has been considered. Under the Obama administration, they had identified a number of bases that were accommodating individuals who were citizens of other countries, including the Army base in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, an Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas, and a naval base in southern California. I think it is particularly important to note that we found roughly 250 individuals on the terror watch list at the southern border, but that does not include those individuals who are among the 1.7 million who have entered our country without any interaction with our government or our law enforcement. There is a concern there that we didn't know who they are, where they are, and what their intentions are. They could very well turn up in New York City and try to demand housing because our mayor continues to incentivize illegal immigration and people to come to New York City to do so. Mr. Chair, I think, again, in a post- 9/11 world, it would be ridiculous to allow citizens of other countries to become residents of our military installations. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about how the crisis created at our border by President Biden's executive orders is affecting my city and also the Senate's refusal to pass H.R. 2, the border security act that we passed in May. In addition, it is only exacerbated by Mayor Eric Adams' insistence that these individuals who enter our country are entitled to free housing at taxpayer expense. New York City has now over 200 shelters and is housing more illegal immigrants than actual citizens of New York. Not all of these individuals are innocent asylum seekers. Let's be honest and let's be clear. First of all, many of them are using the generosity of this country to gain entry. We know that more than half, between 50 percent and two-thirds, of these individuals are denied their asylum cases when they come to court. There are also many who have already been arrested for committing crimes in our community. At just one of the 205 migrant shelters, the Roosevelt Hotel, there have been dozens of arrests, mostly for domestic violence, robberies, and assaulting police officers, as well. Earlier this year, four individuals that were housed at the Watson Hotel were arrested for shoplifting tens of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from Macy's at Roosevelt Field Mall. Just this week, an illegal immigrant, who was previously released from Customs and Border Protection and the New York State Police was arrested for a murder on September 2. He was in our country and on our streets, despite having a warrant out for his arrest for a previous stabbing. There were two individuals who are accused of sexual assault in Erie County in western New York. Even the Erie County executive, an elected Democrat, has had enough of what is going on, demanding that Mayor Adams pause putting more of these asylum seekers in his community until these security threats are addressed. Now, this Monday, we marked 22 years since the 9/11 attacks. Democrats and Republicans say, ``never forget,'' yet here we are in a situation with an open border that just in the first 10 months of this fiscal year, 146 people who appeared on the FBI terror watch list were apprehended at our southern border. Combined with the last fiscal year, we are talking about 250 individuals. What we should be more concerned about, however, are the 1.7 million individuals who are the got-aways, meaning they had zero interaction with our law enforcement or our government. They are in the interior of the country. We don't know who they are. We don't know where they are. We don't know what their intentions are. That is the estimate that CBP is saying. Yes, we have had millions of people cross our border, but guess what? There are 1.6 million of them who we don't know who they are or what their intentions are. This should be concerning, considering that the FBI has just confirmed that ISIS is smuggling Uzbek asylum seekers across our southern border. An Iranian national was caught in the interior after Iran has threatened revenge and harsh retaliation against the United States, and they said they are going to conduct terrorism on our soil. Yes, the same Iran that Joe Biden just gave $6 billion to. More than 107,000 Americans died from overdoses last year, and two- thirds of those deaths are attributed to mostly fentanyl. The DEA recently made over 3,000 arrests of drug cartel networks operating right here in the United States of America thanks to Joe Biden's open border. The deaths are equivalent to a commercial airline crashing every single day. I ask my colleagues on the Senate side: When are you going to pass our H.R. 2, our border security act? If the President is not going to undo his executive orders, we need to take action. The House passed it. Unfortunately, I think every Democrat in this Chamber voted against it. Let's see the Senate do its job and pass H.R. 2. If the President is not going to undo the crisis that he created, then we must do it for him.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3941. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congressman Marc Molinaro, who is also from the State of New York. There are two people who are truly responsible for the crisis that we see of 7 million illegal immigrants who have come to the United States. Firstly, there is our President, who decided to open the borders without any type of process, any type of order, and, quite frankly, in violation of our own Federal laws. Then, you have Mayor Adams in New York City, the city in which I reside and represent, who decided to misinterpret New York City's right to shelter law, which was intended for American citizens, not citizens of other countries who just came over the border last week. The problem is, if you look at New York City right now, you will see that there are more illegal immigrants being housed in our shelters than American citizens. Walk down the streets of the city, and you see homeless New Yorkers, people who have substance abuse issues, people who have mental health issues lying on the streets of our city while the mayor has gone head over heels and has done everything possible to house citizens of other countries who chose not to follow our rules, who chose not to follow the proper process, and have come into our country. We don't vet them properly, and we don't know what their intentions are. I am the daughter of immigrants. I think that many people are coming here for the right reasons. They do want to have a better life. However, there are many others who are not. We need to differentiate between them. People who come illegally need to follow our process. Two-thirds of the people who are heard in court are not legitimate asylum seekers. That means they are in this country illegally. The mayor insists that New York taxpayers have to continue to foot the bill of billions and billions of dollars while taxpayers are trying to keep roofs over their own heads. They are trying to pay their mortgages and pay their property taxes, which he keeps raising that levy. They are having their own difficulty, thanks to Bidenflation, in keeping a roof over their head, and now the mayor wants them to house these individuals, as well. On top of it, they want to add schools, which is where children should be learning. They have lost 2 years of socialization, of physical fitness, of interaction thanks to COVID, and now he wants to take away the school gym. If anyone says it is a manufactured crisis, look at New York City because it is happening there. The people of New York know it. The people of this country know it, and they know that it has to stop. House Republicans put forward, by the way, a proposal to stop this, to secure our borders, and every single one of the Democrats voted against it.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding me some time. Madam Speaker, as a Representative in New York City, I am all too familiar, unfortunately, with this situation. Quite frankly, this is a problem that was created by two people. First, our President decided it was a good idea to open our borders and allow millions of individuals to come in without the proper vetting, without knowing exactly what their intentions are. Some, yes, are applying for asylum, but they should still be doing so through the proper channels. They should be doing so from the next safe country, not coming to the southern border. With that said, we look at court documents and we see that roughly 60 percent of those individuals are having those court cases denied under this administration, which tells you that the majority of people coming over our southern border are not legitimate asylum seekers. Secondly, I blame the problem in New York City on my mayor, Mayor Eric Adams, because he is misinterpreting New York City's right-to- shelter law. That was a court decree under Mayor Ed Koch that was agreed to to address the issue of homeless New Yorkers. It was always intended to provide support and housing for homeless New Yorkers, citizens of New York, not individuals who just strolled over the border last week. Think about this: By the mayor's logic, everyone in New York City is entitled to shelter whether they are a citizen or not. If all 6 million people who came over our border came to New York City, they would be entitled to free shelter. If 8 billion on the planet came to New York City, they would be entitled to free shelter. Clearly, the mayor's interpretation is nonsensical. The mayor has now resorted to using all sorts of facilities meant for our citizens, including our children, to be used to house these migrants. Now, first of all, I think it is clear--and I see that there is bipartisan opposition to schools and their gymnasiums being taken away from children who suffered under COVID. They lacked physical education. They lacked socialization. Now, to take away their gym for this housing is absolutely ridiculous. The mayor has reversed course on that after there was so much opposition from the people in the city of New York, but he is still using old schools. Facilities that were previously Catholic schools that have closed that were perhaps going to to be utilized as public schools, that has now stopped because the mayor is choosing instead to house migrants in those old schools. Now, the greatest plan or, I should say, the most ridiculous plan we have heard to date is now he is going to use taxpayer money to pay New Yorkers to house individuals in their homes. We are talking about billions and billions of dollars a year. Hardworking taxpayers are getting pummeled in New York City, because property taxes are increasing year after year. People can't afford their own rent. They can't afford their own roofs. He is saying you have to pay for individuals who cross into our country illegally. It is a disgrace. We should be stopping it and make sure not another Federal dollar, not a penny, goes to fund the expansion of this program. The mayor needs to comply with the actual laws and tell the President to secure the border and stop this nonsense.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize one of my constituents, 100-year-old World War II veteran Daniel Lawrence Holihan of Staten Island, New York, who tomorrow will be awarded the Bronze Star from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro for his heroic achievement. In January, the members of the VFW Post 7172 on Staten Island, led by Captain Timothy Forsyth, contacted my office about a veteran who they believed should be recognized for his achievements on Iwo Jima in February of 1945 as a member of the Underwater Demolition Team Thirteen. Five days before the historic battle of Iwo Jima, the USS Barr was ordered to the eastern side of the island where Team Thirteen was ordered to erect a navigational light on Higashi Iwa, an islet about 4,000 yards offshore. Despite the heavy artillery fire of the enemy, 3 officers and 15 men assigned to the task, including Petty Officer Daniel Holihan, were miraculously successful in carrying out their mission without a single casualty. These men worked tirelessly for 5 days to clear the water's edge and make way for the historic battle of Iwo Jima. Petty Officer Holihan, along with several other enlisted members of his team, was initially recommended for the award of the Bronze Star Medal; however, because Mr. Holihan was transferred to the East Coast at the end of the war, he was not able to participate in the presentation of this prestigious award. Earlier this year, I wrote to the Secretary of the Navy highlighting Mr. Holihan's contributions and asked that his service receive the honor it deserves from our grateful nation. In response to my request, tomorrow, Secretary of the Navy Del Toro will award Mr. Holihan the Bronze Star for Valor for his heroic actions and his selflessness. I, like those who I represent in New York's 11th Congressional District, am very proud and grateful for Mr. Holihan's service to our great nation and the bravery that he displayed nearly 80 years ago. As we head into Memorial Day weekend to honor those who did not return from war, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, I also want to give thanks to our servicemembers like Daniel Holihan who were willing to give their lives, but thankfully returned home. Deadly Fentanyl Must be Controlled

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the HALT Fentanyl Act. This is the Drug Enforcement Administration's top legislative priority. If we do not take action to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances, we will see many fentanyl-related substances becoming street legal, we will see law enforcement lose their authority to seize these extremely lethal drugs, we will see drug traffickers continue to be empowered to push these deadly drugs on our children, and we will see our U.S. Customs and Border Protection lose their authority to seize these substances crossing the border. In 2022, last year, more than 109,000 people died from fentanyl overdoses, with the majority coming from illicit fentanyl and fentanyl- related substances. It is the number one killer of young Americans aged 18-49. In addition to that, it is important to note that the DEA has announced results of a years-long national operation, Operation Last Mile, which specifically targeted fentanyl traffickers run by the drug cartels operating right here in the United States. According to the Department of Justice, there are two cartels who use multicity distribution networks, violent local street gangs, and individual dealers across the U.S. to drive addiction. The DEA's operation led to the arrest of over 3,300 individuals and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,500 firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pills seized alone equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from our communities across the United States. It is so incredibly important that we not only pass the HALT Fentanyl Act to keep DEA having the tools they need to do their job, but we also pass House Republicans' border security package. We know that the drug traffickers are raking in $13 billion a year from human trafficking and drug trafficking over our southern border. According to the DEA, the Mexican criminal organizations are now the most prominent wholesale-level heroin traffickers in the DEA Chicago, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington field division areas of responsibility; and they have greatly expanded their presence in New York City. We must pass our border security bill in the Senate, and we must pass the HALT Fentanyl Act here in the House and in the Senate, as well.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, once again we are seeing a policy from President Biden and the Democrats where they say one thing, and they do another. How many times have you heard the President talk about made in America? How many times have you heard the Democrats talk about buy in America? Yet here we are seeing another policy that does just the opposite. It hurts American manufacturers. It hurts American jobs. It is giving an advantage to not just a competitor, but an adversary. Mr. Speaker, we support energy diversification. We support clean energy, but we want it to be American energy, and we want it to be done by American workers in manufacturing right here in the United States of America. We want to support our domestic solar manufacturers, not further discourage them from investing in manufacturing here. Instead, we see the Democrats put forward another policy that instead of supporting American labor, it supports Communist Chinese slave labor, and we know this is often linked to the genocide of the Uyghur Muslims. If you are going to use Chinese slave labor, then at least have them pay a fair tariff, at least have them follow the same rules. Don't put forward a rule that allows them to circumvent tariffs. As you know, last year an American solar manufacturer petitioned the Commerce Department to review whether Chinese producers were circumventing tariffs on imports from China by shipping their products through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lo and behold, in December of 2022, President Biden's own Commerce Department made a preliminary determination that circumvention is, indeed, happening through all of those countries. That is why we must support the American worker today. We must support manufacturing in America, and override this veto of a resolution that, quite frankly, passed with bipartisan support here and in the Senate, as well. Look, this is an opportunity for us to stand with American energy producers. Like I said, we support clean energy, we support diversification, but we want it to be made here in America using American products, supporting American jobs. Mr. Speaker, I continue to urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution to override the President's veto and do the right thing. We are not going to allow the President to get away with this, to constantly say made in America--he supports American workers, he says, but then again, he puts forward another policy that does the exact opposite. It hurts American people and is supporting the Communist Chinese Party instead.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, due to a family funeral, I was not able to be present to cast my vote for the following roll call votes on May 17, 2023 and May 18, 2023. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 217; NAY on Roll Call No. 218; YEA on Roll Call No. 219; YEA on Roll Call No. 220; YEA on Roll Call No. 221; YEA on Roll Call No. 222; YEA on Roll Call No. 223; NAY on Roll Call No. 224; YEA on Roll Call No. 225; YEA on Roll Call No. 226; and YEA on Roll Call No. 227.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, my parents came to this country as immigrants. Many of my constituents came to this country as immigrants. I think fundamentally Republicans and Democrats agree that we are a Nation of immigrants. Yet, what we are seeing currently at our southern border is a travesty. It is not helpful to the migrants, it is not helpful to our Nation, and it has certainly created so many problems that we are facing right now. We have seen over 5 million illegal crossings at the southern border, another 1.3 million got-aways. CBP has seized 14,000 pounds of fentanyl at our southern border, enough to kill over 3.1 billion people. In 2021, more than 71,000 individuals died from synthetic opioid overdoses, and this is roughly 200 people every day. In my city of New York, we have seen overdoses skyrocket since Joe Biden put in place his open border policy, 2,700 in his first year alone. That is the highest in decades. We are seeing fatal overdoses in New York City, on average, every 3 hours. A couple weeks ago, we saw a 16-month-old baby in my district overdose from fentanyl, as well. The only people that are truly benefiting from this policy are the cartels that are making $13 billion a year from human and drug smuggling. We also need to be concerned about who is attempting and is entering our country. In the first 6 months of fiscal year 2023, 80 people on the terrorist watch list were stopped attempting to cross the southern border on top of 98 last year. That is more than the previous 5 years combined. We can say that we want to support immigration, but it must be legal immigration. This is completely unsustainable, it is dangerous, and that is why I stand before you to ask in a bipartisan manner that we get behind H.R. 2 and vote to pass it today and that Senator Schumer brings it for a vote in the Senate. In New York City, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now saying that they are fully booked through October 2032 because two-thirds, at least, of the individuals crossing into our country claiming asylum do not qualify, and they are clogging up the system for those who truly are eligible for asylum. We have seen 60,000-plus migrants come to New York City since last spring. Remember, they have crossed and they entered our country not by the proper channels but by crossing our southern border, and Joe Biden has allowed them to do it. Our mayor is spending billions of dollars to house these individuals in city hotels. At the same time, he is saying we are going to cut city services by a billion dollars every year for the next 4 years, and we are going to cut everything from libraries to programs for our children, fire, sanitation, parks, and homeless services. We have homeless New Yorkers, and the mayor is saying that he has to put citizens of other countries in shelters instead of our own. It is just completely backward and unsustainable. As I walked here today, I just got notice that the mayor decided to halt this ridiculous policy. He was basing all of this, by the way, on a right-to-shelter law under Mayor Ed Koch that was meant for homeless New Yorkers. He has abused that, and that is what we are seeing take place today. We can work to address this issue. Let's protect the taxpayers. Let's protect our Nation's security. Let's put forward the border security plan that is before us today, and then let's also work to make sure that we know who is entering in and out of our country through proper visas, employer visas, family-sponsored visas. I am willing to work with everybody on that, as well. We must stem the flow. Let's stop putting the drug cartels before American citizens, and let's move forward today and pass this bill.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, since House Republicans have been in control, we have brought transparency to the people's House. We are the ones who are protecting taxpayers. We are the ones exposing waste, fraud, and abuse, including as high as $400 billion in COVID relief and unemployment fraud. Sadly, my home State of New York ranks near the top of the list, with an estimated $11 billion in this fraudulent unemployment benefits. These taxpayer dollars went to fraudsters, many overseas, as far as China, Russia, and Nigeria. They even went to dead people. They spent it on Rolex watches, fancy furnishings, and designer goods at Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Burberry, Gucci; $10 million on a villa in the Dominican Republic; $3.5 million on a mansion in New Jersey; a charter jet to get the fraudster who purchased it to and from; Porsches, Ferraris, Bentleys, BMWs, and Mercedes Benz. One person even received $1.5 million over a span of 10 months. Meanwhile, my district offices in Staten Island and Brooklyn had to help dozens of constituents who had their identities stolen and could not get the unemployment benefits they desperately needed. New York had to take an $8 billion loan from the Federal Government, which it has not paid back yet, by the way, to cover all of this. Now, our small businesses are paying the price with higher unemployment assessments. The bottom line is, this bill would help crack down on this type of fraud, would give law enforcement the statute of limitations it needs for criminal charges or civil actions, incentivizes States to help us crack down and recover these fraudulent payments, and stops unemployment insurance payments to incarcerated and deceased people. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how anyone can't support this bill. Thank you.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation. I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talking about our children, our grandchildren, our future. If they truly cared about the next generation, they would support this measure as well because the reality is we cannot continue down the path that we are on. Right now, we are seeing Republicans take over this House from a body that, with Democrats' complete control with the President, chose to add $10 trillion in new spending in just 2 years. Today, we are facing a debt-to-GDP ratio of 121 percent. That is completely unsustainable. When I was born in 1980, it was 35 percent. The debt at that time was $900 billion. Today, it is $31.4 trillion. Yet, all we hear from the other side is that they want to spend more, tax more, and create more programs to make people dependent instead of giving people the opportunity to determine their own future and live the American Dream. We are talking about legislation on our side that will save the American taxpayer $4.5 trillion, hardworking people who each and every day get up, go to work, and sacrifice tremendously. Some individuals are working two or three jobs, and they pay taxes so the government can be responsible with it, not throwing it around on all sorts of stuff that we don't need, such as COVID funds that have gone unspent. We just came out of a hearing in the COVID subcommittee where we talked about, in just education, $190 billion that was earmarked to reopen our schools, which they didn't use to reopen our schools, and then only 15 percent of it was spent as of November. We are talking about saving the taxpayers $50 billion to $60 billion right there, just by reclaiming those funds. Biden's IRS army--this is what the other side proposes--wants to tax people more. They want to take more of the taxpayers' hard-earned money. That is how they plan on paying down our debt, not by having pro-growth policies that stimulate our economy and that help us grow and help companies expand so they can create more jobs. No, they don't want pro-growth policies that are good for prosperity and for our country. They want to continue to hammer people and continue to tax them, nickel-and-dime them at each and every turn. By just repealing the IRS army, it is $71 billion right there. What about the Green New Deal tax credits? This is a good one.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Hundreds of billions of dollars in Green New Deal tax credits in some cases can go to--and will go to--Chinese companies, companies that are affiliated with the Communist Chinese Government, all while destroying American energy at home. American energy is reliable and affordable. By the way, the destruction of that industry by the left is the reason why we are seeing costs of energy skyrocket for American families, as well as food costs skyrocket for American families. The spending and the anti-energy policies that Democrats have put forward in the 2 years they had complete control are the reason why we see so much hardship for American families today. The last thing is, well, work requirements are a good thing. People should want to participate and contribute to our economy. It will help the labor shortage issues that we are seeing, while giving people the ability to self-determine their future, not be dependent on government. We need those programs. It is critically important for us to encourage people.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brian Laline. Born on Staten Island, New York, married to Carol with three children: Christopher, Peter, and Kelly Anne and five granddaughters Olivia, Madeleine, Elle, Mila, and Katherine. Mr. Laline graduated from New Dorp High School and went on to receive his Bachelors in English at LaSalle University as well as a master's degree in education from Wagner College. Mr. Laline taught High School English in Philadelphia before coming to the Advance as a reporter in 1972. He served various capacities as copy editor before being named editor in 1992. In 2015, Mr. Laline achieved executive editor at the Staten Island Advance. Currently, Mr. Laline is an active member of the community, taking on roles such as Chairman of the Board of Directors at the St. George Restoration, Inc. where he received the ``Georgie Award.'' Additionally, he served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the College of Staten Island Foundation and Secretary of the Museum of Maritime Navigation and Communication. Previously he was a participant on several boards and organizations important to the Staten Island community such as the YMCA, Meals on Wheels, and Boy Scouts of America. He was also a founding member of The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Belvedere. Proving to be an outstanding member of our district, Mr. Laline has been awarded many recognitions for his work both in education and in the community. These include several distinguished service awards from organizations such as The American Red Cross, the Center for Migration Studies, and the Boy Scouts of America. He has been recognized by the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Heart Association, the Zoologist Society, and the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Mr. Laline has also received the Community Resource Award, the Safe Harbor Award from the Society for Children and Families, the College of Staten Island Dolphin Award, the Teddy Award from the Teddy Atlas Foundation, the Richard M. Silberstein Award from Staten Island Mental Health, United Activities Unlimited Community Service Award, the Community Service Award from the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin, and the Community Service award from the Staten Island Board of Realtors. Mr. Laline has been an exemplary member of the Staten Island community and leads by his example of volunteerism and constant acts of giving back. His lifelong love of education and career in editing has been supplemental to his dedication to volunteering and to these charities. Mr. Laline is the epitome of a New Yorker, constantly giving back to the neighborhood and continuing to champion for the streets that raised him. I am proud to be honoring Mr. Laline and thanking him for all he has done for Staten Island.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today on Vietnam Veterans Day to first and foremost thank the Vietnam veterans from my district and around the country who served, but also for a very special person, First Lieutenant Theodore ``Ted'' Cohen, a Staten Island resident who sadly passed away this past Saturday. Ted was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn College where he was a member of the ROTC. Not long after the start of the Vietnam war, he served his first tour in Spain with the Strategic Air Command before flying on 26 close air support missions in Vietnam. Upon his return to the States, Ted spent his nights working with the Daily News before spending 25 years working for Avon in international marketing. When Ted's wife fell ill, he retired early. He decided to care for her and ensure that their last 9 years together were spent traveling the world. After his wife passed away, his passion for caring for others, especially our veterans, became his mission. Ted served as a member of the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, the Air Force Association, and The American Legion. He would bring food to homebound servicemen and -women. He would provide rides to and from their appointments at the VA if they were unable to drive themselves. He even went to help them complete their paperwork, which we know can sometimes be cumbersome. Not only was Ted a constituent and a champion for our Nation's veterans, but he was a dear friend to my office, having been a vocal member of our monthly veterans' roundtable. He always contributed greatly. He had many recommendations. We worked together to improve VA access and care. He also served on our academy nomination board for the past several years where he provided invaluable assistance and advice to our youth throughout the entire academy nominations process, and he helped us select the next generation of servicemembers. Our office, our local veterans, and our entire community will sincerely miss Ted and his invaluable service. His willingness to give back was so appreciated by all. Ted exemplified the very best of what it means to be an American, to put your country, to put your community, and to put others first. He answered every call to serve with honor, integrity, and distinction. We owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude, not only for his service to our country, but for his lifelong service to our community. Please join me in extending condolences to his family. I thank Ted for his service.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, we have heard from my colleagues the reasons why Representative Omar should be removed from this committee, but I feel like all the reasons have not just yet been stated, which is why I rise to add to the Record. We have heard about the comments that were made regarding anti- Semitism and anti-Israeli views, but I rise to add to the Record that as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have sat there and heard the Representative actually spew anti-American rhetoric, as well. I have been in that committee room where the Representative equates Israel and the United States to Hamas and the Taliban. Absolutely unacceptable for a member of that committee. I have also heard the Representative equate that it is the United States' fault that there is turmoil in Venezuela; that it is not because of the oppressive socialism and communism that has spread throughout Central and South America and Venezuela at the hands of the Maduro and Hugo Chavez regimes. That is unacceptable. As a New York Representative, to hear the Representative belittle, to try to diminish the worst terrorist attack on United States soil on September 11, 2001, as ``some people did something,'' that is unacceptable, as well. And I hold the same standard for this side of the aisle that I do the other, because when another colleague on my side said something about 9/11, I also voted to have her removed from the Committee on Education and Labor, because I thought that was inappropriate. So I am being consistent here, and I hope my colleagues will do the same, to show that this is about consistency and accountability. Because we should not have an individual with those views on the committee that is tasked with representing our country and our Congress to foreign nations.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight one of the crises that we are facing in our country, and it is obvious to so many--except, unfortunately, so many in this House--that we have a crisis at our southern border. We have not only seen over 4.7 million people cross illegally, many of whom are claiming asylum despite not qualifying for asylum, but we are also seeing record levels of fentanyl killing so many Americans each and every single day. We must take a stand to secure our border to stop this flow of illegal drugs, to stop this mass illegal migration. When you talk about the number of 4.7 million, when you think about the number of people who have actually evaded our government, who have evaded any interaction with our law enforcement and CBP agents, you are talking about 1.2 million people. That is more than twice the size of Staten Island, the borough in New York City I represent. It is outrageous to think that we would have individuals entering our country illegally, and we don't know what their intentions are, where they are coming from, why they are here. That is what scares me the most as an individual who represents the city of New York. We know that 98 suspected terrorists on our terrorist watch list crossed the border last fiscal year, and we know, so far this year, there have been another 38. That should be alarming to every single person in this country. We must know who is entering our country and what their intentions are. To allow this amount of people to evade law enforcement, to evade any interaction with our government, is a very dangerous action on behalf of this administration. House Republicans believe that Secretary Mayorkas has completely abdicated his responsibility to keep our country secure, and we will be moving forward with hearings to expose what he is doing. I do believe at the end of the day it warrants him being impeached and removed from his position. Also, I highlight how the Federal Government's lack of action at the border, coupled with my State legislature's and Governor's horrible actions in New York, have led to what we are seeing now in terms of a rise in crime. First of all, New York is dealing with major actions in terms of crime, car thefts, people being released. In fact, I just read yesterday that, in my district, a 20-year-old guy who has been stealing cars is being released right back onto the streets. It has been about three times. The first time he was arrested, it was for 20 counts of car theft. Let's now look at what we are doing here. When I went down to Federal Plaza and met with our ICE officials, they are saying that New York City is not cooperating with any detainer requests for people who are criminals. That means they either were convicted of a crime in their home country or were convicted of a crime here. It is the worst of the worst in society that ICE is trying to remove from our country, and our local officials won't cooperate. I think it is outrageous that the city of New York continues to harbor people who are not only in this country illegally but are committing crimes on top of it. Just the other day, New York City residents found out that they are paying to house, paying to feed, paying to provide services to individuals who were shoplifting in our State. Think about that. Not only are they crossing into our country illegally, but after committing crimes, they were released back onto the street thanks to our State's ridiculous bail law, and on top of it, the taxpayers of the city of New York are paying to house and feed them. How does that make any sense, and how is that in the best interests of our citizens? I am the daughter of immigrants. I understand and appreciate the aspirations of the American Dream. We need to work together to address what is happening at our border. We need to work together to ensure that those legitimate asylum seekers are not getting stuck in the bureaucracy and the red tape because of those individuals who are here claiming asylum when they don't qualify. We have to work on our visa system to ensure that we address the labor shortage. We should have more visas, employee-sponsored visas, and family-sponsored immigration, as well. I look forward to working with my colleagues to secure our border. Let's impose some common sense.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chairman, President Biden's dangerous anti- energy policies have hindered our energy independence. His curbing production, sitting on leases and permits, canceling Keystone pipeline, they have all led to high gas prices, heating costs, food costs, and has the left Northeast heating fuel supply at its lowest point since 1951. Then, to cover up for his failed policies, he raided 266 million barrels, or 40 percent of our SPR, meant for real emergencies like natural disasters. This was not meant to sell to China. It is now at its lowest point in 40 years. We are vulnerable as a result of it; and this bill stops the President from depleting our resources and pushes him to refill it, not with Russian oil, not with Saudi oil, not with Venezuelan oil, and certainly not with Iranian oil, but with American oil to protect our national security and the economy.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, at a time when we should be tightening our belts, Democrats plan to spend $80 billion on 87,000 IRS agents, doubling the size of the department. This is meant to nickel-and-dime, audit, and harass America's small businesses and families, who they know cannot afford the legal fees to fight this army. Mr. Speaker, 87,000 IRS agents but we only have 20,000 Border Patrol agents and an unprecedented crisis with terrorists, convicted criminals, and illegal immigrants crossing, in addition to fentanyl. We only have 5,000 drug enforcement agents to stop traffickers who are peddling this poison to our kids, the number one killer of young Americans. Mr. Speaker, 87,000 IRS agents is more than twice the size of the FBI and more than the entire staff of the Department of Justice. We know that our colleagues on the other side love taxes, spending, Big Government, and bureaucracy, but the American people don't. That is why we should be voting ``yes'' on this legislation today.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the deadly consequences of President Biden's open borders. In the last month, three Border Patrol agents have committed suicide, bringing the total number of agents who have sadly taken their own lives to 14 this year. That tragically adds to the 35 who have been killed in the line of duty in 2021. With President Biden tying the hands of our agents and enabling lawlessness at our border, morale among the force has been crushed to an unthinkable low--so low, in fact, that the CBP has hired a suicidologist to help prevent further loss among its force. Our CBP agents are overwhelmed, overworked, underfunded, and they are demoralized. They put their lives on the line every day to defend our Nation's borders while receiving no support from the top levels of our government. In fact, the President says that there are more important things going on. It should not come as a shock that so many are at wit's end. While some have taken their own lives, many others have been seriously injured or have made the ultimate sacrifice while on the front lines. In April, 22-year-old Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans was swept away in the Rio Grande while attempting to save two migrants from drowning. We later found out that the two he sacrificed his life for were actually attempting to traffic illegal narcotics. Just last week, a 38-year-old father of two, CBP Agent Raul Humberto Gonzalez was killed in an ATV crash while chasing a group of migrants illegally crossing the border. Perhaps if the cartels were not allowed free rein on our border to smuggle drugs and to traffic humans, Specialist Bishop Evans and Agent Gonzalez would be with us today. No one has benefited more from this country's lax open border policies than the cartels. The Drug Enforcement Agency has told us that up to 70 to 80 percent of fentanyl in the United States comes into our country over the southern border. We know the vast majority of fentanyl is being manufactured in China and brought into our country over the southern border straight into American cities poisoning our youth. The Drug Enforcement Agency is telling us that is where it is coming from, yet we continue to have an open border policy, and this body refuses to act to secure our border. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death of 18-to 45-year-olds in the United States, killing 100,000 Americans last year alone; three- quarters of those deaths are from fentanyl. One American dies every 7 minutes from this deadly drug streaming over our open border, and by the time I finish this speech, there will be one more American lost. Our babies are dying. Last month, San Francisco firefighters had to use Narcan to save the life of a 10-month-old baby boy who came into contact with fentanyl while playing in a park. In May, a 3-year-old in California died from a fentanyl overdose, and in November of last year, so did a 1-year-old child in Connecticut. In the last 3 months, there have been two fatal fentanyl exposures in western Washington State involving children no older than 2 years old. The fact that our babies are overdosing on this poison should alarm every single person in this Chamber. The silence from many of those on the other side of the aisle and the Biden administration is, quite frankly, sickening. And if you hear anything at all, they tell you that the border is secure--a complete lie. Biden's open borders have created full-blown national security, public safety, and humanitarian crises in the United States, not only for our law enforcement and constituents but for the migrants as well. In fact, fiscal year 2022 was the deadliest year ever recorded for migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully with 853 migrant deaths. Many drowned in the Rio Grande. They perished due to dehydration from battling extreme heat and difficult terrain or taken deadly falls while climbing border barriers. In June, 53 migrants were found dead in San Antonio after being abandoned in a tractor trailer without air-conditioning or water. In September, a migrant mother of two committed suicide in a New York City homeless shelter. Her 15-year-old son discovered her body. Think about the consequences he will have for the rest of his life. Some have accused the Republicans who want to secure our borders of being uncompassionate. The greatest humanitarian crisis in our country is unfolding right before our eyes, and I urge our colleagues and our President to work with us to take action to secure it.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to comment on one portion of the rule, H.R. 8987, which is a bill that is incredibly important to me and to those that I represent. As a matter of fact, I drafted the legislation. On August 5, I had introduced the language as part of H.R. 8667. We garnered bipartisan support for this very important bill. What the bill does is finally make whole so many of our families that were affected by 9/11 because they lost loved ones, but they were not compensated properly under the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorist Fund. So we are talking about 5,347 widows and children that were excluded from this fund by this body; and it was an injustice that should have never been allowed to happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children missed the first two payments of the USVSST fund, creating a massive disparity between their restorative justice payments and others that were included. This bill would catch up those widows and children to the other victim groups and ensure that, moving forward, they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. So this bill is truly about fairness and doing what is right for the wives and the children or the husbands and the children of our first responders killed on September 11. Twenty-one years later, this House is finally going to do the right thing, and I am very happy to have played a part in helping them move this forward. In the gallery I have a special guest, Angela Mistrulli, who is the head of the 9/11 Children for Justice. She is a tireless advocate who has been affected personally, and I thank her for working with our office over the last 6 months and the advocacy of all of her members in seeing this through. I hope all my colleagues support this on the floor when it comes up later today.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge that we amend the rule to also include H.R. 7967, which is the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act. My legislation would hold prosecutors accountable and create transparency by letting the public know how many cases prosecutors are declining to prosecute, the number of offenses committed by career criminals, and the number of criminals released. Over the past 2 years, we have seen a disturbing trend in progressive district attorneys in cities across the country who are refusing to prosecute violent criminal offenders. Look no further than my city of New York, our city of New York, where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released a Day 1 memo initially directing his staff not to prosecute certain crimes, including drug possession, trespassing, sex trading, driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest, and public obscenity. He even directed his staff to downgrade felony charges filed by our police, including armed robbery, weapons charges, and drug dealing. Worst of all, his office will no longer seek sentences of life without parole, which means that the most heinous murderers, including terrorists, serial killers, cop killers, and perps who kill young children in connection with sex crimes will be released back onto our streets in 20 years or less. These policies have sent a clear message to the criminals. It is, go ahead, break the law because we will not enforce it. With prosecutors that refuse to prosecute, violent career super-criminals are free to wreak havoc on our streets. I urge my colleagues to oppose the previous question today so we can hold woke prosecutors accountable for failing to do their jobs and protect. We want to be able to add this legislation to the rule because it is incredibly important that the public knows which prosecutors are refusing to do their job; and as we saw in San Francisco, they did repeal one of their prosecutors. Many States, like ours, do not have a recall law, but this would give them the information they need to make informed decisions when it comes to selecting who is going to be the prosecutors for their cities, because prosecutors should actually be prosecuting crimes. They should not be acting like criminal defense attorneys.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I understand that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't believe in transparency, that they believe this information should be kept from the public. But these prosecutors work for us. Quite frankly, crime has soared in my city. People are getting killed. People are getting assaulted. Nearly every single category of crime has risen in New York City, and our prosecutors are refusing to put people behind bars. If the Democrats feel that public safety and crime skyrocketing in America's cities is not an issue, that explains why you support defunding the police, bail reform, and all of these ridiculous policies.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, although 21 years have passed, the pain we experienced on September 11, 2001, when terrorists unleashed deadly and calculated destruction across our country has not faded. Those that have empty chairs at their dinner tables, the widows, the widowers, the children of those that perished in that attack, they are still fighting for their entitled compensation under the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. Frankly, the exclusion of the 5,364 widows and children from this fund was an injustice that Congress should have never allowed to happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children missed the first two payments from the terrorism fund, creating a massive disparity between their restorative justice payments that others, including people like Madeline Bergin and Jeanette Schardt from my district, who lost their husbands, FDNY firefighters, on that dreadful day. This bill, which I drafted and introduced on August 5, would catch up widows and children to our victims' groups and ensure that moving forward they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. This bill rights a grave wrong that should have been corrected long ago. Today with us earlier was Angela Mistrulli, the head of the 9/11 Children for Justice, someone who was also affected, a tireless advocate for the widows and children and someone who has become a good friend to me and my office. For nearly 6 months we had been working together on this issue and this legislation. Today, I am proud that the work we have done is being brought to this floor and that the widows and children are one step closer to their entitled compensation. I thank Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, Chris Smith, and my other colleague, Kathleen Rice, who made this a bipartisan bill, for their support and their help in getting this done. President Truman once said, ``It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit.'' This case is no different. So many people have come together from across the political spectrum to correct a wrong that should have been done, as I said, years ago. I am so proud and honored to have been a part of this process and bringing these wonderful people, people who lost so much, some justice. Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member in this Chamber, on both sides of the aisle, to vote in support of this legislation.