Michael McCaul

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4820) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to use the testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or their associates in order to counter terrorist recruitment, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016. I commend Mr. Fleischmann for offering this bipartisan counterterrorism bill at a time when we are in the highest terror threat environment since 9/11. We have more than 1,000 homegrown terror investigations in all 50 States, and we have arrested over 80 ISIS supporters in our country, many for plotting attacks. Terrorists are radicalizing our citizens online and across borders, which is why we need this legislation. It requires that the Secretary of Homeland Security use the testimonials of former extremists and defectors to help stop terrorist recruitment. President Obama himself--and I agree with him on this issue--argued last year: We need to lift up the voice of those who know the hypocrisy of groups like ISIS firsthand, including former extremists. He also noted: ``Former extremists . . . can be powerful messengers in debunking these terrorist ideologies.'' Our foreign partners are already using these types of testimonials overseas. So is our State Department. But we need to be doing this counter-messaging here at home. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in front of my committee last month: My priority has been focusing on communities that I believe are most vulnerable to the appeals from ISIS, al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups overseas who are actively targeting individuals in these communities . . . This is as important as any of our other homeland security missions. I commend Secretary Johnson for his words and his work, but we are not acting quickly enough. That is why this bill was one of the top recommendations of the bipartisan task force we created last year to look at this threat. In their final report, the Democratic and Republican Members who led the task force said America needed to launch a concerted effort to use the testimonials of former extremists to combat terrorist propaganda. This is from a Virginia defector. Just last month an ISIS defector from Virginia was picked up in Iraq. He said he wanted to send a message to the American people that life with ISIS was miserable and that the group did not represent Islam. These are the types of voices we need to amplify so as to keep others from making the same mistakes. Some have argued that this bill limits the DHS in allowing it only to counter-message groups like ISIS and al Qaeda, but that is simply false. In fact, at our markup, legislative counsel told the members: ``The current language in the bill is extremely broad-based. It does not place a limitation on anything.'' Although our bipartisan task force focused on foreign terrorist threats, the bill gives the Secretary the flexibility to address the full array of dangerous groups that threaten our people both here at home and abroad. I am proud to say that the majority of Republicans and Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee support this legislation. Terrorists are recruiting our citizens at the speed of broadband. So we can't move at the speed of bureaucracy. Today Congress has an opportunity to fight back. I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Chattanooga, Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the sponsor and author of the bill.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), the original cosponsor of the bill and the chairman of the bipartisan task force.

Mr. McCAUL. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, Paris, Brussels, Chattanooga, San Bernardino. How many more? Mr. Speaker, it is time to act, and act today on this important legislation that is bipartisan. It is important to point out--I know the ranking member has good intentions, but our bill allows DHS to combat terrorist recruitment by all dangerous organizations, as was brought out at the markup. The President's Homeland Security adviser, Lisa Monaco, said: ``Our efforts will be the most effective when they focus on amplifying authentic voices,'' such as former violent extremists. These voices can convince others from going down the path to violence. The President's national security adviser, Susan Rice, added that they are already amplifying the voices of ISIL defectors overseas. And she explains that ``these voices are eroding ISIL's appeal.'' This countermessaging works, and it has worked for the State Department, but we are not doing it at home. We need to do it here at home and not just overseas. That is why I urge strong support for this. I don't understand after it being the product of a bipartisan task force with bipartisan support out of the committee, the very week that the Brussels attack occurred, we marked up this bill. Mr. Speaker, it is time to act. I urge passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous materials to the bill under consideration.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office regarding H.R. 4482. Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC, April 20, 2016. Hon. Michael McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4482, the Southwest Border Security Threat Assessment Act of 2016. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Grabowicz. Sincerely, Keith Hall. Enclosure. H.R. 4482--Southwest Border Security Threat Assessment Act of 2016 H.R. 4482 would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct an analysis of potential threats and security gaps along the southwest border of the United States. The bill also would require DHS, not later than June 30, 2017, to issue a strategic plan to protect U.S. borders. Based on information from DHS, CBO estimates that conducting analysis and preparing the strategic plan as required by H.R. 4482 would cost about $1 million in 2017; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4482 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027. H.R. 4482 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office regarding H.R. 4549. U.S. Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, April 13, 2016. Hon. Michael McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4549, the Treating Small Airports with Fairness Act of 2016. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. Sincerely, Keith Hall. Enclosure. H.R. 4549--Treating Small Airports with Fairness Act of 2016 Summary: Under current law, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required to screen passengers and property on scheduled commercial flights and some charter flights involving aircraft that meet certain capacity-related specifications. Broadly speaking, the agency oversees or conducts screening at most airports with commercial service; for all other airports, the agency uses a risk-based methodology for determining appropriate policies for security-related screening of passengers and cargo. H.R. 4549 would require TSA to provide screening services at certain airports that lost or experienced a disruption in service by commercial airlines after January 1, 2013. Based on information from the agency, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $33 million over the 2017- 2021 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply because enacting H.R. 4549 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027. H.R. 4549 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary effect of H.R. 4549 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 400 (transportation). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and Representative Bennie G. Thompson, I am honored to recognize Mr. Ted Lovett, Director of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, for his decade of selfless public service. Ted has been an exemplary representative of the Department and an incredible resource for the Members and staff of the Committee on Homeland Security. Ted is the kind of person who goes the extra mile. The most obvious signs of his commitment are his responsiveness, his depth of knowledge regarding policy and legislative matters, his proactive outreach, and the long hours he works to ensure that Members and staff have all the information they need to do their jobs effectively. It is a matter of course to get a phone call or an email from Ted late in the evening or on the weekend to ensure Members have critical information before an issue breaks in the news. Ted understands the critical nature of the mission to inform Congress, and it is his engagement and honesty that make a real difference. Whether he's providing technical assistance on a proposed bill, or arranging briefings to assist Congress in its mandate to provide oversight, there is no doubt that Ted's tireless efforts and vigilance have made our nation safer and more secure. Ted has been the Department's legislative manager for the Southwest Border Initiative, Guantanamo Detention, Visa Waiver Program, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, REAL-ID, Human Screening Programs, the Merida Initiative, the Global Supply Chain Strategy, and Countering Violent Extremism programs. He also effectively manages DHS participation in Congressional hearings, from Secretary-level to subject-matter experts. Ted has been critical to providing information and understanding during emerging homeland security events and crises such as the ``Underwear Bomber'' attack on Northwest flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009, the 2014 Unaccompanied Children surge at the U.S. Southwest Border, and the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and 2015. Over the past decade, Ted has fostered many enduring and trusted relationships with Congress in furtherance and advocacy of DHS priorities in connection with current legislation, prospective legislation and the implementation of security policy. What has always impressed us is that Ted is the epitome of a non-partisan public servant. On behalf of Ranking Member Thompson and the Committee on Homeland Security, I want to commend and thank Ted for his dedication and commitment to keeping the homeland safe and secure and wish him the very best as the next chapter of his life opens.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on March 14, 2016, I missed a vote on S. 2426, directing the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in the international Criminal Police Organization. However, I would like to reflect that had I been present for this vote I would have voted ``yea''.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for votes due to official business outside of Washington, D.C. If I were present, I would vote in the following manner on the following votes: (1) Previous Question--``yes.'' (2) Adoption of the Rule--``yes.'' (3) S. 1826--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 99 West 2nd Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as the Lieutenant Colonel James ``Maggie'' Megellas Post Office--``yes.'' (4) H.R. 4557, Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act--``yes.''

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on January 11, 2016. I was unable to cast a vote on two measures which were before the floor of the House of Representatives due to business I was conducting in my capacity as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Therefore, I would like to present this letter of intent. The two measures that I was unable to cast a vote on were Roll Call Number 34, H.R. 598, the Taxpayer Right-To-Know Act, and Roll Call Number 35, H.R. 3231, the Federal Intern Protection Act of 2015. On both the measures my intent was to vote ``yea'' had I been present on the House floor.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank Chairman LoBiondo for his hard work on this legislation. And I want to thank the House Intelligence Committee for working closely with my committee to get this important legislation done. I can think of no more timely piece of legislation. I want to thank Ranking Member Swalwell from California for his hard work on this as well. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. Hundreds of our people have been radicalized, lured to the jihadist safe haven in Syria. They have been joined by thousands of Westerners, forming a terrorist army unlike anything we have ever seen. These foreign fighters represent a triple threat: They strengthen groups like ISIS on the ground; they radicalize others back home; and, worst of all, they may be sent back to conduct terrorist attacks against us in the homeland. We saw this in the streets of Paris, where battle-hardened extremists returned from Syria prepared to kill. And here at home, we have arrested so-called returnees from Syria, including one individual plotting a terrorist attack in Ohio. Earlier this year, I launched a bipartisan congressional Task Force on Combating Terrorists and Foreign Fighter Travel. One of their findings was that we must do more to track ``the great jihadi migration'' around the world. Our intelligence about foreign fighters in Syria is improving, but as we have seen, the threat can change almost overnight. ISIS is already urging its followers to go to its other sanctuaries in places like Afghanistan and Libya. We need to stay a step ahead of this threat, which is why this legislation requires the intelligence community to track extremist travel patterns and to report on a regular basis to Congress. It also requires agencies to monitor the number of U.S. citizens in terror hotspots and to report on how many individuals have departed those locations. This is the kind of early-warning intelligence we need in order to create a ``firebreak'' to slow the spread of Islamist terror, and to keep Americans from being lured to new jihadist safe havens. I would like to commend the task force for their hard work on this, including Mr. Katko. And let me just say this. I get regular threat briefings, and I have never seen a higher threat environment than we have seen since 9/11, and it is from the flow of foreign fighters. We have 5,000 of them that have Western passports, 30,000 foreign fighters from 100 different countries; 250 Americans have left to join the fight, and, Mr. Speaker, that is just who we know about. Now we know they are communicating in dark space. As the Director of the FBI says, they have one simple message: Come to fight in Syria or kill where you are. Unfortunately, we have seen them too often come to fight in Syria and, unfortunately, just recently, too many that have come to kill here in the United States.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. If the gentlewoman from Texas has no further speakers, I am prepared to close once the gentlewoman does.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3875) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Department of Homeland Security a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Office, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, the Department of Homeland Security CBRNE Defense Act of 2015. The threat from weapons of mass destruction is real and growing. We have seen groups like ISIS make makeshift chemical weapons; and on the battlefield last summer, a laptop reportedly retrieved from an ISIS hideout in Syria contained plans for weaponizing bubonic plague and documents discussing advantages of using biological weapons. They have also boasted about plans to smuggle radiological material into the United States. With recent FBI stings in places like Moldova, we know that there are sellers ready to supply the ingredients for these tools of terror, which brings us to the purpose of this legislation before us today. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security must play a leading role in defending our homeland from CBRNE threats. Departments and agencies across the United States Government have centralized their weapons of mass destruction programs to provide clear focal points for dealing with this threat. Within the Department of Homeland Security, however, leadership, expertise, personnel, and resources related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats are disbursed across numerous organizations within DHS headquarters. By consolidating offices within the DHS headquarters with responsibility for CBRNE, H.R. 3875 will ensure better coordination within the Department and interagency. Mr. Speaker, we are living in dangerous times, and we must ensure the Federal Government is prepared to address these threats. This bill will ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is able to do so. Before I close, I would like to thank Chairmen Shuster and Smith for their cooperation in moving this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, December 8, 2015. Hon. Michael T. McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Ford House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCaul: I write concerning H.R. 3875, the ``Department of Homeland Security CBRNE Defense Act of 2015''. This legislation includes matters that I believe fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite Floor consideration of H.R. 3875, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to forgo action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's rule X jurisdiction. I request that you please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the Congressional Record. Sincerely, Bill Shuster, Chairman.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Ms. Jackson Lee and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, for their coordination on this bill. I think this committee, probably more than any other one, has operated in a very bipartisan fashion. I am proud of that, as a chairman. I think in matters of national security, that is how we should operate, to reach across the aisle to get good things done for the American people to make them safer. So let me just say thank you for that. I don't have to remind you, Mr. Speaker, the threats are real out there. We got a classified briefing on San Bernardino, the pipe bombs that were manufactured. In Dabiq Magazine, ISIS' latest publication, they discuss the ease with which to move a nuclear device through transnational criminal organizations into the Western Hemisphere: through Mexico and across our southwest border. That is precisely the kind of threat that this bill is designed to stop. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Goodlatte and Chairman Miller for their leadership. I rise in support of this bill, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act. Our Nation faces the highest terror threat environment since 9/11, and we must do everything possible to shut down terrorist pathways into this country. We are working hard to do just that with this bill. Last month, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass bipartisan legislation I drafted to prevent terrorists from entering the United States posing as refugees. They have already done this to attack Paris. And this year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned me that the National Counterterrorism Center has identified individuals with ties to terrorist groups in Syria attempting to gain entry to the U.S. through the U.S. refugee program. I am concerned that terrorists are attempting to exploit the U.S. refugee program to enter our country and that we currently lack the ability to confidently vet Syria refugees to weed out individuals with potential terrorist ties. Top law enforcement and intelligence officials have testified before my Committee that terrorist groups have expressed a desire to infiltrate refugee programs to enter the United States and Europe, and ISIS has said in their own words that they intend to do so. In Paris, we saw them follow through on those pledges, sneaking at least two operatives into Europe posing as refugees. It also appears that individuals with extremist links have already tried to gain entry to our country as refugees. This year the Office of the Director of National Intelligence informed me in writing that the National Counterterrorism Center has identified ``. . . individuals with ties to terrorist groups in Syria attempting to gain entry to the U.S. through the U.S. refugee program.'' This is deeply troubling. At this time, I am concerned that serious intelligence gaps preclude us from conducting comprehensive screening to detect all Syrian refugees with terrorist ties, and as a result I have proposed adding additional national security checks to the process before the United States approves any further admissions. Naturally, the States are concerned that the refugees being resettled in their communities may not have been effectively screened--especially given the volume of refugees the Administration has committed to accepting. Refugee resettlement is within the purview of the federal government. However, the Administration must be transparent in sharing information with the States about the people being resettled within their borders. The Refugee Act of 1980 requires that the federal government ``shall consult regularly'' with state and local governments and private nonprofit voluntary agencies concerning the intended distribution of refugees. In Texas, it appears the federal government has not fully held-up its end of the bargain. But we must go further. More than 30,000 individuals from 100 countries have gone to Syria to join jihadist groups, and 5,000 of them have Western passports. This includes several of the Paris attackers, who could have traveled to the United States without a visa. That is why this legislation is so important before us here today. It will close security gaps in the Visa Waiver Program to keep terrorists from entering our country undetected. It also includes several recommendations from the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, which I created earlier this year. This Member-led panel uncovered gaping security weaknesses overseas, including the fact that some countries are not sharing intelligence on terrorists, many are not screening travelers against critical counterterrorism databases, and too few of them are cracking down on passport fraud. This bill would help close those security gaps to keep terrorists from crossing borders. And it would implement several of the task force's top recommendations to ensure Visa Waiver Program countries are living up to their obligations and ramping up security. With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. I also want to thank those on the other side of the aisle for working in a bipartisan spirit, in a cooperative nature on what I consider to be one of the biggest security gaps we have facing this country after the Paris attacks and after San Bernardino. And I want to thank our colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 658 I mistakenly pressed NAY when I intended to vote YEA.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank the gentleman from Virginia, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for his work on this legislation. I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the American Safe Act. Let me be clear. We are a nation at war. The world was reminded last week that Islamic terrorists are seeking to harm our people, destroy our way of life, and undermine the foundational principles of the free world. Sadly, with the news that at least one of these terrorists may have infiltrated Europe posing as a Syrian refugee, the Paris attacks appear to confirm our worst fears, that, of the thousands of foreign fighters who have gone to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS, some would be deployed to bring terror back to the West. The world is now looking at America for leadership and for a clear- eyed understanding of the threat. ISIS is not ``contained,'' as the President says. ISIS is expanding globally and is plotting aggressively. The group is now responsible for more than 60 terrorist plots against Western targets, including 18 in the United States. Here in the homeland, we have arrested more than one ISIS supporter a week in the past year, and the FBI says it has nearly 1,000 ISIS- related investigations in all 50 States. Today, we must take decisive action to show the American people that we are doing all that we can to protect our country. We must listen to the words of our enemies. ISIS has vowed, in their words, to exploit the refugee process, to sneak operatives, to infiltrate the West, and they appear to have already done that, to attack our allies. For nearly a year, intelligence and law enforcement agencies have warned Congress, both publicly and privately, that they are alarmed by intelligence collection gaps and our ability to weed out terrorists from the refugee process. FBI Director Comey testified before my committee and stated: ``We can query our databases until the cows come home, but nothing will show up because we have no record of them.'' Homeland Security Secretary Johnson said: ``We know that organizations like ISIS might like to exploit this program.'' This is an administration official's words, not mine. This legislation would add two important layers to our defenses, creating the most robust national security screening process in American history for any refugee population. The American SAFE Act also strikes an important balance between security and our humanitarian responsibilities. It sets up roadblocks to keep terrorists from entering the United States, while also allowing legitimate refugees who are not a threat to be resettled appropriately. Let us not forget, this legislation is the first in a series of steps we must take to defend the homeland, but ultimately, to win this war, we must take the fight to the enemy. Last week, the streets of Paris could just have easily been the streets of New York or Chicago or Houston or Los Angeles. But as I have said before, our long-term message to these terrorists must be clear. You may have fired the first shot in the struggle but, rest assured, America will fire the last.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of letters between the Committee on Homeland Security and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, regarding H.R. 3598, for the record. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, November 2, 2015. Hon. Michael T. McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCaul: I write concerning H.R. 3598, the ``Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 2015.'' This legislation includes matters that I believe fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 3598, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agreed to forgo action on this bill despite the fact that the Parliamentarians were unable to fully litigate the jurisdictional question. However, this was conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I request that you please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the Congressional Record. Sincerely, Bill Shuster, Chairman.