Seth Magaziner

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 36.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Ivey, for yielding, and I rise today as a proud vice chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus to stand with the hardworking men and women who keep our government running. Federal workers show up every day to serve their neighbors and our country. These are the workers who make sure that Social Security checks go out to your parents and grandparents. These are the men and women who deliver our mail, no matter the weather, and the doctors and nurses at the VA who provide care to our Nation's bravest. When Donald Trump and Elon Musk attack these public servants, it means fewer law enforcement officers working to keep us safe, slower disaster response for families hit by severe storms, and longer wait times for Social Security and Medicare. Attacking these workers is exactly what Donald Trump and his co- president, Elon Musk, have set out to do. They are attacking air traffic controllers, postal workers, food inspectors, and people who keep us safe. Why? To find money to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. That is right. Their goal here is to line the pockets of the wealthy off of the backs of working people and the services that all Americans rely on. These attacks on Federal workers are an attack on all working people across this country. I want to tell the Federal workers in Rhode Island and across the United States that House Democrats stand with you. We see your dedication. We know the positive impact that you deliver every day. The best resistance is to keep showing up and to keep doing what you do best. This country runs because of you. Here in Congress, we are going to fight to oppose Donald Trump and Elon Musk's baseless and cruel attacks against those who have devoted their lives to service.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, this week, Prospect Medical Holdings, which owns Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, filed for bankruptcy, threatening to undermine Rhode Island's already-stressed healthcare system. Unfortunately, this is a day that many of us feared would come because, for years, Leonard Green & Partners, the private equity firm that owned Prospect Medical, and executives of the company engaged in outrageous profiteering, buying up hospitals and extracting hundreds of millions of dollars of management fees and dividends, money that should have been spent on patient care. In the decade that private equity firm Leonard Green owned Prospect Medical, they extracted over half a billion dollars from the hospitals they owned. Their partner, Prospect CEO Sam Lee, personally made more than $100 million, buying luxury properties for himself at the same time that he shut down emergency rooms. Shameful. When I was State treasurer in 2020, I sent a letter to Leonard Green, expressing my frustration at their unethical practices and the impact they were having on healthcare in Rhode Island. In response, they put out a statement insisting that all was well and that the operations at Fatima and Roger Williams were doing just fine. Now, 4 years later, wouldn't you know it, Prospect is declaring bankruptcy, threatening the health and safety of thousands of Rhode Islanders who rely on Fatima and Roger Williams and the livelihoods of the hundreds of healthcare workers who work in those hospitals. The executives at Leonard Green and Prospect, who sucked all the money out of those hospitals, are long gone, counting their millions. It is greed, plain and simple. I commend Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Attorney General Peter Neronha, who have been sounding the alarm about Prospect for years. I am committed to working with State officials and my colleagues in the Rhode Island congressional delegation to clean up the mess that Leonard Green left behind and to do our best to save Fatima and Roger Williams and stabilize our State's healthcare system. Mark my words, we will not stop there. The time has come for Congress to take a hard look at the consequences of private equity ownership of hospitals. Rhode Islanders and the American people are counting on us for action, and they are going to get it. Honoring Officers for Serving on January 6

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago last week, a violent mob attacked our Nation's Capitol, assaulted police officers, and threatened to kill elected officials, all with the goal of blocking the results of the Presidential election and denying the will of the American people. They did it because the losing candidate in that election, President Donald Trump, incited them by falsely claiming he won. On that dark day, hundreds of Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers bravely did their duty, putting their lives in harm's way to protect this building, the people in it, and our very democracy. Over 140 police officers suffered injuries, including broken bones, concussions, and PTSD. They were attacked with baseball bats, axes, and chemicals, among other deadly weapons. In the weeks that followed, five officers died from their injuries. The officers who served that day are all heroes who fought for our country and deserve our thanks and praise. Congress passed, and President Biden signed, a law to honor the Capitol Police officers who defended our country during the January 6 riots with a plaque here in the Capitol Building that they fought to defend. Shamefully, Republicans in Congress continue to refuse to hang that plaque. Every day that my Republican colleagues delay is an insult to the brave officers who served on January 6 and who continue to protect us day in and day out. Mr. Speaker, I say to my Republican colleagues: No more delays, no more disrespect. Hang the plaque now. Every pivotal event in American history has heroes and cowards. January 6 is no different. History will always remember the heroic officers who risked their lives to defend our country and will also remember the cowards who refused to honor them.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Rhode Island Adjutant General Chris Callahan, who is retiring at the end of this year after four decades of service to our State and country. General Callahan joined the Army National Guard in 1984 and quickly ascended up the ranks. He served as headquarters commander for the First Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, brigade commander for the 56th Troop Command, and commander of the Task Force Dragonwing Aviation Battalion in Iraq. In 2015, he was named the 44th Adjutant General of Rhode Island and commanding general of the Rhode Island National Guard. Under his leadership, the Rhode Island National Guard deployed more than 3,000 soldiers and airmen on missions across the globe, ran point on Rhode Island's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing mass testing and administering hundreds of thousands of vaccinations. He also activated thousands of soldiers and airmen to respond to blizzards and hurricanes, establish warming shelters, and fight wildfires in Rhode Island, among many other missions. General Callahan's exemplary service to our country was made possible by the support of his wife, Donna; and his children, Devin, Grace, and Katie. Together, they kept Rhode Island National Guard's promise to be: Always ready, always there. I thank Chris Callahan for his service to our country and our State.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Suzanne Murray, a humanitarian and philanthropist who made it her life's work to advocate for women's education. Born in Providence, Sue was an accomplished student who attended Henry Barnard School, the Lincoln School, and Radcliffe College, where she discovered a passion for education and found the love of her life, Terry Murray. The Murrays settled in Warwick and later Narragansett, raising five children. Sue devoted her time giving back to her alma maters, serving as chair of the board of the Lincoln School and as a trustee at Radcliffe, among many other leadership positions. In 2003, Lincoln named its middle school the Murray Middle School in her honor. In 1997, Sue and Terry cofounded the Murray Family Charitable Foundation to support education, healthcare, and the arts in southern New England. She assisted in the founding of Sophia Academy, a middle school in Providence for girls. Her work to expand access to education, particularly for young women, has made a difference in countless lives across Rhode Island and beyond. I join Sue's family and loved ones in celebrating her remarkable life.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, Kurt Vonnegut, Toni Morrison, and Stephen King are just a few of the authors whose books have been banned from Florida public school libraries because of the censorship laws passed by extreme Republican politicians. President Eisenhower once warned: ``Don't join the book burners.'' ``Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book.'' According to the Florida Department of Education, more than 700 books were banned from libraries in public school districts last year after Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida's extreme book ban law. There is nothing Americans hate more than politicians who want to take away their freedoms. Yet Republican politicians want to take away the freedom of women to get an abortion. They want to take away the freedom of gay and lesbian Americans to marry their partners. Now, they want to take away freedom at the library. Banning books is not just an attack on personal freedom. It is an attack on American values that we all believe in. People of all ages ought to be able to access the world of knowledge that comes from reading, including from those books that some may find controversial. Reading controversial books is part of how we challenge ourselves and each other to grow and strive and to create. Book banners will claim that their goal is to protect people, but what they really want is to control people. That is not America. ``Having the freedom to read and the freedom to choose [what to read] is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me,'' said children's author Judy Blume, another author whose name appears on the book ban list. We must reclaim the freedom to read from the extreme politicians trying to turn back the clock for our kids, our country, and our future.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize November as National Family Caregivers Month and to honor the important work of the more than 48 million American family caregivers across our country. Every day, Americans provide physical and emotional support for their older parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents, and other loved ones so that they can live independently in their homes. These caregivers help with everything, including meals, bathing, medical care, transportation, often balancing their jobs and their family responsibilities at the same time. In Congress, we must do our part to make caregivers' lives easier. That is why I introduced the Alleviating Barriers to Caregivers Act, a bicameral, bipartisan bill that will reduce paperwork and red tape and make it easier for caregivers to navigate the resources and benefits that they are entitled to. Family caregivers work around the clock to make a difference in the lives of their loved ones, and it is time that our country make a difference in theirs.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Speaker, for 40 years an unfair law has cut the Social Security benefits of millions of police officers, firefighters, first responders, public school teachers, and other government employees, even though they pay just as much into the Social Security system as other Americans. These people, our friends and neighbors who keep us safe and teach our children, should not be penalized for pursuing years in public service. That is why I proudly voted this week for the Social Security Fairness Act, to end the GOP and WEP rules that have unfairly reduced the earned Social Security benefits of public servants. This is a matter of basic fairness. All Americans deserve to retire with dignity but especially those who serve our communities in education, law enforcement, public safety, and other service roles. It is time to right this wrong. Now that the House has passed this bill, I urge the Senate to take it up immediately and to restore full Social Security benefits for the millions of Americans who have been treated so unfairly.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Speaker, it is no wonder that Donald Trump doesn't want people to know that Project 2025 is his plan. It is cruel, unpopular, and out of touch with the needs of the American people. Among other things, Project 2025 will hand a future Trump administration nearly unlimited power, which they will use to eliminate health coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Do you remember what it used to be like when people would go to the doctor, only to be denied healthcare because they had asthma or diabetes or cancer? There were no caps on out-of-pocket costs, so a trip to the hospital meant that a family could lose everything. Donald Trump's Project 2025 plan calls for ending the Affordable Care Act and taking us back to the dark days when even people who had health insurance would be denied care simply because they had been sick or injured in the past. Even the $35 a month cap on insulin would end under Donald Trump's Project 2025 plan. It is dangerous, it is cruel, it throws the health and safety of millions of Americans into jeopardy, and we cannot let Donald Trump and congressional Republicans take us back to those dark days.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding. I rise in opposition to H.R. 5339, a misguided bill that will hurt the retirement savings of millions of hardworking Americans. The evidence is clear. Companies that adopt thoughtful policies to manage their environmental risks, their social risks, and have sound corporate governance policies outperform those that don't. As a former State treasurer and an investor in the private sector, I can tell you that companies that take steps to mitigate their environmental footprint to do right by their customers, to do right by their employees, and to promote corporate diversity tend to outperform their peers. Any investor who knows what they are doing would be foolish to ignore those factors. Even if you disagree with me, even if you don't think that those factors matter in company performance, you ought to believe that in a free market, investors should have the right to consider whatever factors they believe are relevant to performance without Congress getting in the way. Why is the Republican majority, which claims to be the party of small government, so obsessed with walking away from free markets and taking away Americans' freedoms? This is yet another example of this trend. House Republicans want to tell you what books you can and can't get from the library, who you are and aren't allowed to marry, what reproductive healthcare decisions women have the right to make, and now they want to try to make it illegal for investors to even think about a company's environmental or social performance when doing their jobs. The people who are going to get hurt are the American workers whose retirement savings will take a hit if this bill takes effect. By the way, no one is asking for this bill. There are no constituents back home who are saying, you know, the biggest problem in our country today is ESG investing. How about my Republican colleagues do their job, focus on keeping the government funded and open, and not take away the freedom of investors to do their jobs the way they see fit?

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of J. Michael Downey, a giant in the labor movement who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of working Rhode Islanders. Mike grew up in a union household. His father was the president of Local 28, the plumbers union, and executive director of the allied building trades. He followed in his father's footsteps and worked as a plumber at the University of Rhode Island for over 27 years before becoming the chief plumbing investigator at the State Department of Labor and Training. Mike worked a good job and wanted all workers in Rhode Island to have what he had, a fair and liveable wage, good benefits, and the opportunity to build a middle-class life. That is what he fought for as president of ASFCME council 94, the State's largest public-sector employees union, and as president of Local 528, which represents workers at the University of Rhode Island. Mike championed policies to protect members' wages and added several more locals under his leadership. Mike's work speaks for itself. He was re-elected as president five times. Mike was also active in his own community, serving as the co-chair of Serve Rhode Island and as a council member for the town of Charlestown. He will be remembered as a humble leader who dedicated his life and service to others. May his memory be a blessing.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the remarkable career of George Nee, a good friend, father, grandfather, and tireless advocate for working Rhode Islanders, who is retiring as the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO after four decades of service. George has dedicated his life to improving the lives of working people and their families. At just 21 years old, he left college to work for the farm workers' union, helping to organize Boston's grape boycott in the late 1960s and the lettuce boycott of 1971. He worked closely with renowned labor leader Cesar Chavez and saw firsthand how these boycotts improved the lives of workers. George then created an independent union of clerical workers, healthcare workers, and jewelry workers in 1976 that grew to more than 1,500 members. In 1983, he joined the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, working his way up from staff representative to president in 2009, leading more than 80,000 union members across our State as the quintessential happy warrior on behalf of working people in Rhode Island. In addition to the hundreds of fights for fair contracts, better wages, and better benefits, George boldly led the Rhode Island AFL-CIO in support of marriage equality and stood for commonsense gun safety laws. It is a real honor to recognize my friend, George, and to congratulate him on his impactful and tremendous career.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Madam Chair, while the bill before us attempts to address a real and serious issue, I must oppose it in its current form because it is drafted in a way that is unnecessarily broad and would have a chilling effect on research and scholarship at American universities. Let's be clear: Intellectual property theft by the Chinese Communist Party is a serious problem that costs United States companies billions of dollars and threatens our national security. We should be working together on a bipartisan basis to address this matter as was done in the Homeland Security Committee in the 117th Congress under then- Chairman Thompson's leadership. However, unlike the bill that passed through the committee last Congress, this bill before us today would essentially prohibit any collaboration between U.S. and Chinese universities even when that collaboration has no national security or commercial significance; for example, creative writing programs, history, anthropology, or researching lifesaving cures for diseases. I know that is not the intent of this bill and that is why the bill needs more work. Let me clarify. This bill uses a definition of ``Chinese entity of concern'' that is so broad that it would include any Chinese university or college that has a relationship with the Chinese Government, which is basically all of them. By definition, ``Chinese entity of concern'' in this bill is defined as virtually any university in China. U.S. universities that collaborate with these Chinese universities, including on cultural exchange programs or engagements on subjects like history or creative writing, not related to national security, not related to U.S. commercial interests, would still be punished under this bill. My colleagues on the other side might point out that the definition of Chinese entities of concern in this bill is the same as the bipartisan bill in the last Congress, and this is true, but, importantly, the version in the last Congress had a waiver provision to allow the Department of Homeland Security to provide exceptions to allow collaborations between American and Chinese universities that bear no risk to our country's security or commercial interests. Crucially, the version of the bill we are being presented with today has no waiver provision. By the way, my colleague, Mr. Pfluger, mentioned that a similar law is in effect for the Department of Defense. That is true, but guess what? That law has a waiver provision. This bill does not. In effect, any collaboration between American and Chinese universities would be prohibited under this bill with no possibility for exceptions. For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee so that it can be refined and improved to strike the right balance between protecting America from CCP surveillance and IP theft without stifling research and learning opportunities for American students that pose no threat. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered this motion with this important amendment to this bill. This amendment will include a waiver provision for DHS to waive, on a case-by-case basis, restrictions on institutions of higher education if the Secretary determines that the activities are of a benign nature, while still restricting research and development funding from going to institutions of higher education that have Confucius Institutes or other relationships with the CCP that are at risk of compromising U.S. interests. We can strike the right balance between protecting America's security and allowing research and innovation at American universities to be competitive with the rest of the world. Madam Chair, I include in the Record the text of the amendment. Motion to Recommit Offered by Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island moves to recommit the bill H.R. 1516 to the Committee on Homeland Security with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith, with the following amendment: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Chair, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cedric Huntley, a community leader who dedicated his life to improving the lives of young people and making Rhode Island a safer place to live. Cedric, known by many as ``Mr. Ced,'' was a powerful force for good. He served as site director of the South Providence Recreation Center, located right where he grew up on the south side of Providence and wore many hats as counselor, mentor, and listener to members of the community. It was through his life experience and empathy for others that he connected with Rhode Islanders from all walks of life to build relationships for positive change. He came out of retirement to lead the Nonviolence Institute as executive director to break cycles of violence that plague too many neighborhoods. The Nonviolence Institute does crucial work in greater Providence to serve as a bridge between community members at risk from violence, social service agencies, and law enforcement to reduce crime and support victims. When I served as Rhode Island's general treasurer, I ran the State's crime victims compensation program and had the privilege of working with Cedric and his team to help hundreds of Rhode Islanders who were victims of violent crimes get the compensation that they needed to get back on their feet. During this time, I saw firsthand the work he did as a peacemaker and how he worked to prevent acts of violence before they occurred. Mr. Speaker, it was an honor and a privilege to work with him. His legacy will live on for a long time through the lives that he touched.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I want you to take a look at this graph. There are two lines. The dark blue line is the effective tax rate paid by the 400 highest income earners in America, and the light blue line is the effective tax rate paid by the bottom half of income earners in our country. In the 1960s, the people at the very top, the richest 400 Americans, paid about twice the tax rate that the average middle-class family did, but in 2018 during the Donald Trump Presidency and for the first time in our history, the billionaires started paying a lower tax rate than nurses, teachers, firefighters, and most other middle-class Americans who put in an honest day's work and make our economy run. It is unfair, it is absurd, and it is wrong. How did we get here? For years, corrupt rightwing politicians gave tax break after tax break to the billionaires and big corporations who funded their campaigns. When the billionaires and big corporations don't pay their fair share in taxes, you know who has to carry the load? Working people carry the load--working people who can't afford to pay thousands of dollars to go to Mar-a-Lago or Trump Hotel, working people who don't get to move their money overseas or hire an Army of accountants to find them tax loopholes or hire an Army of lobbyists to create new loopholes for them, working people who have their healthcare cut and their veterans benefits cut, working people who have to send their kids to crumbling schools all because the politicians tell them there isn't enough money left. But there is always money when those billionaires come asking for more tax cuts, isn't there? When Donald Trump and the Republicans were in charge, they passed a $2 trillion tax cut that went almost entirely to the wealthy, and then they turned around and tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and kick 16 million Americans off their health insurance. We know what their priorities are, and we know what they will do if they return to power in this election. Already, Donald Trump and House Republicans are meeting with industry lobbyists and billionaire donors to scheme how they can give away even more tax breaks to the people at the very top and cut the programs that working people depend on to get by. Look at Project 2025, their policy plan for what they will do if they take control. That plan calls for cutting Social Security by raising the retirement age. It calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act, eliminating Head Start programs that provide preschool for 1 million children, eliminating the Department of Education, eliminating the National Weather Service. Republicans propose cuts, cuts, cuts to programs that help working people, and at the same time they propose giving even more tax cuts to the people at the top who don't need it. It doesn't have to be this way. We can go back to a system where the tax code is fair, and working people aren't asked to pay an unfair burden. By asking the people at the top to pay their fair share again like they used to, we can do incredible things in this country. We can ensure that Social Security benefits keep up with the cost of living and that the program's life is extended indefinitely. We can cut the cost of healthcare. We can ensure that every child receives a world-class education. We can provide tax relief to working people who actually need it. The possibilities are right there in front of us, but we need to reverse this dangerous trend. We need to stop the corruption. We need to start working for working people, not the big donors and the lobbyists, and we need to put people over politics.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, ``Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.'' These words spoken by President Harry Truman still ring true to this day. Millions of servicemembers and veterans have answered the call to serve and protect the freedoms that we hold dear. Just as our Nation's servicemembers make a promise to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they come home. The PACT Act honors this promise. It is the largest expansion of VA benefits in a generation and ensures that millions of veterans who have been exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxins during their military service receive the care that they have earned and deserve. The PACT Act is one of the greatest accomplishments of the Biden- Harris administration, and it was made possible by the leadership of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman Mark Takano, among many others. In Rhode Island, more than 3,200 veterans have already received PACT Act benefits with another 4,000 projected to be added to the program in the coming years. Over 1 million veterans and their families have received PACT Act benefits nationally. I have been working very closely with my Rhode Island Second Congressional District military and veterans advisory committee to spread the word about the PACT Act and how veterans in our district can access those benefits. However, there is still more work to be done. All too often, benefits claims sharks exploit veterans and their families with exorbitant fees. We must do more to protect veterans and their families from these predatory practices. We must also ensure that veterans and their family members who were exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals on military bases and elsewhere receive the healthcare that they need, and I have cosponsored legislation to make that a reality. We must always fight to ensure that veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve because they deserve nothing but the very best.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Murphy, a former Providence city council member, business leader, and philanthropist who dedicated his life to serving Rhode Island and helping those in need. A son of Irish immigrants, John was born and raised in Fox Point, Providence. He graduated from Hope High School, joined the Army, and served in Korea for 2 years. His commitment to public service did not stop there. Shortly after returning home, John was elected to the Providence City Council, serving four terms. In 1959, he founded the Home Loan Investment Bank, building it into a full-service retail bank, employing more than 100 people and helping thousands achieve the dream of home ownership and financial security. Throughout his life, John Murphy made it a priority to give back with generous support for the Rhode Island Foundation, St. Joseph's Hospital, Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club of Providence, and many more worthy organizations. He was also passionate about education and helped start the mentoring and tutoring program at URI and the scholarship program at Providence College. In his own words, Murphy said that he wanted underserved students to know they are important. ``I don't want them to get lost or feel hopeless. I want them to know that I have walked in their shoes. I am one of them.'' He never lost sight of where he came from, and he will be remembered as a man of incredible character whose legacy will endure for generations to come. He will be missed.

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. The most solemn duty that we have as Members of Congress is to keep Americans safe. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the very real threats facing our homeland, too many House Republicans are playing politics trying to defund the FBI and the Department of Justice, refusing to take action on gun violence and cheerleading for violent extremists like those who attacked this Capitol and the people in it on January 6. They are putting their political agendas ahead of keeping everyday American people safe. Let's not forget that it was House Republicans who killed the bipartisan plan to secure the border because Donald Trump told them he would rather have an issue to campaign on than fix the problem. Shameful. When asked to explain his opposition to the bipartisan border security bill, one House Republican even said, ``Let me tell you, I am not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden's approval rating,'' putting politics ahead of securing the border. This appropriations bill proposed by House Republicans cuts funding for regional counterterrorism efforts that keep Americans safe from both domestic and foreign terrorism and cuts all funding to help States and cities manage the impact of migration. I sit on the Homeland Security Committee, and I saw as House Republicans brought in officials from States and cities to talk about how difficult it is to deal with the challenges of migration in their communities. Guess what? If those State or city officials are watching now, this budget that the House Republicans are proposing zeros you out, cuts you off. They are saying to you that you are on your own at the State and local level to deal with these challenges. The American people want House Republicans to stop playing political games and work together across the aisle with Democrats to secure our homeland. For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee for further work. My amendment would secure our homeland by providing an additional $51 million to Customs and Border Protection to improve information sharing and prevent people who are on the watch list from entering our country and to enhance security at ports of entry and combat fentanyl trafficking by purchasing equipment, including license plate readers and substance detection devices. It would also provide over $150 million to detect radiological and nuclear materials and biohazard threats, and prevent terror attacks, and it would restore funding and authorities to combat domestic terrorism, domestic extremists like those who violently attacked police officers and tried to stop the people's votes from being counted on January 6. I ask my colleagues, let's put Americans first by working together across the aisle, the way people expect of us, to secure our homeland and keep people safe instead of advancing the extreme agenda of the former President, who, by the way, was just convicted of 34 criminal counts. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment. Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island moves to recommit the bill H.R. 8752 to the Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment: Page 2, after line 6, insert the following:

Mr. MAGAZINER

Mr. MAGAZINER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Stanley Goldstein, who passed away last month. Born and raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Stanley came from humble beginnings before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and serving in the United States Army. Upon his return home in 1963, Stan and his brother Sid opened the first CVS store in Lowell, Massachusetts. He believed that success would stem from prioritizing customer satisfaction over easy profits. He was right. By the time Stan retired as CEO of CVS in 2006, the company had become the largest drug store chain in the U.S., with over 4,000 stores. Today, CVS has over 9,000 stores and employs more than 300,000 people. Stanley never forgot his roots. CVS is still headquartered in his hometown of Woonsocket, and he remained in Rhode Island his entire life, raising his family there. In his retirement, he was sometimes seen digging for clams or listening to Red Sox games on the radio. Stanley Goldstein leaves behind a legacy of hard work and dedication that has created jobs for thousands and improved the health outcomes for millions. He will be deeply missed, but his legacy endures.