Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the ranking member of our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and the previous chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Casten).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing. My colleague from Florida referred to this week as dirty energy week, and I think that really kind of sums it up. It is not energy week. It is dirty energy week. I think that maybe I can best describe why this bill is so bad and contributes to dirty energy week by quoting parts of the Statement of Administration Policy that was submitted by the White House, by President Biden in saying that he would veto this bill which, of course, means that what we are doing here today is a complete waste of time. In his Statement of Administration Policy, the President says: ``This bill would eliminate two key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Through the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, the administration is making unprecedented progress in protecting America's energy security and reducing energy costs for Americans--in their homes and in their communities. ``H.R. 1023 would do just the opposite, repealing programs that provide nonregulatory incentives that help address climate pollution and provide consumer savings. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will provide $27 billion for the deployment of clean energy technologies that will cut energy costs and drive economic development in communities across the country and in various sectors of our economy, including in the power and transportation sectors. ``The Methane Emissions Reduction Program provides $1.55 billion in investments to identify and help industry curb methane leaks from oil and natural gas production, helping to prevent energy waste and reducing harm to surrounding communities, including communities that are overburdened by pollution. ``The administration wants to work with Congress to lower energy costs, deploy clean energy technologies, and create jobs. H.R. 1023 would take us backward and repeal important programs that help achieve those goals.'' Now, again, the Republicans call this week energy week. It is, in fact, dirty energy week. With House Republicans at the helm, we have seen nothing but chaos, efforts to push failed bills again and again-- this is the third time we have voted on this bill--and attempts by the Republicans to rob American families of energy savings, security, and peace of mind. Republican leadership has resulted in the least productive Congress since the Great Depression, and, unfortunately, this bill is more of the same. While Democrats and the Biden administration are making great progress toward protecting America's energy security and lowering energy costs for families, Republicans continue to push their polluters over people agenda. Polluters over people. That is what they are all about. This bill endangers Americans' health and safety. It will do nothing for American families. It is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars and our time. I mean, we keep doing this over and over again. It is a waste of time. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a ridiculous waste of our time. It will do nothing to lower costs for the American people. It will do nothing to grow our economy. It will do nothing to help us continue our goal of leading the world in the clean energy transition. It will do nothing to combat the worsening climate crisis. This resolution does absolutely nothing. It is nothing more than a long list of fabricated grievances against the Biden administration and against the important work that congressional Democrats have accomplished over the last few years. It reads as if Republicans just fed their same old dirty energy talking points into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out a resolution. Instead of focusing on real solutions to bring down energy costs for Americans, House Republicans are working to pass this meaningless resolution that falsely claims the Biden administration is anti- American energy, that that is what their policy is. Let's look at the facts. The United States is currently producing more energy than ever before in its history. That includes energy from all sources--solar, wind, and, yes, more oil and gas than ever before. While we are doing this, we are also making incredible progress in addressing carbon emissions and air pollution. Last year, emissions in the United States fell by 2 percent, even as the GDP grew by 2.4 percent. Why are Republicans complaining? Why are they upset about the fact that we found a way to pursue energy security while also lowering energy costs for American families, boosting our economy, and tackling the worsening climate crisis, all at the same time? I am going to tell you why--because Republicans don't want anything to stand in the way of their oil and gas friends. They refuse to deviate from their polluters over people agenda, and they are wasting floor time on meaningless resolutions and bills that won't go anywhere because they are simply not capable of governing. This Republican Congress is the least productive of any Congress since the Great Depression. They don't have any new ideas or solutions. Instead, they just continue to gravitate to their comfort zone, which is doing the bidding of the oil and gas industry. President Biden and congressional Democrats have taken a drastically different approach. In stark contrast to Republicans' polluters over people agenda, Democrats are fighting to lower American energy bills, grow our middle class with new, good-paying clean energy jobs, and combat the worsening climate crisis. Through the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, we have seen clean energy projects growing all over the country. New manufacturing facilities are making EVs, batteries, and other clean energy technologies, and they are all booming because of crucial investments from these two bills. This leads to emission reductions, energy production, and, of course, important new jobs. It is revitalizing communities across the country, with more than 271,000 clean energy jobs created since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. In fact, the sponsor of this resolution will get to witness the power of these investments in his own district in Washington State. Two companies backed by bipartisan infrastructure law investments of $100 million are building next-generation EV battery plants in Washington State, in his district, and are expected to create hundreds of new jobs. It is not just the State of Washington that is benefiting. Over half of the Inflation Reduction Act's projects are located in congressional districts represented by Republicans, totaling more than 144,000 new jobs and over $262 billion in investments. We are growing the economies in their districts, yet Republicans continue to complain. Republicans often talk about the Biden administration's so-called war on energy. They mentioned it today. I honestly have no idea what they are talking about. American energy production is breaking records. Gas prices have remained stable over the last year. The Energy Information Administration has forecasted that Americans are paying less for heating costs this year than they did last year. Other countries--and often our competitors--are investing rapidly in clean energy. If we pause our important work, we will fall behind. If Republicans have their way, we will stop competing, stop investing in the booming clean energy economy, and simply recommit to expensive, polluting fossil fuels as the way forward. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this do-nothing resolution, and I urge my colleagues across the aisle to come up with better things for all of us to do with our time, not waste our time. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Crockett).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I heard the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Washington State, mention and make reference to Ukraine and then to LNG exports. Let me say, the only thing that is holding up aid to Ukraine is the Republican leadership. The Speaker at any time could bring up a bill providing funding for military purposes and supplies in Ukraine, and it would pass this House overwhelmingly. I don't know why he isn't doing it. However, for them to suggest on the other side of the aisle that somehow we are not helping Ukraine, that is their fault because they refuse to bring up the spending bill that will allow that to happen. It is not happening this week. Then we are going to go on a 2-week break, and it is still not happening. They are running out of ammunition in Ukraine to defend themselves against Putin. I will also mention the gentleman's reference to LNG exports. Again, Republicans are ignoring the facts that don't conform with their narrative. The U.S. has become the number one exporter of LNG worldwide in just a few short years, and there is enough already approved liquefied natural gas export permits for us to triple our export capacity without issuing a single additional permit. This level of production, according to a letter sent by over 60 European Union lawmakers, will meet the energy needs of our allies in Europe for years to come. We are supporting our allies. It is those on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans, who are not supporting our allies by not allowing legislation to come to the floor that will help Ukraine. The White House has issued an LNG pause that serves as an opportunity to evaluate how the recent boom in LNG is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, and domestic energy price increases. What we are saying here today--and this is what the Republicans ignore--is that this administration, the Biden administration, is increasing production, increasing production of oil and natural gas, addressing renewables, getting more solar out there, getting more wind out there, but at the same time making sure that our economy grows, that gas prices don't increase, and addressing the climate crisis. The White House has this LNG pause because one study found that the rise in U.S. LNG exports over the past 3 years is contributing to higher energy bills for American families. We also shouldn't ignore the public health impacts of unfettered fossil fuel development along our Gulf Coast. Study after study demonstrates a link between fossil fuel plants and adverse health outcomes. Louisiana's so-called Cancer Alley experiences low birth weights of three times the national average and preterm births at twice the national average. I want to commend the administration for pausing new LNG permitting to examine these potential impacts. Again, the LNG exports are increasing. They are at a high. The European Union is benefiting from them. Unfortunately, Ukraine is not benefiting at all because the House Republican leadership refuses to bring up legislation that would help Ukraine defend themselves. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, this resolution claims that the Biden administration has hampered the domestic production of energy and made the United States more reliant on other countries for its energy needs. This could not be further from the truth. I want to be crystal clear to get this into the record: Under the Biden administration, the United States is producing more energy than it has at any other point in its history. In fact, throughout the entirety of President Biden's term in office, the U.S. has produced more energy than it has consumed. He is the only President to have achieved that in my lifetime. Last year, the United States added a record 33 gigawatts of solar capacity, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act, which is lowering costs for Americans every day. We should be thanking President Biden for unleashing American energy. Republicans can say whatever they want, but the facts don't lie. President Biden's energy policies are strengthening energy security and positioning us to compete globally all while reducing emissions. Please, I urge everyone to vote against the resolution. Let me just say, this resolution is really flat out absurd in its attempt by extreme Republicans to mislead the American public. The data shows that we are producing more energy. It is not just oil and gas. It is solar, it is more wind turbines, and it is exporting more gas and liquid fuels than ever before. Meanwhile, the administration is making significant progress in its effort to drive down planet warming air pollution. Last year, U.S. emissions fell, as I said, by 2 percent even as the economy roared and GDP grew by 2.34 percent. These numbers are a clear indication that we can achieve a safer climate while bolstering energy security and job growth at the same time. In the face of this climate crisis, the U.S. must continue to be a global leader in the clean energy transition and help our communities prevent further extreme weather and other climate impacts. What we are seeing before us today with this resolution is the Republicans' polluters over people agenda. That is the reality. It is a policy that is outlined in this resolution that risks derailing the immense progress that President Biden has made since taking office. In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I can't emphasize enough that what we are seeing with this President and this administration is an effort to increase energy production across the board and at the same time become a global leader on addressing the climate crisis. Let us continue with that. Let us build on that. Don't take us back. That is what this resolution would do. It would take us back. Madam Speaker, I encourage everyone to vote against this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7520, the Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act. I thank Chair Rodgers for all her help in bringing this bill to the floor today. National security experts are sounding the alarm, warning that the government of Beijing in China and other foreign adversaries are amassing troves of sensitive data about individual Americans. That information can be used to launch sophisticated influence campaigns, conduct espionage, undermine Americans' privacy expectations, and otherwise impair American interests. Just last week, this Chamber took decisive, bipartisan action to mitigate the national security and privacy threat that was posed by foreign-owned or -controlled social media applications collecting Americans' information by passing H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Today, we take further action to close the pipeline of Americans' sensitive information flowing to our foreign adversaries. This bill prohibits the data brokers from selling Americans' sensitive personal information to China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and to entities controlled by those countries. Data brokers collect and sell billions of data elements on nearly every consumer in the United States, including information about children and active members of the U.S. military. With this sensitive information, data brokers and their customers can make invasive inferences about an individual, including inferences about a person's travel patterns, health, political beliefs, personal interests, and financial well-being. Right now, there are no restrictions on who they can sell this information to. Most Americans are unaware that data brokers complete detailed dossiers about their interests, beliefs, actions, and movements. Even when they are aware that these dossiers of sensitive information are being compiled, Americans are powerless to stop this invasion of privacy. While the best response to the privacy risk posed by data brokers is a comprehensive national data privacy law, I firmly believe we must do what we can now to prevent data brokers from selling Americans' personal data to our foreign adversaries. The breadth and scope of sensitive personal information aggregated by data brokers makes the sale of that data to our foreign adversaries a unique threat to national security and individual privacy. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has concluded that commercially available data provides foreign adversaries with a valuable stream of intelligence, rivaling the effectiveness of sophisticated surveillance techniques. Researchers from Duke University successfully purchased sensitive information about Active-Duty members of the military, their families, and veterans from data brokers. Their research has concluded that foreign and malicious actors could use data from data brokers to undermine America's national security. This legislation complements the work done by this body last week to curb the threat posed by apps owned or controlled by foreign adversaries by closing a loophole that would allow those entities to simply buy sensitive information on Americans from data brokers. Unless we pass H.R. 7520, data brokers will still be permitted to aggregate information with vast amounts of Americans' sensitive data and sell it to the highest bidder, including foreign adversaries. Again, I thank our chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, for her partnership on the Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, which unanimously passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a 50-0 vote. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who is the ranking member of our Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi), who is the ranking member of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and was the Democratic sponsor of the other bill that we passed last week.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Speaker, this bill, in my opinion, is an excellent example of how our committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, works together on a bipartisan basis. We, frankly, heard from the various Federal agencies, whether it was the Justice Department, national security, or FBI, that it was necessary to address the issue of data that was being basically passed on to our adversaries, particularly Beijing, and we crafted two bills. One has been referred to as the TikTok bill which we passed last week, and the other is the data brokers bill that will pass today. It is no surprise that in our committee in a roll call vote we had 50 members, Democrats and Republicans, vote for this. None voted against it. I am certainly suggesting that this is something that is very important. Both bills need to pass. One already did. I also think it is an excellent example of how this Congress, this House, and our committee, in particular, can work together on something that relates to national security and privacy. As Ms. Schakowsky has said, and I know Chair Rodgers has said, we need a national data privacy bill. This is the beginning, I believe, of that process. It is also one of the most important aspects of it because it does affect our national security. Madam Speaker, I am proud I can say that we worked together on this. I will certainly urge that the House do the same: vote this bill unanimously and send it over to the Senate for further action. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, no.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Big Tech has transformed social media platforms into modern-day media companies. Unfortunately, these networks engage in invasive surveillance practices by collecting Americans' most sensitive personal data. Foreign adversaries also see access to Americans' data communication networks, devices, and applications as the entry points to disrupt our daily lives and conduct espionage activities. All of this endangers our national security interests. We have a long history of restricting our television and radio airwaves from ownership by foreign governments and individuals due to the national security concerns that these arrangements pose. Social media companies should also face similar scrutiny. After all, while technology has evolved, the threats are very much the same. I also take the concerns raised by the intelligence community very seriously. They have asked Congress to give them more authority to act in narrowly defined situations. I believe this bill would do just that by addressing the national security risks posed by applications operated by companies controlled by foreign adversaries. While this bill establishes a national security framework that could apply to other applications, much of the public attention has focused on TikTok. The combination of TikTok's Beijing Communist-based ownership and the fact that over 170 million Americans use it exacerbates its dangers to our country and our privacy. Laws in China allow the Chinese Communist Party to compel companies like TikTok to share data with them whether the companies want to or not. This means the CCP has the ability with TikTok to compromise device security, maliciously access Americans' data, promote pro- Communist propaganda, and undermine our Nation's interests. This is extremely troubling. Beijing, China, should not have the control over Americans that TikTok gives them. It is my hope that, if enacted, this legislation will force divestment of TikTok so that Americans will be able to continue to use this platform without the risk that it is being operated and controlled by Beijing, China. However, even if TikTok is divested, China and other foreign adversaries will still be able to acquire vast amounts of Americans' data. That is because we place no restrictions on who data brokers can sell data to, and that must stop as well. I look forward to the House considering next week legislation that I introduced with Chair Rodgers that would stop this from happening. We must begin to hold Big Tech accountable for transforming the information superhighway into a superspreader of harmful content, invasive surveillance practices, and addictive and damaging design features, all with the goal of collecting more data. We must enact a comprehensive data privacy bill so that we finally give Americans control over how their data is used and collected. I thank Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Gallagher for their bipartisan work on this bill, which unanimously passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last week, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7521. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi), who is the Democratic sponsor of the bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker Emerita.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), who is a member of the committee.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I, along with several Members of Congress from the Energy and Commerce Committee, missed a vote this evening through no fault of our own. We missed this vote as a result of a miscommunication from the Floor while the Committee was in executive session on a very important national security matter. We were told the first vote was going to be held open to allow Members to exit the classified briefing, walk to the floor, and vote. That did not happen and instead the vote was closed with a number of Members missing the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 66, H.R. 7511--``To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.''

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take note of the fact that some of us on the Energy and Commerce Committee were in executive session on a very important national security matter, and we were told that the first vote this evening was going to be held for us for a few minutes so we could get down here and vote. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I was upset by it. It was obviously a miscommunication from the floor. However, I do want everyone to understand that those of us who were not able to vote on that first matter this evening did so because of the executive session on national security, and it was through no fault of our own that we missed that first vote.