Jamie Raskin

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H.R. 9600. President Carter was a great patriot, a great humanitarian, and a great citizen. He, of course, was a member of the Georgia State Senate. He wrote a beautiful book about his rise in politics. He was the Governor of Georgia, and he is, at 100 years old, I think our longest lived President that we ever had. He did remarkable things in office, and he did remarkable things when leaving office. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, was an extraordinary first lady, beloved by our whole country. We are going to urge passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) for any remarks he may have on this occasion.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I thank Representative Bishop for those beautiful and eloquent words. I am not sure in the extraordinary encyclopedia of President Carter's accomplishments if the gentleman from Georgia had a chance to mention his work with Habitat for Humanity, but I got a chance to work on a Habitat for Humanity project once with President Carter, and that is an indelible experience in my mind. He is someone who operated with great compassion, as Lincoln said: ``With malice toward none; with charity for all.'' I thank the gentleman for doing this. That will be an amazing post office for people to be able to go to, and people will be able to travel there with pride. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of the Federal Agency Performance Act. I also thank my colleagues, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Timmons) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), for leading this bill to modernize the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which we refer to as GPRA, I believe. I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation. I thank Senator Peters, the chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, for his leadership of the bill on the Senate side. GPRA established a performance management framework in 1993 for Federal Government agencies. It was last modernized in 2010, so we are overdue serious attention to make sure the framework is operating as effectively and smoothly as it can. This bill would promote both accountability and transparency. It would codify OMB's practice of conducting regular strategic reviews of Federal agency performance goals, and it would also set new requirements to improve publicly available data on performance.gov, allowing the public greater transparency into agency progress toward the goals that have been set forth. The bill makes commonsense updates to ensure agencies are providing services to the people as efficiently and as effectively as possible, which is why we have a government, to serve the people. I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge everybody to pass this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 8976, which has bipartisan support. Again, it is an honor to be able to support legislation named after Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt, who was a proud member of a military family, who joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in June of 2001. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Marine Corporal Matthew Wyatt was deployed to the Iraqi-Jordanian border, where tragically he was killed in action at the age of 21. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation, which would honor his legacy by naming a post office in his hometown of Millstadt, Illinois, after him. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1695, the SAMOSA Act. I thank my friend and distinguished, imminent, erudite, and eloquent colleague, Mr. Cartwright of Pennsylvania, for his vigorous leadership on this bipartisan bill that will achieve big cost savings for the American people. The government will spend tens of billions of dollars this year on software purchases and maintenance, which is a big chunk of the estimated $100 billion that they will spend on IT annually. Previous efforts to increase oversight and transparency of expenditures on software, including the MEGABYTE Act of 2016, have helped the agency save hundreds of millions of dollars over just 3 years. Serious challenges remain. For example, a recent audit by GAO found that software license data reported by the agencies was inconsistent due to wide variation in how agencies track and maintain their computer inventories and contracts. Current software contract and asset management practices fall short of achieving enough transparency to allow the agencies to purchase software products and services that actually will meet their needs and priorities. H.R. 1695, the SAMOSA Act, would require Federal agency chief information officers to conduct comprehensive assessments of the software paid for by government or in use in government or being deployed there. These assessments would update and expand the software inventories required by the MEGABYTE Act. The bill would require agencies to submit these comprehensive assessments to GSA, OMB, GAO, and Congress to facilitate more effective oversight of Federal software contracts. Agencies would be required to use these assessments to develop a plan to better manage software procurement and management, which would be required to include remediation of deficiencies, automation of management processes, and workforce training. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security says the bill could save taxpayers up to $5 billion a year. This bipartisan legislation would enable the Federal Government to operate more effectively, efficiently, and transparently. I am happy to support its passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentlewoman on this legislation. My grandfather, who actually was in politics in Minnesota, was good friends with Floyd Olson, who also was in politics. He was a three-term Governor, an active member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the 22nd Governor of Minnesota. Under his leadership, Minnesota instituted a progressive income tax, created a Social Security program for older people, expanded the State's environmental conservation programs, guaranteed equal pay for women, and fought for the right to collective bargaining and a minimum wage. He is quite a great figure, and it is hard to think of a more deserving figure in Minnesota than that of Floyd Olson. We are delighted to endorse passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would honor the life and legacy of the great Floyd B. Olson, Minnesota native and community postmaster for 25 years. In addition to his important work making sure that the mail would be delivered through snow and sleet and rain, he was an Army veteran, an active member of a number of community groups, and active in politics. He belonged to the Roseau County Historical Society board and the postmasters association. I commend this legislation, and urge passage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for those beautiful remarks. Elijah Cummings was a great Representative for the people of Baltimore and for the people of Maryland. He was a great leader, and he was a great teacher, too. I remember when I was in my third term in office, and I had started off here on the Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee, to which Chairman Cummings had recruited me. I was also on the House Administration Committee. Then, I had an invitation to go on the Rules Committee, but I was afraid that I might be overextended. I went and sat right over on the floor next to Chairman Cummings where he liked to sit, and I told him that I was afraid that I might be overburdening myself with too many committees. He turned silent for a moment, and then he said: ``Raskin''--he spoke very sharply to me at that moment. I had never heard him use that tone of voice. I said: Yes? He said: You are never too busy to do that which you ought to be doing. I never forgot that, and I have used that line for a lot of other colleagues. People will complain about being tired and exhausted and so on, but we are never too busy to be doing that which we ought to be doing. Congressman Mfume, with this visionary legislation, is setting up a post office at 340 South Loudon Avenue in Baltimore that will be graced with the name of the great Elijah Cummings. How fitting that is, a place where people go to send letters and messages, because another thing I remember Chairman Cummings always saying was that children are the ultimate message that we send to future generations of people who we will never meet. He meant we have to invest in children and young people because they will end up defining a world that will long outlast and outsurvive us. I hope that post office lasts forever, and I hope when parents take their kids to that post office to mail their letters, they will be able to tell them that there was once a great man named Elijah Cummings whose whole life repays a lot of study for all of us. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 9544, legislation in honor of a true American hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I had a law professor who once asked the class: What are the two most beautiful words in the English language? He said due process. I thought the answer might be free speech, but all four of these words are ravaged and devoured by H.R. 9495, which is truly a werewolf in sheep's clothing. Mr. Speaker, it is a Federal felony crime today to provide any material support to terrorist groups. If your not-for-profit does that, then you are going to prison for at least 10 years and maybe for the rest of your life. Losing your 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is the least of your worries. If rendering support to terrorists is already a felony crime, then what is this all about? Americans have an absolute First Amendment right to give money to support political groups that don't engage in terrorism, like the ACLU, Amnesty International, Razom for Ukraine, and the International Rescue Committee, but this bill would give the new administration unilateral power to designate any of them a terrorist-supporting group and strip them of their tax-exempt status while capsizing and inverting the Constitution's guaranty of due process. In Freedman v. Maryland in 1965, the Supreme Court found that the government can only impose a prior restraint on speech, which is what this is, if there is first a judicial determination in an adversary proceeding in which the party being targeted can hear all the evidence against them, provide rebutting evidence of their own, and obtain an independent adjudication of the charge by a neutral judge. That is what due process is. This sloppy bill thrown before us today contains everything condemned by the Supreme Court. The Treasury Department will be able to unilaterally affix the terrorist-supporting label on a not-for-profit group without going to court, without offering any legal proof, without meeting any legal standard, and without giving the target an opportunity even to know the evidence against them. Although the Treasury Secretary must notify the group that it will be designated a terrorist-supporting organization in 90 days unless the Secretary is satisfied with the group's answer, it remains completely up to the Secretary to make a ``final agency determination'' without meeting any standard of proof. Once this scarlet letter and the infamy of being designated a terrorist-supporting group are firmly affixed on the organization, the stigmatized then can finally go to a judge. Incredibly, the legal burden is explicitly put on them to prove they are not a terror- supporting group, completely reversing the burden of due process, which properly belongs to the government. A sixth grader would know this is unconstitutional. This is an unlawful power to vest in any President and a dangerous power to vest in a President who shows no qualms about leveling threats of retribution and revenge against his enemies. The President-elect has said that Special Counsel Jack Smith should be arrested, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the former head of the Republican Conference, should be jailed, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley should be court-martialed. Mr. Speaker, you can imagine what they would do to a human rights group that dares to criticize Vladimir Putin or another of the beloved autocrats around the world.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, American civil society and the not-for- profit sector must be protected against political censorship and government vendetta. To get America to bite on this toxic sandwich, they have tucked the rotten unconstitutional meat in with language clarifying that Americans held hostage are not subject to IRS penalties for failing to pay their taxes on time. The Senate already passed this fine legislation, and we could do that unanimously today. Instead, they want us to vote to give the President Orwellian powers and the American not-for-profit sector Kafkaesque nightmares. I voted against this bill last week, and I will vote against it today, tomorrow, next week, for the next 4 years, and beyond.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 3267, which would honor the enduring legacy of First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin by naming a post office building in Huron, South Dakota, after him. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1998 and pursued his military and academic education at West Point. He completed his armor officer basic training at Fort Knox and served as a dedicated armor officer. Tragically, while conducting combat operations in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, First Lieutenant Martin was killed in action on October 14, 2007. He was 27 years old. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am rising in support of S. 2143. Staff Sergeant Robb Lura Rolfing studied astronomy and physics at Vassar. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in January of 2023 and was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky with 101st Airborne Division. He completed his first tour in Iraq before joining the U.S. Army Special Forces where he earned his Green Beret. At the age of 29, on June 20, 2007, Staff Sergeant Rolfing was killed in action in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor his life by naming a post office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after him, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 3419. John Charles Traub, otherwise known as Chuck, dedicated his life to this country. He was a World War II, U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and served 40 years in the Postal Service, including 10 years as postmaster of Camp Hill in Pennsylvania. He was a dedicated member of numerous civil society groups and church organizations in Camp Hill, including the Camp Hill Fire Company and The American Legion. He volunteered at Holy Spirit Hospital. He was a Camp Hill Borough officer and also participated at the Church of God Nursing Home. Chuck passed away on November 6, 2017, at the age 94, leaving a great legacy of community service. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support and urge passage of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1510, the GAO Inspector General Parity Act. I commend both Senator Michael Braun for introducing the bill and also my colleagues, Representatives Robert Garcia and Lisa McClain, for introducing the House companion. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Robert Garcia) to explain the bill.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5301, the Eliminate Useless Reports Act. I thank my distinguished colleague from California, the ranking member of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Garcia for introducing H.R. 5301. I am proud to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from California (Mr. Robert Garcia) 2 minutes to discuss it.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9592, the Federal Register Modernization Act. This bill represents a big step forward in streamlining how the Federal Government retains public records and communicates with the public. The Federal Register Act of 1935 was designed to ensure government transparency by requiring publication of Federal laws, Presidential proclamations, agency rules, and public notices in the Federal Register. Today, with the increasing use of digital devices to conduct government operations, an electronic edition of the Federal Register is published every single business day. The publication of hard copy agency document submissions to the Office of the Federal Register creates unnecessary redundancy and administrative burdens, and, as my friend from Louisiana says, administrative burdens and environmental waste. In 1936, the Office of the Federal Register published 2,620 pages in a year, just over 2,500 pages. By 2023 the Federal Register had expanded to more than 90,000 pages in a year. The volume of Federal documentation has grown exponentially over the last century, so the need for a more efficient and streamlined process is obvious. This act would align with the current digital practices of Federal agencies and eliminate the need for multiple print submissions. This bill allows for electronic only publication of the Federal Register except for two print copies maintained by the Office of the Federal Register. By maintaining and improving the digital format of the Federal Register, the office will operate more efficiently, ultimately benefiting not only Federal agencies and the environment but also the American people. Mr. Speaker, I support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H.R. 9596, the Value Over Cost Act. The GSA keeps a list of goods and services that are available to Federal agencies for multiple GSA-approved vendors at different prices. This schedule is known as the Federal supply schedule. Agencies can order commercial goods and services listed on this schedule in different quantities at the prices stated on the schedule. It provides a simplified process for agencies to acquire goods and services while also earning the volume discounts for the Federal Government as a whole. Current law is ambiguous about whether the contracts and orders under the Federal supply schedule program must be the lowest price or the best value price. Best value contracts consider price but also things like the quality of the product and the expertise of the service provider. The bill clarifies that both the lowest price and the best value are acceptable outcomes for contracts obtained under the scheduled program. I commend Representative Byron Donalds and Representative Gerry Connolly from Virginia for their work on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2274. Dessie Bebout was a lifelong public servant, and this legislation would honor her legacy by naming a post office in Shoshoni, Wyoming, after her. We support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 9597, the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the bill. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana and Chairman Comer for working closely with us on the legislation. The bill strengthens the Federal Acquisition Security Council's capacity to guard our Nation's supply chains against foreign adversaries. The council was established in 2018, and this bill would improve its governing structure by moving it into the executive office of the President and elevating FASC membership requirements. The bill would always expand the council's authorities beyond supply chain security to include acquisition security more broadly and grants the council the authority to issue removal or exclusion orders of specific companies when necessary or when directed to do so by the United States Congress. Finally, our bill would create a streamlined process for Congress to designate sources of concern and requires the council to launch an investigation into these sources, with appropriate due process government-wide input and potential subcontractor prohibitions. Mr. Speaker, I commend the staff on both sides of the aisle for their creative collaboration on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I am closing with an admonition to everybody to vote for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate National Chess Week and recognize the remarkable accomplishments of this year's U.S. Chess Olympiad teams, who recently traveled to Budapest, Hungary. Across the country chess players young and old gather in parks, coffee shops, schools, and dorm rooms to analyze legendary games between grandmasters, play rapid games, and forge lasting friendships. As a chess enthusiast who has loved the game since elementary school, I have come to understand and appreciate that chess is not just a tremendous passion for millions of people, but a universal language and a powerful tool for the education of young people. Chess stirs and fortifies every player's emotional, psychological, and intellectual development. Widely considered to be the pinnacle of international chess, the Chess Olympiad is a biennial competition organized by the World Chess Federation where teams from all over the world gather to compete. This September, the 45th Chess Olympiad was held in Budapest, Hungary, with 188 nations and territories competing in the Open section and 169 teams in the Women's competition--both record turnouts. In just the second time in almost 70 years, both U.S. teams medaled. Teammates Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, Grandmaster Wesley So, Grandmaster Lenier Dominguez, Grandmaster Levon Aronian, Grandmaster Ray Robson, team captain International Master John Donaldson, and coach Grandmaster Mikhail Antipov secured a silver medal in the Open competition. Their colleagues on the U.S. Women's team, International Master Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, International Master Carissa Yip, Grandmaster Irina Krush, International Master Alice Lee, International Master Anna Zatonskih, team captain Grandmaster Melikset Khachiyan and coach Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk, took the bronze. Each of these remarkable chess players embodies the mission of U.S. Chess to ``empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.'' I have no doubt that the members of this year's U.S. teams will inspire future generations to excel at chess and to spread love of the game. In my district, the U.S. Chess Center, established in beautiful Silver Spring, has shared chess with 40,000 students at over 150 schools across the National Capital Region. Former world champion and Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, perhaps the greatest chess player who has ever lived, played a significant role in encouraging the creation of this vibrant institution and made short work of the Eighth District's United States Representative when we played, although it was still a great experience. Nearby, the recently established D.C. Chess Association promotes the joy of chess across our Nation's Capital. Mr. Speaker, chess is for everyone to play and enjoy. During this National Chess Week, we invite Americans of all backgrounds and abilities to experience the timeless magic and strategic beauty of chess, and I again congratulate both U.S. Chess Olympiad teams on their historic achievements. May their continued success inspire generations of future champions.