Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, America's public servants deserve to be treated fairly by Social Security, and all of America's seniors deserve access to the benefits that they have earned and to live out their retirement with dignity. These truths are not mutually exclusive. We owe it to those Americans who dedicated their careers to serving the public that they are not treated unfairly because of a mistake Congress made decades ago. We also have a duty to the millions of seniors on Social Security not impacted by GPO or WEP to put in place a legislative fix that protects their benefits. I will commend my colleague and good friend, Congressman Graves, for his tireless work on behalf of these seniors and encourage all of my colleagues to consider how this legislation will affect their constituents one way or another as they vote. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, which fully repeals Social Security's windfall elimination provision and government pension offset. The WEP and GPO are two Social Security policies that adjust benefits for workers who receive a pension from jobs that were exempt from Social Security payroll taxes, frequently police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public servants. These two provisions affect around 4 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries, more than 60 percent of whom are concentrated in 10 States. These two policies were put in place more than four decades ago to prevent workers with earnings that were exempt from Social Security payroll taxes from getting more generous treatment from Social Security than workers who spent their whole careers contributing to Social Security. Unfortunately, these policies still result in overly generous benefits for some while unfairly penalizing others. This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee has held more hearings on WEP and GPO than any other Congress over the past 20 years. At our first hearing, held at a fire station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we heard directly from American retirees who have been affected by these flawed provisions, which took most of them completely by surprise. At our second hearing, we identified that there are alternatives to the current WEP and GPO formulas, using data which wasn't available when those two provisions were put in place 40 years ago, which would provide all beneficiaries with a fair benefit based on their actual earnings. Mr. Speaker, while the Social Security Fairness Act repeals the flawed WEP and GPO, it is far from being a perfect solution and does nothing to replace them with a fair formula. Unfortunately, without a replacement, this bill is projected to cost Social Security almost $200 billion over the next 10 years and expedite Social Security's insolvency by about 6 months. When that happens, it is projected that all beneficiaries, not just those affected by the WEP and GPO, will receive a 20 to 25 percent benefit cut. The WEP and GPO are flawed, but they were put in place for a reason: to try to fairly account for workers holding jobs both outside and inside the Social Security system. I think everyone agrees they have done an imperfect job in treating all workers fairly, and that is certainly something we need to fix. However, to get rid of them without a replacement potentially trades unfair treatment for preferential treatment. Like many of the Members who support this legislation, I share the goal of providing real relief to those who are harmed by these unfair Washington rules, which is why it is unfortunate that this legislation had to come to the floor this way. I would have much rather had a bipartisan solution that came to the floor through regular order that both repealed this formula but also replaced it while holding retirees and current workers harmless. It is why I appreciate that while the gentleman could have filed a Consensus Calendar motion for H.R. 82 more than 460 days ago, Representative Garret Graves instead chose to work in good faith with the committee to find an alternative that is fully paid for. Unfortunately, Democrats and key stakeholders were ultimately unwilling to come together and identify a real bipartisan solution that would protect both those harmed by the WEP and GPO and the Social Security trust fund, which all beneficiaries rely on. Mr. Speaker, if Members don't want to be right back here next Congress, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work with us to fix this issue moving forward and protect the retirement security of all American seniors. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the author of this legislation.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first off, this bill was marked up in committee back in April, so it wasn't like it was done yesterday, and we have been bringing this forward. Also, Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important to note that what this bill does is it codifies current rules that were put into place by the Trump administration, but the Biden administration has rescinded almost everything of Trump's except for tariffs and this policy. They have not rescinded it. If Democrats thought it was bad, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have rescinded it. I would hope the President's own party would support it, but we will see today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1455, I call up the bill (H.R. 5179) to require the maintenance of the country of origin markings for imported goods produced in the West Bank or Gaza, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, the old saying is, ``knowledge is power.'' By codifying the Trump-era rule that currently labels items coming from Israel as originating in Israel, this body can empower individual Americans to buy products supporting our ally. I thank Representatives Claudia Tenney and Greg Steube, both of whom have been leaders on this issue, for sounding the alarm about the attempt by the Biden-Harris administration to weaken Israel. Congress should not even have to debate this topic, but the Customs and Border Protection rule in question provides no special treatment to Israel, but it does extend fair treatment to their exports. After more than 3 years in office, the Biden-Harris administration has not changed this policy. Unfortunately, reports earlier this year indicated that the Biden- Harris administration was preparing to overturn this policy. Such a change could still happen at any time unless Congress acts. This proposed reversal would hurt both American consumers and our ally. Israel's economy is slowing from the strain of a war it didn't start. The last thing Israel needs as it fights to end this war are trade barriers that make it harder to choose Israeli products. The loss of revenue from American businesses and consumers would only magnify the harm done to Israel by this war. More importantly, this proposed reversal of sound policy seems to be driven more by political pandering than a consideration for Israel's ability to defend and provide for itself while under attack. House Republicans have made our commitment to supporting our friend and ally crystal clear. We have not left Israel wondering and worrying whether Republicans will support them. This bill is a clear opportunity to stand with Israel and empower American families, and I hope that the minority will join us in sending a clear message that Congress and America will support our ally. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Anti-BDS Labeling Act introduced by my good friend and Committee on Ways and Means colleague, Ms. Tenney. For years, far-left progressives have targeted Israel through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. In fact, many of the recent campus protests that we saw that came in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel shut down elite universities to try to force university endowments to divest from Israel. For these protesters, no step is too far to achieve their goals. The incidents of harassment, bullying, and intimidation of Jewish students are at this point too numerous to count. The Ways and Means Committee will not stop holding these elite universities accountable until every Jewish student feels safe on campus. This small, loud minority does not speak for the vast majority of Americans. Let me be clear: America stands with Israel. Under President Trump, the alliance between the United States and Israel was stronger than ever before. He moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. He brokered the Abraham Accords, sending a message to Iran that Israel does not stand alone. He canceled President Obama's disastrous Iran nuclear deal. The list goes on and on. One of the items on that list of accomplishments was a move to counter the same BDS movement fueling the chaos on college campuses. In 2020, the Trump administration's Customs and Border Protection clarified the labeling of items imported from Israel. Items coming from regions of the West Bank under Israeli authority must be labeled as coming from Israel, just as labels on items coming from Hamas- controlled Gaza or areas of the West Bank outside of Israeli control must reflect its origin as coming from one of those two areas. This bill before us codifies this Trump rule into law and bans the use of any Federal dollars to reverse or alter it. American families should have this information in order to buy products that support Israel's economy, particularly in a time of war. Conversely, people should know if an item comes from a region controlled by terrorists that kidnapped and killed their fellow Americans. Public reports earlier this year indicated that the Biden- Harris administration considered reversing this policy. Once again, Mr. Speaker, Democrats are putting the demands of radical progressives ahead of our best ally and our largest trading partner in the Middle East. Mr. Speaker, I urge my Democratic colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation and join us in empowering Americans looking to show their support for Israel. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, a Social Security number is the gateway to taking control of an American's identity and finances. Congress owes it to the American people to do everything that we can to ensure their identities are protected and that the process for taking back control of their identity when their Social Security number is compromised is streamlined and easy. We especially owe it to the almost 1 million children who were victims of identity fraud in 2022 through no fault of their own. H.R. 3784 is a long-overdue step forward in streamlining the Social Security Administration's process and alleviating the burden on victims. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Yakym).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Every taxpayer deserves to have their data protected from theft and illegal disclosure. Our voluntary tax filing system depends on trust, a trust that was betrayed by a criminal with political motives who calculated that the crime would be worth the current punishment. Simply put, he knew the crime he was committing, he knew the likelihood he would end up in prison for just a few months or years, and he decided the risks were clearly worth his reward. We have an opportunity to deter similar actions from happening again in the future by making the punishment match the crime. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. When Americans file their taxes, they expect their personal data and tax information are confidential. Between 2017 and 2021, Charles Littlejohn, who worked as a contractor for the IRS, stole taxpayer information, and he stole a lot of it. He gave it to The New York Times and ProPublica, who published articles containing that confidential tax information about President Trump and other notable figures. Mr. Littlejohn then destroyed evidence and obstructed law enforcement investigations. Despite his efforts to cover up his crimes, Mr. Littlejohn admitted that he was ``aware of the potential consequences'' and, in fact, made his decision ``with the full knowledge that [he] would likely end up in a courtroom.'' Current law failed to deter Mr. Littlejohn from stealing and leaking private and sensitive taxpayer information. Moreover, the Department of Justice only charged Mr. Littlejohn with a single count of unauthorized disclosure of private tax information. Given this lackluster charge, Republicans wrote the judge urging the court to sentence Mr. Littlejohn to the maximum sentence for the crimes he committed, particularly given the number of taxpayers impacted by his actions. Mr. Littlejohn ultimately received the maximum sentence available, but the court was limited to the single count that the Department of Justice brought charges on. This bipartisan bill ensures that the punishment fits the crime. Current law states that any violation shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not to exceed $5,000 or imprisonment of not more than 5 years or both. This bill increases the maximum penalty for the unauthorized disclosure of returns and return information to include a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of not more than 10 years or both. It also ensures that prosecutors can consider each taxpayer impacted by a disclosure to support a separate and distinct violation of the law. Increasing the punishment for this crime will result in better deterrence for potential criminals and fewer crimes of this sort being committed. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation and send a very clear message that Congress will not tolerate the theft and leak of taxpayer information. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, this legislation was approved by the Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I hope we can show that same level of support here today. I yield back the balance of my time.