Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the chairman of our Work and Welfare Subcommittee.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. This bipartisan legislation will help more Americans in a rough patch get back on their feet quickly and back into the workforce. Communities across the country are currently in the middle of a multiple-year labor shortage. We know this from the companies of all sizes and in all industries that have warned what the lack of available workers is doing to their business. Some are cutting hours of operation or increasing customer wait times, while businesses forfeit opportunities to expand and grow because of the lack of labor. This shortage makes business less productive, slows down our economy, and adds to our national debt. Ultimately, families pay the highest price when able-bodied workers can't or don't find new employment. This bill takes steps to tackle the labor shortage by expanding needed job placement services to individuals receiving unemployment. This bipartisan bill is an easy, commonsense win for America's workers and small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote to advance this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

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. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3784, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act. In 2022 alone, there were over a thousand data breaches which exposed the private data, such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of millions of Americans, putting their identities and financial well-being at risk. We all know someone who has been a been a victim of identity theft, and we have seen how difficult and time consuming it is for those individuals to take back control of their credit and financial well- being. The longer it takes to resolve an issue like the loss or theft of a Social Security number, the longer fraudsters have to compromise or exploit an individual's identity. This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing that underlined exactly why this bill is needed. We heard from Margaret, a new mother, who testified about her 9-month-old daughter's Social Security number being compromised and the stress associated with such a situation. She testified that having a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration to talk to about her case would have made a world of difference. That is exactly what this bill does. H.R. 3784 will streamline the process of addressing concerns with lost or stolen Social Security numbers by reducing the burdens on victims and ensuring a more efficient resolution of their issues. I thank my colleagues, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Drew Ferguson and Ranking Member John Larson for their bipartisan work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Nearly 90 percent of the $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare spending in this country goes toward the treatment of patients with chronic diseases. Part of improving the delivery of healthcare in America must be expanding the opportunity for folks to better manage their chronic health conditions so that they can live longer, healthier lives, and we can bring down the financial impact of healthcare on individuals, families, businesses, and the government. The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act, introduced by Ways and Means colleagues Dr. Wenstrup and Representative Blumenauer, will expand treatment and disease management options by allowing employers that offer high-deductible healthcare plans to also offer predeductible coverage, otherwise known as first-dollar coverage, for 14 chronic healthcare services. Those services include beta blockers for patients with congestive heart failure, blood pressure monitors for patients with high blood pressure, inhalers for patients with asthma, and cholesterol drugs and testing for patients with heart disease. The list does not have to end there. In fact, the bill also allows for that list of covered services to be expanded in the future. The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act actually codifies a Trump administration policy that will incentivize employers to offer coverage for these services so that they can lower healthcare costs for their workers and their businesses. High-deductible health plans are a great option for employers and employees looking for more affordable coverage, and this bill will make them even more beneficial to individuals with chronic disease. Flexibilities like these in care delivery and coverage options are key to improving patient outcomes, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation. 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 the 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. 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. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I could not disagree more with the prior comments. In fact, the best way to define my opinion of the prior comments would be to justify something we use where I come from. I come from the Ozark Hills, and we refer to that as hogwash because this bill right here will actually protect American autoworkers instead of Chinese autoworkers. It is delusional to think any other thing because, if you are subsidizing the Chinese and not the American resources, the American manufacturer and the American worker lose. Mr. Speaker, since the prior speaker is actually from the State of Michigan and Michigan has had a lot of conversations about a company that is coming in called CATL, that is a Chinese battery company that has partnered with Ford. They partnered with Ford, even though it is a Chinese battery company, to get these resources. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this article reporting that the founder of CATL, that leading Chinese battery company, said: ``CATL's partnership with Ford Motor on an electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S.,'' which is in Michigan, ``will not be affected by the White House's new rules on Chinese involvement in such projects.'' He also continued in this and said: ``The plant structure was designed under the definition of the foreign entity of concern, so there will be no impact''--that there will be no impact--``on further implementation.'' With these EV handouts, China wins, and the American manufacturer and the American worker lose. [From Nikkei Asia, Dec. 7, 2023] CATL Says Ford Project on Track Despite New U.S. Battery Rules (CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer) Hong Kong--CATL's partnership with Ford Motor on an electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S. will not be affected by the White House's new rules on Chinese involvement in such projects, Zeng Yuqun, the founder of the Chinese battery giant, told Nikkei Asia. ``The plant structure was designed under the definition of the foreign entity of concern (FEOC), so there will be no impact on further implementation,'' Zeng said. In February, Ford announced it would start producing low- cost lithium-ion batteries by 2026 at its plant in Michigan using technology licensed from CATL, the world's biggest maker of EV batteries. The move has drawn fire from U.S. lawmakers over concerns that American subsidies and grants under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would flow to a Chinese entity. Last week, the Biden administration proposed new guidelines regarding a concept known as a foreign entity of concern (FEOC). The guidelines are aimed at addressing what Washington sees as America's overreliance on EV batteries manufactured in China--a powerhouse in the field, commanding significant control of various parts of the supply chain. Six of the world's 10 largest EV battery manufacturers are Chinese. Under the new rules, which take effect in January, a joint venture would be classified as an FEOC if a company from one of four designated countries--China, Iran, North Korea and Russia--holds a stake of 25 percent or more, or if a company entered into a licensing agreement with another entity that entitles the latter to exercise ``effective control'' over the production of the battery components. An FEOC would be ineligible for tax credits and grants. CATL, meanwhile, is continuing its research and development push. On Thursday, it announced plans to establish its international headquarters in Hong Kong and to set up an R&D center in the city. The company currently has more than 18,000 researchers and over 22,000 patents, a number that is increasing by more than 7,000 each year, according to Zeng. The investment will be worth over 1 billion Hong Kong dollars ($128 million) and create more than 500 jobs, according to Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan. With a global market share of 37 percent, CATL supplies batteries to major automakers including Tesla, Volkswagen, BMW and Nissan Motor. Zeng, the founder, said CATL will intensify its development efforts, particularly by establishing a strong R&D center in Hong Kong. The products generated by the R&D center will be patented, and CATL will license these patents for a fee. Additionally, it can provide services to outside companies for a fee, according to Zeng.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams), the chair of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, Congress has a choice to make today: Do we stand with America's taxpayers, or do we follow the lead of the Harris-Biden administration and stand with the Chinese Communist Party? This bill will undo and block harmful policies that allow Chinese billionaires and manufacturers to pocket American taxpayer money. We wouldn't have to be here today, stopping China from taking that money, if Vice President Harris had not chosen to cast the tiebreaking vote for the inflation expansion act. It significantly expanded tax credits for luxury vehicles and has been implemented to allow for loopholes and giveaways so that foreign entities of concern, along with the wealthy and the well-connected, are the ones who are benefiting. For decades, China has used every morally and ethically questionable tool in its toolbox, including illegal practices, to gain an unfair advantage in key industries. It is doing the same exact thing with electric vehicles today. Yet, the Biden-Harris administration thinks American taxpayers owe China a helping hand. Workers in auto factories, battery plants, miners in idle critical mineral mines, and everyday taxpayers will be the ones who pay the price, Mr. Speaker. I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us in standing up for American workers, American manufacturers, and American taxpayers and vote ``yes.'' In the end, we are asking you to vote for what you said you were voting for in your own law just 2 years ago in the inflation expansion act. To do otherwise is to keep putting more taxpayer money into the pockets, Mr. Speaker, of Chinese billionaires and the Chinese Communist Party. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1430, I call up the bill (H.R. 7980) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude vehicles the batteries of which contain materials sourced from prohibited foreign entities from the clean vehicle credit, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act introduced by my good friend and Ways and Means colleague, Mrs. Carol Miller of West Virginia. For years, the Chinese Communist Party has been doing everything it can do to dominate the electric vehicles market from the critical minerals needed to build EV batteries to the vehicles themselves. Through forced labor practices, market distorting subsidies, and illegal trade mechanisms, China for years has manipulated the global marketplace for electric vehicles and their components. Instead of using the critical minerals in our own backyard to compete, the Biden- Harris administration has put an effective ban on recovering those materials and minerals in the U.S., furthering China's competitive advantage. To make matters worse, pushed by their radical environmentalist base, the Harris-Biden administration is now using American taxpayer dollars to further China's dominance of the EV market. When Vice President Harris cast the deciding, tiebreaking vote for the inflation expansion act, she and every Democrat in Congress handed a massive gift to the Chinese Government and its cronies. While the letter of the law, as written by Senator Manchin, states these tax handouts are off-limits to foreign entities of concern like China, the Harris-Biden administration wrote ridiculously weak implementation regulations that every Chinese businessman should love. The foreign entity of concern regulations for the inflation expansion act's EV credits, put out by the Department of the Treasury, are insulting. They are insulting to every American who cares about national security and who doesn't want to see their tax dollars flow to China. One has to ask: Why not copy the exact same regulations that the Department of Commerce put out when implementing the semiconductor grants in the Chips and Science Act? If they were good then, why not now? If the Harris-Biden administration was concerned enough about China accessing U.S. tax dollars that they wrote language prohibiting any Chinese national from having a 25 percent stake in a U.S. company receiving grants, then why not do the exact same thing here? Why, instead, write a massive implementation loophole that allows any Chinese billionaire with unofficial ties to the Chinese Communist Party to receive U.S. taxpayer subsidies? The answer is simple. The current occupants of the White House are conflicted. They are conflicted between pretending to be tough on China and being responsive to the radical environmentalists who control their party. It is time we put the brakes on giving taxpayer money to Chinese billionaires and the Chinese Communist Party. When Democrats controlled Washington, they opened the door for China to take billions from hardworking taxpayers. Under Republican leadership of the House of Representatives, we are fighting back on the side of American taxpayers and for the security and prosperity for our Nation, not for the Chinese Communist Party. This legislation shuts down the loopholes that the Harris-Biden administration have created that allow Chinese billionaires and manufacturers to profit from American taxpayer dollars. America's working families should not be forced to subsidize a nation whose decades of unfair trade practices and government subsidies have led to lost jobs, shuttered factories, and hollowed-out communities right here at home. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in telling China that the days of fleecing American taxpayers are over. Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the language from this bill comes directly from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is nothing new. Democrats are accusing, as we just heard, Republicans of having hateful motives, that this bill codifies a standard set forth by their own administration, the Harris-Biden administration. If this language is xenophobic, that is an issue that should be taken up with President Biden's Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo. What this language does do is recognize that the Chinese Communist Party's influence extends beyond government officials listed on government rosters. Its control over its people and economy is less transparent than in Western democracies. That boils down to the fact that Republicans think it is our responsibility to make sure that taxpayer dollars are not being sent directly to our adversaries, while Democrats will spare no cost forcing everyone to drive an electric vehicle. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar), the chair of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the only time a surrender white flag is waved in this country to China is whenever the Democratic Party that is controlled by the environmentalists will not allow Americans to use their own critical minerals and natural resources in this country for the products that we should deliver. Banning the opportunity for Americans to be able to mine our own critical minerals is what empowers China, is what surrenders the flag to China. Until the Democratic Party pushes back at the environmentalists that control them, the American people will suffer and the Chinese will benefit. For my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who continue to claim that the 2017 tax relief only went to the wealthy, I would like to remind them that the Trump tax cuts applied across the board and mostly went to individuals and families. In fact, if those tax cuts expire next year, 70 percent of the tax increases will fall on households earning less than $500,000 a year. Let's contrast this with Democrats' green energy welfare. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record this analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation showing that big corporations with more than $1 billion in sales are receiving over 90 percent of special interest electricity subsidies like those in the inflation expansion act, which Vice President Harris was the tiebreaking vote to become law. Congress of the United States, Joint Committee on Taxation, Washington, DC, March 31, 2023. Memoradum Tentative Energy Credits by Industry This memorandum is in response to your request for data on claims for certain energy credits by industry, including credits claimed by management companies. Below we report the tentative claims for credit under Code section 45, the credit for electricity produced from certain renewable resources, and the tentative claims for credit under section 48, the energy investment credit, by C corporations for the 2019 and 2020 tax years. The amounts reported are the tentative claims for credit before any limitation that the taxpayer might face and before any audit adjustment that might occur. For each of section 45 and section 48 we report the dollars of credit claimed by industry using the North American Industrial Classification System (``NAICS'') code level. Presenting these data at a finer level of detail potentially would create concerns of disclosure of information specific to taxpayers. For example, for section 45 we removed 2020 data for the wholesale and retail trade industry as the sample size became too limited.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, big banks received three times more benefits from these tax credits than any other industry. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 4 p.m. on Monday, September 16, 2024, and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at noon on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, for morning- hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Kelly for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in remembering the life and legacy of our good friend, our colleague, Mr. Pascrell. I had the honor of working with Bill over the years as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and I can tell you that no one brought more passion or more of a presence in our committee room than Mr. Pascrell. Anyone who has been on the right side or the wrong side of a point of view or opinion that Bill had knows what a tireless advocate he was for the communities that he represented. His life was dedicated to service, from his time in the New Jersey General Assembly, to mayor of his hometown of Paterson, to a senior Member of this House of Representatives. While he and I certainly did not always see eye to eye on a lot of the policy debates we had in the Ways and Means Committee or here on the floor of the House, Bill was not shy or afraid of working across the aisle to find common cause. I know I speak for the entire Ways and Means Committee when I say that Bill will be profoundly missed, not just for his passion and friendship but for his knowledge of the issues. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill's family and his staff during this difficult time. His service to this Nation and his passion and commitment to those he served will continue to be an example for us all.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

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