Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

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. 5863, the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), my Ways and Means Committee colleague. This legislation was approved last year by the Ways and Means Committee 38-0 because families and communities across the country who suffered disasters need support. In fact, bipartisan support for this legislation was so strong that it was approved a second time by the Ways and Means Committee as part of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. This legislation not only helps victims of disasters but also provides broad and immediate tax relief for American workers, farmers, families, and small businesses, which is why the House of Representatives passed it with 84 percent support earlier this year. I encourage my Senate colleagues to take up that legislation to support disaster victims and help the millions of Americans treading water in today's economy. The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act provides assistance to communities across the country, bringing relief to those recovering and rebuilding after tragic floods and tornadoes, like those that affected communities in my home State of Missouri in the winter of 2021 and the summer of 2023, hurricanes like Hurricane Ian that claimed countless lives in Florida, wildfires like those that devastated communities in California and Hawaii, and the train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. I commend Representative Steube for his leadership on this issue. His passion started with his desire to provide help to the families he represents who were devastated by the hurricane. In the interest of getting this done, he broadened his relief effort to include over 300 storms in 45 States. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill so that we are standing with and supporting our fellow neighbors when they are most in need. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Thompson for his advocacy as well on this legislation and helping move it through our committee in a very bipartisan effort. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), the author of this legislation.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I once again commend the great work and advocacy of Mr. Steube, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Thompson. I can tell you they have been advocating since I have been chairman that this is an important piece of legislation to get across the finish line, and let's hope that the United States Senate does the same thing. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, 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 California (Mr. LaMalfa).

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5863) to provide tax relief with respect to certain Federal disasters, as amended.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

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 in support of the Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act, introduced by my good friend, Representative Mike Waltz. This bill would double the current distance that Customs and Border Patrol can enforce U.S. laws from 12 to 24 nautical miles off the coast of the United States. Congress should pass this legislation to protect America's national security and economic interests. CBP is responsible for enforcing America's trade laws. With this expanded area of operations, the agency can better protect intellectual property, fight illegal dumping of products, and ensure America is paid the customs revenues we are owed. Other law enforcement agencies, like the Coast Guard, already operate at the 24-nautical-mile-limit. CBP must be empowered fully to carry out its responsibilities, protect our national security, and enforce our trade laws. Currently, CBP must rely on Presidential proclamations for legal authority to pursue or board vessels more than 12 nautical miles off our coast. In some cases, courts have created uncertainty by questioning the validity of this authority. Congress can use its legislative power to give the agency more certainty and the ability to operate more effectively in the future. Making this change will also help keep American families safer. International crime rings smuggle drugs through our sea and airports. In fiscal year 2022, the Air and Marine Operations division of CBP captured hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs, including over 200,000 pounds of cocaine and 146 pounds of the deadly fentanyl poisoning Americans. More than 80 percent of those drugs were seized on the water. This bill makes it easier to stop illegal drugs from reaching our border and entering our communities. This bill also makes it easier for us to end the abuses of human trafficking. It is not just drugs that are smuggled into the United States. Humans are also being trafficked, and oftentimes by sea. By expanding in law the area in which they can operate, CBP agents will have more flexibility to capture and arrest criminals smuggling drugs and people into our country. This bill won bipartisan approval in the Ways and Means Committee last year because it is a commonsense approach to stopping international crime rings from breaking our laws and harming our communities. It is a change Customs and Border Patrol has asked us for and of which the Biden White House has previously supported. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1137, I call up the bill (H.R. 529) to extend the customs waters of the United States from 12 nautical miles to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States, consistent with Presidential Proclamation 7219, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 have no additional speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, this bill helps give Customs and Border Protection the certainty to know that they can enforce U.S. trade laws without fear of their authority being challenged in court. Allowing our Customs agents the authority to go out 24 miles off the coast is consistent with what both Republican and Democratic Presidents have supported. This bill helps CBP protect the livelihoods of American workers. When foreigners cheat our U.S. trade system and avoid paying the rightful duties they owe, it is American workers and small businesses that suffer. Improved trade enforcement not only helps our economy, but it will also help save American lives. Too many families know the pain of losing a loved one from a drug like fentanyl that should have never come into our country. Customs and Border Protection needs the certainty and operational flexibility to catch smugglers before their deadly drugs reach our shore. We need to end the current inconsistency by which Congress has fully authorized the Coast Guard to pursue and board suspicious vessels up to 24 miles off of our coast but has not done the same for CBP. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, America's working families have paid more than their fair share for the failed economic policies of Washington Democrats and the Biden administration. Prices are up over 18 percent since President Biden took office. Why is that? I say it is because the President is willing to sacrifice the well- being of working families to reward the wealthy and well connected. In the very first month of President Biden's term, inflation was 1.4 percent, and then Washington Democrats, under one-party control of the White House, the House, and the Senate, added more than $10 trillion of new spending, which fueled the inflation fire that has now caused inflation to rise almost 20 percent since Joe Biden took the oath of office. That is why every American is paying more to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their car, because of the failed economic policies of the Washington Democrats and the Biden administration. This, a carbon tax, would simply add insult to that injury for so many Americans. It would raise the cost of raising a family and the cost of doing business. It would dull America's competitive edge and penalize American job creators and innovators against China. The American people, Mr. Speaker, cannot afford, nor should they be forced to pay for, a liberal agenda that imposes a carbon tax on American families and American small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution, and 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 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Zinke).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 86) expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 concurrent resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, working families are struggling to make ends meet, to afford to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their cars, all because of the inflation crisis that has been fueled by Washington Democrats' runaway spending and President Biden's failed economic policies. The last thing America needs is a carbon tax. It would raise energy prices and harm American competitiveness. It would put American workers and job creators at a disadvantage to appease the President's wealthy environmentalist donors and their far-left agenda. The Biden administration is already giving billion-dollar corporations and big banks massive tax breaks under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. This is the same administration that is celebrating spending over a trillion dollars and counting on special interest green energy handouts, including electric vehicle tax credits for wealthy households, while funneling American tax dollars to countries like China. For working families, a carbon tax would not only raise prices at the pump but also at the grocery store. It would raise the cost of doing business on Main Street at a time when America's small businesses are struggling under the highest interest rates in over two decades. Those who can least afford to pay more, like seniors on fixed incomes, would suffer the most. Today, Congress can send a loud and clear message to the American people and the Biden administration that says: Not on our watch. Not on our watch will there be an anti-American family, anti-American worker, pro-China carbon tax, while trillions of those same hardworking Americans' tax dollars go to line the pockets of the wealthy and well connected. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend Dr. Burgess for his steadfast leadership working in a bipartisan and bicameral manner to bring this important piece of legislation forward. This bill ensures that the Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeepers of Congress, is more accurately reflecting the long-term fiscal impact of policies; in this case, policies that have the potential to lower the cost of the ever-growing Federal spending on healthcare, a major part of our Nation's annual budget. It also has the added benefit of encouraging preventive healthcare policies that can lower the risk of illness and chronic disease among our fellow citizens, leading to a healthier Nation. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, these are exactly the type of policies I want our committee to consider, which can truly upend the healthcare system as we know it. In short, this bill promotes both the fiscal health of the country and the physical health of its people. As the former Republican leader of the House Budget Committee, I have had the honor of fighting alongside Dr. Burgess in the trenches of fiscal policy. Together, we have worked to ensure CBO is aiding, not preventing, investments in bold healthcare reform. This bill is a key victory in every effort.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).