W. Steube

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, our Federal bureaucracy is riddled with wasteful and purposeless offices that do nothing but fuel the flames of divisiveness in our government. Why is our Federal Government more concerned with advancing programs that fuel racism over the needs of the American people? These offices seek to treat people differently based on immutable characteristics like the color of their skin or their gender. That should be offensive to all of us in Congress. Mr. Chair, my amendment would eliminate funding for the Communications Equity and Diversity Commission within the FCC. The mission of this woke DEI office is to advance ``equity in the provision of and access to digital communication services.'' Further, it seeks to advance progressive priorities by elevating certain small businesses based merely on the race or gender of the businessowner. Through the establishment of this council, it is clear that the FCC is working for special, politically favored groups instead of the American people as a whole. We are already seeing the products of these DEI policies at the FCC through draft rules implementing an obscure provision of the 2021 infrastructure bill that directed the FCC to prevent ``digital discrimination.'' Your guess is as good as mine as to what that has to do with infrastructure. Democrats on the FCC seek to go beyond the plain letter of this law to define ``digital discrimination'' to include disparate impact as evidence of discrimination. This means that the FCC could find that internet providers are guilty of discrimination simply because some areas of the country have slightly better access to the internet than others, regardless of whether there is any evidence of actual, legitimate discrimination. Unfortunately, even our internet access is not immune to the scourge of DEI ideology. Mr. Chair, these divisive DEI policies deserve no place in our Federal Government, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in rooting out this radical, progressive, and woke ideology. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, section 60506 of the IIJA mandates that the FCC develops a regulation to prevent digital discrimination of broadband access based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin. Progressive groups and FCC Democratic Commissioners want to use this provision to promulgate a regulation that goes beyond intentional discrimination. They want to include disparate impact as a form of discrimination under the rule. Under a disparate impact analysis, evidence of discrimination can be found solely in the outcome of certain practices. Essentially, internet service providers would have to provide the same exact product at the same speed to every customer in order to avoid a potential government investigation. If there is even a small difference in connectivity in an area inhabited by low-income individuals in comparison with wealthier areas, the FCC could claim the provider is guilty of discrimination under the draft rules promoted by these progressive groups and FCC Democrats. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this very good amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Madam Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of H.R. 6116.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to answer the question: How can we justify appropriating America's hard-earned taxpayer dollars to a foreign military that emboldens Hezbollah in their reign of terror and hate for America? Hezbollah's influence runs rampant throughout the Lebanese Government. Even advocates of aid to the Lebanese military concede that Hezbollah's influence runs rampant throughout the Lebanese Government. What matters is not the addressee. It is the address--Hezbollah's house. Money is fungible, and we are pumping cash and hard currency into a terror haven infested with terror finance and corruption. Even those advocating to aid the Lebanese military say that this is an entity unwilling and unable to counter Hezbollah. Then why are we wasting our money? My amendment ensures that none of Americans' taxpayer dollars may be made available for the Lebanese Armed Forces. Funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a policy that has been in place since 2006, essentially on autopilot. Since then, the U.S. has provided more than $3 billion to the Lebanese military, supposedly to build up state institutions as a counterweight to Hezbollah, but with little to show in return. In fact, Lebanon has come more under the sway of Hezbollah and Iran today than when the U.S. began funding Lebanon's military. Hezbollah's chief Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, is the political party literally in control of Lebanon's defense ministry. This is a policy on autopilot that gets renewed every year without Congress really having a chance to review this funding and ask whether this is a good place to spend taxpayer dollars and is in our national interests. We are funding an army that just yesterday shot smoke bombs at Israeli troops, which it called enemy troops. This should not be a partisan issue. Anyone who takes a look at this issue objectively, I think, will have serious questions about why we continue to fund the Lebanese Armed Forces, one of the most corrupt and bloated armies in the world. Most of Lebanon's military expenditures go to personnel salaries and benefits, a whopping 93 percent compared to 29 percent in the United States. These benefits include healthcare, maternity leave, compensation in the event of death, as well as domestic workers and drivers for high-ranking officers. For example, the Lebanese military, which consists of 80,000 soldiers, has 400 generals that are extremely highly paid, while the U.S. Army has a force of half a million but just 295 generals. This did not stop the Biden administration from notifying Congress last year that it was repurposing $67 million in aid to the Lebanese military in order to provide them with livelihood support, which just funds their salaries even more. Rather than funding armed Mercedes and other luxury goods for Lebanese generals, we should be funding our southern border. Lebanon's financial system is soaked in Hezbollah money laundering and financial crimes, and the terrorist group touches almost every facet of life in that country. It is impossible that any administration could vet all the recipients of these taxpayer dollars and their families because there are no controls. There is no way to know how these individuals use this money. Some of it could flow through Hezbollah exchange houses or possibly be spent in Hezbollah-run businesses. Mr. Chair, by safeguarding the actions of Hezbollah and other terror groups, the Lebanese Armed Forces fuels Iran's mission to kill American troops and wipe Israel off the map. I can't justify funding such horrific activity. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to recognize the dangers of funding the Lebanese Armed Forces by voting for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, it was described on the other side as ``a full-blown crisis in Lebanon.'' Why in the world would we send money to a country that is recognized by the opposition to be in a full-blown crisis? Another speaker said that this money goes to pay the salaries of Lebanese soldiers, and if they don't receive this money, some of these soldiers won't be able to pay for their gas. Since when is it the American taxpayer's responsibility to pay the salaries of Lebanese soldiers and ensure that they can get from one place to another? Mr. Chair, I watched the debate on this floor for the last week or so, and we are giving money to the Palestinians, we are giving money to Lebanon. We are going to give $500 million to Jordan for their border wall while we are not securing our border. The American people are sick and tired of giving foreign governments money and not putting America first. We have a $33 trillion deficit and we are more concerned in this body about giving money to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Ukraine, you name it. Mr. Chair, it is time to put America first. The American people have asked us to do that and that is why they put us in charge of the House. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, as stewards of America's hard-earned taxpayer dollars we must ensure such funds only go to measures that advance our American interests, not undermine them. We have provided billions of dollars to Iraq and lost thousands of lives in that country. Yet in 2023, we continue to provide a blank check to Iraq, despite this country going more and more against American interests and essentially having transformed into a proxy of Iran. My amendment ensures that none of Americans' taxpayer dollars may be used to provide assistance to Iraq. I served in Iraq, and while protecting American interests in the region remains critical, Mr. Chairman, we cannot justify sending our taxpayer dollars to a nation while being unable to safeguard those dollars from exploitation by Iran, ISIS, and other terror groups. Iran's influence over Iraq is so emboldened that Iraq essentially serves as a proxy state and haven for Iranian terror activity. Iraq has a literal arrest warrant out for President Trump for killing terrorist Soleimani. The Pentagon has disclosed that large portions of Iraq's security forces are overrun by Iranian-backed militants and IRGC terrorists, the same ones who continue to target American troops in the Middle East and the same ones who attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in 2019--and we want to send them money. This money is not countering terrorism. On the contrary, throwing millions of dollars at a country which uses its resources to put Iranian-backed terrorists on the payroll, terrorists which have attacked U.S. forces and the U.S. Embassy is insane. This does not give us leverage. It is unacceptable to appropriate American dollars for these purposes with the likelihood that some of the money could fall into the hands of the terrorists. This bill should support our diplomats and servicemembers serving overseas, not threaten them. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to recognize these dangers by voting for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, may I ask how much time I have remaining.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I had the opportunity to serve our country in Iraq and had the opportunity to work with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police, and it all sounds well and good if we are going to send money and it is going to go to these Christian organizations, it is going to go to these different individuals that we want to help; however, that is not the reality of what is happening based on the things that I originally said in my opening. You don't have control over that, and having had the experience of actually serving there and working with these individuals and the clans that are there and the groups that are there, the money isn't distributed the way that we want it to be distributed. You are seeing that in Lebanon, and you are seeing that in all these foreign entities. It is very interesting to me to stand up here and listen to my colleagues who talk about cutting spending and that we have a deficit and that we have a spending problem in Washington, and they would rather prioritize moneys to Iraq, to Lebanon, to Palestine, to Ukraine over the needs that we have in this country. The people in my district don't understand it. When I talk to people in my district, they don't get it. They don't understand why we would prioritize sending our hard-earned tax dollars to countries that are completely corrupt and hate us with no assurances that it is going in the places that it is going. Why would we do that? I just don't understand why we would stand here in the current economic situation that we have in this country and send money to foreign governments that hate us and try to kill us. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, is incredibly corrupt and mismanaged. This organization has a long history of anti-American bias and anti- Israel bias. They have even honored countries like China that consistently violate human rights. My amendment ensures that no taxpayer dollars go towards funding UNESCO. We must ensure that funds appropriated by this Congress are used in the interest of the American people. Why on Earth would we give American taxpayer dollars to organizations that hate America and favor our adversaries? President Trump was right to remove our country's membership in UNESCO. It is unconscionable that the Biden administration has chosen to rejoin UNESCO and, with that, pay over $600 million in back dues. Funding UNESCO is the opposite of America first. This Congress should not provide a single dollar to organizations that seek to disparage America and their allies. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chair, we need to put America first. We need to fix the spending problem that we have here in Washington. We have $33 trillion in debt. When I was first elected to Congress only 5 years ago, we had $21 trillion in debt; now we have $33 trillion in debt. We are running a $2 trillion deficit every single year to give money to an organization that is anti-American and anti-Israel. It is not putting America first. It is not putting the taxpayers' dollars to good use in this country. Mr. Chair, I ask Members to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Chairman, Genesis 1:27: ``So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female He created them.'' Genesis 5:1-2: ``When God created mankind, He made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them.'' Jesus stated in Mark 10:6: ``But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.'' Also in Matthew 19:4: ``At the beginning, the creator made them male and female.'' For thousands of years in human history, we have recognized as a species that there are women and there are men, who are obviously biologically different, dare I say even scientifically different. Even science agrees with this premise. Yet, over the last several years, there has been a perversion in our culture by the enemy, and the left has completely embraced the lie to erase the lines of gender and to convince you there isn't really gender and that gender is fluid and can be whatever you want, whenever you want--again, more lies. The left has taken gender identity so far that many on the left today cannot even define what a woman is for fear of retribution by trans activists. Even the latest Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Biden could not define what a woman is during questioning, and she now sits on the highest court in the land. The radical left has adopted completely made-up terms that didn't even exist just a few short years ago, like nonbinary, cisgender, trans male, trans female. You can even find that there are 74 made-up genders, 74 that you can choose from, everything from agender to omnigender. There is even an astral gender, which is having a gender identity that feels to be related to space. I don't even know what that means. Just a few short years ago, even Democrats would say that this is ridiculous, but today, it is common speak for the radical left. If you question these fictitious terms, they label you transphobic--again, another leftist idiom. I have three dictionaries in my house. One was copyrighted in 1828; one was copyrighted in 1959; and one was copyrighted in 1988. Shockingly, nowhere in any of these dictionaries are the terms ``nonbinary'' or ``trans man'' or ``trans woman.'' Even if you look on Webster today, just Google Webster, it says that ``trans man'' and ``trans female'' are terms that were first used in 1996. During the entire history of mankind, you were either male or female until the last few years. In worship to the trans movement, the Biden administration has moved at warp speed to infiltrate every aspect of the Federal Government with trans speak. Most recently, just a couple weeks ago, I am assuming in response to this bill moving to a vote, the Biden administration was looking to insert rules on Title IX to force biological men into women's sports in complete defiance of the laws this body passed over 50 years ago. Congress in 1972 created Title IX to protect women's sports to enable women to have an equal playing field in athletics. In worship to their trans idols, the administration wants to flip that on its head. It is insane. Title IX was created for women's sports, and now the left wants to kill it. In them giving homage to the trans movement, they are abandoning women all across the country. Parents do not want biological men in locker rooms with their daughters, nor do they believe it is equitable that a male can compete with women in female athletics. It is the whole purpose that Title IX was created to begin with. The radical left wants you to believe that this never happens, and there are only a few instances of this happening. However, the facts bear this statement as false. There is an entire website that documents examples of females who are displaced by males in women's sporting events. It includes the place ``she would have won'' had the male not been competing. There are hundreds of examples documented on SheWon.org and Concerned Women has a spreadsheet with, again, hundreds of examples where women faced men in competition. In my own district in Sarasota, Florida, my constituent, Emma Weyant, an incredibly talented swimmer and Olympic medalist, lost the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships title for the 500 freestyle by 1.75 seconds to a man who formerly competed for years on the men's swimming team, who took home that title after identifying as a woman. It is a sad day in America when the Democrats have regressed so far backward that they are willing to erase the rights that women have fought decades to obtain, all to elevate biological males to the top of women's podiums. The integrity of women's sports must be protected. H.R. 734 preserves women's sports and ensures fair competition for generations of women to come, just as Title IX originally intended. If my liberal colleagues truly believe in supporting women's rights, as they so often tout, they will vote in favor of this bill. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand for women's free and fair opportunity in athletics and to stand for truth, not lies.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Private First Class (PFC) Edmund F. Lewis, of Port Charlotte, Florida. On October 1, 2022, PFC Lewis will be awarded the Legion d'honneur, France's highest honor for acts of valor and integrity. PFC Lewis was drafted into service in 1943 and deployed to France in January of 1945 with the 65th Infantry Division. During his time in combat, PFC Lewis helped reestablish freedom for France from its hostile occupation by Nazi Germany. As an Infantryman, he found himself fighting on the front lines, advancing from town to town to free the occupied territory. Often under the presence of heavy enemy resistance, PFC Lewis and the allied forces pushed their way west into Germany and beyond, with the goal of bringing an end to the war. After months of fighting, PFC Lewis and his brothers in arms were able to secure the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. Following the surrender, PFC Lewis aided in the liberation of one of the most infamous Concentration Camps, Mauthausen, and freed thousands of prisoners who were held captive there. I thank PFC Lewis for his years of dedicated service to our Nation and congratulate him on receiving the Legion d'honneur.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate Pastors Randy and Amy Bezet on 20 years of faithful service leading Bayside Community Church. In 2002, Randy and Amy left their home state of Louisiana, moved to Florida, and founded Bayside Community Church. What started as a small congregation that met inside an elementary school has grown into a church spreading the Gospel to thousands of members across Southwest Florida. Randy and Amy have been blessed to witness God's work in the ministries they have launched over the past 20 years. They continue to expand their vision to reach people for Christ, raise them to become followers of the Lord, and release them to live their God-given purpose. Their heart for people has cultivated an authentic experience at Bayside Community Church and has changed many people's lives. I thank them for their dedicated service to those who live in our community and for their commitment to share the Gospel.

Mr. STEUBE

Mr. STEUBE. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 438. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress Baird (Bucshon) Bass (Correa) Bilirakis (Fleischmann) Blumenauer (Beyer) Boebert (Gaetz) Butterfield (Beyer) Conway (Valadao) Crenshaw (Ellzey) DeFazio (Pallone) DesJarlais (Fleischmann) Duncan (Norman) Gallego (Correa) Gomez (Evans) Granger (Gonzales, Tony (TX)) Jacobs (NY) (Tenney) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Jones (Beyer) Khanna (Jeffries) Kirkpatrick (Pallone) LaMalfa (Ellzey) Lamb (Pallone) Lawrence (Pallone) McEachin (Beyer) Meeks (Jeffries) Meng (Kuster) Napolitano (Correa) Nehls (Babin) Newman (Beyer) Palazzo (Fleischmann) Payne (Pallone) Rodgers (WA) (Moore (UT)) Rogers (KY) (Reschenthaler) Rush (Bowman) Ryan (OH) (Correa) Sanchez (Pallone) Scott, Austin (Cammack) Sewell (Cicilline) Sires (Pallone) Stansbury (Pallone) Stewart (Owens) Thompson (PA) (Keller) Vargas (Correa) Welch (Pallone)