Dave Trott

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the potentially grave situation facing our Nation's security this week. Despite the National Defense Authorization Act garnering widespread bipartisan support in both Houses of Congress, President Obama has inexplicably threatened to veto it. Our soldiers and their families deserve better than an administration that plays politics with the pay for our troops and puts our national security on the line just to prove a political point. What I find most shocking is the President spent the last several months fighting to lift economic sanctions so that Iran's terrorist army could receive billions in aid, and now he is planning to block funding for America's military. This is unbelievable. Our soldiers deserve better. Our Nation deserves better. America is facing increased threats from around the globe. We have soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. We have military families bravely continuing with their lives as their loved ones risk their lives for freedom. Not only do we need to fully fund our troops, but we need to show the world that, when it comes to our defense and national security, the United States stands as one strong, unified body. Mr. Speaker, it is time the President drops the partisan games and stands with our troops. It is time he signs the bill.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for all of their hard work. The fact that we are even debating whether to enter into this agreement is very troubling. Let's be clear what we are talking about. The United States of America is going to enter into a deal with a rogue nation who refuses to release the four Americans they are holding, who has cheated on every deal they have been party to over the past 30 years, who is a party to secret deals we cannot see, who calls all of us the Great Satan, who calls for death to our citizens and wants to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. And we are told the deal is necessary because the United States of America has no other option. Has it really come to this? We have options. One option is a better deal, and a better deal looks like this: release the four Americans, no sunset clause, and inspections just like we were promised--anytime, anywhere. And if these terms are unacceptable to Iran, then the United States of America will use all of its economic might to put tough sanctions back in place. If we do this deal, let's look at what the next 25 years looks like. Immediately, in the next 12 months, Iran will get their hands on $50 billion to $150 billion. The money will not be used for their citizens. It will be used to perpetuate terror around the world. Iran will get its money; we won't get our four Americans. Over the next 12 months, they will start to cheat and they will get a bomb or two. Over the next 12 months, we are going to start an arms race in the Middle East. Over the next 1 to 5 years, we will try and snap back sanctions, but that will be ineffective because all the long- term contracts will be grandfathered in. In 5 years, Iran will be buying conventional weapons. In 8 years, they will have a ballistic missile. In 10 years, because of their cheating, they will have a ballistic missile with a nuclear bomb pointed at the United States of America. And in 25 years, our friend and ally Israel may not exist. I was in business for 30 years before I got here, and the one thing I knew is you cannot do a good deal with a bad guy. We cannot do this deal with Iran.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, this headline is dated July 21, 2025. It is what our children and grandchildren will read in the history books in 10 years. ``Due to Obama Agreement, Iran Develops Nuclear Arsenal. Rogue Nation Now Threatening To Strike United States, Destroy Israel, & Attack Other U.S. Allies.'' In addition to creating a nuclear Iran, this deal will also create an arms race. It will create a means through which to finance more terrorism. It will create more tension because we only have ``managed access inspections.'' What this deal will not change is Iran's behavior. They will continue to hate us. They will continue to call for ``death to America.'' This deal is a big gamble, a gamble the United Nations is apparently willing to take, but one that we in Congress must reject. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this deal. We can never allow this terrible headline to become a reality.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Madam Chair, I want to thank the gentleman from California for allowing me to speak in support of this bill. Today, I rise concerned about the need for stronger cybersecurity efforts in our country. We live in a world where personal data flows through the Internet with great speed and data about people is gathered in an instant. The use of social media has opened up our lives to anyone with a computing device, and this is the same world where hackers steal millions of personal records from people in our districts. I would venture to guess that most Members of Congress have been affected by hackers. Internet criminals pose dire threats to our governments on the local, State, and Federal level. The Federal Government has extensive resources to put up a fight, but our local governments and municipalities do not. In response, five southeast Michigan counties--Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne--and the State of Michigan came together to build the Cyber Security Assessment for Everyone. CySAFE, as it is known, provides a strong point for governments to begin assessing their cybersecurity needs and taking steps to respond to attacks. The assessment is a simple Excel download located at www.g2gmarket.com. Madam Chair, I commend these local Michigan governments for committing the resources to develop such a tool. I encourage all of my colleagues to promote the use of CySAFE and to work together to find the right solutions to fight cyber crime, starting with passing H.R. 1560.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for the opportunity to cosponsor and to speak in favor of H.R. 685. There is no question that Dodd-Frank is making the dream of homeownership more difficult for many Americans. There are a myriad of unintended consequences that were created by this regulation, and the problems are largely the result of an overreach by the Federal Government and poorly thought-out rules, rules which, in many cases, were written by people that may or may not know the difference between mortgagee and mortgagor. The Mortgage Choice Act addresses a problem created by the qualified mortgage rule. The qualified mortgage rule treats the cost of title insurance differently depending on whether the title insurance agency is affiliated with the lender. The distinction is nonsensical. In many States like Michigan, the title insurance cost is regulated by an insurance commissioner or through a filed rate; consequently, the cost of insurance in most States is typically the same regardless of whether the title agency is an affiliate or not. The current definition of points and fees is not only illogical, but it also increases the cost of mortgage credit by making lending less efficient and less profitable. It also reduces the mortgage options that are available to consumers; and it generally makes credit less available, which, in turn, stifles the ability of hard-working Americans to buy a home. The one thing that the current definition of points and fees does do, however, is it gives the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a reason to hire more staff to run around the country and audit and impose sanctions on lenders, sanctions which ultimately hurt consumers and the lending industry. I ask my colleagues to support the Mortgage Choice Act, as it truly will afford consumers more choices as they pursue their dream of homeownership.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to pay tribute to Camille Jayne, the chair of the board of The Community House in Birmingham, Michigan. The Community House is a 92-year-old nonprofit organization with a mission to impact the lives of those it serves through education and outreach experiences. When The Community House was badly in need of a major overhaul, it hired Camille Jayne in 2012. Camille is a strategic business, planning, marketing, and operations expert who brought over 30 years of experience to The Community House. Camille's impact has been tremendous. In 2011, The Community House had an operating loss, but through Camille's leadership, she was able to turn things around and put The Community House back on a strong fiscal foundation. Her efforts to rebrand, remarket, and retool every business unit were instrumental in the turnaround. The Community House is a cornerstone of the Birmingham community. Over 210,000 youth, adults, seniors, and business professionals take advantage of The Community House classes, lectures, and programs each year. All this is accomplished with a small staff of less than 40 people, which is augmented by 700 part-time staff, teachers, and volunteers. Under Camille's leadership, there is no doubt The Community House will continue to survive and serve southeast Michigan, and I believe the best is yet to come. It is my honor to pay tribute today to Camille James' accomplishments and the great work that continues at the Birmingham Community House.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, the President presented his budget yesterday, and I am disappointed to say that it is just more of the same tax-and- spend policies that we have seen over the past 6 years--$4 trillion of spending, $2 trillion in new taxes, and more deficits for the next 10 years. I have only been in Washington for a month, but the prevailing message from the President seems to be that politicians know better than the people, that Big Government is the solution, and that huge deficits are just part of life. This experiment has failed and has hurt the hardworking taxpayers in my district, who built our economy. Since 2009, the debt has grown from $10 trillion to $18 trillion. The new budget has the debt at $26 trillion in 10 years, and interest payments alone on our national debt will quadruple in the next 10 years. Now more than ever we need a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution. It is a simple concept: force the Federal Government to live within its means. Families do it; businesses do it; cities, counties, and States are doing it. I urge my colleagues to join me as cosponsors of House Joint Resolutions 1 and 2.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today, this House will vote on important bipartisan legislation designed to rein in costly Federal regulations. The Regulatory Accountability Act will modernize the Federal rulemaking process by directing the executive branch to fulfill its statutory goals in the least costly method and requires agencies to solicit input from, of all places, the public to find the most efficient regulatory solutions. The Regulatory Accountability Act is necessary because ineffective, inefficient regulations from Washington have increased prices, lowered wages, killed jobs, and made our Nation less competitive. There is no question that these regulations are hurting hardworking families in Michigan's 11th District and throughout our great Nation. The facts on Washington's overregulation are shocking. Federal regulations now impose an estimated burden of $1.86 trillion. That burden is suffocating America's job creators. It equals roughly $15,000 per household and 11 percent of our gross domestic product. To make matters worse, the new regulations cooked up in Washington are often unnecessary and have unintended consequences. I spent 30 years in business and have seen firsthand the devastating impact overregulation from Washington can have on our economy. We cannot expect our job providers to grow and hire more employees if Washington is creating uncertainty, surprises, and continuing to bury our businesses in costly regulations. Every dollar that is spent complying with needless regulations is one less dollar that can be spent by families who are trying to put food on the table and make ends meet in a challenging economy. Mr. Chairman, the American people sent us here to work together to address the many challenges facing our Nation. They sent us here to craft solutions to create jobs and make opportunities for all Americans. So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Regulatory Accountability Act so we can begin to lift the burden of Federal regulations off the American people. It is time to get the government out of the way.

Mr. TROTT

Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 3, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''