Claudia Tenney

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, with all due respect to the gentlewoman from Connecticut, none of the specious political falsities that she just described have anything to do with enhancing the right of each citizen to vote in each election. This is an inappropriate and unconstitutional federalization of elections, something that is prohibited by the Constitution that every single person in this room has taken an oath to uphold. Nothing has been more devastating to election integrity than the kind of interference and mission creep that we are seeing by this weaponized Biden administration to try to take our elections and try to manipulate the vote. One citizen, one vote is the most sacred honor that we have as citizens. This needs to be protected under our Constitution. Election integrity is definitely considered under the purview of the States. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, quickly, with all due respect, this amendment has nothing to do with what the gentlewoman is talking about. It has nothing to do with whether our military personnel, including my own son, have the right to vote in elections. This has to do with the weaponization and use of taxpayer dollars to interfere with and manipulate elections. It should not be part of our Federal spending. It should not be something that should be used by partisans in the bureaucracy to try to prime the pump to get more Democrats out to vote and to use it as a get-out-the-vote scheme. It is totally inappropriate. This amendment should be passed by my colleagues, and this executive order should be stricken. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, inflammatory language comes out of Karine Jean-Pierre. In fact, she is an election denier. She claimed that the election of 2016 was stolen. She claimed that Stacey Abrams actually beat Governor Brian Kemp in the election of 2018. An election denier is standing at the podium of the White House actually dispensing even more misinformation to the American people at their expense. Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to reduce the salary of Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, to $1. Mr. Chair, during Ms. Jean-Pierre's tenure as press secretary, she has repeatedly lied to the American people and acted in a condescending manner toward reporters, and she has also violated the Hatch Act. Just to name a few of her lies, Ms. Jean-Pierre has claimed that illegal immigration is down under the Biden administration. She also claimed that nobody is just walking in across the southern border. She also claimed that the 2016 election was stolen. She also claimed that Governor Brian Kemp stole the 2018 Governor race from Stacey Abrams. She also claimed that the Biden stimulus bill did not impact inflation. She also claimed critical race theory or its equivalent isn't being taught in our schools. She also claimed that nobody has done more for the southern border or our border in general than Joe Biden. Mr. Chair, how can somebody with such a history of deceit continue to serve as the liaison for the President and the American people? The American people should not be forced to pay the salary of an individual who dispenses bold-faced lies to the American people while they foot the bill. Ms. Jean-Pierre also has a history of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric. For example, she called AIPAC racist and Islamophobic for supporting Israel. She wrote an op-ed that pro-Israel policies and values are not progressive values, which I think many of my Democratic colleagues even would contest. Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment to use the Holman rule to reduce the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's salary to $1. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, I respect the views of the gentleman in opposition. However, the American taxpayers are beleaguered now with inflation and with high energy costs, and dispensing lies from the White House--our own White House--from the press secretary knowingly is not something that the American people should tolerate or have to pay for, quite honestly. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment to prohibit any funding to finalize, implement, or enforce the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council's proposed ``Federal Acquisition Regulation: Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk'' rule. Mr. Chair, this disastrous rule proposed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council has numerous constitutional, national security, and practical concerns, none of which have been adequately addressed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council, otherwise known as FAR, nor has the Council on Environmental Quality done its due diligence. Both agencies have pushed for this rule in spite of a lack of due diligence. First and foremost, this rule requires all Federal contractors that do business of more than $50 million with the Federal Government to disclose all scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. This includes everything from emissions produced by the contractor to the emissions produced by mere office supplies that they buy for their employees. We debated the ridiculousness of scope 3 emissions earlier, but this is simply not practical or helpful to the American people. This rule also seeks to require major Federal contractors to comply with the Paris climate accords, a flawed deal that has never been ratified by the Senate. However, the most objectionable part concerning this rule is the requirement that companies set climate targets and then have them validated by a company called Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi. SBTi is a foreign--and I emphasize ``foreign''--London-based company, which inherently has national security concerns. Under this rule, every major Federal contractor, including companies critical to our national security, is required to provide this foreign company with information about all of their scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and then strategize with this foreign company about how to reduce them. Despite the existence of numerous American-based companies that could fill this same role, the FAR Council and CEQ chose a foreign company as the named sole-source provider. Why? Because SBTi is nothing but a front for Democratic donors and Democratic advocacy groups. SBTi is owned by the We Mean Business Coalition, which is a project of the New Venture Fund, which is managed by the famous Arabella Advisors. Arabella Advisors, for those who do not know, is the George Soros- funded, leftwing advocacy group that funnels dark money to leftwing causes and candidates. To summarize, the Biden administration has named this subsidiary, one of their top donor's leftwing dark money organizations, as the sole- source provider for all climate target validating for all major Federal contractors. During a hearing in the Science, Space, and Technology Committee on this rule, even the Democrats' witness said that the SBTi was a poor choice for this role, yet the Biden administration continues to forge ahead with this rule anyway. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to get to the bottom of this rule's suspicious creation, and I continue to urge the committee to subpoena CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory to answer these concerns so the American people know why this is continuing. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the concerns about making sure that we have a cleaner climate. However, the gentleman doesn't talk about this obvious issue with Arabella Advisors. Everyone knows this is a dark money group that funds entities that actually fund donors and is part of the donor class of the Democratic Party, which is put in a unique position to actually control how we manage climate and how we deal with these issues with Federal contractors. I cited in my initial remarks that this also includes security issues. These are companies that are now going to have to confer with suspect foreign entities to talk about these issues and share information. This is a dangerous precedent. Not only is it a Democratic donor issue, which is politically charged and shouldn't be allowed in our rulemaking process or in our governmental process, but it is also a threat to our security. Mr. Chair, for those reasons, I urge all of my colleagues to support this rule. It is a commonsense rule, and it is something that they would certainly object to if the Republicans had proposed their major donor base to be in this position on the Federal level and certainly as part of the Federal bureaucracy in such a critical role. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, with all due respect, this is a mandatory rule that requires every Federal contractor doing business over $50 million a year to use this company, a foreign-based company, not an American company, not a company where we can actually have oversight over it using our rules. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join Niagara County and the Western New York Community in commending the family of WWI hero and Medal of Honor Recipient, U.S. Army Private First Class, Frank J. Gaffney for preserving his extraordinary military service and achievements during World War I. On November 10, 2023, the Family of Frank Gaffney presented Niagara County with his medals including the Congressional Medal of Honor for permanent display in the rotunda of Niagara County Courthouse The display of these medals will not only maintain the legacy of Frank Gaffney, but it will provide a reminder that Niagara County is home to some of the bravest service members who have ever lived. I am proud of all who supported the development of this project, including the Niagara County Legislature and the Niagara County Historian's Office. This one- of-a-kind display now stands as a symbol and reminder to Niagara County and all of Western New York of the heroic actions that Frank Gaffney took to preserve our freedoms. On September 29, 1918, near Ronssoy, France, while serving with Company G, 108th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army's 27th Division, Frank Gaffney, an automatic rifleman, pushed forward alone, after all the other members of his squad had been killed, he discovered several Germans placing a heavy machine gun in position. He took swift action and eliminated the crew, captured the gun, bombed several dugouts, and, after killing four more of the enemy with his pistol, held the position until reinforcements arrived. Gaffney independently breached a portion of Germany's Hindenburg line helping capture 80 prisoners in the process. Due to his incredible actions, six different countries recognized and honored him including the United States. In 1919 Mr. Gaffney was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 2022 a biographical book was published detailing Mr. Gaffney's life titled He Charged Alone by author John Strasburg. According to Strasburg, after WWI, Mr. Gaffney returned to Niagara County, New York, due to a combat injury during his service. Mr. Gaffney had to have his left arm amputated. Despite challenges he faced after the war, he raised a family and continued to advocate for several veteran organizations. He died in 1948 at the age of 62. We must continue to recognize and commemorate those who sacrificed on behalf of our nation and fought on our country's many historic battlefields. I thank the family of Frank Gaffney and Niagara County, because of their contributions, one of our greatest heroes, Private First Class Frank J. Gaffney will forever be remembered within our local community. It is my honor to represent the community that Mr. Gaffney called home along with the members of our community who crafted this historic display.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to introduce my amendment to reduce the salary of Special Envoy to Iran Robert Malley to $1. While President Biden has made a series of bad political appointments, Rob Malley, the special envoy, may be one of the worst. Before even joining the administration, Rob Malley had a history of legitimizing organizations like Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. He has blamed Israel for Palestinian terrorist attacks, and has helped negotiate the disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Despite his history, the Biden administration appointed Mr. Malley to be the Special Envoy to Iran. Not only did Mr. Malley tarnish the great work of previous envoys like Brian Hook and Elliott Abrams, but Malley was working to circumvent U.S. law by striking a deal with Iran without first disclosing the contents of this deal to Congress. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, otherwise known as INARA, requires deals with Iran must be disclosed to Congress, whether in writing or not. However, Mr. Malley worked for years and, according to some reports, reached an oral agreement with Iran, yet still nothing has been disclosed to Congress. In June, Envoy Malley was placed on unpaid leave due to an investigation into mishandling of classified information, which case has been referred to the FBI for criminal investigation and prosecution. Was Malley handing over State secrets to Iran? We still don't know, and the administration is refusing again to update Congress. Most concerningly, a recent bombshell report revealed that three top aides to Malley were part of an Iranian Government network. That is right, the Special Envoy to Iran's self-appointed top aides were potentially compromised Iranian assets. This is beyond incompetent. This could be criminal. It could be treasonous, and it is the very definition of harming U.S. national security. While Mr. Malley is currently on unpaid leave pending an investigation, he cannot be allowed to return to his post. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Unfortunately, my co-lead on this, Mr. Ogles from Tennessee, is not able to be here. Mr. Chair, this amendment is simple. The American people should not be forced to support a top-level government official who surrounded himself with foreign assets from a designated sponsor of terrorism. If you care about U.S. national security, you should support this amendment. If you oppose a corrupt nuclear deal with Iran and oppose the despotic Iranian mullahs, you should support this amendment. If you oppose state sponsors of terrorism having premier access to the U.S. Government, then you should support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to defund Rob Malley's salary and make it clear that this House stands against compromised foreign assets. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to prohibit any Federal funds to be used to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel out of Jerusalem. In October 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act. This bill passed this Chamber by a vote of 374-27 and passed the Senate by a vote of 93-5. That is overwhelming. Members spanning the political spectrum from Speaker Gingrich to Senator John Kerry voted for this bill requiring the President to move the U.S. Embassy to its rightful capital in Jerusalem. However, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama waived this provision every 6 months, often claiming that such a move would jeopardize the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This did nothing to support the peace process, as Palestinian terrorism continued to target Israeli citizens. Finally, in 2018, President Trump fully implemented this law and moved our U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the undisputed capital of the State of Israel. While some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle expressed opposition to this move, it would be ludicrous to have our Embassy outside the capital of one of our greatest allies. The fact of the matter is that we cannot go back. We cannot allow the Biden administration to move the Embassy out of Jerusalem again. This amendment should not be controversial. Again, this was originally passed in 1995 on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, at this time, when Israel faces some of its greatest threats such as Iran and Palestinian terrorism, we must stand resolute with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. Any attempts to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem would delegitimize Israel's sovereignty and would be counterproductive to encouraging peace negotiations. Any theoretical negotiation with the Palestinians must revolve around the fact that Jerusalem is the undisputed capital of Israel and has been since ancient times. Some of my colleagues have argued that this amendment is unnecessary since President Biden does not intend to move the Embassy. If that is the case, then my colleagues should have no problem voting for this amendment. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to stand with Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, and support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, the Holman rule still exists, and we are exercising our right under the Holman rule. Mr. Chair, may I inquire much time I have remaining.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to reduce Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas' salary to $1. Since President Biden has taken office, we have witnessed an unprecedented invasion on our southern border, causing 6 million migrants to flood across our border, and including the northern border. The district that I represent in upstate and central New York contains most of the New York border region. Secretary Mayorkas has ended numerous successful border policies by the Trump administration, including the remain in Mexico policy, building the border wall, and ending the catch-and-release policy. As a result, all of our communities have been transformed into border communities, including New York. Near my district in Erie County, two migrants were charged, one for rape and one with a sexual assault. In nearby Rensselaer County, a migrant has been charged with murder. These migrants were not vetted, in spite of the false claims of Governor Kathy Hochul, who claimed they were vetted. Over 100 individuals on the terror watch list have successfully crossed the southern border, putting all of our communities at risk, including those in New York. Secretary Mayorkas is willfully derelict in his duties or is completely incompetent. Either way, he should no longer be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for failing to perform the basic obligations required under our Constitution to protect American citizens and to provide effective border security and control of our border. I was honored to co-lead this amendment with my friend from Texas and my colleague, Representative Chip Roy. I urge my colleagues to join us in support of this amendment and to finally hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. I am hoping Mr. Roy will join me and speak on behalf of this amendment. Mr. Chair, I would say that just this past month we hit a record for migrant crossings in American history of over 304,000. Despite repeated pleas and actions by me and my colleagues on this side of the aisle, Mayorkas refuses to change course and actually secure our border. Secretary Mayorkas has completely failed to do his job and has completely doubled down on his failed policies. While Congress ultimately needs to impeach and remove Secretary Mayorkas, defunding his salary is a great first start. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, may I inquire much time I have remaining.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, let me just be clear to everyone out there. The Democrats in New York are against this policy put in place by Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas. Even Mayor Adams of New York City has blamed Joe Biden. Our current Governor Kathy Hochul has done a 180 and now she blames Joe Biden. Even former Governor Cuomo is now blaming Joe Biden for this migrant crisis in New York. Mr. Chair, 82 percent of New Yorkers, in a recent poll, blame Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas for this migrant crisis in New York, which is having devastating consequences on our security, and is harming our taxpayers. Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to join Congressman Roy and I in reducing Secretary Mayorkas' salary to $1. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, Americans do not expect to take their life into their own hands when they board a regional flight. They expect to be safe no matter where they travel in the air. Since the 1,500-hour flight requirement was passed in response to the tragic 2009 Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash in Clarence, New York, the success of the policy speaks for itself. American airspace is among the safest in the world, with a 99.8 percent reduction in passenger airline accident fatalities since 2010. This is why most pilot groups oppose any dilution of the flight-hour requirement. It is vital that our pilots have full competence in the high-stakes environment of a cockpit in flight. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on Langworthy amendment No. 5 and stand with the flying public and the Colgan Air Flight families.