Claudia Tenney

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment No. 91 to reduce the salary of Council on Environmental Quality, CEQ, Chair Brenda Mallory to $1. Mr. Chair, I have spoken numerous times on this floor about the dangerous rule proposed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council, the FAR Council, titled: ``Federal Acquisition Regulation: Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk.'' This disastrous rule proposed by the FAR Council has numerous constitutional, national security, and practical concerns, none of which have been adequately addressed by the FAR Council. However, as part of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's ongoing investigation into the basis for this rule, it was uncovered that the CEQ, which does not possess rulemaking abilities, pushed the FAR Council to implement its radical agenda and publish this rule. First and foremost, this rule requires that all Federal contractors that do business worth more than $50 million with the Federal Government must disclose scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. This rule also seeks to require major Federal contractors to comply with the Paris climate accords, which have never even been ratified by the Senate. The most objectionable part of this rule is the requirement that companies set climate targets and then have them validated by one specifically named company called Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi. SBTi is a non-American, foreign, London-based company, which inherently carries national security concerns. Under this rule, every major Federal contractor, including companies critical to our national security and our defense industrial base, would have to provide this foreign-owned company with information about all of their scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and then strategize on how to reduce them. Despite the existence of numerous American-based companies that could fill the same role, the FAR Council and CEQ chose a foreign company as the sole source provider because SBTi is nothing but a front for Democratic donors and 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 dark-money super-PAC known as Arabella Advisors. Arabella Advisors, for those who don't know, is the George Soros-funded leftwing advocacy group that funnels dark money into leftwing causes and candidates. To summarize, the Biden administration has named a subsidiary of one of their top donors, a leftwing, dark-money organization, as the sole source provider for all climate target validating for all major Federal Government contractors. During a hearing in the Science, Space, and Technology Committee on this rule, even the Democratic witness said that SBTi was a poor choice for this role, yet CEQ and the FAR Council forged ahead anyway. No Federal bureaucrat should be mandating that companies funnel money into the Democrats' dark-money operations. This is the very definition of corruption. As the head of CEQ, Brenda Mallory played an integral role in pushing for this rule. Her salary must be defunded. I look forward to working with Chairman Lucas, Chairman Obernolte, and all of my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to expose the corruption behind this proposed rule and halt its finalization and implementation. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, unfortunately, my colleague is not correct on this. The Biden administration put out Executive Order No. 14019 and tasked all Federal agencies, including all the agencies that are included in this appropriations bill, to get involved with third parties in order to get out the vote, moving away from providing the core missions we described that each of these agencies under their appropriated designations are required to perform under law. They are not allowed to get engaged in political processes, a direct violation of the Hatch Act. That is why this bill is germane, and that is why I urge all of my colleagues to actually support this bill. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my amendment No. 61 to the Energy-Water Development appropriations bill to prohibit funding for President Biden's Executive Order No. 14019, titled: ``Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting.'' This executive order requires Federal agencies to use their power, influence, resources, and Federal funding to enter into agreements with nongovernmental agencies and organizations to conduct voter registration and other mobilization activities. Mr. Chairman, this executive order is nothing more than a blatant attempt to transform the Federal Government into a partisan get-out- the-vote machine for Democrats. The Department of Energy should be nonpartisan, and Federal agencies should not be using taxpayer funds to actively engage in get-out-the- vote operations that have nothing to do with the agencies' core missions, not to mention the obvious mission creep and Hatch Act violations this activity would trigger. Mr. Chair, President Biden should not be using American taxpayer dollars to weaponize the Federal Government to manipulate and steer our election in a partisan manner. As the cofounder and chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, it is my privilege to introduce this amendment to restore transparency and confidence in our democratic process while keeping partisan Federal bureaucrats and the swamp from deliberately tipping the balance at the ballot box. I stand firmly behind the concept of one citizen, one vote, as enshrined in our Constitution. However, I do not support this blatantly partisan mobilization of the Federal Government for political purposes. No citizen should have their vote diluted by Federal bureaucrats. While our energy infrastructure and independence are at risk, and so many communities in our districts do not have safe, clean drinking water, the funds in this bill should be spent for the purpose they are appropriated, not implementing a partisan get-out-the-vote initiative. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, which will preserve election integrity and stop the Biden administration from transforming the people's government into a get- out-the-vote machine for partisan Democrats. Let's make voting great again. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I heard the assertions made by my colleague. As I indicated, I cited actual news sources. The Secretary actually testified before Congress, and it was determined that she lied under oath. Violating the Hatch Act is a crime under Federal statutes. It is time that Ms. Granholm either resign or we should reduce her salary. We have the right under Congress with our power of the purse to reduce her salary, and that is exactly what we are doing here under the Holman rule. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment No. 60 to reduce the salary of Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to $1. Since taking office in January 2021, Secretary Granholm has violated the Hatch Act multiple times. She owned Proterra stock while her boss, President Biden, repeatedly promoted the company. Her husband owned Ford stock while she personally promoted the company's work with official resources. She cashed in on millions of dollars after these illegal transactions and a failure to disclose obvious conflicts were revealed. Most critically, she lied under oath to Congress, claiming that she did not own any individual stocks when, in fact, she did. Anyone disputing these charges should consult the following articles: Reuters, ``U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm violated ethics law, watchdog says''; CNN, ``Biden touts electric car company potentially worth millions for his Energy Secretary''; Washington Free Beacon, ``Energy [Secretary's] husband held stock in Ford as admin approved billions in electric vehicle subsidies''; and FOX News, ``Biden Energy Secretary Granholm admits false testimony about owning stocks.'' Secretary Granholm has also promoted the Biden administration's disastrous energy policies that are crippling our country and preventing us from maximizing our energy independence and the all-of- the-above strategy. Energy security is national security, and Secretary Granholm is directly jeopardizing our national security and violating our laws under the Hatch Act. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in defunding Secretary Granholm's salary by voting for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair and founder of the House Election Integrity Caucus, I rise in support of the SAVE Act, which will safeguard the right for every American citizen to vote. We must have proof of citizenship in order to vote. Since President Biden took office, there have been over 9.7 million illegal immigrant encounters across our Nation, threatening our communities, our national security, and now the Democrats are attempting to undermine our elections. There are over 2 million so- called got-aways. Many States, including New York, allow illegal immigrants to get registered to vote and also have driver's licenses. There is no requirement, they are on their honor, to prove whether or not they are actually citizens of this country. Article II of the New York State Constitution sets forth in section 1: ``Every citizen shall be entitled to vote in every election.'' That is citizens. In order to protect the sacred right to vote, we have one citizen, one vote in this country. Yet, Democrats oppose the SAVE Act because they want millions of illegal immigrants they allowed into our country to vote in order to undermine and manipulate the outcome of our elections. This will undermine our sacred right to vote, the most profound expression of our self-governance.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Foxx for leading on this very important issue. As a former athlete in high school, college, and beyond, I know the unparalleled opportunities that sports offer to women and girls. Title IX and its mission to end discrimination against women in sports made so much of this possible for me and countless other women over the years. Today, these opportunities for women and girls are under threat. Joe Biden's Department of Education is requiring that schools allow biological males to participate in women's sports. This is fundamentally unfair. It deprives women and girls of what so many of us fought for decades to achieve: equal opportunity to train, compete, and excel in athletics. Today, we take a stand in defense of women's sports and to stop this dangerous precedent. This is why I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden administration's radical rule to allow biological men in women's sports. The CRA will protect opportunities for women and girls to compete fairly on the athletic field. Without interference, the woke Biden agenda will continue further.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Karen St. Hilaire, President of the New York American Legion Auxiliary, and her work with the Hope For The Warriors project. Karen St. Hilaire is a 49-year member of the Mattydale American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 1832 in Onondaga County. She became a member through her father John Allen who served in World War Two. Her late husband Jerry Hilaire was also a Veteran in the Army who served in Vietnam. Karen's leadership skill began as Unit President in 1999 progressing to County in 2008, and District in 2011. She has chaired the Community Service, Americanism, Leadership, Children and Youth, VA&R, Membership Committees, and as an Executive Board member. Karen has been spending her year promoting and raising money for the ``Hope For The Warriors,'' Hope For The Warriors was founded by military families aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC in 2006 as they witnessed, firsthand, the effects war imparts on service members and their families. Hope For the Warriors believes those touched by military service can succeed at home by restoring their sense of self, family, and hope. Nationally, Hope For The Warriors provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources. Hope For The Warriors understands the challenges, pride, and joy of being a military family. For today, tomorrow, and years to come, they will strive to meet the changing needs of service members and their families. Hope For The Warriors is a family, united by our shared conviction of honor and sacrifice. In Karen's personal life, she is active in her community as a retired Firefighter and currently elected Fire Commissioner for Hinsdale Volunteer Fire Department. Karen is a retired Registered Nurse with a certification from American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Karen has often sited that her greatest accomplishment is that she and her late husband Jerry have two daughters, Amy and Kristin, along with six grandchildren, Ariana, Emyrson, Ayva, Camryn, Brooklyn, and Dylan. I am honored to share the admirable work that Mrs. Hilaire has devoted to helping care for our Veterans.

Ms. TENNEY

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, with all due respect, the gentleman is wrong about this amendment. It simply states that the amendment defunds and causes us not to fund the implementation of this particular rule. It has nothing to do with climate change. It has nothing to do with any of those allegations he has just set forth in his prepared notes. It is all bluster. This rule is about the fact that this is a sole-source contract. SBTi was incorporated after the rule was actually made. They were looking, trying to find a company that they could use that would get the answers they wanted. There is no choice for any American company. No U.S.-based company in this category has a choice. They must use this Arabella dark money super-PAC money umbrella that is funded by leftwing George Soros and all these organizations in order to get their contracts approved. There isn't a choice. You can't go to anyone else. Even the Democrats in the Science, Space, and Technology Committee admitted there was no other choice. Here is a company created after the fact that they needed somewhere, somebody to validate what they wanted, not to determine what the actual science was. This isn't a debate about climate change. It is a debate about science and making sure that our companies have their secrets secured, that they are with American-based companies that we can provide oversight for, and that the Department of Defense can provide its oversight. It is not about some kind of climate issue. It really doesn't address that at all. It really addresses national security concerns. It addresses the problem that we have a company that is foreign owned which is requiring American-based companies to disclose only to them, with no choice, a sole source. This is not actually acceptable under DOD rules, and that is why we want this particular rule to be held up until we can get other options for our U.S.-based companies that ensure the security of the American people. This is a sad attempt at trying to politicize, again, the Department of Defense under the guise of some kind of climate rule. Mr. Chair, I yield back 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, known as FAR, 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 FAR Council has numerous constitutional, national security, and practical concerns, none of which have been adequately addressed by the FAR Council nor the Council on Environmental Quality who have pushed for this rule. First and foremost, this rule requires all Federal contractors that do more than $50 million worth of business with the Federal Government to disclose all scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. This rule also seeks to require major Federal contractors to comply with the Paris Climate Accords, which has never been ratified by the Senate. The most objectionable part of this rule is the requirement that companies set climate targets and have them validated by one specifically named company called Science Based Targets Initiative, or SBTi. SBTi is a foreign entity based in London, which inherently carries national security concerns. Under this rule, every major Federal contractor, including companies critical to our national security and our defense industrial base, would have to provide this foreign company with information about all of their scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and then strategize on how to reduce them. Despite the existence of numerous American and U.S.-based companies that could fill the same role, the FAR Council and CEQ, Council on Environmental Quality, chose a foreign entity as the named sole-source provider. Why? Because SBTi is nothing but a front for Democratic donors and advocacy groups. SBTi is owned by the We Mean Business Coalition, which is a project of a new venture fund, which is managed by none other than 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 a subsidiary of one of its top donors, a leftwing dark money organization, 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 SBTi was a poor choice for this role, yet the Biden administration forged ahead anyway. I look forward to continuing my work with Chairman Lucas, Chairman Obernolte, and all of my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to get to the bottom of this rule's creation and halt its implementation. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, with all due respect, our Constitution clearly states the administration of elections is in the province of the States. It is not for the Federal Government to use Federal agencies to coordinate with third-party partisan groups using taxpayer dollars in order to get out the vote for Democrats. The mission of our Department of Defense is to protect and secure our Nation, not to get the vote out. We encourage and want every member of the military who is an eligible citizen to vote in our elections. We do not want our taxpayer dollars used in a partisan way for a vote harvesting scheme conceived by the Democrats and by this executive order. First of all, this is mission creep. The Department of Defense has to focus on its very serious mission. This is germane. We are using taxpayer dollars and military members, people paid under the Department of Defense, to work on vote harvesting schemes, not on their mission of protecting the American people. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this amendment and make voting great again and make our free and fair elections once again possible in the United States of America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 163 to the Defense appropriations bill to prohibit funding for President Biden's executive order No. 14019 titled: ``Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting.'' This executive order requires Federal agencies to use their power, influence, resources, and Federal funding--taxpayer cash--to enter into agreements with nongovernmental organizations, third-party organizations, to conduct voter registration and other voter mobilization activities, including vote harvesting. Mr. Chair, this executive order is nothing but a blatant attempt to transform the Federal Government into a partisan, get-out-the-vote machine for Democrats. The Department of Defense should be completely nonpartisan and should not be using taxpayer funds to actively engage in get-out-the-vote operations that have nothing to do with the core mission of the Department of Defense, not to mention the obvious mission creep and Hatch Act violations this activity would trigger. Mr. Chair, President Biden should not be weaponizing the Federal Government's spending using American taxpayer dollars to manipulate and steer our election in a partisan manner. As the cofounder and the chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, it is my privilege to introduce this amendment to restore transparency and confidence in our Democratic process while keeping partisan Federal bureaucrats and the swamp, literally, from deliberately tipping the balance at the ballot box. I stand firmly behind the concept of one citizen, one vote, as enshrined in our Constitution. However, I do not support this blatantly partisan mobilization of the Federal Government for political purposes, especially at such a critical time in the world. The Department of Defense should be laser focused on the missions at hand and countering our adversaries such as the Chinese Communist Party, not implementing a partisan get-out-the-vote initiative. Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to support amendment, which will preserve election integrity, stop the Biden administration from transforming the Department of Defense into a get-out-the-vote partisan machine for the Democrats. Let's make voting great again. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Ms. TENNEY

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

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is simple. The American people should not be forced to support a top-level government official who surrounded himself with compromised foreign assets from a designated state sponsor of terrorism. If Members care about U.S. national security, support this amendment. If Members oppose a nuclear Iran and oppose the despotic Iranian regime, a government that tortures and murders its own citizens who are standing up and exhibiting free speech, then support this amendment. If Members oppose state sponsors of terrorism having premier access to U.S. Government officials, support this amendment. I urge my colleagues to defund Rob Malley's salary completely and make it clear that the House stands against compromised foreign assets receiving taxpayer dollars. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to introduce my amendment No. 64 to prohibit any funds from taxpayer dollars to pay the salary of, reinstate, or reemploy a gentleman named Robert Malley. The Biden administration has made some of the worst appointments in modern history. The appointment of Rob Malley as the special envoy has to be among the worst. Even before joining the administration, Rob Malley has a storied history of legitimatizing the terrorist organization Hamas, also a U.S.-designated terrorist organization; has blamed Israel for Palestinian attacks; and has facilitated the disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal. This was all before he was even appointed by the Biden administration. Despite this history, the Biden administration appointed Mr. Malley as the special envoy to the country of 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 disclosing this to Congress. Under the INARA, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, any deals with Iran must be disclosed to Congress, whether written or not. However, Malley worked for years and, according to reports, reached an agreement on his own with Iran. Yet, still, nothing had been disclosed to Congress. Over a year ago, in June of 2023, Malley was placed on unpaid leave due to investigation into his mishandling of classified information. This matter 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 to update Congress. It has been a year, Mr. Chairman. Why has the administration continued to refuse to update Congress on this critically important national security investigation? Alarmingly, a 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 compromised Iranian assets. This is beyond incompetent. This is criminal, and it is the very definition of harming U.S. national security. While Mr. Malley is still on unpaid leave, he cannot be allowed to return to his post under any circumstance. The employment of Rob Malley in the Federal Government, using our taxpayer dollars, is an active threat to the safety and the security of the United States. Mr. Chair, for that reason, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to vote for this amendment. We have to have free, fair, and private elections. It is what the Election Integrity Caucus has set out to do and what we have been doing. We endeavor to make sure we can get every legal citizen to vote in every election. That is our mission. It is not to sway voters. Voters need to feel confident that their votes are secure, that their votes are not manipulated, and their votes are not diluted. That is exactly what this amendment seeks to do, and that is what has undermined the trust that our citizens have in these elections. Mr. Chair, for that reason, I urge all of my colleagues, including my Democratic colleagues, to vote in favor of this amendment to be sure that we have free, fair, and private elections. Again, I must reiterate to Mr. Chair: Let's, for once, make voting great again. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, respectfully, the reason many people don't vote is they don't have trust in our system because they know it has been undermined, particularly after the pandemic election of 2020. Also, it is inappropriate and unconstitutional for the Federal Government, particularly by an unconstitutional executive order, to intervene in the role that is set forth in our Constitution where States administer our elections, not the Federal Government on a partisan executive order and partisan bureaucrats using our tax dollars to sway elections for partisan reasons. These groups that the so-called order is bringing forth are mostly Democratic. In fact, almost all are Democratic-leaning outside groups, third-party groups that should not be involved directly with our agencies. Our agencies are tasked with important missions that serve the American people. They should not be serving up votes for the Democratic Party. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my amendment No. 63 to prohibit funding for President Biden's Executive Order No. 14019 entitled: ``Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting.'' This executive order requires Federal agencies to use their power, their influence, their resources, and taxpayer cash to enter into agreements with partisan nongovernmental organizations, mostly left- leaning, to conduct voter registration and other mobilization activities. Mr. Chairman, this executive order is nothing but a blatant attempt to transform the Federal Government into a partisan get-out-the-vote scheme for the Democrats. America's civil servants must be nonpartisan, and Federal agencies should not be using taxpayer funds to actively engage in get-out-the-vote operations that have nothing to do with agencies' core missions, not to mention the obvious mission creep and the Hatch Act violations that this activity would trigger. Mr. Chair, President Biden should not be weaponizing the Federal Government using taxpayer dollars to manipulate and steer our elections in a partisan manner. As the cofounder and chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, it is my privilege to introduce this amendment to restore transparency and confidence in our democratic process while keeping partisan Federal bureaucrats and the swamp from deliberately tipping the balance at the ballot box. I stand firmly behind the concept of one citizen, one vote, as is enshrined in our Constitution. However, I do not support this blatantly partisan mobilization of the Federal Government for political purposes. No citizen should have their vote diluted by Federal bureaucrats. Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment, which will preserve election integrity and stop the Biden administration from transforming our people's government and our people's House into a get-out-the-vote machine for partisan Democrats. Let's make voting great again. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.