Providing for Consideration of H.R. Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act; and Providing for Concurrence By the House in the Senate Amendment to H.R. with An Amendment

Floor Speech

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Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, I truly thank the chairman for yielding me time because he knows I am slightly opposed to the rule, so he is very gracious.

I am concerned that the Speaker has cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure our border, but what I want to talk about today is process.

The bill that will come out of the House after all of this is a bill that began as H.R. 815 to expand the eligibility for veterans to receive reimbursements for their emergency care. How did a bill that was intended for veterans that came out of the House become a bill that may bring us to the brink of war in at least three places on the globe by sending $100 billion to military contractors?

Well, it started in the House, and then the Senate took it and stripped every word from the bill.

Why did they do this? Were they trying to get around the origination clause in the Constitution? Were they trying to shortcut some process? It is one of those things.

What we have got now is a collection of bills, and I do appreciate that we get individual votes on four of these bills. They include $100 billion, but they don't include securing our border. They include a bill called the REPO Act, which could call into question the value of our Treasury bills when we go out to auction those next if we are going to confiscate Treasury bills that we sold to other countries. It also includes a bill that allows the President to ban websites based on his discretion. I am concerned about that.

This bill, H.R. 815, started as a veterans bill, went to the Senate, got gutted, and then became the foreign aid package bill. Now, here in the House, we are going to vote on four separate titles, but we are going to package them back as amendments to that H.R. 815. So we are actually going to send it back to the Senate as the bill they sent to us, which is the gutted veterans bill.

I know this is all confusing, but why is this all being done this way? Some will say to force the Senate's hand, but really what it is going to do is jam the conservatives in the Senate who would like to have a more fulsome debate.

I am opposed to the rule, and I thank the chairman for the time.

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