Conference Report on H.R. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
Floor Speech
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Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, we all know it is Christmas and you can sure tell because here we go with the ornaments. We have got a Christmas tree headed out, and we have got to put some ornaments on it. That is what is happening right now.
Of course, we are going to violate our rules. You saw it here just a few moment ago. This violates the single-subject rule because Americans are literally sick of their Representatives coming home and saying to them: Well, I didn't want to vote for that, but this was on it, and we had to get this so I had to vote for that. That is how this town works. That is how you end up $34 trillion in debt, and that is how you spy on 278,000 Americans under the Federal Government's authority.
It violates the germaneness rule. People say what does that matter? Why does it matter if it is germane? Madam Speaker, the House passed a bill, a pretty good bill, thanks to the chairman, a pretty good bill. The Senate passed a bill. I don't think it was pretty good, but they passed a bill. Either way, you know what wasn't in either of those bills? The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act used to spy on Americans. That wasn't in the bill, but at the last minute it was airdropped into this bill.
In this House, we put in the rules that we need to know the single purpose of a bill. When we asked, ``What is the single purpose of this bill?'' this House said, ``We are not even going to tell the American people. We are not going to tell them that.'' They are not going to tell the American people that because they want to couple these two things together and pass a terrible National Defense Authorization Act.
They are going to say the troops are not being paid when they are being paid. They are going to allow the Federal Government, under the guise of law, to spy on every American citizen.
It is unconscionable and unacceptable. My colleagues should vote ``no.''
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