Providing for Consideration of H.R. Pregnant Students' Rights Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act; and Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Denouncing the Biden Administration's Open-Borders Policies, Condemning the National Security and Public Safety Crisis Along the Southwest Border, and Urging President Biden to End His Administration's Open-Borders Policies
Floor Speech
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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 969 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 969
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 6914) to require institutions of higher education to disseminate information on the rights of, and accommodations and resources for, pregnant students, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Education and the Workforce now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 6918) to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from restricting funding for pregnancy centers. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Ways and Means now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-20 shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 3. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order without intervention of any point of order to consider in the House the resolution (H.Res. 957) denouncing the Biden administration's open-borders policies, condemning the national security and public safety crisis along the southwest border, and urging President Biden to end his administration's open-borders policies. The resolution shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the resolution and preamble to adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question except one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees.
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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 6914 and H.R. 6918, which provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means, respectively, and provides each one motion to recommit. The rule further provides for consideration of H. Res. 957 under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Speaker, citizens across this country, and even Members on both sides of the aisle, have been imploring this administration to end its open-border policies, yet these cries have fallen on deaf ears. The President has failed to maintain operational control of this Nation's borders, causing the worst border crisis in American history.
Of course, this crisis extends way beyond the border. Every community in the country is facing the consequences of this administration's failure, from the strain on schools to the horrifying fentanyl epidemic being worsened by the astonishing amount of narcotics coming across the border.
In short, the policies of this administration have created a border crisis, a national security crisis, and a humanitarian crisis. It is so irresponsible and embarrassing that I almost understand why the Biden administration refuses to take responsibility for it.
Be that as it may, the fact is the responsibility lies with Secretary Mayorkas; the appointed border czar, Vice President Harris; and President Joe Biden.
H. Res. 957 condemns the national security and public safety crises these actors and other Biden administration officials have created, denounces the Biden administration's open-border policies, and urges the President to end said policies.
We are also here to discuss two pieces of legislation to support expectant mothers. H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students' Rights Act, requires institutions of higher education to provide information on the rights of and accommodation and resources for pregnant students. According to the CDC, nearly one-third of all abortions performed in America are for women aged 20 to 24, college-aged students. While most colleges are required to accommodate pregnant students under Title IX, many women are unaware of those requirements and the resources available to them and feel that they have to have an abortion or give up their educational goals.
This bill simply requires these institutions to share information about resources and accommodations they already provide.
H.R. 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, a bill I introduced with Representative Tenney from New York and Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from keeping TANF dollars from being used to support pregnancy centers. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides $16.5 billion annually to support assistance activities for needy families.
Certainly, pregnancy centers, which provide a wide variety of resources to pregnant women, from treatments to diapers to counseling, qualify for this kind of funding. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has shown their antiwomen, pro-abortion hand again, proposing a rule to modify allowable uses of TANF that singles out pregnancy centers in a way that could prevent States from using these funds for these vital care centers.
Make no mistake, conservatives are here for unborn babies and their mothers, and we want to ensure these moms are supported throughout their pregnancies and empowered to raise their families. These bills do just that.
Each of these bills delivers on the commitment House Republicans have made to the American people. We are here to protect the rights of Americans; we are here to hold the government accountable; and we are here to secure this country and its borders, all of which this administration has failed to accomplish.
Mr. Speaker, I am a little confused. Helping women and their babies and providing information is now an extreme agenda according to my colleagues across the aisle.
Supporting and promoting unrestricted abortion up until the time of birth is an extreme agenda.
The majority of pregnancy resource centers are affiliated with a national organization and have voluntarily signed on to an industry standard called Commitment of Care and Competence created by Heartbeat International that set an ethical code where they agree to adopt a transparent and honest service model.
Pregnancy resource centers provide honest information about services they offer, including ultrasounds and pregnancy testing. They do not hold themselves out to provide all forms of healthcare.
According to a recent report surveying 2,750 pregnancy care centers in 2022, there were 4,779 licensed medical staff, 5,396 licensed medical volunteers, over 500,000 hours of ultrasounds performed, and over 100,000 hours of RNs meeting with STD and STI tests for clients.
If my colleagues really believed in giving pregnant women every option, like they claim, they would have no problem with this bill. We are talking about information and care.
However, the fact that they are pushing against it so passionately just proves what my colleagues and the pro-life community have been saying all along, the left is antiwoman and will find any avenue they can to encourage women to have abortions. There are so many resources that exist that would actually empower them during their pregnancy and raising their families.
Mr. Speaker, I have to repeat it: Helping women and their babies and providing information is not an extreme agenda. We are talking about taking care of women and their babies.
Supporting and promoting unrestricted abortion up to the time of birth is an extreme agenda, and it is a real shame the Democrats and the Biden administration are purposefully targeting and misrepresenting pregnancy centers in the rule and seeking to intimidate States that fund them and denying college students information.
Pregnancy resource centers play a vital role to both mothers, fathers, and their families, empowering them in their decision to choose life for their baby by providing realistic alternatives. They are another option for women who choose to use their services who are looking for an alternative to abortion.
All pregnancy resource centers are open and receive clients on a voluntary basis, and it is disgraceful that Democrats misconstrue these organizations in an effort to limit a woman's choice to raise their child.
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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
We certainly have covered a lot of topics here today, and House Republicans are working hard to keep our commitments to the American people: holding government accountable, securing our border, and protecting the rights of the unborn and their mothers.
Conservatives care deeply about defending the unborn and empowering women to confidently choose life, whether it be on a college campus or by ensuring access to care at pregnancy centers.
As thousands march for life across the country in the coming days, now is the perfect time to raise awareness of all the wonderful options that exist for women.
For nearly 3 years, we have seen a failure to act by the executive branch of this government to secure our borders. Biden beat his own record, with the 2023 fiscal year beating 2022 as the worst year at the border.
Mr. Speaker, 169 individuals on the terror watch list were apprehended trying to cross the border illegally. That number includes only the ones that we know about.
I am thankful for the hard work and thankless work our Customs and Border Patrol agents are doing and do not want to diminish any of the work that they are doing, but the administration's negligence has damaged our national security. Whether it is done through incompetence or malice, those responsible must be held accountable for their inaction.
To be clear, I am not talking about those hardworking CBP agents. I am talking about DHS Secretary Mayorkas; the so-called border czar, Vice President Harris; and President Joe Biden.
Mr. Speaker, I support the rule and underlying legislation.
The previous question was ordered.
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