Providing for Consideration of H.R. Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act; Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Denouncing the Biden Administration's Immigration Policies; and Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Opposing Efforts to Place One-Sided Pressure on Israel with Respect to Gaza

Floor Speech

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I support the rule, but like the gentleman, I will not support the legislation unless we get this warrant amendment requirement in the legislation itself.

Query is a fancy name for search, and the intelligence community will tell us right now there are 200,000 queries, 200,000 searches that take place every year on U.S. persons, on American citizens--200,000 a year. Those things are done on American citizens without a warrant, and this is the FBI that my friend and member of the Committee on Rules just talked about, who has abused the system.

Mr. Speaker, 278,000 times. It is not Mr. Roy, not Mr. Jordan, that is giving you that number. That is the number from The Washington Post, 278,000 times.

The Inspector General at the Justice Department determined that FBI did not follow the previous rules when they searched this database on U.S. persons. Now, we are supposed to believe, Oh, we have new rules, stricter rules, better rules--and I am all for those--now they are going to follow the new rules. They didn't follow the old ones but now they are going to follow the new.

Why don't we go to the tried-and-true method. If you have the executive branch wanting to look at American citizens' information, they have to go to a separate and equal branch of the government, the judicial branch, and get a probable cause warrant.

It has worked pretty darn well for 200-plus years in the greatest country ever, but somehow, we can't do it here?

Our warrant requirement has three exceptions and the first exception is if it is an emergency situation you don't have to go to a judge and get a warrant. You do the search, you find out, and you protect America.

There are two other exceptions in there, as well.

Here is the fundamental question: If there are 200,000 searches done on U.S. persons a year, how many of them aren't covered by the exceptions?

Guess what? Nobody seems to be able to give us an answer. That is the question we need to know because if it is a big number, we should all be scared. If it is a small number, what is the big deal?

No one will answer that question. That is what we need to know.

Mr. Speaker, the best way to safeguard the liberty of the people we get the privilege of representing is to do what has been done in this country forever: Go get a warrant.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

Mr. Speaker, it is really important that the American people know that we are debating a rule today, and that rule has the FISA bill, which we have heard much, but it also has other bills.

Mr. Speaker, half the bills, half the legislation that are on the floor today do nothing. They do absolutely nothing. In fact, it is not surprising that Republicans, my colleagues, worry about the do-nothing Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I request ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article from NBC NEWS titled: `` `It is embarrassing': Republicans worry they have no achievements to run on in 2024.''

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