‘It’s Happening In An Overwhelming Way’: Kevin Kiley Warns Of Non-Citizen Voters

last month

On the House floor prior to the Congressional recess, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) delivered remarks on the House Floor regarding voting safety.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,

00:07the SAVED Act, which requires individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering

00:13to vote in federal elections.

00:16I am very grateful to say that I voted for this bill today and that it is passed out

00:22of the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, though not nearly as much bipartisan

00:27support as it should have.

00:30In states like Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia, non-citizens have recently been removed from

00:36the voting rolls, and many of those non-citizens, it appears, have actually voted.

00:40The Arizona Secretary of State website is currently falsely promoting the idea that

00:44individuals who fail to present proof of citizenship when registering will be eligible to vote

00:50in federal elections.

00:52We also have several municipalities, including in California, that have explicitly authorized

00:58non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.

01:02So H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act, seeks to address these problems in a couple ways.

01:09It will, number one, require an individual to provide proof of citizenship when registering

01:14to vote in federal elections, and number two, provide states with access to existing federal

01:18databases so they can clean up their voter rolls and remove non-citizens from the rolls.

01:24This should be a pretty common-sense idea, that only American citizens should vote in

01:31American elections.

01:33And it's astonishing to me that you had a couple hundred people in the House of Representatives

01:40today that voted against this, although, fortunately, it did pass, again, with bipartisan support.

01:48And one of the objections to the bill was very interesting.

01:51The objection was, well, wait a minute, it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote in

01:57federal elections.

01:58We don't need this law.

01:59Well, it's also already illegal for folks to cross into our border illegally.

02:07It's kind of a tautology.

02:09It's illegal to immigrate illegally.

02:12So does that mean it's not happening at all?

02:13Of course.

02:14It's happening in an overwhelming way, unlike we've ever seen in our country's history,

02:18with millions and millions and millions of people coming into this country illegally.

02:23Illegally.

02:24So what we have learned from this administration's approach to illegal immigration is that simply

02:34having something be unauthorized under our laws is sometimes insufficient to address

02:43the problem.

02:45And so while it's true it's already illegal to come into this country without being granted

02:50a pathway to be here legally, nevertheless, we need to pass bills like H.R. 2 that provide

02:59enforcement and that provide safeguards and that assure that the law is being followed.

03:07And in a similar vein, even though it is already illegal for non-citizens to cast

03:13a ballot, we need to have this legislation to put in place equivalent safeguards to make

03:20sure that it doesn't occur.

03:23So that's why I am encouraging the Senate to act promptly now that it's in its court

03:29to pass the SAVE Act, to close the loopholes that are allowing this to happen, to enhance

03:34our election security, to minimize the risk of outside interference, and to restore and

03:40protect Americans' confidence in our elections.

03:51Mr. Speaker, every year millions of high schoolers across the country who are interested in pursuing

03:56higher education fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

04:02The FAFSA is designed to make post-secondary education accessible and affordable for students

04:08across the United States, and let students know what federal student aid, Pell Grants,

04:13or work-study programs are available to them.

04:16Traditionally, the FAFSA is released by October 1 every year, giving students, families, and

04:22schools plenty of time to decide what post-secondary education is right for them.

04:27Unfortunately, the Department of Education, under President Biden, has been unable to

04:32meet this standard.

04:34As early as November of 2022, the Education Department refused to commit to the traditional

04:39October 1 release of the FAFSA application for the 2024-2025 school year.

04:45Six months later, in March, the Department finally admitted that it would be delayed

04:50until quote, sometime in December, only to reveal in November that the launch date would

04:54be on December 31.

04:57When the forms were finally released, processing of completed FAFSAs was delayed for months.

05:04Once processing finally began, millions contained calculation errors, rendering them useless

05:11for schools and requiring reprocessing.

05:14This caused great confusion for schools and families, and schools were forced to push

05:17back deadlines, causing uncertainty and stress for fall enrollment.

05:22Current law recommends FAFSA be released by October 1, but allows the Education Department

05:32to delay the FAFSA release until January 1.

05:36Last year, the Department abused this statutory gap and continually failed to give a clear

05:41date for when the FAFSA would be released.

05:44So that's why I'm co-sponsoring a piece of legislation that passed the Education

05:51and Workforce Committee yesterday.

05:53The FAFSA Deadline Act.

05:56The FAFSA Deadline Act gives students, families, and schools much-needed clarity and stability

06:01by ensuring the FAFSA is released on October 1.

06:05Choosing the right college is stressful, and students and families should not have to deal

06:09with added uncertainty from the Department of Education.

06:12This legislation will prevent any future delayed rollouts by the Education Department.

06:17I'm proud to have supported a committee to be a co-sponsor.

06:20I'm hoping it will soon pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President.

06:43Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to represent truly one of the most beautiful places in

06:49the world, Lake Tahoe.

06:52And I'm very proud to be a sponsor of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act.

07:00We got some good news just this week.

07:03The Senate has acted on this legislation to extend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for

07:10another 10 years.

07:12Lake Tahoe is a national treasure, and we must honor our commitment to preserving it

07:16for generations to come, which is what this legislation seeks to assist with.

07:22For over 50 years, presidents, governors, senators, and representatives from both parties

07:27have worked in a bipartisan fashion to protect the natural beauty and wonder of Lake Tahoe.

07:33I was honored to join many of them last year at the Lake Tahoe Summit and will be doing

07:39so again this August.

07:42Nearly 80% of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin is controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.

07:47The bipartisan Lake Tahoe Restoration Act provides the federal share for the environmental

07:52restoration projects in the basin, in partnership with California, Nevada, local governments,

07:59non-profit, and for-profit partners.

08:01Since its enactment, a total of $104.7 million has been appropriated for the current Lake

08:07Tahoe Restoration Act as of fiscal year 2023, which is about 27% of the total authorization.

08:14While Congress has steadily increased the pace of appropriations under the bill since

08:19its enactment, the act has a significant level of spending authority remaining under what

08:23was originally a seven-year bill.

08:25Since its previous authorization, funds have gone to more than 700 projects in the Tahoe

08:30Basin, and Lake Tahoe's waters are the clearest they've been in decades.

08:34We are keeping Lake Tahoe blue.

08:38But that won't happen without continued work on the part of all of these stakeholders and

08:45the assistance provided by this legislation.

08:50For Lake Tahoe welcomes millions of visitors from around the world every year and is home

08:55to 55,000 residents, I remain committed to continuing the long history of bipartisan

09:01leadership that has preserved and protected this special place.

09:06It's up to all of us, working together, to assure that future generations will continue

09:12to be able to experience the beauty that those of us who live or vacation or travel to Tahoe

09:19have the great fortune to experience.

09:22I urge the House to act quickly on this bipartisan legislation, and I urge the President to sign

09:28it into law.

09:41Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I wish to take a moment to honor the memory

09:47of Jackie Weston, an Auburn resident and community leader who sadly tragically passed away recently

09:55at the age of 40.

09:57Jackie was an anchor to the local business community, serving as the Chief Executive

10:03Officer of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

10:07Her journey began when she moved to Auburn, California in 1985, where she became an integral

10:13part of the community, graduating from Placer High School and embedding herself into the

10:18fabric of the community.

10:20She dedicated herself to the betterment of Auburn, channeling her enthusiasm and dedication

10:27into countless community initiatives.

10:30Jackie embodied the essence of leadership, tirelessly volunteering her time, organizing

10:37parades, nurturing the local business community, and extending a helping hand to all.

10:44Her impact on Auburn has been profound, and it will be enduring, leaving an indelible

10:50mark that will resonate for a long time to come.

10:55Therefore, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives and California's

11:013rd Congressional District, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Jackie's partner,

11:07Ian, her children, Solomon and Evelyn, and the countless others whose lives were touched

11:13by her remarkable spirit and generosity.

11:26Mr. Speaker, I wish to mark and celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Scott's Seafood

11:32Roundhouse in Folsom, California.

11:35In 1976, Scott's Seafood Grill and Bar opened in San Francisco, but it was in 1999 when

11:41John and Suzanne Cook brought Scott's to the Folsom community.

11:45For the past 25 years, the bar and grill has served as a premier community establishment,

11:51engaging and enriching Folsom and the broader region with its quality food and service.

11:57While it has always been located in Folsom, it moved four years ago to the city's historic

12:02district.

12:03Now located in the heart of Folsom, Scott's Seafood is becoming a local household name

12:09that was able to navigate through the immense challenges of COVID-19 as well as the devastating

12:15passing of the owner, John Cook, in 2022.

12:19However, the resilience and continued passion for their business is very much evident with

12:25John's wife, Suzanne.

12:27Scott's Seafood is known not only for their fresh seafood and delicious meals, but also

12:32for their commitment to actively participating in and serving the community.

12:37It is a true honor to represent exemplary businesses like Scott's Seafood here in Congress.

12:42Therefore, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, it is my privilege

12:47to recognize Scott's Seafood Roundhouse for reaching this significant milestone of 25

12:53years in business.

12:55Congratulations, and thank you for all you do for our community.

13:00Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

‘It’s Happening In An Overwhelming Way’: Kevin Kiley Warns Of Non-Citizen Voters

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