Frank Pallone
Representative for New Jersey · Democratic · United States
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3747, the AADAPT Act. This bill reauthorizes Project ECHO, or the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes grant program at the Health Resources and Services Administration.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5160, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act. This bill reauthorizes the C.W.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2821, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, led by Representative Barragan and Representative Carter of Georgia.”
“We know that more than 5.3 million Americans are living today with a lifelong disability caused by a brain injury, and we know who is most at risk: older adults who fall, servicemembers and veterans, athletes on playing fields across the country, victims of domestic violence, and far, far too many children.”
“At that time, our understanding of these injuries was so limited that public health experts called TBI the silent epidemic, and we did not know how many Americans were affected each year, who was most at risk, or how many people were left with a permanent, life-altering disability.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1493, my bill to reauthorize the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996.”
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“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I will just stress that my Republican colleagues like to wrongfully assert that California standards set the vehicle emission policy for the whole of the United States, and it just demonstrates an inaccurate understanding of the Clean Air Act. So let me just close by explaining this. Through section 209 of the Clean Air Act, Congress provided the EPA the ability to grant California Federal preemption waivers to set more protective vehicle emissions standards to address the compelling need to reduce air pollution in that State. The resolutions at issue today are about one State's Clean Air Act waivers, California, not the entirety of the United States.”
“There is nothing in the law that says that other States can't continue to sell gas-powered cars. Even under the California standards, they can still sell hybrid vehicles. There are other options. For a hybrid, most of it is still being powered by gas. I just think that the Republicans are giving the impression that somehow California is dictating what we do in other States, and that is simply not true. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
“I have heard the Republicans on the other side act as if the California standards are a mandate and that they are going to mandate electric vehicles. Members on the Republican side from Michigan, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, and Ohio have all spoken. None of those States have adopted the California standards. I have no reason to believe that any of them ever intend to adopt the California standards. This is not a mandate. They can continue to sell internal combustion gas-powered cars in those States. Nobody is saying they can't, but they still have to meet the national standards, which are not really at issue today. They still have to meet the national standards for tailpipe emissions with those vehicles, as it should be because we want to have clean air.”
“I know that President Trump says that climate change is not real, not human-induced, but the fact of the matter is that the pollution problem continues. Climate change continues. Nullifying the California waivers is going to wreak havoc on Americans' well-being and public health, leading to more premature deaths. There is no doubt about it. I find it deeply disappointing that in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Republicans are continuing the trend of putting polluters over people by attempting to nullify health-protective vehicle emissions standards. What is worse is that, at the same time, Republicans are also plotting to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid, take healthcare away from millions of people, all so they can secure tax breaks for their billionaire friends and big corporation cronies.”
“Therefore, strong vehicle emissions standards are necessary to combat these deadly trends. The three waivers under threat today in these three bills would yield $45 billion in health benefits and prevent 4,700 [[Page H1754]] deaths in California alone. Why shouldn't it be the case that because California has unique air pollution problems that they can't have stronger regulations with regard to tailpipe emissions or decide to move toward electric vehicles over a period of years? They are doing this because of the unique circumstances of California. Eliminating these waivers would allow more than 1.5 billion metric tons of nitrogen oxides, 17,700 metric tons of fine particulates, and 1.6 billion metric tons of climate-harming emissions to poison our air.”
“It can lead to health problems like lung cancer, asthma attacks, heart disease, and even premature death. Air pollution is associated with over 100,000 premature deaths in the United States every year. I have reiterated this statistic before, and I am not going to stop until I make my Republicans on the other side of the aisle understand that we are still trying to clean up the air and save people's lives. Tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks, and other vehicles are significant sources of air pollution. Burning gasoline and diesel fuel contributes particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and greenhouse gases into the air. The transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making up nearly one-third of overall pollution.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it really bothers me that I never hear during this debate anybody on the Republican side of the aisle talk about clean air and the fact that we need to continue to make progress toward clean air because of the negative impacts of air pollution on people's health, particularly people who have health problems, asthma and other health problems. I want to talk a little bit about the Clean Air Act and why it is important, and then I will talk a little bit about the California standards. Thanks to the Clean Air Act, America has made massive strides in cleaning up our air, but we still have a long way to go. Nearly half of all Americans are breathing unhealthy air, and I think that that is unacceptable. Air pollution is a serious public health crisis.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), who is the ranking member of our Communications and Technology Subcommittee.”
“I think they are doing a good job, and I think my State of New Jersey, by following them, is doing a good job in trying to protect people from the health effects of dirty air. There is nothing in any of this that requires other States to follow, and they haven't for the most part. They can continue to sell cars pursuant to the Federal standards that are for internal combustion, gas-powered vehicles. I don't understand what the Republicans are talking about, but it is a waste of time. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
“These savings are needed now more than ever because Trump's tariffs are wreaking havoc on our economy and particularly on car sales. Trump's tariffs are expected to drive up the cost of vehicles in the United States by up to $15,000. Republicans silently sit by and let it happen and keep bringing up these resolutions on the floor that are going nowhere. A little more about California's advanced clean car program. It is forward-looking, it slashes harmful pollution and the associated health costs, and it also drives up investments, innovation, and job creation. They have proven to be a leader in improving air quality but also enabling significant economic growth. Again, I don't want to take away from California.”
“I assure you that a lot of the people, maybe a majority of the people, driving around my district with electric vehicles are not voting for me. It is not a left-wing thing. People buy these whether they are Republican or Democrat, whether they are liberal or conservative. That is simply not true. It is estimated that in California, their program will result in $13 billion in savings from reduced health costs, and the standards will save clean vehicle drivers $7,500 in maintenance and fuel costs over the first 10 years of use. These are real cost savings that will make a difference in people's lives. Again, California is doing this because they are concerned about pollution. It does save money. It saves fuel costs.”
“Now, in the case of California, their program builds on the success of previous standards and scales down light-duty vehicle emissions to reduce smog-forming pollution and greenhouse gases starting in the model year 2026 through 2035. This program has been in the works since 2020, and it provides a clear, planned, and gradual approach to transitioning to cleaner vehicles. No State has to adopt it. The California standard only applies to new on-road vehicles. It does not impact cars already on the road or used cars. It is not an EV mandate. A wide variety of currently available vehicles, like hybrids, for example, which allow you to use gas, obviously most of the time, continue to be allowed. I really had to laugh when I heard my colleague talk about--I think he said EVs are like a left-wing thing.”
“Essentially what California is doing is, because of the fact that they have a major air pollution problem, they have adopted more stricter standards, and the Federal Government lets them do so. As I mentioned during debate on the last resolution, this resolution--this one now is about cars, primarily--is a waste of time, because both the GAO and the Senate Parliamentarian have concluded that this waiver is not a rule and, therefore, can't be revoked using the Congressional Review Act. This is just another attempt by the Republicans to distract from the economic chaos and uncertainty that Trump is creating with our economy as they stand by and let it happen.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I was listening attentively to my colleague from Virginia and what he has been saying. I have to correct some things. First of all, this idea that California is imposing a national mandate is not the case. Only certain States, a minority of States, have adopted the California standards, and there is a lot of flexibility in that. His own State, Virginia, hasn't adopted the California standards. Maryland has modified the standards. My State adopted the California standards a year after California. So this idea that there is no flexibility or one size fits all is simply not the case. You don't have to adopt the California standards at all. In fact, if you don't adopt the California standards in your State, you can continue to sell internal combustion, gas-powered vehicles.”
“Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. ____________________”
“Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), the ranking member of our Communications and Technology Subcommittee.”
“competitiveness, and providing regulatory certainty for the clean vehicle industry. My colleagues on the other side talk about China and competition from China, but everything that President Trump is doing is giving China even more of a runway to be competitive and to win, in this case, in the transition to a clean energy economy, especially across the electric vehicle supply chain. Madam Speaker, I strongly oppose all of these misguided resolutions, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
“To be clear, the transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making up nearly one- third of overall pollution. Passing these resolutions would allow more nitrogen oxides, fine particles, and climate-disrupting emissions to poison our air. While it is disappointing that my Republican colleagues are attempting to tear down health-protective standards, it is not surprising. Just look at their plans to strip healthcare from millions of Americans with hundreds of billions of dollars in devastating Medicaid cuts, which I expect next week in our committee. Instead of attacking clean vehicle programs, opposing investments in American electric vehicle manufacturing, and pushing regressive anti- electrification policies, Congress should focus on supporting market innovation, preserving U.S.”
“States seeking approvals for energy infrastructure projects would be under threat. Leasing decisions for major oil and gas fields could be targeted. States that submit waivers for their Medicaid programs could be up for congressional review under this newly expanded applicability. This opens up a Pandora's box for Republicans to invalidate other State programs that they deem unfit for their extremist agenda. {time} 1430 They are trying to impose a very extremist Federal national standard and basically preempt the States. It is not what Republicans historically do, but this is the age of President Trump. I think this should ring an alarm bell for everyone in this Chamber. Today, it is waivers for California's clean vehicle standards; tomorrow, it could be a program or project in another State out of favor with Trump or the Republicans.”
“EPA has granted dozens of waivers over five decades, and there is a long bipartisan history of recognizing these waivers as orders, which House Republicans are determined to ignore. What I am saying, Madam Speaker, is they can't do what they are suggesting to do today because it is illegal. Even if they were able to, it sets a terrible precedent for other waivers and other abilities of States to decide on their own what they want to do. If the theory behind these resolutions were to be successful--in other words, using the CRA to nullify orders--House Republicans would set a dangerous precedent that expands the applicability of the CRA. That would mean countless numbers of executive actions made across the Federal Government would be at the mercy of the political winds of a vocal few in Congress.”
“My Republican colleagues were informed weeks ago by the independent, nonpartisan GAO that California's waivers cannot be revoked using the CRA for two reasons. First, EPA's waiver decisions are not rules. Second, even if the waivers were considered rules, they would be rules of particular applicability since they only concern one specific entity; i.e., California. These two factors disqualify the waivers from review under the CRA, and the Senate Parliamentarian agreed. That should have been enough. In other words, the Senate says they can't do this. The GAO says they can't do this. Again, the Republicans are taking their cues from Trump, and he doesn't care what the law says. He just says do it. That is why we are here today. None of this is going to matter.”
“This waiver mechanism also allows other States with challenging air pollution conditions to voluntarily adopt California standards if they feel that it is appropriate. This has allowed States to be a laboratory of innovation for the auto industry and pioneer emission reduction technologies, such as check engine dashboard lights or even the development of zero-emission vehicles, and the standards under threat today would continue that legacy. [[Page H1743]] These resolutions would completely dismantle that progress at a time when the Trump administration appears to be determined to cede our global leadership in clean transportation to China. None of this has to happen. These resolutions are illegal, plain and simple.”
“If California decides that we need more stringent standards because we don't want people to get sick in their State, then they should be allowed to do so. This isn't like pie in the sky. This is based on the fact that the air quality in California is not good. I mean, I hate to say it, but it is true. That is why they need more stricter standards, and they decided to do that. California started regulating tailpipe emissions actually in 1966 before the Federal Clean Air Act was even enacted. In drafting the Clean Air Act decades ago, Congress recognized California's air quality challenges that demonstrated compelling and extraordinary circumstances, justifying more protective standards.”
“He is the one who is talking about Big Government now because he is suggesting that the Federal Government is going to preempt everything that California and some other States have done. These resolutions are a direct attack on over 50 years of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency recognizing California's, and other States that follow, longstanding authority to set stronger vehicle emission standards to protect the public health of its residents from the State's unique air quality challenges. Why do we let States like California and New Jersey decide this on their own? Because there are different problems in those States with regard to air quality. Right now, over 90 percent of California residents live in an area plagued by poor air quality.”
“My colleague from Virginia gives the impression that States have to follow California's lead. I don't know that he means that, but he gives that impression. That is not true. No one is telling any State that they have to follow California. My State of New Jersey decided to, but that is up to the Governor and the legislature. In fact, they could withdraw the California standards at any time. New Jersey could if they wanted to. No one is forcing any State to follow California's lead. My colleague from Virginia, I love him, but he is talking about Big Government. It used to be that the Republicans believed in States' rights, meaning that the States, little or large, would have their own rights and be able to do their own thing.”
“Markets are in turmoil. The first quarter report indicated that the American economy is actually contracting. It is not growing. It is actually contracting, getting smaller. American retirement savings are in free fall. Prices for everyday goods continue to rise, all as a result of President Trump's trade war with the entire world. He is at war with the entire world. Trump's tariffs are also expected to drive up the costs of vehicles in the United States by up to $15,000, and Republicans silently sit back and let it happen, bringing up resolutions on the floor that are going nowhere. These illegal CRA resolutions threaten the Clean Air Act waivers of Federal preemption that allowed stronger pollution standards for cars and trucks for the State of California.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 87, 88, and 89, the three bills that we are considering this afternoon. Like much of what Republicans do here on the House floor, these three resolutions are a waste of time and are going nowhere. That is because both the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, and the Senate Parliamentarian have determined that Congress cannot nullify these waivers using the Congressional Review Act. Yet, here we are. Republicans are ignoring these rulings and moving ahead--again, a giant waste of time. These resolutions are nothing more than a ploy to basically distract hardworking Americans from the fact that President Trump is singlehandedly destroying our economy and driving up costs for American families, including on vehicles.”
“Branden holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Mount Saint Mary's University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Towson University. Branden is a talented research scientist at a research and engineering company. Together, Emily and Branden have built a strong, loving partnership that reflects their shared values and passions. Mr. Speaker, please join me in leading this body in recognition of Emily McLaughlin Wisniewski and Branden Anton Ehrenreich as they embark on their marriage together. It is with great pleasure that I join their friends and family in honoring their exceptional union. I wish them a lifetime of happiness, love, and adventure. ____________________”
“This union is a testament to the driven, thoughtful, and vibrant paths they have led to this important moment. Emily, native to New Jersey, is the daughter of John and Deborah Wisniewski. Born and raised in La Plata, Maryland, Branden is the son of Kurt and Tammy Ehrenreich. Emily is a graduate of New York University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science, and Georgetown University, where she obtained a Master of Science in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics. Emily has made significant contributions in her career, working for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and as a statistician for the U.S. Census Bureau. The Royal Conservatory of Music has rated her an accomplished, certified pianist.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E367] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING THE MARRIAGE OF EMILY McLAUGHLIN WISNIEWSKI AND BRANDEN ANTON EHRENREICH ______ HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. of new jersey in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Emily McLaughlin Wisniewski and Mr. Branden Anton Ehrenreich, who were joined in marriage on Saturday, April 26, 2025. This special occasion celebrated the love between two remarkable individuals and marked the beautiful journey they have shared together.”
“By applying the Secure and Trusted framework to the satellite industry, we will take another crucial step toward protecting the public from untrusted entities and our foreign adversaries. The requirements in this legislation will not only benefit our Nation but will also help further the United States' ability to protect our allies, as they, too, rely on these global satellite networks for broadband and emergency services. I thank Chair Guthrie for working with me on this bipartisan bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this timely legislation to protect Americans from untrusted actors seeking to use our communications networks against us. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
“It is, therefore, imperative that we ensure the satellite marketplace and its relevant supply chains are protected from threats by nontrusted actors. H.R. 2458 helps meet these objectives. This legislation will extend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act framework to the licensing of both geostationary and nongeostationary orbit satellites as well as the authorization of U.S. Earth stations. Effectively, this legislation will prevent entities identified as national security risks from gaining a license or authorization to access the U.S. satellite market. This is especially relevant given that the combined satellite fleets of China and Russia have grown by about 70 percent in the last few years.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2458, the Secure Space Act, bipartisan legislation that I introduced last month with Energy and Commerce Chair Guthrie. There is no question that we are once again in the midst of a new space age. It is opening a variety of new frontiers, curiosity, and innovation, including the use of satellites in space to provide broadband and other communications services. As the demand for satellite services increases, so does the need to protect these communications networks from untrusted actors and equipment. We can't risk having our satellite networks face the same challenges we have seen in some of our other communications networks, which may be more challenging given the fact that satellites operate globally.”
“I thank our Democratic sponsor, Representative Schrier, for her work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
“I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand with the domestic manufacturers they claim to support by speaking out against the uncertain market environment that this administration has thrown manufacturing into. We should be working together on commonsense investments and legislation to strengthen domestic supply chains and manufacturing, as we have done before, instead of allowing President Trump and his friends to crash our economy, including the manufacturing sector, with careless policies. H.R. 1721 will commission the Department of Commerce to study the [[Page H1652]] costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing products within critical infrastructure sectors so we can take well-informed and strategic next steps to bolster our Nation's supply chains.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1721, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act. Our Nation's manufacturing base was once the envy of the world. Unfortunately, it faced steady headwinds for decades. The United States' share of global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent in 2002 to less than 16 percent in 2021. Fortunately, the work we did under the Biden administration, passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, started to turn the tide. Our Nation added over 700,000 manufacturing jobs during President Biden's time in office. However, we must not allow President Trump to put this great progress in jeopardy with his chaotic trade wars and uncertain tariff policies.”
“This weakens our manufacturing sector and [[Page H1651]] hinders our ability to bring good jobs back to the United States, and it will increase costs for American families who are already struggling to make ends meet. The legislation before us today will provide valuable information about how we can take well-informed steps to increase foreign direct investment to further advance our efforts to strengthen the semiconductor supply chains, create more jobs, and continue to revitalize American manufacturing. Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Landsman for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman), who is the sponsor of this legislation and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.”
“That law is investing over $52 billion in domestic semiconductor production, research, and development. Reshoring America's semiconductor supply chains requires carefully crafted policy, economic and market stability, and State and Federal Government partners empowered to support the industry. The Trump administration is offering our country none of these things and is instead pulling the rug out from under this critical sector by increasing their construction costs with tariffs on critical trading partners, creating unstable market conditions through careless policy, in my opinion, and abruptly firing the government workers and domestic manufacturers who depend on it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2480, the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act. Semiconductors are a necessary component of everything from consumer electronics to automobiles to our national defense weapons systems. The United States, once a global powerhouse in semiconductor fabrication, has become dangerously reliant on other countries to manufacture these chips, which are vital to both our national economic and security interests. That is why I was proud to help lead the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, a transformational law passed in 2022 that strengthens our manufacturing base and helps create good-paying jobs for American workers, unleashes more innovation, and lowers costs for consumers.”
“Mr. Speaker, I urge bipartisan support for this legislation. It is another consumer protection bill, like the TICKET Act, that provides transparency where it doesn't exist right now. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), who is the Democratic sponsor of the bill and who is also the ranking member of our committee's Energy Subcommittee.”
“This bill would also require hotels and other providers of short-term lodging to provide the total cost of a room to any internet website or other third party that the provider has allowed to advertise, market, display, or otherwise offer the short-term lodging for sale. By ensuring everyone in the short-term lodging ecosystem displays the full price of a stay, we will protect consumers from being caught paying extra when they go to check out. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Castor, Mullin, Kim, and Fry for their bipartisan leadership on this issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. Far too often, when consumers go to check out of their hotel rooms, they are hit with surprise fees. Hotels and online travel agencies have many names for these types of fees: resort fees, amenities fees, and facilities fees, to name just a few. Regardless of what they are called, surprise fees that consumers do not expect make it impossible to comparison shop and impose undue burdens on household finances. H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, is a bipartisan bill that would ensure that companies disclose all mandatory fees when they advertise the price of a hotel room or other place of short-term lodging.”
“Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous support for this legislation. Once again, this is another very important bill as part of this consumer protection agenda today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
“They tell us they feel powerless as it spreads or even resurfaces years later. The TAKE IT DOWN Act will require social media and other online public platforms to provide a mechanism for people to notify the platform of nonconsensual intimate images in which they are depicted. It also requires the platforms to take reasonable steps to remove the images from their platforms within 48 hours. I thank Representatives Dean and Dingell for their leadership on this issue, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to speak in support of S. 146, the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The legislation addresses the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images online, one of the most significant harms proliferating on the internet in recent years. Advances in generative artificial intelligence and other photo manipulation software have enabled the creation of digital forgeries that place victims in sexually explicit situations that never actually occurred but can still cause massive reputational and financial damage to those who were targeted. Some of the platforms hosting actual and computer-generated nonconsensual intimate images have promised to address such abuses online and protect their users but, nevertheless, victims report great difficulty in getting such images removed from the internet.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, as you can see, a lot of these consumer protection bills that we are considering today are actually very important, as is this. I urge bipartisan support and yield back the balance of my time.”
“I commend Representative Trahan for her leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act. Sodium nitrite is a highly toxic substance. Ingesting even a small amount is likely to be fatal. Unfortunately, online forums are providing detailed instructions and real-time guidance on how to acquire and use this substance to take their own lives. Sadly, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this has led to a sharp increase in self-poisoning using sodium nitrite. By banning the sale of high-concentrate sodium nitrite to consumers, H.R. 1442 will make it less accessible to people contemplating suicide. Experts have made it clear that there is no good reason for consumers to purchase sodium nitrite at such high concentrations.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with Mr. Bilirakis. This is important consumer protection, and I am glad to see that our committee and the subcommittee headed by Mr. Bilirakis as chair and Ms. Schakowsky as the ranking member has taken on so many of these consumer issues today and in the future. I ask for support on both sides of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.”