Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of November 18, 2024
Washington,
November 21, 2024
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Supporting Geothermal Energy Production and Diversifying U.S. Energy ✅ Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source that comes from heat generated by the Earth and provides an efficient, dependable power source for long periods of time. Having a diverse energy portfolio is crucial to our nation’s energy security and independence, and a clean, reliable energy source like geothermal energy is a great way to expand our portfolio and meet our nation’s growing demand domestically. Most usable geothermal resources are located on federal lands – meaning lease sales are vital to spurring American geothermal energy production. Currently, the Interior Department only holds lease sales once every two years, preventing utilization of our resources, domestic geothermal production, and energy diversification, and leaving us dependent on foreign adversaries for our energy needs. We should be promoting the expansion and production of geothermal energy, not slowing it down with infrequent lease sales and onerous red-tape. House Republicans passed legislation to bolster our energy security and diversity by removing burdensome bureaucracy, increasing lease sales, and unleashing American geothermal energy production. H.R. 1449, the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act, introduced by Rep. Russ Fulcher, requires the Interior Department to increase the frequency of geothermal lease sales from every two years to every year and hold a replacement sale if one is canceled or missed, and creates deadlines to inform geothermal drilling permit applicants of the decision on their application. “Geothermal energy has the potential to be a key contributor to providing reliable, clean energy for millions of Americans,” said Rep. Russ Fulcher. “As nearly 90% of our nation's geothermal resources are located on federally managed lands, I introduced the CLEAN Act to remove red tape and require the Department of Interior to increase lease opportunities to bolster the exploration and development of this critical resource. This legislation is not only vital to reducing our reliance on foreign adversaries but meeting America’s growing energy demands.” What Members Said: “Right now, the Department of the Interior is required to hold a competitive lease sale every two years. However, some states have not had a lease sale for much longer than that. Under this legislation, the Secretary of the Interior must hold these sales annually, and must respond to the permit applications within 30 days of receipt to let the applicant know if their application is complete. If it is, the Secretary has 30 days to issue a final decision,” said Rep. Michelle Fischbach. “Geothermal energy is clean and renewable, making it a great way to expand America's energy portfolio and meet our growing demand domestically, rather than relying on other nations.”
Rep. Beth Van Duyne celebrated the passage of H.R. 1449 that will cut red tape so we can expand geotherman energy production in America.
 Providing Tax Relief for American Hostages Abroad and Holding Terrorist-Supporting Nonprofits Accountable ✅ There are around 46 American citizens being wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, including in China, Russia, Iran, and by Hamas in Gaza. While held captive, a horrifying flaw in U.S. tax code penalizes these American hostages: under current law, the IRS cannot extend relief past one year to wrongfully detained taxpayers, and there is no process to proactively suspend interest for these taxpayers as they suffer far from home. Americans being wrongfully detained abroad shouldn’t have to worry about paying off penalties and late fees when they finally return home – they should be able to focus on their families, recovering, and reacclimating to life at home. Meanwhile, some of the terrorist organizations holding Americans captive may be getting material support from tax-exempt U.S. organizations. A Ways and Means investigation following the post-October 7th antisemitic protests that raged across our nation found that tax-exempt organizations were used to support these shameful efforts. Again, current law does not do enough to prevent this: the tax-exempt status of an organization can be suspended if it is designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization, but not if it has been providing support to a designated terrorist or terrorist organization. This legislation is a no-brainer: American citizens should not be penalized for being held hostage by adversaries abroad, and U.S. organizations supporting terrorism should not be exempt from taxes It is our job to bring these hostages home, not saddle them with unpaid tax bills, and hold accountable any organization that finances terror against our citizens. Rep. Claudia Tenney’s legislation, H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, prevents the IRS from charging late fees and penalties on American citizens wrongfully detained abroad, and revokes the tax-exempt status of U.S. non-profit organizations who have been found to provide financial or material support to designated terrorist groups like Hamas. “Americans are being used as leverage across the globe, held hostage or wrongfully detained by terrorist groups,” said Rep. Claudia Tenney. “This includes NY-24's own Ryan Corbett in Afghanistan and numerous Americans held by Hamas in Gaza. The last thing these Americans should have to face when returning home is tax penalties from the government. The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act corrects this flaw in our tax code, ensuring that individuals returning home from unimaginable hardship are not penalized with back taxes by the IRS. Additionally, this legislation requires the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization that provides financial support or resources to designated terrorist groups. I am pleased this legislation passed the House, ensuring that Americans who have endured the horrors of being held hostage can return home without facing punitive tax penalties while also strengthening our stance against terrorism.” What Members Said: “Ryan Corbett, who grew up in my district, has been held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 832 days. It's inconceivable that Americans like Ryan, who endure such brutal hardship, should come home only to face a tax bill or penalties from our government – but that's what the current law prescribes. Our tax code offers Americans held hostage just one year of relief before late fees and interests begin to accrue,” said Rep. Dan Meuser. “This bill ensures that those individuals can return home without the added burden of financial fallout, allowing them to focus on rebuilding their lives. This legislation also strengthens our stance against terrorism by revoking tax exempt status from U.S. nonprofits that provide financing to groups like Hamas. Just as captors holding American citizens should not receive a dime in American taxpayer aid, neither should terrorist sympathizers receive tax relief from our federal government.” Rep. Neal Dunn emphasized that H.R. 9495 is a massive blow to terrorist organizations while providing tax relief to those who've been held hostage by those groups.
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