Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of March 10, 2025
Washington,
March 12, 2025
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Keeping the Government Open for Americans Without Wasteful Spending ✅ For too long, responsible spending has been a foreign concept to Washington, sticking the American people with a national debt that now exceeds $36 trillion. The largest increase of the national debt under a presidential administration took place under President Biden, raising the debt by $8.5 trillion, despite facing no recessions and the economy having reopened. House Republicans are on a mission to cut wasteful Washington spending, reduce our out of control debt, and responsibly fund the federal government as we fight to get America’s financial house in order. To ensure the government stays open and accessible to Americans while we fight to save our economy from more reckless spending, House Republicans passed a clean continuing resolution to extend government funding through September 30, 2025. Our funding plan makes sure necessary programs like those for our veterans and healthcare are taken care of, without bloated Democrat spending. It includes an additional $6 billion for veterans’ healthcare and housing, and increases defense spending to keep Americans safe and cared for. Additionally, the legislation funds authorized pay increases for junior enlisted military personnel and the WIC program. Meanwhile, our plan cuts non defense spending and ensures taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, introduced by Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, extends government funding through September 30, 2025, keeping the government open and serving the American people while we fight to reduce wasteful government spending and lower our debt. “The choice before us was simple: you either support keeping the government open and working for the American people – or you want a reckless government shutdown. House Republicans acted to meet the nation’s fiscal deadline. This CR reflects a steadfast commitment to continuing operations for our military, veterans, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, child nutrition, public safety, and other critical services relied on by our constituents. It provided the largest pay raise for our brave junior enlisted heroes since President Reagan. With no poison pills or unrelated riders, the bill is a straightforward extension of funding and certainty for the nation. I am proud to see House Republicans pass this through the House, and I ask the Senate to act on this bill quickly and ensure responsible governance,” said Chairman Tom Cole. What Members Said: “We're on the eve of another potential shutdown, and this Republican majority said we're not going to let that happen. In fact, this Republican President, Donald Trump, said we're not going to let that happen either; it would be irresponsible to have a government shutdown. And maybe it's because Donald Trump said he's for it that then the Democrat leadership decided they were going to be against it. And when did they decide they were going to be against this bill? Before the bill was even written, before it was filed, they came out against it and started saying things that were in the bill when it wasn't even written, Mr. Speaker. You heard them talking about cuts to Medicare, cuts to veterans – the bill wasn't even written, and they were already making up stories to try to figure out how to vote no and shut the government down. That's, sadly, where this Democrat Party has gotten; the Democrat Party of today is a leaderless, rudderless ship. They don't have an agenda,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “As they talk all day about what's not in the bill because they were against it before it was even written, if they actually read this bill – again, only 99 pages, it's a pretty quick read – you would find out that pay raise for our troops is in the bill. Stronger funding for our veterans is in the bill. But why are they voting no, you would ask? Just because the name of the president is Donald Trump.”
“House Republicans have been working diligently to fully fund the core federal government services so that President Trump and his administration can continue to identify the waste, fraud and abuse of American tax dollars, protect our border, and support Americans, including our veterans – contrary to what you heard – our military families, first responders, of which I'm a former, and our seniors. Most importantly, by passing H.R. 1986, this continuing resolution, we are ensuring that a costly government shutdown does not fall upon the American public,” said Rep. John Rutherford. “It's our constitutional obligation in Congress to fund the federal government, and the House Republicans are acting on that duty. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are not.” Rep. Ann Wagner highlighted that H.R. 1968 keeps our government open, supports the men and women in our military, protects our communities, and ensures your hard-earned dollars are used efficiently and effectively.  Holding Pandemic Unemployment Fraudsters Accountable and Recovering Stolen Funds ✅ In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, creating several federally-funded unemployment insurance (UI) programs to temporarily provide expanded unemployment benefits in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In less than two years, the government spending through these temporary UI programs added up to $675 billion – a huge expense – as the programs and verification processes created an easy target for fraudsters and international criminal organizations to steal big taxpayer bucks. By estimate, $100 billion to $135 billion of these pandemic era unemployment funds were stolen by fraudsters. Now, around five years later, only $5 billion of these stolen funds (roughly four percent) have been recovered, according to the Department of Labor. Currently, the statute of limitations for fraud under these unemployment programs is five years, with the deadline falling on March 27, 2025. If the statute of limitations is not extended, after March 27, we will no longer be able to prosecute these crimes, whether new cases or ongoing ones, or recover any more of the stolen funds. We can’t allow these criminals to walk away with stolen taxpayer funds and no repercussions. House Republicans passed legislation to ensure these fraudsters are held accountable to the American taxpayer. H.R. 1156, the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, introduced by Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, extends the statute of limitations to ten years for fraudulent unemployment claims funded by federal pandemic unemployment programs by amending the CARES Act, allowing federal law enforcement to continue prosecuting fraudsters and criminals and recover billions of taxpayer dollars lost to fraud during COVID-19. “The American people supported President Trump in November because he pledged to eliminate waste and fraud in government. There is no better example of what President Trump is talking about than the rampant fraud in the COVID-era unemployment insurance program. According to government estimates, between $100 and $135 billion of UI benefits were stolen during the pandemic. Outside estimates range as high as $400 billion. It is the greatest theft of tax dollars in U.S. history. So far, the government has only recovered about $5 billion. There are over 157,000 open UI fraud hotline complaints and more than 1,600 ongoing fraud investigations. The statute of limitations for these investigations starts to run out in just a few days on March 27th. If we don't extend the statute of limitations for another five years, the criminals who stole money from the pockets of taxpayers will get away. Congress must pass this bill and get it to President Trump’s desk,” said Chairman Jason Smith. What Members Said: “We're exposing the waste, the fraud and the abuse, including an estimated $100 to $135 billion in pandemic unemployment fraud – money that was paid for by the hard working taxpayers of this country to help people who are going through a tough time during the COVID pandemic,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. “Precious taxpayer dollars went to fraudsters, many overseas including China, Russia, and Nigeria. They even went to dead people and inmates in prison. Criminals spent their money on luxury items like Rolex watches, fancy furnishings, items from Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, and even a $10 million villa in the Dominican Republic. [...] Meanwhile, my district office in Staten Island and Brooklyn had to help dozens of constituents who had their identities stolen and could not get unemployment benefits they desperately needed.”
“This is about fixing something that went badly wrong, to not just recoup taxpayers’ money, but to ensure it doesn't happen again. This bill will help crack down on this type of fraud, and would extend the statute of limitations that law enforcement needs to pursue criminal charges or civil actions. It also incentivizes states to help us crack down and recover these fraudulent payments, and it puts checks and balances to stop future unemployment insurance payments from going to incarcerated and deceased people. ” Rep. Ryan Zinke emphasized that with more than $100 billion in pandemic-era unemployment benefits lost to fraud, and thousands of unresolved complaints and investigations, now is not the time to let criminals off the hook.
 Overturning Biden’s Burdensome Digital Asset Sales Rule and Protecting American Privacy ✅ In December 2024, the Biden Administration’s Department of Treasury released a final rule imposing burdensome reporting requirements on developers of decentralized financial (DeFi) technology or digital assets, as part of Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This new rule would require digital asset DeFi brokers to adhere to the same reporting rules as securities brokers or centralized brokers of custodial digital assets and file a Form 1099, threatening privacy for Americans and innovation in the digital asset industry, and putting burdensome red tape on digital currency. DeFi brokers are decentralized, unlike securities brokers or centralized brokers of custodial digital assets which work more like banks, and don’t touch the exchanging cryptocurrency or collect the user data or information required to adhere to this new rule. Essentially, they do not operate the same and should not be placed in the same ‘broker’ category as traditional securities brokers. The Biden digital asset broker rule is yet another example of agency overreach during the Biden Administration, this time from the IRS, as it would further complicate the tax-filing process and lead to an influx of new digital asset returns, overwhelming agency officials. Stakeholders have already filed a lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury for these burdensome regulations, stating the agencies overreached their authority and infringed on DeFi broker and user privacy. We cannot allow this rule to overburden software developers, crush American innovation, and violate Americans’ privacy. Rep. Mike Carey’s legislation, H.J. Res. 25, would overturn Biden’s rule that would require brokers to report gross proceeds from crypto sales and other digital asset transactions, including data about the taxpayers involved, increasing tax filing burdens, stifling innovation, and raising privacy concerns over the sharing of taxpayers’ personal information. “The IRS Broker Rule hindered American innovation, infringed on the privacy of everyday Americans, and was set to overwhelm the IRS with an overflow of new, unnecessary filings. By repealing this misguided rule, the House has given the IRS the opportunity to return its focus to the obligations it already owes American taxpayers. It also ensures that the United States is in position to lead the world in innovation in the digital asset and cryptocurrency sector. I was proud to lead the effort to pass this resolution and thank my colleagues for their support,” said Rep. Mike Carey. What Members Said: “The IRS’s DeFi Broker rule is a misguided and overreaching attempt to impose financial reporting requirements, which represents a fundamental misunderstanding of digital assets and its underlying technology. DeFi protocols are not brokers: they don't facilitate transactions like traditional financial institutions, nor can they collect and report user information,” said Rep. Max Miller. “DeFi protocols provide infrastructure – expecting them to track and report user activity is both impractical and misaligned with their core function of what they do. Yet the IRS wants to force software developers, validators, and even everyday users into compliance with regulations that simply don't fit. This is the equivalent of requiring the builders of our interstate highways to report the identity of every driver who uses them. It's unworkable, it's unfair, and it completely misses the mark. This rule would drive U.S. blockchain innovation overseas, killing jobs and stifling economic growth, while doing little to increase tax compliance.”
Rep. Josh Brecheen underscored that H.J. Res. 25 protects taxpayers and businesses from burdensome rules and regulations, as well as from infringements on their privacy, by overturning the Biden Administration's digital asset sales rule.
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