Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about a challenge that we have in California's waterways. It is a challenge of an invasive species called nutria. Nutrias are commonly known as swamp rats to many.…
Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about a challenge that we have in California's waterways. It is a challenge of an invasive species called nutria.
Nutrias are commonly known as swamp rats to many. They came from South America decades ago, but they raise havoc wherever they go.
They are a problem for California's already challenged water system. They destroy canals and levees, which, in turn, could lead to flooding and threaten water delivery to our farmers and our farm communities.
Usually detected in large numbers, they rapidly reproduce, which makes eradication difficult.
Last week, I cosponsored legislation with fellow Congressmen Josh Harder and TJ Cox to help fight the nutria population growth. The bill will reauthorize the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 and provide $7 million toward efforts to rid the species from California once and for all.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation for California.
Celebrating Portuguese Heritage Month
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as National Portuguese Heritage Month.
Representative Cox and I have introduced legislation, along with the Portuguese Caucus, to officially recognize the key role that Portuguese Americans have played in the growth of our Nation and highlight their valuable and significant contributions to our society.
Portugal was the first neutral nation to establish diplomatic ties with the United States over 240 years ago. They have contributed to every facet of American society, from manning the early whaling ships in New England to the introduction of agriculture throughout the country.
They have served with distinction and proudly in our military and have been leaders in government at every level in our country. In 1979, Tony Coelho, my friend from California, was elected as the first American of Portuguese descent to the United States House of Representatives.
In addition to lawmaking, Portuguese Americans have made lasting contributions to science, music, and in other areas of business, through people like former Secretary of Energy and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz and the famous March King, John Philip Sousa, who wrote the iconic song ``Stars and Stripes Forever'' as he headed the Marine Corps band.
They are also leaders in agriculture throughout our Nation--in California, most notably in the dairy industry.
The Portuguese American story is the American story of immigrants past and immigrants present who have come here through generations to have a better life for themselves and their families.
Values that my own parents and grandparents instilled in myself and my sister have never been far from my heart, that family and tradition and that an ethic of hard work are important in our country for all immigrant groups, and realizing that with that ethic, anything can be accomplished in America.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to join me in recognizing and celebrating the many ways in which the Portuguese American communities have changed, shaped, and influenced our country through our industries and, most importantly, through their ideals and their love of family and becoming a part of that American Dream.
Mr. Speaker, I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize another ethnic group that has made so many contributions to America, the Armenian community, to underscore the importance and the strong relationship between the United States and Armenia.
The United States has enjoyed a long history working with the Armenian people toward a shared vision of a free and democratic society.
The Armenian community has risen over the past 100 years, after facing one of the most atrocious acts in human history: the first genocide in the 20th century.
Notwithstanding that, they have prevailed and continue to grow stronger, not only in Armenia, but also throughout the world.
In 2018, we witnessed the Armenian people standing up and peacefully demonstrating for change in their country, and it happened. Nearly 1 year later, the dawn of a new era represents an opportunity for the country and its people to reach their full potential.
The United States can provide valuable support and help to empower the Armenian people in this new and exciting chapter in their country.
I am pleased, therefore, to support H.R. 452, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with my colleagues to continue to strengthen the bilateral relations between the United States and the Republic of Armenia.
Resolve Humanitarian Crisis at Southern Border on Bipartisan Basis
Mr. Speaker, finally, let me say to my colleagues in the House that what is going on at the border between the United States and Mexico is simply not the American way. We can find solutions to resolve the humanitarian crisis that is taking place at our border, but we must work together on a bipartisan basis.
We must support the supplemental legislation today that will provide additional funding while working for meaningful changes to take care of people, to not separate children from their families, and to act in a humane way that reflects our values.
