Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, Insuring Fairness for Family Farmers Act.

Crop insurance is one of the best tools farmers have against bad weather, natural disasters, and volatile markets. Unfortunately, specialty crops consistently lag behind commodity crops in coverage levels, and small farms are less likely than large farms to have crop insurance.

That is why I am introducing the Insuring Fairness for Family Farmers Act, a bill that would incentivize crop insurance agents to cover small and specialty crop farmers like ours in Oregon.

More than 33 percent of all Oregon farms are small farms, compared to 13 percent of farms in the U.S. And my growers have been clear about the challenges the current system creates for them.

As we write the farm bill, Congress has a rare opportunity and a responsibility to ensure small family farms have their interest prioritized by giving them the tools they need to remain in production.

Let's save the family farm.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act.

The worsening climate crisis has wrought destruction across the country, and Oregon is not immune from that devastation.

Every year, our wildfire season becomes more severe. In fact, right now, there are 19 active wildfires in Oregon alone, burning thousands of acres, threatening properties, and upending daily life for hundreds of Oregonians.

Yet as the risk of wildfire has grown, our wildland firefighting capacity has fallen far behind, and that is where the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act comes in.

This bill will actually cut through the red tape to ensure the Forest Service can hire brave Americans who are ready, willing, and able to battle these blazes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Hoyle, Guthrie, and Edwards, for their support of this bill, and I look forward to seeing its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise, once again, in defense of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community.

This year, we have seen a barrage of hateful legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ individuals as Republicans in statehouses, courtrooms, classrooms, and, yes, sadly, even Congress attempt to roll back the clock.

What they are doing is harmful, it is unconscionable, and, let's be clear, it could prove to be fatal for those who are so deeply hurt by these laws that they take their own life.

The stakes this Pride Month couldn't be higher, and that is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues in defense of freedom and equality for everyone.

Pride isn't merely about rainbows. It is resilience, and it is a reminder that real allyship requires work: courageously and unapologetically standing up to bigotry, not just this month, but every month.

We will not back down, and we will not be silenced.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe it has come to this. It is astonishing and, frankly, angering that Republicans have chosen to take Memorial Day weekend off, when they spent the last 3 weeks working overtime to shortchange our veterans and military members.

Let's be clear about what has happened here. Republicans are walking away because they can't get their way because President Biden won't cave to their anti-servicemembers and anti-veteran demands.

Instead, we are teetering on the verge of a default; a default that would disproportionately harm our Nation's heroes.

When the government runs out of money on June 1, guess whose benefits are on the chopping block?

Veterans.

It is all because Republicans decided to play with fire without stopping to think who might get burned. Our servicemembers and their families deserve so much better. We all do.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize National Police Week.

Every day, from Tigard to Turner, McMinnville to Monmouth, tens of thousands of courageous Oregonians answer the call to protect and serve.

Law enforcement officers routinely step into harm's way to defend community members in crisis and to protect the rule of law. For that, we owe them

a debt of gratitude, but gratitude alone is not enough.

As the daughter of a police officer, I know what it is like to worry about whether your loved one will return home safely, and I grieve for the families of those who don't.

In their honor, I am committed to supporting police officers in Oregon and across our Nation with the resources, funds, training, and care they need. We also need to do more to support our officers once they exit the force, from increasing mental health services to expanding disability benefits.

Those who dedicate their lives to public safety deserve nothing less.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2.

My dad immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was just a child. He picked cotton and tomatoes in the Rio Grande Valley before eventually earning his U.S. citizenship. Today, his daughter is a Member of the United States Congress and serves on the Agriculture Committee, a true testament to the unique power and promise of the American Dream.

Migrant workers like my dad are the work engine of our agriculture industry today. That is a fact--maybe an inconvenient one for some of my colleagues--but a fact, nonetheless.

By some estimates, immigrant farmworkers make up more than 70 percent of agricultural workers in the U.S. Nearly 175,000 immigrant farmworkers reside in Oregon alone. Their work is backbreaking, exhausting, and at times life-threatening. Yet, they show up, rain or shine, heat dome or ice storm, to do the work, to feed America--not red States or blue States, but every State.

That is why I am completely stunned by the arrogance and shortsightedness of the majority.

Are you so blinded by xenophobia that you are willing to endanger not only our food security but our national security with E-Verify requirements that even Members of your own party call a mistake?

Democrats did offer an amendment to strike the E-Verify provision, but the majority defeated that amendment. Oh, my goodness.

I am hoping that you can think beyond spinning your way out of the reality that this bill will decimate our agriculture industry. The American people are smarter than that and they will see through these political games.

Turning employers into enforcers will result in nothing less than the collapse of our agricultural system and, with it, our ability to feed our great Nation. It would be a willful error of the highest magnitude, something the American people will never forgive or forget.

Empty fields, empty tables, empty bellies; that is what H.R. 2 would do. That is why we must all be a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the default on America act. This dangerous bill is nothing more than an attempt to extract extreme concessions that will benefit big corporations, poison our environment, and hurt working families.

To extract those concessions, House Republicans are threatening to default on our debt, something that could push us headlong into a recession.

If we were to default on our debt, 84,000 families in Oregon's Sixth District alone would have their Social Security payments jeopardized.

Mr. Speaker, 278,000 members of my community could lose their healthcare benefits, and small businesses in Oregon's Sixth District could be forced to pay an additional $2,500 in total loan payments.

This bill is DOA in the Senate, which gives my colleagues the chance to go back to the drawing board and present a clean debt ceiling bill.

I urge them to take this opportunity to do right by the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in defense of science, freedom, and choice.

Two weeks ago, a Trump-appointed judge issued a ruling to suspend the FDA's approval of mifepristone, a safe abortion and miscarriage management medication that has been on the market for more than two decades.

This unscientific, partisan judicial decision is the latest move in the ongoing attack on reproductive freedom across the United States.

Abortion, including medication abortion, like mifepristone, is still safe and legal in Oregon. But, like so many Oregonians, I am deeply troubled by these attacks, and I refuse to sit idly by as they jeopardize the health and well-being of millions of Americans.

I will continue to stand up for those who can get pregnant to ensure mifepristone remains available to all who need it, and to restore the right to choose in all 50 States.

Congress can and must intervene.

Madam Speaker, I rise on Mental Health Monday in defense of the transgender community.

Last year, lawmakers introduced 315 anti-LGBTQI+ bills. During that same year, a national survey found that 45 percent of LGBTQI+ youths seriously considered suicide. That is 45 percent, Madam Speaker.

This year has far surpassed 2022's record with more than 400 hateful and harmful laws introduced so far, including H.R. 734.

Reputable athletic organizations like the International Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have guidelines for the equitable participation of transgender athletes.

With this bill, House Republicans are creating a problem where there isn't one because they think the American people won't see this for what it is: a ploy to distract from their failures.

Madam Speaker, this is not a game. It is a mental health catastrophe in the making. The trans community deserves our support, not our scorn.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to consider healing over harm and to reconsider H.R. 734.

Madam Speaker, as Women's History Month comes to a close, I rise to recognize a few of the remarkable women who call Oregon's Sixth District home.

This month my office accepted submissions of inspiring women from across our community. While we couldn't possibly feature all of them, the women you see here today represent some of the best Oregon has to offer.

Every day, women hold the weight of the world on their shoulders. Take Lori Simpson, for example. Lori has worked at a nonprofit for 20 years, giving back to vulnerable members of our society throughout her career. Outside work, she is laser-focused on building a happy home for her two boys, especially after she was tragically widowed when her youngest was just 11. She is unstoppable and loved by all who know her.

The same can be said for Estela Anaya, another remarkable woman from Oregon's Sixth. Twenty years ago, Estela left her home and her family in Mexico in hopes of providing her five children with opportunities she could only dream of. Estela struggled to learn English, but never to care for her children. She showed up to every meeting, concert, and game because for her, family comes first.

Family is the foundation of life for so many women in our community, but that doesn't limit them from doing more because the women of Oregon's Sixth District can do it all.

Just look at Kristen Stoller. When she is not being a devoted mom to three beautiful children or running her successful business, she is working to make Yamhill County stronger and safer as a volunteer, board member, and nonprofit leader.

Then there is Remy Drabkin, a community organizer and elected official who is currently serving as the mayor of McMinnville. Outside her duties, Remy doubles as an entrepreneur and small business owner. Her incredible winery is now a staple in Willamette Valley.

Of course, we can't leave out Valerie Castillo, who is described by those who know her as ``in every way an everywoman.'' Valerie works with food banks, donates blood, hosts exchange students, and has been a union steward for years.

Women like Kristen, Remy, and Valerie are a reminder that ``Everything Everywhere All At Once'' is more than just a best picture recipient; it is a way of life.

The next few women I want to mention have a shared gift for turning adversity into purpose.

Vivian Ang is one of those women. When she was younger, Vivian failed third grade because she struggled to read, but she didn't let that stop her. No. She turned that experience into a force for good, and now she runs a literacy organization that has tutored thousands of adults and helped hundreds gain citizenship.

Vivian's story reminds me a bit of Donna Lepley's story. Donna struggled with alcoholism for 40 years before she found the strength and support to embrace recovery. When she was 57, she went back to school, eventually earning her master's in psychology and addiction counseling. Donna now works to help people struggling with addiction and is living proof that recovery is possible.

Of course, when we are talking about turning adversity into purpose, we need to talk about Caitlin Sticka. Caitlin is a two-time breast cancer survivor who founded a group to provide support and resources for families who are impacted by this awful disease. She makes people feel welcome and safe during what can be a frightening, isolating experience, and she is changing lives, one survivor at a time.

Like Vivian, Donna, and Caitlin, Erica Jauregui also faces challenges. She was homeless as a teen but turned that into a plan to serve Oregonians at the Department of Human Services. Today, she is someone who fights hard for unhoused communities and other vulnerable individuals, and she has made a big difference in our community.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to tell you about Namene James Rodgers. Namene is a diversity, equity, and

inclusion specialist whose mission is to ensure that her organization is as inclusive and compassionate as possible. She embodies the quality that unites all of these women, a shared desire to build a better future for all.

Lori, Estela, Kristen, Remy, Valerie, Vivian, Donna, Caitlin, Erica, and Namene, you enrich our community beyond measure. Never doubt your impact because we all feel it every single day.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1, the polluters over people act.

Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine demonstrated that the clean energy transition isn't just important for our planet, it is important for our national security.

It revealed the dangerous pitfalls of our overreliance on global oil and gas markets. The solution is not to deepen our reliance on fossil fuels, it is to go all in on clean, American energy. We need to ramp up solar, wind, hydrogen, and other similar projects across the country. Oregon is poised for this type of investment in development.

However, H.R. 1 doesn't do that. Instead, it repeals major clean energy programs, even going so far as to target the home electrification rebate designed to help American families make their homes energy efficient, yet another petty, retributive action by House Republicans.

This bill worsens the climate crisis and hampers our ability to produce clean energy here at home. It is a disaster in the making.

I also want to talk more specifically about my community back home. Oregon's Sixth District is home to hundreds of specialty crop farmers who grow everything from blueberries to wine grapes and hazelnuts. The farming tradition in the Willamette Valley dates back centuries. It was even publicized in the 1820s as a ``promised land of flowing milk and honey.''

Today, this land faces a serious threat. Specialty crop growers in my district recognize the imminent danger the climate crisis poses to their farming tradition. Many are already feeling

the impacts of our warming planet as extreme drought, heat waves, and wildfires diminish crop yields and endanger farmers' livelihoods.

H.R. 1 would exacerbate the climate crisis, and further threaten Oregon's future. This bill would repeal key clean energy programs in favor of unmitigated fossil fuel production, leading to more emissions and harmful climate impacts.

For all these reasons and more, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community have always been stewards of Oregon's land and natural resources. Like so many other indigenous peoples, they have faced tremendous injustices

at the hands of the Federal Government.

That is why I rise today in support of my very first bill in Congress, the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment of 2023, to correct those past injustices.

In 1994, the Tribes sought to fix a survey error, which led to the Federal Government making yet another error that removed Grand Ronde's right to pursue any further land claims even if more mistakes are discovered.

No other Tribe in Oregon faces this kind of restriction. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde shouldn't either.

We are not responsible for the ills of the past, but we are responsible for remedying them today. My bill contributes to that, and I thank my Oregon colleagues for supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send an unequivocal, simple

message to the transgender community: We have your back.

The dangerous rhetoric we have seen across the country--including in this very body--in the last week is nothing short of reprehensible, and I for one will not allow this hateful and vitriolic rhetoric to go unanswered.

Transgender people don't need to be changed, criminalized, or eradicated. They need to be loved, they need to be supported, and they need to be able to look to their leaders in Washington and trust that we will protect their rights to live freely and safely, just as we would any other person in America.

Oregon has consistently led the way in the fight for transgender rights, and I am so proud to be from a State that prizes support over suspicion, compassion over culture wars, and humanity over hatred.

In Oregon we say gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, two spirits, queer, intersex, and asexual.

Oregon is proof that we can be better than this, and for the sake of the transgender community we must be.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the PRO Act.

My family's story is an American one. A union one. It is the story of how a good-paying union job gave a family of immigrants and first- generation Americans a pathway out of poverty and into the middle class.

Sadly, stories like mine are harder to find these days. Unions have seen their power diminished as the American Dream grows further and further out of reach for the average working family. That is why I am so proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act because it is time to make that dream a reality again.

The PRO Act will empower Oregonians and all Americans to exercise their right to organize, hold employers accountable for violating their rights, and participate in free and fair union elections.

This landmark legislation will go a long way toward protecting the most vulnerable workers who courageously showed up for their communities even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From teachers to nurses to home care workers, these people--many of whom are women and women of color--are everyday heroes, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

In 2022, America's unionization rate fell to its lowest on record, but in Oregon, we reached new heights.

Our State is home to 318,000 proud unionized workers, making up about 18 percent of our workforce. In fact, we are now the fourth most unionized State in America, something I know Oregonians and we all should be proud of.

In the face of record-breaking corporate profits and a growing wealth gap, workers in Oregon have united to champion a deeply American cause: economic opportunity for all.

From Starbucks to Fred Meyer, Nabisco to Burgerville, working Oregonians from all walks of life are coming together to say we have had enough. We have had enough of corporate greed and union busting. We have had enough of wage stagnation and dangerous work environments. We have had enough of fighting tooth and nail for the benefits that we deserve. We have had enough.

Now, the burden falls on us. As lawmakers, we have a duty to answer the rising call for change. We have a duty to not only protect good- paying jobs but to expand that opportunity for everyone because, at the end of the day, America is only as strong as its middle class.

Let's pass the PRO Act and show the world how strong we really are.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on Mental Health Monday to recognize Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This year's theme is ``It's Time for Change,'' and indeed, it is.

After opioid use disorder, eating disorders are the second deadliest psychiatric illness, yet they remain widely misunderstood, so I would like to address some myths around them.

Myth number one: Eating disorders are a choice. An eating disorder is an illness often diagnosed with other mental illnesses. No one chooses to have an eating disorder.

Myth number two: Only females have eating disorders. Eating disorders actually hurt people of all genders, ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, and body shapes.

Myth number three: You can't recover from an eating disorder. This, perhaps, is the most important myth to dispel. Recovery and treatment are possible. The National Eating Disorders Association offers free helplines and more information on their website, nationaleatingdisorders.org.

Every 52 minutes, someone dies because of an eating disorder. It is time for change. Let's break the stigma. Let's invest in care. Let's send a message to all those struggling: You are not alone.