Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. A good friend in Congress for years, we are so glad to have the gentleman back.

I also thank Chairman Nadler for leading this legislation, along with so many others.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act. I am proud to co-lead this critical legislation, which will ensure that victims of serious crimes can continue to access the services that they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

The Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, grants are the primary source of support for programs dedicated to survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, child abuse, and other very traumatic crimes.

These grants are funded by Federal criminal monetary penalties, not by taxpayers. However, with the Department of Justice increasingly seeking nonprosecution and deferred-prosecution agreements instead of prosecuting Federal crimes, VOCA grants are facing catastrophic cuts.

In my own home State of Missouri, we are expecting a 25 percent cut to VOCA funds in the upcoming year if this bill is not signed into law. Missouri law enforcement and victim service providers, along with prosecutors, need Congress to enact this legislation so they can protect and care for their communities.

If we do not act swiftly to stabilize the VOCA funding, thousands of Americans will be unable to access lifesaving services. These programs have never been more important. The pandemic has put women and children, in particular, at an increased risk of abuse and domestic violence. We cannot leave victims without support during frightening and vulnerable times.

This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will help those victims recover as our justice system prosecutes the criminals responsible, which is why I am also hopeful that when the Senate passes this, we will have the opportunity to actually make this law.

I am grateful that the House is taking swift action to secure services for victims. Again, I urge my colleagues to support the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise in stark opposition to H.J. Res. 17, which would retroactively and unconstitutionally remove the deadline to ratify the equal rights amendment.

Ratification of the equal rights amendment will expand taxpayer- funded abortions and imperil basic pro-life protections that States have enacted based on the will of their people through their State legislatures.

I am a committed defender of rights for women and girls, and I have led efforts in Congress to end sex trafficking, address the rape kit backlog, and help women balance staying in the workforce and caring for their children.

As a mother and as a proud grandma, I want my sweet granddaughter to feel secure in the knowledge that she is entitled to the same rights and opportunities as men.

However, I cannot support this attempt to circumvent the amendment process and enshrine access to taxpayer-funded abortion in the Constitution by a simple majority vote rather than with the required support of two-thirds of Congress or the States.

Congress has twice given States time to ratify the equal rights amendment, but the deadline has long since passed. While some States ratified the ERA after the deadline, others--up to five--have withdrawn their ratification.

I strongly agree and associate myself with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's words when she made the point: ``If you count a latecomer on the plus side, how can you disregard States that said, `We have changed our minds'?''

If Democrats want to test the longstanding bipartisan agreement on limiting taxpayer-funded abortions, they should follow Justice Ginsburg's guidance and start the process over, just as our Founders intended.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I would also like to set the record straight when it comes to the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA. My amendment was removed, in a partisan fashion, from VAWA this Congress, stripping vital sex trafficking funding for victims, for children. This has always been included, and it was stripped out and not allowed in the amendment process. Also not allowed was my PRENDA amendment that would have stopped sex selection in the womb taking the lives of young girls.

Madam Speaker, I urge opposition to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the partisan $1.9 trillion spending bill before us today.

It is shameful that Democrats have disregarded their obligation to provide real COVID relief to the American people and are instead attempting to use this process to jam through partisan agenda items.

This bill is not targeted, timely, nor tied to COVID relief. We need to focus on solving the critical issues at hand: getting vaccines to Americans; providing relief for our local businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues; and supporting those who have been seriously impacted by this pandemic.

Only 9 percent of this massive $1.9 trillion package goes to fighting COVID-19, and outside of stimulus payments, nearly half won't even be spent this year. It is simply unfathomable that Democrats want to spend money years down the road when we have so many pressing needs to address today.

We have worked in a bipartisan manner to pass five--five--relief measures, and I am disappointed that the Democrats have decided to be so egregiously partisan in a time of crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1.

Free, fair, and transparent elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. Americans must be able to trust in the integrity of our election processes.

This bill, however, federalizes elections and takes control of elections from State and local governments.

It will grant the Federal Government unprecedented power over voting processes and pave the way for rampant fraud, abuse, and litigation.

This legislation nullifies voter I.D. laws, allows convicted felons to vote, legalizes ballot harvesting, and expands mail-in voting.

It even allows, for the first time ever, taxpayer funding of Federal campaigns, with a 6-to-1 government, taxpayer-funded match in most cases.

H.R. 1 is a cynical and partisan measure that will erode faith in our democracy and not restore it.

Every citizen should be confident that every legal vote counts. Congress has a duty to deliver election reform that honors the will of the people and the Constitution.

We need meaningful, bipartisan election reform, and I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 1.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman from New Jersey's amendment, which would ban sales of all air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia and UAE for a period of 1 year.

The gentleman and I have worked together on many human rights issues, including on legislation that would hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and I share the gentleman's concern for the Saudi-led coalition's record on human rights.

But, while I understand the gentleman's amendment is intended to address concerns about the Yemen conflict, which I share, this amendment is not the correct approach to do so.

Rather than provide clear conditions and benchmarks regarding our strategic partners' wartime conduct, the effect of this amendment would simply slam the door.

Disengaging will not help us end the war in Yemen, nor will it help us contain Iran's malign influence.

Iran is backing Houthi rebels in Yemen, who toppled the internationally recognized government in Yemen and began a bloody civil war that has roiled the region since 2015.

Iran has helped the Houthis target civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and on June 6, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone using an Iranian--an Iranian--surface-to-air missile.

U.S. Central Command said the attack was ``enabled by Iranian assistance.''

Iran's increasingly reckless and aggressive behavior is deeply concerning. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are on the front lines of the struggle to contain Iran.

As partners like Saudi Arabia continue to endure Houthi attacks on civilian targets, we need a tailored approach that helps our partners protect their national security while minimizing casualties.

This amendment is not tailored, and it will not make the Arabian peninsula safer.

Madam Chair, I urge Members to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, the last few months has seen Iran perpetrate a series of provocative actions against the U.S. and its regional partners:

On May 15, armed drones struck two Saudi oilfields, resulting in the ordered departure of nonessential personnel from U.S. Embassy Baghdad and the General Consulate Erbil;

On May 16, the head of the Quds Force called on the terror groups to prepare for a proxy war;

Armed drones launched by the Houthis have repeatedly attacked a civilian airport in Saudi Arabia;

On June 19, Iran shot down U.S. military assets over international waters;

And, just yesterday, the British Navy prevented three Iranian parliamentary vessels from impeding the passage of a British oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

This is not the time to walk away from our strategic allies. We share a common threat. We must be certain that they are equipped with the tools they need to defend their national security and to work with us in countering common threats that destabilize this region.

I firmly believe the United States can support our strategic allies while also insisting that they prosecute the war in Yemen more responsibly.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to congratulate Warren Stemme and his family on the 150th anniversary of their farm in Missouri's 2nd Congressional District.

Founded in 1869, Stemme Farms has become a landmark in St. Louis County, helping develop the community while playing an integral role in Missouri agriculture over the past century and a half.

One of the few full-time operations in the area, the 1,100-acre corn and soybean farm embraces the latest in agricultural technology, providing an indispensable source of education for school groups, advocates, and elected officials alike.

A fourth-generation farmer, representative of the St. Louis County Farm Bureau, and former president of the Missouri Soybean Association, Mr. Stemme is one of the premier farmers and agricultural advocates statewide.

It is my honor to recognize and congratulate Stemme Farms for providing the St. Louis community with nutrition, economic development, technological insights, and breathtaking scenery for the past 150 years.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

We must not adjourn. We will stay and do the people's work and take care of this humanitarian crisis on the border. Send this to the President's desk immediately, today, for signature.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleague Representative Lacy Clay, in congratulating the St. Louis Blues on their 2019 Stanley Cup Victory.

In 1967, the National Hockey League expanded its roster from the ``Original Six'' franchises to include an additional six organizations, bringing the first professional hockey team to my hometown: the St. Louis Blues.

In each of the team's first three seasons, the Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Final. And in each of those first three championship series, the Blues were swept, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and then by the Boston Bruins.

Since that time, St. Louis has been called home by some of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League. First came Bernie Federko, who led the team to eight straight playoffs. Brett Hull then joined the team during the 1987-1988 season and scored more goals than any other player in franchise history. At the turn of the century, Al Macinnis and Chris Pronger ushered in a new era of defensive prowess for the Blues, bringing the team's consecutive playoff streak to twenty-five seasons, the third longest in the history of the National Hockey League at the time. Still, hockey's greatest trophy--the Stanley Cup--remained elusive.

Despite over half a century of disappointing finishes, love and passion for the Blues continued to take root and flourish in St. Louis. Typically described as a ``baseball town,'' St. Louis embraced their Blues wholeheartedly and patiently waited for the one year, the one team, and the one playoff run that would finally bring the Cup to the Gateway City.

On January 3, 2019, the St. Louis Blues were dead last in the National Hockey League rankings. But with the help of a rookie goaltender, Jordan Binnington, and new interim head coach, Craig Berube, the team embarked on a franchise-record eleven game win streak. Over the next four months, the Blues jumped from last place to second place in the Western Conference. The Stanley Cup was once again in the city's crosshairs.

To begin the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team ventured north and defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, then marched south and beat the Dallas Stars, next turned west to win the Western Conference Championship over the San Jose Sharks, and finally set their sights east to take on the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final.

While the Blues mounted their unprecedented run toward the playoffs, a new sense of excitement took over the city. What was once an unknown team ritual--playing the 1982 song ``Gloria'' by Laura Branigan after each win--evolved into tens of thousands of St. Louisans blasting the record in their homes, cars, and workplaces to celebrate a Blues victory, marking each step closer to the Stanley Cup.

The Blues relished in this admiration and were quick to give back to the city that supported them through thick and thin. When a video went viral of an eleven-year-old superfan, Laila Anderson, who was suffering from a rare blood disease, the team rallied around her. They invited her to every Blues home playoff game, dubbing her the team's ``good luck charm.'' She then accompanied the Blues to Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final in Boston.

Yesterday, on June 12, 2019, the Blues accomplished what many St. Louisans feared they would never see in their lifetime: the Stanley Cup being hoisted above the heads of hockey players emblazoned with the Blue Note across their chest. The victory marked the end of the longest Stanley Cup drought in National Hockey League history, and was ushered in by thousands of Blues fans packed into the home of the Blues, the Enterprise Center, the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium, and countless homes and sports bars across the nation.

If one were to ask any St. Louisan, this accomplishment meant far more than winning just a hockey game. It brought together the entire city under one mission, one team, one song, and one Note. It is our honor to congratulate the St. Louis Blues on this historic victory.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2140, the Preventing Child Marriage in Displaced Populations Act, and I thank the chairman, along with the ranking member and all of my colleagues, for supporting this piece of bipartisan legislation through Foreign Affairs.

Humanitarian crises put women and girls at a much higher risk of violence and exploitation, including child marriage. Nine of the ten countries with the highest rates of child marriage are fragile states where weak institutions, high rates of violence, and stagnant economies make families more likely to resort to child marriage.

One United Nations study found that child marriage rates were four times higher among displaced Syrian refugees than among Syrians before the crisis. This indicates that displacement, instability, and poverty are driving child marriages.

Important research conducted by UNICEF revealed that, in 2018, more than 700 million women and girls, worldwide, were married before their 18th birthday; and of these, 250 million were married before their 15th birthday. Madam Speaker, these women are more likely to experience domestic violence and have worse educational, economic, and health prospects than their unmarried peers.

United Nations agencies have acknowledged the dangers of child marriage and taken steps to address it. The U.N. Joint Program on Child Marriage builds the resilience of populations to indirectly prevent child marriage and generates data and evidence on the prevalence of child marriage in humanitarian and fragile settings.

In Uganda, the U.N. Joint Program on Child Marriage helped 27,000 adolescent girls strengthen critical skills through school clubs and Go Back to School campaigns, as well as life skills and financial literacy training.

Last year, after the U.N. Joint Program on Child Marriage identified Yemen as one of its focus countries, 65,000 people, of whom 45,000 were adolescents, were reached with awareness-raising activities on the harms of child marriage. As a result, local council representatives, elders, and community leaders from six districts signed a pledge to support advocacy efforts to end child marriage.

My legislation would direct the United States to lead U.N. efforts to adopt a definition of ``child marriage'' and craft a comprehensive strategy to address child marriages in U.N.-administered refugee settlements. This strategy would include protocols to prevent and monitor child marriages; programs to provide physical, mental, and emotional support for victims; programs offering alternatives for child marriage; and measures to ensure that adults who are participating in illegal child marriages are held accountable.

Child marriage is a violation of human rights and a form of violence against women and children. I urge my colleagues to support the Preventing Child Marriage in Displaced Populations Act.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to thank the chairman for working with the ranking member, myself, and all of our colleagues on a bipartisan basis to make sure that we are supporting women and girls in these U.N. refugee camps. It is wonderful to be part of a committee that works in such a strong, bipartisan fashion. I am grateful for their support.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas (Mr. Brady) for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the SECURE Act.

Over the last two decades, we have made progress in helping Americans save more for their retirement. U.S. retirement savings have increased from $11 trillion in 2001 to $28 trillion today. But we need to do more, especially in this booming economy.

This legislation will increase the number of workers with access to retirement plans, encourage higher savings rates, and enable older working adults to save for a secure retirement.

The SECURE Act is a commonsense, private-sector solution enabling Americans to save more for their retirement by expanding access for workers who choose to participate in a workplace plan. It simultaneously preserves employer choice and competition.

The SECURE Act has the added benefit of lowering taxes for our Gold Star families. Providing more for the relatives and the children of U.S. military members who gave their lives to secure our freedom and liberty is most fitting on the eve of our Memorial Day weekend.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 354, celebrating the 100th anniversary of this body passing the 19th Amendment.

On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives approved a proposed amendment to the Constitution that provided suffrage for women. This amendment not only ensured that all women are full participants in our democracy, but it also ensured that the United States is a full democracy.

Women and girls have always possessed the same fundamental rights as men and are essential to a stable, peaceful society.

On behalf of every woman in the Second District of Missouri, I honor the role that the ratification of the 19th Amendment played in fulfilling the principles of the Constitution for women.

I commit to working to strengthen our democracy as we remember remarkable women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others who fought for our freedoms.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Payment Commission Data Act, which would make prescription drug prices more transparent, and the BLOCKING Act, which would bring generic drugs to the market faster.

I also support the Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act, which would prohibit drug companies from delaying the entry of generic drugs into the market.

Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, Democrats have packaged these bills together with poison pills that would prevent States from offering lower cost healthcare plans.

Democrats want to increase ObamaCare enrollment regardless of cost, but ObamaCare is not affordable for many Americans. The average monthly premium for a family of four is over $1,500, forcing Missourians to cut housing and child care so they can pay skyrocketing premiums. It is not a solution. We must take immediate action to allow States to promote choices and affordability.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to speak about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA.

For the last several decades VAWA has been a positive force in our nation for the protection of some of our most vulnerable populations. Providing grants to domestic violence organizations, increasing access to housing for survivors, supporting law enforcement, addressing the scourge of sex trafficking, and reducing the rape kit backlog--these are just some of the ways VAWA has helped victims of violence in our communities.

While this should be a bipartisan effort to reauthorize VAWA, the new Democratic majority here in the House has decided to insert provisions into the legislation that advance a political agenda at the expense of sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.

Because of the importance of reauthorizing VAWA and protecting vulnerable women across the nation, I will still be supporting final passage of the Democrat-authored bill. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey has found that over 43 percent of women experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Sexual and domestic violence are pervasive problems and reauthorizing VAWA is critical to the fight against these crimes.

However, I wanted to take a minute to highlight some of the provisions included in this legislation that I remain firmly opposed to, and would vote against if given the opportunity.

Fourth Amendment due process rights and the protection of our Second Amendment rights are inherent rights that should not be infringed upon lightly. Ensuring that due process rights are protected prior to removal of fundamental constitutional rights should not be up for debate.

The majority, however, has done just that in their version of VAWA before us today.

We agree that victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other types of violent behavior should have protections under the law from their abusers and stalkers. Many states have enacted measures to codify limitations on firearm possession following judicial action as it relates to domestic violence and stalking, oftentimes called red flag provisions. Let me be clear, I support such red flag provisions when the accused has the protections of due process and judicial action. But this is an effort that is best handled at the state, not federal, level.

Congress must address violence against women and girls. Restricting constitutional due process and Second Amendment protections, however, is not the right way to legislate.

While I plan to vote for the underlying bill before us today, I must reiterate my strong opposition to these provisions. It is my hope that the House majority's partisan provisions--including the firearm possession provisions and other sections that may compromise the safety of women's prisons and shelters--will eventually be removed during conference committee with the Senate and I can cast my vote for a final version that protects women and girls and maintains protections for our Fourth and Second Amendment rights.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019.

VAWA grant programs serve women and girls, especially those in underserved communities who are experiencing violence.

Sex trafficking is one such form of violence. Victims endure horrific trauma, violence, and abuse. Unfortunately, there is a real gap in services for child sex trafficking victims.

In Missouri, we struggle to find safe and secure options for girls who are looking to restart their lives. Amazing nonprofits like The Covering House in my district serve youth, along with other organizations across the country, but there is still a substantial unfilled need for services.

In addition to counseling and housing, victim service providers are trying to prevent violence by educating children and ensuring that they never become victims of sex trafficking in the first place.

That is why programs like the Creating Hope through Outreach, Options, Service, and Education for Children and Youth program, CHOOSE, are so essential.

This VAWA program ensures that the Department of Justice can develop, expand, and strengthen victim-centered interventions that target youth who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking.

It enables schools to provide training to personnel on the needs of students

who are victims of trafficking, and it develops prevention programming in middle and high schools.

These are critical services, and this amendment will ensure that the CHOOSE program can continue to provide funding for programs that counter sex trafficking, not only other forms of violence.

We cannot unintentionally strip sex trafficking references out of VAWA text. Sex trafficking is a paramount example of violence against girls and women, and we must be careful not to disenfranchise these victims as we legislate.

I thank my colleague from Texas, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, and others for cosponsoring my amendment and working to ensure that we have bipartisan support.

I will also work with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure these references are restored in the final VAWA legislation.

Madam Chair, I urge my House colleagues to support my amendment and ensure that child sex trafficking victims maintain access to critical services, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I thank my friends across the aisle, certainly the Representative from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee, and my good friend from New York, Carolyn Maloney, who I know wanted to speak today on the amendment but is held up in a hearing that she is chairing presently. I thank them for their bipartisan support, and I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to ask my colleagues to vote for my amendment that will ensure greater transparency and accountability when it comes to taxpayer dollars.

The Department of Justice inspector general has found frequent misconduct, fraud, and abuse in VAWA grant-making. More than $7 billion in grants has been awarded over the years, and audits have revealed that too many recipients are out of compliance with the terms of these grants.

This amendment will ensure that the Office on Violence Against Women cannot continue to grant VAWA dollars to organizations that are fraudulently misusing funds. Organizations that misuse funds will lose their eligibility to receive VAWA grants for up to 5 years.

Errors that do not rise to the level of fraud will not impact an organization's eligibility, but we must encourage grant recipients to act with caution and integrity. In this way, we can best serve the women and girls that VAWA programs are meant to empower.

I thank you for supporting justice and services for America's women and children and girls, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment and broaden access for organizations acting in compliance with honesty and good faith.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I thank the chairman for his leadership and for his support of this amendment, and I encourage all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I had to return to my district unexpectedly for a family medical emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``nay'' on Roll Call No. 90; ``nay'' on Roll Call No. 91; ``nay'' on Roll Call No. 92; ``nay'' on Roll Call No. 93; ``nay'' on Roll Call No. 94; and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 95.