Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for the opportunity to support this bill.

I rise in support of H.R. 4515, the Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act, which increases the ability of Small Business Development Centers across our country to provide cybersecurity planning assistance and counseling to small businesses. This important bill requires that at least five staff members, or 10 percent of the total number of employees, in each Small Business Development Center in the country are certified in cybersecurity planning and assistance.

My community is fortunate to have two Small Business Development Centers, one in Reading and one in Exton. As a former entrepreneur myself before joining Congress, I know intimately and firsthand how important these centers are. I am grateful for their commitment to help entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground, establish themselves, and ultimately to thrive. With the enactment of this bipartisan bill, they will be able to help more small businesses in southeastern Pennsylvania defend against cyberattacks.

I want to make the following clear to everyone in Congress and across America: If we are not protecting our small businesses, we are not protecting our economy. The rise in cyberattacks against our economy and our economic infrastructure should be cause for very serious alarm. We need to be doing everything in our power to not only shore up our defense but also to equip our small business owners with the tools that they need to defend their businesses.

I was proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with my colleagues, Andrew Garbarino from New York, Steve Chabot from Ohio, and my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania, Dwight Evans. I thank the Small Business Committee chair, Nydia Velazquez, again for helping bring this important bill to a vote in the House today.

I urge my colleagues to join me and to vote ``yes'' on this very important bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Speier for yielding. It is a pleasure to be standing by her side and on the shoulders of so many powerful women who have gone before me and who have had this important conversation over and over and over again.

It is time that I have the opportunity to rise next to them in this Chamber for a couple of reasons. One, we do have the opportunity to celebrate some strides that we have recently made in securing the historic paid family and medical leave for some people. My part of this conversation will talk about that.

We also need to recognize where our Nation falls woefully short on delivering that promise to support all workers and families in Pennsylvania and beyond in this matter.

Like many of you all, I have pictures of my family in my office. For me, seeing the faces of my husband of almost 32 years and our beautiful daughters always buoys my spirit and is a constant reminder of the story I bring to Congress.

As a parent, my own story begins with the birth of my first child while on Active Duty serving in the Air Force. This chapter of my story is important, and it drives my commitment to this critical issue of work and paid family leave. In part because of the lack of affordable childcare and limited time for my own maternity leave, I separated from the service 30 or so years ago.

Sadly, my story is not unique. In fact, still to this day, we know that there are problems, particularly with childcare issues on bases that have wait lists as much as 6 months to a year. It is that story that continues to play out in households, not just military households, but all households across our country.

Too many people are faced with the impossible choice of caring for their family or caring about their employment. The people in my district and all of our districts deserve better.

As an empathetic, compassionate country, we need to be able to understand and act on the repeated calls from the American people to help one another. In this great Nation, people should not be forced to choose between their kids and work or their aging parents and work.

It may be that you have not heard from any of those most affected, so I will share a couple of stories from my own community.

Susan, in Pennsylvania, told us that not having access to paid leave forced her to liquidate her retirement assets so she could care for her newborn.

Lynn, also from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a home care health worker, and she shared with us that without a single day's sick leave, that meant that she is stuck with the choice between protecting her own clients and having a short paycheck and unpaid bills as a result.

When I think about the hardships of people like Susan and Lynn, I know that is not who we are as a Nation. We can't allow mothers and fathers to go into debt to raise their newborn babies and children. We cannot accept a system that forces those who are sick to choose between paying their rent or exposing their coworkers and clients to illness, especially as COVID continues to wreak havoc on our country.

We cannot ignore the crystal-clear research that confirms what we already know to be true, that paid leave is an overwhelmingly bipartisan and popular idea. Democrats, independents, and Republicans agree that family-centered policy strengthens our economy and small businesses; it does not weaken them. We can, in fact, be both pro- business and pro-family.

So while my story is deeply personal, I am also an engineer, so I would like very quickly to share some data and facts with you, Madam Speaker, in addition to these stories. And here they are: Policies like paid family leave will lift up the middle class. Sixty-two percent of workers earning less than $30,000 a year received no pay during leave for family caregiving or personal health issues compared to only 26 percent of those earning more than $75,000 a year. These policies will bring more equity to our workforce. Over a 2-year period, 26 percent of Black workers reported needing to take time for family or personal health, but not being able to take that time, and 13 percent of White workers reported the same.

These policies like paid family leave and paid medical leave will strengthen our economy. Research shows that women have a greater attachment to the labor force if they are allowed paid leave, and with an economy that needs every single worker, we cannot neglect 51 percent of our workforce.

These policies will also help small businesses. Over 60 percent of the executives in a recent Bipartisan Policy Center survey believe that paid family leave has a positive impact on employee morale, employee retention, and their company's ability to attract new employees.

Lastly, these policies will modernize our U.S. economy. As many of my colleagues have mentioned, we rank dead last--number 35 out of 35-- amongst advanced economies offering competitive paid leave for mothers and others.

We simply cannot delay any longer, and the time is now to invest in paid family and medical leave.

I would like to say that we are making progress. In 2019 I worked with Chairs Maloney and Smith to successfully pass into law 12 weeks of paid family leave for 2.1 million Federal workers, and I led legislation through the Foreign Affairs Committee to harmonize parental leave policies for State Department employees around our country and around the world. This year, I helped to write a bill through the Armed Services Committee that codifies 12 weeks of parental leave for all of our uniformed servicemembers regardless of their branch of service.

This summer I championed an effort with over 100 of my colleagues urging House leadership to include paid family leave in Build Back Better, and, just yesterday, I co-authored this letter to President Biden, again, with more than 100 of our colleagues asking him to do everything in his power to protect these critical investments in our Build Back Better Act.

This comes at a time when we are making progress for the people. As House Democrats we are centering on you, the hardworking, sensible families of Pennsylvania, as we deliberately invest in our shared future.

As a member of the Democratic Women's Caucus, whom I am very grateful to stand here with today, I stand united with my colleagues tonight, and I assure you that we are ensuring that our economy is robust.

So when I see that picture of my family in my office and I remember what is at stake for my family and for yours, I will continue to work hard, along with all of my colleagues, to make sure that we are protecting these interests and these dreams for our American future and our people.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1158) to provide women and girls safe access to sanitation facilities in refugee camps.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1158.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1158, the Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act of 2021.

Mr. Speaker, according to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees, by the end of 2020, there were at least 26 million people worldwide living as refugees, the highest number ever recorded.

As people who have been forced to flee their home countries because of persecution or because of violence, refugees are amongst the globe's most vulnerable populations. To make matters worse, these people must often settle in areas that are inadequate in terms of necessities such as access to water, shelter, and sanitation.

Simply put, the conditions that refugees regularly endure are unacceptable. People should not have to surrender their access to sanitation in exchange for their own safety.

That is why I support the Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act. This bill would ensure that refugees have safe and secure access to sanitation facilities, with a special emphasis on women, girls, and the most vulnerable populations.

By providing for safe and secure sanitation facilities, this bill will not only improve the health and safety of tens of millions living in refugee settlements, but it will also allow these same people to focus more of their energy and ingenuity into rebuilding their lives.

I thank my colleague from New York, Representative Grace Meng, a tireless champion for the rights of vulnerable people, women, and girls, for authoring this legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, this is lifesaving legislation. By helping ensure that women and children, who make up the majority of refugees around the world, have access to safe and secure sanitation facilities, this body will dramatically improve the health and quality of life of millions of people who have already suffered so much.

Again, I thank my friend, Congresswoman Meng, for introducing this invaluable legislation. I urge my colleagues to give it their full support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 826) to require consultations on reuniting Korean Americans with family members in North Korea.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 826.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 826, the Divided Families Reunification Act, introduced by my colleague, Representative Grace Meng, who has been a tireless champion of reuniting divided Korean-American families.

This bill encourages the State Department to engage with the South Korean Government and Korean-American families regarding opportunities to reunite those families with their relatives in North Korea.

Many Korean Americans have been unable to see or hear from their loved ones for over 70 years, a unique heartache that very few of us can really understand.

Family is the bedrock of our society. Tragically, for thousands of Korean Americans, their sisters and brothers and even daughters and sons have been painfully out of reach through no fault of their own.

While there have been 21 family reunions held between North and South Korea since 1985, Korean Americans with family members in North Korea have been unable to participate.

As many of these Korean Americans are aging, we must advocate for humane and commonsense policy to help Korean-American families reunite with their loved ones in North Korea. We have the resources and the technology to reunite these families. What we need now is action to implement a more compassionate policy.

This is an important measure. I support it, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, for decades Korean Americans have been unable to see or speak with their family members in North Korea, and for too many, time is running out. This heartbreaking reality has taken a huge toll, and it is time to take action.

This bill, introduced by my colleague, Representative Meng, would spur the State Department into finding opportunities to reunite them with their loved ones and to address this humanitarian issue that has caused so much heartache for countless Korean Americans.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 294) encouraging reunions of divided Korean- American families.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 294.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 294, a resolution encouraging reunions of divided Korean-American families, introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass).

The Korean war claimed millions of lives and left the Korean peninsula and its people absolutely devastated. Though an armistice ended hostilities between North and South Korea nearly 70 years ago, many of the wounds inflicted by the war have never fully healed, in part because more than 10 million Koreans were separated from their family members during that conflict.

Today, there are still thousands of Korean Americans who live waiting and hoping for the chance to see their relatives living in North Korea.

Mr. Speaker, the pain of being separated from your family does not dull with time. This resolution would give peace of mind to many by identifying families in the United States and in North Korea who are willing and able to participate in family reunification.

This resolution would also allow for organizations like the Red Cross to assist in reuniting families and working with our allies in South Korea to reunite families through video reunions.

We must act now because the number of surviving relatives is declining, and time is running out to right the wrong these families have suffered. There is an urgent humanitarian need to reunite Korean Americans with their war-torn loved ones and to provide much-needed healing, closure, and restoration of bonds broken seven decades ago.

By passing this humane, bipartisan resolution, this body will provide Korean Americans the precious opportunity they have been denied for too long. I thank Representative Bass for authoring this important humanitarian legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), my great friend, who is a champion of these issues.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, for nearly 70 years, Korean Americans and their relatives have hoped and prayed to one day be together again. We cannot allow any

further delay in reuniting these families with their loved ones. This resolution is commonsense, bipartisan legislation that is long overdue, and it will make an invaluable impact on the lives of thousands of Korean Americans and their families.

I thank Representative Karen Bass for working so diligently on this essential humanitarian resolution. I ask all of my colleagues to give it their support.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2118) to authorize United States participation in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2118.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2118, the Securing America From Epidemics Act.

I thank my colleague, Representative Ami Bera, chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation for championing this important bill that will save the lives and protect the United States from the threat of future pandemics.

This bill would authorize the United States to participate in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, a private- public partnership that helps accelerate the development of vaccines against emergent infections, including Ebola and COVID-19.

The COVID-19 crisis has shown just how interconnected our world is and how important vaccines are to ending one of the greatest catastrophes of the 21st century. By developing vaccines and enabling countries to administer vaccine doses effectively, we can end pandemics. We do this by ensuring vaccines get into the arms of the most vulnerable, and by instilling confidence in people that the vaccine saves lives.

Now more than ever with the rise of the deadly delta variant, and COVID-19 cases ravaging clusters across the country where vaccination rates are low, the collective resources of the private sector, multilateral organizations, national governments, civil society, and health experts are all vital to ending the pandemic.

By supporting CEPI, we demonstrate the value of leveraging individual strengths towards collective action and create a leading global framework of developing an effective vaccine response to stop future pandemics.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has demonstrated the need for collective global action to end pandemics. The Securing America From Epidemics Act authorizes the United States to galvanize that collective response by partnering in CEPI so that we may lead in building a more effective global framework.

We call COVID-19 a once-in-a-century pandemic, but we all share concerns that with the world growing smaller and smaller every day that these outbreaks will only become more and more frequent and clearly more catastrophic. There is an urgent need for the public-private global action H.R. 2118 would help accelerate, not only for COVID-19, but God forbid, for any other future pandemics.

I thank my colleague, Representative Ami Bera, for his leadership in championing this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1079) to establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to control locust outbreaks in the East Africa region and address future outbreaks in order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential political destabilization, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1079, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1079, the Desert Locust Control Act introduced by my colleague, Representative Chris Smith, ranking member of the Africa and Global Health and Global Human Rights Subcommittee.

Starting in late 2019, swarms of locusts entered the Horn of Africa from the Gulf of Aden, multiplying and spreading throughout the region. Ever since it began, the locust outbreak has plagued the most vulnerable and threatened their ability to lead full lives, generate income, and to feed themselves and their families.

Locusts are a highly mobile insect and have the capacity to consume vast amounts of crops in a very short period of time. Even a small swarm can consume food for up to 35,000 people each day. This has devastated large swaths of crops throughout East Africa, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and stretching as far as Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Food security is already hanging by a thread in this region, and efforts to control the scale of destruction have been hindered by COVID restrictions, lack of reliable data, and the geographic reach of the outbreak across multiple countries. While some efforts have been successful in containing the outbreak from spreading further into West Africa, good rains this spring allowed for additional breeding, threatening future harvests in Somalia and Ethiopia. This measure would harmonize efforts across the United States Government to evaluate and respond to the locust outbreak, bringing in the support of the U.S. mission to the Food and Agricultural Organization, USAID, and others to establish a working group responding to the outbreak.

We have already seen the ripple effects of COVID on poverty, food insecurity, health, education, and so much more. We must ensure that we don't let this outbreak continue to exacerbate and accelerate those already existing challenges.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the lead Democrat on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, given the incredible damage locusts can inflict in such a short time, it is critical that our ability to evaluate and respond to these outbreaks is efficient across our government, including the U.S. mission to the Food and Agriculture Organization and to the USAID.

That is exactly what this bill will do to help support regions that were already struggling with food security from being further impacted by locust swarms consuming their crops.

I thank the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, my colleague, Representative Smith, for introducing this important bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1036) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards under the Department of State's rewards program relating to information regarding individuals or entities engaged in activities in contravention of United States or United Nations sanctions, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1036.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1036, the Bassam Barabandi Rewards for Justice Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by my friend, the gentleman from South Carolina, Congressman Joe Wilson, and the gentleman from Florida, Ted Deutch.

Mr. Speaker, whistleblower programs have proven themselves effective over and over again. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice collected $3.7 billion in settlements and judgments from False Claim Act cases against companies and individuals who had defrauded the government. Of the $3.7 billion, 92 percent came from cases brought by whistleblowers. Whistleblowers have easier access to evidence of misdeeds than outside law enforcement investigators, deeper knowledge of the bad

actors engaged in unlawful behavior, and greater insights into the methods through which fraud or theft is being carried out.

This bipartisan bill would authorize the Department of State to offer rewards for information about the identity or location of individuals who defy sanctions imposed by the United States or by the United Nations.

This legislation builds on several existing programs that provide rewards of information leading to the arrest or conviction of criminals engaging in human trafficking, smuggling, or other transnational crimes.

This bill will also increase compliance with American and international sanctions programs and, therefore, serves a valuable role promoting human rights, good governance, and the rule of law around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Wilson and Mr. Deutch for their diligent work on this legislation, and I encourage all Members to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is vital to helping the United States protect human rights and the rule of law around the world.

By allowing the State Department to compensate individuals for bringing forward evidence of sanctions evasion and criminal misconduct by bad actors, America will be better equipped to punish those who flout the rule of law.

I thank my colleagues, Representatives Wilson and Deutch for putting forward this key legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for their leadership on this critical issue and for working with me on this bill to get it not only passed out of committee, but here on the floor for consideration on a suspension basis.

I have had a really eclectic background before joining Congress, but most recently, I was a high school chemistry teacher in north Philadelphia, and I also ran a nonprofit focused on early childhood literacy for pre-K through fourth-grade kids. So I am particularly passionate about the issue that we are talking about today.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to rise today to ask my colleagues for their support of H.R. 1500, the Global Learning Loss Assessment Act.

My bill will direct the U.S. Agency for International Development to submit a report to Congress on the impacts of COVID-19 on the Agency's basic education programs and global learning.

Investing in global education is not a humanitarian issue. It is an economic and national security issue. A more educated global population paves the way for a more stable global economy, and what is clear is that COVID-19 has caused a dramatic loss in global learning.

Our first step must be to clearly identify the scope of this loss so that we can begin the work of bridging that gap. The estimates are alarming. Ninety percent of students worldwide, meaning 1.6 billion youth, have had severe interruptions in their education due to COVID- 19. This gap has the potential to hinder global efforts on economic justice, lasting peace, poverty eradication, ending world hunger, gender equity, and so much more.

As a steadfast advocate for women and girls around the world, I am also particularly concerned about the harrowing consequences that school-aged girls face in light of school closures, including an increased likelihood of gender-based violence.

To shore up the increasing gaps in learning and to preserve massive gains the United States has made in global education rates, we have to understand the extent of damage this pandemic has caused. This bill will arm us with the data that we need to move quickly, invest effectively across our USAID programs, and make our international basic education programs more resilient to crises such as these.

We cannot afford to ignore the devastating effects that COVID-19 has had on students around our globe. Education loss will continue without intentional steps on our behalf, and so that is why I am so grateful to Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Meeks, and Mr. McCaul for placing my bipartisan Global Learning Loss Assessment Act here before the Congress for a vote today.

In particular, I want to thank and express my deep appreciation to Representative Fitzpatrick and Representative Quigley for working so closely with my office in introducing this legislation with me.

Their steadfast education to learning and students around the world is to be commended. This is an important bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in this crucial effort to mitigate the drastic effects of such an educational gap and the effects it is already having.

Mr. Speaker, a lot of people in this body are talking about jobs these days, and rightfully so. Our economy is in crisis. But what I want to do is urge everyone that when we talk about rebuilding this economy, we are talking about all of the issues that make for a successful economy, and that includes childcare and attention to our children.

Like many industries during this pandemic, childcare is struggling. Many facilities can't pay their bills due to reduced demand in services and increased costs to keep safe facilities for both children and staff. Many of us on both sides of the aisle have rightfully celebrated the heroes of this pandemic: healthcare workers, frontline workers, and essential workers. And these are the very people who are using childcare right now and they are the ones who cannot work from home and, therefore, need enriching and safe places for their children to go while they literally save lives and provide for the American people.

So I ask every Member who has spoken so passionately about our heroes and about returning to normal life to move beyond those words and to take meaningful votes on legislation that will ensure access to equitable, high-quality childcare for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and afterschool care children alike all across this country.

Madam Speaker, last evening, an 11-year-old girl joined our telephone townhall. Her question

shook me to my core. She was worried about the future of this great Nation, and I am, too. That is why I must move forward with impeachment of this President. He has endangered this Nation. He has betrayed his oath.

I do this now for all of us, for our Constitution, and for this Republic. I do this to tell the world that this great democracy will stand and no one is above the law. I do this for our future generations.

I urge us all to unite and to vote ``yes'' on impeachment.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the objection.

Madam Speaker, first, I do want to acknowledge the devastating events of the last 12 hours and to express my deep appreciation for those who have worked to secure this building and safeguard our democracy. On behalf of my colleagues, we are all grateful for your service.

I ran for this office on a platform of civility and decency, and many of my colleagues and constituents know that I am a third-generation veteran, and I grew up in a military household.

Madam Speaker, what you may not know, though, is that I grew up in a divided household. Throughout my childhood, one parent voted Democrat and the other Republican. In my purple household, I learned that duty to country was far more important than party allegiance. With each election, my father would say: ``And when the election is done, we salute smartly and we carry on.''

Now I live in and I serve in a community that has a lot in common with the home that I grew up in. It, too, is a purple place that honors civility and decency. Pennsylvania's Sixth District is, in many ways, a microcosm of the Commonwealth and of our Nation. Our voter registration in Chester County is 40-40-20, R, D, and I. Voters across my district commonly split their ticket, some voting for President-elect Biden while also voting down the ballot for Republicans for our State legislature.

What some of my colleagues are arguing today is that those very ballots are illegitimate. My colleagues cannot honestly believe that. In fact, just this week they joined me on the House floor to be sworn in to this hallowed body, and they trusted that the votes cast in their favor were legitimate. And they are right. If those votes counted, then so too must the votes for President-elect Biden.

We have also heard today concerns about mail-in ballots. I am not a lawyer, but I am an engineer and, therefore, a student of numbers. It wasn't just Democrats who voted by mail. It was not a free-for-all, as it was described earlier. Madam Speaker, 600,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania across the State voted by mail. By questioning the election results, you are telling those Pennsylvanians that the hours they spent in line to cast their ballot or the trip they took to the post office in the middle of a pandemic just didn't matter.

Alan Novak is a man who served as the chair of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania for nearly a decade. I will say that again. The Chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania for a decade is one of those voters I am talking about in Pennsylvania. He lives in my district, and he split his ticket. He voted for me as his Member of Congress and also for President Trump. And he eloquently said:

What makes America great, exceptional, and enduring is our

commitment to our government of laws, our orderly

constitutional process that settles our election disputes,

and our peaceful transfer of power with respect and civility.

It is easy when it is pretty and the outcome is not

controversial. But when it is not pretty and there is

controversy, then it is even more important that we respect,

honor, and abide by our revered and tested process for the

orderly transfer of power. Perhaps that may be all that we

can agree on, and it is the need for grace, respect, and

civility.

So I ask my colleagues across the aisle: Are you willing to disenfranchise people like Mr. Novak and the more than 400,000 people in Pennsylvania's Sixth District?

Perhaps some of the independent and pragmatic spirit that is so prevalent among voters in my community comes from the history of the place that we call home. Many Americans have visited Philadelphia and our historic sites, but very few make it out to my community, which is the home of Valley Forge. Here, General George Washington led the Continental Army to winter quarters. The war had not been going well for our young soldiers, and that winter was harder still. It was bitterly cold, and food shortages and smallpox were abundant. Many people died.

We remember what happened there because it was a test of our endurance, a demonstration of devotion to mission and to our country over ourselves. Coming out of that awful winter experience, our troops emerged better trained, united, and ultimately victorious. In those harsh, dark times, they found their common ground and their fortitude.

Just like then, it is in these trying moments when we learn who our leaders truly are. They are the ones who don't just represent the people or give orders or ready us for a fight. They are those who educate and who speak truth. They inspire confidence and unity rather than sowing division and strife. There is a striking parallel between our nascent country and what they endured in Valley Forge and what we are enduring right now: A hard winter of division, illness running rampant, and an uncertain future.

Today, our country's resolve is being tested, and I know that we will pass this test together and be made stronger. We now have the opportunity and the responsibility to do that tonight by upholding the will of the people, by voting to certify the results of this electoral college and by moving forward with a servant heart and a common resolve to preserve this great experiment that is the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Community Volunteers in Medicine center in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which works to meet the healthcare needs of the working poor and uninsured in my community.

Giuseppe is a member of my Pennsylvania community and owns a pizza shop with his wife. He has diabetes, hypertension, and major cardiac issues. Combined, they bring in $2,200 a month, and their prescription drug prices are $1,790. Without CVIM, the family would be paying 81 percent of their monthly income just for prescription drugs.

The astronomical costs of prescription drugs affect everyone. Neither being a Democrat nor a Republican will get you a discount. We are failing the people of this country by not working together as a Congress to relieve these burdens. For too long, Congress has used people's access to healthcare as a political pawn.

As my mother would say: ``We need to knock it off.'' Please join us in working together and side by side to help people across our country with these issues.

I applaud CVIM for their efforts, and I want Giuseppe and my fellow Pennsylvanians to know: I see you, and I will keep fighting for you.

Please join me.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the NDAA and the rule and the bipartisan work that went into it.

Part of the reason I separated from the Air Force was from a lack of sufficient childcare options.

People across our country are often forced to decide between building their careers and building their families, and, frankly, this is bad for our economy and for our country.

We need to be working to ensure that we attract and retain the best possible talent for any and every job. Eighty-two percent of Americans believe our country should be providing this, and only 16 percent of us have it. And this should start at the top, at the Federal level.

I cannot fathom a world where any person, regardless of party, would hesitate to understand the importance of

having the best and brightest people working in our government.

Our legislation addresses this core issue. No one should have to choose between their family and career. The government should be leading by example, and today, this legislation allows us to effectively send a successful message to all workers: paid family leave is an investment in all of our families.

For me, it is inspiring, and it is an inspiring moment when we see legislation being born from unlikely bedfellows: a concern for securing our supply chain of rare earths help fund the need for us to provide paid family leave to all Federal workers. This is the type of legislation my community in Pennsylvania expects from Congress, and I am very proud to introduce it today.

Madam Speaker, I urge the support of the NDAA. I am very, very grateful for the support and work of Congresswoman Maloney in leading me to this and leading us to this.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise today in support of my amendment which would increase the Veterans Health Administration Medical Services account by $1.7 million in order to increase the minimum amount that must be spent on gender- specific care for women at the VA with the appropriate offset.

Women represent the fastest growing cohort in our Nation's military, and in the past 4 years, the number of women veterans using VHA services has increased by 22 percent. Yet, we are not providing the VA with the resources it needs to provide quality care for women.

For example, in my community of Coatesville, the VA does not have a full-time OB-GYN. Women veterans in my community must wait until 1 of the only 2 days a month that an OB-GYN visits the VA or find their way to distant Philadelphia for an appointment.

This lack of available gender-specific care is in no way unique to my community. It is widespread across our country's VA centers. Our women who have served deserve better from us, and this amendment helps ensure that we are specifically addressing the unique healthcare needs of these courageous women.