Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to a prior commitment in my Congressional district. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 13, YEA on Roll Call No. 14, and YEA on Roll Call No. 15.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California and Representative Randall for hosting this Special Order.

Seven days ago, the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits expired. For years, these credits allowed millions of Americans to afford health insurance that they would otherwise not be able to get. For tens of millions of others, these tax credits drastically lowered premiums--for some families, by as much as thousands of dollars. They gave working families essential relief amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis that Donald Trump has only made worse.

Without these tax credits, an estimated 5 million Americans will lose their insurance as a result of higher premium costs.

Today, House Democrats successfully forced this body to vote to extend those tax credits so that those 5 million Americans can hold on to their health insurance with a 3-year extension of these premium tax credits, and it passed this body.

Now, this bill goes to the Senate, which must pass it in order to save health insurance for millions of Americans.

In my State of New York alone, more than 140,000 people relied on the tax credits. These credits also supported an additional 1.7 million New Yorkers who would probably otherwise not be able to afford health insurance.

One constituent of mine who lives in public housing and holds a good job told me that without these tax credits, her monthly premiums have gone from $450 to more than $1,000, which she simply cannot afford. She is in her sixties and will be left with no health insurance.

It is not just those eligible for the tax credits who will suffer. That is because when people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They delay preventative care. They skip prescriptions. They end up in emergency rooms. Emergency rooms become overrun, and care gets worse and more delayed. Costs rise for everyone, and all outcomes suffer.

Because of months of inaction by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, those tax credits have expired and will be gone without this legislation that we passed today. This is nothing short of a crisis, and it is a crisis created entirely by the President of the United States and his Republican Party.

Let me say this clearly to the American people. If you cannot afford health insurance anymore, you have one person and one party to blame: Donald Trump and the Republican Party. It is the same party that cut taxes for billionaires and cut Medicaid for working-class Americans.

Mr. Speaker, you can count on one thing at all times with this Republican Party: They will always choose billionaires over babies.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today because the vote was closed despite my being present in the well and attempting to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 343.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an important personal matter. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 335 and YEA on Roll Call No. 336.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn the excessive violence that we are seeing from Federal immigration agents on the streets of Chicago, New York, New Orleans, and all across the country.

Donald Trump's militarized secret ICE agents are creating fear and terror around our country. Their lawless behavior has no place in our democracy, and I am proud to lead Democrats in fighting back.

That is why I introduced the No Secret Police Act to get rid of masks, to require agents to show identification, and to hold ICE accountable.

Soviet-style secret police have no place in the America I know and love.

According to ICE's own data, 70 percent of immigrants arrested have no criminal history whatsoever, and just 5 percent have violent criminal convictions.

Despite the lies that we hear coming out of the White House, ICE is meeting its quotas by targeting hardworking immigrants, many here lawfully, simply trying to pursue the American Dream.

The first and easiest step to correct this problem is to pass my No Secret Police Act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do so without delay.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of H.R. 1327, the Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act.

In December, the world watched as the Assad regime in Syria collapsed after 53 years of brutality and repression.

As President Biden stated at the time, Assad's fall ushered a ``historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.'' However, many also warned that the potential resurgence of terrorist groups in the regions, like the Islamic State or al-Qaida, could pose a significant threat to Americans and U.S. interests in the region and the homeland.

The Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act is responsive to those warnings, and I thank my colleague Mr. Luttrell for introducing this.

It ensures that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with intelligence community partners, will evaluate and monitor terrorist threats to the United States posed by individuals in Syria affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization or a specially designated global terrorist organization.

This is essential to ensure that the new government in Syria is growing with the United States' support and in a way that defeats terrorism on the world's stage.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to be vigilant about potential terrorist threats to the homeland. This bill ensures that the Department of Homeland Security will do just that.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1736, the Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act. This bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations' use of generative artificial intelligence applications.

Mr. Speaker, we have all seen AI permeate our lives in both positive and negative ways. AI streamlines workflows, has made breakthroughs in the medical field, and can dramatically increase the speed at which Americans are able to do work. We have also seen the dark side of AI through biased and discriminatory algorithms and deepfake videos.

This bill recognizes the danger that AI can pose when employed by terrorists who seek to harm our homeland. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to analyze incidents where foreign terrorist organizations have used or attempted to use generative AI to spread violent extremist messaging and to recruit, radicalize, or plot attacks. This is a commonsense bill that will help the Department get ahead of terrorism threats.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from Texas (Mr. Pfluger) for introducing this bill. It does make a ton of common sense and is something that we all agree that we must be ahead of.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1736, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2259, a bill directing the Department of Homeland Security to develop a national strategy to help secure our elementary and secondary schools from acts of terrorism.

This bill moves us in the right direction. It acknowledges a painful truth, that the safety of our students and teachers cannot be taken for granted. It recognizes that schools need Federal support, coordination, and expertise to prepare for the threats they face, and it moves us on a bipartisan basis toward a more consistent, nationwide approach to keeping our children safe.

However, let me be clear. This is only a start. Creating a strategy is very important, but a strategy alone will not solve the problem. We owe it to every student, every educator, and every family to keep working to take meaningful, comprehensive action that matches the scale of the threats facing our communities.

I applaud my colleague Congressman Gonzales' efforts, and I encourage all my other colleagues to support H.R. 2259.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that school shootings and acts of targeted violence continue to devastate towns and communities across this country. They leave lasting trauma in classrooms, in families, and in the hearts of children who should never have to wonder whether they are safe at school.

H.R. 2259 deserves our support. It shows that even in a deeply divided

Congress, we can still find common ground when it comes to protecting our children, but our work cannot end here with this bill. We must continue pushing for stronger, more comprehensive solutions that address the full range of threats to our schools and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2259. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, in my time serving on the Committee on Homeland Security, I have seen the importance of effective mental health services for the Department's workforce, and I thank Representative Gonzales for introducing this bill.

Individuals within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection work in high-stress environments, protecting our air, land, and sea borders. One way to help address the stressors that they face and support their mental health needs is by using therapy dogs.

That is why I do support this piece of legislation, which will create a pilot program to adopt dogs from local animal shelters to be trained as therapy dogs for the CBP workforce.

Not only will this bill provide additional mental health services to CBP personnel, but it will help the dogs in need of homes in our communities, certainly something everyone can support.

I know my colleagues and I are committed to improving the mental health services offered to the men and women who work on our front lines every day. I support this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to do the same.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, we should do all that we can to provide the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection with effective mental health services, and this bill is a significant step in the right direction. I speak from personal experience.

Mr. Speaker, I got my children a dog a couple of years ago after they were struggling from the aftereffects and trauma of being in Tel Aviv on October 7. It has done wonders for their mental health. I know personally how important therapy dogs can be.

The fact that this bill also helps dogs in need by getting them out of shelters and finding them good homes is something that we can and should all get behind.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, conducting an assessment is an obvious and important first step in addressing any homeland security threat we face. This bill smartly and correctly requires a homeland security border threat assessment on Tren de Aragua followed by the creation of a strategic plan based on this assessment.

Unfortunately, this bill seems to be a little too late. The administration is already bombing boats in the Caribbean that they claim to be Tren de Aragua. I hope they have already done an assessment and have a plan. They certainly have not shared anything with Congress to that effect.

Mr. Speaker, it is very important for Congress to understand the threat that is leading to this administration's actions and that justifies this administration's actions. We have simply not been given enough information about the Trump administration's assessments, justification, and strategy for blowing up numerous boats off the coast of Venezuela. Members of Congress must have this information, and that is why I support this bill.

To be clear, we should have had this information long before the administration started bombing boats that they could have chosen to interdict or stop in other ways. This bill should not be necessary, but I do thank my friend from North Carolina for introducing it and recognizing that we should have a basic understanding of any organization that we are going to take military action against.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I support Members of Congress receiving more information about the Trump administration's strategy against Tren de Aragua.

Therefore, I support this piece of legislation and urge its immediate passage. It is long overdue for the Trump administration to share the information it has with Congress that justifies its military action against alleged Tren de Aragua members.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, every day, Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations uses its highly trained pilots, mariners, and surveillance operators to detect, interdict, and stop the smuggling of people and illicit drugs.

Air and Marine Operations, known as AMO, also conducts critical humanitarian missions and search and rescue operations out at sea, including after hurricanes and other natural disasters.

They work with partner countries, specifically in the Americas and the Caribbean, to save lives, train foreign law enforcement, and address threats through joint operations before they reach our borders.

Right now, AMO's authority to enter into these foreign partnerships relies on the yearly appropriations process, hindering their ability to do any long-term planning. This bill formalizes their ability to conduct operations with foreign partners and do such long-term planning. Any such agreements will still have to go through the State Department, but this change will improve AMO's ability to operate strategically and assist foreign partners quickly when needed. This can and will save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I thank AMO for their lifesaving efforts, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation offered by my colleague from Mississippi, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill as it helps Air and Marine Operations work quickly, effectively, and strategically with our foreign partners to keep our homeland safe and rescue those in need. This can be the difference between life-and-death in some cases.

I, therefore, support this bipartisan piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are here today to consider my bill, H.R. 4058, the Enhancing Stakeholder Support and Outreach for Preparedness Grants Act.

This bill mandates that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, provide ongoing outreach, engagement, education, technical assistance, and support to stakeholders before, during, and after awards for the State Homeland Security Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative, two of the Department's leading grant programs that address preventing, mitigating, and responding to acts of terrorism.

Throughout this Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security has heard a clear bipartisan message: Preparedness grants work. Time and again, first responders and homeland security professionals alike have warned us that without steady, reliable Federal investment, our Nation's readiness will suffer, and our communities will be left more vulnerable to the threats that we face. They have told us in no uncertain terms that now is not the time to pull back and now is the time to lean in.

Now is the time to strengthen these programs and ensure grantees have a meaningful voice in shaping the policies that guide their work on the ground.

My district, like so many others, relies on the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Program to strengthen emergency preparedness and enhance counterterrorism coordination. These priorities remain critical in New York City, where the memory of 9/11 serves as a constant reminder of the ongoing threat of terrorism. Established in the aftermath of 9/11 to protect our communities, these grants continue to play a vital role in safeguarding our city.

That is why my bill, H.R. 4058, works to ensure stronger oversight in how these homeland security grants are managed. My bill requires FEMA to conduct annual surveys and other feedback mechanisms to gather input from stakeholders and incorporate this feedback into future grant opportunities.

Additionally, H.R. 4058 directs the Government Accountability Office to report on the effectiveness of FEMA's efforts within 2 years and mandates that FEMA submit a detailed report to Congress on stakeholder outreach and engagement.

My bill ensures that the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Program grants are responsive to local needs and truly effective in protecting our communities.

The coordination between local, State, and Federal Government is all the more important as we face increasing threats to our homeland, and this bill would help to facilitate that.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4058 and to act quickly so that these critical funds reach the communities that need them most.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, my legislation would play a crucial role in strengthening FEMA's engagement with State and local partners, ensuring that homeland security grants are responsive, transparent, and actually driven by the needs of the communities they are meant to protect.

Passage of this legislation is essential to preserving our national readiness and strengthening our security against emerging threats.

H.R. 4058 restores fairness, accountability, and effectiveness to FEMA's grant process so that every community, regardless of politics, regardless of blue or red, can count on the support it needs to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism.

Lastly, I thank Ranking Member Thompson, Resident Commissioner Hernandez, and former Congressman and Chairman Mark Green for cosponsoring this bill. I also extend my gratitude to the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs for endorsing the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4058, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a heartfelt and historic welcome to America for a truly remarkable global religious leader--His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and the Spiritual Head of the Orthodox Christian Church, the second-largest Christian Church in the world.

We are deeply honored to have His All-Holiness visiting our country, our Nation's capital, and New York, home to a vibrant Orthodox community, including the largest Greek, Ukrainian, and Romanian populations in the United States. His visit is a moment of profound significance for Orthodox Christians, for the broader faith community, and for all who cherish moral leadership in times of global challenge.

His All-Holiness comes to America in conjunction with his acceptance of the Templeton Prize in New York City--an award bestowed upon visionary leaders whose lives and work affirm the spiritual dimension of human existence. The Templeton Prize has previously honored extraordinary figures such as Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Patriarch Bartholomew joins that distinguished company, not only as a spiritual figure but as a tireless advocate for interfaith dialogue, peace, and human dignity.

Today, as the world witnesses ongoing war and displacement, His All- Holiness has stood firmly on the side of justice and sovereignty. On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's illegal and immoral war against Ukraine. Patriarch Bartholomew declared unequivocally that, ``Ukraine's sovereignty is not up for debate, nor can it be negotiated under the guise of diplomacy.'' He rightly insists that any future peace must include Ukraine as an equal participant. He has commended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his tireless defense of his nation's independence and democratic values--a position that echoes the principles of freedom and self-determination we hold dear.

As the ``first among equals'' in Orthodoxy, His All-Holiness continues to provide moral clarity and spiritual leadership not just for the Orthodox faithful, but for the world at large. He has reminded us--through words and deeds--that faith must be active, that leadership must be courageous, and that peace must be rooted in justice.

Please join me in welcoming His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States of America. His presence is a blessing to our Nation and a beacon of hope to hundreds of millions around the world.

Mr. Speaker, 24 years ago, the United States was attacked on its own soil in a coordinated terrorist attack by a group that opposed democracy and everything that this country stands for.

On that day, nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in the deadliest terrorist attack ever committed on American soil.

Living in lower Manhattan at the time, less than a mile from the World Trade Center, I remember that day as if it were yesterday. It was a perfect September morning, not unlike today, not a cloud in the sky, and the air was warm but crisp.

I remember hearing with my own ears the explosion of the second plane slamming into the South Tower, which soon collapsed and was then followed by the North Tower.

I remember the sirens blaring as brave first responders ran toward Ground Zero to save whomever they could.

I remember watching thousands of people walking up the street covered in soot and ash in total silence.

I remember the ambulances lined up along the West Side Highway hoping to be called upon but ultimately just sitting there in line for days. I remember the rancid smell in the air, which lasted for weeks.

As anyone who lived in New York City on September 11, 2001, can tell you, those images, those sounds, those smells, that feeling never leaves you.

For months, brave patriots worked 24 hours a day to search for bodies and clean up the massive pile of debris. The government told them that the air was safe to breathe, but it was not.

That toxic air settled in the lungs and the bodies of firefighters, police officers, construction workers, and ordinary New Yorkers who lived nearby and stayed to rebuild our city. Those toxins in the air have resulted in health problems for tens of thousands of Americans.

Today, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on that one awful day. Survivors and first responders continue to receive diagnoses of cancer, respiratory diseases, and autoimmune disorders that were caused by their exposure to the air at Ground Zero.

It seems almost silly to say, but the very least that this country can do for those people who suffer today from health problems that they got from rebuilding New York City after such a devastating terrorist attack would be to make sure that their healthcare, at a minimum, is paid for.

How can we say ``never forget'' if we ignore the health problems of the very survivors and first responders who sacrificed so much on that terrible day and the days and weeks that followed?

More than a decade ago, Congress took action to make good on that promise, that patriotic obligation, by creating the World Trade Center Health Program, but today, that promise is in jeopardy.

The number of first responders and survivors diagnosed with 9/11- linked cancers has ballooned to nearly 50,000 people as of this year, a new record. When the law was passed and funded, nobody expected nearly as many survivors to encounter serious health problems from their exposure to toxins in Lower Manhattan.

Rather than create a formula that automatically funds the program commensurate with the costs endured by those suffering from 9/11- related illnesses, Congress has instead just continued to fund the program for a year or a couple of years at a time, creating uncertainty and fear for many who depend on that program for their lifesaving treatment.

Every year, we must push for additional funding, supported by advocates who come to the Capitol to ensure that Congress never forgets and does right by these Americans suffering from serious health problems. It should not be this way.

As I stand here today, my bill, which would permanently and fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program, is awaiting a vote on the floor. It is bipartisan, as it should be, because those terrorists did not differentiate between Democrats and Republicans that day. Those New Yorkers who ran to save their neighbors and who rebuilt our city did not do it because they were Democrats or Republicans. They sacrificed because they were, and are, Americans, and this body must pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 due to an important personal matter. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 224; NAY on Roll Call No. 225; NAY on Roll Call No. 226; NAY on Roll Call No. 227; NAY on Roll Call No. 228; NAY on Roll Call No. 229; NAY on Roll Call No. 230; NAY on Roll Call No. 231; NAY on Roll Call No. 232; NAY on Roll Call No. 233; NAY on Roll Call No. 234.