Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, the Republicans' refusal to negotiate bipartisan spending bills has us standing on another shutdown cliff and, once more, relying on another Band-Aid funding bill. It is the same place we were 2 months ago when Congress voted to provide 2 more months for earnest negotiations. Since then, House and Senate Democrats put forth proposals, and Republicans put nothing on the table.

As anyone who figures out their household bills every week knows, a table full of nothing doesn't keep the lights on, doesn't put groceries on the table. Nothing isn't going to put food in the refrigerator, and it certainly doesn't pay the phone bill or buy anyone's prescriptions. But that is what Republicans came up with in the last 2 months: absolutely nothing.

It looks a lot like the solutions Republicans put forward to solve all of the problems American families face: nothing. They have no plan.

So as responsible stewards, Democrats on the Appropriations Committee crafted yet another extension to maintain funding levels through February and ensure that our most urgent needs can be met.

But working families, small businesses, and veterans can't live on temporary patches. They need the certainty that comes with passing a full appropriations package to create jobs, prevent future pandemics, and keep schools safe. We need an omnibus budget to safeguard our air, our food, and our water.

As chair of the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, I know veterans need an omnibus to get their earned benefits, to slash the claims backlogs they face, and to fully meet their VA healthcare needs.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this continuing resolution because it will keep the government open and extend funding for critical education, health, housing, and public safety programs. These are programs and services that every community, red or blue, relies on every day.

Madam Speaker, Republicans' refusal to put the American people first and faithfully negotiate leaves every parent and mom-and-pop shop less secure.

Let's get serious about governing.

I say to my Republican colleagues: It is time to show up for work and stop worshipping at the altar of Donald Trump for 5 minutes, long enough to do your job.

Let's stop this legislative brinksmanship and immediately begin to negotiate the FY 2022 bills so we can meet our country's needs.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise to support the largest investment in America's working families, a human safety net, and the protection of the planet since FDR's New Deal.

To families facing high healthcare or childcare costs or struggling to find affordable pre-K programs, the Build Back Better Act has your back.

We deliver real help and support, including paid family leave and a child tax credit extension that cuts child poverty in half and puts money in parents' pockets each month.

It expands healthcare coverage for millions and helps seniors pay for home care, hearing aids, and prescriptions by finally allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.

Build Back Better also seriously tackles climate change by moving us toward our 2030 emissions reduction goals and does it by producing high-paying, green, union jobs.

For veterans, it invests $5 billion to upgrade aging VA hospitals and ensures we better serve those who so bravely served.

Build Back Better is fully paid for and returns fairness to the Tax Code by making sure corporations and America's wealthiest pay their fair share.

Paired with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, both bills will make life a lot better for all Americans, especially families in Florida. Let's build back better now.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise to urge the censure and the removal from committees of Mr. Gosar for portraying the murder of a fellow colleague and promoting violence against immigrants. We know that promoting visions of violence and spreading false, hateful rhetoric foments actual violence. January 6 taught us that. And surely, we cannot use taxpayers' own money to promote violent images and conduct directed at other Members.

I still see bedside visions of my friend, Gabby Giffords, fighting for her life after being shot at a district event, her aide already dead. I shudder to recall our own colleague, Mr. Scalise, limping to this very Chamber on a cane because someone tried to assassinate him. Explosive residue still clings to a stairwell outside my district office where a pipe bomb, sent by a deranged Trump supporter and handled by my staff later, had to be safely detonated.

The history of violence aimed at women and people of color and those who defend them are among humankind's worst chapters.

Madam Speaker, it is ironic that Mr. Gosar compares himself to Alexander Hamilton and another Member condones the stylized violence portrayed by Mr. Gosar, because Hamilton was actually killed by accepted high-class violence in his day in a duel.

Madam Speaker, promoting and glorifying such conduct cannot be condoned or ignored by this body. Voting to censure Mr. Gosar today firmly denounces it unequivocally.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership as well on human rights worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise to urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 760. I authored this bipartisan resolution co-led by my dear friend, Mario Diaz-Balart, to send a message to the brave Cubans who are desperately yearning for freedom and legitimate self-governance: The American people are firmly by your side.

The passionate human cry for self-determination ringing out from the streets of Havana has moved this Congress and achieved something beautiful and all too rare. It has united Democrats and Republicans behind this call for freedom.

Today, we are here to do something simple and unifying that is at the heart of American values: support human rights and freedom of expression and freedom from repression.

Today, this body stands arm in arm to condemn the Cuban regime's acts of repression. Together, we proclaim the strongest possible support for the Cuban people to take a courageous stand in the streets on November 15, as they did on July 11, and peacefully express their opposition to the brutality and dehumanization of the Cuban regime.

As representatives of the American people, we proudly express unyielding solidarity with the Cuban people who wish to peacefully assemble and boldly demand their freedom from oppression.

The regime has all the tools of repression in their possession, but the Cuban people are armed with truth, conviction, and courage. Dictators thrive on silence, lies, and fear. That is why the resolution before this Chamber today is so important. This body must use our platform to shed light on the tyranny that casts a shadow over such a beautiful island.

The Cuban regime's deception, repression, and arbitrary imprisonment of citizens, activists, and artists cannot withstand the people's demands for freedom, agency, and accountability.

By passing this resolution today, we will make sure the Cuban people's calls for freedom are not silenced. Instead, we will amplify them as we are here this afternoon.

And we are not alone. In adopting this resolution, we will join with the European Parliament who adopted a resolution earlier this summer that condemns the Cuban regime's blatant disregard for human rights.

Now we too must loudly proclaim that this Congress stands for democracy and denounces the unaccountable corruption clinging to power just across the Straits of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take one moment to thank all of those, including President Biden, and especially President Biden, for standing with the Cuban people; for standing up for freedom, for free and fair elections on the island, for freedom of expression, and for making sure that we can help hold this unaccountable regime accountable.

I also want to thank those who helped deliver this message today, my good friends: Albio Sires, Mario Diaz-Balart, and, of course, Leader Hoyer. And I also want to thank Chairman Meeks for working with me on this resolution as well and my colleagues from Florida. Without their hard work and the efforts of many other allies of Cuban democracy, we could not send this powerful, bipartisan message today.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake. We are united today around the Cuban people's fight for libertad and patria y vida.

I ask all Members to embrace the unifying principles in this resolution which avoids the policy arguments and expresses our support for basic human rights. Who could be against that?

I urge all of my colleagues to stand behind and side by side with the Cuban people and support their pursuit of liberty and justice. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H. Res. 760.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Libertad para Cuba. Patria y vida.

(English translation of Spanish is as follows: Freedom for Cuba. Country and life.)

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to recognize the tremendous career and meaningful work of Josie Bacallao, President & CEO of Hispanic Unity of Florida.

Founded 39 years ago as a haven for immigrants and refugees, Hispanic Unity of Florida has grown to serve diverse and multi-cultural working families from the United States as well as more than 25 other countries.

Under Ms. Bacallao's leadership, the agency provides a range of wrap- around services to help more than 16,000 clients of all ages, from preschoolers to adults, successfully transition to a productive new life.

Hispanic Unity of Florida acts as South Florida's ``Ellis Island'' for new immigrants arriving in South Florida. Often arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs, a few dollars in pocket change, with no job, language, skills or understanding of the life that awaits them on America's shores--they still come with hopes and dreams.

And Josie works tirelessly to guarantee everyone is empowered to live their American Dream.

Her commitment to strengthening the physical and financial health and wellness of Florida's families is extensive, impressive, and inspiring.

Josie Bacallao is a selfless, compassionate, and thoughtful citizen whose commitment to our community is exemplary, and I am proud to call her my dear friend. I wish her a hearty congratulations on her retirement and am grateful for her invaluable work to improve the lives of those in Florida's 23rd Congressional District and beyond.

Madam Speaker, here we go again. Just last week we were here urging our Republican colleagues to help us avert a government shutdown.

Now, wait for it. We are back because congressional Republicans refused to pass the government funding bill since it included a provision to ensure that America pays our bills for debt already incurred on their watch under the Trump administration.

The brinksmanship and the last-minute, hand-wringing, gut-wrenching angst that we are put through and that America is put through every single time when the Republicans just refuse to be fiscally responsible is jaw dropping.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this clean continuing resolution because, first and foremost, it will keep government open through early December. It extends funding for critical education, for health, for housing and public safety programs.

Secondly, the bill will provide millions of Americans with emergency assistance to help rebuild from recent hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and blizzards.

Third, Afghan evacuees will receive urgent humanitarian assistance to help them settle here.

And, finally, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, for her help with this, as well as Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Cartwright. The bill includes $22 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to investigate the Surfside building collapse in my district.

Madam Speaker, we have years in front of us to determine just exactly how this building collapse occurred, and to adopt policies to make sure that it never happens anywhere in the country again.

Now, Republicans voted against all of this last week. We need to pass this CR today, but we also need to address the debt limit. You know, Republicans always talk as if the U.S. Government were a business, even though it is a specious and wildly inaccurate analogy.

Nevertheless, for argument's sake, I ask my Republican colleagues: If you were running a business and decided not to pay your creditors, would you think that is a smart business move? How long do you think your business would remain in business? Not very long.

But at the end of the day, the government is, of course, not a business. We are the globe's leading economic power, and the dollar is the world's reserve currency. In many cases, deficit spending by the U.S. Government can jump-start our economy, support the global economic system, and quickly create American jobs.

And Republicans seemed to strongly agree with all of this during every year of the Trump administration, when they passed record-high budgets and didn't pay for nearly any of it.

Well, I say to my friends, the bill has come due. Let's pass this continuing resolution today and keep the government open.

And tomorrow, let's stop this legislative vandalism and get responsible about making sure we pay our bills and raise the debt ceiling.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic investment that will create millions of good-paying jobs and support America's future global competitiveness.

This bill will do so much to repair our ailing infrastructure and will create two million labor-friendly jobs each year for a decade.

Florida has 408 bridges and more than 3,564 miles of highway that are in poor condition.

Through this bill, Florida will receive $13 billion for federal-aid highway programs and $245 million for bridge repair.

Florida will also receive $2.6 billion for public transit systems and $1.2 billion for airport development.

To further help us cut down on transportation emissions, the bill will provide Florida with nearly $200 million to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network.

I have also heard, Mr. Speaker, from so many municipalities throughout south Florida who are struggling with obsolete water infrastructure. Thankfully, this bill provides Florida with $1.6 billion to get rid of lead pipes and improve water infrastructure.

For Florida's highways and byways, which are some of the most dangerous in the Nation, this legislation will usher in a ``Safe Streets for All'' program to help reduce crashes and fatalities.

Also important for Florida, this bill provides the Army Corps of Engineers with $1.9 billion for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects.

The Florida delegation expects the Corps to use a large portion of this money on Everglades restoration to bolster the funding we already secured through the regular appropriation process and get the project back on track.

This bill is a big investment in surface transportation and hard infrastructure, but it is only a segment of President Biden's Build Back Better agenda.

I am looking forward to passing the revolutionary climate and resiliency programs in the Build Back Better Act.

For my own constituents and the children and grandchildren of everyone in this Nation, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this important bill and the Build Back Better Act. That will allow us to truly rebuild our working class and set us on a path to prosperity.

Madam Speaker, it is past time we took the power to make deeply personal healthcare decisions out of Governors' mansions and State legislatures and put them back where they belong, in the hands of patients and their doctors.

Just this week, my home State of Florida filed a horrific anti- abortion bill that is a revolting assault on women's rights. With Federal courts becoming more hostile to reproductive access, we must not waver in the passage of the Women's Health Protection Act.

Thankfully, this bill before us today protects the right to access abortion throughout the United States and safeguards against medically unnecessary bans and restrictions like those in Texas' S.B. 8.

Equal access to abortion care everywhere is essential to economic participation, reproductive autonomy, and the right to determine our own lives.

Congress has a responsibility to pass legislation that makes these human rights a reality.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this vital piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022, which I was proud to help bring to the floor today.

The United States has long supported critical funding to help our democratic ally, Israel, protect herself by herself.

During my trips to Israel, I have been privileged to spend hours meeting with families living near the border with Gaza who huddle in bomb shelters designed to dually function as schools. There you can see Israel's geographic vulnerability firsthand and clearly understand the urgency of securing this replenishment funding for Israel's highly effective Iron Dome missile defense program.

Israel relies on the Iron Dome to defend her citizens against incoming rocket fire from terrorist groups like Hamas, Islamic jihad, and Hezbollah. Earlier this year when terrorist groups fired 4,500 rockets at Israel's population centers in just 11 days, the Iron Dome effectively intercepted 90 percent of those rockets, saving innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives.

The system also maintains regional stability by preventing dangerous escalation. For these reasons, I know I will continue to use my vote and my voice to maintain our Nation's ironclad commitment to Israel's security, including maintaining her qualitative military edge, especially against emerging terrorist threats.

This is a defense system. Its whole purpose is to stop violence and save lives. By supporting this program, you are promoting peace.

I am proud to have worked on a strategy with other pro-Israel Democrats and our House leadership to ensure there is no question about our commitment to the safety and security of our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel.

I urge the United States Senate to take up this urgent funding bill immediately to defend our ally Israel and increase prospects for peace and avoid the CR debt-limit debate. I thank the chair for bringing this important legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, if we don't pass this CR and disaster relief supplemental, we will have a cascade of nightmare occurrences.

The Federal Government and so many programs that help our constituents will simply shut down. The United States will default on its debt, causing widespread economic catastrophe, and leave us a ``permanently weaker Nation,'' as Secretary Yellen said.

Millions of Americans will not receive emergency assistance to help rebuild from recent hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and blizzards.

Afghan evacuees will not receive urgent humanitarian assistance.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology will not receive the $22 million in this bill to investigate the Surfside building collapse that happened in my district.

We cannot abandon all these must-pass priorities for the American people. Republicans voted for a debt ceiling three times under Trump, and this proposed increase would pay for debts that his administration incurred.

Americans have been through enough in the last 18 months. Now is not the time to hold our economy hostage and tear vital strands from our safety net. Too many children, seniors, and working families are counting on the stability we have begun to secure in recent months.

Republicans must not play politics with our Nation's fiscal stability. Too many Americans would get hurt. We must pass this CR. The alternative is catastrophic.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman DeLauro, Speaker Pelosi, and Mr. Hoyer for committing to bring the Iron Dome stand-alone suspension bill to make sure that we can stand by our ally Israel and replenish the vital Iron Dome missile defense system funding that Israel must have in order to be able make sure that she can defend herself by herself.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4, critical legislation that confronts the crisis facing our democracy.

In Florida, we witnessed a Republican legislature attempting to cling to power through voter suppression, taking special aim at Black and Brown voices. The blatantly antidemocratic legislation signed by Governor DeSantis this year makes voter registration harder, limits voting by mail, and curbs the use of secure ballot drop boxes. Similar suppression tactics took root across the Nation, with at least 18 States making it harder to vote this year.

To honor our dear friend and colleague, Congressman Lewis, we must stand up to this assault on our constitutional rights. This bill would stop those who want to shape the electorate to help them win elections because they can't win on their losing agenda.

At this moment in history, bold action is necessary to protect the right to vote. After we pass this bill, we must ensure it moves through the Senate. Our very democracy depends on it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I congratulate the gentlewoman on presenting her first bill as a cardinal on the Appropriations Committee. This is a long time coming, and it is a pleasure to work with her.

The bill invests in health and upholds American global values abroad.

The fiscal year 2022 State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill, in a historic move, removes the Helms amendment, which has prohibited safe abortions and healthcare services for poor and vulnerable women in low- income countries for decades. That is a significant decision and one that enables access to healthcare for millions of women across the globe.

I am pleased that this bill includes language to support countries, like Colombia, who have welcomed Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis. It also funds prodemocracy and human rights programs in Venezuela, as well as in Cuba. This funding is critical to ensure access to broadcasting and the internet in Cuba. These platforms will provide support to the Cuban people as they struggle for freedom and true self-governance.

Finally, this bill continues support for the critical U.S.-Israel partnership by fully funding U.S. security assistance to Israel and cooperative missile defense programs. Ensuring that Israel maintains her qualitative military edge is essential for stability in the Middle East and our own national security.

I truly thank Chairwoman Lee for working closely with me and others on this bill.

As we always say in the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Speaker, the spending decisions that we make are an expression of our values. This bill telegraphs that expression of our values, of America's values, and the strengths that we have, at the same time providing us the ability to provide assistance to millions of vulnerable people across the globe. I am proud to support it and to work with Chairwoman Lee going forward so we can see it become law.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chair DeLauro for her leadership during this process and for yielding.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies division of the bill highlights our continued commitment to our servicemembers and to their families and to our veterans.

Constructing the barracks, bases, and training facilities that our military needs is crucial to our country's military readiness. Properly funding the Department of Veterans Affairs is how we deliver on the promise of medical care and other benefits that our veterans have earned through service to our Nation.

The Related Agencies, including the American Battle Monuments Commission and Arlington National Cemetery, demonstrate how we honor the sacrifices of those who served. That is why I am proud that that bill contains $124.5 billion in discretionary funding, an $11.4 billion increase above the enacted funding level, and $1.3 billion above the President's budget request.

For Military Construction, we provide $10.9 billion for critical infrastructure on military installations, including for seven new child development centers, and to address issues such as mold, vermin, and lead in military family housing.

The bill also invests in climate change and energy resilience at our military bases and provides $150 million for PFAS cleanup at contaminated installations.

For VA, this bill provides $113.1 billion in discretionary funding, including $97.6 billion for medical care that makes record investments in women's health along with the ``whole health'' model, mental health and suicide prevention, homelessness assistance, rural health, and opioid abuse prevention.

The bill significantly boosts funding for VA research to support work studying areas like toxic exposures and traumatic brain injury, and infrastructure improvements to ensure modern, safe facilities to treat our veterans, as well as continued implementation of Electronic Health Record Modernization and efforts to reduce the disability claims backlog.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Ranking Member Judge Carter and Ranking Member Granger, I am proud to have you as my partners and friends. I would like to thank the staff of both subcommittees and our personal offices.

This is a good bill and does right by our servicemembers, their families, and our veterans. It also benefits Floridians and advances our Democratic priorities.

The Labor-Health bill includes $6 million, an increase of $1 million for the EARLY Act legislation that I authored that educates young and at-risk women about breast cancer. It also includes language to implement my PALS Act to extend breast cancer screening for women 40 to 49 without co-pay until January 2025.

The Agriculture bill includes important report language and funding for response to citrus greening disease, as well as language and funding to strengthen the regulation of e-cigarettes.

The Energy and Water bill includes a record increase for climate- conscious clean energy programs, and a record $350 million for Everglades restoration. This is $100 million over the enacted level, but I know we can do more.

The Financial Services bill also includes $2 million, an increase of $700,000 for the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act program, which I authored to prevent childhood drownings.

Additionally, the Interior-Environment bill includes language that orders a full environmental review on oil drilling applications in Big Cypress National Preserve, and further blocks offshore oil or gas drilling in new coastal areas.

The Transportation-Housing bill includes $300 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program, a $70 million increase, which will help Florida's ports recover from COVID-19.

And, finally, this package includes many of my community funding projects. I am proud to support this package.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a grieving but hopeful heart in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy in Surfside, Florida.

As we gather, our world-renowned Miami Dade search and rescue teams are joined by teams from as far away as Israel and Mexico to search for potential survivors of Champlain Towers South in Surfside.

Since that unprecedented collapse, first responders, medical personnel, engineers, grief counselors, and caseworkers have painstakingly worked nonstop to assist in the search and rescue, providing support to the families and to begin an investigation.

For those still trapped, we hold out hope for the search to discover survivors. For all those who lost loved ones, we send our deepest condolences and pledge support and solidarity.

So many in our community fled nations where they faced danger. That makes this tragedy all the more painful. But we are resilient. We will be there every step of the way for the families of those missing in the rubble. But we know we cannot do this alone.

I thank the Biden administration for the speedy delivery of Federal resources, and Mayors Daniella Levine Cava and Charles Burkett for their steadfast leadership in this truly unprecedented crisis.

And our deepest thanks for the remarkable, relentless first responders who are still on that pile, searching around the clock in the hope of finding even one survivor.

Madam Speaker, the agony that these families are going through is beyond comprehension. So on behalf of the missing, those who perished, and their families, I ask that the House please rise and pause for a moment of silence in memory and in honor of those who have been struggling through this Surfside tragedy and crisis.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and solemn remembrance that I rise to pay tribute to a great man, Herbert Kaliner, who passed away on June 1st at the age of 94.

Herb was a cherished member of the Miami community. One of the last living survivors of Kristallnacht and the SS St. Louis, Herb was widely known and respected for his decades of engagement with community groups, schools, churches, and synagogues. He was a ubiquitous presence as a teacher and docent at the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach, where he spent every Saturday leading tours and educating generations of visitors about the Holocaust.

Born in Germany, Herb was just 12 when he and his family fled the Nazi regime on ``the Voyage of the Damned,'' the tragic ocean liner which was forced to return to Europe in 1939 after being turned away from the United States, Cuba, and Canada. When the ship returned to Europe, about 250 of the passengers were killed in the Holocaust, including Herb's parents and two sisters. ``We were so close to Miami Beach, I could see it,'' Herb told the Miami Herald in 1997. ``I said to my parents, `Someday, I'll come back here.' ''

Despite the odds, Herb survived the Nazi invasion of France by hiding in the woods and working under false papers. In 1949 he immigrated to Miami and would go on to serve admirably in the Korean War, open a bakery, marry the love of his life, and raise a wonderful family.

Herb dedicated much of the latter part of his life to advocating for the rights, interests, and needs of Holocaust survivors, especially those living in poverty. As a member of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA Executive Committee, he often met with elected national political and communal leaders, even testifying before Congress to ensure the rights of Holocaust survivors to live in dignity. Despite the tragedy he endured, Herb never let his commitment to justice waiver and is an enduring example of commitment, leadership, and service. He will be deeply missed.

Herb is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Vera; his daughters Debbie and Michelle; son-in-law Amir; and three grandchildren, Jessica, Zachary, and Jonah.