Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mayor Ken Miyagishima on the occasion of his retirement and to recognize his work as a public servant who has tirelessly represented Las Cruces as Mayor for 16 years. The longest serving mayor in the city's history.

Mayor Miyagishima moved from Mississippi to Las Cruces at the age of eight. He attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and graduated in 1985. In 1992, at 28, he became the first American of Japanese-Mexican descent to be elected to public office in New Mexico when he became Commissioner for Dona Ana County.

In 2001, he was elected to the Las Cruces City Council, serving until 2007. Mr. Miyagishima was later elected mayor of Las Cruces, becoming the first person of Japanese and Mexican descent to be elected mayor. Following this election, he became only the second person in Dona Ana County's history to have been elected both as Chairman of the Dona Ana County Commission and the Mayor of Las Cruces. As Mayor, Ken was an advocate for our youth, spearheaded the growth of our city, and brought forth generational change to our city.

Throughout Mayor Miyagishima's more than 30 years of public service, he has served with integrity and courage, fought to improve the lives of Las Crucens, and elevated our city at the national level. Mayor Miyagishima received the 2002 Commander's Award for Public Service from the Department of the Army and the 2016 Antonio Villaraigosa Award.

On behalf of the great people of New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, I thank Mayor Ken Miyagishima for his life of service to Las Cruces and Dona Ana County. His work has made his community and New Mexico a stronger and more equitable community. We wish him well in his next chapter.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to deliver a message on behalf of Native American youth.

As the Representative of New Mexico's Second District with seven sovereign nations, I have heard from leaders from the Center for Native American Youth who are deeply troubled about their future. They are asking for Congress to be good relatives.

Failing to pass an agreement means that over 30,000 Native parents and caregivers who are Federal workers are at risk of being unable to provide for their families.

It means over 70,000 Native students in Head Start, BIE schools, and Tribal colleges and universities are at risk of a disruption in their education, harm to their mental health, and food security.

I proudly represent Zuni, Acoma, Isleta, and Laguna Pueblos, and the Mescalero, Fort Sill Apache, and Navajo Nations.

A government shutdown is a failure to uphold the Federal trust responsibility with real-life consequences that disproportionately impact Native youth and their families.

Native youth from across the country are asking Congress to do what is right. Find an agreement. Be good relatives, not just in New Mexico, but across the country.

Mr. Speaker, today, I join the Representatives of New Mexico to honor the legendary Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

I want to highlight what his work means for the Latino community. Bill's lasting legacy of advocacy for millions of Latinos and his work on the national political stage has made all the difference in all of our lives.

As one of the most influential Mexican Americans in history, Bill devoted his life to improving the lives of New Mexicans, Latinos, and Americans at home and abroad. His unwavering commitment to the betterment of the Latino community and the Nation has left an undeniable impact. As one of the most powerful Latinos in politics this Nation has seen, he has made many of our pathways to public service possible. This year, we are celebrating the largest number of members in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

We thank Bill for his work for New Mexico, the United States, and the world. As Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, we will honor his commitment to public service every day.

``Go with God, Bill''; ``Que estes con Dios, Bill.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Miguel Trujillo and to celebrate his legacy of service as a tireless advocate for Native Americans in my district and across the country.

Miguel Trujillo is a member of the Pueblo of Isleta tribe of Native Americans. At 10 years old, the government removed Miguel from his home and sent him to a boarding school across the country where they intended to ``assimilate'' him. Instead, Miguel became an advocate for education in his own community. After graduating from the Haskell Institute in Kansas in 1925, Miguel went on to receive a B.A. from the University of New Mexico, despite Native Americans being ineligible for scholarships during that time.

Miguel used his degrees to bring educational opportunities back to his community. For decades, Miguel worked as an educator with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in New Mexico. He inspired countless students in my district and beyond to graduate and pursue their own educational journeys.

At the outset of World War II, Miguel Trujillo volunteered to serve in the United States Marines, and went on to join the over 25,000 Native Americans who defended our country. Following the war, Miguel received an honorable discharge, and returned to serving as an educator in the Isleta Pueblo. Miguel would go on to receive his M.A., all while remaining active in the formerly titled All Indian Pueblo Council and veteran organizations.

In 1948, Miguel attempted to register to vote in Valencia County. Despite his record of service as a veteran and an educator, Miguel was denied the right to vote due to a provision in New Mexico law that barred many Native Americans from voting. Miguel sued, claiming that this provision was discriminatory. On August 3, 1948, Miguel won his case when a three-judge panel found that he had a constitutional right to vote. Miguel's case, known as Trujillo v. Garley, became a landmark civil rights case for all Native Americans.

Since his death, Miguel has been honored for his legacy of service by the New Mexico State House and has received a Meritorious Award from the Department of the Interior. He recently received the Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for his advocacy for the right to vote. He is also remembered by the Isleta Pueblo, who celebrate an annual Miguel Trujillo Day.

On the 75th anniversary of his landmark legal victory, I would like to celebrate Miguel Trujillo as an educator, a veteran, and a champion for justice in his community. His service has made New Mexico and our Nation a stronger and more equitable place.

On behalf of the great people of New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, I thank Miguel Trujillo for all he has done for our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the memory of Anthony Ferguson, a dedicated public servant who was killed in the line of duty while serving as a police officer in my district.

Officer Ferguson spent eleven years serving his community as a member of the Alamogordo Police Department. As a field training officer in the patrol division, he trained countless other officers to protect and serve. On July 16, 2023, Officer Ferguson was senselessly killed in action while protecting his fellow New Mexicans.

Officer Ferguson is remembered by his family, friends, and fellow officers as loyal and courageous in the performance of his duties. His sacrifice in the line of duty serves as a solemn reminder of the bravery and commitment of our law enforcement officers. His loss is felt across the state, and my deepest condolences go out to all who knew and loved him.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our law enforcement officers that can never be fully repaid. We must strive to honor Officer Ferguson's memory by continuing to support and appreciate those who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe.

On behalf of the great people of New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, I thank Officer Ferguson for his service, and his ultimate sacrifice for the community of Alamogordo. We must not let his bravery be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, during Roll Call Vote No. 323 on H.R. 2670, I mistakenly recorded my vote as No when I should have voted Yea.

Mr. Speaker, this week, I join dozens of communities across the Nation that are celebrating the 10th annual Latino Conservation Week. Today, I want to take the time to honor a remarkable leader and Hispanic conservation pioneer of New Mexico, Mr. Kent Salazar.

Kent has made it his life's mission to ensure those places that are so special to us in New Mexico and across the West are conserved and accessible to all.

The Honorable Kent Salazar made an impact as the director of environmental health for the city of Albuquerque, serving on the New Mexico Climate Change Task Force, as president of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, as chair of the National Wildlife Federation, and was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the Valles Caldera National Trust.

Kent also founded Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors, or HECHO, a testament to his

leadership in creating diversity in the outdoors.

More importantly, Kent is a friend to all New Mexicans, a fearless champion of diversity, an accomplished hunter and outdoorsman, and one of my very good friends, someone who opened doors for me and so many others.

I thank Kent for what he has done for our State and for young conservationists like myself. His work will have a lasting impact for generations. May we carry his spirit forward with the same passion and commitment that has defined his extraordinary life.

``Muchas gracias,'' ``Thank you very much.''

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.

My amendment would insert the text of the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, which provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. This is an issue that Congress has failed to address, although my colleagues on the other side have continuously committed to supporting this bill.

Now, I find the response from some of our colleagues comical when they are so deathly afraid of immigrant children in our schools, but yet, when they are serviced by undocumented immigrants in the hotels that they stay at, when there are undocumented kitchen workers in the restaurants that they go to, when their houses and their homes are built by undocumented workers, we never see the same type of outrage.

I see a lot of ignorance in the response that we are seeing as to what undocumented folks provide in value to our country, and we cannot ignore that.

Now, there are nearly 2.3 million Dreamers in this country who are integrated into our communities already. They contribute to our economy. They participate in our workforce. They spend their wages. They pay taxes. We need to let Dreamers live and work in the only country they have ever known as home. We have a bipartisan bill right here to make that a reality.

I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to take one of the first steps to fix our broken immigration system.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in my hopeful support of the National Defense Authorization Act.

As a Member from New Mexico, the birthplace of nuclear research and the nuclear bomb, and also as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have worked incredibly hard on this committee to draft a defense bill that delivers for our servicemembers, that improves military housing, that strengthens our national security, and that brings jobs to New Mexico. This is what the NDAA should be about.

That is why it is so disappointing that Republicans and the majority are threatening servicemembers' access to reproductive healthcare. Women's healthcare decisions are between them and their doctor, not the government.

Guess what? To my Republican colleagues, I will just remind you that the majority of the American people agree with us.

Why are we even debating taking away healthcare from our servicemembers who have dedicated their lives to our country? Our military personnel and their loved ones should have access to healthcare that they need and that they have earned and that they deserve.

Let me be clear. Reproductive healthcare is healthcare. Our servicemembers deserve to serve with dignity.

I look forward to supporting our servicemembers, by passing this NDAA, supporting those jobs, supporting nuclear research in New Mexico, supporting the advancement of hypersonics in places like White Sands Missile Range, supporting our military servicemembers at Holloman Air Force Base, but this amendment threatens the support for that.

I urge my colleagues to reject this rule that attacks our women in the military and puts our national security in jeopardy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our local law enforcement officers in New Mexico and across the country.

These heroes in uniform keep our communities safe. That is why I voted in support of the POLICE Act because assaulting an officer is never acceptable--never.

However, I have serious concerns about how this bill was written and how it can be interpreted. The vague language creates the risk of wrongfully criminalizing law-abiding people who are legally in this country.

Let me be clear: Assault is never acceptable, especially when it comes to our officers of the peace and to our first responders.

Our law enforcement put their lives on the line every single day to ensure our communities are safe. For that and so much more, they deserve our respect.

To my constituents, I want them to know that I am committed to finding solutions to address our public safety issues with my partners across the aisle and to support local law enforcement.

Mr. Chairman, let me be clear. I support our energy economy. I stand by New Mexico's energy workers, who help fuel our economy. New Mexico's Second Congressional District is one of the top energy producing areas in the entire world. In fact, Lea County, in my district, produces more oil than any other county in the United States.

About half of New Mexico's fossil fuel operations are on public lands, and royalties from the industry make up about a third of our State's annual budget. With an industry so large, there are a lot of good-paying jobs for rural New Mexicans.

Congress is not debating a bill to support energy workers that are essential to my district. We aren't even debating ways to lower energy costs for Americans, no matter what name Republicans give this bill. This bill is about the same old thing, padding the pockets of executives at the cost of energy workers.

Just last year, as you can see, when Americans saw gas prices as high as $5 per gallon at the pump, oil and gas companies made not millions, not billions, but trillions of dollars in profit. While my constituents were paying $100 to fill up their pickup truck, Exxon chiefs were making $55 billion in profits. My colleagues across the aisle want to make them even richer at our expense.

In the Permian Basin, oil and gas production has increased nearly every year since 2013, and it is on track to reach new, even higher production

records this year. We are already unleashing American energy, but these profits aren't going to the workers in my district. They are going to the wealthy CEOs with collections of massive mansions and cars. While the energy workers in my district are living right here, in tents and temporary trailer homes, the CEOs are living right up here in Hawaii and mansions all across the world.

While our folks risk their health and safety to make these profits, we need to make sure that our priorities are in the right place. This bill is toxic, literally. It would increase pollution by removing the methane emission regulations and gutting the Clean Air Act.

Asthma rates in southeast New Mexico are the highest in the region, largely connected to methane and other emissions. Republicans want to make this air dirtier, sending more kids to the hospital.

According to Somos Un Pueblo Unido, nearly one in two energy workers has reported an injury on the job, and most of those injuries are permanent. If this bill really cared about the energy industry, it would start by prioritizing the people who work in it.

As the Representative for New Mexico's Second Congressional District, I will always prioritize my constituents, the hardworking energy workers, over the Big Oil CEOs from outside of my district.

That is why I am working on bipartisan legislation to ensure that our energy workers aren't being forgotten. Instead of focusing on growing the record profits for executives and CEOs, my bill would focus on protecting the backbone of our energy economy, our energy workers. I am focused on investing in the workers who have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to our State.

When I got to Congress, many people told me to be cautious. They said be careful, be scared of the Big Oil barons. I was told that they are powerful and that if I don't agree with them and pad their pockets, I am going to be their number one target.

Guess what? I am not scared, and we won't be silenced. To the CEOs watching this from their glamorous mansions, just know I will fight to ensure New Mexico's workers are a priority.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of a local educator, State legislator, and hometown hero, Mr. J. Paul Taylor. He was a visionary leader who made a lasting impact on our community and across the State.

When I think of public service and what it means to be a public servant, I think of J. Paul Taylor. I think of his kindness, passion, and dedication to our State. New Mexico is a better place because of him.

J. Paul Taylor served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for nearly 20 years. Many referred to him as the conscience of the legislature. He led with his heart, found common ground through his bipartisanship, and did everything with New Mexico in mind.

His service to New Mexico continued after he retired. A longtime educator, serving as a teacher and principal, he served on the New Mexico Education Association two times as president.

Last August, we celebrated his 102nd birthday with a visit to his home in Las Cruces.

He had a reputation as a passionate educator and advocated for the arts and culture, and was a leader in bilingual education in the State.

J. Paul Taylor was a true friend and mentor to many in New Mexico. From the bottom of my heart, I thank him for being a true public servant and dedicating his life to making a positive difference in our State. Let's all remember his love for public service and for advancing equitable education in New Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to submit extraneous material into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the new Representative of New Mexico's Second District, home to some of the country's most beautiful landscapes, the hardest working people, the best chile, the Nation's first designated wilderness, seven sovereign nations, and a rich and proud binational culture.

New Mexico is my home. It is where I hunt. It is where I fish. It is where I went to school, and it is the place that gave me opportunity.

However, I continue to be troubled. After being here just over 8 weeks, one thing is clear, Congress isn't putting constituents like mine or their families first, and I want to change that.

It is hard to watch other Members from urban communities celebrate lower gas prices while residents in my rural community still pay 35 cents more than the national average.

It is hard to celebrate poverty reduction while we aren't having meaningful conversations about the child tax credit or that one in four children in my district are living in poverty.

It is difficult to spend my time voting on messaging bills while residents in our Tribal communities still have to haul water to their homes.

We must do better for the American people, and we must get to work on the real issues that impact our communities.

I know what it is like to work hard to get ahead. Since I was old enough to work, I have always had a job. I have never had the luxury of financial wealth. I have bagged groceries, worked a drive-through at a fast-food restaurant, I have sold vacuum cleaners door to door, I have painted houses and worked at a Chile Factory, all to make a living and eventually pay my way through college at New Mexico State University.

For too many New Mexicans, working as hard as I did isn't even enough to pay the bills. They feel like the goalposts just keep getting moved on them, and they look to us for help.

But instead, Congress bickers over issues that don't move the ball forward. That is wrong, and it is time that we fix that.

New Mexico is a State rich in culture, pride, and history. It is part of the American story. But, unfortunately, it is also often forgotten.

Too many New Mexicans are struggling. Our rivers are drying, our agricultural industry is in decline, housing costs are rising, and healthcare is too expensive and out of reach.

Washington must pay attention to districts like mine, and they must see our potential. We have a robust energy industry that supports more than 15,000 good-paying jobs, but we also have high rates of respiratory disease in frontline communities, substandard living conditions and housing for workers, and little accountability for the polluting industries.

New Mexico is also a vital part of America's agricultural strength. Our farmers, our ranchers, our farmworkers from the South Valley of Albuquerque to the Hatch Valley work the land every single day to ensure that all of us, as Americans, have access to safe, U.S.-grown, affordable food.

However, we don't have enough access to H2A visas. We have made it harder for farmers and workers to get the support they need to feed our country and lower the cost of food.

New Mexico plays a vital role in our national security, from the most expansive missile testing range in the country at White Sands to the critical training grounds at Holloman Air Force Base, and the groundbreaking research produced at our two national laboratories.

However, we also lack the critical investments in housing, educational services, and transportation services to give our servicemen and -women the quality of life that they deserve when they serve our country.

Washington can no longer forget about communities like mine and about New Mexico. My hometown of Las Cruces is home to over 100,000 people, many hardworking families who are dealing with an unemployment rate higher than the national average, too many kids still going hungry, and low wages, with per capita household income in my district at just $26,000. That is right, $26,000.

For too long our district has been left behind. These inequities are not just felt, the numbers prove it. I am here to fix that, but Congress has to focus on the issues that matter.

I ask for your help, to not leave behind the veterans that bravely dedicated their service and their lives to this country, to ensure that we provide Federal funding for our rural communities so that every New Mexican has access to high-speed broadband and quality healthcare, to ensure that one in four New Mexicans on SNAP have access to healthy, nutritious, and lifesaving food.

I am committed to getting the Second District's fair share in Congress. I am fighting for that in every room I enter, every meeting that I attend, and every vote that I cast. Nothing means more to me than making sure that we get our fair share from Washington, D.C.

To everyone that I have the honor of representing, I promise you I will always make sure that your voice, the voice of the great Second District of the State of New Mexico is heard in the Halls of Congress.

I ask my colleagues to join me and focus on the issues that matter to the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 1 minute p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Friday, March 10, 2023, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, Number 63.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act.

I represent the Second District of New Mexico, home to the Permian Basin. Public lands are where I hunt; they are where I fish; they are where I live. They are part of who I am, and they are part of the culture and the tradition of my district.

Now, my amendment is simple. It requires the Departments of Energy and the Interior to publish a report on the number, the location, and the owners of all unused permits to drill for oil and gas on Federal land.

We must proactively look at the resources the energy industry already has and is not using.

I am proud that my district in New Mexico is one of the top energy producing districts in the United States, so I am well aware of the vast resources that are available to us.

Today, there are over 9,000 unused permits for drilling across 26 million acres of public land. I will say that again: 9,000 existing unused permits locking up public lands for no other use.

Why wouldn't we look at these existing permits before locking up new Federal land? That is just common sense.

I know that in my family, when the pantry is full, we don't go to the grocery store to look for more. That is called hoarding.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a critical tool to ensure that Americans don't pay the price for global shocks in the energy market and the volatility in the global energy market.

When I was in my district last week, I traveled more than 1,600 miles between constituent meetings, from Albuquerque to Santa Teresa to Carlsbad. Those meetings included meetings with oil and gas producers, with folks in Carlsbad and in Hobbs.

My constituents make these commutes every single day, paying more at the pump because we are not passing commonsense legislation that allows us to lower the cost of gas in this country, which the SPR allows us to do.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act.

My amendment removes the needless, burdensome paperwork for Federal agencies and simply says that the Department of Energy should seek to

stock the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with American-produced energy.

This will help Americans, including my constituents who commute hours--countless hours--every day across our expansive State, save money at the gas pump.

If the goal is to support American workers, then my amendment to prioritize existing American production is the answer.

If the point of this legislation is to support American workers in the energy industry, many of whom are in the Permian Basin in New Mexico, then I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

Pass my amendment to prioritize domestic energy over reliance on foreign nations because the reality is that the bill before us today adds more government bureaucracy and more needless paperwork.

Why would we pass a bill that would delay using the SPR in the times of our country's greatest need?

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a critical tool to ensure that Americans don't pay for these global energy shocks.

H.R. 21 is a bill to make Americans pay higher prices for longer. This doesn't make sense.

Last week, as I mentioned, I was in my district, traveling across the vast district almost the size of the State of Pennsylvania, and I heard directly from my constituents, from energy officials, from folks that are in Carlsbad and Hobbs, and I know what it means to support American workers.

Mr. Chair, if we want to support our workers we should pass my amendment, to guarantee that the first place we turn to restock the SPR is right here in the United States, without the needless paperwork.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.