Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the news is louder than a toddler with a kazoo at a Metallic concert. While the headlines scream, the internet screams even louder with a monologue known as meanwhile.

Meanwhile, Paramount settles a lawsuit with President Trump over a dispute that could have been easily dismissed, which is defended as freedom of the press, or not.

Meanwhile, Paramount CBS is seeking a multimillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media that requires the approval of the very same Trump administration. Coincidence? Surely not.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration calls for media fairness, the kind perhaps shown by FOX, OAN, and Newsmax. Maybe.

Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert, host of the show ``Late Night,'' number one amongst hosts in his slot and a Trump critic, has his show canceled by CBS, a financial decision it is said. Oh, yeah.

Meanwhile, CBS' great news leader, Edward R. Murrow, rolls over in his grave.

Madam Speaker, the harrowing videos and stories out of Texas earlier this month are another reminder of how unpredictable and dangerous weather has become. Climate change is fueling more frequent and extreme weather events, and the Federal Government has a duty to be ready to respond quickly.

What happened in Texas shows we need to strengthen FEMA, not weaken it. That means making sure the agency is fully staffed and fully funded. That means answering the phones.

Unfortunately, the administration is doing the opposite, gutting our Nation's largest emergency management agency.

As a New Yorker, I saw the flooding in Texas and immediately thought of hurricane season on the East Coast. It has been a few years since a major storm hit our region. We are due. Local and State agencies are preparing, but this year they are doing so without the help of FEMA's predisaster mitigation grants because the administration canceled the program.

Cutting emergency preparedness funding doesn't prevent disasters. It just makes them harder to handle. Once again, it is Americans who will pay the price.

Mr. Speaker, this week the House will vote on a bill to reduce clean water standards, setting our country back in our fight for clean water. I worked for three decades to improve the water quality in the Long Island Sound. Having seen the progress we have made, I know that we cannot stop our commitment now.

Just last week, I attended a roundtable with Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee to discuss how we in Congress can work with them to preserve Long Island Sound. This roundtable built on an event in Rye in June where a new 10-year conservation and management plan was signed.

I have signed onto two bills. The first is the ESTUARIES Act that will preserve Long Island Sound and 27 other estuaries of national significance. The second is the Long Island Restoration and Stewardship Act that reauthorizes grants made possible by the Clean Water Act through fiscal year 2029.

We must keep clean water standards high in order to protect and preserve our bodies of water. We may not get another chance.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Luna Higbie, the daughter of my friend, Brian, back in Westchester County, New York.

Luna is a delightful 6-year-old girl, but she has already endured bullying simply for looking different. Luna wears an eye patch and glasses to treat her amblyopia. Mistreatment by a few peers has made Luna want to reject her treatment.

Disney's Pixar has recently released the movie, ``Elio,'' about a boy who is wrestling with his insecurity and a longing to belong. Representation matters. Research shows that seeing someone in the media who mirrors your experiences boosts self-esteem, supports identity formation, and reduces stigma. Imagine how it might feel for Luna to see a character who wears an eye patch--someone like her. It makes it more likely to help keep her patch on, to feel proud and seen.

As someone who grew up with strabismus and experienced teasing firsthand, I know how much it can hurt. We must teach our children that differences are not deficits, but paths to empathy and connection.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in sending Luna a message of inclusion: You belong. You are valued, and you matter to America.

Mr. Speaker, this week The Atlantic reported that the Trump administration is planning to incinerate $800,000 worth of high- nutrition biscuits, food that was meant for starving children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These are not snacks. These are fortified, lifesaving meals. It gets worse. The administration will spend $130,000 just to destroy them. These are resources that could feed children anywhere in the world instead of going up in smoke.

This is more than wasteful. It is cruel. It is part of a broader, draconian foreign policy that puts ideology ahead of humanity. The administration has made it clear that it will not send out aid until countries vote in a certain way or make trade deals.

The Trump administration claims it is putting America first, but these policies put America last. When we offer food aid, we are not just fighting hunger, we are building goodwill. We are preventing famine. We are strengthening global stability and reducing the risk of conflict. That is what soft power looks like. When we abandon it, we abandon our values, our influence, and our moral leadership in this world.

Mr. Speaker, this administration's open hostility to programs involving diversity, equity, and inclusion is built on deep- seated prejudices that have no basis in constitutional principles, economic realities, or morality.

Our Constitution has been amended specifically to advance inclusion, equity, and diversity, granting freedom to Black Americans from slavery and ensuring their right to vote, and establishing the right of women and those over 18 to vote, as well--free speech, assembly, and religious practices for all.

Economic growth recognizes the buying power of all of our citizens and the rising tide that allows women, people of color, and those of every demographic to grow businesses and buy services and products that expand our economy and make us competitive in worldwide markets.

Then, there is the morality of helping others. The Good Samaritan stopping by the roadside to help a beaten stranger not of his own religion is a testament to: ``Who is my neighbor?'' It is not just the person who shares my skin color.

Policies to eliminate all DEI efforts are a vestige of the prejudiced past, not a prescription for a stronger future America.

Mr. Speaker, today President Trump announced that the U.S. will provide NATO allies with weapons to send to Ukraine. Finally. This is welcome news, but it comes 6 months late.

Wasn't it candidate Trump who promised to end this war on day one? How many Ukrainian lives might have been saved if he had kept that promise?

President Trump also announced that Putin has 50 days to agree to a cease-fire or face ``very severe tariffs.''

On May 28, the President gave Putin 2 weeks to show a willingness to end the war in Ukraine. That was 6 weeks ago. Now the deadline has been extended. The future of Ukraine and its people hangs in the balance.

Actions speak louder than words. Ukraine has been subjected to tariffs. Russia has not. It is time this administration stood up to Putin with the same level of rhetoric used to insult Canada and Denmark. We can't afford any more of these deadlines that keep getting pushed and hollow threats. Months ago, we called on this government to side with the victim, Ukraine. Let's back it up with deeds.

Mr. Speaker, we often speak about how Congress can help small businesses grow, but the true hard work is being done on Main Streets across this Nation.

In the Sound Shore region of Westchester, businessowners are advancing their own businesses and finding time to lead local Chambers of Commerce, implementing programs and events that promote their business districts. From Mistletoe Magic in Rye to the downtown farmers market in Scarsdale, sidewalk sales in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, these entrepreneurs are driving revenue and profits with creativity and energy.

Let me recognize the work of these local leaders: Catherine White, New Rochelle; Michael Murphy, Mamaroneck; Brian Jackson, Rye; Ralph Karkout in Harrison; Cammie Morrissey and Fritz Falanka, Port Chester, Rye Brook, Rye Town; Gina Proia and Nancy White, Larchmont; Marcy Berman-Goldstein and Ken Giddon, Scarsdale Business Alliance; Anne Gold and Marc Jerome, New Rochelle Business Improvement District.

Mr. Speaker, in future speeches, I will recognize leaders in the Bronx and along the Hudson River communities of Westchester. We salute them all.

Mr. Speaker, the vibrant African-American community in the Bronx and Westchester County have had a tireless advocate on their side for decades, the NAACP, fighting for reform and social progress, the rights of residents who want a fair shot in life and a better today and tomorrow for their children.

We are all familiar with the effective advocacy of the NAACP, including the lifetime achievement of Dr. Hazel Dukes, who recently passed away, but there are local heroes, too, who do exceptional work in our hometown neighborhoods.

Let me recognize some of these key branch leaders:

In Co-Op City, Leslie Peterson and Brenda Brown;

In New Rochelle, Aisha Cook and Jareca Lee;

In Yonkers, Kisha Skipper and Karen Edmonson;

In Williamsbridge, Laura Rhodan and Shirley Fearon;

In Mt. Vernon, Kathie Brewington and A.J. Woodson;

In White Plains-Greenburgh, Janice Griffiths;

In Port Chester-Rye, James Henderson III.

I also recognize other leaders such as Minister Mark McLean, Reverend Frank Coleman, and Reverend Margaret Fountain-Coleman.

Their hard work and principled advocacy for equal rights, economic justice, and education warrants recognition on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago this week, the Supreme Court stripped from millions of women the right to make their own healthcare decisions. Since overturning Roe v. Wade, women across this country have struggled, suffered, and even died. Doctors are forced to hesitate even in emergencies, fearing prosecution, and State legislatures have been emboldened to threaten medical practitioners in other States.

As Westchester County executive, I signed legislation to protect women from harassment and intimidation when seeking an abortion because this decision is deeply personal and belongs to a woman and her doctor, not to politicians, not to protesters, not even to the Supreme Court.

That is why I am a sponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act. Congress must codify the right to reproductive freedom as the law of the land. If we do not, women across the country will continue to suffer unnecessarily in the wake of the misguided decision in Dobbs.

Mr. Speaker, Westchester County is fortunate to have an active citizens group, the League of Women Voters, who are committed volunteers that advance voter education, discussion of key local, State, and national issues, holding seminars and programs on timely topics, and moderating public candidate debates in a nonpartisan manner.

In my home county, we have a number of local leagues, and their leadership is indispensable to ensuring good civic participation at every level of government.

Let me recognize: New Rochelle, Joan Alexander; Larchmont-Mamaroneck, Louise Perez and Beth Radow; Scarsdale, Beth Cukier; Rivertowns, Susan Maggiotto; White Plains, Alan Cass; Rye-Rye Brook-Port Chester, Liz Rotfeld and Roz Carvin; and the Countywide League of Women Voters of Westchester for the past 5 years under the leadership of Kathy Meany.

In upholding our Nation's values, we salute their voluntary service and recognize them today on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a group of Westchester residents who have taken on the role of civic involvement on issues of importance to the local, county, State, and Federal level. I am speaking about the leaders and advocates in my home district.

These individuals have taken on that most traditional of American values, which is active citizenship in matters of public policy. We have seen our values such as the right to vote, the rights of free speech and due process, and the rights to benefits earned through honest work or service to our Nation under attack.

It will take everyday citizens to stand up and say, no, we don't agree with what is happening today. We see a better future for America.

I recognize Margaret Bradbury, Kim Snyder, and Rhiannon Navin in New Rochelle; Jenny Geer in Mamaroneck; Suki van Dijk in Rye; Khris Tahmin in Eastchester; Jenny Bernhard and Liz Scafidi in White Plains; Gaby Bordwin and Marjorie Hsu in the Rivertowns; Eileen O'Connor and Elizabeth de Bethune in Yonkers; Susan Van Dolsen of Harrison; and Shannon Powell of Mamaroneck.

The work they are doing has earned our respect and deserves our praise.

Mr. Speaker, as prices rise and our economy stalls, this week, House Republicans are pushing a cruel and a senseless plan to cancel $9.8 billion in funding that Congress already passed into law. The rescissions package enacts the extreme and out-of-touch agenda that includes DOGE slashing support, reducing support for AIDS prevention, reproductive health, and even public broadcasting.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am particularly disturbed by the $8.3 billion in cuts to foreign assistance targeting programs that help the most vulnerable people across the world. These cuts include a $9 million cut to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has saved over 26 million lives. Additionally, cuts at home include gutting $1.1 billion from PBS and NPR, silencing trusted voices and educational content like Sesame Street.

These cuts are being celebrated as savings at the same time that the majority is pushing their big, ugly bill that will add at least $3 trillion to our national debt.

It is clear this isn't about savings. It is about pushing a harmful ideology on the U.S. and the rest of the world. I will not support it.

Mr. Speaker, today, we mourn the passing of a legend in Westchester County, the Honorable Eddie Mae Barnes. She was a role model for women in our area, as one of the first African-American female leaders elected to public office.

She served four 4-year terms on the Greenburgh Town Board, 16 years as a voice for those who had no voice across the community, especially in the Fairview neighborhood. She was the author of the town's Police/ Community Advisory Commission, bringing residents and law enforcement closer together. She was the driving force behind naming the local community center in honor of Theodore D. Young, who did so much good for young people in Greenburgh.

She was, by profession, a nurse with a BS degree from Dillard University and an M.S. degree from Teachers College at Columbia. For 32 years, she was director of nursing at Rye Hospital Center. She was a true healthcare professional. She was kind and loving. She was as tough as nails. She fought for the things she believed in, and she offered a hug to all.

Eddie Mae Barnes was a wonderful friend, and we will deeply miss her.

Mr. Speaker, before I hopped on the Northeast Regional train to D.C. this morning, I joined Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins to bring attention to the Trump administration's proposed 25 percent cut in funding the Amtrak Northeast Corridor service. This is a bad business decision that speaks more to politics than any objective analysis of what will grow the economy and jobs.

In the congested corridor between Boston and D.C., where major businesses are headquartered and where we generate major revenue for this Nation, we don't need more cars on the road and more planes circling our airports.

We can attract more Amtrak riders with modernization and upgrades, but this administration shows every day that if you don't support them and their policies, you don't count. They will remove Federal services from key cities, take away longtime tax deductions, impose their values and policies, and now curtail transportation options.

Those of us who represent northeast and mid-Atlantic States get the message loud and clear: We don't count.

Amtrak represents growth and expansion for America. When we treat it as such, we will see more of these benefits in other corridors.