Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm on the impending closure of the Quartz Hill Post Office and who knows how many other contract postal units across the country.

On June 1, Stan Boylan, a veteran and the owner of the Quartz Hill Post Office, received a written termination notice informing him that his post office was scheduled to close.

My family loves the Quartz Hill Post Office. My wife was devastated to hear this news. We are not alone. It has been a staple of our community for over 70 years and services tens of thousands of my constituents.

I say we do not know the scale of closures because, even after I submitted an inquiry to the Acting Postmaster General, we have not yet been given a straight answer. What we do know is that the White House has been trying to absorb this historically independent agency and has given DOGE the green light to cut USPS staff and gut services.

Let me be clear. The United States Postal Service does not use taxpayers dollars for operating costs. Reducing post office locations will lead to slower service, longer wait times, and delays in receiving packages, medications, and other necessary deliveries.

I urge the Postmaster General to reverse the decision to terminate the Quartz Hill Post Office contract.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Stevens for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, my name is George Whitesides, and I represent California's 27th Congressional District.

Before I was a Member of Congress, I served as the Chief of Staff of NASA and later as the CEO of an aerospace company that created hundreds of well-paying jobs in the Antelope Valley. I have a degree in remote sensing with GIS. I grew up in a science family. My dad is a chemist and a professor. I have worked on new and innovative ways to tackle our wildfire crisis, a growing threat that the people I represent know all too well.

I know from firsthand experience that the United States is home to the smartest, most hardworking, and most impressive minds of our time who have dedicated their lives to helping families across the country fight deadly diseases, predict and prevent natural disasters before they hit, and mount a challenge against our foreign rivals like China.

However, we can't continue this important work without our scientific institutions.

Recently, our biggest scientific agencies have come under a full- scale attack with the administration's proposed budget effectively annihilating the very science that keeps us safe. Programs that previously had broad, bipartisan support, such as the Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure fund, EPA's drinking water and clean water funds for States, forestry operations, energy utility assistance for low-income households, science and technology programs, and agricultural support are all on the chopping block.

At NASA, satellites that allow us to understand weather patterns, monitor our changing climate, and track fires as they move and spread are at risk of being deorbited. Employees in my home district who work at NASA Armstrong and JPL have no idea what their futures hold.

NOAA, an organization that helps families across the country prepare for natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, is being gutted from the ground up.

The NIH, which works on groundbreaking cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease, has supplied significantly fewer grants and awards to scientists than in previous administrations, effectively halting our work on critical medical advances.

From February to April, the administration terminated nearly 700 grants across 24 NIH institutes and centers focused on subjects such as aging, cancer, child health, diabetes, mental health, and neurological disorders.

We are not only losing the promise of progress and cures and climate technology, we are losing critical data that allow us to better understand the world we live in and respond to growing threats that we face, both foreign and domestic.

That is why today I led my colleagues with similar scientific backgrounds to let the administration know exactly what will happen to our Nation if they gut these science agencies. A letter was sent to the President drawing on our diverse backgrounds and constituencies to let him know exactly why science is a good investment for the future of our children and for our country.

Make no mistake, we can always be better and more efficient, and these are ideals that we should all strive for. These are ideals that Americans fairly demand from their government, and we should all be working toward that challenge.

When I helped lead NASA for President Obama, we constantly iterated and improved our existing systems because we knew how important it was to stretch the taxpayer dollar as far as it can go.

Taking a sledgehammer and a chain saw to entire institutions that allow us to stay safe and also remain competitive on the global scale is not only unwise, it is dangerous.

The bottom line is that science is an incredible investment for jobs today and for the future of our country.

I am going to keep fighting for the families across my district who need NASA satellites to know if their houses are going to be safe from fires, for seniors who need medical advancements to live long and healthy lives, and for red States and blue States that will be hit by tornadoes and hurricanes in the months and years to come.

I am here to stand up for families in my district and across the country who will be less safe and more at risk as a result of these cuts. I am here as an innovator and entrepreneur to stand up for science.

Mr. Speaker, my name is George Whitesides, and I represent California's 27th Congressional District.

Just 3 days after I was sworn in to Congress to serve my first term this year, wildfires broke out across southern California, forcing 200,000 people to evacuate, burning over 57,000 acres of land, damaging or destroying 18,000 homes, and taking the lives of 30 individuals.

Two weeks later, the Hughes fire erupted in my own district near Castaic, right near where this picture behind me was taken. It forced over 30,000 people to evacuate.

Compared to most, we were relatively lucky. Given wind conditions and the brave work of our firefighters, many of whom were employed by the U.S. Forest Service, the fire was quickly contained.

As southern California began to emerge from the devastation and focus on rebuilding, firefighters and other fire service workers with the U.S. Forest Service were abruptly terminated by the Trump administration. Days or weeks after saving our lives, they were left out to dry with no explanation.

One of these employees in my own district was Jasmin Dominguez, a GIS technician, who literally mapped out the fires as they spread. I brought Jasmin as my guest to the State of the Union where we talked about how difficult it would be for local fire chiefs to control the fires without the maps that she provided.

Now, we are preparing to go into another bad fire season. People are scared. If you look at the conditions on the ground in the American West, they are very concerning. Fire scientists are concerned. Firefighters are concerned. Between the January fires and the extreme dryness that we have experienced this winter, we are poised to experience earlier and more intense wildfires than before.

The worst thing that we could do for our communities that have already suffered so much is to reduce our capacity to fight and contain these fires when, not if, they occur.

The unconscionable and, frankly, offensive decision to terminate our Forest Service workers will make us less safe and more vulnerable to the natural disasters that we are guaranteed to experience.

The administration may claim that firefighters were exempt from their cuts, but we know this is not true. I am in constant communication with Federal wildfire community members, and here is what they tell me. Their grants have been frozen; existing agreements with the Federal Government, frozen; purchasing cards that they use to buy lifesaving equipment, frozen.

Hiring for fire season is often cyclical, meaning the Trump administration's earlier decision to freeze Federal hiring left even our local fire stations understaffed and unprepared for the fire season that has already started.

For the safety of the families and the individuals across all of our districts, and for the brave work that so many of these Forest Service employees do every day, we must speak out against these unfair terminations.

To every Forest Service worker who is laid off and for everyone preparing to undergo even more of these so-called reductions in workforce, know that we hear you, are with you, and are fighting for you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mauro Reza, a Vietnam War veteran from Palmdale, California, whose service and sacrifice exemplify the highest ideals of patriotism and dedication to our Nation. Mr. Reza was selected as this year's Boots on the Ground Alliance's Veteran of the Year, an honor his life and service absolutely merit.

Born and raised in Whittier, Mauro was inspired by his uncle, a Korean War veteran, to continue his family's proud tradition of military service. Answering the call of duty, he enlisted in the United States Army in November 1966 and served with distinction as a UH-1C helicopter gunship pilot in the 175th Assault Helicopter Unit's 3rd Platoon Mavericks during one of the most challenging conflicts in American history. From August 1967 to June 1970, Mauro bravely took to the skies, engaging in aerial combat operations where skill and courage were paramount to mission success and the safety of his fellow soldiers.

After years of valiant service, Mauro transitioned out of military life, recognizing the profound impact of his experiences in Vietnam. Yet, his legacy endures--not only through his military contributions but also in the example he sets for future generations about duty, resilience, and honor.

It is with great respect and admiration that I recognize Mauro Reza for his selfless service to our country. His story is a testament to the courage of those who have fought for our freedoms, and I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing our gratitude for his dedication.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to share the story of two Federal scientists who, in their own words, were fired by President Trump.

I am a biologist and was a postdoctoral researcher at the

EPA Office of Research and Development. Most of my research

focused on clean water and human health, such as drinking

water, recreational water, and efforts to prevent pollution.

My research projects included the impact that wildfires have

on drinking water quality. My work is not political, and my

career should never have been politicized. This was my dream

job.

Another scientist, in their own words, said:

I was a biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. I

conducted wildfire and fuels-related research in Sequoia and

Kings Canyon National Parks, working closely with park

managers to improve the fuel management plan.

Science is the foundation of American leadership and security. These firings must be reversed.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a minute to talk about the events of this week and to rise on behalf of law enforcement in this country.

I know that people across my district and across the country are deeply concerned about the personal data being exposed in an act of extreme government overreach. We are doing everything we can to put a stop to it. We are pursuing legislation that will stop it, and we will also work on legal avenues to prevent this and other unlawful executive actions taken by this administration.

I also want to take a moment to talk about the recent attacks against the FBI and brave law enforcement officials who defended our Capitol on January 6 from a violent insurrection.

In just the past 2 weeks, violent criminals were released from prison and have been making direct threats against public safety officers who helped put them away. These law enforcement officers have now been asked to step away from their actual jobs to take surveys and loyalty tests to the current President.

That is not how we should treat our law enforcement, our FBI, or anyone who has put their own safety at risk to protect all of us. We must all step up in this historic moment to be on the record for law enforcement.