Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I will just say if this administration was keeping their promises, we would actually have a President, who, when asked if it is his responsibility to uphold the Constitution, wouldn't say I don't know, and instead of passing laws

about renaming bodies of water, we would actually be doing things to help the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the winners of this year's Congressional Art Competition.

Art is a cornerstone of educational success for our students, giving them a healthy, creative outlet to process their emotions and share their stories with the world.

We had over 80 talented young artists submit their work to my Congressional Art Competition as the California 31st Congressional District's Representative.

I am proud to announce Marely Gutierrez, an Azusa High School senior, as our first-place winner. Her charcoal and graphic artwork, Heartfelt Gaze, will be hung in the Cannon tunnel for the next year for everyone to see.

I had the pleasure of meeting Marely and the other talented young artists at a ceremony we hosted last month. Our ceremony was held in the beautiful Vincenzo's Terrazza in San Dimas, where we celebrated with students, parents, teachers, and everyone who participated in this year's competition.

It was such a joy to meet many of California 31st District's bright young artists and hear about the impact art has on their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Marely again and all the students who submitted their artwork. I am so proud of each and every one of them.

Mr. Speaker, Pope Francis led by example. He showed compassion and empathy to all. He reminded us of our shared humanity, and he treated everyone with dignity and respect. Pope Francis understood what it meant to care for one another.

Many of my Republican colleagues often talk about their Christian values. They should practice what they preach. The reconciliation bill shows no compassion and no concern for the American people. Their bill is predatory.

The latest proposal to place so-called per capita caps on Medicaid funding would still jeopardize healthcare for millions of Americans. This includes over 282,000 people in my district. Mr. Speaker, 103,000 children under the age of 19 and 37,000 seniors would have their care ripped away.

I urge my Republican colleagues to stop with their empty platitudes, to stop catering to the cruel authority of President Trump, to stop putting billionaires over the American people. I urge them to take Pope Francis' message of compassion, of respect, and of moral courage to heart.

Mr. Speaker, Republican leadership has called for a yearlong continuing resolution ahead of next week's government funding deadline.

That is a horrible idea. To be clear, the government funding bill should have been completed last year, but House Republicans made the political decision to punt it to this year because my colleagues wanted to wait for President Trump to move into the White House.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans got what the majority wanted but still haven't been able to pass any new funding because their party refuses to accept the responsibility of governing. That is what has led us to this yearlong CR.

Both the President and the Speaker have called for a ``clean'' CR, but neither of them can articulate what that means.

Not only is Republican leadership struggling to say what my Republican colleagues want to see in it, but a yearlong CR would negatively impact our economy. A yearlong CR creates economic uncertainty and job insecurity because it prevents Federal agencies from making new hires and starting new programs. It delays contracts and applications for grants, which reduce the level of services agencies provide while also increasing costs. It reduces funding for nearly every Federal program that America relies on, such as VA medical care and food assistance programs.

Donald Trump and shadow president Musk have already thrown hundreds of thousands of public employees in limbo. A CR would only exacerbate that uncertainty and endanger their livelihoods.

Mr. Speaker, that is not the only disastrous implication of a yearlong CR. A yearlong CR would undermine our military readiness and our national security. The Department of Defense would have to slow recruiting efforts and delay servicemember moves, throwing our military families into limbo, not to mention it would potentially negate the 14.5 percent pay raise for junior-enlisted servicemembers, delay military housing projects, and undercut initiatives to improve servicemember quality of life and mental health.

Also, since a yearlong CR would not account for inflation, thousands of DOD programs would see cuts. That includes programs that deal with nuclear triad modernization, shipbuilding and ship maintenance, munitions production and replenishment, and U.S. priorities in the Indo-Pacific.

Ultimately, a yearlong CR would force too much uncertainty and stress on our servicemembers and their families, and it would impede our ability to react to national security threats.

Even some of my Republican colleagues agree with me on this point. One Republican colleague has said: ``A continuing resolution, CR, is bad for our military and weakens our national security. A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started.'' Shipbuilding will be delayed. ``A yearlong CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter China, Russia, and Iran.''

The White House may be out of touch with reality when it comes to Ukraine and supporting our allies abroad, but their fealty to Vladimir Putin doesn't mean the United States can resign its role in standing for Ukraine and democracies around the world.

Washington Republicans need to get it together. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle control the White House and Congress. If we have a government shutdown, it falls on the majority and their inability to govern.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 56.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform, or SPUR, Act.

I thank Congressman Stauber and Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez for joining me in introducing this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, small business owners and entrepreneurs take a chance when they start their ventures, so it is only right that the Federal Government do what it can to provide them with a greater opportunity to succeed.

Our government plays a vital role in working to keep our economy strong and vibrant, and Federal contracts can be a great opportunity and boon for our small businesses.

However, the government isn't doing enough to ensure our local small businesses have access to these opportunities. We need to not only do more for small businesses with existing Federal contracts but also help attract new small businesses to navigate the Federal contracting process.

The SPUR Act will help ensure more small businesses, like those in the San Gabriel Valley which I represent, can fairly compete for Federal contracts.

The SPUR Act will require Federal agencies to examine the following data:

How many small businesses received a prime contract for the first time and are owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.

It will track the concerns of qualified HUBZone small businesses, track the concerns of businesses controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and track the concerns of small businesses owned and controlled by women.

There are several HUBZones in my district, including the cities of El Monte, Covina, Azusa, and La Puente. There are even more small businesses owned by women and people of color in my district. They are working just as hard as other small business owners to realize their dreams, and they deserve to play on the same level playing field as other small business owners that

have experience navigating the Federal bureaucracy.

I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation, and I thank, again, the co-leads of Congressman Stauber and Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez.

Mr. Speaker, I originally came to the floor today because I was dismayed by the President's continued assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Department of Defense, the State Department, and countless other agencies have been instructed to no longer recognize Black History Month as part of a broad order to pause all activities and events related to ``special observances.'' It is because the President is trying to scrub our government and our country of its history and its diversity.

Our diversity is our power, and the President is threatened by that power. That is why he wants our country and our government to fit his narrowminded view of what it should be like.

We know who President Trump is. Barely coded racist rhetoric is his standard practice. The disgusting comments the President made, blaming the tragic crash at Reagan National Airport on DEI, were just the latest example. It is sickening, inflammatory, and pathetic.

We should all be clear-eyed about what the President is doing. While the President has picked up right where he left off with his racist and xenophobic attacks, it is part of a broader mission by him and shadow president Elon Musk to dismantle and destroy our government.

Since last Friday, Elon's acolytes, none of whom are government employees and by all appearances have no understanding of how our government even works, have been installed and have taken over at the State Department, the U.S. Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management, the General Services Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Here is what they have done. They have downloaded the most sensitive personal information of millions of Americans to private servers. They have taken possession of all financial and personal information of everyone who does business with the Federal Government. They are taking control of security systems, personnel files, and intelligence reports that pertain to thousands upon thousands of U.S. Government workers operating overseas, many of whom are in classified roles.

This is all to say that we are witnessing a coup of our government. Without any legal authority, robber baron Elon Musk has embedded himself in our government, unlawfully obtained information that affects millions of Americans, and tasked himself with carrying out President Trump's grievances against his political enemies, not to mention the President has already fired over a dozen January 6 Federal prosecutors, begun to scrutinize the perceived loyalty of thousands of rank-and-file FBI agents, and invalidated the contracts of thousands of government employees.

Again, we are witnessing the power grab of two men who idolize dictators and who are now playing at being one.

This is a coup. The American people will not stand for this. They will not. I have heard from my constituents who have called my office, expressing their outrage at the criminality and corruption. I plan to do everything I can at every opportunity to call out the President and Elon Musk for what they are doing.

I ask my Republican colleagues to actively examine what is going on, to sincerely ask themselves if this is acceptable. Throughout our country's history, our government has served to assist the people in their times of need, to act in service of the common good, and to work for the people. The President and Elon Musk are trying to make a mockery of that purpose. They are actively perverting that purpose to make the government act as a tool of retribution and to work against the people, specifically against their political enemies.

That is not why I serve.

Service and leadership are not about bending government to your own personal will. It is about civic duty and public service. It is about good people doing the right thing.

I ask my Republican colleagues if they really think the President and Elon Musk are doing the right thing. It is time for the people of this House to speak up.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump was elected with a mandate to improve the daily lives of hardworking Americans, a mandate to lower housing costs, make groceries more affordable, and help families get ahead and stay ahead.

Let's take a moment to highlight what the President has done for the people during his first week in office: ended birthright citizenship, a guaranteed right under the 14th Amendment; terminated diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement; renamed the Gulf of Mexico; raised the cost of prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare and Medicaid; pardoned 1,500 convicted felons who stormed our Capitol and violently assaulted our police officers on January 6, 2021; and created a special fake department for shadow president Elon Musk.

Wait. None of those executive orders lowered costs, let alone meaningfully improved the lives of the American people.

I urge the President to stop treating the White House like his Twitter account and get to work fixing the problems he was elected to solve.

Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to all the Angelenos who have been affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles County. It has been heartbreaking to learn of those who lost their lives and to witness the devastation of entire neighborhoods.

I also want to extend my gratitude to the firefighters, first responders, and local officials who have been working tirelessly around the clock to combat the wildfires. Their heroism and bravery has been inspiring. I know that because of their efforts, these wildfires will soon be contained. There is no doubt that their swift action saved lives.

I join Senators Padilla, Schiff, and 46 of my Democratic and Republican colleagues urging President Biden to grant Governor Gavin Newsom's request for a major disaster declaration.

Thankfully, the President approved the Governor's request, and California has secured multiple fire management assistance grants from FEMA to ensure vital resources are available for local, State, and Tribal agencies. However, these grants are not enough.

I am also appalled by the recent calls from the other side to condition aid on a debt limit deal. Now is not the time to politicize this crisis.

I strongly urge House leadership to immediately bring a supplemental spending bill to California's efforts to combat this fire and make Angelenos whole again.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express. my gratitude that the House has approved H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year FY) 2020. The bill contains many much-needed and valuable provisions and I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with Chairman Smith as well as Democratic and Republican members of the Armed Services Committee to secure them. I urge these provisions to be maintained through the conference process.

H.R. 2500 is a boon for transition assistance that servicemembers rely upon when they leave the military. I am proud to have secured bipartisan language to assist active-duty reservists and national guardsmen, veterans, their dependents, and Gold Star families apply for and secure jobs in the civilian workforce. Specifically, the provision would help states across the nation expand or establish a pilot program to provide job placement assistance and related employment services to those servicemembers, veterans, and their families. As a veteran myself, I understand firsthand the challenges servicemembers, and their families, face when they enter the civilian workforce, and I am proud to have been able to secure provisions to assist these heroes as they transition to civilian life. Similarly, I am proud to have fought for and secured language calling on the Department of Defense to provide separating servicemembers with a comprehensive and individualized statement of benefits listing the benefits to which each servicemember is entitled and directing them to modernize the DD214 form that will facilitate better connectivity with veterans that have separated from the military. Additionally, at my request, H.R. 2500 requires the Department of Defense to review recent Transition Assistance Program reforms and provide a progress report on implementation to date. I look forward to receiving this report so that Congress may determine how to best improve upon the program and ensure our servicemembers are receiving the guidance and services they need to succeed when they transition to civilian life. Finally, I am pleased that H.R. 2500 includes language from my bill, H.R. 2944, the TALENT Act, which directs the Department of Defense to create a two-way exchange program between the Department's acquisition workforce and the private sector. The program will enable Department personnel, including military officers, to gain private sector experience and bring best practices they have learned back to the Department. Such a program brings benefits to the Department and to the individuals who may seek civilian employment after they conclude their military service.

Another area of importance I worked to address in H.R. 2500 is improving access to and outcomes in military health. I am proud to have secured language in the bill to extend and expand an ongoing pilot program jointly run with the U.S. Air Force and Department of Veterans Affairs under the Transition Assistance Program that educates transitioning servicewomen about women's health care at the VA and encourages female servicemembers to participate. Furthermore, I worked with the Armed Services Committee to include language in the bill to direct the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive policy for mental health care across several key elements: pain management, opioid addiction, suicide prevention, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I would also like to note that I worked with colleagues to respond to the disturbing reports of hazardous and unhealthy privatized military housing at installations across the nation. H.R. 2500 includes language to ensure safe privatized military housing through the creation of a tenant's bill of rights, prohibition on the use of non-disclosure agreements in connection with entering into, continuing, or terminating a lease for a housing unit, establishment of a dispute resolution process, and creation of an electronic work order system. Finally, I am also happy to state that my colleagues and I were also able to secure language in H.R. 2500 encouraging the Department of Defense to accelerate research and development into technology or equipment solutions to eliminate the need for open air burn pits and establish long-term solutions for toxic waste disposal.

As a Latino and former officer in the Navy, I am proud to have worked to secure language in H.R. 2500 that will improve diversity and inclusion in the Department of Defense. I know firsthand the benefits a diverse leadership can have on the force. Moreover, I believe a diverse military force reflects our values as a democratic society and provides the United States with a strategic advantage. To that end, I secured language in the bill to direct the Department of Defense to develop a new strategic plan for diversity and inclusion and worked with my colleagues to secure provisions to improve research capacity at Historic Black Colleges and Universities. Additionally, I was happy to support language during the Committee markup of H.R. 2500, under the leadership of Representative Jackie Speier, to require gender integration of Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island and San Diego. The Marine Corps is the only remaining military service that does not integrate basic training and it is time the Corps caught up to the other services in this regard. Finally, this bill includes an amendment--offered by myself and several colleagues and adopted on the House floor--to require that qualifications for eligibility to serve in an armed force account only for the ability of an individual to meet gender-neutral occupational standards and not include any criteria relating to the race, color, national origin, religion, or sex (including gender identity or sexual orientation) of an individual. We cannot stand for bans on individuals, including transgender individuals, serving in the armed forces purely because of who they are.

I also worked to ensure H.R. 2500 includes provisions to addresses sexual assault in the military. I was troubled to learn of the findings in 2018 Department of Defense annual report on sexual assault in the military. According to the report, 20,500 service members--13,000 women and 7,500 men-across the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and the National Guard experienced ``contact or penetrative sexual assault'' while serving in the military in 2018--an increase from 14,900 in 2016. That is simply unacceptable. I am proud to have

secured language in H.R. 2500 that extends the Defense Advisory Committee on Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault (DAC-IPAD) for an additional 5 years and expands its mandate to cover restorative justice models and interpretation of the Rules for Courts- Martial 1001(c) that affect sexual assault survivors. I also fought for and passed a provision to direct the Department of Defense to provide a report on how the Department can establish a clear standard for victims and victims' counsel to have access to all nonprivileged court filings and related materials derived directly from and pertaining directly to the victim such that victims' rights can be enforced. Additionally, I am proud to have sought language to address the issue of protective orders--the FY 2020 NDAA now requires unit commanders to notify civilian authorities of the issuance of a military protective order against a member of the Armed Forces and would require unit commanders to notify a receiving unit of the issuance of a military protective order in the event a member is transferred to another unit. And I am happy to have helped secure language to create the new Defense Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and I cosponsored an adopted amendment that prohibits the Department of Defense from contracting with companies that do not have a sexual harassment policy that penalizes instances of sexual harassment.

Another key challenge H.R. 2500 tackles is climate change. I am grateful that language I requested to have the Department of Defense explore the possibility of maintaining plug-in hybrid and electric government vehicle fleet on defense installations and building a microgrid infrastructure to support them was included in the bill. The Department of Defense must do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and this language moves the Department in that direction. I am also pleased that the bill includes provisions to require all proposals for military construction projects to consider long-term changes in environmental conditions, mandate the Department of Defense to report on progress towards meeting the goal of 25 percent renewable energy for military facilities by 2025, and direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a climate vulnerability and risk assessment tool.

Puerto Rico recently felt the impact of climate change's most severe forces in Hurricane Maria, and I am proud to have cosponsored language led by Representative Nydia Velazquez that was included in H.R. 2500 that will support Puerto Rico's recovery by increasing the value of Puerto Rican subcontractors in the federal government's contracting goal. Increasing the value of Puerto Rican subcontractors will incentivize the contracting and subcontracting of Puerto Rican businesses--supporting the Puerto Rican economy and business as it recovers from Hurricane Maria.

H.R. 2500 also includes language to help shape a foreign policy that is consistent with American values. I was happy to work with my colleagues to increase oversight and transparency of civilian casualties resulting from strikes outside areas of active hostilities and direct the Department of Defense to work with a federally funded research and development center to conduct an independent assessment of processes and procedures related to civilian casualties. Additionally, I was proud to co-sponsor adopted amendments that tackled priority foreign policy challenges that our nation faces. These amendments reasserted congressional authority to authorize the use of force, including vis-a-vis Iran, and called for an end of war declaration and peace agreement that will formally and responsibly end the Korean war.

I would also like to note that the FY 2020 NDAA includes important education related provisions. I am grateful to see the amendment I cosponsored with several of my colleagues to enable the Secretary of Defense to make grants to Department of Defense schools or those with Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs to support world language study was included in the bill. I am also proud to have secured language in the bill to direct the Secretary of Defense to explore how the Department may carry out a program under which the Secretary makes grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out STEM educational events for military communities across the United States.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, H.R. 2500 is a strong defense bill that supports our troops, protects our nation, and reflects American values. I was proud to vote in favor of this bill and encourage my colleagues in the House and Senate to maintain these important provisions through the conference process.

Mr. Speaker, last week, we passed a National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020. Working with my colleagues for over 20 hours on the House Armed Services Committee to mark up this bill in the late hours of the night and the early hours of the next day was all worth it.

Mr. Speaker, with the passage of this year's NDAA, we have fulfilled our duties to ensure our military's readiness, strengthened our national security, and eased our servicemembers' transition to civilian life.

I am proud to have helped secure 17 floor amendments for the NDAA, with more than half of those offered on a bipartisan basis. These provisions supported programs that are critical to servicemembers living in the 39th Congressional District.

A major priority of mine is ensuring that our servicemembers have the support they need when they transition back to civilian life. I was proud to colead the bipartisan Work for Warriors provision with my colleagues, Representatives Paul Cook, Elissa Slotkin, and Mark Takano.

The Work for Warriors model has a proven track record of helping our veterans find jobs, providing job placement assistance to unemployed Guardsmen, Reservists, military spouses, and veterans to not only help them provide for their families, but also facilitate their successful transition back to civilian life.

Another priority of mine was to improve the quality of healthcare for servicemembers, especially mental health programs and women's healthcare services. I am proud to have secured a number of provisions that take care of military families by expanding military housing and improving access to healthcare services.

Specifically, I was proud to work with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan to expand transition assistance for women servicemembers. This will ensure our servicewomen are better equipped with the healthcare resources they need as they leave military service.

Also, I am hopeful that the amendment my colleagues and I included to address sexual assault at all levels of our military will help our servicemembers and veterans receive the respect and justice they deserve. The high rate of sexual assault in the military is unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately.

Even though DOD spends millions on sexual assault prevention programs, the number of assaults has jumped dramatically since 2010. We owe it to our servicemembers and veterans to determine why the current programs have been failing, and we need to create a new, effective approach to this problem.

Because, in exchange for their service, our Nation took on the responsibility to care for each servicemember's health, both physical and mental, that is why I prioritized provisions to address the suicide epidemic currently facing our servicemembers and veterans. We are losing servicemembers and veterans to addiction and suicide at alarming rates. It is unacceptable that this epidemic is only getting worse.

I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to secure language that will help prevent servicemembers from reaching at-risk status and ensure that at-risk servicemembers are identified and able to receive the care they deserve.

Also, I am proud to have supported an amendment with Congresswoman Jackie Speier to protect our transgender servicemembers. As a Navy veteran, I was saddened by our government's willingness to discriminate against individuals who had the courage, spirit, and commitment to serve our country in uniform.

Anyone who has the bravery to serve our country should be allowed to do so, and I stand firmly against the administration's ban on transgender servicemembers. I will continue to fight against this hateful and bigoted policy until the President and his administration understand that transgender servicemembers have the right to their dignity, and they have the right to serve.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the NDAA reaffirms our constitutional authority over the use of military force. With this provision, Congress reasserts our congressional authority and its duty to our country and our servicemembers, and it makes clear to the President that there is no current authorization to use military force against Iran. We understand how Iran destabilizes the region, and it is our responsibility in Congress to ensure that the U.S. does not enter into a conflict without a strategy.

In closing, while I have said much on what this House has accomplished with this bill, I would like to end with this: I thank our servicemembers, civilian military personnel, and all the national security professionals who support our Armed Services in my district, in our country, and around the world. It is an honor to represent them in Congress to ensure the promises made here are kept for our servicemembers and our veterans.

Madam Speaker, it is with immense sadness and great humility that I rise to mark the passing of another member of America's greatest generation. Charles Paul Pecoraro was an entertainer, a businessman, a veteran of the Second World War, a stalwart member of the veteran's community in Southern California, and most of all, a beloved family man who passed away at the age of 100 on July 2, 2019.

Charles Pecoraro was born in the living room of his parents' small Manhattan apartment on November 29, 1918. It was the height of the First World War but also the age of rag-time, when New York City had more horses than cars. Charles' life spanned and exceeded what we now refer to as the American Century.

Music was his family's business and his greatest passion. By the age of seven he was accompanying his father, a classically trained Sicilian mandolin player. Before he turned twenty he was a veteran of the Vaudeville circuit, having toured up and down the East Coast playing jazz guitar and earning his chops in concert halls, speakeasies, dance clubs, and Broadway orchestra pits.

When America entered the Second World War, Charles didn't hesitate. He joined the Coast Guard and served aboard the Admiral H.T. Mayo (AP- 125). Charles sailed on the ship's shakedown cruise, then transiting the Panama Canal, helped ferry troops during two trips across the Atlantic. Transiting the Panama Canal again, Charles continued his service in the Pacific where he and his shipmates transported more troops to the Okinawa campaign.

Evading U-Boats in the Atlantic and outrunning Japanese submarines and aircraft in the Pacific, Charles attained the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class. He would ultimately return to his music career, before beginning what his family refers to as his third act. Charles met the love of his life Lucy, his wife of 53 years. He, Lucy, and their only son ``Charlie'' Charles Pecoraro, Jr. moved to Fullerton, California in the 1970s so that Charles could join his brother Steve. Together, they opened Angelo's & Vinci's, a neighborhood institution that still stands and continues to thrive only blocks from my office. Its success is carried on by the spirit of the two Sicilian-American brothers who founded it.

Like many men of his generation, Charles was modest to the extreme. A deeply devoted religious and family man, he spoke little of his wartime service. Only after his son was grown did Charles' neighbors in Fullerton convince him to share his story with others. He joined Fullerton's American Legion Post 142, where he became a quiet example of service to others and a fixture at events. In fact, one of those events was Fullerton's Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony where I had the honor to shake his hand.

Madam Speaker, at this time, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Charles Paul Pecoraro for his dedication to God, country, the arts and most of all his surviving family members, wife Lucy and son Charles. We are blessed to have had this man for a century and to have his memory continue to inspire us.

Madam Speaker, this past Wednesday, I met with a group of high school students from my district who started a local March for Our Lives chapter to talk about the gun epidemic in our country. Then, 2 days later, we had another mass shooting in Virginia Beach.

According to the Mass Shooting Tracker website, there have been over 181 mass shootings in the United States this year, with over 200 victims losing their lives.

I am proud that we finally passed commonsense gun legislation in this House that expanded background checks, which is something over 90 percent of the American people wanted, but we need to do more.

The shooting in Virginia Beach used both a silencer and a high- capacity magazine. We need legislation now to outlaw both of those items as well as automatic rifles. We need to allow the Centers for Disease Control to study the gun epidemic in our country so we can find a solution.

But it is not just mass shootings that we need to address. Over two- thirds of all gun deaths in the United States are a result of suicides, and the number is rising. Over 20 veterans a day are committing suicide. We must also study firearm suicide and how it relates to mental health and how we can limit firearm access to those who are suffering.

We have a problem in our country, and it is not just going to go away. Now is the time for action. Too many lives are at stake.

Mr. Speaker, healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Unfortunately, I know all too well what it is like to have family members without healthcare coverage.

My mother went 15 years without health insurance, 15 years without seeing a doctor. My father used to drive to Mexico to get his diabetes medication because he had no insurance to cover the high cost.

The Affordable Care Act has provided over 20 million people with insurance and allowed them to have access to healthcare; 9,000 of them are in my district. It has also provided protections for those with preexisting conditions, protections that this administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have tried to take away.

I have spoken with so many parents who may have a child with a heart condition, childhood diabetes, or asthma. If these protections are taken away, so many families won't be able to afford the necessary surgeries or medications for these kids.

Let's do what is right for kids. Let's do what is right for families and protect the Affordable Care Act. Let's protect healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Kennedy for his leadership on this issue and the members and staff on the House Armed Services Committee for helping bring this important resolution to the House floor.

I served in the Navy during the time of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Too many were forced to live their lives in secret, unable to be true to themselves. In 2016, transgender servicemembers were allowed to serve openly in the United States military, individuals like Lieutenant Commander Blake Dremann, who is still currently on Active Duty and who has deployed 11 times.

During his testimony in the Military Personnel Subcommittee, he stated that his transition meant that he was no longer compartmentalizing parts of his life. He also stated that his decision to transition made him a better officer and a better leader. He has proven it by receiving the Navy Batchelder Award, which is given to Navy top Supply Corps officers.

My support for Lieutenant Commander Dremann and all our transgender servicemembers is unequivocal. They have shown tremendous courage, and it is why I fight for inclusion and equality for the LGBTQ community.

The President's policy is taking not only our military, but our country, backwards. It is unnecessary, and it is purely a discriminatory action against a group of individuals who want to do nothing more than serve their country.

It is a disgusting attack on a community that he once swore to protect. He is attacking servicemembers who have already proven their ability to meet strategic needs and who pose no risk to unit cohesion or military readiness.

As far as I am concerned, any person who has the courage, spirit, and commitment to serve our country in uniform when so many choose not to should be allowed to do so.

I will vote to pass this resolution, and unlike the President, I will continue to advocate for and protect our LGBTQ community. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in support of this resolution and denounce the President's hateful policy toward our servicemembers.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of the bill (S. 252) to authorize the honorary appointment of Robert J. Dole to the grade of colonel in the regular Army, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.