Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this emergency declaration unconstitutionally attempts to override Congress. The Constitution clearly grants Congress the power of the purse. This declaration took place after weeks of negotiations which resulted in Congress rejecting the President's wall in a bipartisan manner.

This declaration could take billions of dollars of disaster relief aid from families, endanger military construction, and impact our military readiness. There is no national emergency at the southern border, only a humanitarian crisis created by our President.

This President has repeatedly taken actions that undermine our country's ability to defend against real threats to national security.

Congress must act as a check on the President's abuse of executive power. Congress has the opportunity to defend and protect the Constitution and assert its role as a coequal branch of government, and it must do so in order to set a precedent and protect our democracy.

It is absolutely unacceptable that military families and communities across this country should be made to suffer from this unlawful and dangerous action. That is why I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this resolution and move forward with ending this fake national emergency.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment, No. 7, at the desk made in order by the rule.

Mr. Chairman, I sincerely thank my colleague, Ms. Brownley, for her steadfast leadership on this critical issue, and Mr. Takano for working with me to ensure consideration. Finally, I would like to thank the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for cosponsoring this amendment.

I rise to offer an amendment, which would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study how the VA could provide childcare assistance for veterans who receive covered healthcare services furnished by the VA at non-Department facilities.

I am a strong supporter and cosponsor of H.R. 840 because I am committed to advancing policies that make it easier for all veterans to take advantage of their VA benefits they deserve.

As a veteran with two young twin boys, I know firsthand that rambunctious young kids can often derail the best of plans. Providing safe, affordable, and convenient childcare for veterans who are parents and grandparents eliminates just one of those many barriers to quality care our veterans can face when trying to make health and mental health appointments. I rise to offer this amendment to ensure that my constituents are not left behind in this noble effort.

Orange County, California, is home to the largest veteran population in the country, approximately 130,000 veterans, without its own VA hospital. This leaves many of my constituents without easy access to high-quality care our VA system provides.

My amendment would direct the VA to conduct a feasibility study to determine how the Department of Veterans Affairs could provide childcare assistance for veterans who receive healthcare services far from a VA medical center campus. This includes my constituents seeking care at the Anaheim community-based orthopedic clinic.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment to ensure we do not overlook veterans who could benefit from childcare services.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Mr. Chairman, I just want to reiterate that this is a simple amendment to require a study by the VA within 1 year.

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

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment, No. 8, at the desk made in order by the rule.

Mr. Chairman, I want to quickly thank my colleague and chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mr. Takano, for urging, in his testimony before the House Committee on Rules, that this amendment be made in order.

I rise to offer an amendment which would include ``intensive healthcare services related to physical therapy for a service-connected disability'' in the definition of ``covered healthcare service.''

Physical therapy is an important aspect of any human process and is often necessary for veterans suffering from sustained pain or discomfort from a service-connected disability. This experience can often involve lengthy commitments and long commutes to achieve results.

For my constituents, accessing physical therapy services at VA health clinics, receiving regular physical therapy means making a regular commitment to be stuck in traffic on the 405 to drive to the Long Beach VA hospital.

My amendment will ensure that veterans in need of physical therapy for a service-connected disability are specifically afforded access to childcare services.

VA benefits are not truly benefits if the costs associated with childcare during regular appointments place too large a burden on veteran caretakers.

Veterans and their families face many obstacles when transitioning back to civilian life, but access to healthcare should not be one of them. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

Mr. Chairman, I just want to reiterate that this is a simple, commonsense amendment. I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, a couple days ago, the President gave a State of the Union Address that did nothing to promote unity but, rather, used fear to further a divisive agenda against immigrants by repeating lies about his manufactured emergency at our southern border.

However, there was no mention of the real crisis. The real crisis stems from the President's inhumane separation policies.

Mr. Speaker, 8 months since his cruel zero-tolerance policy first came to light, the number of children who were ripped away from families at the border continues to rise. At first, the administration said nearly 3,000 children were separated from their parents. Now, we are learning that it has been thousands more.

The administration also claims that they can't easily find the parents of the children they ripped away, and they don't even think it is worth the time to locate them. This inhumane policy and how they treat these children goes against everything this country stands for.

The President and this administration need to do everything that they can to ensure the reunification of these families. The prolonged separation of these children has caused irreparable damage to their mental health and well-being.

That, Mr. President, is the real crisis that you have created at the southern border.

Madam Speaker, the time has come for the President to end this shutdown and put our Federal workers above political bickering. Hundreds of thousands of Federal workers, many of them veterans, continue to show up to work every day without pay. TSA employees, FBI employees, air traffic controllers, coastguardsmen and women as well as many others continue to make the security and safety of our Nation a top priority.

One such person that I spoke to is Lupe Mejia. Lupe is a veteran, who currently works for the FBI on counterterrorism issues. Her husband also works for the FBI, and neither one of them is getting paid.

During this shutdown, Lupe has been going to food banks to keep food costs down. Paying the bills has become a struggle, and she is trying to do this all without dipping into their family savings, but it is getting harder and harder each day.

Madam Speaker, I say to the President that his shutdown is causing hardship to families like Lupe's all across this country. Thirty-four days is long enough.

Let's do what is right and pay our Federal employees, especially those who put their lives on the line for our country. They deserve to be compensated for the work they do and the security they provide. Let's bring sanity back to government, and I call on the President to tomorrow end this shutdown.