Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of June as LGBTQ Pride Month.

As we celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ community, we also know that the fight for full equality under the law is far from over.

I call on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to respect the clear majority of Americans who believe that equality must become the law of the land by taking up the Equality Act in the Senate.

We also must do more to ensure that we have the data necessary to enforce key provisions in the Equality Act. That is why I introduced the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act, which would help facilitate fair lending to LGBTQ-owned businesses and study the issues affecting them by gathering data from financial institutions about their lending practices toward these businesses.

If we are serious about our country's commitment to civil rights, protecting minorities, and economic opportunity--and, for that matter, about growing our economy--LGBTQ-owned businesses must have access to equal capital.

Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the case of Michael Nguyen, an American citizen and Orange County resident who has been imprisoned by the Vietnamese government for nearly a year.

Mr. Nguyen is a husband, a father, and a leader in his community. He has lived his life in the United States in accordance with our laws, and he owns a small business where he works to provide for his wife and four daughters.

For the past eleven months, Mr. Nguyen has been held at the Phan Dang Luu Detention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, where he has not been allowed to contact family or friends.

Mr. Nguyen was held without charge until recently, when the charges against him were announced and a trial was scheduled for June 24th and 25th.

As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Vietnam must uphold its commitment to the rights to due process and a fair trial.

I join my colleagues in calling upon the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to uphold their international commitment to human rights by ensuring a fair trial for Michael Nguyen so that he may be reunited with his family.

Mr. Chair, when are my colleagues on the other side of the aisle going to give up this toddler argument that we should not take action to address the number one issue facing humankind, and that is climate change?

The fact that other countries are not moving as fast as we are is no reason for us to give up the mantle of leadership and allow the United States of America to be the only country on the face of the Earth not a member of the Paris climate accord.

It is time for us to be on the right side of history, and I would implore the Members on the other side of the aisle to recognize this is their time to do the right thing, not just for us, but for our children, our grandchildren, and future generations.

Mr. Chair, the gentleman knows the Paris climate accord is voluntary, so he does not save one job by declining to follow the protocol that we previously agreed on.

I do agree that there are economic opportunities that we can embrace, new technologies. I would love to see us work across the aisle to do just that.

As a former Republican, I used to be in that party because of its environmental stewardship, because it believed that capitalism could help solve these problems. I still believe it as a Democrat on this side of the aisle, and I am hopeful that we can work together.

For example, for every $1 that we provide in economic incentives for renewable energies, we have provided $80 to the fossil fuel industry. Clearly, if we had parity, we would see a much faster adoption of clean energies and the dissemination of clean energies by the existing energy companies. I can't wait to work with my colleagues across the aisle to accomplish that outcome.

Ninety-seven percent of scientists recognize that climate change is real. The Department of Defense recognizes this is one of the top, if not the number one, national threats to our security.

Let's work together. Let's quit pointing fingers across the aisle and using rhetoric that does not move forward an important issue that all of us should be fighting hard to address.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to recognize the contributions of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian immigrants and to discourage attempts to repatriate them to those countries.

In 2008, Vietnam and the United States reached a formal agreement that contains specific restrictions on the repatriation of certain individuals to Vietnam, including barring the repatriation of any Vietnamese national who arrived in the United States before our two nations established formal diplomatic relations on July 12, 1995.

This limitation in the agreement, which has not been renegotiated since its signing, strengthens and protects our communities by keeping families together and empowering individuals who have lived in the United States for decades to continue to make positive change in communities across our country.

Under President Trump's Administration, however, we have seen an increase in deportations of Southeast Asian immigrants in a push to negotiate repatriation agreements across Southeast Asia, including using visa sanctions to unilaterally punish countries like Laos that do not currently have such an agreement with the United States.

I am proud to represent a thriving Southeast Asian community, including thousands of men and women and children who came to the United States fleeing violence and genocide during and after the Vietnam war in search of a better life.

I call upon President Trump's administration to cease these attacks on Southeast Asian constituents and halt all efforts to renegotiate the 2008 agreement with Vietnam and negotiate a new repatriation agreement with Laos.

I would like to thank the organizations, like the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the National Pacific American Bar Association for their work to support these individuals and their help in raising this issue before the House.

I would also like to thank my colleagues, especially Representatives Alan Lowenthal, Lu Correa, and Zoe Lofgren for their important work on behalf of these communities. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, today I'd like to recognize Pho 79 for receiving the James Beard Foundation Award in the America's Classics category. These awards are also known as the ``Oscars of the Food World'', and the America's Classics category rewards, ``quality food that reflects the character of their communit[y]''. Pho 79, founded by Lieu Tran and Thq Tran, is in California's 48th Congressional District in Garden Grove and was one of the original businesses that comprised what would become Little Saigon.

Founded in 1982 as one of the first pho restaurants in Southern California, Pho 79, with its cozy and modest atmosphere, belies the nondescript corner of Garden Grove it sits on. The restaurant introduced Americans to that eponymous broth soup of Vietnamese cuisine, served with meatballs, tenderloin, or tripe and seasoned with bean sprouts, lime, mint leaves, and pepper. But, of course, the restaurant continues to garner acclaim for its signature oxtail soup.

Just as the restaurant introduced Americans to some of the best examples of Vietnamese cuisine, Pho 79, if only during a meal, reconnected Orange County's Vietnamese-American refugee community to their homeland--including those who came seeking asylum in the days and years following the Vietnam War and the children and grandchildren of those refugees. Those memories are reflected in the restaurant's name, which commemorates the year that the Trans arrived in the United States. Their story is a testament to entrepreneurship, hard work, and the strength of the Vietnamese-American community.

With the Tran family continuing to prepare the food and work the restaurant, Pho 79 remains a fixture in Little Saigon and has played a crucial role in pioneering Vietnamese cuisine in California's 48th District and across Southern California. Their James Beard Foundation Award in the America's Classics category is richly deserved, and I give to them my warmest congratulations and best wishes for continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark the 100th anniversary of this Chamber's passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The battle for the 19th Amendment was long and hard-fought. It was 72 years from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the affirmation in our Constitution that women were owed the right to vote.

But the ultimate goal was not just the vote. It was what the vote means: that American women, all women, could enjoy the same rights and freedoms as American men.

In the last 100 years, we remain well short of that goal. In fact, this past week's latest assault on women's bodily autonomy is proof of that. The fact that women make 80 cents on the dollar compared to men, and much less for women of color, shows that we have a long way to go.

When there is so much work left to do to realize full equality for all American citizens, we cannot afford to move backward.

It is clear we need women's voices now more than ever. I am very proud of the fact that 40 percent of the Democrats in Congress are women, but we need more.

I am proud to serve with the largest group of women in Congress in U.S. history and to call these incredible Congresswomen my friends, colleagues, and Speaker of the House. I look forward to working with them toward full gender equality.

We will not wait another 100 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to shed light on PFAS contamination, a crisis affecting water systems that serve upward of 19 million people across our great country.

For decades, manufacturing companies have known that these chemicals are extremely hazardous to human health, have actively taken steps to bury unfavorable research, and have used false uncertainty to fight off regulations that could help ensure public safety.

That is why I introduced H.R. 2570, the PFAS User Fee Act, to hold chemical manufacturers financially accountable for their role in this contamination crisis. These manufacturers must take responsibility for their role in this crisis and contribute to the solution.

Congress must finally hold these polluters accountable for the harm they continue to cause. The safety of our water systems and the air we breathe is at stake.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the work of my constituent, Duraid Antone, who recently received an Ellis Island Medal of Honor for a lifetime of service to our nation.

Ellis Island Medals of Honor are presented each year to individuals who have distinguished themselves through inspired service to our nation and accomplishments in their field. Past recipients of the Ellis Island Medals of Honor include seven former presidents, Supreme Court justices, and many other illustrious American leaders.

Mr. Antone was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and moved to the United States when he was six years old. As a young man, he was called to serve as an active-duty intelligence officer in the United States Army. He later found success in the medical device industry, starting a company in Newport Beach, California, located in my congressional district.

Mr. Antone has lived the American Dream. He has proven, like so many before him, that if you come to our nation, embrace our ideals, and work hard, you can build a life here in the United States of America.

I commend Mr. Antone for his many accomplishments in service of our nation and our Orange County community, and I ask all Members to join me in congratulating him on his receipt of a 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because I am frustrated. I came to Washington, D.C., because I was tired of politics as usual. That is why the voters of Orange County sent me here. I also came here to honor my constitutional obligation and the oath of office I took.

Yet, today, we see a President and an administration that continues to sabotage the efforts of Members of Congress to do their job, while painting a false narrative that all we want to do is investigate, investigate, and investigate. And that is not the case.

This House, the House of the people, has passed 115 measures, 115 bills, the overwhelming majority of them bipartisan. Yet, only 12 have gone to the floor of the Senate to be voted on. That is right--only 12.

It is time for the Republican leadership in the Senate and for Mitch McConnell to start allowing these bills that have passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, that address disaster relief across our great country, to finally be voted on to help working families and Americans across our great country.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairwoman, 9 years ago our Nation took a monumental step forward to address the needs of millions of Americans with a preexisting condition. Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, individuals across the country were denied coverage or charged higher premiums due to their medical history.

While I came to Washington to protect our healthcare, the Trump administration has continued its assault on the Affordable Care Act. In this case, the administration is trying to use an ACA provision designed to give States the ability to test new insurance reforms that could improve the wellbeing of their residents, but, instead, that provision is being used to undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions and the coverage of essential health benefits, all in an effort to prop up junk, short-term insurance plans.

Today, we will stand up to that assault on America's healthcare by passing H.R. 986, to nullify these efforts. We must be clear that any future administrative actions by this administration or any other administration should not harm the vulnerable populations that the Affordable Care Act was designed to protect.

To that end, my amendment would prohibit any future rule or guidance from diminishing the Affordable Care Act that would result in reduction in the availability, affordability, and comprehensiveness for people with preexisting conditions, the elderly and low-income individuals.

My amendment would affirm these critical guardrails that protect the care of so many Americans across our country and help strengthen and uphold the principles of this landmark law.

I would like to thank Chairman Pallone, Chairman Neal, and their respective staff for their assistance with this amendment.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment to ensure that this and future administrations do not undermine the healthcare of vulnerable populations.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairwoman, we are at a crossroads in our country. When we look at the global stage, there are approximately 200 countries, of which 40 are industrialized, developed countries. Of those 40 industrialized, developed countries, 39 of them have universal healthcare. Only one does not, the wealthiest, greatest country in the history of the world. That is why we have tens of millions of individuals in our country without insurance.

We know that preexisting conditions have to be covered because when we look at the fact that this country spends 18.5 percent of its GDP on healthcare, almost double what these other industrialized, developed countries spend, you would think the United States of America has the healthiest people in the world.

Madam Chairwoman, that is not the case. I am sad to report that most critical criteria when looking at Americans' healthcare, we are in the bottom quartile, even though we spend 18.5 percent of our GDP. We know that the inability to pay healthcare costs is a leading cause of involuntary bankruptcy and homelessness.

Preexisting conditions is the underlying reason for those two things. That is why we must make sure that we protect affordable healthcare in the United States through the act, and make sure that preexisting conditions are covered today and tomorrow for future generations.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I missed votes on Thursday, May 2, 2019, due to a family commitment. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: Roll Call Vote No. 175 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Espaillat of New York Amendment No. 2, to H.R. 9): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 176 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Gosar of Arizona Amendment No. 10, to H.R. 9): NAY; Roll Call Vote No. 177 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Gosar of Arizona Amendment No. 11, to H.R. 9): NAY; Roll Call Vote No. 178 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Porter of California Amendment No. 19, to H.R. 9): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 179 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Fletcher of Texas Amendment No. 22, to H.R. 9): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 180 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Schrier of Washington Amendment No. 24, to H.R. 9): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 181 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Van Drew of New Jersey Amendment No. 26, to H.R. 9): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 182 (On Agreeing to the Amendment, Engel of New York Amendment No. 29): AYE; Roll Call Vote No. 183 (On Motion to Recommit with Instructions to H.R. 9): NAY; and Roll Call Vote No. 184 (Passage of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act): AYE.

Mr. Speaker, climate change isn't a question of if or even when. Climate change is not our future. It is our present.

Kids with asthma are finding it harder and harder to breathe on their walks to school or to the playground. Raging fires have reduced whole communities to ash in my home State of California. Rising seas threaten to swallow family homes on the coast. Extreme weather has devastated our country from the coast of Puerto Rico to the coast of Orange County.

So, it bears asking: What will it take for politicians to see what the American people already know to be true?

Americans are already suffering from climate change, and the threat to humankind grows every day.

In 2015, almost every country in the world recognized the climate crisis and signed the Paris Agreement. The United States led the way.

In 2017, this administration abdicated the throne of American global leadership and joined Russia, Turkey, and Iran in the cheap seats.

This administration failed to lower carbon emissions and protect the lungs, homes, and wallets of the American people.

The Climate Action Now Act demands accountability from this White House. It is an up-and-down vote on whether the Members of this body support a livable future for humankind.

Mr. Chair, I stand today as a cosponsor of this important amendment offered by my colleague and fellow Californian, Representative Torres.

Our State and many others across the country are showing the world how to take meaningful steps to meet our Paris climate agreement commitments.

While the current administration continues to do everything in its power to prioritize industry conflicts of interest over the sustainability and future of our planet, I am proud of the forward- thinking work being done in our cities, like the ones in my district, in Orange County, and States like the one I call home, California. These important efforts must not be prohibited.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, this amendment recognizes that American cities, States, and businesses are stepping up and pledging to meet the Paris Agreement goals in the wake of absent

and uncertain United States Federal leadership.

While the current administration takes steps to actively undermine the position of the United States on the global stage with regard to climate change, an unprecedented coalition of American States, cities, and businesses are taking action and working to lead the United States to a low-carbon future, as affirmed by the Paris Agreement.

Cities across the country and in my home State of California are taking on the challenge of combating climate change. These cities are implementing new sustainability initiatives by targeting 100 percent renewable energy, recycling 100 percent of wastewater, and working toward net zero carbon emission goals.

As California continues to be an international leader in forward- thinking policy and environmental stewardship, we are not alone.

When describing the ongoing work and the action still needed, California Governor Jerry Brown said, ``We're at the base camp of Mount Everest, and we're looking up at the long way we still have to go.'' That is why, without Federal leadership, States are left taking the lead.

The United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of Governors committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement, just added its 24th State this week.

I reiterate: This bipartisan coalition of Governors is committed to taking real, on-the-ground action to urgently address climate change by implementing policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025, tracking and reporting progress to the global community, and accelerating new and existing policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy deployment.

Businesses, large and small, are stepping up across a wide range of industries. Large corporations and small businesses alike have already taken steps to develop and deploy high-impact climate action strategies. They see opportunities in working toward a low-carbon future and support the aims of the Paris Agreement.

However, for this transition to succeed, federal governments must also lead. That is why I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of my amendment and the underlying bill. We must remain in the Paris climate agreement and work to meet our commitment for future generations. The time for action is now.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), my colleague.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, transgender and gender nonconforming people face extraordinary levels of physical and sexual violence. According to the U.S. Transgender Survey, which surveyed nearly 28,000 transgender Americans across all 50 States, nearly half of transgender individuals have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and nearly 1 in 10 respondents in the survey reported that they were physically attacked in the past year because of being transgender.

Transgender people face disproportionate harassment and violence. More than one in four transgender people have faced bias-driven assault, and this rate is higher for trans women and trans people of color. The fear caused by these acts sends people underground and away from community services and support.

This violence has deadly consequences. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has found that transgender and gender nonconforming people have an elevated prevalence of suicide attempts, especially when they have suffered physical or sexual assault.

As always, listening to and believing survivors is critical, and I stand committed to rejecting the prejudice and hate facing transgender and gender nonconforming people in our Nation. Far too often, the experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming people are ignored and overlooked.

My amendment, which is supported by the Human Rights Campaign and the National Center for Transgender Equality, adds language to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act that recognizes the ongoing epidemic of violence against these members of the LGBTQ community.

Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment that seeks to include the experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming people in this important piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Member's comments and agree that suicide, nationally, is an issue, regardless of the situation, and I appreciate his comments that anybody in that situation should be encouraged to reach out.

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

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

Mr. Chair, as we seek to reauthorize this landmark piece of bipartisan legislation, it is important that we recognize we have a long way to go to end rape, sexual violence, and sexual harassment on college campuses.

Nearly one-quarter of American college women experience sexual violence.

Let me repeat. Nearly one-quarter of college women experience sexual violence while attending school.

We have failed the young people of our Nation who are tirelessly pursuing higher education and chasing the American Dream.

The Violence Against Women Act supports hundreds of thousands of sexual assault survivors across the United States; however, we must do more to prevent these acts of sexual violence from occurring in the first place. My amendment would give colleges and universities the opportunity to use grant funding to offer or improve the delivery of primary prevention training.

Primary prevention training is exactly what it sounds like. It seeks to educate and change the culture on college campuses. It promotes healthy relationships and addresses community and societal challenges. It teaches students consent and stops sexual assaults from occurring.

Organizations like End Rape on Campus know that primary prevention training works, and they are in full support of this amendment.

As I mentioned earlier, one-quarter of college women experience sexual violence while on campus. Today, we can begin to change that unacceptable statistic by adopting this amendment.

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

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

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

Mr. Chair, as I mentioned, 25 percent of female students on campus have experienced sexual assault, yet less than 10 percent of college students who experience sexual violence report their assaults.

For many survivors, reporting a sexual assault is an incredibly traumatic process that forces them to repeatedly relive the worst days or nights of their lives.

More than just traumatic, reporting can be dangerous or detrimental to one's social status, academic pursuits, or career prospects.

Knowing that 90 percent of students feel uncomfortable with the current reporting process, my amendment would give colleges and universities the opportunity to use grant funding to offer alternative justice response programs.

These programs allow for a nonpunitive response to objectionable conduct, seek accountability from the accused, provide alternative pathways for justice and healing for survivors, and give an opportunity for education and behavioral change.

Research has shown that alternative justice programs, which return autonomy and control to survivors, can lessen PTSD symptoms.

Working toward justice and healing are not always linear processes, and this amendment would allow for the complex experiences of survivors to be respected and supported.

Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's comments.

As I mentioned early, when you look at 25 percent of the female student body experiencing sexual assault on campus, and only 10 percent feeling comfortable to come forward and report, that 90 percent of them that do not feel that they have an avenue that they are comfortable with to share their story and seek justice, this is an opportunity to do just that.

There is no evidence that suggests those universities that have already provided restorative justice have seen a decline in actual reports.

As such, I think this is a program that provides exactly what was laid out in the amendment and should have bipartisan support.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I will point out that lots of times victims do not come forward to the police department and the court system because they recognize that they often will not get justice. That could be because of a lack of evidence, or that could be for other reasons. This provides another recourse for them.

As the father of a daughter and three sons, I would want to see this available for those kids in that type of a situation, that if the victim felt this was the right course of action for them to address that issue, then I believe this amendment helps them do just that.

And while I respect my colleague's comment, again, I would hold the amendment up as is, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, my final amendment addresses training for all participants involved in the complaint resolution process.

Campus disciplinary processes, governed by Title IX, vary by school, and involve many participants before the complaint even reaches the hearing phase where a campus disciplinary or judicial board would be involved. Many survivors never even reach the hearing phase.

At the same time, throughout the disclosure process, survivors are required to relive and discuss their sexual assaults with administrators, faculty, and staff. As previously mentioned, only 10 percent of college student survivors officially report their assault.

When and if they decide to report, survivors deserve to be met with trauma-informed care, and campus faculty and staff deserve training on the best practices to meet this critical need.

My amendment would give colleges and universities the opportunity to use

grant funding for training of all participants involved with the resolution process in training which identifies or responds to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Resolution process members include the Title IX coordinator's office, as well as the office of student conduct. This training will ensure that survivors are treated with more respect, professionalism, and compassion by every school official, campus security guard, administrator, and professor.

I urge Members to adopt this amendment which promotes effective and positive responses to survivors on college campuses.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, last week, the President put a five-alarm fire on American families by putting the government's weight behind a lawsuit designed to cripple many healthcare protections. The ordinary people whose lives will be upended by this decision have been offered a raw deal to blow up healthcare and fix it later, but even that is a false promise.

There is no plan to help the 316,000 people with preexisting conditions in coastal Orange County or the millions of Americans across our country. There has been no plan for 10 years.

We have to recognize that the inability to pay healthcare expenses is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States and a leading cause of homelessness.

I hope my Republican colleagues will have the chance to show the American people that Congress isn't completely without common sense and decency by voting for our resolution Tuesday condemning this ideological crusade to take away healthcare from millions of needy American families.