Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 24 high school seniors from Virginia's 10th Congressional District who plan to enlist in the United States Army after graduation. These students have excelled over the course of their high school careers and I congratulate them on their graduation and their future plans.

I commend these student leaders for their courageous decision to pursue a path to serve their country as a member of the United States Army. I rise to recognize the following students: Fabien Bellagamaba, Justin Cooper, Damon Ferrell, Alicia Grogman, Christian Johnston, Michael Jones, Mike Jones, Braden Kelley, Kirsten LaDestro, Airis Serrano Lara, Nicholas Liebl, Daniel Morfin, Isabella Odonnell, Jahkai Robinson, Aresa Rouse, Thomas Samborski, Jordyn Henry Sanders, Douglas Schouviller, Jacob Smith, Rody Torres, Naph Tali Victor, Antonio Walbey, Branson Ward, and Tyshaun Wise.

The students were recognized at a ceremony conducted in Sterling, Virginia on May 16, 2019, by the Northern Virginia chapter of Our Community Salutes and the Blue Star Mothers of Northern Virginia.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing and applauding these students and their families on their pursuits and wish them the best as they set forth to begin the process of learning to defend our great nation and remember that we owe those who serve a debt of gratitude.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 16 high school seniors from Virginia's 10th Congressional District who plan to enlist in the United States Marine Corps after graduation. These students have excelled over the course of their high school careers and I congratulate them on their graduation and their future plans.

I commend these student leaders for their courageous decision to pursue a path to serve their country as a member of the United States Marine Corps. I rise to recognize the following students: Parsa Bakhshandeh, Shamar Britton, Jessica Dally, Jamaal Ellsworth, Andre France, Dylan Gilfedder, Aiden Hall, Jason Hernandez, Riley Klug, Peter Komara, Jessica Molnar, Christopher Nesseltree, Erick Orellana Hernandez, Matthew Rivera, Olga Romanenko, and Kyle Winn.

The students were recognized at a ceremony conducted in Sterling, Virginia on May 16, 2019, by the Northern Virginia chapter of Our Community Salutes and the Blue Star Mothers of Northern Virginia.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing and applauding these students and their families on their pursuits and wish them the best as they set forth to begin the process of learning to defend our great nation and remember that we owe those who serve a debt of gratitude.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 14 high school seniors from Virginia's 10th Congressional District who plan to enlist in the United States Navy after graduation. These students have excelled over the course of their high school careers and I congratulate them on their graduation and their future plans.

I commend these student leaders for their courageous decision to pursue a path to serve their country as a member of the United States Navy. I rise to recognize the following students: Luis Bolivar, Judith George, Caleb German, Keldon Jones, Hanna Lund, Adeodye Olabisi, Joicelyn Robinson, Kyle Rustick, Douglas Schouviller, Dane Singer, Ashley Villars, Martin Stellato, Aubrie Thompson, and Muhammad Yasin.

The students were recognized at a ceremony conducted in Sterling, Virginia on May 16, 2019, by the Northern Virginia chapter of Our Community Salutes and the Blue Star Mothers of Northern Virginia.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing and applauding these students and their families on their pursuits and wish them the best as they set forth to begin the process of learning to defend our great nation and remember that we owe those who serve a debt of gratitude.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the Representative for offering this amendment and for yielding.

This amendment requests a GAO report on how funding cuts to the navigator program and to Affordable Care Act marketing and outreach have impacted health insurance enrollment and the cost of coverage on the individual markets.

Navigator programs provide critical assistance to consumers by raising awareness about the availability of marketplace plans, assisting people as they apply for Federal subsidies, and providing impartial information about different marketplace plans. Importantly, these programs help otherwise hard-to-reach groups get health insurance coverage, including people living in rural and underserved communities.

The Trump administration has made significant funding cuts to the navigator program, however, providing only $10 million in funding for the program for 2019, an 80 percent reduction over the past 2 years.

Navigator funding in my home State of Virginia has been reduced by an astounding 76 percent between 2016 and 2018, down from approximately $2.2 million in 2016 to just $525,000 in 2018. To manage these cuts, programs have had to lay off staff, close offices, and limit their availability to help consumers.

The administration's cuts hamper navigators' ability to do their jobs, leaving many consumers on their own during the enrollment process, and, as a result, people may not obtain coverage on the individual market, causing people who do get coverage to see their premiums increase.

Constituents in my district and people throughout the U.S. rely on navigators to learn about coverage options and to enroll in the best possible healthcare plans for them. We need to know how the administration's drastic funding cuts have impacted the individual markets, and this amendment will allow us to do that.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment includes findings about how short-term, limited-duration insurance weakens protections for the millions of Americans living with preexisting health conditions, including children with complex medical needs and disabilities.

Last year, the Trump administration greatly expanded the sale and marketing of short-term, limited-duration insurance, also known as junk insurance, plans. And these plans are junk because they don't provide critical protections laid out by the Affordable Care Act.

As my amendment points out, these plans lack important financial protections, may discriminate against individuals living with preexisting conditions, and may exclude coverage of essential health benefits such as prescription drugs and hospitalization.

The protections afforded by the Affordable Care Act are literally lifesaving for children with complex medical needs and disabilities. These children require specialized treatment and medical care that depends on medications, therapies, and equipment such as ventilators, oxygen tanks, feeding tubes, and specialized wheelchairs. The ACA's essential health benefits ensure plans cover this care and treatment that these children may need.

Children with complex medical needs often require extended hospitals stays with medical care costing into the millions of dollars. Families who purchase junk plans and whose children subsequently encounter medical difficulties may soon find that these insurance plans are effectively worthless, failing to cover the healthcare their children need, and terminating their coverage if it becomes too expensive. These children could also be subject to lifetime coverage caps that they would exceed before they are old enough even to go to preschool.

The Trump administration's actions don't only harm families purchasing junk plans. As more people participate in these junk plans, the families who remain in comprehensive ACA-compliant plans would also see the cost of their insurance premiums increase.

No family should face uncertainty about whether or not their children will have access to lifesaving care when they need it most.

My amendment includes findings that highlight just how harmful these junk plans are for the up to 130 million Americans living with preexisting health conditions, and how they jeopardize Americans' access to quality, affordable health insurance.

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

Mr. Chairman, junk plans provide inadequate medical coverage and circumvent crucial consumer protections afforded by the Affordable Care Act and are harmful to those living with preexisting conditions.

We have a responsibility to guarantee affordable quality health insurance for every American.

Mr. Chair, I hope my colleagues agree, and I urge them to support this amendment. I thank my colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, a 12-year-old from Highlands Ranch, Nate Holley, explained that he was in his classroom's closet with his hand on a baseball bat because he was going to go down fighting if he was going to go down.

In the span of 2 weeks, two students were killed lunging at shooters in their classrooms to defend their classmates. Their names: Kendrick Castillo, 18 years old, just 3 days away from his high school graduation, and Riley Howell, 21 years old, an ROTC cadet at UNC Charlotte.

These young men are heroes, but they shouldn't have to be.

The Senate majority leader won't even allow a vote on any gun safety bills. What is it going to take? How many shootings, how many more young lives cut short, until we take action?

The STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting marked the 30th incident of gun violence on K-12 school grounds just this year. Our kids deserve leaders who will do everything in their power to end gun violence in America.

No more heroes. No more victims.

Mr. Speaker, in an unprecedented move, the Trump administration issued dangerous guidance last year that could effectively eliminate protections for Americans with preexisting conditions. The administration's guidance puts coverage for the over 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions at risk.

Our friends and neighbors, Americans who have had cancer, Americans who have high blood pressure, and Americans who have been pregnant would all be at risk of being priced out of their health insurance or being denied coverage outright.

Mr. Speaker, we can't go back. Healthcare is complicated, but this issue is not. No American should ever be denied coverage for a preexisting condition--not now, not ever. That is why I will be supporting the Protecting Americans With Preexisting Conditions Act on the House floor this week, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment, which would require the FCC to submit to Congress a plan for how the Commission will evaluate and address problems with the collection on form 477 of data regarding the deployment of broadband internet access service.

Form 477 is used by the FCC to determine which providers are--if any--providing services in various areas, and it is the government's main source of data used for identifying underserved areas of opportunity.

This amendment is needed because it has been more than 20 months--or almost 2 years--since the FCC originally sought comment on ways to improve the value of the data they collect through form 477.

Having better data and the creation of improved maps is essential to ensuring that service providers and government have the tools that we need to truly make universal broadband internet access a reality.

Too many residents of my district, and many other districts as well, lack affordable or any broadband internet access. This untenable situation is only made worse by maps and data charts that don't accurately reflect this experience of our constituents on the ground.

Consumers should not bear the responsibility or burden of reporting on an issue that the FCC and service providers should actively be working to address.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle).

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, the American people deserve an internet and FCC that works for them. By supporting this amendment and requesting an update regarding form 477 and the data collected thereby from the FCC, Congress can hold the FCC accountable in their mission to promote competition, innovation, and most importantly, investment in broadband services and facilities.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, as a former domestic violence prosecutor and advocate for abused women, I have seen firsthand the impact of the Violence Against Women Act's legal protections and survivor support services. Because of this law, survivors can access a national hotline, a network of shelters, and get protection orders that carry across State lines.

The bill before us today will close the boyfriend loophole by stopping abusers and stalkers from obtaining firearms.

The NRA thinks this language is too broad. They are wrong. When women are five times more likely to be murdered if there is a gun present in the household, it is clear that gun violence is a women's issue.

We have made important progress, but we can't let up, not when a woman is murdered by a male intimate partner with a gun every 16 hours.

This bill tells survivors: You are not alone. You will always have a place to go. You will always have people on your side.

Most importantly, it will save lives.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 271, a resolution condemning the Trump administration's legal campaign to take away America's healthcare.

Here is what healthcare means: it is the freedom and security to live your life the way you choose. It can be the difference between financial security and bankruptcy, or life and death.

Donald Trump and congressional Republicans want to use the courts to take health insurance away from 21 million Americans. They want to eliminate protections for the more than 133 million Americans with preexisting conditions.

Now, the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but never in American history has the uninsured rate been lower than it is today.

But rather than be honest about what is working, rather than coming to the table to work across the aisle and fix what is wrong, Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to overturn the ACA, with no plan except one that was so bad, they couldn't pass it when they controlled both houses of Congress.

Meanwhile, the Democratic majority is proposing real solutions and smart healthcare policies that will lower costs and expand coverage.

The contrast couldn't be more clear.

Democrats want quality, affordable health coverage for every American, and Republicans don't.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, today in America, women still make only $0.80, on average, for every dollar a man makes, and that disparity is even greater for women of color.

Women are the sole or co-breadwinners in two-thirds of American families with children. When we pay women less, we hurt American families, and we hurt our economy.

The pay gap isn't a myth. It is math. For a woman working full time, the current wage gap represents a loss of more than $400,000 over the course of her career.

Tomorrow, the House of Representatives has a real opportunity to tell women in America that they deserve equal pay for equal work. Tomorrow, we can send a message that when women succeed, America succeeds.

Let's bring America into the 21st century. Let's pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late Dale ``Ann'' Moran, a dedicated and selfless advocate for the veterans community across the Commonwealth of Virginia, especially here in Virginia's 10th Congressional District.

Ann was an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary, unit 293 of Purcellville, VA for 35 years. Mrs. Moran truly lived the Auxiliary motto, ``Service, Not Self''. Ann demonstrated this commitment through her tremendous leadership over the course of her time with the Auxiliary. Her roles included the Department Historian for the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Virginia, 2-time Northern Zone Vice President, and multiple chairmanships. She served as the 16th District President and held various chairmanships at the district level. In her home office, Unit 293, Ann at one time served in every office, in every chairmanship, and served as a mentor to countless members. She played a major role in the Unit's successes at the Department and National Level, including receiving national awards for her Department Chairman reports.

In addition to her various leadership positions, Ann played an important role in directly assisting veterans through her work as a Veteran Service Officer where she worked with veterans in identifying and correcting a need, and helped them obtain the services that they had earned. She also established the ``Blanketing Veterans with Love'' initiative. Through this initiative Ann enlisted the involvement of her family, friends, and community to craft more than 300 blankets for veterans returning from combat. Ann also worked with the Martinsburg Vet Center to bring a satellite vet center to Loudoun County, and was a tireless supporter of Boulder Crest retreat, a local retreat for Military, Veterans, and their families. Ann was also a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Her legacy lives on through her husband, Thomas R., and son Thomas D. Moran, daughter in law Shannon, and two grandchildren. Mrs. Moran was also a 25-year employee of the Loudoun County School system.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing the outstanding contributions that Mrs. Ann Moran so graciously made to our veterans, our district, the commonwealth, and nation. While we join her family in mourning her loss, we stand today to celebrate her commitment and legacy, on behalf of a grateful nation.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation.

Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association conducts an annual Bank Day Scholarship Program throughout the Commonwealth, held on the third Tuesday in March, to provide the opportunity for young Virginians to better understand the vital role of banks and the financial services industry in the Commonwealth; and

Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association organizes Bank Day as a means of involving high school students and banks in the Commonwealth in this endeavor to identify potential future career opportunities available in the banking sector; and

Whereas, since every citizen benefits from a basic understanding of the economic system and the wide variety of banking industry career opportunities available to students upon graduating, it is appropriate that the industry works closely with the Virginia education community to promote personal finance and economic education; and

Whereas, Bank Day allows seniors from Virginia high schools to shadow bankers in their communities for a day to learn about banking operations, financial services and products, potential career opportunities in banking, and the vital role banks play in their community and with their customers; and

Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association and Virginia banks have reached more than 2,000 high school students through this program since 2012; and

Whereas, participating students write essays on the topic, ``What did you learn on Bank Day that will help you manage your financial future and what did you learn about how banks support their communities,'' to help students consider their own personal financial decision-making; and

Whereas, thirteen scholarships totaling $26,000 are awarded annually based on the merits of the essays to assist winners pursue their higher education endeavors; and

Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association, through their Education Foundation, has awarded a total of $137,000 in scholarships to 66 Virginia high school students since 2012, helping to defray the cost of higher education tuition for future leaders continuing their education and career preparation: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved That the House of Representatives--

1) Commends the Virginia Bankers Association for their valuable contribution to the economic education of the youth of the Commonwealth;

2) Honors the Virginia banks that participate in the annual Bank Day Scholarship Program; and

3) Encourages banks to continue to support the Bank Day Scholarship Program and other financial literacy and career awareness opportunities in their communities.

Madam Speaker, early this year, I made the decision to hang the transgender flag in front of my office. It was meant to be a small and simple gesture of solidarity.

Overnight, my office was flooded with messages of gratitude. The flag outside of my office had gone viral. Folks from all over called, emailed, wrote, and DM'd my office to thank me for doing it.

But today, we all have an historic opportunity to support substantive legislation that will be transformative for millions of Americans.

The Equality Act is a bipartisan bill that will provide comprehensive, Federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing, credit, education, and much more, because today our LGBTQ brothers and sisters can marry the person they love on Sunday and, for that reason alone, be evicted from their housing or fired from their jobs on Monday. That isn't right, but the Equality Act can fix it.

To my colleagues, let's extend the full promise of this Nation to every LGBTQ American. Let's pass the Equality Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1414, the FinCEN Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced with my Financial Services Committee colleague and fellow Virginian, Congressman Denver Riggleman.

This is a practical bill that will help modernize the duties of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, otherwise known as FinCEN. The mission of FinCEN is to safeguard the financial system from crimes or illicit use, such as terrorist financing; combat money laundering; and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial information and intelligence.

H.R. 1414 would do three things to further their important mission.

First is in the area of investigation into terror financing. FinCEN is currently authorized to combat international terrorism but fails to mention domestic terror activities. While international terror threats remain present and relevant, the threat landscape has expanded considerably and also includes domestic terror groups that commit crimes to further their agendas.

H.R. 1414 will amend the FinCEN authorizing legislation to clarify its role in investigating and combating terror threats, be they foreign or domestic. FinCEN is already doing important work to combat domestic terrorism, but the bill will clarify its role and correct this oversight in the statute.

Second, the virtual currency landscape is rapidly evolving and many of these technologies did not exist when previous laws and regulations were written. H.R. 1414 will help FinCEN combat emerging methods of financing illicit activity, including the use of cryptocurrency.

Finally, the FinCEN Improvement Act builds on existing relationships with law enforcement partners by ensuring that FinCEN has the authority to work not only with Federal, State, and local law enforcement, but also with Tribal law enforcement across the country.

I am proud to cosponsor this bill, Mr. Speaker, and I urge our colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, our democracy isn't working the way it should for a majority of Americans, but H.R. 1, the For the People Act, can fix that.

This legislation will end partisan gerrymandering by creating independent redistricting commissions, letting the voters choose the politicians, not the politicians choosing their voters.

H.R. 1 will promote online registration, same day and automatic voter registration, because we should be making it easier, not harder, for people to vote.

It also prohibits arbitrary voter roll purges, expands early voting and vote-by-mail options, and ensures the restoration of voting rights for those who have paid their dues to society.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. It is as sacred as the freedom of religion and speech.

The American people want clean and fair elections, and H.R. 1 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the faith and function in American democracy.