Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, I am proud to lead my colleagues today in celebrating National Rural Health Month.

With 61 million people, roughly 20 percent of the United States population, living across 97 percent of the country's landmass, delivering healthcare to every corner of America has required unique and innovative approaches and remains an ongoing challenge.

As the primary growers and producers of the food, fuel, and fiber that keeps our country running, rural Americans are also quickly becoming older and more ethnically diverse, dealing with the challenges of keeping up with a world increasingly dependent on broadband activity to support all aspects of life, including healthcare delivery, can be a challenge.

Since 2011, National Rural Health Day has been recognized annually on the third Thursday of November--coming up soon, on November 21--to highlight the dedication of healthcare providers and communities in addressing the healthcare needs of rural Americans.

For those of us representing rural and remote parts of this country, every day is Rural Health Day, as we fight to provide access to even the most basic care services and to work to improve health outcomes and the life expectancy of our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Budzinski).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Mr. Speaker, I will now make remarks about this very important month and some of my own experiences I have had in my district.

Coming out of the pandemic, the health workforce shortage crisis in the U.S. remains one of the greatest challenges to healthcare, and we must take immediate transformational action to address it.

Increasing the number of healthcare professionals is critical to expanding access to care in rural areas and keeping rural hospitals and clinics open, just as my colleague was talking about.

One way to address this issue is by ensuring providers are adequately compensated for their services. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is fundamentally broken. The Medicare payment rates have fallen by 29 percent over the last two decades, while the cost of running a practice is estimated to have increased by 3.6 percent.

We need longer-term solutions that provide greater stability and certainty to our clinicians. Congress must pass legislation to stabilize Medicare physician pay so that doctors receive adequate reimbursement to cover the actual costs of providing care, especially in areas of rural America where these costs are higher.

For doctors in my district, I am also advocating for increasing geographic adjustments to ensure provider pay more accurately reflects the uniquely higher cost of healthcare delivery in remote areas like Hawaii.

That is why I am introducing the Protecting Access to Care in Hawaii, or the PATCH Act, which would provide a roughly 24 percent increase in Medicare physician payments to Hawaii physicians so that they receive a similar boost to their counterparts in other remote States like Alaska.

For family physicians like Dr. Michelle Mitchell, higher reimbursements could have made the difference with helping her keep her practice in Hawaii and serving the community she cared for and loved.

From 2008 to 2021, Dr. Mitchell owned Hawaii Family Health in Hilo, Hawaii, where she provided primary care services and offered specialty services, like nutrition intervention and behavioral health to meet the needs of her patients.

However, at the end of the day, after covering her overhead, including paying staff, utilities, and rent, she would only bring home enough money to qualify for food stamps, but she persisted. In an effort to lift herself out of poverty, she started conducting telemedicine visits for patients on the continent where reimbursements were much higher, but this was not sustainable.

In the midst of the pandemic, she left Hawaii and moved to Kansas where she can have a more sustainable practice, leaving behind patients who have struggled to find a new doctor to care for them.

In rural places like Hawaii, we lose too many good doctors, and as a result, too many loved ones who can't get the care they need to survive. Nationally, the United States is facing a shortage of 40,000 to 60,000 physicians, and the shortage is expected to grow to 139,000 physicians by the year 2033.

In my home State alone, the shortage of physicians is 757 statewide, and this is only expected to get worse. Over the past year, we have had 42 physicians retire, 4 have passed away, 55 moved away, and 212 decreased their work. Over 22 percent, nearly a quarter, of our physicians are already over the age of 65, meaning they should be retiring soon, or will be retiring soon. The sad reality is that they can't retire because there are too many lives literally at stake to lose even just one more doctor in Hawaii.

Unfortunately, given the low physician reimbursement levels in Hawaii along with the high cost of living and limited affordable housing options, it remains a challenge just to recruit and retain new physicians to our State and encourage our own, quite frankly, our ``children,'' our ``keiki'', to join the profession too.

That is why it is so vital we fix physician payment models for rural places like Hawaii and to really make sure that we support our rural communities throughout this great country.

For my constituents from the island of Lanai, they say it is difficult to be born and to die in the place that they call home, in the place that they love. That is because of their inability to see the appropriate provider and get the care that they need for their health.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to finally fix our Nation's broken Medicare payment system. When we give our doctors a fighting chance to serve, we give their patients, our constituents, a better chance to live and to thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger), my co-chair for the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, an amazing individual, and a leader in the field of health and pharmacy.

Mr. Speaker, as you have seen here today, both Democrat and Republican, it doesn't matter which side of the aisle that we may sit and serve on, but at the end of the day, it is about taking care of all of our constituents and everyone that lives in rural and remote America.

Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of rural America is considered medically underserved and faces significant barriers to care, including geographic distances and lack of reliable transportation, fewer healthcare providers and medical facilities, lack of primary care and specialty services, and limited insurance options. As a result of these barriers, rural residents often experience worse health outcomes than their urban counterparts simply because of their inability to access healthcare.

Rural residents have a higher risk of dying early from cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, heart disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries. Many of these deaths are absolutely 100 percent preventable.

In my district, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders experience greater rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, and Asian Americans often experience higher rates of late-stage cancer diagnoses.

To ensure people living in rural and remote communities have access to quality healthcare, we must do more to keep more rural hospitals and clinics open, increase capacity and support for rural providers, and eliminate barriers to care for our rural patients, all things you have heard from my colleagues today.

Before the end of the year, Congress has a long to-do list for rural health. As we go home to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend, let's keep a few of these important, critical actions in mind for our constituents.

Number one, extending critical rural health programs.

Congress must pass legislation reauthorizing a number of rural health programs that are set to expire at the end of 2024. This includes extending key programs like: The National Health Service Corps, which helps recruit and train aspiring health professionals to rural and underserved areas;

The Community Health Center Program, which supports 1,400 clinics to provide comprehensive health services to more than 31 million Americans, regardless of their ability to pay; and

The Medicare Flex Program, which provides technical assistance to help struggling, small rural hospitals increase quality of care and improve hospital operations. These programs play an important role in strengthening the rural health safety net.

Number two on Congress's to-do list: Safeguarding telehealth.

During the pandemic, telehealth flexibilities allowed providers to care for their patients remotely through the use of a computer or a telephone.

The utilization of telehealth and telephonic care in rural areas has been vital to reducing the challenges and burdens experienced by both rural patients and their providers. That is why we must support extending COVID-era flexibilities beyond 2024 and even making them permanent so that patients can receive timely access to care beyond brick-and-mortar settings.

We must also take action to prevent an impending 3.37 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements to patients. If Congress does not act this year, Medicare payments will have been cut by almost 10 percent in the last 4 years alone, which is simply unsustainable and could force providers and medical groups to eliminate services, furlough staff, and implement hiring freezes.

Congress must act to ensure Medicare providers have the financial support they need to care for our Nation's seniors in rural America and across this country.

Mr. Speaker, I have a few more points to make, but at this time it is my pleasure to yield the floor to my colleague.

I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Langworthy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, to continue now my long to-do list for Congress that needs to get done by the end of the year for our rural and remote Americans to make sure that they have the healthcare that they need, number three, we need to fund the government for fiscal year 2025.

The House and Senate appropriation bills contain roughly $730 million for grant programs and initiatives that directly address the growing healthcare crisis in rural America.

Rural health discretionary spending is vitally important for preserving and improving access to care for individuals living in rural America. This funding includes resources to support rural hospitals, cybersecurity, including funding to help small, rural hospitals purchase health IT and equipment and address the growing threats on digital patient records. We read about this every single day in the newspaper. They need the support to be able to safely maintain both their health records and take care of their patients.

This funding also includes funding for community health interventions, including to address the various crises facing rural America in maternal health, as we have just heard from our colleague, opioid abuse, and mental health.

That is why I will keep fighting to ensure we pass a final spending bill that preserves increased funding for rural healthcare programs.

Lastly, number four, Congress needs to pass a disaster aid package. Earlier this week, President Biden submitted a request to Speaker Johnson on urgently needing funding to support the Federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters, including the August 2023 wildfires on my island of Maui.

Over the past year, rural communities in the United States have been inundated by several natural disasters, including 17 storm events, 4 tropical cyclones, 1 wildfire event, and 2 winter storms.

In June, New Mexico faced two major wildfires, and Iowa experienced record flooding from the Big Sioux River, which caused mudslides, washed away roads, and required evacuations. In September, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding, power outages, and property destruction in North Carolina.

Rural communities are on the front lines of natural disasters, which can have far-reaching effects on health and well-being in the immediate aftermath. In the long-term, generationally, it has impacts and trauma that are felt.

Damage to infrastructure caused by storms can compromise emergency response efforts, limit access to basic needs, and disrupt access to necessary healthcare and prescription medication.

Storms can also have long-lasting mental health impacts. That is why it is critical Congress pass a disaster supplemental package this year.

The President's disaster aid request includes a total of $2.7 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, of which $260 million would be used to support health center infrastructure and ensure continued access to high-quality healthcare services in impacted areas.

This funding request also includes $244 million to expand substance use and mental health prevention and treatment services and $159 million to restore services needed by people with disabilities and older adults.

Across the country, natural disasters have devastated communities, homes, farms, and businesses and disproportionately impacted rural America, which is why I am urging all of my colleagues to support a disaster aid package that addresses both the immediate and long-term needs of impacted rural Americans.

Mr. Speaker, today, you have heard from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. The bipartisan Rural Health Caucus is now entering its second year and proudly going into its second Congress, having been restarted by myself and Representative Harshbarger, and proudly boasts 64 members on both sides of the aisle and quickly growing.

In closing, I want to reiterate our shared commitment to ensure rural

health remains a priority as we wrap up this 118th Congress and head toward the 119th Congress in January.

We will continue working with our colleagues to ensure that we finish our to-do list for rural healthcare this year, continue our bipartisan work in the years ahead, and make sure that every Member of this Congress understands the plight, the need, the challenges, but, yes, the opportunity and the hopes of rural America.

Together, we can and must ensure everyone, regardless of where they live, how much money they have, or their life circumstances, has access to high-quality, affordable, lifesaving healthcare.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to recognize Senate President Ron Kouchi of the Hawaii State Legislature, a life- long and distinguished legislator and this year's recipient of the Legislator of the Year award from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Hawaii Senate President Ron Kouchi has spent 14 years in the Hawaii State Senate, with nearly a decade as Senate President. During that time, he has championed significant increases in funding for rural hospitals, providing care for some of our more remote communities in Hawaii and truly making a difference in the lives and wellbeing of our residents. His support for growing our local healthcare workforce and prioritizing access to care to encourage regular school attendance are further examples of his commitment to a healthy Hawaii.

As Senate President, Ron Kouchi also helped lead Hawaii through and out of a global pandemic. His leadership helped our state successfully navigate an unprecedented worldwide public health emergency.

President Kouchi's steadfast commitment and lifelong achievements are an inspiration to many, and I am pleased to join the Healthcare Association of Hawaii in celebrating his many accomplishments. Congratulations and mahalo to Senate President Kouchi for all his contributions to the people of Hawaii.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to recognize Speaker Scott Saiki of the Hawaii State House of Representatives, a distinguished legislator and this year's recipient of the Achievement in Advocacy award from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Throughout his 20 years in the Hawaii State Legislature, Speaker Saiki has championed access to care, especially for the underserved and most vulnerable in Hawaii. His commitment to care included support for innovative ideas to grow our healthcare workforce, training local talent for critical positions. Never one to shy away from difficult issues, he also led efforts to give our families the power to make some of the most personal decisions in their lifetimes.

As Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives, he also helped lead Hawaii through a global pandemic. His work was instrumental in protecting residents by setting up vaccination sites, testing, and metrics for the eventual reopening of our State. His leadership, including in spearheading the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness, ensured our State could successfully make it through a worldwide public health emergency.

Speaker Saiki's unflagging dedication and commitment to others is an inspiration to many, and I am pleased to join the Healthcare Association of Hawaii in celebrating his many accomplishments. Congratulations and mahalo to Speaker Saiki for all his contributions to the people and the State of Hawaii.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Major General Kenneth S. Hara, the Adjutant General of the State of Hawaii, on his retirement from the Hawaii National Guard after a celebrated 40 years of service to our state and our nation.

As Hawaii's adjutant general, Major General Hara serves as commander of the Hawaii National Guard and the director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. In those roles, he has led the state's response to some of the most challenging and complex emergencies in Hawaii's history. In March 2020, just a few months after Major General Hara became the adjutant general, Governor Josh Green asked him to serve as the state's incident commander for the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to his leadership, Hawaii's response to the pandemic was among the most successful in the country.

Over the course of his career, Major General Hara also served as the dual status commander of Joint Task Force-50 in response to the Kilauea eruption and Hurricane Lane in 2018 and as commander of Task Force KOA after the 2006 Hawaii Island earthquake. And as a First Lieutenant over thirty years ago, he played a key role in supporting the state's response to Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

But what I will most remember Major General Hara for is his role in leading the state's response to the August 2023 wildfires on Maui and supporting their recovery. As the freshman representative for Hawaii's Second Congressional District that spans all eight of our islands, I am grateful to Major General Hara for his work in coordinating the state's response to this unprecedented disaster in our state's history alongside our local and federal partners.

Throughout his career in the National Guard, Major General Hara deployed three times. In 2005, he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as commander of the 299th Infantry's 2nd Battalion. In 2008, he deployed to Kuwait as deputy commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Then, in 2012, this time as commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, he deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

His many awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Aviator Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Major General Hara's career continued a legacy of service that began with his late father, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hara. Alongside his three brothers, Major General Hara has ensured that the Hara name is synonymous with service to our state and the nation.

This career dedicated to service has also been a family commitment, and I would be remiss if I did not also thank Major General Hara's wife Myoung and his children Kristin, Julia, Nichole, Justin, and Alicia. Their support and sacrifice made his success possible for all of us.

As he and his entire family transition to a new chapter, I proudly join them in celebrating a tremendous career that will continue to inspire and motivate future generations of leaders. But even more importantly, I wish them all the best in enjoying a well-earned retirement.

Mahalo to Ken for all that he has done and given to Hawaii and our country.

Madam Speaker, Project 2025 is Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans' manifesto against everyday Americans.

It is based on an extreme ideology of inequity that envisions a chilling future in which the rich get richer on the backs of working families.

From ``child,'' ``keiki'' to ``elder,'' ``kupuna,'' Project 2025 would take away our ability to feed and care for our ``family,'' ``ohana.'' In my district, it would raise taxes for working families in Hawaii just to hand out tax cuts to millionaires.

Project 2025 would impose limits on Medicaid benefits that almost 58,000 people in Hawaii depend on for healthcare coverage. It would raise out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for over 82,000 people on Medicare in my State alone. It would eliminate Head Start in Hawaii for almost 3,000 keiki from low-income backgrounds, many who live in rural communities and whose families depend on it for childcare.

For over 1 million Hawaii residents working hard toward a dignified retirement, Project 2025 would raise the retirement age from 67 to 69 and drastically cut the hard-earned Social Security benefits seniors depend on.

We cannot allow Project 2025's terrifying vision to become our future. Our people deserve better, and I won't stop fighting to reject this radical extreme agenda.

Madam Speaker, this week, the House will vote to keep the government open until December. While millions of Americans can rest assured that critical services will continue, disaster-stricken communities like Florida, which is currently facing another hurricane, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Vermont, and yes, my community in Maui, have once again been denied the additional support they need and they deserve.

This continuing resolution is yet another missed opportunity to give my Maui constituents some certainty in their long road to recovery.

Just last week, Congressman LaMalfa and I led a bipartisan coalition of Members, all representing disaster-affected communities, in calling for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding and the Disaster Tax Relief Act to be included in government spending legislation. Instead, Congress will leave town this week with little to offer.

Any year-end government spending package must include disaster recovery funding. We cannot delay further, not when far too many communities like Maui are still waiting and hurting. We owe it to them and all our disaster-stricken communities to get this done, and I will not stop fighting until we deliver the support they so desperately need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1726, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023.

Ohia lehua trees form the backbone of Hawaii's forests and watersheds. It is the first tree that you will see spring up from a recent lava flow.

It grows from the sea level to 8,000 feet, and it protects our communities by literally keeping our mountains from eroding.

Ohia lehua also provides critical habitat for Hawaii's federally endangered forest birds and many other species.

They are what you call a keystone species in Hawaii's forests, and its catastrophic decline has the potential to cause major ecosystem imbalances that would impact watersheds, cultural traditions, natural resources, and the safety and quality of life of our people.

Because of this vital role they play in maintaining Hawaii's forest canopies and watersheds, rapid ohia death, or ROD, poses a lethal threat to the ecological balance and everyday life in our islands.

Initially reported in 2010, ROD has already spread to tens of thousands of acres and killed over a million trees on Hawaii island alone.

Large swaths of dead ohia trees pose a fire risk and a danger and are more prone to habitat-modifying noxious weeds and trees like miconia and strawberry guava, all of which are known to greatly impact watershed health and alter ecosystem function.

Despite efforts to contain the spread of ROD to Hawaii island through restrictions on the movement of plant material and increased sanitation protocols, ROD has now been found on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.

Because there is no known cure for ROD, it has the potential to kill off ohia trees statewide and devastate our precious island ecosystems.

While ROD creates acres of deadly fire fuel with its dry and dead trees and poses a critical threat to our native birds, our native forests, watersheds, critically endangered forest birds, and I should note, natural beauty, support for combating ROD has been extremely limited.

For example, the Lyon Arboretum, a local research facility on Oahu, relied on funding through a GoFundMe campaign to further the vital seed banking of ohia lehua.

My bill, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act, seeks to address ROD and the urgent threat it presents.

The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address ROD. It also supports ongoing detection, prevention, and restoration efforts to combat rapid ohia death.

I thank Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and especially Federal lands Ranking Member Neguse and his staff for their support and assistance on this bill.

We cannot stand alone, and we cannot lose our native forests in Hawaii. It protects and sustains our people and provides critical habitat for native species.

This bill is essential in turning the tide in the fight against rapid ohia death and protecting and preserving ohia lehua and Hawaii's unique ecosystems for our future generations.

I thank again all who have supported it, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes''.

Mr. Speaker, on August 8th, Hawaii gathered to observe the one-year anniversary of the fires on Maui and in Lahaina.

Today, as Congress reconvenes, I rise to honor and remember the family and friends we lost.

They are beloved mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, friends and life partners. Their ages span almost a century, from our youngest keiki just 7 years old to a cherished kupuna aged 97.

Many had lived their entire lives in Lahaina. Others chose to make Lahaina their home, having come from faraway places across the United States and abroad, like the Philippines, Mexico, and Scotland. One was on vacation from Pollock Pines in Northern California, in the district of my colleague Congressman Kevin Kiley.

Today, I rise to include in the Record all 102 of their names. While they no longer walk among us, they will never be forgotten by the family and friends they left behind, by our community, or by this Congress, as their names wiII forever be remembered:

Louise Abihai, 97; Laurie Allen, 65; June Anbe, 78;

Angelica Baclig, 31; Narciso Baylosis, Jr., 67; Vanessa

Baylosis, 67; Melva `Honey Girl' Benjamin, 71; Luz Bernabe,

64; Maurice ``Shadow'' Buen, 79; Buddy Joe Carter, 85; Kirk

Carter, 44; Ediomede Pavian Castillo, 35; Rex Cole, 64; Lydia

Coloma, 70; Salvador Coloma, 77; Allen John Constantino, 25;

Leticia ``Letty'' Constantino, 56; Theresa Cook, 72; Juan de

Leon, 45; Marilou Dias, 60.

Virginia ``Vergie'' Dofa, 90; Bette Jo Dyckman, 73; Robert

Dyckman, 74; Jeanne Eliason, 57; Po`omaika`i Estores-Losano,

28; Keyiro Fuentes, 14; Alfredo Galinato, 79; Douglas Gloege,

59; Donna Gomes, 71; Michael Gordon, 68; George Hall, III,

67; Carole Hartley, 60; Claudette Heermance, 68; Roxanne

Ibara-Hinau, 68; Rafael Imperial, 63; Lawrenzo ``Buddy''

Jantoc, II, 79; Coleen Jones, 59; Morris Kaita, 74; Richard

Kam, 88; Mark Kaminsky, 59.

Paul Kasprzycki, 76; Valerie Kauffman, 78; Albert

Kitaguchi, 62; Joseph Lara, 86; Bibiana ``Bhing'' Lutrania,

58; Rogelio Mabalot, Sr., 68; Michael Mahnensmith, 80; Lynn

Manibog, 74; Douglas Matsuda-Boucher, 65; John ``Thumper''

McCarthy, 74; Michael Misaka, 61; Antonia ``Toni'' Molina,

64; Michael Morinho, 61; Tim Nakamoto, 69; Todd Nakamura, 61;

David Nuesca, Jr., 59; Carolyn Ono, 73; Matsuyuki Osato, 83;

Pablo Pagdilao, III, 75; Tau Ponali, 66; Bernard Portabes,

75.

Gwendolyn Kanani Puou, 83; Junmark Quijano, 30; Felimon

Quijano, 61; Sharlene Rabang, 78; Rebecca Rans, 57; Alfred

``Alfie'' Rawlings, 84; Eugene Recolizado, 50; Justin

Recolizado, 11; Maria Victoria Recolizado, 51; Dale Ann

Richter, 66; Rodolfo Rocutan, 76; Lee Rogo, 76; Conchita

Sagudang, 75; Danilo Sagudang, 55; Edward Sato, 76; Joseph

Schilling, 67; Anthony ``Tony'' Simpson, 43; James Smith, 79;

Leslie Smith, 80; Jonathan Somaoang, 76; Floyd St. Clair, 75.

Janet St. Clair, 75; Freeman Tam Lung, 80; Terri Thomas,

62; Carlo Tobias, 54; Revelina ``Rebing'' Tomboc, 81; Fa`aoso

Tone, 70; Malui`fonua Tone, 73; Salote Tone, 39; Tony

Takafua, 7; Franklin ``Frankie'' Trejos, 68; Nicholas

``Nick'' Turbin, III, 71; Linda Vaikeli, 69; Angelita

``Angie'' Vasquez, 88; Adela Villegas, 53; Joel Villegas, 55;

Leroy Wagner, 69; Clyde Wakida, 74; Glenda Yabes, 48; Todd

Yamafuji, 68; Glenn Yoshino, 75.

The Maui Police Department also maintains a list of two people still unaccounted for as of February 13, 2024. They are:

Robert H. Owens

Elmer Lee Stevens

As we continue our work to recover and rebuild Lahaina, may the happy memories of those we lost carry our community forward and inspire us to live each day in their honor.

Madam Speaker, on August 8, Hawaii gathered to observe the 1-year anniversary of the fires on Maui and in Lahaina.

Today, as Congress reconvenes, I rise to honor and remember the family and friends that we lost. They are beloved mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, friends and life partners. Their ages span almost a century, from our youngest ``child,'' ``keiki,'' just 7 years old, to a cherished ``elder,'' ``kupuna,'' aged 97.

Many have lived their entire lives in Lahaina. Others chose to make Lahaina their home, having come from faraway places across the United States and abroad, like the Philippines, Mexico, and Scotland.

Today, I rise to read all 102 of their names into the Congressional Record. While they are no longer walking amongst us, they will never be forgotten by the family and friends they left behind, by our community, or by this Congress, in whose record their names will be forever remembered:

Louise Abihai

Laurie Allen

June Anbe

Angelica Baclig

Narciso Baylosis, Jr.

Vanessa Baylosis

Melva ``Honey Girl'' Benjamin

Luz Bernabe

Maurice ``Shadow'' Buen

Buddy Joe Carter

Kirk Carter

Ediomede Pavian Castillo

Rex Cole

Lydia Coloma

Salvador Coloma

Allen John Constantino

Leticia ``Letty'' Constantino

Theresa Cook

Juan de Leon

Marilou Dias

Virginia ``Vergie'' Dofa

Bette Jo Dyckman

Robert Dyckman

Jeanne Eliason

Po'omaika'i Estores-Losano

Keyiro Fuentes

Alfredo Galinato

Douglas Gloege

Donna Gomes

Michael Gordon

George Hall III

Carole Hartley

Claudette Heermance

Roxanne Ibara-Hinau

Rafael Imperial

Lawrenzo ``Buddy'' Jantoc II

Coleen Jones

Morris Kaita

Richard Kam

Mark Kaminsky

Paul Kasprzycki

Valerie Kauffman

Albert Kitaguchi

Joseph Lara

Bibiana ``Bhing'' Lutrania

Rogelio Mabalot, Sr.

Michael Mahnensmith

Lynn Manibog

Douglas Matsuda-Boucher

John ``Thumper'' McCarthy

Michael Misaka

Antonia ``Toni'' Molina

Michael Morinho

Tim Nakamoto

Todd Nakamura

David Nuesca, Jr.

Carolyn Ono

Matsuyuki Osato

Pablo Pagdilao III

Tau Ponali

Bernard Portabes

Gwendolyn Kanani Puou

Junmark Quijano

Felimon Quijano

Sharlene Rabang

Rebecca Rans

Alfred ``Alfie'' Rawlings

Eugene Recolizado

Justin Recolizado

Dale Ann Richter

Rodolfo Rocutan

Lee Rogo

Conchita Sagudang

Danilo Sagudang

Edward Sato

Joseph Schilling

Anthony ``Tony'' Simpson

James Smith

Leslie Smith

Jonathan Somaoang

Floyd St. Clair

Janet St. Clair

Freeman Tam Lung

Terri Thomas

Carlo Tobias

Revelina ``Rebing'' Tomboc

Fa'aoso Tone

Malui'fonua Tone

Salote Tone

Tony Takafua

Franklin ``Frankie'' Trejos

Nicholas ``Nick'' Turbin III

Linda Vaikeli

Angelita ``Angie'' Vasquez

Adela Villegas

Joel Villegas

Leroy Wagner

Clyde Wakida

Glenda Yabes

Todd Yamafuji

Glenn Yoshino

The Maui Police Department also maintains the list of the two people still unaccounted for as of February 13, 2024. They are Robert H. Owens and Elmer Lee Stevens.

As we continue our work to recover and rebuild Lahaina, may the happy memories of those we lost carry our community forward and inspire us to live each day in their honor.

Mr. Chair, there is no denial that the CCP has worked for decades to steal our intellectual property and research in critical technologies. We should be here today finding real solutions, not putting up false choices to combat those efforts and defend our national security.

Instead, Republicans are obsessed with starting a racially charged witch hunt against Asian Americans across the country. They want to revive the Trump administration's failed China Initiative, which overwhelmingly targeted people of Chinese descent, destroying careers and spreading fear.

Despite years of damage, with Asian Americans across the country have been telling us that the China Initiative was racially profiling them and infringing on their civil rights, yet House Republicans' proposal for a restarted CCP initiative includes no language that would address those concerns. I filed an amendment to try and address this issue, but House Republicans refused to allow my amendment to be considered.

In their single-minded focus on the CCP, they have forgotten the lessons of our country's history in targeting Asian Americans and the lives that have been destroyed as a result of it.

According to a recent national academic survey, 86 percent have said that it is harder to recruit international students than just 5 years ago, 72 percent do not feel safe as an academic researcher, and 61 percent have thought of leaving the U.S. altogether.

We already know the harmful, chilling impacts of the China Initiative on our scientific enterprise and ultimately our national security. For years, the CCP has been focused on recruiting scientific talent. Thanks to the CCP initiative's reverse brain drain, we are now driving our best scientists straight into the arms of the CCP.

The bottom line is that this bill is not just unnecessary, it undermines and destroys our research competitiveness and our national security. It is harmful to the civil rights that generations of Asian Americans have fought so hard to defend. I find it amusing that my colleague on the other side of the aisle feels that Republicans and Trump did so much for our Chinese Americans. From what I saw and what I felt as an Asian-American woman all we got from Trump was xenophobia, anti-Asian hate and racism. We are not going to go back. We will not be revictimized again, and it is downright un-American.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to stand for Asian Americans across the country and vote against this egregious bill.

Mr. Speaker, for over forty-six years, Sakie Yokota has waited for the return of her daughter, Megumi Yokota, who, at 13 years old, was kidnapped while coming home from school.

For over forty-three years, Shigeo Iizuka waited for the return of his sister, Yaeko Taguchi, who vanished after dropping off her one- and two-year-old children at daycare. Yaeko's children never had the chance to grow up with her.

These heart-wrenching stories are not isolated cases of the past but are part of a decades-long tragedy that continues to haunt families across Japan.

Today, I rise to address the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s and call for resolution and closure for affected families. The Government of Japan has officially recognized 17 missing people as victims of North Korean abductions. Many of these victims were in their twenties at the time of their disappearance. While North Korea admitted to these abductions and released five victims in the early 2000s, the fates of the remaining 12 abductees remain a mystery. The North Korean regime continues to obscure the truth and deny closure to grieving families.

Since 2002, Japan has engaged in numerous dialogues, negotiations, and diplomatic efforts to uncover the fates of the remaining abductees. North Korea claims that eight victims died while four never entered the territory. The regime has provided purported death certificates for the eight deceased victims, who were in their 20s and 30s, citing causes of death like heart attacks, traffic accidents, gas poisoning, and suicide. However, Japanese investigations have revealed glaring contradictions and errors in North Korea's reports. The regime's lack of transparency and inability to provide concrete, objective evidence to corroborate such unnatural causes of death have raised questions regarding the fate of these abductees. Even DNA testing on alleged remains has failed to match the identities of the victims. North Korea continues to argue that they have provided all necessary information and that there is nothing further to discuss.

As the decades passed, many relatives of the abductees like Shigeo Iizuka have passed away without ever knowing the fate of their loved ones. The longer this issue remains unresolved, the greater the anguish of the families involved and the risk that the truth will not be uncovered within their lifetime. It is unacceptable that these families have been deprived of justice for so long.

But this tragedy extends beyond Japan. International abductions ate a serious human rights violation. The United Nations has documented cases where North Korea abducted citizens from various countries including South Korea, China, Thailand, Romania, and more.

The United States must stand with its ally Japan and demand justice and accountability from North Korea. Nearly 50 years of uncertainty and grief needs to come to an end. We cannot allow these violations of Japan's sovereignty and international human rights to go unaddressed. We must continue to pressure North Korea to disclose the truth about these abductees and to immediately release all who are still held captive.

The families of the victims deserve closure and the truth. It is our moral obligation to hold North Korea's brutal regime accountable for these abductions, bring these abductees home, and ensure every family affected finds peace at long last.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea since the 1970s and call for resolution and closure for affected families who have waited for over four decades for answers.

Japan has officially recognized 17 missing people as victims of North Korean abductions. Most of them were in their twenties, but Megumi Yokota was just 13.

While North Korea admitted to these abductions and released five victims in the early 2000s, the fates of the remaining 12 are unknown.

North Korea claims without concrete evidence that eight victims died of unnatural causes, such as traffic accidents and gas poisoning, while four never entered the territory. Glaring contradictions in North Korea's reports raise doubts about the fate of these abductees.

Meanwhile, relatives of the abductees have passed away waiting for resolution. I met family members and felt their pain as they held decades-old pictures of their loved ones.

These unresolved abductions are grave injustices that undermine international law and human rights.

We must support Japan in demanding justice and end decades of grief and uncertainty for these families. We must hold North Korea accountable, bring the abductees home, and give aging loved ones the peace they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, in 2 weeks, we will observe the 1-year anniversary of last August's fires on Maui.

We will honor the lives of 102 loved ones lost and never stop looking for the 2 still missing. We will remember the neighborhoods, businesses, and, of course, the town of Lahaina that we will always love.

Even as we look back, we look ahead. In a few months, the last of the debris will be removed. Already, properties are being rebuilt, and a long-term recovery plan is being developed with extensive community input.

As we prepare to leave for the August recess, our work is not done. Disasters continue to strike, and we must deliver supplemental funding to help communities like Maui recover. This is how we best honor their grit and strength, by giving them hope for the long road ahead.

I never expected as a freshman Member of Congress that a historic disaster would occur and so drastically reshape my work here. Yet, as our Maui ``family,'' ``ohana'' reflects on the past year and courageously faces the future, my commitment to them remains unwavering, and I continue to be with them every step of the way.

Mr. Speaker, 8 months ago, the President put forth a supplemental disaster recovery funding request, and while Congress has failed to act, wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather conditions have continued to strike.

On June 28, the President submitted to Congress an updated request for $700 million for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program. These funds play an essential role in communities across the country in towns like Lahaina that have been devastated by fire and help to rebuild housing, infrastructure, and other facilities.

The need for this request is urgent. As we look ahead to a hyperactive hurricane and wildfire season, working families and communities across the country are still struggling to rebuild homes and businesses ravaged by the impacts of the last storm cycle.

Mr. Speaker, disaster does not discriminate, and it does not wait. I urge this House to immediately bring the disaster supplemental request up for a vote before we depart for the August recess. Doing so ensures we get the work of the people done and deliver much-needed relief to our communities across the country.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Scott and my Democratic colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee for your leadership during this important debate.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition of H.J. Res. 165, which would reverse the Biden administration's Title IX rule.

Republicans want the American people to believe that this Title IX rule endangers women and girls.

Republicans want the American people to believe that this Title IX rule strips the due process rights of students accused of sexual misconduct.

Republicans want the American people to believe that this Title IX rule stifles students' free speech and undermines parental rights, but they are lying.

The truth is, President Biden's historic Title IX rule strengthens protections for women and girls, pregnant students, survivors of sexual assault, and our LGBTQ+ students, plain and simple.

For 52 years, Title IX has paved the way to allow all of our children to fully participate and engage in their education, in sports, and all other forms of learning as their true authentic selves.

As the mother of Title IX, Patsy Takemoto Mink had a vision and a dream for her daughter, and for all of our children: to live a life free from the kind of discrimination she suffered as a woman of color.

Throughout her pursuit of higher education, she faced racial discrimination, segregation, and limited opportunities all because she was a woman.

Thanks to her groundbreaking advocacy and reforms, today millions more Americans have equal access to opportunities in our Nation's schools. I am humbled to serve in the seat that Patsy once held with grit and grace. I cannot speak for her, but I know in my heart that she would not stand for this kind of politicization of our children that we are seeing here in this very Chamber.

House Republicans' efforts today will seriously gut Title IX and undoubtedly restrict the Department of Education's ability to protect our Nation's most marginalized and most vulnerable students.

Madam Speaker, every student deserves an education free from harassment, discrimination, and violence, and as Americans, we should not stand for this kind of intolerance. That is why I am voting ``no'' on H.J. Res. 165, and I encourage my colleagues to do so as well.