Floor Statements

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.

Mr. Speaker, 48 years ago, a teenage girl about to enter her senior year in high school made a very difficult and personal choice. She was young and didn't come from any money. Her boyfriend was just a year older and preferred surfing over working. Family and friends all had opinions on what she should do. Yes, she was pushed to have an abortion, but the girl knew that what happened to her body was her choice.

I stand before you today as my mother's choice, a right she fully exercised, knowing that the decision whether to have a baby was hers and hers alone.

Two years ago, with the Dobbs decision, six unelected, conservative Justices robbed women of their basic human right to make decisions, to make choices about their family, their relationships, and their bodily autonomy. They reversed half a century of legal precedent and opened the door for far-right politicians to ban, restrict, and interfere with a woman's right to have an abortion and access reproductive care.

We know that we are awaiting yet another decision from the Supreme Court on whether women can get lifesaving abortion care over the extreme abortion bans being enacted across our country.

Today, we see the harmful and even deadly impacts of this reckless and irresponsible decision. One estimate projected that over 171,000 women were forced to cross State lines for abortion care last year, some even crossing the ocean to my home State of Hawaii. While many of these women are being forced to leave the red State that they live in to access the healthcare that they need, Republicans just won't stop.

Earlier this year, our colleagues on the Republican Study Committee endorsed a nationwide ban on abortion with zero exceptions. That cruel vision is reflected in the dangerous and inhumane policy riders the Republicans have inserted into our government spending bills, including those that would be considered under this rule.

Democrats have pushed back against this relentless assault on women across the country by introducing H.R. 12, the Women's Health Protection Act. This bill would reinstate the constitutional protections to privacy and bodily autonomy that Roe v. Wade provided and further prevent governments from interfering with access to abortion care and reproductive health services in the future.

Hawaii, which I am very proud to represent here in these Halls, was at the forefront of protecting a woman's right to choose by being the very first State to legalize abortion. Since then, we have vigilantly and will continue to fight to protect those rights we fought so hard for over 50 years ago.

That is why I stand before you today. I am here to call on my colleagues to stand with us in firmly rejecting these harmful attacks on women, the girls and women in all of our lives.

We deserve a choice. I was once a choice. I know my mother never would have imagined that her granddaughters would be living in a world where they had fewer rights, fewer choices, than she did.

My nieces deserve the right to make choices for themselves about when to start a family and what happens to their bodies.

For my nieces, for all of our nieces, for all of the girls and women of our country, I ask my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can bring up the Women's Health Protection Act.