Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the devastating effects of climate change in California, and obviously throughout the country.

Following one of the driest years on record, the State is facing yet another water crisis. This week, Governor Newsom declared a drought state of emergency for the majority of California, a declaration which has become, sadly, all too common in the last decade.

The availability of a clean, reliable water supply forms the foundation of the economy of not only all of California, but home to the San Joaquin Valley that I proudly represent. Our farmers feed the world, and they can't do it without a reliable water supply. We like to say, ``Where water flows, food grows.''

We must use every tool in the water toolbox to find new ways to store water for agriculture and deliver water, clean drinking water for our communities.

I have introduced legislation to help build on my previous efforts to build additional water resiliency by providing funding needed to repair our aging water infrastructure, and now this is the year.

I will continue to push for water resources necessary to help California weather the severe impacts of this repeated drought. Climate change is real, it is happening now. It is time to act. Our future depends on it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in light of the recent rocket attacks launched by Hamas against our close friend and ally, Israel. Those of us who have visited Israel many times know that Israelis like to say that they live in a tough neighborhood. It is a volatile region with hostile neighbors.

Israeli citizens and children live under the shadow of an everlasting threat of rocket attacks, suicide bombings, and looming violence. Israel is really the only true democracy in the region, and they have a right to defend themselves from attacks, and they must. These attacks over the last weeks are just the most recent examples. They mark the worst escalation of the conflict since 2014 resulting in the deaths of over 70 people.

As Hamas' incessant rocket barrages continue, more civilian lives are put at risk, including innocent Palestinians. They also further endanger any possibility of peace. That is their goal.

As a key ally in the region and a longtime friend of the United States, we must support Israel's right to defend itself and deescalate the violence and use our influence to do whatever we can to support our friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

The first genocide of the 20th century, the atrocity saw the massacre of more than 1.5 million men, women, and children at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

As a young boy in Fresno, my Armenian friends told me the stories of the horrors that their parents and grandparents witnessed. They never forgot the tragedy, and neither will I.

After decades of inaction, both the House and the Senate passed resolutions in 2019, calling for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. It is my hope that the Biden administration will officially recognize these crimes against humanity.

Just this past year, we witnessed another atrocity against the Armenian people in Artsakh. There is no denying the attacks made by Azerbaijan and Turkey were premeditated and coordinated in an effort to eliminate the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh.

No words on our part can undo the terror and brutality suffered by Armenians, but actions can. We can learn from these atrocities and commit ourselves to ensuring that something like this never happens again, for starters, by requiring that Azerbaijan and Turkey comply with their agreement to release prisoners of war and civilians held captive by Azerbaijan.

It is time the United States reestablish its presence in this part of the world by standing up for human rights.

Critical Need for Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address also a critical need for infrastructure in America. It is time that we build new transportation systems and rehabilitate structures to support a modern economy and a way of life in the 21st century. President Biden's American jobs plan is an attempt to do just that with historic investments in improving infrastructure and putting millions of people to work. We need that.

The goals of this plan is to help all Americans. I urge my Republican colleagues to help forge a bipartisan package to invest in America.

When it comes to transportation, California is leading the way by building the Nation's first sustainable, true state-of-the-art high- speed rail project. It will deliver a fast, reliable, and eco-friendly way to connect to Los Angeles, to the bay area, and ultimately 80 percent of the State's population, getting cars off the roads and cleaning our air.

It will spur an investment in the economy that will deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic, creating reliable, good paying jobs; supporting small businesses; and investing in socially disadvantaged communities. In my home of California's San Joaquin Valley, we are already seeing the benefits of high-speed rail.

My legislation, the High Speed Rail Corridor Development Act of 2021, will help fund this forward-thinking project and other rail corridors across the Nation.

Big projects we know are hard. They always have been. So bold action, if we are serious about improving our future, is necessary. Since I first came to Congress, it has been one of my highest priorities to invest in America's infrastructure.

What do I mean by this?

Investing in our Nation's water infrastructure, a 21st century system of transportation, nationwide broadband, and our schools are all investments that the majority of Americans want to see us make.

The debate we are engaged in now is how we define and what we can agree on in terms of infrastructure and how we pay for it because we must.

So let's show the American people that their government can work together and make important investments that are long overdue that will benefit America and regain our lead. Today, we rank 13th in the world in terms of infrastructure. That is not the place America ought to be. We need to make these investments in our people and in our country, which are good investments that will pay dividends for future Americans and future generations to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which is an opportunity to provide meaningful reform that we have been waiting for, for years.

This measure is supported by a bipartisan coalition that includes not only the United Farm Workers and other labor organizations, but a majority of farm organizations across the country. What this is really about is an opportunity to fix a part of a broken immigration system.

I want to thank not only Chairman Nadler, but also Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren and Dan Newhouse for the hard work that they have done to bring this legislation to the floor, bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle.

Let me begin with the fact that food is a national security issue. It is a national security issue. Less than 5 percent of America's population is directly involved in the production of food and fiber that feeds our Nation. That partnership is between farmworkers and farmers and dairy men and women.

I know because my family represents a third-generation family. Farmworkers are some of the hardest working individuals you will ever meet. I know because I worked side by side for years growing up on my family's farm.

It is simply wrong that they be subject to living and working under a shadow of uncertainty and fear of being deported. That is not right.

This bill is not about the border. The border has been a problem for decades. It is not about amnesty. This is an earned basis to have legal status in America. I have spoken with the hardworking men and women and their young children who work to put food on America's dinner table, and I've seen the hope in their eyes, the hope that we can pass this legislation to provide them legal status, hope for a normal life free of the dread of family separation that too often happens with deportation that hangs over them every day when they go to work, hope for a chance to change their reality and reshape their story.

This measure involves protections. It involves E-Verify. It involves an opportunity to reform an H-2A program for a reliable workforce for American agriculture. We owe it to the individuals who do so much for us. I ask that you support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, a year into this pandemic and the world is still reeling. It has created a deep economic crisis for American families and small businesses, and economic disparity continues.

Now that vaccines are being administered, with millions inoculated so far, hope for gaining the upper hand over this disease is on the horizon.

Last weekend, I saw firsthand the smiles on teachers' faces as they lined up for their first dose of the vaccine. Desperate to see their students, they hold out hope that these shots can get them safely back into the classroom for the first time in a year.

Food workers, those who we deem essential to putting food on America's dinner table every night, need to be vaccinated as well. I talked to them about their desire to do their jobs without fear of getting sick, and getting back to a life of normalcy, but we must do more to help Americans.

Our communities are hurting. Families, businesses, cities, and States need economic relief now.

This week, we will pass the American Rescue Plan to get immediate relief to struggling Americans. It provides the resources needed to help people get by and return to work. This bill will help our economy move again, and I am proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the American Rescue Plan.

The critical need to provide economic relief for struggling Americans and communities across the Nation could never be more evident than it is now. A year into this pandemic, the world is reeling from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

This time last year, we had a handful of people that had, sadly, passed away from COVID-19 as it slowly made its way across the country. This week, we mourned over 500,000 lives lost and countless family members and loved ones that will be impacted forever, and we are still not out of the woods. Yesterday evening, we appropriately honored and recognized those Americans who lost their lives.

This pandemic has created a deep economic crisis for American families and small businesses. Economic inequities continue to accelerate, sadly. Our communities are hurting. They are hurting, and the time for decisive action is now, just as we did in a bipartisan effort last year.

Think about it. America--America, the richest country in the world, and yet the numbers are staggering. Over 18 million Americans are receiving unemployment benefits. Nearly 24 million Americans are going hungry, including 12 million children--12 million children. And nearly 40 million Americans cannot afford to pay the rent and possibly face eviction.

We must get more funding to our States and local governments so they can help those immediately impacted. This will allow us to begin to open our schools safely, which we must do, in addition to the rest of our economy. This is a key component of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which I support.

Now, let me repeat. The American Rescue Plan will work to keep communities safe and reopen schools with a robust vaccine plan for the public and educators that has been absent until the last 6 weeks.

In my own circumstance, my own constituency, the city of Fresno, in the heart of my district is facing a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. Like most cities across the country, they will be forced to cut jobs, including those of first responders, without Federal support. The same is true in the communities of Madera and Merced, also in my district.

The American Rescue Plan will bring nearly $200 million to these two local communities combined, providing critical relief needed to provide funding for services their residents require, my constituents.

Now that vaccines are being administered, with millions inoculated so far, we have to continue to build on that momentum, for gaining the upper hand over this disease is on the horizon if we stay the course and implement the plan the President has outlined.

But we must do more to help Americans than just providing vaccinations. Obviously, that is at the front lines, and we will produce more vaccines in the next month and in the next 2 months so that, as the President said, 300 million Americans, by this summer, will have the ability to be vaccinated. But economic relief is part of the necessity to help them, and the American Rescue Plan does that.

Now, I have heard some of my colleagues on the other side talk about the concerns about the fiscal impacts to our economy. I am a Blue Dog. I believe that we need to have fiscal discipline, and I believe, after being here 17 years, that happens when Democrats are willing to deal with expenditures and Republicans are willing to deal with revenues. And unless we do deal with those two things together it isn't going to happen.

The last administration indebted this Nation over $7.5 trillion--$7.5 trillion in the last 4 years. I didn't hear much discussion during that time about the fiscal deficit. But I learned another thing in 17 years here; when Democrats are in charge, the debt matters. But when Republicans are in charge, who cares?

So let's get real about this deficit. America is hurting today, and it needs our support and it needs our help.

Over 140 executives of major American corporations are supporting this plan. Over 140 of the major companies in America think that this is necessary, the $1.9 trillion, to get this economy going and to put our country back on a track that we can be safe from this pandemic.

So I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and to vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan, as we did previous measures on a bipartisan effort.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the urgent need to address doctor shortages in rural and medically underserved communities throughout our country. The current pandemic and problems with vaccine distribution have highlighted the dangers behind a lack of access to the quality of healthcare in these areas. I am working to change that right now.

Unlike producing personal protective equipment, it takes years to train a physician. This week, I will introduce legislation to invest in medical education and to create new medical schools throughout this country and in underserved communities like mine in the San Joaquin Valley.

This bill will help curb the shortfall of physicians in rural areas by enabling medical students to stay close to home. Studies increasingly show that students who can study close to home are more likely to stay there and practice there upon graduation.

If we want to keep the promise that every American who wants a vaccine will get one, then we need to have more doctors, nurses, and medical providers throughout our country. This legislation would do just that.

Helping my constituents and keeping them safe is my number one priority. I will continue to do whatever it takes to make that happen. This is important legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation in a bipartisan basis.

Madam Speaker, as an elected Member of Congress, I take the same oath as the President of the United States: ``I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.'' I believe President Donald Trump violated that oath of office on and before January 6, 2021. So, it is with heavy heart that I vote, for the second time, to impeach.

This decision was not done rashly. I have listened to my constituents, who overwhelmingly support impeachment, and consulted with Republicans, Independents and Democrats. It is my firm resolve that in America no person is above the law. We must hold the President accountable for his actions. The President violated his oath of office when he worked to invalidate the votes of American citizens with false and unproven accusations of voter fraud over the last three months. He took it further by inciting a violent mob to attack the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In a well-documented public address, he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol and to do everything they could to stop ``a fraudulent election'' that the Congress was voting to certify, as we are required to do under the constitution. The result was an attack on our Nation's Capitol, our symbol of democracy here in the United States and around the world. This group of thugs, took over the Senate chamber, desecrated the Speaker's office, paraded the Confederate battle flag in the rotunda and killed a Capitol Police officer.

The President has blood on his hands.

We cannot let his action go unchecked. If we do not act, we send the message that our oath does not matter, and we will erode the very principles this great country was founded on.

It didn't have to be this way. The President could have adhered to the norms that all his predecessors followed by acknowledging that he lost the election fair and square. A transfer of power from a defeated incumbent to a victor of a different party has happened throughout our history starting with John Adams conceding to Thomas Jefferson. As his predecessors did, the President could have committed to a peaceful transfer of power. He could have avoided putting our country through this traumatic and frightful confrontation by speaking the truth.

No person is above the law. President Donald Trump lied to the American people and then urged a violent group of traitors to overthrow our legislative branch of government and overturn an election. For these reasons I sadly voted to impeach the President of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the continuing humanitarian crisis that is taking place at our border between the United States and Mexico.

Despite Congress' recent effort to provide relief to thousands of people in detention centers, children continue to be separated from their families, and people continue suffer from a lack of basic living standards that they need.

This is not the American way.

What is more, this administration has just announced new ICE raids in major American cities that will solve nothing.

We need to do more. Congress needs to act and seek long-term solutions to addressing the problems forcing people to flee their homes and seek asylum, women and children literally moving 2,000 miles, and they are not coming to Disneyland.

Congress needs to act. We should be focusing on attacking the problem at its source by increasing support to Central American countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, where the majority of these migrants are coming from.

We should not be cutting foreign aid to these countries. That just exacerbates the problem. I asked Secretary Pompeo in a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs almost 2 months ago: Why does not the President call a meeting with the President of Mexico and bring together the Organization of American States to come up with a comprehensive long-term solution to this problem?

I have spoken with the Ambassador from Mexico to the United States. She has expressed to me the problem that they are facing at their southern border with Guatemala. That is what we should be doing, cooperating and working with the Mexican Government and our other neighbors to the south.

We must also work to secure a basic standard of living for the detention facilities to provide for immediate relief. That is why I am cosponsoring H.R. 3239, Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in CBP Custody, to provide house screening and emergency care, to improve water and sanitation and hygiene standards, and to improve nutrition and shelter standards.

These are things that we are doing in the Middle East with the refugee relief programs for the Syrian refugees. Why would we not do this at our own border, and increase the coordination and surge capacity for the agencies to address what the needs are of these migrants?

We really do have a humanitarian crisis at our border, to be sure. I think we all recognize and understand that.

But, finally, we need to work together. We need to work together in a bipartisan fashion. That is how Congress should operate to achieve lasting, comprehensive immigration reform.

When I first came to Congress, I supported comprehensive immigration reform with the Bush administration and then with the Obama administration.

In 2013, we had a bipartisan package that was very close to passage. As a matter of fact, I think it would have passed the House had the Speaker at the time brought it to the floor. Unfortunately, we lost that opportunity.

I urge my colleagues to join me in their commitment to working to resolve this humanitarian crisis that we are facing at the border. That is the American way. That is what we should be doing as Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the United States Women's National Soccer Team on their World Cup victory in France.

For weeks, America's women's soccer team has captivated the imagination

and the enthusiasm of not only America's soccer world, but much of that throughout the entire globe.

Their performance over the past few weeks leaves no doubt that they are the best team in the world, but their victory Sunday is a stinging reminder that members of the team are being paid much less than their male counterparts.

With four World Cup titles, four Olympic Gold Medals, and a long history of dominance, they are the most successful team in the history of women's soccer--more successful on the world stage than the United States men's, their counterparts.

And what we are really talking about here is an issue that has been out there for many years, and that is equal pay for equal work. The highest paid male soccer player makes $200,000 more than the highest paid female player.

Over the past 3 years, the women's team generated more revenue and higher TV ratings than their men's counterpart.

The gap is a stark reminder of the persistent and frustrating reality that women's sports are undervalued and their stars, simply, are underpaid. That is a fact.

But it is not just the playing field where the women's work is undervalued; it is also in the workforce. In the United States, women who work full-time still earn only 80 cents, on the average, for every dollar earned by a man. Today's wage gap robs women of over $400,000 over the course of their working lives.

So equal pay for equal work is really, I think, an incredible value that we must pursue in this Congress. It is the fair thing. It is the right thing to do.

In March, I joined my colleagues to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will give women tools they need to fight pay discrimination, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pay attention to the strong support for the bill and to ensure that, in fact, we follow up and get it to the President's desk.

Also, in March, the U.S. soccer team sued for equal pay, alleging gender discrimination, with the men's team supporting their efforts. This really goes back to title IX that was started decades ago to ensure that, in our collegiate sports, women could have the same access to the same sporting programs throughout our universities.

Now, this week, we are going to see parades in New York and in Los Angeles celebrating this great world championship, this victory. But shortly after the final whistle on Sunday solidified these women's efforts in history books, celebratory cheers in the crowd quickly erupted into chants of ``equal pay, equal pay,'' showing their support, as well, for which a groundswell, I believe, is developing.

It is time, therefore, that we end pay disparity on the playing field and in the workplace once and for all.

Congratulations to the United States Women's National Soccer Team. Go USA and equal pay.

In Honor of Gene Haagenson

Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to recognize and honor the career of Gene Haagenson on his retirement.

A successful television news reporter for four decades, Gene spent the past 27 years covering stories throughout my home in the San Joaquin Valley for KFSN TV, Channel 30. He had the pleasure of working with so many of us over the years.

An adept, smart reporter, he is known and respected for not only his fair reporting, hard-hitting questions, and the embodiment of a true professional, he did his homework. He knew what he was talking about.

Gene's professionalism, his commitment to fair and balanced reporting will be missed, but he leaves a robust foundation for future journalists to build upon. He is a mentor, and he is a teacher.

I wish him the very best with his family and his grandchildren in his new exciting phase of life.

But I will encourage him, as I have before, that he use all these skills that he has honed over the years and teach, teach in our colleges and universities, the future journalists of America, to ensure that we have a vibrant, fair, and free press that is the cornerstone of our democracy. Gene has a lot more to give, and I hope he does so.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Gene Haagenson for his achievements, his outstanding commitment to Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley, and to our country, for always--always-- standing for a free and fair press.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the family of Greg McDaniel on Atwater's 2019 4th of July parade. On December 25, 2018, the greater Atwater community lost one of their most dedicated leaders who served as the President of Atwater's 4th of July Committee for over 20 years. In honor of Mr. McDaniel's many years of commitment to organizing this parade, his wife Pinky has been named the Grand Marshal of this year's parade.

As President of the Atwater 4th of July Committee, Mr. McDaniel played an integral role in the planning of Atwater's annual 4th of July parade and celebration. Each year he successfully helped raise the necessary funds and oversaw many of the operations that helped make the parade the event it has grown into today. Mr. McDaniel was committed to making each year's celebration better than the year before, which is reflected in what Atwater's 4th of July celebration has become.

Atwater's 4th of July celebration is now a day consisting of a morning run, parade, and fireworks that attracts thousands from throughout the City of Atwater and other cities in Merced County. The positivity Mr. McDaniel exuded in this endeavor is now present in the Atwater community members that have stepped up to continue the traditions Mr. McDaniel cared so deeply about.

Mr. McDaniel was joined in all he did by his wife of 45 years, Pinky. She was by his side assisting him in all his tremendous community contributions. In addition to planning the 4th of July celebration, Mr. McDaniel spent many years with local youth sports organizations, announced the Atwater High School football games, and served many times as the president of the Atwater Chamber of Commerce, among various other civic engagements. Though he is deeply missed, his wife Pinky, sons Christopher and Jeffory, grandchildren, and residents of Atwater continue to carry on the legacy he left.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the family of Greg McDaniel. It is both fitting and appropriate that we honor them as his wife Pinky is recognized as the Grand Marshal of a parade and celebration her husband dedicated so many years to. I wish his family and the residents of Atwater the best as they celebrated the 4th of July.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about a challenge that we have in California's waterways. It is a challenge of an invasive species called nutria.

Nutrias are commonly known as swamp rats to many. They came from South America decades ago, but they raise havoc wherever they go.

They are a problem for California's already challenged water system. They destroy canals and levees, which, in turn, could lead to flooding and threaten water delivery to our farmers and our farm communities.

Usually detected in large numbers, they rapidly reproduce, which makes eradication difficult.

Last week, I cosponsored legislation with fellow Congressmen Josh Harder and TJ Cox to help fight the nutria population growth. The bill will reauthorize the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 and provide $7 million toward efforts to rid the species from California once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation for California.

Celebrating Portuguese Heritage Month

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as National Portuguese Heritage Month.

Representative Cox and I have introduced legislation, along with the Portuguese Caucus, to officially recognize the key role that Portuguese Americans have played in the growth of our Nation and highlight their valuable and significant contributions to our society.

Portugal was the first neutral nation to establish diplomatic ties with the United States over 240 years ago. They have contributed to every facet of American society, from manning the early whaling ships in New England to the introduction of agriculture throughout the country.

They have served with distinction and proudly in our military and have been leaders in government at every level in our country. In 1979, Tony Coelho, my friend from California, was elected as the first American of Portuguese descent to the United States House of Representatives.

In addition to lawmaking, Portuguese Americans have made lasting contributions to science, music, and in other areas of business, through people like former Secretary of Energy and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz and the famous March King, John Philip Sousa, who wrote the iconic song ``Stars and Stripes Forever'' as he headed the Marine Corps band.

They are also leaders in agriculture throughout our Nation--in California, most notably in the dairy industry.

The Portuguese American story is the American story of immigrants past and immigrants present who have come here through generations to have a better life for themselves and their families.

Values that my own parents and grandparents instilled in myself and my sister have never been far from my heart, that family and tradition and that an ethic of hard work are important in our country for all immigrant groups, and realizing that with that ethic, anything can be accomplished in America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to join me in recognizing and celebrating the many ways in which the Portuguese American communities have changed, shaped, and influenced our country through our industries and, most importantly, through their ideals and their love of family and becoming a part of that American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize another ethnic group that has made so many contributions to America, the Armenian community, to underscore the importance and the strong relationship between the United States and Armenia.

The United States has enjoyed a long history working with the Armenian people toward a shared vision of a free and democratic society.

The Armenian community has risen over the past 100 years, after facing one of the most atrocious acts in human history: the first genocide in the 20th century.

Notwithstanding that, they have prevailed and continue to grow stronger, not only in Armenia, but also throughout the world.

In 2018, we witnessed the Armenian people standing up and peacefully demonstrating for change in their country, and it happened. Nearly 1 year later, the dawn of a new era represents an opportunity for the country and its people to reach their full potential.

The United States can provide valuable support and help to empower the Armenian people in this new and exciting chapter in their country.

I am pleased, therefore, to support H.R. 452, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with my colleagues to continue to strengthen the bilateral relations between the United States and the Republic of Armenia.

Resolve Humanitarian Crisis at Southern Border on Bipartisan Basis

Mr. Speaker, finally, let me say to my colleagues in the House that what is going on at the border between the United States and Mexico is simply not the American way. We can find solutions to resolve the humanitarian crisis that is taking place at our border, but we must work together on a bipartisan basis.

We must support the supplemental legislation today that will provide additional funding while working for meaningful changes to take care of people, to not separate children from their families, and to act in a humane way that reflects our values.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about our Dreamers and the need for Congress to work together now to protect them and provide legal status.

Simply put, Dreamers are Americans, just like you and I, and they should be treated as such. They came here, brought by their families at a very early age: 2, 3, 4 years of age. For them, this is the only country they have ever known.

They are our friends, our neighbors, and members of our churches, synagogues, and mosques. They serve in the military and attend our schools and universities.

In my district alone, the 16th Congressional District in California in the San Joaquin Valley, there are over 1,200 Dreamers who are attending California State University, Fresno; the University of California, Merced; and thousands more who are attending our community colleges.

I have heard their stories, I have looked them in the eyes, and I have consoled them. They have great fear. They fear things that we would not probably think about, like driving to school and driving to work. They are fearful that they might be pulled over because maybe their vehicle has some sort of a violation, only to be pulled over and find out that they are not here legally.

The jobs that they have--many of them full-time jobs, good jobs--are threatened by potential audits to the employers who are seeking to determine whether or not they are here illegally or not.

Yet, in spite of all of those challenges, they work tirelessly to improve their education and to contribute to the betterment of their families and their local communities. They pay taxes. They give back.

After all, isn't that the American way?

They are the next generation of leaders in various regions throughout our communities, yet they are living in fear every day that they could be deported. They fear for their families, and they fear for their futures as they wait to see if they will be removed from the only home they have ever known.

Can you imagine being in a household where some members of your family are here legally, and some are not, and the notion that your family might be split apart, mother and father, brothers and sisters?

How horrific that must be.

They have trusted our government to uphold its word that we would give them protections under the DACA program. Now, of course, that is all under a cloud.

We must keep our promises. Living with this uncertainty is just not right. It is unfair, it is unjust, and it is not the American way.

My grandparents immigrated to this country, and they often faced many of the same challenges that our Dreamers live with every day. Our story, therefore--a nation of immigrants past and present--is their story. Their story, like my family, is the American story. It is a story of immigrants wanting to come here to have a better life for themselves and for their children.

So, therefore, I am unwavering in my support that we provide them legal status. We must let our Dreamers know that we stand with them and that we

will not stop fighting for them. A majority of Americans want legal protection for Dreamers. Congress must listen, and Congress must act. Hopefully, we will do that today.

So, Mr. Speaker, I stand here and say to my colleagues: Vote ``yes'' to pass the American Dream and Promise Act. It is the moral and right thing to do, and therefore we must do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true pioneer in education at the University of California at Merced, the newest campus not only in California but among the newest in the country.

Dorothy Leland, our chancellor, is retiring, but she has paved the way for this newest university.

Chancellor Leland and her staff have built a community at UC Merced that is very special. More than 44 percent of the faculty are women. Over the past 5 years, the number of graduate students attending the university has increased by nearly 75 percent.

Probably most impressive of all, I think, is that nearly 75 percent of the students are the first in their families to attend university, and a majority of these are minorities. It is a majority-minority campus.

As a child of Mexican immigrants herself and the first in her family to graduate from college, Chancellor Leland feels a real connection to the student body. She is outspoken about DACA students, with almost 600 DACA students in the university today. She even traveled here to our Nation's Capital to fight on behalf of Dreamers.

She is one of the founding members of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group of more than 200 leaders who support policies that help immigrant, undocumented, and international students succeed at U.S. universities and colleges.

In her retirement, she said she wants to work on immigration reform. We can use that help.

But her work for the students and the campus at UC Merced does not end there. Arriving in 2011 during the Great Recession, Chancellor Leland immediately went to work on developing the university, because of the importance of this campus to the San Joaquin Valley, with a major construction project. She fought for $1.3 billion in funding to help expand the university, including the construction of new dorm rooms, research labs, a conference center, and an athletic facility. That project has allowed the university to expand from 5,000 to over 8,000 students and doubled the size of the campus.

She has also succeeded in graduation rates, which are up by 12 percent during her tenure. I am proud to say that, last weekend, over 1,300 students graduated.

UC Merced has achieved impressive levels of academic and research distinction and is developing numerous new patents and leading cutting- edge research.

I would also like to take this opportunity to give another shout-out, and that is to President Joe Castro and the faculty and the student body at Fresno State, home of the Bulldogs.

This past weekend, Fresno State graduated over 6,000 students, the largest in the school's history. Over 25,000 students are enrolled at Fresno State, ranked by Washington Monthly last year as one of the top 25 campuses in the United States.

Most importantly, more than 60 percent of the graduating students are the first in their generation to attend and graduate from university.

Both these universities are serving our Nation and doing what, in fact, they should be doing, which is educating and training our Nation's next generation of leaders who will make a difference and who will make America a better place.

I am honored to represent such successful universities in my district, and I am proud of both these leaders, the faculties, and the student bodies because they represent the future of America.

Go Bobcats, and go Bulldogs.

Reconsider Funding Levels for FEMA and California Wildfires

Mr. Speaker, let me note that the President's action this week

as it relates to funding for FEMA and California's wildfires, as well as the funding for the United States Department of Agriculture in terms of where those moneys go for forestry, is wrong. It is wrong; it is punitive; and it is painful.

For the fires in California, 60 percent are on U.S. forestry land. Therefore, to be responsible, the United States needs to do its part when these horrific fires take place.

We do the same with hurricanes. We do the same with tornadoes. We do the same with floods. So it seems to me that the President ought to reconsider his actions toward California.

We are partners in trying to manage both State and Federal lands not only in California but around the country. Therefore, the President's actions should be reconsidered.

It should not be punitive toward California because, through no fault of our own, we have had to deal with these horrific circumstances, just like other regions of the country have to deal with natural disasters that are through no fault of their own.

Let's reconsider, Mr. President. Let's not be punitive toward California because of the tremendous devastation that these fires have created.

Madam Speaker, regrettably, I was unable to attend the votes series for May 14, 2019. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA to Roll Call No. 203, H.R. 29 Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, and YEA to Roll Call No. 204, H.R. 2379 To reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program.