Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, ZIP Codes organize the country to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of mail for millions of Americans. The postal service has the authority to establish ZIP Codes and adjust their boundaries based on changes in delivery and on volume and operational concerns. However, communities, businesses, and other local entities can also voice their concern with ZIP Code boundaries and request adjustments.

This bill would require the Postal Service to establish new ZIP Codes for five communities that have each requested and been denied ZIP Code changes. These communities base their ZIP Code requests on concerns such as delay in mail delivery, emergency service response times, and the denial or inconsistent application of services to community members. These are important concerns and should be addressed accordingly.

The Postal Service has worked with affected communities to find solutions, and I commend those efforts. This bill would require the ZIP Code changes requested by those communities.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us would make a technical correction to the Real ID Act of 2005. The act incorrectly identified persons from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau as citizens of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, an entity that has not existed since 1994. This error has caused citizens of these trust territories difficulties because they are often issued only temporary driver's licenses. This, in turn, makes some employers reluctant to hire these citizens and makes it difficult for them to access government services.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, urge my colleagues to do so as well, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies Department (CLS) at California State University, Los Angeles upon its 50th anniversary. Established in 1968, the program has expanded from four classes to 150 courses annually. Created during an era when communities of color stood up for equality and civil rights, this program sought to build a new, positive narrative of Mexican Americans in the U.S., while preparing students to pursue careers in various fields, including education, law, and the social sciences.

Since its founding, the CLS program's focus was interdisciplinary and broke with academia's traditional emphasis on specialization to instead focus its study of Mexican Americans through courses in history, culture, political science, psychology, and an emerging Chicano literature. While the scope and breadth of the CLS program has changed over the years, its impact on the minds of our youth has remained constant and is as relevant now as ever before.

To create an equitable society, we must acknowledge the systemic inequalities that immigrants and all communities of colors continue to face. Our educational institutions can serve as vehicles toward this end. That is why we must work together as policy makers, educators, community leaders, and students to lead our generation into a future that truly embodies the ideals our country has aspired to since its founding.

I ask all members to join with me in commending the CLS program and California State University, Los Angeles for their 50 years of educating Los Angeles' youth for a brighter future.

Mr. Speaker, William Nguyen is a 32-year-old from my district. His graduation from graduate school was last week, but he missed it because he was jailed while vacationing in Vietnam, imprisoned after taking part in a peaceful demonstration.

I am here to stand up for my constituent and ask that he be treated humanely. This young man is a son, brother, and a friend to many. I see his passion for justice in the millennials I represent. Will is part of a generation that cares deeply about the world beyond our borders. They are advocates for the most vulnerable, voices for the voiceless, and now William needs our voices. He needs our collective resolve to help him through this difficult time.

Will's case has unified Democrats and Republicans to work together on his behalf. For weeks, we have done everything to build diplomatic efforts needed to bring him home. Today, I am asking all Americans, regardless of their politics, to join us in supporting the Nguyen family. Keep them in your thoughts, in your hearts, and in your prayers.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its current form.

Madam Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee.

If adopted, the bill would immediately proceed to final passage as amended.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump claims his trade policy is meant to level the playing field for the United States, but workers and businesses in other parts of the economy will suffer unintended consequences.

Despite his claims to pursue a trade agenda that will put American workers first, this administration's trade policy shows a lack of strategy and planning that risks putting working families last and threatens our economy.

Any trade agenda must fix the problems with existing policy rather than making matters worse. Escalating tariffs and alienating our closest trading partners does nothing to advance a trade agenda that puts working families first.

Our trade policy should prioritize strong environmental protections, penalize cheaters, enforce labor protections for workers, and strengthen rules of origin so we can advance a trade agenda that is fair to every American worker instead of picking winners and losers.

But President Trump isn't known for his discretion or his deep knowledge of policy. He doesn't realize or doesn't care that his America First trade agenda puts America last by undermining our competitiveness and innovation. The idea of unintended consequences didn't even cross his mind when announcing these unilateral tariffs.

But as Members of Congress representing constituents from around the country, we know that there are very real consequences for these actions.

That is why I am offering this motion to recommit, which would allow a Governor or elected official or appointed official to request that the Secretary of Commerce declare a fishery disaster if fishermen suffer negative impacts from these tariffs.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act restored dozens of fishery stocks to healthy levels, and we cannot allow the ill-conceived or half-baked ideas of the President to hurt the workers or the progress we have actually made.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, it is obvious that the administration doesn't care about the welfare of immigrant children being separated from their parents, but they should at least care about what kind of long-term impact they will have on all children, those currently living in the United States, documented or not, U.S. citizens or not.

We act like kids, all kids, don't know what is going on, but they do. They might not watch CNN, MSNBC, or FOX, but they talk to their classmates, siblings, teachers, and caregivers. They are hearing that kids are being torn away from their parents. We have to ask ourselves: What are they thinking? What goes through their minds? Are the young ones thinking that they can be next?

I am not exaggerating because shortly after the election of Donald Trump, my nephew cried because he thought if my sister left the country--because she is a resident and not a U.S. citizen--that she would not be able to return. So we know that these kids are paying attention. Yes, we might not know for certain what they are all thinking, but what we do know is that this policy must end now.

This must stop for the immigrant children and for all our children so that they feel secure and safe where it is natural, where they feel loved, and that is with their parents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 50 years of priesthood for Father John Moretta from Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights.

Father John has worked tirelessly to empower his community through the activism he leads from Resurrection Church.

From paving the way forward on environmental justice issues, to keeping crime away from marginalized families through its Neighborhood Watch Group, and working with grassroots advocates like the Mothers of East L.A. to fight for DREAMers, Father John has served as the lynchpin of the Boyle Heights community for 50 years.

As we mark his Golden Jubilee, I'd like to thank Monsignor John Moretta for his service to Boyle Heights.

It is my honor to work with him to serve California's 34th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about something that gives me hope in the wake of the senseless tragedies and attacks on our communities: the power of students to change the course of history.

Fifty years ago this week, 15,000 students in East Los Angeles rose up in solidarity to demand culturally relevant education, better facilities, and diverse teachers. I rise in honor of those students from Wilson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Belmont High Schools, who started a movement that would be known as the East Los Angeles walkouts.

I also rise in honor of current student activists everywhere. Student activism has always been a powerful response to social injustice, that when those in power fail to listen or to act in the interests of all people, it is time for a new generation of Americans to speak up, walk out, and organize.

Whether you were in East Los Angeles in 1968 or in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, you will be heard, you will be remembered, and you will become the change that we all seek.

Madam Speaker, a budget reflects one's values. President Trump's budget shows he values polluters and profits over people.

With the ink barely dry on the Republican tax scam, Trump's budget proposes we pay for their corporate giveaway by gutting public health and environmental programs.

One of the budget's largest targets is the EPA, which will suffer a 25 percent cut. This means cuts to grants that help States like California implement the Clean Air and Clean Water Act. That means cuts to Superfund programs that clean up sites where toxic chemicals from factories and landfills were dumped for decades, polluting the surrounding soil, water, and air.

We simply cannot afford a dirty budget that prioritizes polluters and profits over people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues about the American Dream and why their families came to our great country.

Was it to build a better future for their children so they could live and attend school in the greatest country in the history of the world?

Was it so they could work and live in a safe place without fear of violence?

Was it because they knew that, if they came here, no matter where they are from, no matter what God they worship, if they work hard, contribute to our country, and believe in the ideals of America that all men and women are created equal, then you deserve a place here in the United States of America?

The answer to these questions is ``yes.'' Our ancestors and parents came to the United States for all these reasons and more.

That answer holds true for hundreds of thousands of DREAMers and their parents who live and work and attend school here in the United States without fear of deportation thanks to DACA. Yet, on September 5, the Trump administration destroyed the American Dream for 800,000 young people and their families by recklessly terminating DACA.

One of those 800,000 DREAMers is Itayu Torres, a proud DACA recipient from my district, the 34th Congressional District of California. She was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and arrived in my district before she turned 1. The United States is the only place she has ever known as her country, and she is as American as you and I, but she was forced to live with the burden of her legal status.

At the age of 14, she found out she didn't have legal status when she tried to travel out of State to play in a soccer tournament. That fear of being deported if she left her State of California prevented her from leaving.

But her life changed when she became a DACA recipient. Thanks to DACA, she enrolled in a liberal arts college in Maryland. She no longer had to live in crippling fear as she goes about her day-to-day life.

DREAMers like Itayu deserve the chance to succeed and contribute to our great country. That is why I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question, so we can bring up the Dream Act to give 800,000 DREAMers a shot at the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate Korean American Day, which celebrates the arrival of the first 102 Korean immigrants to the United States on January 13, 1903.

The first Korean immigrants came in pursuit of the American Dream and initially served as farmworkers, wage laborers, and section hands. Through resilience, effort, and sacrifice, they established the foundation for their children and future generations. Today, nearly 2 million Korean Americans have honored their ancestors' legacy and achieved the American Dream by transforming all aspects of American life: from Roy Choi, who joined Latino and Korean culture to create new cuisines that have won the stomachs of all Americans; to the first Korean American elected to Congress, Jay Kim; and to the countless Korean Americans who run successful small businesses.

I am honored to represent the largest Korean population in the country and to reintroduce this resolution on the 115th anniversary of the first Korean immigrant arrivals. I call upon my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the Korean Americans who helped strengthen and shape our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Trump administration's decision to end temporary protected status, TPS, for more than 200,000 Salvadorans.

TPS holders are thoroughly vetted legal residents who have contributed to our economy and to our communities for almost two decades. Most TPS recipients now call the United States home. Many are parents to children who are American citizens, and tearing these families apart is a heartless and cruel act.

In their decision, this administration claims they reviewed the disaster-related conditions on which the original determination was made; however, they failed to consider the current realities that make El Salvador one of the most dangerous countries in the world. This irresponsible decision will drop hundreds of thousands of people into violence and disaster.

Sending 200,000 Salvadorans, many from my district, to a dangerous foreign country is inhumane. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to immediately pass the American Promise Act so that we can correct this despicable action.

Mr. Speaker, from California to New York and everywhere in between, the Republican tax scam steals from working class families to give the top 1 percent and large corporations a massive tax break.

The Republican plan eliminates deductions like State and local taxes, mortgage interest rates, medical expenses, and student loan interest that working families rely on.

This bill will only increase income inequality in our country, where the rich get richer and those in the middle class and those struggling to get into the middle class are left further and further behind.

I can't believe anyone would vote for such a bill. Either you know what is in it and you don't care about the consequences of your vote, or you don't and you will still vote for it anyway. I don't know which one is worse.

To the Republicans who care about the deficit only when Democrats are in power, you have lost all credibility when it comes to this issue. I hope the American people will remember who voted for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Espaillat for leading this important Special Order.

It is no secret that many cities in our country face an affordable housing crisis. That crisis is particularly acute in California, as everyone in my State, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to the Inland Empire, will tell you.

California is a desired destination for people from all over the world, many of

them skilled, tech-savvy young people who moved to California for our climate, culture, or commerce. This is especially true for my home city of Los Angeles, which boasts cultures and cuisines from all over the globe, allowing anybody to feel at home.

Unfortunately, the growth of affordable housing has not kept pace with the population growth. This disconnect has created a housing affordability crisis that is exacerbating economic inequality and forcing lifelong Angelinos out of neighborhoods they grew up in.

The lack of housing raises rents on working families, which, in turn, threatens the vibrant hubs of Latino, Black, and Asian culture throughout my district, potentially stripping these neighborhoods of their character that made them so unique and desirable to live in in the first place.

Our affordable housing crisis has left more than 400,000 households in the city of Los Angeles and 900,00 in L.A. County in what they call a precarious housing situation. A precarious housing situation means that the dwelling is substandard, families are doubled up, or they spend more than half their income on housing.

That is 1.3 million people in precarious housing situations, teetering on the edge of homelessness, one bad day away from losing the roof over their head. That is on top of 58,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County.

Simply put, the affordability crisis in California threatens our State's great legacy to provide economic opportunity for all.

In Los Angeles, we have seen that, when we target our resources to help specific populations, we get results and we save lives. In 2015, L.A. City housed more than 15,000 people, including 2,600 veterans and 2,800 chronically homeless people, more than any other city in the country.

Despite the historic housing shortage and a staggering mental health crisis, my city has proven that policymakers can tackle this problem if we have a coordinated effort at the State, local, and Federal levels.

L.A. is stepping up. So is the State of California. L.A. passed measure HHH, which is $1.2 billion to help individuals who are homeless. The California State Legislature passed 15 housing bills and a $4 billion bond to be on the ballot in 2018.

But we can't do it on our own, and we don't need the Federal Government to undermine our efforts by undermining their role and responsibility at the Federal level. Unfortunately, our Republican-led Federal Government doesn't believe in being a good partner and doesn't believe in combating unaffordable housing and homelessness. They have chosen to starve vital agencies like Housing and Urban Development and zero out funding for agencies such as the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Cities like L.A. and States like California need responsible Federal partners to tackle issues like homelessness so they can make tough choices and make sure we have a housing situation that serves all people. That starts with actual Federal investment in projects and programs that help people, not just the rich. That is why the Republican tax cut plan is such a sham and deserves to go back to whatever dark corner of Republican dogma it came from.

As it stands right now, the Republican tax plan would cut the production of affordable housing in half by eliminating multifamily, tax-exempt housing bonds. It would also repeal the 4 percent tax credit and provisions authorizing the use of tax-exempt private activity bonds. Taken together, these provisions account for 50 percent of all affordable housing production and would make our affordable housing crisis even worse.

Republicans in Congress only claim to care about giving States the power to pursue their own policies. It would be great if their actions matched their words and they actually worked with our great cities and States to address important problems instead of making them worse.

I ask for all of you to consider that any tax plan not exacerbate the housing crisis in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Espaillat for leading this important Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and the Houston Astros for winning the 2017 Major League Baseball World Series. The Astros finally earned history this season by winning their first World Series title.

But they weren't the only ones to earn something by beating my Los Angeles Dodgers. Congresswoman Jackson Lee also earned some of LA's iconic Philippe's French dip sandwiches as part of our friendly wager.

We may be on opposing teams when it comes to baseball, but we both play for the blue team here in Congress, and I look forward to working with her to fight for working men and women across the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Houston: Houston strong, and Houston proud.