Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of several members of the Greenblum family of South Texas. Over the past 14 months, South Texas lost three members of this beloved family, all who made a deep impact on our community. Isidoro Irving Greenblum, Shirley Jean Katz Greenblum, and Jeffrey Lee Greenblum will all be greatly missed.

Isidoro Irving ``Pancho'' Greenblum lived life by one of his favorite dichos--``Que mala hiebra nunca muere''--``A tough weed always survives.'' He was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and later raised in Laredo, Texas, and he was proud to be a citizen of ``Los Dos Laredos.'' He worked for his family's successful furniture business in Nuevo Laredo while also serving as a member of the International Bank of Commerce's Board of Director for 40 years. His command of both Spanish and English and his tendency to treat everyone he met like family made him an invaluable member of the board, and he traveled extensively to Mexico and throughout Texas to form relationships with customers.

Shirley Jeannne Katz Greenblum was known for the warmth she radiated in everything she did and was dedicated to her family and community. As the mother of four sons, she undoubtedjy had her hands full, but she built a home that was nurturing and open to all, with her children having fond memories of their mother hosting their friends for refreshments almost daily.

Shirley and Isidoro were loving life partners, sharing 72 years of marriage after meeting while in school at the University of Texas. Together in Laredo, they raised their sons, Jeff, Gary, Brad, and Robbie. They were also proud and adoring grandparents and great- grandparents.

Shirley and Isidoro shared a passion for charity and volunteering. Isidoro was the Founding Board Member and served as the first President of the Laredo Area Community Foundation, with the goal of making local charitable giving easy. He served on the board of several other charitable organizations, including for the Jewish community he was dedicated to, and created a scholarship at his high school alma mater for immigrant students attending college. Although Shirley was born and raised in Dallas, she made Laredo her home and gave back to the community through several organizations like the Laredo Art League, the Laredo Children's Museum, and more.

Jeffrey Lee Greenblum, known as Jeff, was a proud son and brother, and a proud father himself to his son William ``Billy'' Greenblum. He graduated from his parents' alma mater and went on to get a law degree from Southern Methodist University. Jeff found success in both business and public service, serving as a senior executive for an oil and gas company, a mining company, and a natural resource consultancy and serving his country during the George H.W. Bush Administration at the Departments of Energy and Commerce.

Isidoro, Shirley, and Jeff leave behind a lasting legacy in South Texas, and the love they had for each other, and their family will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Eyole M. Mbongo of San Antonio, Texas, who received the Outstanding Congressional Staffer Award on December 1, 2023 from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in recognition of his exceptional dedication to advancing equity in education.

In 2014, Mr. Mbongo joined my Congressional staff as an intern while completing his master's degree in public administration at the University of Texas, San Antonio. After his graduation, I hired him as a constituent services representative in my district office, where he worked to help residents of the 20th District of Texas access programs and services within the federal government. After almost two years in my district office, he joined my staff in Washington D.C., where he now serves as a senior legislative assistant.

Over the course of his work with my office, Mr. Mbongo has led the fight to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding back to San Antonio schools and universities--helping them chart a path forward through the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and close racial and socioeconomic gaps in college attendance and completion.

During the current session of Congress, Mr. Mbongo has been a critical advisor in the introduction of several bills and resolutions, including:

The Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act (HERE Act), which would authorize a grant program to support partnerships between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and school districts with high enrollment of Latino students to improve college readiness and degree attainment.

The Advanced Coursework Equity Act, which would authorize a grant program to address equity gaps in enrollment and performance in advanced programs and courses.

A resolution to designate the week beginning on September 11, 2023 as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

There is no one more qualified or deserving of this award than Mr. Mbongo, and I am grateful to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities for recognizing the profound impact of his work.

I congratulate Mr. Mbongo--he makes San Antonio proud.

Mr. Speaker, America's colleges and universities should be places where all students can learn, grow, and express their ideas without harassment or discrimination.

Since the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, I've been communicating with college and university presidents, school districts, and law enforcement leaders to make sure we combat any rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, or other forms of discrimination.

I voted YES on Amendment No. 114 to H.R. 5894--Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 to combat antisemitism on campus and I would likewise support a similar amendment to combat Islamophobia or other forms of discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Dr. Ernesto Gomez, who for the last fifty years has stewarded one of the premier health care organizations in Texas, CentroMed. Founded in 1973 as El Centro del Barrio, CentroMed began as a project on San Antonio's South and West sides to offer culturally competent mental health services to vulnerable members of the community. Since then, CentroMed has expanded the services it offers, providing much-needed medical care to tens of thousands of people every year.

This growth would not have been possible without the efforts of Dr. Gomez, who has served as CentroMed's President and Chief Executive Officer since its inception. He has helped grow the organization from a single clinic to twenty-seven clinics and two fitness centers across Bexar and Comal counties.

CentroMed has forged powerful partnerships, allowing it to serve even more of the South Texas community. CentroMed's collaboration with Methodist Healthcare Ministries allows it to provide services for low- income, uninsured, and houseless populations. Through partnerships with CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care, CentroMed has also expanded efforts to provide care for uninsured pregnant women and infants.

Mr. Gomez has also made sure his efforts continue through the next generation of social workers, health care professionals, and activists. For the last thirty-seven years, Dr. Gomez has taught graduate-level courses at San Antonio's Our Lady of the Lake University, focusing on public policy, administration, and human behavior.

The dedication that Dr. Gomez has demonstrated for the last fifty years has been an invaluable service to San Antonio. His efforts with CentroMed have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to express my gratitude for Dr. Ernesto Gomez a man who has helped transform my city of San Antonio for the better.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I have to rise in opposition to H. Res. 559.

I am proud to represent San Antonio, Texas, known as Military City, USA, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the United States.

Every year tens of thousands of young men and women pass through my city on their way to military theaters around the world. Their lives are sacred, and Congress needs to be careful about how our decisions can put them in harm's way.

While this is a nonbinding resolution, it would speak for the House of Representatives without meaningfully engaging with the broad range of tools at our disposal to prevent Iranian proliferation.

I strongly oppose Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon. That is why I supported President Obama's efforts to constrain Iran's nuclear program through the JCPOA and why I opposed Donald Trump's decision to release Iran from the restrictions on its nuclear program by violating and then withdrawing from the JCPOA.

Nonetheless, this resolution, in saying the United States must use ``all means necessary'' to prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon goes too far.

Do we support sending U.S. forces, ground troops, into Iran to stop their nuclear program?

What about using a nuclear weapon ourselves?

That is what the language of this resolution would support or allow. This isn't just leaving all our options on the table. This resolution endorses every option.

In recent years, Congress has had important, bipartisan conversations about reclaiming our constitutional authority over the use of military force. If the Congress is going to endorse the use of force, even in a nonbinding resolution, then we need a more deliberate debate before going forward.

This resolution also commits the United States to endorse the actions of any of our partners and allies to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Would we support Saudi Arabia or the UAE if they were to unilaterally strike Iran putting hundreds of U.S. forces stationed in the Persian Gulf at risk?

This resolution commits to unconditionally supporting their ``freedom of action.''

While I strongly oppose Iran's nuclear program, Mr. Speaker, the language we are voting on today goes too far, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 340. I unequivocally condemn Hamas' attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 innocent people and the kidnapping of hundreds of hostages, including American citizens.

The United States has rightly designated Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997, and I have fully supported sanctions on Hamas when they have come before the House in the past. However, there is a distinction between Hamas and the innocent Palestinians it holds captive in Gaza, and we must legislate with that understanding. Our efforts to hold Hamas accountable must not come at the expense of those innocent civilians.

As originally written, this bill included a broad humanitarian exemption that would have protected the provision of food, medicine, and other lifesaving supplies into Gaza. The State Department and the Treasury both supported that exemption, which aligned with the Biden administration's goals to weaken Hamas without causing undue civilian suffering and deaths.

Unfortunately, the primary sponsor of H.R. 340 offered an amendment during committee markup that removed that exemption, replacing it with a case-by-case waiver that will impede the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

At times here, we need to speculate about the motivations behind specific legislation and legislative decisions. In this case, however, it is part of the committee record. The bill's sponsor said that he believes ``any assistance should be slowed down'' and argued that no one can distinguish between innocent Palestinians and Hamas.

The situation in Gaza is incredibly dire and becoming more so by the day, which is why President Biden has worked to secure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and requested funding to support those efforts. The decision to intentionally remove this provision was a choice to hurt people in Gaza who are not responsible for this conflict.

Mr. Speaker, if the humanitarian exemption that was originally in this bill was restored, I would fully support H.R. 340, but I cannot in good faith support a bill that amounts to intentional collective punishment against the people of Gaza, nearly half of whom are children. For this reason, I urge the House to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, in the immediate aftermath of the horrific October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, I co- sponsored H. Res. 771 in solidarity with the people of Israel. The resolution was intended to send an immediate message of bipartisan support. Unfortunately, Republican dysfunction (inability to elect a speaker of the House) prevented the resolution from moving to the floor for nearly three weeks.

In the interim, as the conflict deepened, my Republican colleagues refused to update the text of the resolution to reference the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the civilian casualties in both Israel and Gaza. While I support many of the goals of this resolution, Congress must recognize that the suffering from this war is not one- sided.

As I will vote present on this resolution, I hope that Congress can put partisanship aside, helping Israel and pushing Hamas to work toward an immediate ceasefire--or, at minimum, a temporary cessation of hostilities to protect civilians, transport humanitarian aid, and secure the safe return of all hostages.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes.

My amendment would prohibit Federal Homeland Security funding from being diverted for Operation Lone Star, ensuring that Federal Homeland Security appropriations are spent on Federal operations like Border Patrol.

Operation Lone Star, unfortunately, has been defined by corruption, incompetence, and cruelty. Two years ago, the Governor of my State of Texas launched Operation Lone Star, a destructive $4.5 billion political stunt that has led to a Federal civil rights investigation, the tragic deaths of 8 National Guard servicemembers, and a formal diplomatic complaint from our Nation's and Texas' largest trading partner.

Under the guise of border security, Governor Greg Abbott has embarked on an unprecedented campaign of government overreach--seizing private property, destroying livelihoods, and turning American border cities and towns into war zones where helicopters buzz overhead and armed troopers pull over American citizens for looking too much like immigrants.

At the beginning of the summer, Governor Abbott installed invisible razor wire in the middle of the Rio Grande and built a 1,000-foot string of floating deathtraps that are separated by serrated blades and secured to the riverbed with a net that is designed to catch and drown the families who reach it.

During the August recess, I went down to Eagle Pass, Texas, to see the impact of Operation Lone Star for myself. Standing on the banks of the river, I could see scraps of clothing and shoes stuck in the razor wire mesh that Governor Abbott's troops have installed on the border.

The wire isn't tall enough or strong enough to stop anyone who is desperate enough to cross, but it is sharp enough to leave them bloodied and broken.

When families finally make it to U.S. soil, Operation Lone Star troopers have been arresting the fathers and sons on trumped-up trespassing charges and locking them up for months at a time, some without the ability to reach their families, while bussing their wives and children to cities that are thousands of miles away and also to other States, including New York, Colorado, California, and Illinois.

Mr. Chair, Americans want border security. They also want an efficient and orderly immigration process. Operation Lone Star interferes with that. It hurts the Federal Government's effort, and it damages Border Patrol's efforts.

When Democrats were in the majority, we voted for billions of dollars in funding for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and we fought to rebuild a functioning immigration system

from what had been left behind by the Trump administration.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Chair, Operation Lone Star isn't border security. It is just plain out brutality. There is a difference between treating people like human beings and treating them like animals.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Casar), my good friend.

Mr. Chair, cruelty and incompetence, these are what define Operation Lone Star. Unfortunately, the era that we are in in American politics for those across the aisle is marked by fearmongering because they have no solutions to the real issues that confront Americans--education, healthcare, jobs. They can't even get a budget together, so they try to scare everybody. They try to use these brown-skinned immigrants to scare everybody. That is what this is about. They are either going to send this money to Border Patrol or they are going to send it to Greg Abbott so he can go on FOX News and be celebrated.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to participate in the vote series on September 14, 2023. My wife contracted COVID-19 while I was in Washington this week and I returned home to take care of her and our children.

H.R. 1435 would disrupt the growing electric vehicle market in the United States, jeopardize American jobs in auto manufacturing, and hurt the EPA's ability to protect our clean air. Had I been present, I would have voted NO on Roll Call vote No. 391, H.R. 1435.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of Belle Ortiz, who passed away on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Long known for her commitment to music education, Mrs. Ortiz was a trailblazer for the teaching of Mariachi music. She is survived by her husband Juan Ortiz, along with her 4 children, Annabelle Garcia, Roseanna Valenzuela, former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, and Rolando San Miguel.

After graduating from what is now Our Lady of the Lake University with a degree in music education and performance, Mrs. Ortiz became an educator at a time when Texas schools were openly hostile to Hispanic culture. While teaching at Barkley Elementary School, Mrs. Ortiz was called before the school district's Board of Trustees for teaching children to sing in Spanish, then a prohibited practice in many San Antonio schools--but she could not be deterred.

Utilizing her role as an educator, Mrs. Ortiz pushed for the creation of music education programs that promoted the unique Hispanic heritage of San Antonio. Foremost among her efforts was the creation of the first Mariachi education program in Texas at Lanier High School. Over the subsequent decades, Mrs. Ortiz would expand her Mariachi education efforts across Texas. At both high schools and universities, she touched the lives of thousands. Her actions cumulated when she and her husband founded the world-renowned 12-piece Mariachi ensemble, Campanas de America.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the life of Belle Ortiz. Although I am saddened by her loss, I am confident that her impact on San Antonio and Mariachi will last for years to come. I thank Mrs. Ortiz for her never-ending

passion for music and teaching. May God bless her and her loved ones.

Mr. Chairman, I urge this Congress to support amendment No. 71 to H.R. 3935.

My city of San Antonio is known as Military City USA. It is home to tens of thousands of soldiers, airmen, intelligence professionals, and cybersecurity experts who need direct access to Washington, D.C.

I hope that Members will support this amendment and support our airmen and our soldiers and support national security.

Mr. Speaker, Adam Schiff did his job. That is why they are trying to censure him today.

Mr. Speaker, he held a mirror up to today's Republican Party, and they can't stand the ugliness. Instead, they want to protect the most corrupt, indicted, and perhaps soon-to-be-convicted President of the United States.

We should vote ``no'' on this censure resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate a dedicated public servant on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Air Force. Senior Master Sergeant Louis Lusco II is an exemplary public servant who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and the highest standards of professionalism serving our Nation. Senior Master Sergeant Lusco spent 24 years exemplifying the motto of the United States Air Force--Aim High . . . Fly-Fight-Win, with his service to our country.

Senior Master Sergeant Lusco is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He went on to enlist in the Air Force in September 1999 as an aircraft fuel systems mechanic. His assignments took him from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, to Osan Air Force Base, in the Republic of Korea. Over the course of his career, Senior Master Sergeant Lusco served through three deployments, including in Al Udeid, Qatar, and Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he led aircraft maintenance units advance their missions.

Senior Master Sergeant Lusco continued his service at the Department of State, with the Office of Legislative Affairs, where he coordinated legislative activity for the Department. Following his time at the State Department, Senior Master Sergeant Lusco served in my office as an Air Force Legislative Fellow, before completing his legislative tour at the Pentagon.

In addition to his career achievements, Senior Master Sergeant Lusco is a devoted husband and father to his wife, Katrina and their daughter, Nadia.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Senior Master Sergeant Lusco for his two decades of service to our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the families of Uvalde, Texas. One year ago this week, 21 souls walked through the doors of their classrooms for the very last time.

They were teachers, artists, athletes, aspiring police officers, and honor roll students. Hours later, they were dead, gunned down by a teenage shooter with weapons designed for the battlefield.

At the morgue, their bodies were so ravaged they had to be identified through DNA testing.

I have three children: 9, 7, and 1. When I drop my older children at school, I think of the families in Uvalde who never had a chance to say goodbye to theirs.

Over the last year, those same families have held back tears in our committee rooms as they begged Congress to end America's gun violence epidemic.

We know how to stop school shootings. We know that assault weapons bans, universal background checks, and a higher age for gun purchases will save American lives.

The teachers and children who died cannot change the law, but we can honor their memories by having the courage to act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2, which should be known as the child deportation act.

Last year, my family marked 100 years since my grandmother, Victoria Castro, came to the United States as a young orphan in the wake of the Mexican Revolution. On her paperwork, the San Antonio relatives who took her in wrote that she was coming ``to live,'' to live in the United States.

From the discussions on the floor today, it seems that many of my colleagues have forgotten about the lives of the asylum seekers who will be affected by their legislation.

Under this bill, for example, if a Uyghur Muslim family escapes from one of China's concentration camps in Xinjiang and seeks asylum in the United States by way of Mexico, they will be turned away.

If a group of Cuban dissidents sail to Florida and land outside of a port of entry, they will be turned away.

Ukrainian families fleeing from Putin's state-sponsored kidnapping, Catholics fleeing religious persecution in Nicaragua, and Christians in Iran would all be required to remain in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador at the mercy of cartels and violent gangs.

Under the Trump-era remain-in-Mexico policy, human rights observers recorded thousands of violent attacks against migrants, including kidnapping, rape, and other brutal crimes.

That policy, as cruel as it was, included exemptions for unaccompanied minors and people who don't speak Spanish. This bill includes neither of those exemptions.

H.R. 2 would also end humanitarian parole for tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees who fought side by side with our troops for over 20 years of war. These heroes and their families barely escaped from the Taliban last summer, and less than 1 year later, Republicans are trying to send our Afghan allies back to die.

Many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about how the current immigration system will be able to handle a rising tide of immigrants post title 42. I agree that we need to build a more resilient, more effective, and more efficient system, but this bill is not the way to do that.

Time and again, we have seen that cruel, restrictive policies like those in this bill do not stop desperate people from fleeing persecution, oppression, and violence.

This bill would send the world's most vulnerable people to places where many Americans won't even drink the water. It would force asylum seekers to take dangerous, irregular paths to the United States, which is the exact kind of journey that led to the deaths of 53 people in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer in my hometown of San Antonio last summer.

There are meaningful bipartisan solutions to address the causes of forced migration to the United States. I have been proud to work across the aisle to introduce several bills that would do that, but this is not the answer.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2 does not include any serious attempt to address the root causes of immigration, and it will not make any real progress to fix our Nation's broken immigration system.

Mr. Speaker, for that reason and many others, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''