Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Act.

On any given day, there are more than 550,000 people experiencing homelessness in our country. An estimated 40,000 of them are veterans. This is categorically unacceptable.

Although the Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA have made progress toward eliminating veterans' homelessness, there is still more that must be done to ensure that every veteran has a home.

We know it is 10 times cheaper to provide resources to prevent homelessness in the first place than it is to house someone once they have become homeless.

We also know that so many of our veterans suffer from PTSD related to combat or, far too often, military sexual trauma. These traumatic experiences put veterans at increased risk of mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and homelessness.

We owe it to our veterans to spare no effort in providing the security and assistance they need to transition to civilian life. One way to help our veterans experiencing homelessness is to help them gain new employment skills and get stable jobs.

The Department of Labor's homeless veterans reintegration program focuses on securing employment opportunities for homeless veterans. The program provides grants to State and local agencies and nonprofit organizations that teach veterans occupational skills, provide on-the- job training, help them attain apprenticeships, and help with job searches and placement.

Grantees also collaborate with public and private partners at all levels--Federal, State, and local--to provide supportive services and access to housing.

The program has been extremely successful, helping place thousands of homeless veterans in competitive employment every year.

Over the last several years, the Department of Labor has identified certain homeless veteran populations that are in particular need of reintegration services, including female veterans and veterans with families. My bill would direct the Department of Labor to prioritize homeless veterans with dependent children participating in its reintegration program.

This subpopulation of homeless veterans is particularly vulnerable, and it is so important to ensure they have access to the wraparound services necessary to support a parent with children.

Research shows that families experiencing homelessness often have to contend with intimate partner violence, child separation, and other extremely challenging issues. That is why my bill would also require the Department of Labor to study access to shelter, safety, and other relevant services for homeless veterans with dependent children. This information will help us understand the problem and identify opportunities to resolve issues in providing services to this vulnerable population.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will also go a long way toward supporting veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country and are now struggling to adjust to civilian life and to support families.

This bill has received broad bipartisan support in the past, and I ask that my colleagues, as my colleagues have on the committee, join me in getting it across the finish line. We owe our veterans nothing less.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 958, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act, which I was proud to co-lead with Congresswoman Underwood, Congressman Bilirakis, and Congressman Fitzpatrick.

Madam Speaker, this bill will ensure that veterans get the high- quality maternal care they have earned by codifying the Maternity Care Coordination Program. Additionally, this bill will require the GAO to report on maternal mortality and morbidity among veterans.

I thank the chairman for his support on this issue, and I am proud that this bill passed the committee with broad bipartisan support.

Madam Speaker, as you may know, among developed countries, the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with an average rate of 17.2 deaths per 100,000 live births.

For women of color, the rates are even higher. For Black women, the maternal mortality rate is 41.7 deaths per 100,000. And for American Indian and Alaska Native women, it is 28.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. More than 50 percent of pregnancy-related deaths happen after delivery.

Today, there are 2 million women veterans living in the United States, and women comprise the fastest growing subpopulation of both the military and veteran populations, yet many of their health needs go unaddressed in a VA system that has not evolved to equitably serve a rapidly changing population.

As the chairwoman of the Women Veterans Task Force and chair of House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, I am proud to join Congresswoman Underwood, who has truly,

truly been a champion--she is the founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus--in fighting to end disparities in maternal care for women veterans. Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country. It is past time that we address this inequity.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our women veterans and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 958.

Madam Speaker, on this Earth Day, I rise to recognize the crucial significance of President Biden's international climate summit.

After 4 years of neglecting our responsibilities to the planet and to future generations, the U.S. is back on the world stage and ready to take the bold and urgent action that the climate crisis demands.

There is no ``go it alone'' approach when it comes to climate change. To mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, the entire world must come together with a common goal of stopping pollution, protecting public health, and building a clean and just economy.

The consequences of neglecting our duty to protect the planet have never been more clear.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance the ambitious climate plans of the summit and come together to create a cleaner and better tomorrow.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our Nation's immigrants, the farmworkers who toil in our fields to feed us, and our Dreamers, the exceptional young people who are the promise and future of America.

Our immigration laws should reflect our shared values as a Nation, especially the importance of keeping families and communities together.

In my district in Ventura County, California, agriculture is a cornerstone of our regional economy. Immigrant farmworkers are essential to putting food on America's table.

Because of the essential role farmworkers play in our economy and our communities, I support the creation of an earned pathway to citizenship.

I also stand with our Dreamers, many of whom have known no other home than the United States. Dreamers are the embodiment of the American Dream. Dreamers represent the very best of our country, and they are realizing their fullest potential. Their success is America's success.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and the American Dream and Promise Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act.

The limits of our democracy have been tested like never before, especially in the last election, where we saw baseless lawsuits, misinformation, attempts to suppress legal votes, a refusal by a sitting President to transfer power peacefully that resulted in an attempted insurrection aimed solely to block the will of the people.

While our system ultimately worked--thanks to patriotic State and local officials and volunteers across the country--its limitations were laid bare, for us to fix.

H.R. 1 would shore up our democracy and the people's faith in its power.

I am pleased this bill incorporates two of my bills. The first requires all States to offer same-day registration. The second ends partisan gerrymandering by requiring States to adopt citizen redistricting commissions.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' for this transformational bill that fights special interests, takes money out of politics, and puts power back in the hands of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 803, the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act.

This bill incorporates two important pieces of legislation that will preserve the natural beauty of public lands and improve access to recreational opportunities in my congressional district in Ventura County and California.

The first is the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which I joined Congressman Salud Carbajal in introducing. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act will protect more than 25,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument by designating these lands as wilderness.

It also designates the Condor Trail within Los Padres as a National Recreational Trail. This is a beautiful trail that is 400 miles long. You can hike from Ventura County to Santa Barbara County surrounded by great and unique beauty.

The second piece of legislation is the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, which would add more than 191,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area. If you ever want to hike to a beautiful 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean, this is your place. Much of the land is in Ventura County, and I am grateful for Congressman Adam Schiff's efforts to advance this bill through the years.

Overall, H.R. 803 is an important downpayment on a commitment that many of us made to help conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030.

Mr. Speaker, in Ventura County, my constituents and I are so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful public spaces. The public lands provisions in this bill will strengthen our region's commitment to sound environmental stewardship and preserve an important part of our natural heritage for future generations to enjoy.

I know we all agree on the importance of being good stewards of our country's natural lands. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 803.

Madam Speaker, all across the country, including my home district in Ventura County in California, Americans continue to feel the overwhelming burden of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

I regularly hear from small businesses fighting to keep their doors open; from parents struggling to put food on the table after losing their jobs; and from people who live in fear of being evicted from their homes. It is imperative that we invest in our communities and help our neighbors now.

With money specifically dedicated for vaccine development and distributions, testing, the production of PPE, more relief for small businesses, and additional aid for the unemployed and struggling families, passage of the American Rescue Plan is critical to ensuring economic recovery, getting our kids back to school, providing relief to small businesses and, most importantly, saving lives.

My Republican colleagues went big when it came to massive corporate tax cuts. It would be incomprehensible that we nickel and dime working families and small businesses during the worst pandemic in over a century.

Mr. Speaker, today is a defining moment in our history.

Congress was attacked by a mob directed by the President of the United States. It was a horrible, terrifying situation. But we all know, deep in our hearts, that it could have been much, much worse.

We simply cannot let it stand. We cannot let it stand for the very soul of our democracy. We cannot let the President of the United States leave office without acting.

We are the oldest constitutional republic in the world, and our Capitol is a sacred symbol of our great democracy.

To my colleagues across the aisle, I appeal to your sense of service and duty to our Nation and to the oath we all swore to uphold. Before we are Democrats and Republicans, we are Americans. Let us come together to fulfill our oath by voting for the resolution before us and by defending, preserving, and honoring our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the continued injustices at our southern border.

Recent reports have continued to highlight the conditions at DHS detention camps are deplorable, inhumane, and abusive to children. Current and former Border Patrol agents have attested to the horrible conditions these children are being subjected to.

Now that we have provided emergency funding, we must stop this abuse by the Trump administration in its tracks. We need far greater accountability, we need to set required standards for medical care, we need to strictly limit the time spent in detention facilities, and we need to institute protocols to ensure compassionate processing of children and families.

What is going on at our border does not reflect our values. It does not reflect who we are. And the impact on these children will last a lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us to stop this stain on our great Nation's long history of compassion, refuge, and inclusion.

Madam Speaker, yesterday was Women Veterans Day in my home State of California, also home to 145,000 women veterans.

Seventy-one years ago, President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. This law recognized women's enduring and critical service to the Nation and made them permanent members of the United States Armed Forces.

As chairwoman of the Women's Veterans Task Force, I am working with 66 of my colleagues in the House, as well as in the Senate, to increase visibility of women veterans. We are promoting inclusivity and equitable access to healthcare, benefits, education, and economic opportunity, particularly in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I ask all Americans to join me in recognizing the 2 million women who have served our country in uniform. To these women veterans I say: Thank you for your service to our great Nation.

Madam Speaker, climate change is an existential threat that requires the entire international community to solve. The Paris Agreement was a monumental achievement, rightly praised across the world and in Congress. The President's impulsive decision to pull out of the agreement was one of the most dangerous acts of his Presidency.

My district, Ventura County, knows all too well the devastating economic and human toll of climate change, which has increased the frequency and severity of deadly wildfires in our community.

Climate change is also a threat to our national security and military readiness.

I am the proud Representative of Naval Base Ventura County, and I know that climate change will increase problems with coastal corrosion at our Navy base and other U.S. military installations worldwide. In Ventura

County, the Army Corps of Engineers must replenish sand regularly or we will lose land for military exercises, and buildings on the base could literally fall into the sea.

As sea levels rise and the severity of coastal storms increase, these problems will only grow more acute. Fortunately, House Democrats have recognized these threats, and we have developed plans to address them through the creation of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, on which I proudly serve.

The Climate Action Now Act is our pledge to the world that many in the United States Congress want our Nation to be a global leader in solving this crisis. I urge my Republican colleagues to vote to protect our children's and our grandchildren's future and our national security. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, my favorite three words in our Constitution are the first three words, ``We the people.''

The will of the people is the basis of our entire democracy. But for far too long, special interests and big money have rigged that system against everyday Americans.

This week, we take a major step to change that. We are voting on H.R. 1, transformational legislation that will finally put the power back in the hands of the American people, by toughening Federal ethics laws, fixing the broken campaign finance system, and strengthening voting rights, including two bills that I have worked on with my colleagues to end partisan gerrymandering and requiring same-day voter registration.

I encourage everyone to support H.R. 1 this week, because it is long past time we return our government to one that is of the people, by the people, and for the people once again.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, President Trump falsely declared that there was a national emergency occurring at our southern border.

The real emergency that he should be focusing on is the devastating gun violence epidemic that has torn communities apart across our country, including my own, where we are still mourning the loss of 12 precious lives at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.

This week, the House will vote on the first major gun safety legislation in decades. While there is no single answer that will stop all gun violence, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 are commonsense, bipartisan steps to strengthen our background check system to keep deadly firearms out of the hands of those we agree should not have them.

If the President is serious about addressing national emergencies, he should join us in supporting these bills.

Mr. Speaker, this Thursday marks 1 year since the horrific shooting in Parkland, Florida, that took 17 precious lives. My community faced our own tragedy just 9 months later when 12 of our friends and neighbors were stolen from us at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

As our communities continue to mourn these devastating tragedies, we must also honor the memories of those we lost with action. There is no single answer that will stop every incident of gun violence, but to do nothing with the argument that it will not fix everything is unconscionable.

One of the first steps we need to take is passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which is being considered by the House Judiciary Committee this week.

I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, a critical first step to keeping deadly weapons out of the wrong hands.

Madam Chair, I thank the chairman for yielding time and for bringing my bill, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, to the floor for consideration; and I thank Ranking Member Roe for his support of the bill.

As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I believe that it is critical that veterans have the support they need to ensure they are able to access needed healthcare services at the VA.

For many veterans, the lack of access to childcare is a barrier to receiving healthcare, especially mental healthcare and intensive care services. Research has shown that women veterans more commonly face this barrier, as they are more often responsible for caring for young children. That said, we know that the problem is not unique to women veterans, as male veterans have also reported lack of available childcare as a barrier to making their healthcare appointments as well.

In 2010, Congress passed legislation directing the VA to start a pilot program to provide free childcare at a small number of VA medical centers and clinics throughout the country. Since then, this pilot program has been successfully implemented and hugely popular at several locations across the country.

In 2015, the VA reported that the pilot program had provided childcare assistance to more than 10,000 children, and since then, many more veterans have benefited.

The pilot program has been popular among the veteran community, and there has been strong support for its continuation from veterans service organizations. That is because we all believe that veterans should not be forced to choose between getting necessary healthcare and caring for a child.

My bill, which we are debating today, would make the VA childcare pilot program permanent and expand the program to VA facilities all across the Nation.

Like the original pilot program, my bill is narrowly tailored for veterans who are full-time caretakers of children and who need intensive medical care or mental health treatments and for those veterans who might otherwise miss their appointments because of lack of available short-term childcare during their appointments.

For instance, a veteran who is undergoing cancer treatment cannot afford to miss these critical and intense medical appointments, and they need a safe place to leave their young child while they receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Likewise, veterans who have regular mental health appointments would need a place to leave their young children, because it would be inappropriate for young children to be present for tough conversations with a therapist about military sexual trauma or other battlefield trauma.

Like the pilot program, my bill also gives VA flexible authority to determine how to provide childcare assistance during veterans' medical appointments. Options include:

Providing the benefit through stipend payments directly to veterans to pay for their childcare expenses;

Direct provision of childcare at VA facilities;

Direct payment to childcare providers;

Collaboration with other Federal departments and agencies; or

Other appropriate forms of assistance that the Secretary determines are appropriate.

Passage of this legislation will benefit veterans of all areas who are primary caretakers. In fact, many of the caretakers who have used the pilot program have been women and older veterans, including grandparents who take care of a child during the day and would otherwise be unable to make their appointments.

This bill will guarantee these veterans receive the healthcare they need, while ensuring a safe, reliable, and cost-free option for childcare during those appointments.

For our colleagues who are new to this body, I would note that similar legislation passed the House in the 115th Congress by voice vote. I urge my colleagues to again support this legislation.

I especially want to thank my colleague Mr. Higgins from New York, who has been a tireless advocate for expanding and making permanent the childcare pilot program. His partnership has been invaluable in moving our bill forward.

I also want to thank Senator Patty Murray from Washington, who has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.