Julie Johnson

Mr. Speaker, we have just recognized 4 years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Women today have fewer rights and are less safe because of Republicans.

It is unacceptable that if you are a pregnant woman in this country, your only guarantee to access safe, effective care for you and your baby is where you live.

Abortion bans haven't decreased abortions. Instead, they have only put women's lives at greater risk.

If you live in a blue State, you can make your decision that you and your family determine is best for you, and you can access the care that you feel is appropriate.

If you live in a red State and have a complication, however, you have to be near death to be seen by a medical professional.

The Texas abortion ban specifically is so confusing and restrictive that doctors are refusing to treat pregnant women until they face life- threatening complications because treating them too soon could send that doctor to jail.

These are the problems that women and families are facing across the country because of what Republicans have done, and it is putting lives at risk.

Mr. Speaker, as we observe 4 years since this awful Court decision, our fight for safer health and reproductive care for women across this country must continue. We must never stop until women have their full equality to access the care that they deserve.

Achieving a More Perfect Union

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 250th anniversary of the birth of our great Nation.

Founded on the ideals of equality and self-determination, the American experiment has been an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.

For 250 years, our Nation has been at the forefront of innovation and scientific discovery. It is because of our strong democratic institutions and our Nation's diversity that this country is so great.

Most importantly, we celebrate and honor the sacrifices that so many Americans have made to protect and defend the freedoms that we enjoy today, but we are at a crossroads.

Rights are being eroded, not expanded. The right to vote is under attack. Racial divisions and healing have taken backward steps, while the rise of White Christian nationalism explodes.

For the first time, our younger generations are not seeing a future where they are better off than their parents. We must reset as a politic and resume a focus on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone; a focus that the rule of law and due process matters; and a focus that truth matters, service is honored, and accountability exists even at the highest levels of government.

As we contemplate what it means to be an American today, we can look back and see that progress made by our ancestors and look forward knowing that, united under our ideals of freedom and equality, we can take steps to finally achieve that more perfect Union.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize National Nurses Week and honor the extraordinary nurses serving North Texas and communities across our country.

Every single day, nurses are there for us in life's most difficult and vulnerable moments. They are the first hand a newborn feels, the calm voice in an emergency room, and a compassionate presence beside patients and families facing uncertainty.

Nurses do far more than provide medical comfort. They advocate for patients, comfort families, educate communities, and hold together a health system that too often asks them to do more with less.

Over the past several years, we have seen nurses carry unimaginable burdens, from staffing shortages to burnout, while continuing to show up for their patients with professionalism and compassion. They deserve more than our gratitude. They deserve safe working conditions, fair pay, mental health support, and investments in our own healthcare workforce.

To every nurse serving in hospitals, clinics, schools, veterans' facilities, nursing homes, and community health centers, I thank you. Congress and your country honor your service, your sacrifice, and your unwavering commitment to caring for others.

Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republican Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act.

Let's be clear about what this bill does. It does not make our communities safer. It does not meaningfully address violent crime. What it does is continue a failed approach to a criminal justice system that punishes Texans in poverty instead of protecting public safety.

We have already seen the consequences of this approach in Texas and across the country. Cash bail systems have created a two-tiered justice system where wealth determines freedom. If you are rich, you can buy your way out of jail. If you are poor, you can sit behind bars for weeks or months before ever being convicted of a crime.

In Texas, we have watched State leaders exploit fear around bail reform while ignoring deeper problems in our justice system. County jails are overcrowded. Courts are backlogged. Public defenders are overwhelmed. Too many people accused of low-level, nonviolent offenses are trapped in jail simply because they cannot afford bail.

This bill attacks charitable, nonprofit organizations who provide bail assistance. Whether you are eligible for bail should depend on the nature of the offense, your flight risk, and your prior criminal history, not whether you have the funds to post it.

If this Congress truly wants to address violent crime, then we should invest in evidence-based solutions: funding mental health services, reducing court backlogs, supporting victims, strengthening community violence intervention programs, and ensuring judges have the resources to make individualized decisions based on actual risk, not a person's bank account.

This bill ignores those solutions in favor of political talking points and fear-mongering. Americans deserve a justice system that is fair, constitutional, and focused on real public safety, not one that criminalizes poverty and expands mass incarceration.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Immigration

Mr. Speaker, for too long, this Republican Congress has failed the American people on immigration. We have allowed a broken system to remain broken: one that is too slow, too chaotic, and too unfair for everyone involved.

The American people deserve an immigration system that is fair, fast, and final--fair for families seeking safety and opportunity, fast enough to reduce years of backlog that leave people in limbo, and final so that decisions are made efficiently, transparently, and with integrity under the rule of law.

We will not fix our immigration system by abandoning our constitutional values. We will not restore order by stripping away due process rights or criminalizing people without giving them a fair hearing before the law.

That is why I voted against the Lakin Riley Act and the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act. While supporters claim these bills are about safety, they expand mandatory detention and enforcement powers in ways that undermine due process and threaten our basic constitutional protections.

In this country, we do not decide guilt or innocence without a hearing or

access to an attorney. We do not throw away civil liberties because of political pressure or fear. Due process is not a loophole. It is a cornerstone of American democracy. It protects citizens and noncitizens alike from government overreach and ensures that our laws are applied fairly and consistently.

We can modernize our immigration system and protect public safety while still upholding the Constitution. Those goals are not mutually exclusive. In fact, our system works best when we defend both security and justice together.

We need comprehensive immigration reform that expands legal pathways, addresses workforce needs, invests in immigration courts, and creates clear, enforceable rules that reflect our values as a Nation.

America has always been strongest when we lead with both compassion and the rule of law. As a Member of Congress, I will never vote to sacrifice one for the other.

Mr. Speaker, artificial intelligence is already transforming the way Americans live, work, and learn. It holds enormous promise for our future. From improving healthcare outcomes to helping small businesses grow, AI can be a powerful force for good when we, as legislators, create the environment to use it responsibly.

We also have a responsibility to prepare our workforce for the challenges ahead. That is why I have been leading on this issue in Congress, focusing on expanding job training and ensuring that employees and employers alike in north Texas and across this country have the tools they need to succeed in an AI-driven economy.

We cannot afford to fall behind. Other nations are investing aggressively in this technology. If we don't act, we risk ceding both economic and national security leadership.

Congress must act to prepare our workforce for this new reality and to establish a smart, reasonable regulatory framework--one that encourages innovation while protecting the public and keeping our kids safe in an increasingly digital world.

AI presents extraordinary opportunities, but only if we are prepared. That means investing in our people, setting

clear rules of the road, and leading with purpose.