Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, for decades, Jeffrey Epstein's abuse was an open secret powerful people knew. Agencies knew. Some in government knew. Yet, year after year, he continued to operate in trafficking, exploiting, and destroying the lives of children and young women.

This was not only sexual violence. There were financial crimes. Epstein's empire was built on money, blackmail, and connections, and those connections reached into the highest halls of power.

What makes this scandal unbearable is not just Epstein's evil but the way institutions, Republican and Democratic administrations alike, looked away. No administration, past or present, has fully stepped up to bring the truth to light. The very agencies charged with protecting the vulnerable, instead, protected the powerful.

Now, under Donald Trump, that coverup has gone from negligence to active obstruction. Trump promised to release the files. He promised the American people transparency. Instead, he and his handpicked lieutenants have buried the truth under a mountain of lies and contradictions.

Let's review the record. In June of 2024, Trump said he would declassify the Epstein files. His campaign even celebrated that promise online. On January 30, Trump's FBI Director, Kash Patel, vowed to release everything. On February 21, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the client list was literally on her desk. As of today, none of that has materialized.

However, when Bondi told Trump in May that his own name appeared in those files, everything changed. Suddenly, the files were too dangerous to release. Then the Department of Justice claimed there was no client list at all. Trump went from promising full transparency to calling the files boring, then a hoax, then a dead issue. This is not transparency. This is a coverup.

Madam Speaker, when leaders abuse their office to shield predators, that is corruption of the highest order. When hundreds of survivors are denied justice to protect one man's reputation, that is a crime against the very idea of democracy.

The majority often speaks about morality. We are told about protecting children, about being pro-life, and standing up against human trafficking. So I ask my colleagues on the other side: Where is the outrage now? Where is that moral clarity when the lives of trafficked and abused girls demand your courage?

This is not about partisanship. This is about whether the United States Congress will side with survivors or with abusers. Will we protect the powerful or will we protect the powerless?

Trump threatens Republican Members who demand justice in this matter. Like Epstein survivors, the majority are now terrorized by men in power to stay silent. I know that many aspects of this criminally corrupt scandal are horrible to look at and think about, but we don't have to be divided. Together, we can be the solution and send a message that we will not let this happen again.

Here is my demand: Release the files, every name, every deposition, every page, unredacted, except to protect the survivors. No more excuses. No more delays, and no more hiding.

Madam Speaker, sunlight is the oldest disinfectant. It is the only way to end the rot of corruption that let Epstein thrive, and it is the only way to give survivors the justice they deserve.

Right now, there is a bipartisan effort in this House to force a vote on releasing the files. We need only two more Republicans to join us, two Members who believe their oath to the truth is stronger than their loyalty to Donald Trump. We need two Members who are willing to live up to the words they so often speak about morality, family, and protecting children.

Let me say this: Americans are divided on so much today, but on this demand for justice, transparency, and accountability, we are united. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Americans across every community want this coverup to end. At a time when our country desperately needs something to unite around, this could be it.

The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have waited long enough. If our justice system means anything, it must mean justice for the vulnerable human beings that powerful men thought they could use and throw away. No more secrecy, no more corruption, no more protection for predators.

Madam Speaker, history will remember what we do in this moment. Here is the truth: If we in Congress cannot unify to defy the most well- connected predator of our time, what good are we?

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor George Harris, a giant in the Dallas community and someone who dedicated his entire life to fighting for LGBTQ equality.

Last month, George passed away at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of courage, service, and sacrifice. After serving in the Army and working at the CIA, he was discharged simply because he was gay. He built a life of love alongside his partner of more than 50 years, Jack Evans.

In 2015, George and Jack made history as the first same-sex couple legally married in Dallas County, a moment that inspired Americans from across the country.

George helped create institutions that still serve our community, like the Resource Center; the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce; and The Dallas Way, one of our Nation's largest LGBTQ archives.

Preserving our history was one of George's last labors of love, ensuring future generations know the struggles and triumphs of those who came before him.

Dallas and our Nation are better because of George Harris.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of this entire House and our Dallas community, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and neighbors. May we honor his legacy by continuing his fight for equality and dignity for all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today full of gratitude and pride for the incredible people of north Texas, my neighbors, and my constituents, who have stepped up in extraordinary ways to help their fellow Texans through one of the most devastating flood disasters our State has faced in years.

We all know that when tragedy strikes in Texas, we don't wait around for permission to do the right thing. We just show up. We roll up our sleeves. We help our neighbors pick up the pieces. That has been on full display in the weeks after the floods.

I will take a moment to recognize just a few of the many heroes from Texas' 32nd Congressional District who have gone above and beyond to provide hope and help when it was needed the most.

Sabrina Pinales, Ryan Lenamon, Savion Lee, David Hardage, and Lauren Sturdy, five of my remarkable constituents, didn't think twice before answering the call. They joined their church mission team and headed straight to the Hill Country where flood waters had washed away homes overnight.

These five north Texans have been on the ground every day helping families, clearing debris, delivering supplies, and rebuilding what was lost. They remind us that faith in action and neighbor helping neighbor is what holds this State together when times are hard.

I also want to lift up the brave men and women of the Plano Fire Department and first responders from Dallas. When floodwaters rose and families needed rescue, these heroes did what they always do: They run toward the danger. They deployed to central Texas to help rescue stranded families, clear the roads, and make sure entire communities could get back on their feet safely. They represent the very best of our communities: courage, commitment, and compassion.

It is not just these few. Across north Texas, neighbors have opened their doors to displaced families. Churches, synagogues, and mosques have collected food, clothing, and essentials. Local businesses have donated truckloads of supplies. Nonprofits like the North Texas Food Bank have mobilized to get fresh meals and water to families who have lost everything in just seconds. Countless volunteers have driven hours to help strangers through this terrible disaster.

These are who Texans are. We are defined by our resilience, by our people, by our willingness to stand shoulder to shoulder and say: ``We got you.''

Our State has faced immense tragedy with hundreds of victims, many of whom were children, little girls excited to go to summer camp to make new friends and create memories that would last for a lifetime. Our entire Nation mourns those we have lost, and we are holding close the families who are doing everything they can just to make it through each day hour by hour.

Those families and those victims deserve answers. We must hold State and Federal officials accountable. We have a new chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Garbarino from New York. It is my hope that he will respond to our calls to convene the Homeland Security Committee for an oversight hearing of these floods to examine what went wrong and how our government can do better in the future.

Texans deserve a government that matches their generosity. We deserve a government that plans ahead, responds quickly, and never lets politics get in the way of protecting our communities.

Today, I say thank you to Sabrina, Ryan, Savion, David, and Lauren. I thank the Plano Fire Department and our first responders from Dallas. I thank every volunteer, every neighbor,

every house of worship, every first responder who has made a difference during this crisis.

Mr. Rogers once said when bad things happen, to always ``Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'' We have a lot of helpers in north Texas and across our State who have gone above and beyond to help with their neighbors, and we are damn proud of them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to mourn the loss of so many lives across Texas. We lost the hope of our future, so many children, so many beautiful girls, who just went to camp to have a good time, to bond with their friends, and to have that time that we all cherish from our memories of our own childhood.

Too many lives have been lost. We have the responsibility as members of government to have a look at why, what happened, what could we do better, and how can we make sure that things like this never, ever, ever happen again.

What we know, unfortunately, is that partisan politics had a role. Republicans have historically denied the ongoing effects of climate change and what is happening in our country.

Over the last decade, we have had more and more intense storms, unexpected, throughout the entire country, but surely in Texas. We have had freezes that have killed hundreds of people, and now we had a 1-in- 100-year catastrophic rainstorm that produced horrific floods and tragic loss of life.

What happened in this policy is that Republicans at every level of government in our State failed the people of Texas. At the local level, they refused to have support grants from the Biden administration that would have put in place critical sirens and warning equipment that would have warned these kids at this camp to get out, flee, and seek higher ground.

What we know is that communities that accepted these resources, they all survived. The warnings worked. This community didn't want to accept help from a Democrat, and now we have hundreds of people who are dead.

Requests were made from the State to help, ultimately, and our Governor denied requests three times for over a million dollars each time that they would have, again, tried to provide warning equipment, again failing.

Now what we have in our Federal Government is FEMA. FEMA is designed to be there as a last resort for communities when these unimaginable tragedies strike. FEMA trains and provides our first responders, the first line of defense, the people that go in and risk their lives at a time when it is most dangerous. They can't do it alone, and FEMA provides critical training, resources, and supplementation.

FEMA is designed to have an immediate response within a minimum of 15

hours. However, under President Trump and his canceling of FEMA, defunding FEMA, firing FEMA employees, terminating hundreds of FEMA employees, it was over 72 hours before critical resources were brought into Texas. Mr. Speaker, 72 hours is critical when you are floating in a river and you need help. In these situations, 72 hours make the difference between life and death, and Trump and our Federal Government failed.

After Katrina, we saw how inadequate FEMA can be sometimes. We saw the disaster of government when it didn't work. Congress put in place some measures to repeal and increase FEMA. One of those was you have to hire an experienced administrator of FEMA, somebody who knows what they are doing, because this isn't a time to play around. This administration hired as the director of FEMA somebody who never even knew whether or not a hurricane season existed, somebody who has no experience in this area.

Homeland Security Secretary Noem put in place measures, cost-cutting measures, that catastrophically impacted what the response was in this situation. Phone calls were never answered. The day after this flood happened, she canceled the contracts of the people who answer the phone when you call for help. That is not the response that this government needs, and we have to do better.

I am calling upon my Republican colleagues, I am calling upon everyone in this Congress to have us come together because these tragedies don't just affect Texas. They can affect all of us. Weather is violent, fierce, and deadly, and it is indiscriminate about where it strikes, but we have the ability to fix it. I call on my colleagues to come together. Let's make it better and let's make sure that these tragedies don't happen again.

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to this debate, and I am struck by the appalling ability of the Members of the other side who are so afraid of this President. They are willing to lie to the American people because they fear the tweet of a President more than they fear the wrath of the voters at the ballot box. This will come home to roost because 17 million people are going to lose their healthcare.

In Texas, we are one of the largest creators of clean energy jobs. Texas is the energy State. I am proud to be an energy State. We have vast amounts of oil and gas jobs, but we also are the largest creator of clean energy jobs. We will lose millions of jobs in our State because Republicans of this delegation are going to vote for this bill.

In response to Representative Nehls, I am a proud graduate of the University of Texas. I think Texas A&M and our elite University of Texas deserve to have the funding in our universities.

With this bill, we must vote it down. I condemn the Republicans in the State of Texas who are going to harm our State with their support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the

rule to make in order the amendment at the desk that protects against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Reverend Willie Rainwater of Carrollton, Texas.

Reverend Rainwater was more than a pastor. He was a pillar of justice, a steward of history, and a relentless voice for civil rights.

From preserving the Carrollton Black Cemetery to organizing the city's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade for more than 25 years, he brought our community together in the spirit of equity and remembrance.

His work wasn't just in the pulpit. It was in the streets, in our schools, in our city hall meetings, and in the daily struggle to make north Texas more just and united.

Reverend Rainwater now joins his beloved wife, Juanita, with whom he shared a life of faith, service, and community leadership. Together, they made north Texas better.

Today, we remember a man whose faith was inseparable from action, whose love for his neighbors left an imprint on our institutions, and whose memory is a blessing to us all. May we continue to carry his torch forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound an alarm on a crisis threatening America's future. I am talking about the Trump brain drain.

Donald Trump and Republicans in this House are launching a full scale assault on our Nation's ability to think, learn, and to innovate.

Let's look at the facts. Trump's budget cuts funding for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, STEM education, and even basic K-12 public schools. He has tried to crush public service loan forgiveness and gut Head Start, all while trying to give tax breaks to those who don't need them.

This isn't cost savings. It is self-sabotage.

In Dallas, we are home to UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the top research institutions in this country. We have innovators, world- class hospitals, biotech startups, and students

ready to change the world. They can't do that when Federal research funding is drying up and educational support is being pulled out from under them.

Dallas ISD alone has over 150,000 students, many from middle-class families. Cuts to programs like Head Start, Title I, and after-school STEM enrichment don't just hurt, they derail students' futures.

Texas colleges and universities share one of the largest enrollments compared to almost any other State. Yet, under Trump's budget, millions of them would lose access to workstudy jobs and to affordable student loans. That is not just an educational crisis, it is an economic time bomb attacking our workforce development.

This country has long been a magnet for global talent. Engineers, scientists, and doctors come here to help build our future, but Trump's anti-immigrant crusade is scaring them off. Whether it is blocking student visas, slashing green cards, or denying people their due process, he is slamming the door on the very people who fuel our economy.

Dr. Kseniia Petrova, a brilliant Harvard scientist whose research could lead to breakthroughs in early cancer detection, was charged with a felony by the Trump administration for failing to declare preserved frog samples at customs, which is normally a very minor infraction handled by a mere warning.

Instead, she is locked up in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, facing possible deportation to Russia. This isn't just cruel, it sends a chilling message to scientists and international students around the world: Come to America, and you may be imprisoned instead of empowered.

Then there is Ardem Patapoutian, who came to the U.S. from war-torn Lebanon at 18. He worked nights delivering pizza to become eligible for the University of California. Years later, with the help of an NIH research grant, he launched a lab making groundbreaking discoveries on how humans sense touch and went on to win the Nobel Prize in 2021.

However, thanks to Trump's cuts to science funding, his Federal grant has been frozen. Just like that, China offered to fund his lab for the next 20 years in any city, any university, anywhere he wants. China is winning this war.

That is what countries like China are doing. They are investing in students, in science, and in research because they want to win the future while Trump wants to only tweet about the past and harm American innovation.

We should be doubling down on education and innovation. We should be building labs and funding scholarships, not building walls.

Here is the truth: You don't make America great again by making Americans dumber. You don't build up the economy by draining it of talent and opportunity. This is not just about spreadsheets and budget lines. It is about real people: students trying to become the first in their family to graduate, young scientists working on the next breakthrough, and teachers trying to give every child a chance.

Trump's budget doesn't just threaten programs. It threatens progress. We must fight back.

Let's protect our students, support our researchers, and defend the right for everyone to dream big and achieve greatness in the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in complete outrage, not just in opposition, to this Republican budget bill. Behind the talking points, behind the smug press conferences, very deep in the fine print, it is all there.

Mr. Speaker, 13.7 million Americans will lose their healthcare, and millions of families will see their food assistance taken away. That is not my opinion. Those are the numbers from the Congressional Budget Office.

Republicans tell you: Don't worry. No one is losing coverage. We are not cutting SNAP.

Understand they are lying to you, and they know it. This bill is so shameful that they are moving forward at 1 a.m. in the morning, tonight, in the dead of night.

Why? They are doing that because they hope we are asleep. They don't want us paying attention. They don't want us to know what they are, in fact, truly doing. They hope we are not watching, and they hope no one notices until it is too late.

Texans are paying attention, and I am here to sound the alarm on this outrageous bill. In Texas, over 5 million people depend on Medicaid. They are children with disabilities, working moms, and aging parents in nursing homes. These cuts will lead to fewer doctors, longer wait times, and hospitals closing. Yes, people will die because they can't get the care that they need.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you about Stephanie, a mom from Richardson, Texas. Her son was born with spina bifida. His entire life depends on the care they get through an emergency Medicaid waiver. This is his equipment, his treatment, and his survival. Republicans in this Chamber will take that care away from Stephanie's 11-year-old son.

For what? Why are we doing this? Why are we causing so much pain across so many families in this country who depend on support for basic needs?

It is so that Trump and his friends can have a huge tax cut.

The other thing that is deeply concerning is we have an incredibly large deficit, and all the Republicans peacock around, parading about how atrocious the deficit is. This bill is going to add $4 trillion to the deficit. It is not conservative. It is not principally, financially prudent, responsible legislation. It is outrageous and borderline criminal against the people of this country.

Let's talk about food assistance. Mr. Speaker, one in seven Texans rely on SNAP at a time when Trump's tariffs have made groceries more expensive than ever. Republicans want to take food off the tables of families who are just trying to get by.

This isn't about fiscal responsibility. It is about cruelty. It is about choosing hedge fund managers and people like Elon Musk over hungry kids.

Budgets are moral documents, and this one being put up by House Republicans is morally bankrupt. I will not vote for a bill that abandons families like Stephanie's and lets kids go hungry or that sells out our most vulnerable neighbors just to pay for another tax break for those who definitely do not need one.

Mr. Speaker, if you are a Member of this body who claims to care about life, liberty, or your own constituents, you should not vote for it either. If you show me your budget, I will show you your values.

Republicans have made their values crystal clear. They value a handful of wealthy people in this country over the millions of hardworking families who depend on the United States Government.

Mr. Speaker, today we are seeing a full scale assault on the arts, culture, and public knowledge in America by Trump and Republicans in this Congress.

The administration has made it clear: They are not just trying to defund NPR, PBS, or make changes to the Library of Congress, they are trying to dismantle every institution that informs, educates, and inspires the American people.

From Sesame Street to the Smithsonian, from symphony halls to small- town libraries, Republicans are waging a culture war on anything they cannot control.

Their goal is simple: Erase facts, silence independent voices, replace them with partisan noise, and use them as propaganda machines to spread disinformation and continue to divide our Nation.

The latest example is President Trump's removal of Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress, a respected public servant with decades of experience, and his illegal installation of personal attorney, Todd Blanche, in her place. He is not a librarian or a scholar but only a Trump loyalist.

It doesn't stop there. Republicans have repeatedly pushed to zero out funding for NPR, a lifeline for rural news and local journalism. They have attacked PBS, which brings educational programming to children who don't have access to cable or broadband.

For decades, American children have learned from Big Bird and Elmo. These aren't just TV characters. They have become part of the joys of growing up in this country, and Republicans want to deny our kids the joy and the opportunity to learn for generations in the future.

These cornerstones of our civic life belong to the public. Arts and culture should not be partisan. They are how we tell our stories. They are how we learn. They are how we connect across communities, across cultures, and across language. They are worth defending.

Congress must protect these institutions. We must safeguard NPR, PBS, and the Library of Congress from being turned into propaganda tools. We must make clear that knowledge, truth, and creativity are not the enemies of democracy, but instead, they are its very foundation.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans in this House are proposing a budget that includes devastating cuts to Medicaid.

These are cuts they know will negatively impact their constituents, just like they would mine in north Texas.

This isn't about balancing a budget, responsibly cutting spending, or making government more efficient. This is about trying to balance the books on the backs of working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

In Texas, these healthcare cuts will be catastrophic. We already have the highest uninsured rate in the country, with nearly 5 million people in Texas lacking health coverage. Mr. Speaker, one in four Texas children rely on Medicaid or CHIP, and more than one-half of Texas births are covered by Medicaid.

These cuts would gut funding for rural hospitals, eliminate access to care for thousands of Texans with disabilities, and put even more pressure on emergency rooms that are already stretched very thin, causing hospitals to close and making it even harder to find care.

It is cruel. It is reckless. It is part of a broader agenda that prioritizes tax breaks for Trump and his friends over healthcare for the people who need it the very most.

Instead of expanding Medicaid like we should have done over a decade ago, Republicans are trying to dismantle this basic-needs program altogether.

I won't stand by while they try to take healthcare away from Texans who need it most. I will fight tooth and nail to protect Medicaid, to protect our hospitals, and to make sure no Texan is left behind simply because they are sick, struggling, or don't make enough money to exceed the meager income limits for Medicaid.

Republicans should be working with us to build a stronger, more equitable health system instead of destroying the one lifeline millions of Texans rely on.

Mr. Speaker, Medicaid is the foundation of our healthcare system. It is good for business. It is good for our economy, and it is good for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join Democrats in defense of this vital program.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during National Police Week to recognize a new chapter in public safety leadership for the city of Dallas.

On May 5, Dallas officially welcomed two exceptional leaders, Daniel Comeaux as chief of police and Justin Ball as chief of fire-rescue.

Chief Comeaux has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, including his recent role as Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Houston Field Division. His leadership has been marked by intelligence- driven crime reduction and a collaborative approach to community policing.

Chief Ball, a nearly 30-year veteran of Dallas Fire-Rescue, has risen through every rank since joining the department in 1997. His dedication and innovative leadership have been instrumental in advancing the department's mission to protect and serve our community.

These appointments reflect Dallas' commitment to public safety and community trust. I commend City Manager Kimberly Tolbert for her thoughtful selection of these leaders.

I thank Chiefs Comeaux and Ball for their service. I look forward to supporting their efforts here in Congress to help ensure the safety and well-being of all Dallas residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this complete waste of time, the Gulf of America Act.

While Americans are struggling with real problems, while Trump is trampling over the constitutional rights of the citizens he swore to protect, Republicans are wasting this Chamber's time with performative nonsense.

Here is the choice this comes down to:

We could focus on helping 40 million Americans saddled with medical debt, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

We could ensure that the 10 million children going hungry every night have enough food to eat, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

We could address our Nation's highest maternal mortality rate, where women are dying in this country every day while giving birth, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

We could address our Nation's lack of affordable housing, where families are struggling to find safe shelter, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

We could make sure our veterans, who are waiting for weeks for appointments at VA clinics, get the desperate care they need after making such extreme sacrifices in the honor of service to our country, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

We could be protecting Social Security and Medicare, protecting Medicaid, finding affordable childcare for the millions of children in this country and reducing the high cost of living that so many families in all of our districts are struggling to afford basic necessities, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

Republicans have made their choice. They want to focus on renaming a body of water that doesn't need renaming instead of the emergent needs of the people that we all represent. The bill's cosponsor, the woman from Georgia, in her district one in five residents live below the poverty line. Her district ranks near the bottom in Georgia for health outcomes, and opioid overdose rates continue to climb. Broadband access remains limited, and public schools are underresourced.

However, again, instead of working on bills to bring down the high cost of healthcare, making broadband accessible for Americans all over the country, or helping families struggling with addiction, we are renaming the Gulf of Mexico as if it is the most important, pressing issue facing this country.

This is not governing. It is a distraction. It is political theater, and it is an insult to the intelligence of every American who expects us in Congress to do the serious work of solving real problems and making their lives better.

This bill does not achieve any of those ends. The American people did not send us here to troll and suck up to a President. They sent us here to legislate, lead, and make their lives better.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this stupid bill and focus on what matters to the American people.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable leader, President Richard Benson, as he prepares to retire after 8 years of service to the University of Texas at Dallas.

Under his leadership, the university has soared to new heights: expanding research, increasing enrollment, and strengthening UTD's reputation as one of the top public research institutions in the Nation.

During his tenure, President Benson championed innovation, supported world-class faculty, and opened doors for thousands of students to achieve their dreams. Over the past 8 years, UTD has grown in size and stature. Its impact in the Dallas/Fort Worth region and the entire State of Texas has never been greater.

This includes opening the first phase of the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, which features the UT Dallas art museum. The museum showcases an array of Asian art exhibits, as well as pieces from the university's growing collection of Latin-American art.

President Benson's legacy will live on in every lab, in every classroom, and in every life changed by this incredible university.

I thank President Benson for his vision, his dedication, and his unwavering belief in the power of education. On behalf of the entire House and the people of Texas' 32nd Congressional District, we wish him all the best in his next chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republicans' voter suppression act.

I want to give Republicans one chance to actually fulfill the rhetoric that they are spouting to the American people, which is actually giving people the right to vote.

I appreciate efforts to ensure that our elections are safe and free from foreign interference and that only U.S. citizens can vote. However, one of my concerns with this bill is, as it is written, it does not allow for mail or online voter registration.

This bill, let me be perfectly clear, requires hardworking American people who go to work at 8 in the morning and who don't get off until 5 p.m. to go in person to a voter registration office, to take off work to go in person to register to vote.

That is why I have offered an amendment to have online voter registration. There are millions of servicemembers and their families serving our country overseas, individuals with disabilities, and seniors who are unable to vote in person. Why are we keeping these barriers for eligible citizens when the world is evolving around us?

We live in modern times, and so many of our lives happen online for daily activities. We can pay our bills and we can pay our taxes online. You can apply for college, a car, a home, and everything else online.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit

this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with my commonsense amendment to this bill.

My amendment would ensure Americans could still register to vote and prove their citizenship online or by mail. This is a simple, commonsense amendment, and it would make certain that we can care for the people who can't get out of their homes and that this Congress is not depriving any eligible citizens of their right to vote.

Republicans have refused this amendment. Republicans are refusing your ability to go and make it easy for citizens to register to vote in this country. Republicans can now vote to pass this amendment.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising in opposition to the Republicans' dismantling of the Judiciary Act. It is not about justice; it is about power. It is a full-scale assault on our Constitution, the courts, and the people those courts are meant to protect.

The American people must be able to challenge unconstitutional laws and seek relief when they are harmed. That is the role of the judiciary, to be a check on our government from overreach and to safeguard our public rights. Instead of respecting that, Republicans are attacking judicial independence because they don't like the outcome when the courts rule against them.

Earlier today, Republicans in debate acknowledged that President Trump has been overruled by judges more than the last three Presidents combined, and that is because he is insistent on extending an overreach of the executive branch. We have the courts to safeguard that.

What the Republicans are trying to do is to require every single person who has been harmed in any way to file individual lawsuits, clogging up our courts, requiring them to hire expensive attorneys, precluding their access to the courts. It is unconstitutional, and this rule must be voted down. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote against it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and hosting this important Special Order hour on a topic that impacts many of my constituents in north Texas.

Since day one, the Trump administration has targeted essential social services that make government unreliable for all Americans: veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, and our children. All of these people and more rely on government to survive and all President Trump wants to do is cut, cut, and cut.

Let's call it what it is: It is a full on assault of the most essential lifelines millions of Americans count on, especially Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They are right in the crosshairs of this administration.

The Trump administration and Republicans in this House are pushing cuts to the programs that Texans rely on every day. These aren't just numbers in a budget; they are difference between stability and catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of my constituents.

In Texas alone, more than 4 million people rely on Medicaid for healthcare, including half of the children in our State. Let me remind you, this is a State of 32 million people. Half of the children in our State rely on Medicaid, one out of every two kids in Texas.

When Trump proposes gutting it, he is not just slashing spending, he is taking away critical healthcare from children, from seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities who depend on it to survive.

Today, in the Capitol, one of my dear friends is here visiting who runs a hospice company. They provide dignity of care to people at the end of their life. They provide necessary comfort for families as they are trying to deal with these situations. End of life care is the most expensive part of our healthcare system. Companies like hospice companies provide a necessary but much more affordable access to the end of life with dignity for families, and they rely on Medicaid. They rely on Medicare to stay in business to help families and so many people in need.

We still have to talk about Social Security. Over 4 million Texans, retirees, veterans, widows, and people with disabilities rely on Social Security to keep the lights on, keep food on the table, and pay their bills. It is not a luxury; it is a promise this country made to working people. If you pay in, you can retire with dignity, but Trump's budget says otherwise.

He is talking about entitlement reform. That is Washington speak for cuts. Cuts that would hit rural communities, communities of color, and low-income seniors the hardest.

Let me be crystal clear: Texas already ranks 43rd in the Nation in access to healthcare. It is a statistic I am not proud of from my State. We lead

the Nation in uninsured adults. We also lead the Nation in maternal mortality and infant mortality, two statistics the Republicans in our State should be embarrassed of.

Now, Trump and Republicans want to make it worse. It is cruel, it is reckless, and it is dead wrong.

This isn't about balancing a budget; it is about priorities. Donald Trump's priorities are tax breaks for his buddies while working families are told to tighten their belts. We should be expanding care, not slashing it. We should be protecting retirement security, not playing games with the futures of people who worked their entire lives.

Texas families are watching and we will not let this administration destroy the programs that protect our health, our security, and our basic dignity. I urge my colleagues, especially my Republican colleagues, you represent the same people I do, hardworking folks trying to make ends meet, trying to provide a life for their kids.

If you went to your townhalls, you would see people standing up, speaking out. They don't want this. The people in this country don't want this. My message to you is that Democrats are standing up. We are doing everything we can to protect you, your family, and your kids in the right for safety, justice, and your right to pursue the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, Texans and all Americans deserve better.