Kathleen M. Rice

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Estee Lauder Companies' critical Breast Cancer Campaign. I am proud to join my colleagues in Congress and individuals around the world in recognizing those fighting breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer for women in the United States, with an estimated 280,000 women, as well as thousands of men, diagnosed with the disease each year according to the National Cancer Institute. With so many people around the world at risk for breast cancer, it is crucial to raise awareness so that the disease can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Through its Breast Cancer Campaign, The Estee Lauder Companies have made great progress towards this goal. Whether it is in funding lifesaving research, improving healthcare access for disadvantaged people, supporting patients and their families through difficult diagnoses, or raising the public's awareness with the pink ribbon, the campaign is closer to realizing a world without breast cancer.

However, despite the significant progress over the past thirty years, we cannot rest until we are rid of breast cancer. That is why I am proud to support the ongoing work done by the Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign. Please join me in recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month to further spread awareness of this disease and sustain those affected by it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP, for his advocacy on the behalf of New York's children and for his many years serving as a resource to my office.

A noted pediatrician, neonatologist, and researcher, Dr. Shah has tirelessly fought to protect the well-being of children. He has promoted increased funding for childhood vaccinations and children's hospitals and improving the Medicaid and CHIP programs to ensure children always have access to the care they need. He is a voice for his fellow doctors, and his efforts will help guarantee that medical school graduates continue to pursue careers in pediatrics and pediatric subspecialties in underserved communities.

Dr. Shah has also played a critical role in promoting public health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by hand-delivering protective equipment to doctors across Long Island. His determination provided children in our communities with the critical care they needed.

In New York, and across the country, we are incredibly fortunate to have people like Dr. Shah, whose work ensures that our children grow into healthy adults. I would like to commend Dr. Shah for his commitment to public health and to the children of New York's Fourth Congressional District.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment, which will ensure the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are able to comply with statutory requirements to report to Congress on the domestic terror threat.

In response to the ongoing threat of domestic violent extremism, Section 5602 of the fiscal year 2020 NDAA, which passed this House in 2019 and was signed into law by President Trump, mandated that the DHS and the FBI issue an annual report to Congress with a strategic intelligence assessment of domestic terrorism in the United States.

This report is required to include information on domestic extremist incidents, investigations, and prosecutions, as well as an assessment of how law enforcement intelligence, personnel, and resources are deployed to meet the domestic terror threat.

This is essential information for Congress as we continue our work to understand and counter domestic terror and the threat it poses to our democracy and the rule of law.

Unfortunately, the DHS and the FBI have struggled to comply with this mandate in a timely and sufficient manner. The first Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism report was 10 months late, and it included incomplete and insufficient information that failed to meet the content requirements laid out in the law.

A second annual report has not yet been released, though it is well past its due date.

My amendment is very simple. It gives the DHS and the FBI the opportunity to report to Congress on what processes or resources they need to comply with this reporting requirement. If they need more resources, better data, or anything else, we, in Congress, can give it to them. But these reports are too important to our work for us not to receive them in a timely and complete manner.

I urge support for this commonsense amendment to ensure that we give our agencies the tools they need to give us the best intelligence and information.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am ready to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.