Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I oppose this very cruel amendment which supports the Trump administration's rule that allows virtually any individual or entity involved in a patient's care, from a hospital's board of directors to a receptionist that schedules procedures, to put personal beliefs ahead of a patient's health.

This antiabortion obsession has gone to the ridiculousness.

Under this Trump rule, a pharmacist could refuse to fill a prescription for birth control, a receptionist could refuse to schedule an abortion for a child rape victim, an ambulance driver could refuse to take a patient suffering from miscarriage to the hospital, all based upon their personal beliefs, not the patient's welfare.

Mr. Chair, this rule is dangerous. The amendment is dangerous. It should be killed before it kills us.

Mr. Chair, my, my, my, here we go again, the anti- abortion obsession turned into more cruel ridiculousness.

How interesting that my Republican colleagues, whose motto is ``less government,'' try at every opportunity to interfere with a woman's most personal decision whether or not to bring a child into the world.

But this amendment does more than that. It is aimed at eviscerating Planned Parenthood and like clinics, cutting off access to contraception and lifesaving healthcare to millions of Americans.

Women and the people they trust--not politicians--must be in charge of women's reproductive destinies, which means that women must have access to full healthcare, because we will not go back to the days of coat hanger medicine.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to defeat this very, very bad, bad, bad, bad, very bad amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding and my colleagues who have brought this before us today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the American Dream and Promise Act.

As a teen, Daniella had a dream, a dream to be a lawyer. Her grandmother had brought her here from Venezuela when she was a small child, from a place she barely knew and never returned to.

Daniella learned English, made friends, studied hard, and became an honors student. When she applied for a college scholarship, she learned for the first time a family secret: she was undocumented.

Disqualified from this scholarship and with no money for college, Daniella was devastated. Then, in 2012, like for hundreds of thousands of young people, the doorway to opportunity opened. President Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order. Daniella enrolled in college and is now preparing for law school.

Mr. Speaker, today is a day that walls come down and we show the world that dreams like Daniella's can come true.

Madam Speaker, let me start by first of all thanking my colleague, Mr. Castro, for yielding time, and Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for their bipartisan leadership.

I am rising in support of a bipartisan resolution brought by myself and Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania denouncing female genital mutilation and cutting, known as FGM.

Every girl, no matter where she is born, has a right to be free of violence, and FGM is a barbaric violation of girls' and women's human rights. It is defined by the World Health Organization as any procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons.

Madam Speaker, there is no developmental, religious, or health- related justification for this harmful practice. FGM poses immediate risks to girls' health, including severe pain and bleeding, difficulty in passing urine, infections, and even death due to hemorrhage or shock.

The practice often leaves girls with long-term scars as well: post- traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, HIV infection, cysts, abscess, genital ulcers. I could go on.

Girls who have undergone FGM also face an increased risk of complications affecting their menstrual cycles, sometimes resulting in infertility. And as my colleagues pointed out, more than 200 million women and girls living today around the world, including women right here in the United States of America, have been cut.

And now here is a horrible statistic: UNICEF predicts that, if there is no reduction in this practice within the next 30 years, the number of girls being mutilated each year is going to grow from 3.6 million a year to 6.6 million a year.

Madam Speaker, I want you to know that, with resources and advocacy, we can stop this horrific practice. Just look at Jaha, a very, very courageous young woman from Gambia who was a week old when she was mutilated and forced into marriage at age 15. Now, she escaped that marriage. She could easily have fallen into despair. Instead, she spoke out because she never wanted her daughter or any other child to go through the suffering of FGM. Because of her hard-fought efforts, FGM is now banned in her home country.

Like Jaha, we must all do more. So, today, I am asking the United States Congress to pass this bipartisan resolution denouncing female genital mutilation, recognizing it as a violation of the human rights of women and girls, affirming the importance of ending its practice for the safety and security of women, calling upon the international community to increase its efforts to accelerate the elimination, and urging our State Department of the United States, in their gender programming, to incorporate coordinated efforts to eliminate FGM.

Today, we are going to send a clear message that this practice must stop; and the United States, as one of the largest donors in the global health programs, can help end this cruel practice.

There are things that we can do, like allocating resources annually to continue our efforts to eliminate FGM, codifying the U.S. strategies to prevent and respond to gender-based violence; and we must--I want to say this emphatically--we must restore funding to the U.N. Population Fund, the world's largest program to end FGM, that works with 17 countries and more than 3 million survivors.

Madam Speaker, ending FGM will help millions of girls have a better life. And when they have a better life, that means that their communities will be more prosperous and more peaceful, because when women succeed, the world succeeds.

It is imperative that we end female genital mutilation now. And I thank my colleagues for joining me in support of this critical resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 80 high school seniors in Florida's 21st District who have decided to enlist in the United States Armed Forces.

Of the eighty from my district, thirty-three have joined the Army; their names are the following: Jacob Alexis, Jayquan Amaker, Edwin Asenjo, Devon Barthelemy, Briana Bolivar, Ricky Borgela, Kamron Botelho, Ricky Casseus, Lanca Danastor, Jannifer Elie, Joaquin Flores, Zachary Forster, Shemoi Foster, Linear Gelpi, Naeshawn Goines, Hunter Hall, Jessica Harris, Ashlyne Janvier, Christopher Jean Louis, Halina Josama, Joshua Lee, Bentley Meide, Brandon Moore, Ronie Olibrisse, Miguel Perez Mendez, Angela Pintos Villca, Dedan Presendieu, Erika Santiago, Ritchy-Senat, Christel Stephon, Trevor Topete, Zulma Bonilla, and Jaqueissy Pena.

Nineteen have joined the Marines; their names are the following: Kenneth Allen, Ryan Altes, Huguenson Camy, Ralphy Dormeus, Jonathan Giron, Fernando Guerra Guzman, Michael Guillen, Valeria Manzano, Trevor Murtha, Collin Poerstel, Sebastian Rodoli, Kevin Aguilar-Agosto, Matthew Soares, Jesus Juarez, Jay Marine, Anthony Medina, Shiloh Robinson, Joseph Saavedra, and Alberto Velazquez.

Twenty-six have joined the Navy; their names are the following: Izabella Brunson, Justin Rose, Jordan Sharpe, Maria Figueroa, Roseny Joseph, Adler Pierre, Xavier Lesueur Sierra, Danny Ortiz, Natali Tamayo, Jessica Gonzalez Rodriguez, Jessica Wagner, Leonardo Gandica Gonzalez, Flora Hill, Donald III Tuckwood, Jeali Vasquez, Summer Dobbs, Jacqueline Sierra, Rafael Perez Garcia, Isaiah McGraw, Ian Giles, Roshell Almonte, Christopher Walsh, Gabriel Rinaldi, Brandon Granberg, Kaden Kennedy, and Alessandro Riccio.

Two have joined the Air Force; their names are Valeria Degrossi and Donovan Dowling.

It is in thanks to the dedication of patriots like these that we are able to meet here today, in the United States House of Representatives, and openly debate the best solutions to the diverse issues that confront our country. On behalf of myself and all of my constituents in Florida's 21st District, I thank them for their service, and best of luck as they pursue this challenging endeavor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ann Weaver Norton and on behalf of the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Ann Norton was an inspirational artist. She found her passion at age 8, when she received her first sculpting tools. She eventually moved to New York where she studied at the National Academy of Design, the Arts Student League of New York and Cooper Union. Ann served as an apprentice to the famed sculpture John Hovannes and a studio assistant to Alexander Archipenko. Her artwork was well received and she participated in numerous shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

In 1942, Ann moved to West Palm Beach and began teaching at the Norton Gallery and School of Art. Five years later, she married Ralph Norton, the school's founder. In 1977, Ann established the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens Foundation. The sculpture garden and the foundation work to preserve the artwork of Ann Norton and other unique local treasures. The Norton Sculpture Gardens commemorates the great artwork and culture Ann brought to the community of South Florida.

On February 9, 2019, the Norton Sculpture Garden held a grand reopening. After $100 million in renovations over eight years, the museum now includes an additional 12,000 square feet of gallery space and a new exterior. On display one will experience artwork from the likes of Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

I proudly join the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in celebrating the induction of Ann Norton to the Florida Artist Hall of Fame this Saturday, April 13, 2019.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of what I consider, and many consider, one of the most important pieces of legislation that protects the families of America, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, because no woman or man or child should ever be afraid to walk into their own home because of fear from violence from a spouse or a dating partner.

So today, I rise on behalf of one of my constituents named Olga, from Florida, who on her wedding day thought she was entering into a dream marriage for herself and her two children. But this marriage turned into a nightmare when her husband became aggressive, violent, and controlling, imprisoning Olga and her two children in their own home, not even letting the children go to school.

Olga fled to my hometown and was nurtured back to emotional and financial health by a local domestic violence organization in my community.

The Violence Against Women Act helps tackle the epidemic of domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, and sexual violence.

Since it was first passed in 1994, serious victimization by an intimate partner has dropped by 72 percent for women and 64 percent for men. However, it is estimated that as many as 45 million adults will still experience physical violence, rape, or stalking by an intimate partner sometime in their lives.

Reauthorizing and strengthening this legislation, expanding protections, increasing funding, and improving services to survivors will save lives across America and help protect women like

Olga and let her children be spared from horrific violence.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this great bill.

Madam Speaker, this is a great day in America. I am so proud to say that as the Congress considers these bills that protect and advance human rights.

I rise today, specifically, to talk about the Paycheck Fairness Act, because men and women should be able to be paid the same for doing the same work.

I thank my colleagues, Rosa DeLauro and the committee chairman, Bobby Scott, for their advancement of this great legislation.

Madam Speaker, I want to tell you a story, the story of a young lawyer who worked in the public defender's office. Her job was to represent people accused of crimes like murder and robbery. She was a free lawyer for them. It was very high pressure, and it was very grueling, but she loved it.

When she got the job, she was told a rule: Nobody talks about salary in this office.

But one day, she found out that a male colleague was doing the same job, and he had similar credentials, but he made much more money. She was making $18,000 a year. He was making $20,000.

When she asked her boss why, she was told that he, the male attorney, had a wife and children to take care of.

Madam Speaker, that was me. That happened to me 40 years ago.

It was then and still today is a very common experience to millions of women who are still earning 80 cents on the dollar that men make, and actually much less for women of color. It still makes me angry to think about my own experience, but I am not complaining about my own life journey. Fortunately, I have a job now that pays me the same as my male colleagues. I am so happy I am in a position to do something about this today.

As a result of lower lifetime earnings and different work patterns, women are hit hard in retirement.

I am too excited, Madam Speaker.

This is why so many women end up in poverty. I want to just say this over and over: women go to work for the same reason men go to work, and that is to take care of their families. Regardless of the circumstance's agenda, we deserve to be paid equally. This Paycheck Fairness Act is going to allow workers to talk openly about their pay. It is going to prohibit asking about salary histories. It is going to require bosses to prove disparities exist for discrimination.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill because when women succeed, America succeeds.

Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of Loujain al- Hathloul, a Saudi women's rights activist and political prisoner who stands trial today in Saudi Arabia. Loujain has been imprisoned for her political activism, including for women's equality under the law. She was arrested in May 2018, along with a dozen other peaceful women's rights advocates. These activists have been held as prisoners, and have reportedly faced torture and abuse, including sexual violence, beatings, and electric shocks.

Loujain was arrested for her advocacy on behalf of an end to the male guardianship system and the ban on women driving. Fighting for women's rights is a fundamental American value that we have long championed worldwide. Today marks the first day of her sham trial. She has been denied a lawyer and any real form of defense against the Saudi government. The United States cannot stand by and watch while justice and democracy are devalued by our partners. We must hold the Saudi government accountable for such human rights violations.

That is why I introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Saudi Arabia's continued detention and alleged abuse of women's rights activists. Saudi Arabia must release these advocates and end the discriminatory male guardianship system that restricts women's decisions about their livelihood. Let this serve as a reminder to the world that women's rights are human rights.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which is aimed at ensuring that a voter is not confused or misled by a bad ballot design that could lead to that voter overlooking a race--that is called an undervote--or even voting for the wrong candidate.

I want to explain the problem, Madam Chair, and then what I suggest is the remedy because, unfortunately, I have seen a bad ballot design basically cause chaos in my home State of Florida in two recent past elections.

First, I want to go back to the 2000 Presidential race, Gore v. Bush, where a very--unfortunately, a famous--poorly designed butterfly ballot confused voters in Palm Beach County. Many elderly citizens who thought they were voting for Al Gore actually voted for Pat Buchanan.

Why was this significant? Because we had a Presidential race where 6 million voters voted and it was decided by 500-plus votes, and Pat Buchanan got an unexpected 3,400 votes in a very liberal Palm Beach County.

Then, again, just recently in the 2018 midterms, again, in a very close Senate race, this time a race that was about a 12,000-vote margin, more than 30,000 voters in Broward County did not make

a choice in a U.S. Senate race. It is arguable that this is because the Senate candidates' names were under a set of long instructions, and according to experts, people don't read long instructions, and then they overlooked this Senate race.

So this amendment makes a good attempt to remedy this situation. It would allow States to use the election assistance grants that are now being authorized by H.R. 1 to improve ballot designs. Although our Election Assistance Commission publishes best practices and guidelines how to design a good ballot, these guidelines are voluntary, and local election administrators often face difficulties in trying to translate the best practices into the real world.

So with the funds provided by this amendment, States will be allowed to use their election assistance grants to create programs to train workers, research, model, and implement ballots designed by the best practices. This promises Americans the chance to cast their vote for their intended candidate.

We have seen problems with bad ballots. They are not just theoretical hiccups. They can and will, literally, swing elections.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I just want to say that this amendment is very simple.

You do not want elections with asterisks. Voters should be able to vote for the candidate they intend to vote for. There should be no confusion because of the ballot.

Madam Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Madam Chair, I thank the chairwoman for her comments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on roll call vote 100, 101, 102, and 103 I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea,'' ``yea,'' ``nay,'' and ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, on roll call votes 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, and 95, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``YEA,'' ``YEA,'' ``YEA,'' ``YEA,'' ``YEA,'' and ``YEA'' respectively.

Madam Speaker, on roll call vote 96, 97, 98, and 99, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``NAY,'' ``YEA,'' ``NAY,'' and ``YEA.''

Madam Speaker, on roll call votes 88 and 89, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' and ``yea.''

Madman Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of Gwenn Kuskin Feldman, a beloved constituent of Florida's 21st Congressional District. Gwenn will be remembered as a loving mother and sister, generous friend, and the grandmother who never said no to her grandkids--Ellie, Ben, and Ruby.

I was introduced to Gwenn through her son, my colleague from New Jersey--Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Gwenn was a woman who stood strong in her convictions. She wasn't afraid to give me a report on how I was doing as her Congresswoman or speak her mind about issues of the day. Above all, she truly cared about the future of our country.

Gwenn's contribution to our community came from her immeasurable amount of love. Before moving to Florida, she spent years working with preschool children at Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey. Her dedication to the growth of our youths continued in Florida. Countless loved ones honored her memory through donations to Jewish Adoption & Family Care Options' (JAFCO) Gwenn Feldman Fund for Fun.

In facing this loss, I am reminded of a Hannah Senesh poem, ``There are Stars'' or Yesh Kochavim in the original Hebrew. The first few lines embody Gwenn:

There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth

though they have long been extinct.

There are people whose brilliance continues to light

the world even though they are not longer among the living.

Gwenn's star continues to shine bright through her children and the lives of the many she impacted. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering this incredible American and celebrating the inspiring life she lived.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Perry for yielding. I have to say it was quite difficult to listen to you, not because you are not articulate, but these stories are horrific. I just thank you on a bipartisan basis that we can address this horrible, horrible situation.

I am rising here today and I am joining, of course, Representative Perry on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. I say that every girl, no matter where she is born, has a right to live free of violence.

When women and girls are empowered, when they are provided access to quality healthcare and education, communities thrive. In fact, the best predictor of a country's peacefulness is how well its women are treated.

Uplifting the value of women around the world is an American value that must continue. And still, there are horrific norms and cultural practices, like female genital mutilation, or we call it FGM for short, and it is holding back women from reaching their full potential.

Representative Perry, I actually met a victim of this very, very cruel act last year. She came to a panel discussion. Her name was Jaha, a young woman from Gambia. She told us that when she was actually born, when she was 1 week old, she was mutilated, and that at age 15, she was married off. She told us this is very common. It is happening to something like 200 million women today.

Now, Jaha, she is a champion, because she broke away from her marriage and she became a champion advocate for her daughter. She became an advocate. Through her advocacy, FGM is now banned in Gambia. So she has shown us that it can be done.

200 million girls and women today have been cut, leaving them with irreversible emotional and physical damage which can lead to infection, severe bleeding, complication in childbirth and increased risk of newborn death.

It is horrific, it is inhumane, and it is a gross violation of human rights. And it is not just tied to one religion or culture; it could happen anywhere. It is unbelievable to say that it still happens in the United States of America, as you so aptly pointed out.

I am very happy to be here with you. In fact, I am very proud to be here with you to just send a clear message that FGM is unacceptable. It must stop. And I am so pleased to join you in all your efforts, our joint efforts to stop this practice.

And I will add something: In the United States, there is more that we can do in terms of resources. At least $15 million is needed, annually, to continue our efforts. I would like to see us put into law the U.S. strategies to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, globally, and to empower adolescent girls, recognizing that FGM is a gender-based violence.

As importantly, we must restore our funding to the U.N. Population Fund, which is providing care to 2 million survivors around the world. It is time we recommit to ensuring the safety and empowerment of women and girls.

Mr. Speaker, I know Representative Perry would join me in saying, when women succeed, so does the world.