Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to say thank you to President Biden and his team for their relentless perseverance and leadership in securing a needed agreement between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of 33 hostages, who have endured unimaginable suffering.

This breakthrough is a testament to unwavering U.S. diplomacy and steadfast support for Israel and is a profound moment of relief and joy for loved ones who never gave up hope.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, this mission is not over. We must remain resolute, bringing every hostage home, delivering humanitarian relief where needed, ensuring Israel's security, and laying the foundation for lasting peace in the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor five outstanding leaders in Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO): Corporal Adrian Maldonado, Deputy James Mackey, Deputy Jason Coker, Deputy Tammy Fox, and Deputy Yanick Exceus. I congratulate each of them on being named recipients of the Innovations in Community Policing Award at the 7th Annual Attorney General Awards for Distinguished Service in Policing.

During their time in Palm Beach County, they have demonstrated the core values and mission of the PBSO by developing innovative ways to use community policing to improve the lives of the people they serve. Specifically, Deputy Mackey and Corporal Maldonado established PBSO's first Homeless Intervention Team, connecting individuals experiencing homelessness with resources. Deputies Coker, Fox, and Exceus have organized food distribution programs for the hungry and helped feed elderly residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a direct result of their innovation, several other community policing units within and outside of the agency use these program models to bring similar change to their communities.

I am proud to celebrate them all today. Their dedication to public safety and service to the people of Palm Beach County is commendable. I wish them continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) Deputy Sheriff Jahmar Robinson, a diligent public servant, to congratulate him on being named the Field Operations Awardee at the 7th Annual Attorney General Awards for Distinguished Service in Policing. During his time with PBSO, Deputy Robinson has become a trusted presence and role model in the community.

Deputy Robinson's knowledge of the County and its residents has prevented potential violent cnmes before they happen and has allowed him to respond effectively when incidents arise. He serves our local residents through community-oriented practices in policing, while combating crime and decreasing recidivism.

Deputy Robinson serves as a positive role model for at-risk youth, and his work goes above and beyond crime prevention and response. From facilitating outreach to local schools to connecting local residents to childcare resources and domestic violence crisis resources, his dedication to enhancing safety and fostering civilian relationships has lasting impacts on building a safer and more connected community.

Jahmar's dedication to public safety and his service to the people of Palm Beach County is truly admirable. I am proud to celebrate him today and wish him continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair and ranking member for their help in bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with immense pride to support my bill to name a post office in Delray Beach, Florida, after Benjamin Berell Ferencz, a Congressional Gold Medal recipient, a man whose life was a master class in courage, justice, and humanity.

I am deeply honored to say that Mr. Ferencz was my constituent, who enjoyed the latter years of his life in a vibrant community of retirees called Kings Point, where he was not only a neighbor, but an inspiration to those who knew him.

The post office is situated in the very community where Mr. Ferencz and his neighbors lived, and it will stand as a daily reminder of his incredible life and legacy and bring much pride to the community.

Mr. Ferencz' story is extraordinary. He was the last living Nuremberg prosecutor when he passed away at the remarkable age of 103.

During World War II, Mr. Ferencz served in an antiaircraft military unit in the U.S. Army before being assigned to gather evidence of Nazi crimes. That assignment led him to witness firsthand the horrors of the concentration camp, where millions of Jews and others were systematically murdered. He later described that experience as having peered into hell.

At just 27 years old, with remarkable courage and resolve, Ben served as the chief prosecutor in one of the Nuremberg trials, what scholars have called the biggest murder trial in history. It was his first case as a lawyer, and he successfully prosecuted 22 high-ranking Nazi officials responsible for the deaths of over 1 million people.

His work set a global standard for justice and accountability and made clear that even the most powerful perpetrators of evil would face consequences.

His fight for justice did not end in the courtroom. For the rest of his life, he was a tireless advocate for global peace, for human rights, and the rule of law. He believed in building a better and more compassionate world where atrocities would never happen again.

Now more than ever, Mr. Speaker, his legacy calls to us because anti- Semitism is on the rise, with 2023 marking the highest recorded incidences in U.S. history.

The Jewish people and, indeed, all who value justice and tolerance are facing growing threats. Mr. Ferencz warned us that creating a world of tolerance and compassion would be a long and arduous task, and that task remains unfinished.

By naming this post office after Mr. Ferencz, we honor not only the man, but also the principles he dedicated his life to: justice, dignity, and the fight against hatred and division. It is a reminder for all of us to stand against the forces of hate and division and recommit to building a future defined by justice and humanity.

Mr. Speaker, let me say this loud and clear: Women, not politicians--women, not politicians--should have the freedom to choose whether or when to start or grow a family. You know what? The voters of Florida agree with that.

In my home State, a clear majority, 57 percent, voted to support an amendment to enshrine access to legal abortion in our constitution, because they know that reproductive decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor.

Despite that clear majority, sadly, amendment 4 did not reach the threshold of 60 percent, leaving in place a cruel 6-week abortion ban, endangering women's lives, their futures, and doctors' freedoms. Now doctors have to decide between saving women's lives or going to prison.

It is time, Mr. Speaker, for Florida's legislature to stand up, to respond to our voters, and to repeal that 6-week abortion ban.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Joseph Speicher, a mental health professional and Chief Executive Officer of South County Mental Health Center. Dr. Speicher earned the rank of corporal when he served in the United States Army. He served as a marine engineer working on supply boats originating from Cam Ranh Bay and continued through the waters of South Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive, one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War.

Dr. Speicher earned an undergraduate degree in Sociology and a master's in social work. He obtained a Doctoral degree in Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Speicher has been with the South County Mental Health Center (SCMHC) for 48 years, working as an Intake Evaluator, Case Manager, Team Leader, and Vietnam Veteran Outreach Therapist. He has served as Chief Executive Officer for 29 years with exceptional leadership.

As CEO, Dr. Speicher has ensured that adults and children of Palm Beach County have access to quality behavioral health and substance abuse care. He oversees a wide range of health care professionals, and SCMHC's outpatient programs serve over 600,000 residents in Palm Beach County. Dr. Speicher also serves our community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network.

I admire Dr. Speicher's dedication to health care and his service to the people of South Florida. I am proud to recognize him today and celebrate his contributions to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm about the former President's Project 2025.

It is a cruel and reckless plan that threatens the health and welfare of women in every corner of this Nation.

Project 2025 would end access to medication abortion, create an abortion surveillance state, and criminalize abortion services. These policies are more than restrictions. They are a direct assault on women's lives.

Just ask Anya Cook from my home State. At 16 weeks pregnant, suffering from a miscarriage, she was turned away from treatment because of Florida's cruel 6-week abortion ban. Anya nearly bled to death, delivering her fetus alone in a bathroom.

This is the future of Project 2025: women in pain, bleeding, abandoned by a broken system.

We must fight back.

Mr. Chair, during Roll Call Vote No. 329 on H.R. 8774, I mistakenly recorded my vote as Aye when I should have voted No.

Mr. Chair, sadly, I rise in opposition to the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2025, with the hope and expectation that we can do better.

Mr. Chair, as the leaders of the free world, we have a duty to ensure that this critical bill reflects the importance of American leadership, our commitment to developing nations, and our investments in peace and democracy around the world.

While I am very pleased that this bill includes vital provisions for our support of Israel and maintains funding for the implementation of the Women,

Peace, and Security Act, it ultimately falls short in too many crucial areas.

My Republican colleagues often emphasize the threats posed by our global adversaries. However, this bill fails to recognize that poverty, hunger, disease, conflict, hatred, and climate change are also formidable enemies.

So, alarmingly, it severely cuts funding for development assistance, humanitarian aid, and democracy programs, eliminating funding for such organizations that save lives like UNICEF and UNFPA.

It slashes support for women's healthcare and family planning services and includes dangerous policy riders that prevent the poorest, most vulnerable women from accessing abortion, and it shuts down health clinics just for providing accurate information.

Furthermore, this bill fails to appreciate the diversity of mankind. It contains provisions that harm the LGBTQ community worldwide and stifles diplomatic diversity initiatives.

Mr. Chair, by ceding American leadership, this bill creates a vacuum that will embolden our adversaries, leaving our country and the world less healthy, less safe, and less prosperous.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and send a clear message that we can do better.

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for her fine work.

Madam Chair, I am the proud mother of a United States war veteran, so I understand the risks that our brave men and women in uniform take for our freedom.

It saddens me to say: My, my, my, here we go again. Republicans are interfering with a woman's freedom to decide whether or when to start or grow a family. This time they are going after the women who have served our country in uniform.

This bill includes provisions that not only cruelly restrict access to abortion but eliminate abortion counseling at the VA altogether, impacting nearly 1 million veterans of childbearing age.

Madam Chair, I hope we can all agree that we owe our veterans nothing less than our full support to help them maintain their health and well- being. These proposed changes in this bill are not just a rollback of medical rights; they are a profound failure to stand by our veterans and a betrayal to honor our commitment to them.

I cannot support this bill because of some of these provisions, including this one, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Gary Green, a long-time constituent of Palm Beach County, for being inducted into California's Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Mr. Green, known as the ``Outlaw Folksinger'' created music with an important message.

Mr. Green's artistry in lyrics served as a rallying cry for social change and inspired a generation of writers to utilize music as a tool for organizing and activism. Mr. Green's albums are a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Folkways Collection. His musical significance and impact as a musician were recognized when the late Pete Seegar said, ``There should be a ballad of Gary Green.'' In turmoil times, where speaking out on social issues was frowned upon, Mr. Green continued to press forward. He is a true trailblazer, performing music of inclusive and transformative lyrics, at civil rights, labor, anti- war, and LGBTQ+ movements.

I am honored to congratulate Mr. Green for his successful contributions to both the art and social movements. I am confident that he will continue his life path of exceptional work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my unwavering support for Israel. She continues to be under threats to her existence: Hamas' brutal attack, Hezbollah's rockets, and Iran's missiles.

I thank President Biden and a bipartisan Congress for the support for Israel's security because Israel's security is our security.

Now, we must stand by our commitment to our ally and send the vital assistance that we have promised without delay.

The U.S.-Israel relationship is ironclad, and it is critical to defeating Hamas, bringing the hostages home, and delivering peace to a very hostile region.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Larson for his leadership on this issue, and I thank Mr. Neguse for getting us here.

I think I have joined Mr. Larson on this discussion for about 10 years or more now.

I want to tell you about one of my constituents. Her name is Janet Zweiback. She is in her eighties. She lives in Delray Beach, Florida. She is retired. She lost her dad at a very early age, and so, she watched her mom struggle with their own family bills. To help the family, Janet began working at the age of 17. Now, I have to get my math right. She has been working 50 years, so I guess that makes her--I don't know, someone add that up for me.

Here is the point: Let me tell you some of the things that she has done over these years. She was a nurse working in a hospital, working countless hours taking care of patients. She moved to Florida, and she became a director of a skilled nursing facility. Then she worked with Alzheimer's patients at Alzheimer's Community Care, probably one of the most difficult assignments a healthcare provider could have. She also managed one of the crisis center hotlines.

She retired about 8 years ago and now is one of the 66 million Americans, almost 200,000 seniors in my district--or as I like to say, seasoned adults; we are seasoned adults in my home district of Palm Beach County--relying on Social Security to meet their needs.

Mr. Speaker, I liked the point Mr. Larson made that not only does Social Security meet the needs of so many of these seniors, but our seniors are great economic generators. I know where I live, if not for the seniors' economic activity, we would be in pretty bad shape.

Janet told me that she fears that without Social Security she would have to turn to her children somewhat like her mother turned to her when she was young.

Here it is. She has worked her whole life paying into Social Security to get benefits. She and millions of other Americans, nurses, schoolteachers, janitors, construction workers, they worked under the sacred promise that when they turned 65, they would be able to retire with comfort and dignity.

Now House Republicans want to break that promise.

Their recently proposed budget slashes Social Security benefits, raises the retirement age, raises Medicare costs, all while promising another giant tax break for their wealthy friends and large corporations. I will say this, and I hope we all agree, that no one who works their entire life should retire into poverty.

Social Security is an earned benefit that Americans have already paid for with each and every one of their paychecks, and President Biden and House Democrats and Senators are committed to defending it from Republican cuts and securing it with meaningful legislation that requires our wealthiest citizens to pay their fair share.

I am proud to stand here with my colleagues standing up for Social Security, keeping it secure, and honoring our most seasoned citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Annette Wolf for her milestone 100th birthday celebrated on April 1, 2024. Annette has been a resident of Boynton Beach, Florida since 1999 and is a proud wife and mother to two great men. What a wonderful occasion for Annette, her family, and friends as she reminisces and celebrates a life great in years and rich in accomplishments.

Annette and her husband ran a corrugated box factory business in Upstate New York for several years. She started the Women's Business and Professional Organization in 1954 in Glens Falls, NY. Annette loves to socialize with her friends by playing Mah-Jongg and Canasta. She believes in doing everything in moderation and is an avid reader and regular viewer of MSNBC and CNN.

She has lived through extraordinary times in history and has no doubt witnessed remarkable changes unimaginable at the time of her birth in 1924. May this be a joyous time as her family and friends gather to celebrate this amazing milestone.

Annette always has a smile on her face and remains positive in all things. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to congratulate Ms. Annette Wolf on her 100th birthday and I wish her good health and great happiness.

Mr. Speaker, look at this map. Today is a dark day in the State of Florida because we join all of these States that are in dark colors as our draconian 6-week abortion ban goes into effect, gutting access to abortion care in Florida and in the South. It is essentially a

total ban because most women do not know they are pregnant before 6 weeks.

Abortion is a deeply personal medical decision that politicians should not interfere with, and doctors should not have to face criminal prosecution for treating a patient before them.

We don't walk in other people's shoes. There are many reasons for an abortion. It could be birth control failure, rape, incest, or endangering a person's life. Protecting a woman's access to abortion is a freedom that only she should have.

The good news is that in November, Florida voters can defend this fundamental freedom, but until then, a dark cloud hovers over our so- called Sunshine State.