Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am standing here as a Member of Congress because my grandfather, Abe, was able to flee Europe as the Nazis took over.

Then on October 7, it happened again. Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Make no mistake, Hamas are terrorists out to kill all Jews and destroy Israel, and other enemies in the region are on the same mission.

Reaffirming Israel's right to exist, Golda Meir said: ``Jews have nowhere else to go.''

Mr. Speaker, the United States has a moral duty and national security urgency to aid Israel in defending herself. We must send an unmistakable message to the world that we stand with Israel. I hope that as this process moves forward, we will all come together to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, my grandfather, Abe, fled the Holocaust as 6 million Jews were shot and tortured and gassed and starved. We often say, ``never again.'' Yet on October 7 it happened again, and make no mistake: The brutal, barbaric attacks by Hamas was not about freeing innocent people; it was about destroying Israel and killing Jews.

Today, I am proud to stand with all those who condemn Hamas, support Israel's right to defend itself, and reaffirm the United States' commitment to Israel's security.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act because it cedes our leadership in the global community, undermines human rights, and diminishes access to healthcare, education, food, and economic security for millions around the world.

Why should we care? It comes down to this: When people lack access to the basics in life, it means a greater risk for hopelessness and instability. Gutting climate change activities only escalates the consequences. For Americans at home, that means fewer trading partners, more danger from violent extremists, global pandemics, and even war.

We live in a very complicated world, and this bill undermines diplomacy and commitments to our allies and partners to make the world a better place in which to live, upending our commitments to the United Nations, and turning our back on decades of relationship-building, leaving a vacuum for unfriendly countries to fill.

If that is not enough, it hurts the most vulnerable women and girls in the world, slashing funding for women's healthcare and family planning and blocking access to reproductive care.

Mr. Chair, let me make it clear to the politicians in this room: Women, not the folks in this Chamber, should decide whether and when a woman should start or continue a family.

Tragically, this bill is going to leave our country and the world less healthy, less safe, and even more divided.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of Representative Wilson of South Carolina and my bipartisan amendment supporting efforts to modernize personal equipment for female servicemembers and small-statured servicemembers.

Twenty percent of our servicemembers are women serving our Nation. It is alarming, Mr. Chair, that, according to a new Army report, nearly half of female servicemembers in the Army Special Operations Command have trouble accessing and acquiring equipment that is the right size for them.

Imagine one of these warriors are in the battlefield, they are facing an enemy combatant, and their ill-fitting body armor prevents them from proper use of their rifle. That puts them at severe risk for harm and prevents them from executing their duty.

There is no excuse for not giving these patriots the equipment and tools to allow them to do their job safely and effectively. Our military women, they leave their families, they train hard, and are willing to risk their lives to defend our freedom. We need to do a better job to stand up for theirs.

I urge my colleagues to join me and my friend Representative Wilson of South Carolina in a bipartisan amendment to make sure that all our servicemembers have the equipment that they need to keep them safe and do their job effectively.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my bipartisan amendment supporting the Department of Homeland Security implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act, which was passed in 2017.

Relevant to our debate today, that bill recognizes that women bear the brunt of harm during disasters, and importantly, they can play an essential role in responding and preventing them.

Whether it is a hurricane, a flood, a fire, a refugee seeking asylum, evidence shows that women are more often vulnerable during disasters and crises that the Department responds to, and sadly, there is more gender-based violence and often more responsibility for care put on women to provide for their families.

Our amendment ensures that gender perspectives are included in DHS' responses to crises to ensure that the needs of women and their families are met, they have the resources they need to recover, and ensure that DHS is taking steps to prevent these outcomes in the first place.

It also recognizes the impact of women's participation. The amendment supports efforts to increase the number of women in law enforcement, senior DHS leadership, including staffing, programming, research, and department-wide training.

When women are at the table where decisions are made and on the ground to prevent and respond to disasters, outcomes are better for women and for their communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule, which is for a bad bill that takes food out of the mouths of children, hurts our farmers, guts climate change actions, and is another step toward the Republicans' dark and extreme goal to ban abortion nationwide. More specifically, it nullifies the FDA's decision to make the abortion pill, mifepristone, more accessible.

The medication abortion pill has been used effectively and safely for 20 years. FDA made an evidence-based decision to allow patients to fill this medication as they would fill any other prescription, by going to a drugstore or to their doctor or getting it through the mail.

The FDA decision removed a barrier for women in underserved communities in need of care. Reversing this decision harms the most vulnerable populations--women in maternity care deserts, women without reliable access to transportation or childcare, and women who can't take time off from work to visit a doctor.

Madam Speaker, I say this with emphasis: All women deserve the freedom to decide whether or when to start or grow a family without interference from politicians.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to listen to the science, listen to the FDA, and reject this rule for these and so many reasons.

Madam Speaker, my, my, my.

The Republican attacks on reproductive freedom never end. The latest target: our servicewomen in the military. Many of our over 500 military bases are located in States that now ban or severely restrict abortion. That is why the Department of Defense established a travel allowance for servicemembers and dependents who need to go to another State to access an abortion.

Now, shamelessly, the Republicans are seeking to block that effort. These military women leave their homes, families, and friends. They train hard. They have dreams and goals.

We trust them with Black Hawks and Special Ops. We should trust them with the very personal decision of whether or when to start a family. They stand for our freedom. It is time for us to stand for theirs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverand Gerald Kisner and First Lady Mamie Kisner for 29 exceptional years of presiding leadership over Tabernacle Church of Palm Beach, Florida. I had the privilege of attending many church services and working closely with the Kisner's during my 8 years as Mayor of West Palm Beach and to this day continue to honor our friendship.

The Tabernacle Church, formerly the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church (TMBC), was originally founded in 1893 in an area called the ``Styx'' in Palm Beach where it served families of African American construction crews who were building the grand hotels and homes in Palm Beach. One year later, the TMBC relocated to downtown West Palm Beach and established the first school for African American children in Palm Beach County.

A new TMBC was built at its current location on Eighth Street in 1925. With its distinctive towers and lighted domes, the TMBC is recognized as 1 of Florida's most important Romanesque Revival design churches. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Pastor Gerald Kisner and First Lady Mamie Kisner became the leaders of Tabernacle Church in 1994. They have provided both spiritual and tangible leadership from the pulpit, on area civic boards, and with community projects. Of special note are the U. B. Kinsey Educational and Community Center that provides a comprehensive source of programs and services to the underserved and The Rosemary Village Construction Project that provides 53 free of charge single family homes, and a park in the Northwest neighborhood of West Palm Beach.

Pastor Gerald and First Lady Mamie Kisner's commitment to the Tabernacle Church and their service to our community is truly remarkable. I congratulate them and wish them continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor founders Tracey & Amaris Graham, and each of the members of the Ladies of Futurity Inc. on the occasion of their 10 year anniversary. Amaris is a member of my team as a Staff Assistant and Legislative Correspondent.

Amaris and her mother, Tracey Graham, founded the Ladies of Futurity, Inc. nonprofit organization on May 26, 2013, to equip and empower young girls of diverse backgrounds to become ladies, obtain a higher education, and to be servant leaders in their community with essential life and leadership skills to create a pathway to educational success and career development through workshops, sisterly gatherings, and exceptional community service in Palm Beach County, Florida.

With over 312 inducted members since its inception, Ladies of Futurity continues to accomplish its mission of helping girls realize their true potential as they establish and ultimately achieve their future goals. Their dedication to ensuring each of its members is ``empowered to achieve, educated to succeed, and forever evolving as a lady'' is truly admirable. Tracey and Amaris Graham strive to provide the tools necessary for each young lady to ``possess a favor, fulfilling, future.''

Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending congratulatory wishes to the Ladies of Futurity, Inc. for 10 years of remarkable service. I am honored to recognize them today and wish them continued success in the years to come.

Mr. Chair, well, my, my, my, here we go again. The Republican attacks on access to legal abortion never end. Today, the target is women veterans, women who left their loved ones, trained hard, sometimes risked their lives to stand up for our freedom, and now it is time to stand up for theirs.

All women should have the freedom to make their own personal decision about when or whether to start or grow a family. This bill would undermine the current Biden policy that allows VA medical centers to provide an abortion when the life or the health of the pregnant veteran is in danger.

Republicans are willing to force women to wait until they are on death's door to receive the healthcare that they need. Really? This is how we thank veterans for their service?

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, my, my, my, the Republican attacks on abortion never seem to end, and now they are targeting the servicewomen in the military.

After that extreme decision by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, half of the States in our country are banning or severely restricting access to legal abortion. Take a look at this poster and this map. The dark-shaded States are where these abortion restrictions are now in place. Look at those black dots. Those are the over 500 military bases in our country. Many of them are in States that now ban or restrict abortion.

Mr. Chairman, that is why, last year, the Department of Defense established travel transportation allowances for servicemembers and dependents who need to travel to access abortion. Shamelessly, the Republicans are now seeking to block this effort.

Our servicemembers leave their homes, their families, their friends, and are willing to risk their lives to serve our Nation. They train hard. They have dreams. They have goals. We trust them with Black Hawks, intelligence operations, and special ops. We should trust them with their own healthcare decisions, including when it comes to deciding whether to start or grow a family.

Mr. Chairman, they stand for our freedom; it is time to stand for theirs.

Madam Speaker, with Memorial Day on my mind, I rise today to call on House Republicans to stop playing dangerous political games, manufacturing a crisis that has driven the American economy to the brink of default.

To our veterans and for our veterans, a default would have severe consequences. It would mean wounded warriors losing out on physical therapy sessions that could get them back on their feet, for Purple Heart recipients missing a disability check that they use to make ends meet, for a student veteran coming up short on paying tuition.

Our servicemen and women have stood up for us, and now it is time for us to stand up for them. Defaulting on our debt would be a dereliction of our duty. The dangerous game playing must stop.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rabbi Michael C. Simon, a respected scholar and spiritual leader, and to recognize him for eighteen years of exemplary service to Temple Beth Kodesh, the oldest conservative synagogue in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Rabbi Simon has invigorated Temple Beth Kodesh through his meaningful and topical sermons. After practicing law for 20 years, Rabbi Simon turned to this calling full-time and has spread nothing but joy and enthusiasm to all of those he has encountered. As a full time scholar and teacher, Rabbi Simon has been dedicated to encouraging his congregants through innovative and interesting services, programs, classes and lectures, warmth, kindness, and compassion.

Rabbi Simon also serves the community as the Chaplain for Jewish War Veterans, Instructor at Florida Atlantic University, and faculty member at Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, where he is a popular lecturer on Jewish subject matter and history. Rabbi Simon was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Mesifta Adas Wolkowisk in recognition of his many years of service to the Jewish community.

Rabbi Simon's commitment to the Synagogue and his service to the Jewish community is truly remarkable. I am honored to recognize him today and wish him continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month by sharing a story of my personal Jewish American hero, Ben Ferencz.

Ben was recently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. He was the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, who recently passed away at age 103.

Ben enlisted in the U.S. Army straight out of law school. He was assigned to collect evidence of Nazi war crimes, which he later used to prosecute the biggest murder case in the history of the world. At age 27, he convicted 22 Nazi leaders for their roles in the deaths of over 1 million people.

Ben later dedicated his life to creating a world of acceptance and compassion, becoming a tireless advocate for the rule of law and international justice.

Ben Ferencz is a real Jewish-American hero. His legacy is one of peace, justice, and humility. May his memory be a blessing.

Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call votes 193 and 194, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``AYE.''