Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Miami's new resident, and futbol legend, Lionel Messi. It is an honor to host a world-class athlete in my district.

Messi signed onto Miami's soccer team, Inter Miami, which kicked off its inaugural season in Major League Soccer 3 years ago. His presence is already making an impact in my community. He brought home the first win of the 2023 Leagues Cup with a free kick in the 94th minute of the game.

Today, Messi is a household name, but he was born to humble beginnings in Argentina. His father was a manager at a steel factory and his mother worked in another factory.

He started playing futbol at the age of 4, coached by his father, making his senior debut at 18 years old. He credits his dedication to soccer to his beloved grandmother, Celia, and continues to honor her at every game he plays.

Some of his many achievements include winning the World Cup and its Player of the Tournament award in 2022, being named best FIFA player three times, and winning the Champions League four times.

He has scored over 800 goals at club level and he scored the most goals of any player in a calendar year with 79 of them.

Personally, Messi is a devout Catholic and lives his faith through charitable works. He established the Leo Messi Foundation in 2007, working to improve children's access to healthcare and education.

Inter Miami is blessed to have this elite player on their team, and the significance of his presence extends beyond the field.

This extraordinary player is going to inspire children in my district to work hard to achieve their dreams. He said, ``I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.''

The lesson he is conveying is that you can pray for a house, but sometimes God gives you a hammer, lumber, nails, and talent. Don't be fooled into thinking that he did not answer you, you have to put in the hard work.

Every person has the opportunity to succeed if they are dedicated to accomplishing their goals, especially in this country, the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I welcome Messi to Miami, and may his hard work be an inspiration to everyone who has a dream for their life. God bless him, his wife, and his three sons as they begin a new life in Miami, which is part of the 27th Congressional District, the best district in the United States.

Madam Speaker, he had one of the finest pens in the Cuban exile community in its 60 years of banishment from the island.

There are very few writers who could capture the suffering of the Cuban people, a country that has paid the consequences of believing in a toxic political idea.

This was a man who could warn the rest of Latin America what would happen if they followed and believed Fidel Castro's false promises.

His name was Carlos Alberto Montaner, and he just passed at 80 years old.

His great political mission was to see a liberated Cuba.

I wonder how many people like him have died waiting for the island to be freed from the jaws of Communism?

Thousands upon thousands.

How will he be remembered?

We will remember him as a good man, a decent man who was kind and humble. His only preoccupation was to deliver a message of freedom to the Cubans and to his Latin American fellow men.

His articles were impeccable, profound, and yet accessible to anyone to understand. They were full of content and historical analysis thoroughly explaining the falsehoods that Communism promises and never delivers.

Montaner's book called ``Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot'' is a classic. It is a manual for Latin Americans to avoid falling for communist tricks and to avoid falling for what Fidel Castro has promised this hemisphere.

The reality is that the 20 most developed countries in the world are capitalist democracies. They have free markets, and they have freedom of expression and small government where the individual is allowed to decide their fate rather than some unknown bureaucrat in a distant government office.

The government serves only to establish the rules of the game, and the winner is decided by whomever plays it best.

Montaner was my teacher. I read his articles meticulously, and by taking notes on his best ideas, I learned so much from his analyses, not just for their brilliance but also because they were full of goodwill for his compatriots. They were full of freedom.

It was an honor to know him, to interview him, and to be his friend. We will miss him, and I offer my deepest condolences to his widow, Linda and to his daughter Gina.

In the future, democratic leaders of a liberated Cuba will owe Montaner a

special place in the island's conscience. He helped pave the road to the idea that democracy is the best system for humanity.

May God cover him with His glory for he acted with purpose and honor in his time on Earth, always working for the love of his Latin-American family and admiring the American agenda.

Mr. Speaker, Teacher Appreciation Week is an annual celebration of educators and the remarkable contributions they make in the lives of students, parents, schools, and entire communities. Today, I want to recognize the extraordinary teachers of Miami-Dade County, the state of Florida, and across the United States.

Teachers play a crucial role in the lives of their students. In addition to their role as an educator, they may also be a coach, counselor, tutor, or simply someone a student can confide in. The presence of teachers in these roles help foster a culture of trust and comfort with their students. Despite the challenging circumstances many face, teachers continue to show up each day inspiring, empowering, and motivating their students. Whether in or outside the classroom, teachers have remained committed to the success of their students, especially in my own state of Florida. I would like to recognize the accomplishments of Franquiana Williams, who was named 2023 Rookie Teacher of the Year by Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

A proud product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Franquiana juggles many hats. In addition to being a young mother, she is a devoted teacher who encourages students to be authentic while bringing reading lessons to life using trendy dance moves, real-world examples, and hand gestures. She also doesn't hesitate to put her Spanish- speaking skills to the test if it means helping ESL students better comprehend a lesson. She strives to inspire her students to thrive not just academically but also socially and emotionally. Williams' ``Calm Corner'' allows students to learn how to reflect on their feelings and brainstorm healthy ways to express frustrations or disagreements that can interrupt learning. She is a shining example of why our teachers are so important.

As I said before, Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of educators. The exceptional leadership they bring to the teaching profession is vital toward ensuring the success of our students. So, on this occasion of Teacher Appreciation Week, I thank the teachers of Florida for leading with ingenuity, resilience, and passion each and every day in their classrooms, and for their commitment to Florida's students.

Mr. Speaker, Florida International University (FIU) is one of the top universities in the Nation, and the presence of the Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at FIU has had a great impact on the South Florida economy. Established under FJU's College of Business in 2014, the Center is a team of highly experienced business consultants providing assistance and training to entrepreneurs and business owners in Miami-Dade County to help them start, grow, and succeed.

It is vital that individuals starting a business have access to resources that will help ensure their long-term success. The FSBDC at FIU works one-on-one with Miami-Dade County small businesses providing startup assistance, access to capital, marketing. financial management, international trade, human resources, and business strategy advising.

Since its inception in 2014, the FSBDC at FIU has delivered more than 112,900 hours of consulting to 6,964 Miami-Dade County small businesses, resulting in business owners securing over $425 million in capital, securing $287.5 million in government contracts, increasing sales by $379.2 million, impacting 28,829 jobs, and launching 415 new businesses. In my district alone, the Florida SBDC at FIU provided 3,859 consulting hours to 490 local small businesses in 2022. Additionally, last year the center assisted entrepreneurs in Florida's 27th Congressional district to launch 25 new businesses; secure $23.5 million in capital; and obtain $18.9 million in government contracts.

On April 10, 2023 the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the Center as the

winner of the 2023 Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award, which recognizes the country's top small business center. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to the success of the Center. They are incredibly deserving of this award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule to bring up H. Con. Res. 9, denouncing the horrors of socialism.

Why am I bringing this resolution to the floor of the United States House of Representatives?

Because young people in America are being brainwashed by the news media and academia into believing that socialism is an economic model for the greater good of all Americans. The problem is that they are falling for it. They are believing it.

Here is the proof: Almost 40 percent of Gen Z and millennials think ``The Communist Manifesto,'' written by Karl Marx, the father of Marxism, is a better defense of freedom and equality than the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, one of the creators of the American experiment, American exceptionalism, and the document which gave birth to the most prosperous and resilient democracy in the history of the world, ours, the United States of America.

Worse yet, a recent poll shows that 40 percent of Americans of all ages, not only the youth, 40 percent believe that socialism is good, while 33 percent of them say that they are likely to support a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the organization that has shaped the ideology of many of our colleagues with the poison of neo- Marxism. If you go to the Democratic Socialists of America website, you will read their neo-Marxist positions with pride.

I represent the 27th District in Florida, the city of Miami, a bastion of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who have fled, who have escaped from the despicable horrors that you cannot imagine produced by that ideology.

So why did the Venezuelans flee? Well, because Venezuela--why would they do that, if Venezuela has almost 20 percent of the world's oil? In other words, that means the largest reserves of oil in the world. The Venezuelans have more oil than the Saudis in Saudi Arabia. In the 1950s and 1960s, they had the same GDP as Germany. Now, inflation is 156 percent a year, the third largest in the world.

The average Venezuelan has lost 15 pounds for lack of food. In the last 20 years, over 7 million Venezuelans have escaped the democratic socialist paradise to anywhere they could go. That is more people than have fled the violence in Syria. So that indicates that socialism is more devastating than a civil war.

Another country who has lost everything is Nicaragua. In the 1970s, it was the breadbasket of Central America. Then the Sandinistas arrived, Daniel Ortega took power under the guidance of Fidel Castro in Cuba. He expropriated almost 30,000 properties in a few years. Right now, their citizens are poorer than they were in 1977. Ortega promised democratic socialism but delivered a dictatorship.

In the last Presidential election, seven people dared to run for President, and he put them all in jail. Still today, they are either under house arrest or in jail.

Every socialist is a dictator in disguise.

In Cuba, after 60 years of living the socialist paradise, the average Cuban, 70 percent of Cubans eat only once a day. The average Cubans makes $23 a month. That is 40 cents a day. And the retirees, the seniors, make $12.

Cuba, in 1960, had the highest per capita income in the hemisphere, and it was comparable to Italy. We know that because there is hunger-- hunger is a very powerful motivator.

So today, Cubans by the thousands throw themselves to the sharks in the Straits of Florida looking for freedom and hoping to get to the district that I represent on this floor. That is just in this hemisphere.

In China, 55 million died. In Cambodia, 1 million. In the USSR, 10 million froze to death in the Gulags.

Socialists are in the business of power, and it only takes one generation to believe their false promise and lose their freedom. It is a lie that socialism will solve your problems, economic or social.

Democratic socialism is socialism, and socialism is always socialism.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot let this evil ideology take hold in this country. We are in the United States, the stronghold of freedom. That is why we must pass this resolution.

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 63, I mistakenly voted ``no'' when I intended to vote ``aye.''

Amendment No. 131 Offered by Mr. Schneider

Madam Speaker, Marta Permuy was born on September 22, 1938. She would have turned 84 this Thursday. While she may have passed on from this life, I want to ensure she remains immortalized in history by telling her story. To be recognized in a place where democracy is held sacred and steadfast seems like a fitting birthday present for a woman who understood that true art is born of free societies.

Marta was a Cuban American Fine Arts Patron based in Coral Gables, a prominent part of Miami-Dade County, and a part of my district. Marta's heart was that of an activist, which explains her natural inclination for art. Why limit yourself to the ears of an audience when they have eyes?

Born and raised in Cuba, Marta was a witness to the rise of the Communist regime. This led her to became active in the MRR, the Movement for Revolutionary Recovery, a leading force of resistance against the regime. She was among the few women given a central role in the organization's leadership. Upon realizing that their efforts would not be able to contain the regime, she fled to Venezuela with her family. In 1962, she resettled in South Florida where she would go on to open an art gallery, the Permuy Gallery. The Permuy Gallery became a home for innovative art, particularly from Cuban artists. In the evenings, after exhibitions, it hosted gatherings for South Florida's notable figures, to discuss art in its varying forms, whether it was painted on a canvas, written in literature, prayed in spiritual realms, or argued in politics. This was a significant meeting point for the community, especially for the Cuban exiles in Miami.

After the Gallery closed, Marta devoted herself to her children. Eventually, the art world would call her back home to the Permuy House, where she would carry out her art ventures for over 40 years. In 2021, The Permuy House was designated a landmark of the City of Coral Gables.

Her legacy lives on through her children, who remain involved in the arts, and seek to honor their mother through different cultural events in South Florida. May this record aid in preserving her spirit, and to inspire artists to understand that all talent, even unconventional, is useful to the cause of preserving a free and just society.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to honor a titan of Miami, Mr. Gus Machado, who passed away last month.

Gus is remembered for his iconic leadership as a pioneering marketer and owner of car dealerships around Miami. Ford Motor Company recognized his leadership by honoring Mr. Machado with the President's Award in 2003, 2009, and 2010.

He was a founder of the United States-Cuba Democracy PAC, but his real legacy will be his heart of service. In 2008, he created the Gus Machado Family Foundation, and every school year, the foundation provides more than 400 children with backpacks full of school supplies. Another impressive example of his generosity was his $5 million donation to St. Thomas University to establish a business school.

He was one of the best the Cuban-American exile community in Miami has produced. I am proud to stand on the floor of the United States House to pay tribute to Mr. Machado. His life was an example of faith, hard work, determination, family, friends, and a good community. In other words, he was the best example of the American Dream.

Rest in peace.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 139.

members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress

Adams (Manning)

Bass (Beyer)

Brooks (Moore (AL))

Brown (MD) (Evans)

Brown (OH) (Jeffries)

Brownley (Correa)

Carey (Balderson)

Casten (Foster)

Castro (TX) (Correa)

Cawthorn (Gaetz)

Craig (Pallone)

Crist (Wasserman Schultz)

DeSaulnier (Beyer)

Doyle, Michael F. (Evans)

Garcia (TX) (Correa)

Gomez (Correa)

Grijalva (Stanton)

Hartzler (Lamborn)

Higgins (NY) (Pallone)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Lamb (Pallone)

Lawson (FL) (Wasserman Schultz)

Levin (MI) (Beyer)

Lowenthal (Beyer)

Meijer (Katko)

Morelle (Jeffries)

Ocasio-Cortez (Escobar)

O'Halleran (Stanton)

Perlmutter (Neguse)

Pfluger (Mann)

Price (NC) (Butterfield)

Ross (Beyer)

Scott, David (Jeffries)

Sires (Pallone)

Strickland (Jeffries)

Suozzi (Beyer)

Taylor (Van Duyne)

Trahan (Beyer)

Veasey (Escobar)

Wagner (McHenry)

Waters (Takano)

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Madam Speaker, I thank the Resident Commissioner.

Madam Speaker, for over 120 years, Puerto Rico, as we have said here, has enriched the United States with its culture and its people.

The beautiful island of Puerto Rico that I know so well is the jewel of the Caribbean. Millions of Americans have flocked to its beaches and rainforests to soak in the incredible natural beauty of the island of Puerto Rico.

With that background, 105 years ago, as we have heard before, Puerto Ricans became citizens of this great country, the United States. Puerto Ricans are true Americans and true patriots because over 35,000 of them currently serve in the United States Armed Forces.

Madam Speaker, 235,000 Puerto Ricans are veterans who have served alongside their fellow countrymen from the mainland, from the beaches of Normandy to the Mekong Delta. Its people, the Puerto Ricans, have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and in the name of the United States of America.

I should say that Puerto Rico holds a very special place in my heart because after my parents fled Castro's Cuba, my family found refuge in San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico. Because of that decision, I spent a fantastic childhood in the island because we went to live in paradise in the 1960s.

It was in Puerto Rico where I first learned about American values. It was in Puerto Rico where I learned the meaning behind the American flag and the central value of freedom and liberty.

Puerto Ricans received the Cuban exile community with open arms. That is why today I take this opportunity from the floor of the United States Congress, as a Congresswoman for the city of Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community in the United States. I thank the Puerto Ricans for their noble act of welcoming millions and millions of Cubans to the island and giving them the possibility of living in freedom, in peace, and living in paradise.

Puerto Ricans have welcomed people from around the world to visit paradise and the Caribbean on American soil, the best of both worlds. Today, Puerto Ricans are American ambassadors, showing the beauty and diversity of our great country to the rest of the world.

For that reason, I thank my very good friend, mi amiga, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, for her leadership on this floor. She is a relentless champion for the island's future, for what the island deserves, and for what we need to see for the future of Puerto Rico.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, on the fifth day of Hanukkah, to give special recognition to my Jewish community in Florida's 27th Congressional District.

As their Congresswoman, I have the distinct honor of representing one of the largest Jewish communities in the country, which includes Temple Beth Am, one of the largest congregations in the southeast United States.

For over 65 years, Temple Beth Am has welcomed Jewish people from all walks of life to worship, to study, and to seek refuge. For over six decades, the synagogue has provided spiritual guidance and served the Miami community in so many ways.

Much of this would have never happened without the leadership of Beth Am Senior Rabbi, Jeremy Barras. There are so many great spiritual Jewish leaders in our community along with Rabbi Barras; Rabbi Yitzi Zweig of the Talmudic University Yeshiva in Miami Beach; Rabbi Yossi Harlig of the Chabad Center of Kendall and Pinecrest; and Rabbi Eliot Pearlson of Temple Menorah in Miami Beach. They are esteemed local leaders and pillars of the Miami Jewish community, and I call them my friends.

Over the next few days, our Jewish brothers and sisters all over the world will continue to celebrate the Festival of Lights, God permitting. I offer my best wishes to all of them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1064, the RENACER Act. I am proud to have introduced this bill with Congressman Albio Sires, Senator Bob Menendez, and Senator Marco Rubio.

For years, dictator Daniel Ortega has been quietly dismantling democracy in Nicaragua. First, he ripped the constitution apart to get reelected, then he seized control of every branch of government, of the military, and of the police.

Ortega wants to rule the country from an iron throne, and the Nicaraguan people are suffering as a result. Ortega has banned political parties, and he has killed hundreds of Nicaraguans and jailed hundreds more.

Now we are on the eve of one of his most brazen moves in nearly 35 years of terrorizing this country, a sham election where all seven presidential candidates were arrested in broad daylight; one of them being my ex-husband, Arturo Cruz. This is his most flagrant example of a stolen election as we have ever seen, and the world needs to know that.

His brutal regime must be held accountable for its crimes against humanity and for its systematic attack on democracy. That is why Congress must pass the RENACER Act now. RENACER increases sanctions on Ortega and on Ortega's chief co-conspirator and vice-president, his wife, Rosario Murillo; and on the Nicaraguan security forces that brutalized their people.

It brings the international communities together to take down Ortega's safe havens around the world, and it exposes the Russian meddling in that country. The RENACER Act sends a clear message to Ortega and Murillo that your time is up.

I am also pleased that the provisions from my Nicaragua Free Trade Review Act were included in this critical legislation. This will trigger a review of Nicaragua's participation in the Central American Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA. The CAFTA-DR trade agreement gives Nicaragua open access to United States markets. To trade with the United States is a privilege, it is not a right.

I am here to tell Ortega and Murillo, you murderous dictators, you treacherous thugs, you will no longer have a free pass to enrich yourselves. Tyrants around the world are watching. Passing the RENACER Act shows the consequences of jailing your political opponents, of oppressing your people, and of stealing elections.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand with those who have been beaten and detained. I urge my colleagues to stand with the Nicaraguan people. I urge my colleagues to take a stand against tyranny.

The United States has long been the torch-bearer for democracy around the world. We must continue to carry that torch.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the RENACER Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Green.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 760. I want to thank my colleagues, Mario Diaz-Balart and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for sponsoring this resolution denouncing the Cuban regime and supporting freedom for the people of Cuba.

On July 11, the world watched as thousands of Cubans peacefully took to the streets calling for libertad, meaning freedom or liberty. But the Castro thugs responded by cracking their heads open in the streets of Havana. Ever since, countless dissidents have been arrested, and hundreds more have disappeared.

But what is encouraging is that these young men and women of unbelievable courage cannot be stopped.

And do you know why, Mr. Speaker? Because their hunger to pursue freedom and to pursue happiness drives them, and that is bigger than the stranglehold the Castro regime has put on them for 60 years. Apparently, freedom is bigger than fear, and that is why, in 10 days from today, on November 15, these brave freedom fighters will flood the streets of Cuba once again.

Already, the Castro repressive apparatus is showing its ugly head. That is why we, the United States Congress, the seat of power in this shining city on a hill the whole world is watching, must approve this resolution today to express solidarity with the Cuban people.

We are demanding that peaceful protesters be allowed to assemble without fear of being brutalized. We are condemning the heinous crimes committed by this tyrannical regime. We are calling now on the Biden administration peacefully and respectfully to provide internet to Cuba.

We are on the cusp of momentous change for that island. We are less than 2 weeks away from another heroic demonstration by the Cuban people. We are less than 2 weeks away from another violent crackdown by the regime.

These pictures right here are evidence. They came straight from Cuban television. Castro's civilian gestapo, armed with clubs, is ready to attack those who will dare to shout ``libertad'' on the streets of Cuba because in Cuba protesters are brutalized, detained, and beaten. They are jailed and charged with treason because in the eyes of this murderous regime, free speech is a crime and liberty is illegal.

This resolution from the United States House of Representatives will send a message loud and clear that we will always stand on the side of freedom, democracy, and human rights and that the Castro regime's days are numbered. May the Lord allow for that.

The world is watching, and it is time for the Cubans to be free like Americans, like we all are.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 760.

Madam Speaker, for those who enable murderous dictators, the United States system will find you in this life or the next, and this is the perfect example.

For Alex Saab, the plunderer of Venezuela, justice for his crimes against humanity will be swift and without mercy.

Why? Because over the weekend we learned that Saab will finally be extradited to the United States.

He tried to claim diplomatic immunity, but he is not a diplomat. He is not a politician. He is just another thug for the Venezuelan regime.

Saab was Maduro's leading front man and his number one money launderer. He is a drug trafficker who is responsible for flooding American streets with cocaine. He helped finance the worst crimes and the most appalling human rights abuses committed by the Maduro regime in Venezuela in the last 15 years.

So it is no surprise that Maduro, the dictator, has pulled out all the stops to try to prevent his extradition to the United States, but he could not.

In the meantime, earlier this week, six American executives, American executives in Venezuela, known as the Citgo 6, were sent back to a cruel political prison for no reason.

The regime arrested these men on bogus charges in 2020 with no justification. Now, with no explanation, Maduro has condemned these innocent American executives to rot in a Venezuelan prison.

Why? Just one reason: retaliation because Maduro doesn't like this picture.

This is a classic tactic of tyrants. If Maduro thinks that he can make a prisoner exchange, he needs to wake up and realize that the United States does not deal with dictators. So the Citgo 6, six American executives, need to be released now, unconditionally.

Unfortunately, Maduro right now is panicking because his top confidant will soon be facing trial in an American court of law, and he will say many things that Maduro doesn't want us to hear.

Today, the victims of the Maduro regime in Venezuela will finally have some justice, but we, as a Nation, cannot stop until Venezuela is free of this satanic nightmare called the Maduro regime.