Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the brilliant and boundless minds of our scientists, our innovators, and our young people in New Mexico and across the United States.

There is a lot to say about the CHIPS bill that is so crucial for our economy, our national security, and for innovation in our country. But today I want to celebrate our innovators and talk about the crucial importance of passing this bill.

This bill has particular meaning for me as it includes my very first piece of legislation that I filed upon taking office last year which is the bipartisan Partnerships for Energy Security and Innovation Act.

I thank the chairwoman, her staff, and the leadership for making it possible and our State's very own Senator Ben Ray Lujan who has led this legislation for years.

This bill leans into our State's economic strengths and will take our STEM economy to new heights. It will help to create a nonprofit foundation associated with the Department of Energy to harness the knowledge and innovation of our national labs, our universities, our Tribal colleges, and our HBCUs and Hispanic-serving institutions to solve our challenges at the highest levels.

Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, the leadership and say: Let's get this bill across the finish line, and let's build it in America.

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that in the year 2022, I rise to defend the right to access contraception. That is right, contraception.

Why? Because we have a renegade Supreme Court that has overturned a half century of settled law, stripping away our fundamental reproductive rights, and made it clear that they plan to not stop there.

In fact, Justice Thomas' concurring opinion in Dobbs makes it clear that the Supreme Court has its sights on overturning longstanding precedents that guarantee the right to access contraception and protect the right to same-sex marriage, which we just voted on.

These are basic human rights: the right to marry, the right to love who you love, the right to control your own body, the right to control your own health, the right to control your own family decisions, and your right to protect your own privacy.

Let me say it loud, and let me say it clear: We will not go back.

My great-grandmother was born in this country before she had the right to vote. My mother was a machine operator and entrepreneur. I stand here today as your Congresswoman and your committed Congresswoman to say we will not go back. These are our bodies, our rights, and we will continue to fight to protect them.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Tony Q. Chan's incredible contributions to our beloved New Mexico community. This Saturday, July 17th, Dr. Chan and his family will celebrate his 90th birthday. Over the more than 60 years that he has called New Mexico his home, Dr. Chan spent 40 of those years operating his optometry practice with an unmatched commitment to his patients and our community.

Dr. Chan was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Mississippi, where he met his beautiful wife, Carolyn. After attending the Illinois College of Optometry, where he earned his BS and Doctor of Optometry, he headed out west. Dr. Chan first moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1959 when he broke barriers to become our state's first Asian American optometrist.

Dr. Chan did not stop there. In addition to opening his first practice, he eventually became President of the Heights Lion's Club, the Executive Association of Greater Albuquerque, and the New Mexico Optometric Association. He was also the first Asian American Trustee for the American Optometric Association. During his time at the American Optometrist Association, he served on the Minority Recruitment Committee, where he helped recruit women and minorities to become optometrists.

Throughout his life, Dr. Chan received a variety of accolades from organizations across the United States, including the Spirit of America Award from the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, the Alumnus of the Year award from the Illinois College of Optometry, and he was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame in 2020.

Happy Birthday to Dr. Chan. I thank him for his lifelong service caring for the health and well-being of the people of New Mexico. His love of community shines through everything he does, and I am honored to serve Dr. Chan in Congress and celebrate 90 years of his achievements.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge this body to pass urgent legislation to help feed our children.

If we do not act, millions of children across the United States and across New Mexico will lose access to vital school meals--breakfast and lunches that are helping to address an epidemic of food insecurity that is impacting every single corner of our State and our country.

Food insecurity has many faces. Like so many children from New Mexico, I was a school lunch kid. I qualified for 100 percent free and reduced-price lunch throughout my entire childhood. In fact, one in four children in New Mexico are facing food insecurity and hunger, and for many of these kids, school meals are the only reliable meal of the day.

In New Mexico food is the center of our cultures, of our families, of our ways of life, and yet, so many of our families are struggling every single day to put food on the table.

For every family food insecurity looks different. It may mean skipping meals, not being able to buy groceries every week, relying on school lunches in order to feed children, and getting help from a local food pantry and a local food bank.

In many cases, we know the pandemic has caused our families to struggle even more, made the situation worse, intensified food and hunger insecurity across our Nation, and that is why the work of this body here in Congress to expand funding for nutrition programs to extend these waivers and include school meals for every child in America is quite literally a lifeline for our families and for our children.

If Congress, and especially the Senate, do not act, millions of children across America will actually lose access to school meals that have carried them through the pandemic. This comes as our Nation is grappling with disruptions to supply chains, inflation, rising costs, and putting stresses on families across our country.

In exactly one month--days from now--our country will be facing a hunger cliff as Federal waivers for school meals are set to expire and children will lose access to 95 million meals across the country this summer.

I have worked on food and hunger issues across my entire public policy career. In New Mexico, we are working every day to reimagine our food systems, to lift up our State's diverse and crucial food and agriculture traditions and support our families who are struggling.

As a State legislator, I was deeply proud to partner with our Governor and my colleagues in the State house and hunger advocates and agricultural entities across the State to address food insecurity and to pass a bill to end school meal copays.

Here in Congress, I am proud to continue this work alongside antihunger champions like yourself, Madam Speaker, and as part of the Hunger Caucus led by Chairman McGovern.

I am also proud to cosponsor H.R. 3115, the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would address this crisis permanently by providing three locally sourced meals a day to every school child in America.

The time to act is now. Our kids are counting on us. During the pandemic, Congress made a game-changing decision--to feed all children without barriers, without bureaucratic obstacles.

This is about the dignity and well-being of our families and meeting the most basic needs of our children.

We have the opportunity to chart a new path forward for our country. Will we decide to be a nation that lets our kids go hungry or will we decide to be a nation where no child should ever have to experience food insecurity again?

This is the choice facing this body, and this, Madam Speaker, is why we must extend school meals.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank our brave firefighters and first responders who are on the front lines, saving lives as wildfires burn across the beautiful State of New Mexico.

This week began with 20 wildfires burning across 16 counties of our State, causing thousands of New Mexicans to evacuate their homes. We mourn the lives that have been lost and stand in solidarity with the many families who have been forced to leave, in many cases, lands on which they have lived on for generations.

As we lift up our firefighters and first responders, I thank our Governor, Governor Lujan Grisham, for her leadership in the face of these devastating fires. Her quick response has saved lives, and I want to echo her call for additional support to coordinate emergency response across the State.

These wildfires show us why our votes in this body are so important, as we are sending more than $5.5 billion to prevent and fight wildfires through the bipartisan infrastructure law and other bills we have passed.

As wildfires continue to burn across our State, we stand ready to support our Governor, local officials, firefighters, and everyone helping out. Together, as New Mexicans, we stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity and in support of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening as the proud daughter of New Mexico to discuss the transformative impacts of the American Rescue Plan for our State on this beautiful St. Patrick's Day during Women's History Month to highlight the impacts the American Rescue Plan has had for our working families, our kids, and for our entire Nation.

It has been a difficult year--a difficult several years--as our communities have experienced the impacts of the pandemic and the economic struggles that have come with it. When we think back to even a year ago, last year at this time, we were unable to gather safely, unemployment was at an all-time high, so many of our families were struggling, and businesses closed.

One year ago, this body passed the American Rescue Plan. One year later, people are still struggling in our country, and supply chains and our economy are still recovering, but so much has changed. Our economy is growing at a faster rate than at any point since the 1980s. More jobs have been created in 1 year than ever in our Nation's history. Wages are up and more small businesses are opening up across the country than ever before.

Because the American Rescue Plan changed the way in which families put food on the table, provide for their families so that our parents, and women in particular, can return to work and has helped our schools stay open and our families and small businesses stay afloat.

Let's get to the heart of the matter today, which is how this particular piece of legislation has transformed the lives of so many New Mexicans and how our communities have benefitted from these historic policies.

The people of New Mexico, especially our women, are strong, resilient centers of our families, and the roots of our communities. Our women carry us, nurture us, and work hard every day so that we can succeed-- like the women in my own life, my own mother, my sister, and the trailblazing women who came before us and support us every day in our communities.

But the challenges and burdens of this pandemic in the past 2 years have fallen unequally and disproportionately on women who have exited the workforce in unprecedented numbers, and on our kids who are resilient, yet still struggling.

As families struggle to make ends meet, keep a roof over their heads, and put food on the table, women have had to dig deep and find creative solutions. These burdens have fallen disproportionately, in particular, on our Latina and Hispano women, on our indigenous women, our Black women, and women struggling economically every day to make ends meet.

There are countless stories of struggle and resilience and survival in our communities and the impacts of the American Rescue Plan. One from New Mexico's First Congressional District is that of April Trujillo and her four boys in Albuquerque.

After losing her husband in September of 2020, Derrick Trujillo, a small business owner, who owned a small carpet cleaning business, their family struggled in a way that they had never done so before. They were ultimately able to keep a roof over their heads and keep food on the table because of the transformative impacts of the child tax credit and rental assistance programs provided by the American Rescue Plan.

It is by no means a stretch to say that these programs helped to catch this family as they faced potentially becoming homeless at one of the most difficult moments in their life. That is exactly what this American Rescue Plan was designed to do and why we must put these transformational investments in childcare, in the child tax credit, in housing, in food assistance, and our community well-being, and continue them into the future.

They catch families like the Trujillo family when they need it most. It will help to lift up Americans who are facing economic struggles and create opportunities for families for generations to come.

As we celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan and celebrate the passage of the historic infrastructure package a few months ago, and crucial budget legislation just this last week, these bills have had a transformational impact on our economy, on jobs, and families across the country, and we acknowledge that the work is not over.

We must extend the child tax credit. We must expand programs to tackle housing and hunger. We must invest in a universal childcare system and caring for our elders. We must tackle drought and climate change. We must stand with Ukraine and global democracy. This is the work ahead and we stand together united to get it done.

Mr. Speaker, the history of New Mexico and our rural communities predate the founding of our great Nation. Our communities carry rich traditions and ways of life, from our tribal communities, to our land grants, to our farmers and ranchers and small towns that dot the plains, mountains, and river valleys of our beautiful State.

They are diverse, resilient, vibrant, and full of grit and determination. For far too long, our rural communities have been left behind in critical infrastructure, which is why I am deeply proud that our bipartisan infrastructure bill is already delivering for New Mexico, investing millions in rural roads, bridges, and airports, broadband, our electric grid, and life-giving water, creating thousands of jobs, and supporting rural economic development across our State, because our rural communities are the backbone of New Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that we are working together to invest in infrastructure, to invest in jobs, and the well-being of our future and our communities.

Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment this evening to dedicate my remarks to my dear friends Jon Baran, Caitie Padilla, and their beautiful daughter, Sophie.

This week, we celebrated the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Now, it is time to pass the other half of the President's agenda to ensure that our families and our communities can build a brighter, more just, more equitable, and more sustainable future.

As a proud daughter of New Mexico, I represent the strong, beautiful, resilient people of New Mexico's First Congressional District. Over the pandemic, we have used every ounce of our grit, our determination, and our heart to get by. Yet, so many families are still struggling.

That is why we must pass the Build Back Better Act and why it is a must-pass bill for New Mexico.

We must invest in healthcare and community well-being. We must invest in universal pre-K. We must invest in childcare and caring for our elders.

Madam Speaker, we must invest in addressing global climate change because that is our charge. Our communities are counting on us, and that is why we must deliver this bill tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent for the vote on en bloc No. 6 to H.R. 4502. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 245.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to continue calling attention to the survival of our planet and our future generations, the well-being of our communities, and the critical importance of passing legislation across the board that reflects our values, which are embodied in the Green New Deal.

The science is clear. We must urgently address climate change now. We must address our greenhouse gas footprint and the causes of climate change now. We must mitigate the impacts of climate change now. And we must support and center and empower and invest in our communities now.

That is what the Green New Deal is all about, building a world that is more just, more equitable, and more climate-resilient for future generations, for our children, for our parents, and for everyone across our communities.

To do so, we have to invest in our communities, critical infrastructure, and all the things that will make it possible for our communities to thrive. The time is now to be decisive, to be brave in our policymaking, to be bold in our investments, and to lean into the science.

We must do so now in the budget reconciliation and infrastructure packages that this body is working to pass right now.

This is especially critical for my home State of New Mexico, where we are already experiencing the impacts of extreme drought, catastrophic fires, heat waves, and an uncertain future, and where our communities are already struggling daily to make a living. Our families are struggling to put food on the table and struggling to support people across our community.

It is absolutely critical that we support and center our communities in this conversation and that we invest in the resilient infrastructure that will make it possible for us to live resiliently: our electric grid, broadband infrastructure, drinking water, irrigation infrastructure, and green infrastructure, and to lean into our clean energy future.

We must also invest in the infrastructure of our communities, our care economy, because that is the infrastructure of our economy and the well-being of our people, our schools, and our families.

We must do all of this through the lens of social, racial, and economic justice, investing in good paying jobs, lifting up the voices of and listening to the people in our communities and ensuring that their livelihoods and well-

being are at the center of these conversations.

That is why we need bold action now in the budget, in reconciliation, and in the infrastructure package to ensure that we are investing in things that are not only shovel-ready but shovel worthy and worthy of our communities and their future.

The time for action is now. We need climate action now, and I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues here in the House and in the Senate to ensure that we are making good on our commitment to our future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to share in the relief that families across New Mexico will be receiving starting next month.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, about 95 percent of New Mexico's children will be eligible to get money through the child tax credit. Working families with kids will get payments of up to $300 monthly per child. That means more money for childcare and to put food on the table and to support our hardworking families.

I personally know the struggles that many New Mexican families face, and that is why here in Congress I am continuing to work to tackle childhood hunger and create more opportunities to lift our families out of poverty. We must make these tax credits permanent and put more money into the pockets of hardworking parents so they can get back to work and fuel our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on this historic day in which we passed and sent to the President's desk the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. It seems appropriate that we should also take a moment now to talk about climate justice as we are also talking about racial justice in our country.

Because the science is clear, we must urgently address the issues of climate change now. We must address the causes of climate change and our greenhouse gas footprint. We must mitigate the impacts of climate change and lift up and support our communities. And we must build a world that is more just, more equitable, and more climate resilient. To do so, we must invest in our communities, investing in their future, and investing in critical infrastructure that will make that possible.

The time is now to be decisive, to be brave in our policymaking, to be bold in our investments, and to lean into the science. This is especially critical for New Mexico, my home State, where we are already experiencing the impacts of extreme drought, catastrophic fires, and an uncertain future.

I have spent my working career working on these issues, and I know that we must invest in infrastructure like our electric grid, broadband infrastructure, drinking water, irrigation, and green infrastructure so that our communities can remain resilient as we are going through this change and to ensure that we are taking full advantage and leaning into our clean energy future.

We must do all of this through the lens of social, racial, and economic justice by investing in good paying jobs and in the livelihoods and well-being of our communities and our people.

That is why we need the American Jobs Plan now and the investments that are not only going to be shovel ready, but, as a friend of mine says, also shovel worthy. So the time is now to take action on climate change and to ensure that we are investing in the infrastructure that will make it possible for future generations to live resiliently on this planet.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as the newest Representative for New Mexico's First Congressional District.

As Secretary Deb Haaland said in her farewell before this body: We are called to service in different ways.

I stand here today because I believe that we are called to build a world that is more just, more equitable, and more resilient.

I ran for Congress because I believe deeply in our communities and our ability to bring meaningful change, and that the weight of history and of all future generations is on us to do so.

As a New Mexican, I know that we are strong and we are proud and that our work is to lift up our communities to fight for the dignity and well-being of our people, to rebuild our economy, and to tackle the biggest challenges of our day. We are called to do this work because the moment is now, and our future depends upon it, which is why I, Madam Speaker, am so proud to be able to serve alongside you as New Mexico's next Congresswoman.