Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Karen Haynes on the event of her retirement as president of California State University San Marcos.

Dr. Haynes has worked for over 30 years as an academic administrator. During her tenure as president of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), she was instrumental in the growth and development of the school. She joined CSUSM fourteen years after the school opened its doors, with a student population of merely 7,000. CSUSM is now home to over 17,000 students, Division II athletics, and a satellite campus in Temecula.

Since the beginning of her tenure, Dr. Haynes has worked to ensure that CSUSM serves a diverse student population. Around one third of CSU San Marcos students are outside of the traditional college age range, and the school has the largest number of Native American students per- capita in the CSU system. Like Dr. Haynes herself, almost half of the students are first-generation college students.

CSUSM would not be the school it is today without the hard work and dedication of Dr. Haynes. I thank Dr. Haynes for her fifteen years of service to California State University San Marcos and congratulate her on her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gun Violence Awareness Month, which began mere days after another tragic shooting in Virginia Beach and weeks after the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting just outside of my district in southern California.

This is wrong.

After the Poway shooting, I called for concrete action to help end the scourge of senseless gun violence in our country. I called on the Senate to pass H.R. 8, which would put commonsense gun safety measures in place, requiring a background check on every gun sale or transfer. I also called on the Senate to pass H.R. 1112 to close the Charleston loophole, which currently allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within 3 business days.

Months after the House passed those bipartisan bills, they continue to languish in the Senate.

The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a vote. They deserve elected officials who aren't afraid of the NRA.

The American people deserve action. That is what Gun Violence Awareness Month is about. We have an epidemic of gun violence that is unique to our country, and we must finally do something about it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1812, the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my friend from Tennessee and ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Dr. Roe.

We must do more to address the epidemic of suicide among veterans in this country. We can start with ensuring all servicemembers have the mental health support they need.

Currently, most National Guard, Coast Guard, and Reserve servicemembers are precluded from receiving readjustment counseling services at vet centers. Guardsmen and Reservists often face emotionally challenging deployments to natural disasters, drug interdiction missions, national emergencies, or civil disorders that can have serious mental health consequences.

This bipartisan legislation is an important step in closing the mental healthcare gap for those servicemembers who compose four of the 20 veteran suicides we see each day in this country. As we continue to see veterans turn to suicide, often on the grounds of VA facilities, we must have an all-hands-on-deck approach, and this bill can play a critical role in this effort.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2326, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William ``Bill'' Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my friend from Texas, Mr. Jodey Arrington. Mr. Arrington was a friend of Mr. Mulder and represents his hometown of Plainview, Texas.

William Mulder, or Bill as his friends knew him, passed away nearly 2 years ago on June 9, 2017. He was a decorated Navy SEAL of 20 years whose awards included three Bronze Stars with Valor. He was also a father, husband, brother, and friend.

This legislation honors him by better equipping servicemembers for the challenges and opportunities they will face as they transition from Active Duty military service to civilian life. Far too often, the men and women of our Armed Forces lack the support and coordinated resources they need to return to civilian life and we cannot leave them behind. We owe it to those who have served and their families to ensure that they have everything they need to connect with community organizations, to pursue educational opportunities, to launch new careers, or to start their own businesses. That is why we must improve the Transition Assistance Program.

This bill would extend a pilot program for off-base transition training, allowing veterans and their spouses more time and convenience to digest and access resources.

It would also create a grant program for organizations to provide multiple transition assistance services such as resume assistance, interview training, and job recruitment training from a central source.

We can also improve the program by expanding access to better employment data at the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs, which this bill does.

And, finally, it is important that we are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program, which is why this bill would require a 1-year independent assessment and a 5-year study of the program.

We have a solemn duty to ensure that our Nation's heroes are able to readily access the best possible services when it comes time to transition back to civilian life.

I do not believe that we are living up to that duty right now, but this bipartisan bill will help change that. I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote in support today.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my friend, and our original cosponsors: Mr. Cisneros; ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, Mr. Bilirakis; Mr. Cunningham; and Mrs. Lee.

Together, we can do more than pay lip service to our veterans. We can give them the support and the resources they have earned and deserve.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2045, the Veterans' Education Transition and Opportunity Prioritization Plan, or VET OPP Act of 2019.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my friend from Ohio, Mr. Wenstrup. We have a responsibility to provide America's servicemembers with the best possible resources and opportunities as they transition back to civilian life, and we must do more to meet that responsibility.

Education, employment, housing, and transition assistance programs are critical to veterans' economic success. But many veterans aren't receiving these opportunities because of bureaucratic red tape at the VA. These programs are currently lumped with compensation programs under the Veterans Benefits Administration.

As chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, one of my top priorities is ensuring that veterans are receiving their benefits as efficiently as possible, and it is clear that the current structure at the VA isn't meeting this need.

This bipartisan bill will allow us to deliver economic resources more effectively by creating a new Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration at the VA and bringing more oversight and accountability to economic programs for veterans.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize yet another exemplary citizen, Evan Marks, as my Constituent of the Month for May. Each month, it's my pleasure to recognize residents of the 49th District who have gone above and beyond to make our community stronger, and Evan has done just that as the Founder and Executive Director of The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano.

At The Ecology Center, Evan and his team turned a vacant lot into an educational space, featuring a vibrant farm, kitchen, and artisan goods store where they teach community members about the importance of sustainable living practices. With roughly 70,000 visitors per year, The Ecology Center is a critical resource for our community that shows people how to save water, grow healthy food, and produce goods with a minimal impact on our environment.

Evan's work is imperative as we confront the dangerous impact that climate change is having on our planet. Just this week, the United Nations released a landmark report that found the health of the planet's ecosystems deteriorating rapidly, with over one million species of plants and animals on the path toward extinction due to human actions. However, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Chair, Sir Robert Watson, highlighted that ``it is not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level from local to global.'' That is exactly what Evan and The Ecology Center inspire us to do, to take action at the local level that will help protect our planet for future generations.

I am proud to represent a community that recognizes the impact we have on our environment and knows we are all responsible for combatting climate change. Evan and all of the dedicated staff at The Ecology Center have led by example and made an extraordinarily positive impact on the region. I am

honored to recognize him as my Constituent of the Month for May.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark a tragic day for San Diegans, Californians, and all Americans.

On the last day of Passover and exactly six months since the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, yet another attack took place, once again by an evil, hate-filled, anti-Semitic individual who was armed with an assault rifle. At the Chabad of Poway Synagogue located just outside of my district in Southern California, Mrs. Lori Kaye was senselessly murdered, and three other people were seriously injured.

There were many heroes on that day, including an off-duty Border Patrol Agent and an Army veteran who helped stop the gunman, and I am so grateful to them for saving lives and helping their community.

Our response to this attack cannot end now that the violence in Poway is over. It is up to each and everyone one of us--elected officials and everyday citizens alike--to confront the hate, bigotry, and anti- Semitism that persists in our society.

We must also take strong and decisive action to end the epidemic of gun violence in this country. Earlier this year, the House passed HR8, which would put common sense gun safety measures in place. We know it will help end the plague of senseless gun violence, and I implore the Senate to take up this bipartisan legislation immediately.

We need to bring together members of all religions, backgrounds, and political parties to address the hate and violence behind this attack, and that's what I intend to do over the coming weeks, months, and years.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to mark a monumental occasion for this body and offer an amendment to H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act.

After years of denial, outright lies, and inaction on the climate crisis under Republican leadership in the House, we are finally taking meaningful steps to protect our planet for future generations.

While the President denies climate change exists, promotes fake scientists who believe pollution is good, and pulls us backward, we are embracing the scientific consensus that climate change is real; it is driven by human action; and it is already having a detrimental impact on our health and our planet.

There are a lot of myths about climate change that we must dispel. One of the biggest myths I hear is that we cannot combat climate change, invest in clean energy, and grow our economy at the same time. We know that isn't true.

In California, we have seen strong GDP and per capita income growth while also leading the country in the fight to combat the climate crisis.

We also know that renewable energy options are often more affordable for consumers than traditional fossil fuels. That is why my amendment to the Climate Action Now Act adds three key facts about our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain affordable energy options at the same time.

First, the greenhouse gas emissions reductions spurred by the Paris Agreement have driven innovation for reliable and affordable forms of energy, which demonstrates that emissions reductions and affordable energy are not mutually exclusive.

Second, the United States' long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy under the Paris Agreement touted energy efficiency improvements in buildings, appliances, and vehicles as a way to cost- effectively reduce emissions and lower energy bills.

Third, this strategy has had the support of both industry and consumers.

This amendment is very simple. It should not be controversial. Members of both parties should be able to agree that we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in clean energy alternatives, and maintain affordable energy options at the same time.

Mr. Chair, I strongly urge my colleagues to recognize this simple fact and support my amendment to H.R. 9.

Ultimately, this is about the planet we leave behind for our children and our grandchildren. With a 5- and 6-year-old at home, I am proud to cosponsor the Climate Action Now Act and support bold and commonsense solutions to the climate crisis.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), the distinguished chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Phillips).

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the students and faculty of Fallbrook Union Elementary School District.

Last month, my staff met with administrators from Fallbrook Union who brought dozens of letters and drawings from the students of Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School. The students shared what they liked most about their school. Ashton said ``I love PE, when we play tug-of-war'' while Alina said she loves Mary Fay ``because we have a great librarian and a big library.'' Taelin said that ``at this school I like to help people that do not have a friend and help people in need.''

Mary Fay serves military-connected students living on Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. These students have parents who are serving their country on base or deployed abroad. Mary Fay creates a safe learning environment for its students and encourages them to dream and succeed.

These students are benefiting from a top-notch public education at an Impact Aid school. School districts across the country cross into land owned by the Federal Government, including military bases. These schools must operate with less local revenue because federal lands are exempt from local property taxes. It is our responsibility to ensure that schools like Mary Fay have the necessary resources to succeed by including sufficient funding for Impact Aid schools in the FY2020 budget. I was proud to join my colleagues in calling for the Appropriations Committee to support strong and continued funding for the Impact Aid Program.

I am honored to represent Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School and I thank them for serving our military community. I especially want to thank the teachers of the entire Fallbrook Union Elementary School District for their heroic work and for encouraging their students to engage in the democratic process at a young age.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor lawyer and friend Frank Barbaro for his many years of service to Orange County.

Frank was born in Detroit, Michigan and moved to Orange County at the age of 11. He was raised by a single mother who taught him the importance of hard work and dedication to fighting for justice. At the age of 14, Frank hosted his own radio show to help young people find employment opportunities.

After attending University of Southern California for his undergraduate and law degrees, Frank started his career as an insurance defense attorney at Rodiger, Graf, Dewberry, and Spriggs. However, he soon discovered his true passion for personal injury, medical malpractice and public entity liability.

Frank has tried over 100 personal injury cases and has argued in front of appellate and supreme courts. In his landmark case Soule vs. General Motors Corporation, Frank argued in front of the California Supreme Court and won $1.65 million for his client Terri Soule in an automobile defect case against General Motors. Law schools across the country teach this case to discuss the consumer-expectation test for products liability. In 2018, Frank was inducted into the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association Hall of Fame.

Frank has also been a leader in our community outside of the courtroom. He has fought for judicial independence through his work with the bipartisan Committee to Preserve a Responsible Judiciary. He has served on both the Governor's Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for Orange County and the Orange County Fair Board. Frank was also Chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County and Orange County Campaign Chair for several presidential campaigns, including President Jimmy Carter, President Barack Obama, and Secretary Hillary Clinton.

Frank is a true inspiration to our community. I am honored to pay tribute to Frank and his work on behalf of Orange County.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Eric and David Groos, two constituents from San Juan Capistrano, as my Constituents of the Month for April.

Each month, I recognize constituents who have gone above and beyond to help their neighbors, give back to their community, and make the country stronger. As co-founders of a non-profit that provides under- served and at-risk youth with outdoor recreational activities, there is no question that Eric and David are deserving of this recognition.

The brothers' non-profit, Great Opportunities, has served over 3000 young people in my district, mainly coming from San Juan Capistrano's geographically identified gang induction zones where kids are most at- risk of being drawn toward gang activity. Organizations like theirs play a critical role in generating opportunity in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, and I am extremely grateful for the services they provide.

Eric and David provide kids in my district with more than just recreational activities--they are providing experiences that will help kids develop leadership and problem-solving skills, which will serve them well throughout their lives. I believe we must do more at the local, state, and federal levels to support organizations like theirs that provide under-served youth with the skills they need to succeed in life, and that will continue to be one of my priorities.

I am proud to recognize Eric and David as my constituents of the month for April, and I am deeply grateful for everything they do to give back to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th birthday of veteran, father, husband, and friend to many, Joseph Walsh.

Joe was born on March 18, 1919 in East Orange, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, Joe was inspired by a family friend's stories of World War I to enlist in the Marines in April 1938.

Joe was serving in the Marine Corps' Third Defense Battalion at the Navy Yard in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, one of the most pivotal days in American history. Joe was attending a morning color guard ceremony when the attack began. The next two hours were ``all confusion,'' as Joe characterizes it. His battalion fired anti-aircraft machine guns at the Japanese planes as they headed towards the Navy Yard.

Joe never spoke about his experience at Pearl Harbor when his children were growing up. He is the last surviving member of the Pearl Harbor Survivor Association's North County Chapter 31 and served as the organization's president for many years. As President, Joe organized the annual memorial ceremony at Oceanside Harbor and campaigned for the installation of Oceanside's Pearl Harbor memorial monument in 2006.

Joe met LaVonne ``Bea'' Phaneuf in 1945 at a friend's wedding. Many years later, Joe still remembers the baby blue dress Bea wore that night. Bea was one of 23,000 women who enlisted in the Marines during the war. She was a member of the Aviation Women's Reserve Squadron 21 at Quantico, Virginia. Joe and Bea have been married since 1946 and have six children.

As parents, Joe and Bea instilled values of telling the truth, respecting others, and taking care of those in need. Joe was always giving away things that others needed even when his family had very little. Joe can talk to anyone and somehow make them laugh.

Joe Walsh has lived an incredible and full life. He is a true inspiration for our community, and we cannot thank him enough for his service to his country.

Joe Walsh will be celebrating his birthday on March 18 with friends and family in Vista, California. I am honored to pay tribute to Joe, and I wish him a very happy 100th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, as the Congress Member for California's 49th District, it is my distinct honor to represent over 700,000 Californians from North County San Diego and south Orange County.

I have met countless constituents across the district who do incredible work to make our community stronger, and I am proud to serve them in Congress.

With so many outstanding constituents, I thought it would be appropriate to start a new Constituent of the Month program to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond to help their neighbors, give back to their community, and make our country stronger.

For our first constituent of the month, I am thrilled to recognize Mr. Shelby Jacobs of Oceanside, a retired aerospace engineer who worked for 40 years on NASA's Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.

Mr. Jacobs served in a number of roles, including project manager of the

Apollo-Soyuz orbiter and designed a breakthrough camera used to capture iconic images of a rocket separation on Apollo 6 in 1968.

As an African American in an industry with few people of color at the time, Mr. Jacobs faced significant difficulties, including unequal pay and, often, unfair treatment.

Now Mr. Jacobs serves as the role model he never had for himself, showing young people of color what they can achieve in the face of racism, discrimination, and inequality of opportunity, and calling for action to address injustices that still exist today.

He told the San Diego Union Tribune: ``It's important to be a pioneer, but I want people to understand that while we appreciate the progress, things need to be done to address the inequality. That's something that was there when I started and it's still happening today right up to the very top level of our government.''

Mr. Jacobs' story has helped highlight other ``Hidden Figures'' who have gone without recognition, particularly people of color and women, for their extraordinary contributions to our country.

I have no doubt that Mr. Jacobs' efforts to touch the lives of young people and address inequality has had a profound impact on our community and will continue to do so.

Shelby Jacobs is an inspiration to me and so many others, and I am proud to call him our first Constituent of the Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark a monumental occasion for this Chamber. For the first time in decades, this body will take up major legislation to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 8, bipartisan legislation to require a background check on every gun sale or transfer.

I know the vast majority of my constituents support this step, including Renae Greg, a woman from Carlsbad, who was simply trying to enjoy a country concert when she was forced to dodge bullets at a Las Vegas shooting.

I know that Lonna Leghart, a constituent from Vista, supports this commonsense legislation. Her sister Kimberly, tragically, lost her life as a result of gun violence in my district.

It is on their behalf and on behalf of all Americans who are impacted by daily gun violence in this country that I will support H.R. 8, and I hope all of my colleagues will stand with us.

There is so much more that we need to do to fully address the epidemic of gun violence, but today it is a huge step for Renae, Lonna, and families across this country.

Madam Speaker, last night we heard from a President who is clearly out of touch with the true state of our union. His rhetoric of compromise failed to meet the reality of the highly divisive policies he offered.

The President failed to acknowledge that his tax scam has unfairly benefited big corporations, CEOs, and the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working people.

He failed to acknowledge the severe shortcomings of his own administration when it comes to middle class families.

He failed to acknowledge that his administration has ripped away protections for those with preexisting conditions.

The President continued to use harmful rhetoric toward immigrants and declined to acknowledge that his anti-immigrant agenda has torn families apart, put kids in cages, and turned away those seeking asylum and safety.

The President also failed to address one of the biggest crises we face, and that is the impact of climate change on our planet. We are witnessing more intense storms and stronger wildfires as a result of climate change, but instead of acknowledging those facts, the President denied climate science, nominated fossil fuel lobbyists to run the EPA and Department of Interior, and has undone critical environmental protection.

We need a comprehensive agenda to combat climate change and a monumental shift to renewable energy, electric vehicles, and more energy-efficient buildings.

While the President continues to deny science and common sense, I will continue to work with my colleagues on a Green New Deal to protect our planet for future generations.

While the President's State of the Union address was out of touch, I welcome him to join Democrats in working For The People to lower health care costs, end the culture of corruption in Washington, effectively combat climate change, and serve the middle class.