Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I include the following obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle honoring Bill Newsom:

Justice William A. (``Bill'') Newsom, paterfamilias of a

pioneering San Francisco family and a revered figure to his

children, grandchildren and expansive clan, ardent defender

of the environment, longtime San Francisco civic leader and

retired Justice of the California Court of Appeal, died on

December 12 from complications of old age.

Bill was a brilliant man of letters and linguistic genius

who could bend the English language to his will like few

others. Avuncular and sweet-natured, possessed of a wry and

irreverent wit, fluent in French and Italian, a master of

allusion and superb with impressions and accents, he was

unexcelled as a raconteur and bard. He was devoted to an

astounding variety of literary and intellectual pursuits,

peripatetic in his extensive travels, and indefatigable in

his commitments to civic and charitable endeavors,

particularly to conservation and environmental causes. A

noted bibliophile and oenophile, he frequently combined those

loves with a third, his great love of music, particularly

opera. Bill liked his poets Irish, but his food Italian. He

possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of natural history and

natural science and loved adventuring in the out of doors

with family and friends locally in California, on the

Colorado River through he Grand Canyon, in Alaska, Africa and

beyond. He was an irrepressible patron of lost causes who

almost invariably took up on behalf of the underdog and the

``little guy.'' His empathy and compassion were perpetually

on display; it would be foolhardy to try to catalogue his

countless initiatives on behalf of the unfortunate, the

downtrodden and the wronged, much less his constant

individual acts of kindness. It is perhaps best simply to

observe that never did someone come to him for help and leave

without it.

A wonderful father to his own children and ``Papapapap'' to

his six grandchildren, Bill was also a superb builder and

cultivator of family. Be it in Squaw Valley (a central

gathering-place for the extended Newsom clan since the 1960

Winter Olympics), at the Monte Vista Inn or his treasured

mountain retreat in Dutch Flat, or on any of innumerable

family trips, he was never happier than when surrounded by

family in conviviality, holding court with a fire roaring,

recounting adventures and tales, offering unforgettable

impersonations, describing the San Francisco of his (and his

father's) youth, quoting Chesterton and Belloc, Yeats and

Heaney. Bill adored children and they in turn were drawn to

him as to the Pied Piper. He related to them in the most

authentic and endearing way, not speaking at them but with

them, neither at his level nor theirs, but in some kind of

magical blarney in between that riveted them, made them

laugh, and yet taught them something at every turn. They left

his company--usually holding an armful of books, and some

money--knowing he was their ally, including especially in

whatever mischief they might be planning with his consent, or

perhaps even his connivance. (Bill loved to tweak the

establishment, even if that meant the parents of his co-

conspirators!).

A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Bill was born into a

large Irish Catholic brood in Depression-era San Francisco on

February 15, 1934 and raised on Jefferson St. at Baker, in

the shadow of the Palace of Fine Arts. He was the second and

last surviving of six children (Carole A. Onorato, Belinda B.

(``Barbara'') Newsom, Brennan J. Newsom, Sharon C. Mohun,

Patrick J. Newsom) born to William A. Newsom, Jr. and

Christine Newsom. Bill's parents were Mission District Irish.

His father, William A. Newsom, Jr., (b. 1902) was a developer

and civic leader who survived the 1906 earthquake and was

closely associated with the late Gov. Edmund G. (``Pat'')

Brown. Bill's paternal grandfather, also William A. Newsom,

born in San Francisco in 1865, was a contractor and early

city father who later became an associate of A.P. Giannini

and opened the first branch office of the Bank of America at

29th and Mission Streets in San Francisco. His maternal

grandfather (b. 1872) was a longshoreman on the San Francisco

waterfront who had made his way from Ireland to San Francisco

in the 1880s.

Bill was privileged to have a superb education, first under

the tutelage of the good Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and

the French Marists (most of sturdy Breton stock) at Ecole

Notre Dame des Victoires, then under the Jesuits at St.

Ignatius High School, from which he was graduated in 1951. It

was at SI that Bill first encountered many of his boon

companions, including Lloyd Fabbri, Lou Felder, Gordon Getty,

Paul Getty, Jim Halligan, Chris Malarkey, John Mallen and

many more. Bill received his undergraduate degree in French

Literature from the University of San Francisco in 1955; a

Masters in English Literature from Stanford in 1961; and his

law degree from Stanford in 1960.

Bill married the former Tessa Menzies in 1966. They were

blessed with the birth of a son, Gavin, in 1967 and a

daughter, Hilary, in 1968. While Bill and Tessa were divorced

in 1973, they maintained a close, familial relationship for

the rest of their lives.

In his professional life, Bill was a Commissioner of the

San Francisco Superior Court following law school before

entering private practice as an attorney, first with the

Lillick firm in San Francisco (1963-1965), then as an

associate of the celebrated San Francisco trial attorney,

James Martin Macinnis (1965-1966), and finally opening his

own private law practice in Tahoe City, CA (1967-1975). He

also served as an attorney for Getty Oil Italiana (based in

Rome) in the late 1960s. Bill was appointed by Gov. Jerry

Brown first to the Placer County Superior Court in 1975, and

subsequently to the California Court of Appeals (First

Appellate District) in March 1978. He retired from the Court

of Appeal in 1995.

Throughout his adult life, Bill served as a legal and

business advisor to his great childhood friends, Gordon P.

Getty and J. Paul (``Paul'') Getty, Jr., and later to many

other members of the Getty family. Among other formal roles,

he served as Trustee of the Ronald Family Getty Trust from

1988 to 2011; as Trust Administrator for the Gordon Getty

Family Trust from 1994 to 2009; and as a Director and

President of the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation from 2011

until his passing. However, his most valuable service was in

his informal capacity as a trusted confidant and, first and

foremost, a friend. Bill played an important role in the

negotiations for the release of Paul Getty's son, J. Paul

Getty III, following his kidnapping in 1973.

At one time he considered a career in politics, but Bill

lost his first race for the State Senate in 1968. (When asked

why he lost, his answer was usually: ``Because I ran against

the unbeatable Milton Marks.'') Despite a later movement to

draft him as a mayoral candidate in the early 1980s, Bill had

come to see himself in roles outside politics.

Bill's civic and charitable commitments were substantial.

He served on the Board of Regents of the University of Santa

Clara; the Board of Directors of the International Bioethics

Institute, and on the boards of numerous environmental

organizations including Earthjustice (San Francisco),

Environmental Defense Fund (New York and San Francisco),

Friends of the River (Sacramento), Sierra Watch (Nevada City)

and the Mountain Lion Foundation (Sacramento). A visionary

conservationist from an early age, he was an avid supporter

of dozens of individuals and organizations working to protect

our public resources--clean air, clean water, biodiversity,

wildlife and wild places, especially our forests, rivers, and

oceans.

Bill was endowed with great decency and humanity; indeed,

these were his defining traits. He took the Golden Rule

literally, regarding indignities to others as indignities to

himself. A close friend from Bill's youth used to say of him

that ``the milk of human kindness flows by the quart in every

vein.''

Sometimes we lose someone whose passing makes it seem like

an entire era is washed away. Bill was a proto-San Franciscan

who often spoke of a city we sometimes now see only through a

gauzy lens, where civic virtue, pride and neighborliness

predominated; boasting a vibrant waterfront and teeming with

middle class families; led by citizens who, Republican or

Democrat, shared many core values; and having colorful

characters at every turn. He was certain that he lived in the

most magical place possible and, as was said of one of Bill's

literary heroes, Belloc, ``No man of his time fought so hard

for the good things.''

He is survived by his beloved children of whom he was so

proud, governor-elect Gavin Christopher Newsom and his wife

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and Hilary Callan Newsom and her

husband, Geoff Callan; his grandchildren, Talitha and Siena

Callan and Montana, Hunter, Brooklynn and Dutch Newsom; his

sisters-in-law, Cindy Asner, Cathy Newsom Goodman, Franza

Newsom and Anne Scherer; his brother-in-law, Ronald V.

Pelosi; a passel of nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and

grand-nephews in the Mohun, Fink, Newsom, Onorato, Pelosi and

Scherer families; many beloved cousins and relations; and his

legion of dear friends, including Gordon and Ann Getty and

other, lifelong companions such as Jim Halligan and John

Mallen; his longtime personal assistant, Lisa Belforte; and

so many others. In addition to his siblings, Bill was

predeceased by his former wife, Tessa Newsom.

Private services and burial to be held near Bill's longtime

home in the community of Dutch Flat, CA. In lieu of flowers,

the family suggests donations to the Justice William Newsom

Fund at the San Francisco Foundation

(www.justicewilliamnewsomfund.org), which will be used to

carry on Bill's legacy of environmental stewardship for

generations to come, or to your favorite charity.

``When You to Acheron's Ugly Water Come . . .

Then go before them like a royal ghost

And tread like Egypt or like Carthage crowned;

Because in your Mortality the most

Of all we may inherit has been found--

Children for memory: the Faith for pride.

Good land to leave: and young Love satisfied''

Requiescat in pace.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to rule IX, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House, and I send to the desk a privileged resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I do.

Mr. Speaker, the House and Senate Democrats and Republicans of the Appropriations Committee have worked hard and long to come up with bipartisan legislation to meet the needs of the American people.

Right now, we are in the midst of Congress delaying. The market is down almost 5 points for this and other reasons. This is not the time for us to shut down the government.

We have a product developed in a bipartisan way for the reasons described by the Clerk, who read it, and it is privileged because of the time of the year, because of the extent of the concern that the American people have, and because of the harm that will be done to them if the government shuts down. It would be totally irresponsible.

That is why I consider it a privilege to rise to say: Let's keep the government open by passing this bipartisan legislation first introduced by Congresswoman Lowey, our distinguished Democratic leader on the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to talk about a very special person in our community who recently left us. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pray tribute to a gentleman of exceptional generosity, deep principles, and extraordinary wit: Justice William Newsom, or, as many called him, ``Bill.''

A dedicated public servant with a commitment to the arts and conservation, he leaves a lasting legacy for America. Any one of us who knew him considered him a cherished friend.

Bill was a proud fourth-generation San Franciscan, who was born to a large Irish brood. As a commissioner of the San Francisco Superior Court, judge on the Placer County Superior Court, and then California Court of Appeals judge, he worked relentlessly to uphold liberty and justice for all.

Again, Bill's charitable and civic contributions to our city and our State are legendary. He was endowed with great decency and humanity and took the golden rule literally. He considered an injustice and indignity to one an injustice and indignity to all.

A passionate student of natural history and a lifelong enthusiast of the

outdoors, Bill worked relentlessly to preserve the beauty of God's creation. His leadership on a vast range of conservation and environmental organizations was vital in protecting clean air, clean water, and public lands for our children and grandchildren.

Bill also understood the power of the arts to bring us together and dedicated decades to fostering beauty, culture, and the arts in the bay area and around the world.

Again, all who were fortunate enough to call Bill a friend knew him as a brilliant man of letters, a tireless champion of civic causes, and a trusted confidante of unsurpassed empathy and generosity. But it is Bill's profound love of family that we will miss the most.

Bill's favorite role was that of patriarch, or paterfamilias, of a big Irish brood. Family trips to Squaw Valley and Dutch Flat were his great joy, and he relished every opportunity to share books, stories, and special moments with his family, especially Irish literature.

Mr. Speaker, I will include in the Record an obituary written about Bill Newsom that I think everyone should read. It is about a person so special that you merely have to read the story to find it believable that somebody could accomplish such things with dignity and grace.

Mr. Speaker, his obituary says that Justice William Newsom was paterfamilias of a pioneering San Francisco family and a revered figure to his family, including his wonderful daughter, Hilary, whom we all love, and his son, Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, whom, unfortunately, he will not see sworn in, but he did see him elected Governor in November.

Again, he is a fourth-generation San Franciscan, born to a large Irish Catholic brood in Depression-era San Francisco. His story is really the story of America.

Again, throughout his life he served the community with great, great dignity. His civic and charitable commitments were substantial, serving on the Board of Regents of the University of Santa Clara. The list goes on in terms of education and the arts.

Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, we lose someone whose passing makes it seem like an entire era has vanished, but that is not so with Bill Newsom because he left such a legacy for us to continue to enjoy.

Again, he is survived by Hilary; Gavin; his beautiful grandchildren, whom he enjoyed so much time with in later years; and so many friends who revered him.

I want our colleagues to knew this very special person made a mark on the lives of so many of us in the great State of California and our country. If you have a moment, read his obituary. It is a story of America, of the American Dream of a great Irish American family, a pioneer family in California.

Again, when Gavin is sworn in the first week of January, we will all take such great pride in the love that his father had for him and his sister, Hilary, and know that he is looking down from Heaven on that blessed day for the State of California as the Newsom legacy lives on.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sydney Goldstein: a pioneering San Francisco impresario, founder and driving force of City Arts & Lectures, who died September 25. Her passing is a great loss to our community and to the nation.

Sydney Goldstein made a difference. With a deep belief in a brighter future, she used her enormous gifts and talents to expand community engagement with public conversations that were always relevant to current events.

Sydney Goldstein was a San Franciscan through and through. She was born on October 13, 1944 in our city of Saint Francis. Her father, Edward Goldstein, owned the Diamond Palace, at the corner of Fifth and Market streets. Her mother also came from a family of shopkeepers. Sydney graduated from Lowell High School and attended San Jose State, before leaving to begin a lifetime of service in the world of arts and culture.

Sydney began her career by organizing successful public events at the College of Marin, where she successfully brought visionary and legendary arts icons to the campus. She had a talent for knowing who to invite, what they brought to the table and how to organize and mobilize leaders with strong cultural resonance.

Following the success of planning public speaking events at the College of Marin, Sydney Goldstein went on to found the popular City Arts & Lectures series, hosting the series at the then-refurbished Herbst Theatre in the War Memorial Veterans Building for many years. For four decades, Sydney invited notable writers, critics, artists and musicians to share their insight and brilliance with the community.

Later, Sydney opened the Nourse Theater and doubled the capacity for the City Arts & Lecture Series with 1,600 seats. Sydney also partnered with KQED to broadcast the talks to the Bay Area, as well as more than 130 public radio stations nationwide. The partnership continues to this day, bringing learning and the arts to so many.

Sydney was an extraordinary woman, mother, partner and friend to many, who left this world with a phenomenal legacy of service.

Paul joins me in sending our deepest sympathy to Sydney's beloved husband Judge Charles Breyer, her children Kate and Joseph, her three grandchildren and her sister Dorian Lewis. May it be a comfort to Sydney's family and loved ones that so many mourn their loss and pray for them during this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Congressman Mike Thompson, to honor the life and legacy of a trailblazing, transformative leader, Ann Eliaser, who passed away on October 24 in her beloved city of San Francisco.

Ann was a woman of exceptional vision and determination, who fearlessly spoke truth to power to reshape the face of our state and national politics during her decades in the political arena. She was driven by the extraordinary strength of her convictions and by her remarkable independence of thought, making history as she rose through the ranks of the state Democratic Party.

Ann did not merely observe political history; she shaped it. As a California delegate at the Democratic National Convention and as the California Democratic Party's National Committeewoman, she played a vital role in determining who sat at the decision-making table in our state and country. She fought relentlessly for candidates who would champion Democratic values, regardless of conventional wisdom or political popularity. Her advocacy was critical to the success of leaders up and down the ballot, from Presidents Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter to local politicians in our city of Saint Francis.

Ann was a San Francisco native, who dedicated her full life and spirit to building better futures for the people of the Golden State. As an appointee to the San Francisco Board of Permit Appeals, she held our city's business leaders accountable for ensuring fair pay and better working conditions for employees. As the first woman member of the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, she fought relentlessly to protect the beauty of God's creation for generations to come. Through her leadership on numerous city, state, national and international boards, she advocated relentlessly for our nation's fundamental promise of liberty and justice for all, fighting to overturn the death penalty, end unjust wars and support the State of Israel.

Ann's deep belief that strength lies in diversity was essential in bringing more women and greater diversity into the halls of power in our country. Her courage to defy history and demand a seat at the table has inspired and empowered generations of strong women leaders, leaving a beautiful and lasting legacy for our nation.

Ann's many friends will forever remember and cherish her profound love for family. May it bring some measure of comfort to Ann's daughter, Mary Powell, her grandchildren Blair Shane and Alexander Rosenblatt, her four great-grandchildren, and all who were blessed to know and love her, that so many grieve with them and pray for them during this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of a beloved icon, Willie McCovey, who passed away on October 31 in the Bay Area.

Willie McCovey was an indelible part of the fabric of the San Francisco Giants and the city of Saint Francis. For more than six decades, he gave his heart, soul, and full spirit to the Giants, as a player, a mentor for younger players, and a leader in the clubhouse. His familiar presence at Candlestick Park and then at AT&T Park even decades after his retirement provided a constant source of hope, strength, and inspiration for fans of all ages.

Willie made history as one of just a handful of players in the history of the sport to secure a Rookie of the Year Award, a league MVP, and multiple All-Star Game MVP Awards. He retired in 1980 with the most home runs hit by a left-handed hitter, a record that stood for more than thirty years. During his career, Willie led the league in home runs three times and in RBIs twice. He retired with 18 grand slams, second only to Lou Gehrig, and with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs hit. His style of play forever changed the game, forcing defenses to respond to his intimidating power and strength.

Willie lived the American Dream, from his rise from humble beginnings in the segregated South to his induction to Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. The son of a railroad worker and one of ten children, Willie began working at age 12 to support his family, eventually dropping out of high school to work full time. By age 17, his extraordinary talent and potential had become legendary, and he signed his first professional contract, beginning what would be an outstanding, record-shattering career.

Yet, throughout Willie's time on the field, it was not only his ferocious power hitting that set him apart, but also his incredible generosity, joy, and love for the game. After his retirement, Willie continued to give back to his city and his team, and his kindness and graciousness earned the devotion of generations of San Franciscans. That the San Francisco Giants' annual most inspirational player award is named for Willie McCovey is a lasting testament to his contributions on and off the field.

Willie once said, ``I'd like to think that when people think of San Francisco, they also think of Willie McCovey.'' What a blessing it is to have forged such a legacy. He will be missed by players, fans, and San Franciscans of all backgrounds for generations to come, and his memory will be cherished every time the Giants drive a home run into McCovey Cove.

May it bring some measure of comfort to Willie's cherished wife Estela, his daughter Allison, his grandchildren Raven, Philip, and Marissa, his sister Frances, brothers Clauzell and Cleon, Estela's daughters Christel Marise and Christel Faye, and all who were fortunate enough to know and love Willie, that so many grieve with them and pray for them during this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the beautiful life and legacy of my dear friend, Gerald Schuster, who died on October 17 in his home in his beloved city of Boston.

Jerry was a leader of great vision and generosity, driven always by the deep responsibility he possessed to build better futures for families in Boston and across the country. Together with his beloved wife of 66 years, Elaine, Jerry dedicated his life to philanthropy and progressive activism.

Jerry's vast generosity of spirit blessed countless Americans. His support for Boston hospitals, including the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have brought healing and hope to so many lives, and have helped strengthen families and the community. His vision in establishing the Schuster Family Transplantation Research Center at the Brigham will leave a powerful legacy for generations to come. Jerry also understood the deep toll that poor health can take on families' well-being and economic security, and transformed lives by helping establish Hospitality Homes, a nonprofit organization providing free housing for more than 15,000 families and friends of patients receiving care in the Boston area.

As a self-made business leader, Jerry believed firmly in the importance of empowering young leaders, and cared deeply about mentoring others so that they can succeed. As part of this mission, he and Elaine established Operation PEACE (Partnerships in Education and Community Enrichment), which provides mentoring, tutoring and life skill training for children in urban communities in Atlanta and Boston. Recognizing that there is no greater investment we can make than in our children's education, they also started a fund at Tufts University to support faculty development and civic engagement.

Jerry believed profoundly in the importance of a free press. He and Elaine created the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, which has made an extraordinary contribution in strengthening America's public interest and investigative journalism. Since its founding, the Center has empowered scores of graduates to seek truth through journalism and public service.

Jerry also was a tireless champion for progressive causes, and for the need to encourage a robust, healthy debate over policy. For decades, he and Elaine opened their home to civic and political leaders of all levels, fostering important conversations about how to create progress for all Americans.

Our country has been strengthened by Jerry's leadership and generosity. We will all deeply miss his warmth, his brilliant spirit and his deep empathy. Most of all, we will remember his extraordinary love for his family. The great love he had for Elaine, his beloved and inseparable partner in all aspects of life; for Mark and Audrey, Scott and Heidi, Jodi, and Todd and Laurie; and for his nine wonderful grandchildren, continues to bless us all.

May it bring some measure of comfort to Jerry's many friends and loved ones that so many grieve with them and pray for them during this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his extraordinary leadership in representing the House Democrats as the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee. He brings to that position the values shared by the American people of fairness, transparency, and openness in what goes on here in Congress, and doing so in a way that is accountable to the American people. So I thank him for his leadership.

Sadly, I come to the floor again to talk against, yet again, another Republican tax scam. The gentleman who just spoke talked about how we should be filled with joy--filled with joy.

Well, if we are talking about emotion, let us talk about St. Augustine. St. Augustine, 17 centuries ago--17 centuries ago, 1,700 years ago--said: ``A State which is not governed according to justice is just a bunch of thieves.''

Pope Benedict, who quoted Augustine, said: ``The State must inevitably face the question of how justice can be achieved here and now.'' Benedict cautioned against the danger of certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interest. That is what they talked about.

This is about justice, justice for our country in terms of economic justice, justice in our society in terms of everyone participating in the prosperity of America and not, yet again, the warmed-over stew of trickle-down economics. If you give 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent--glory, alleluia--it may trickle down on you. If it does not, so be it. That is what the former speaker said: So be it.

Let me quote some of the Republicans, enforcing what I said earlier. Who are these tax scams for?

Congressman Chris Collins said: ``My donors are basically saying, `Get it done or don't ever call me again.'''

Senator Lindsey Graham said the financial contributions will stop if this--and I say--if this tax scam fails.

Here we are again. Here we are again at a time, on this last day of the session, as this body prepares to pack its bags and return home for the next 6 weeks, the GOP's priorities have been laid bare, as we waste our final moments debating a new version of the Republicans' same old tax scam, with no accountability, no transparency, and no fairness for the American people.

The first GOP tax scam for the rich added $2 trillion to the national debt, when you talk about the tax cut plus the interest on the debt, sticking our children with a bill for massive tax breaks for Big Pharma, big banks, big corporations, making it more profitable for them to ship jobs overseas, and the wealthiest 1 percent.

People across America have raised their voices to condemn the Republicans' plan to spend trillions on tax cuts for the wealthy. What is so sad about it is, in their first tax scam, they decided that they would set up a thing where the individual mandate was repealed and, therefore, the benefit of preexisting condition no longer barring you from having access to health insurance. Their first tax scam was an assault on the preexisting condition benefit in the Affordable Care Act.

Not only that--that was not good enough for them--the President went further in his budget and said: We have increased the debt. Now we have to pay for it, because, contrary to the illusion that our Republicans like to present, these tax breaks do not ever pay for themselves.

Don't take it from me. Those who have worked even with Jack Kemp have said: Anybody who tells you that these tax breaks pay for themselves is telling you something that is not true, is nonsense, and is BS, except he said the whole word in our testimony.

So here they are. Now they have to pay for it. Where are they going to get the money? They have just given 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent, a big tax break for corporations, enabling them to send jobs overseas. And who is going to pay for it?

Well, in the President's budget, to make up for the $2 billion plus, they cut $500 billion from Medicare; $1.4 trillion from Medicaid, legislation that is not just about poor children but middle-income seniors, a benefit for middle-income seniors; $214 billion from food stamps, a benefit needed by our seniors, by our veterans, by our poor children in America. All of this is to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

So here we are again. Imagine what the Republicans will try to do after adding trillions more to the deficit. Their intentions are clear. The President's adviser--whatever his title is now--Larry Kudlow, his top economic chief, said: If Republicans control Congress, they will immediately move to cut the larger entitlements, probably next year.

In budget after budget, Republicans have made their plan perfectly clear: Add trillions to the deficit with their GOP tax scams for the rich, and then use those deficits to justify slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and, actually, disability benefits for people on Social Security.

Added $2 trillion to the debt with their first tax scam, putting forward a budget that would, again, claw millions of dollars back from seniors and hardworking Americans, and now they want to do it again.

Well, don't take it from me. AARP wrote a letter to Congress yesterday to warn against the grievous damage that would be done by the second phase of Republicans' deficit-exploding tax scam.

They wrote: ``We have grave concerns about H.R. 6760. AARP is troubled by the further negative effect this bill will have on the Nation's ability to fund critical priorities.''

They then said: ``The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that

H.R. 6760 will reduce Federal revenue by approximately $631 billion over the 10-year budget window. This is in addition to the $1.5 trillion reduction in revenue over the 10-year budget window resulting from last year's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.''

Revenue, revenue that can be used for investment. Think of what we could have done with those resources to build the infrastructure of America, a small piece of it to address the pension crisis in America, the recognition that investments in education are the best investments we can make, because nothing brings more to the Treasury than investments in education. Instead, we have this.

The AARP goes on to say: ``Additional increases of this magnitude in the deficit will inevitably lead to calls for greater spending cuts, which are likely to include cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and other important programs serving older Americans.''

The letter concludes: ``AARP cannot support H.R. 6760.''

Again, here we are. They give this big tax break. They say people are going to get raises and bonuses.

Some got bonuses. That is good. If you worked there a long time and the rest, you got a bonus. But it didn't add to your base salary, which would have been the important increase for people to make.

One estimate by Goldman Sachs was that there would be, following the former tax bill, $1 trillion in buybacks; in other words, corporations buying back their stock--not investing in their workforce, not recognizing that their success depends on the productivity of the workforce and that any increase in productivity should also include an increase in the wages of the workers, but, instead, an increase in the compensation for the CEO.

It is shameful.

To conclude on that point, there is a better way to do this. There could have been, instead of as they did with the first tax scam and now this one--the first one in the dark of night and in the speed of light, putting forth a bill that they almost didn't even know what they were voting for. That did a grave injustice to our Nation for what it deprives us of by giving these tax breaks at the high end.

There is a way to do it. Mr. Neal has suggested it over and over again. Let's see what we have done before.

Ronald Reagan, Tip O'Neill, 1986, almost a year of hearings and transparency and openness where the public could see and people could understand what it meant to them in their lives.

Instead, they just go into those rooms, and say: How can we, how can we, how can we milk the public? How can we exploit the taxpayer by adding to the wealth of the wealthiest 1 percent in our country?

It is shameful.

As St. Augustine said, unless a government is formed to promote justice, it is just a bunch of thieves.

We are robbing from our children's future with this national debt. We are robbing from the participation in the full benefits of our prosperity, of our workers, in our country. We are robbing our Nation's ability to be itself, to make America good again. In doing so, again, to have people have financial stability in their lives, so that they can be entrepreneurial, so that they can take risk, so that they can invest in their children's future.

It is not only good for the individual taxpayer or person in our country; it is good for our country, because it makes us competitive in the world with our values and with our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Washington State who, from day one, has been a champion for human rights in our country and throughout the world. I was proud to travel with her to visit with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where this issue has been on the forefront for many years and currently.

I thank Mr. Hultgren for his leadership and for being part of this legislation, and also Chris Smith and Frank Wolf before him. We have been working on this for a long time.

On a previous trip, we visited Tibet, and we called Mr. McGovern the spiritual leader of our trip because everywhere he went in Tibet, and then also in the rest of China, he brought up this issue of reciprocity. It has a human rights aspect to it, but it also is a practical matter that if we want to improve communication and relationships and the rest, if the Tibetan--it is the Chinese Government, but in the form of the Tibetan--local government there wants more people to go to school and visit Tibet and all, as a practical matter, it would be very important for us to have a diplomatic presence in Lhasa.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act as a strong, bipartisan bill. We are very proud of that. It takes an important step forward to advance the future of freedom, dignity, and prosperity for the Tibetan people.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate and acknowledge the leadership of Congressman Jim McGovern, as I mentioned, who is co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Ten years ago, he became the chair of that commission. He was working on this issue even before then.

His leadership honors the legacy of Tom Lantos, our colleague, and the responsibility of Congress to defend human rights and dignity around the world. That has always been not only bipartisan, but bicameral on this issue.

This bill holds China officials accountable for their repressive campaign to cut off Tibet from America and the world. It promotes free, unfettered travel for American diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibet, and fosters strong bonds between our peoples. And it sends a clear signal that China's meddling in Tibet's affairs is unacceptable and cannot continue.

For six decades, the Tibetan people have stood defiant in the face of oppression and brutality from an authoritarian China. The people of Tibet have courageously spoken out for their freedom, and the rest of the world has been stirred to action by their clarion call for justice and dignity. All freedom-loving people must continue to speak out until every Tibetan can learn, worship, and live free from persecution and abuse.

I might add, sadly, that we would hope that there would be respect for the dignity and the faith of the Uighurs in China as well.

In November 2015, I led a congressional delegation--as I mentioned, the first congressional delegation in a long time to enter Tibet--with Congressman McGovern in Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace, and Sera Monastery, and witnessed the strength of the Tibetan people and the beauty of their culture.

Last year, again, I led another bipartisan delegation to Nepal and India, where we were blessed to be received by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Congresswoman Jayapal was part of that. We had the opportunity to see the aspirations of the Tibetan people firsthand, now living in India, especially in the eyes of the Tibetan schoolchildren in Dharamshala.

These people are there, separated from their parents for the most part, because they are not allowed to practice their faith, speak their language, or enjoy their culture in Tibet because that is suppressed.

Today, those aspirations remain in peril as China continues to silence the voices crying out for freedom in Tibet and across the region. Every day, Tibetans, Uighurs--again, the Uighurs are the Muslims in the western areas of China--and the people of Hong Kong and all throughout China are subjected to the threat of oppression and persecution simply for wishing to practice their faith and pursue a more democratic future.

Mr. Speaker, if we don't speak out for human rights in China because of our commercial relationship with them, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights anyplace in the world. As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to stand with the Tibetan people as they fight to be free to practice their faith traditions, speak their language, and celebrate their cultures. This bill takes a strong step toward that mission, and I urge my colleagues to join in a strong bipartisan ``yes'' on this vote.

Again, I want to commend my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have for a very long time been such leaders on the issues of human rights throughout the world, including in China, and for whom this particular bill has emerged as one manifestation of where we can make a reasonable, measured difference in our relationship.

So I thank Mr. Hultgren and Mr. McGovern for their leadership in bringing this forth. I thank the Judiciary Committee and my colleague who was so important on our trip. So it is really a joy to see the gentleman on the floor leading this debate. I thank the gentleman for bringing his eloquence, his compassion, his concern, and his leadership to this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Lee for bringing us together for this Special Order to honor a very, very special person, Congressman, Mr. Mayor, Ron Dellums.

She has worked with him, so she saw close up his commitment to values to make the future better for everyone in our country.

She also participated in his collaboration, that when an issue arose or even was anticipated, he engaged the entire community in the discussion, in the collaboration of what was best for the community, not deigning to tell them, but listening. He listened, and we all listened.

When Ron Dellums came to the floor, it was an occasion. Everything stopped, as we wanted to hear what he had to say, because we knew it would be substantial. But we also knew it would be eloquent and, on occasion, humorous.

He was an absolute star in the Congress of the United States, like no other in the galaxy of stars here that many of us have served with. He shined so much brighter, and the world is a duller place for his leaving us.

What is important about Ron are some of the things that our colleague Mr. Johnson referenced about apartheid in Africa, how important he was in that fight, and how effective he was as a leader in that fight.

When he assumed the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee, a progressive from Berkeley, he understood that our country had to be strong, but he measured our strength not only in our military might, but the health, education, and well-being of the American people. He saw them go together. Without that piece of it, we could never really reach the potential of strength that America is about.

We will have a number of occasions, one in Oakland on Sunday, to share some stories, then at a later date here in Washington, D.C., again, and many times in between, about Ron Dellums. But I know, for anyone who served with him--and he was in Congress long before I came, but I had the privilege of serving for a while--anyone who served with him considered it a tremendous honor to call him colleague. For those of us who had the privilege to call him friend, that was a joy in our lives.

As Californians, though, we took special pride in Ron Dellums. One story that I love about him, there are many, but one that I love about him is--this is a prince. You see how elegant he is, dressed meticulously, so beautifully.

But one story that he told is that, the first time he went to Africa, a person who was proud of his skin color and proud of the community he represented and sprang from, but to be on a continent and visit countries where the leaders of the country were African, to see people who shared his ethnicity lead their countries and be respected, it was something he brought home to us with great emotion and great pride.

With great emotion and great pride, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to serve with him.

I know time is limited, so I will save some stories for Oakland on Sunday, but I thank Ms. Lee again for not only bringing us together here, but for honoring the legacy of Ron Dellums and his long career as a Member of Congress, honoring the values they shared, making her own mark in the Congress, and now keeper of the flame of Ron Dellums.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this is really a very sad day in the Congress of the United States because we are ignoring the needs of children. As a mother of five children--I had five children in 6 years, so lots of little babies all around the house all the time, lots of joy--and understanding the connection between parent and child, and being a grandmother of nine now, I can't even imagine why the Republicans think it is a good idea to move forward with a bill that does nothing to unite families, to stop the separations, and to have the reuniting of families in a way that is humane--not to reunite and detain in prison, in detention, but to unite in a way that honors the humanity of America.

In church on Sunday, the sermon was about not being an enemy of humanity. Some of the activities that are happening now in relation to these children are actions that qualify as enmity to humanity.

What we have: 2,000 children remain separated from their parents, locked away in Federal custody and living in a state of terror and trauma.

This is a picture of a little boy being confronted by an armed official. Do we have any idea what the impact is on that child?

Republican leadership pushed multiple antifamily bills that would have made the horrific situation worse for children by enshrining the President's outrageous mass deportation agenda as the law of the land with his zero-tolerance policy. We should have zero tolerance for that policy.

My Republican colleagues have voted again and again against actions to force a vote on a bill that would require the government to reunite families, and now you are promoting a new political stunt, wasting the country's and the Congress' time with a meaningless vote on a nonbinding resolution that does nothing to protect the children and end the cruel crisis that President Trump has created.

This resolution does nothing to prevent the separation of babies from their mothers. You are parents. You know, in the night, if you hear a sound from the room down the hall, that connection is something beyond material. It is spiritual. It is about parent and child, mother and child, father and child, and now we are going to rip that apart.

It does nothing to prevent the separation of children with disabilities from their parents and caregivers. It does nothing to provide legal counsel to children in immigration court, including little babies who cannot even yet verbally communicate.

For example, Johan. Earlier this summer, a 1-year-old boy named Johan appeared in court without his parents--1 year old. He played with a toy. He drank from a bottle. Then he cried hysterically, because he did not have his mother or his father there to comfort or care for him. The immigration judge even reported that he was ``embarrassed to ask'' if little Johan could understand the proceedings. The judge is asking a 1- year-old child taking a bottle if he can understand the proceedings.

What sort of administration sends a 1-year-old child into a courtroom alone to make his case? This resolution is an assault to little children like Johan.

Congress should be working day and night to protect these traumatized children. Do you know the toll that you are taking on these children? I wish you would listen to the representatives of the Society of Pediatric Doctors and what they have to say about this, pediatricians, what they have to say about this.

We should be working day and night to ensure the President can never again enable children to be ripped from their parents' arms. Democrats will continue to fight for families.

Here is the thing I found very sad, because it was almost a year ago, say, 10 months ago, when I was informed by the administration that they were going to separate children from their parents. This is not something that has emerged. This is a decision that was made.

They said, these parents, especially the moms they were talking about, are unfit mothers because they have chosen to take their children across the desert, which is very dangerous. That makes them unfit.

Unfit? Really? If their choice is to stay home and be murdered, be raped, be victims of gang violence, and they are coming to find solace or refugee status? They are unfit, I was told by the administration, and we know better what is good for the children. We are going to take the children and send them to foster care or whatever--or whatever-- foster care or whatever, taking children from their parents, as a decision of national policy.

Around that same time, we had a hearing--well, it was earlier. It was on the Muslim ban, so it was more like over a year ago, and the American Association of Evangelicals testified in that hearing. It was a Democratic hearing, because the Republicans would not have that hearing. They said that the U.S. refugee resettlement program is the crown jewel of American humanitarianism, the American Association of Evangelicals--the refugee resettlement program, the crown jewel of American humanitarianism.

So how is it that it can be so obvious to so many people that we are humanitarian, that all of these children are God's children, that all of them have a spark of divinity? Mr. President, they have a spark of divinity, and you do, too.

So let us all act on our and their spark of divinity and treat them with the level of respect that they deserve and not use children as a political shield for some other agenda.

This isn't about whether you support ICE or not. By the way, I will just close on this. On this subject, I want to remind our Republican colleagues that Democrats have been strong on protecting our borders all along. You recall after 9/11, a commission was formed, the 9/11 Commission. It took a couple of years to make recommendations. It took a while to make recommendations--a distinguished nonpartisan, bipartisan commission. It presented its recommendations in the summer of 2004.

The Republicans in Congress controlled the Congress at the time, and they would not take up those recommendations, which were about protecting our country.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New York may remember it, because he has been a champion on this issue for such a long time, and since his district was affected by 9/11, in the forefront of that fight for us, to form a commission to begin with but also to

fit--it took us, until the Democrats took control of the Congress, in 2006--the first bill that we put on the floor, H.R. 1 in the new Congress, was to adopt the 9/11 Commission recommendations to keep the American people safe, protect and defend, which is our oath of office.

So don't make it look like you are either for protecting the border or not. This is about being enemies of humanity, by taking children away from their parents, keeping them separated, and when they unite them, to keep them under detention. It is not the crown jewel of our humanitarianism.

I urge a ``no'' vote. I am going to vote ``present'' on it, because they will use it politically, use it politically, use it politically. Vote ``present'' or however anyone wants to vote, but understand what it is.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise with my colleagues, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congresswoman Jackie Speier, to recognize a historic moment: the inauguration of London Breed as the 45th Mayor of San Francisco on this day. Her swearing-in ceremony is a civil rights and public service milestone. London Breed will be the first African-American woman and only the second woman to serve as Mayor of our city. Senator Dianne Feinstein was the first.

Mayor London Breed until recently served as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Acting Mayor, leading San Francisco following the tragic passing of Mayor Edwin Lee. Her trailblazing leadership on the Board of Supervisors began when she first won election in November 2012. In January of 2015, her colleagues elected her President of the Board. She was re-elected as District 5 Supervisor in November 2016 and unanimously re-elected as Board President two months later.

London Breed's extraordinary and historic journey to Room 200 in City Hall began in a public housing project only blocks away. Raised by her grandmother in Plaza East Public Housing in the Western Addition, she has never forgotten where she comes from. She graduated with honors from Galileo High School and attended the University of California, Davis, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Public Service with a minor in African American Studies. She went on to earn a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Before her election as District 5 Supervisor, Breed effectively served as Executive Director

of the African American Art & Culture Complex in the Western Addition for over a decade, transforming the struggling center into a vital, financially-stable community resource that provides vital after-school arts and cultural programs for youth and seniors. She has also served our city as a San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commissioner for five years, and as a San Francisco Fire Commissioner until her election to the Board of Supervisors.

The Mayor has been a transformative leader in passing landmark legislation to increase housing along transit corridors and prioritize neighborhood residents for the affordable homes in their community. She helped transform unused public housing units into homes for homeless families, and is leading the effort to revitalize thousands more. Breed has successfully fought for more navigation centers for the homeless and launched a task force to study if safe injection facilities can help get IV drug users off the streets and into treatment, as she works to improve mental health services.

Mayor Breed has made bold, life-saving improvements to public safety in San Francisco, effectively tackling the City's ambulance response crisis in 2014 and cutting ambulance response times by over 26 percent. She has fought for more police officers, and passed a complete overhaul of the City's graffiti policies, as well as first-in-the-country legislation to protect music and nightlife venues.

Her ground-breaking legislative accomplishments are many, including passing the strongest Styrofoam ban in the country and legislation that has kept over 40 tons of medical waste out of the Bay and landfills, spearheading San Francisco's clean electrical energy program CleanPowerSF, and passing legislation to replace hundreds of Muni buses and the entire fleet of Muni trains, creating a more reliable and quiet Muni. She has consistently advocated for safe streets for all users, whether on the bus, a bike, car, or on foot.

Mayor Breed has fully dedicated her entire adult life to serving our community and improving the City's housing, environment, public safety, transportation, and quality of life. As Mayor, she will ensure that San Francisco maintains its steadfast dedication to equality, inclusivity, and justice.

We extend our warm congratulations and look forward to working with Mayor London Breed for a better future for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and I thank him for his extraordinary leadership in articulating what is right, what honors our oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, the separation of power contained therein, and the integrity of our judicial system.

I also thank our distinguished ranking member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. Schiff, for his leadership, his courage, and his beautiful and inspirational statement this morning, full of facts, but also full of values.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today not only as leader, but also as one who has served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as a member, as a ranking member, and as an ex officio since the early 1990s. And I can say, while I have seen a lot in that time, I have never seen anything that has stooped so low on the part of the Republicans as what they are doing today.

It is just as if they have said, you take an oath of office to the Constitution. We took an oath of office to Donald Trump. It is shocking. And many of these are lawyers. I don't know how they justify or reconcile that.

And so it is with great dismay that I see them doing violence to this body, to this Constitution, to this judiciary system, and to this country.

They are so curious about prying into a legal case, but they don't have the faintest interest in looking into what the Russians did to disrupt our elections. Not one hearing, nothing. No oversight, nothing.

Why is that? Why is that?

Now they are saying they must, they have a right to know this, that, and the other thing. They have no right to do that. So I am not going to take up any more time. I said my piece on this.

But I do want to acknowledge that Mr. Schumer and I, as well as Mr. Schiff and Senator Warner, the ranking member on the Senate side, sent a letter to the Honorable Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, and to Christopher Wray, the Director of the FBI, saying to them: Please, please, do not yield on any of this. Your role in preserving the integrity and, most importantly, our justice system has become ever more vital.

First of all, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I hope that some Republicans will do what is right and urge a ``no'' vote on this. This is taking us into very dangerous territory. If the Democrats wanted power, I would say the same thing. We wouldn't want to have this access. You shouldn't have this access. This is wrong.

Again, if you are honoring your salute and your oath of office to Donald Trump, then vote ``yes.'' If you are honoring your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States, then vote ``no.''

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, June 27, 2018.

[Unclassified]

Hon. Rod J. Rosenstein,

Deputy Attorney General of the United States, United States

Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Hon. Christopher Wray,

Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation,

Washington, DC.

Dear Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Director Wray:

Earlier this month, you provided important verbal assurances

in response to our June 5, 2018 letter to you. In that

letter, we expressed deep and ongoing concern about President

Donald Trump and his legal team's persistent efforts to

interfere with the Special Counsel's ongoing investigation

and undermine your agencies' lawful and appropriate

activities. In particular, we underscored that, if fulfilled,

demands by the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani,

that the White House and the President's lawyers be given

access to classified information and investigatory material

of the utmost sensitivity--including information related to

the Special Counsel's ongoing investigation that implicates

the President's own campaign and his associates--would

grossly violate our system of checks and balances, long-

standing, well-founded, and established procedure, and

fundamental norms.

You confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will not provide the

White House or any of the President's attorneys with access

to such sensitive information. You also assured that

briefings and materials related to this matter would not be

shared with others in Congress beyond the ``Gang of 8.''

Unfortunately, it appears that part of this assurance has

already been breached. As of June 20, 2018, the Department

has made available to a wider group of Members and staff

materials directly related, and similar in kind, to the

information that was supposed to be restricted to the ``Gang

of 8.'' This followed recent pressure from House and Senate

Republicans on DOJ and FBI not to adhere to ``Gang of 8''

restrictions on access to and dissemination of information

that can implicate sources and methods and/or ongoing

investigations.

The Department and Bureau's departure in this matter from

longstanding policy and precedent governing your agencies'

relationship with Congress risks a repeat of similar mistakes

that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General recently

identified in his review of the Clinton ``Midyear''

investigation.

In 2016, DOJ broke with past practice by making

investigative files in the Clinton investigation available to

Congress, while the Bureau, in the name of ``maximal

transparency,'' publicly disclosed information related to the

investigation at key junctures. In his June 2018 report, the

DOJ Inspector General correctly criticized this sharp

deviation from DOJ and FBI guidelines:

``The Department and the FBI do not practice ``maximal

transparency'' in criminal investigations. It is not a value

reflected in the regulations, policies, or customs guiding

FBI actions in pending criminal investigations. To the

contrary, the guidance to agents and prosecutors is precisely

the opposite--no transparency except in rare and exceptional

circumstances due to the potential harm to both the

investigation and to the reputation of anyone under

investigation.''

This harmful cycle is now repeating itself with respect to

the criminal and counterintelligence investigation into

Russia's 2016 election interference and any links and/or

coordination between the Russian government and individuals

associated with the campaign of President Trump. The

President's congressional allies are applying growing

pressure on your agencies, in line with the President's

improper demand for ``total transparency,'' to disclose

sensitive information and material that is not usually shared

with Congress and that relate directly to the ongoing

investigation into President Trump, his own campaign, and his

associates.

Unfortunately, DOJ and FBI are increasingly bowing to this

pressure, despite the corrosive implications. Unlike the

Clinton investigation, your agencies are disclosing sensitive

material to Congress even though the Russia investigation is

ongoing under the leadership of the Special Counsel and your

oversight. And given the pending nature of the Special

Counsel's investigation, these persistent and unrelenting

document requests are not for legitimate oversight purposes.

Rather, time and again, sensitive information shared with

Congress has been selectively and misleadingly seeded into

the public domain to advance the President and his legal

team's strategy of undermining

public trust in DOJ and the FBI and attacking the legitimacy

of the Special Counsel and his ongoing investigation. Every

such disclosure to Congress, moreover, has and will continue

to result in demands for more information about the ongoing

investigation, which the Department and the Bureau will be

unable to satisfy without further contravening its own

policies and norms.

With every disclosure, DOJ and FBI are reinforcing a

precedent it will have to uphold, whether the Congress is in

Republican or Democratic hands, of providing materials in

pending or closed cases to the legislative branch upon

request.

As the attacks on the Special Counsel intensify, it is

imperative that you withstand pressure on DOJ and FBI to

violate established procedures and norms. Your role in

preserving the integrity of the Special Counsel's

investigation and, most importantly, our justice system has

become even more vital.

We would appreciate your written reply and your

confirmation of this understanding.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi,

Democratic Leader, House of Representatives.

Adam B. Schiff,

Ranking Member, House of Representatives, Permanent Select

Committee on Intelligence.

Charles E. Schumer,

Democratic Leader, U.S. Senate.

Mark R. Warner,

Vice Chairman, U.S. Senate, Select Committee on

Intelligence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership on America.

I had the privilege of traveling with her, under the leadership of our colleagues Juan Vargas and Susan Davis, to their districts earlier this week to see firsthand what was happening at the border.

So I come to the floor now with that fresh information. And I come to the floor as a mother of five children, grandmother of nine, who knows, as many of you here who are parents know and all of you here who are children know, the importance of the bond between parent and child and how breaking that bond is outside the circle of civilized human behavior.

Mr. Speaker, I want to quote a favorite President, I am sure of yours and many in this body, President Ronald Reagan.

In his final days of the Presidency, President Ronald Reagan said: ``And since this is the last speech that I will give as President''--my colleagues, I want you to hear this because this is about Ronald Reagan. Maybe you don't want to hear it. Okay. They don't want to hear it.

President Ronald Reagan said: ``And since this is the last speech that I will give as President, I think it's fitting to leave one final thought, an observation about a country which I love.''

President Reagan went on to say: ``Yes, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our heritage, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors. It is that lady who gives us our great and special place in the world.''

President Reagan went on to say: ``For it's the great life force of each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America's triumph shall continue unsurpassed into the next century and beyond.''

These are the words of President Ronald Reagan in the final days of his Presidency as he said in the ``last speech that I will give as President.''

Beautiful values.

Today, we are considering two Republican bills that insult our Nation's values and tarnish our heritage, as the President said, ``as a beacon of freedom and opportunity.''

Both do absolutely nothing to solve the heartbreaking and horrific situation for children on the border. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, both bills ``perpetuate child detention and undermine existing protections relating to such detention.''

That is from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Both of these bills fail to provide a permanent legislative fix for our Dreamers, selling out their American Dream to build the President's obscene border wall.

Both are loaded full of every anti-immigrant provision imaginable, dismantling legal family immigration, slamming our doors to millions who have followed the rules and have been waiting for years for a visa, and cutting off the lifeline of asylum to countless vulnerable refugees.

In terms of those refugees, in testimony that was given at the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee meeting that the Democrats had--the Republicans didn't come--the National Association of Evangelicals testified that the United States Refugee Resettlement Program is the crown jewel of American humanitarianism.

And, yet, it is horrible what they do in these bills to cut off the lifeline of asylum to countless vulnerable refugees.

The Speaker's bill carries out the President's family deportation agenda. It paves the way for long-term incarceration of families in prison-like conditions and the denial of basic health and safety protections for children.

The Republican plan is a family incarceration plan. It replaces one form of child abuse with another, and it brazenly violates children's human rights. Why do Republicans think traumatized, terrified little children at the border do not deserve the same basic respect that their own children do?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, family detention poses serious dangers to children's health and can result in ``lifelong consequences for educational achievement, economic productivity, health status, and longevity.''

Congress should be working day and night to protect vulnerable children. We should be working on legislation that protects Dreamers, keeps families together, and respects America's heritage as a land of newcomers, as spelled out by President Reagan in his last speech as President of the United States.

These bills will not go anywhere in the Senate. Yet, a vote for these bills is a vote to destroy the queen-of-the-hill discharge petition, destroying the best chance this Congress has to provide a bipartisan, permanent legislative fix for Dreamers.

Republicans need to walk away from these bills. They need to call on the President to rescind his family incarceration policy, which is as much a stain on our Nation's history as is his family separation policy, tearing children away from their parents.

Democrats reject this outrageous legislation and reject the Republicans' attack on Dreamers, vulnerable children, and families, and we reject your zero policy. It has no place.

I urge a ``no'' vote on both of these bills in this rule and any subsequent rules that come up.

Mr. Speaker, I am very delighted to join my colleague from the bay area, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, in wearing the blue and the gold to celebrate the new American dynasty, the Golden State Warriors.

On Friday, as you probably know, the Warriors swept the great team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James--what a magnificent athlete--making the victory all the more sweet to secure the 2018 NBA championship, the Warriors' third title in 4 years.

This historic achievement secures Golden State's position as not only the best team in the sport, but as an extraordinary force in ushering in a new era of professional basketball and transforming the future of the sport.

The Golden State Warriors are distinguished by both their talent and their extraordinary teamwork. The 2018 Warriors played with exceptional chemistry and intuitive brilliance on the court, dazzling America with their true strength in numbers

Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, MVP twice in a row Kevin Durant, played with extraordinary skill, strength, and determination, each making history in their own way.

Golden State continues to make the bay area and America proud with their leadership, both on and off the court. Led by the extraordinary Coach Kerr--indestructible, he is--the Warriors honor our American values of equality, fairness, and respect for all with their words and their actions.

It gives me great pride to be a member of Dub Nation. Right, Congresswoman Lee? We are members of Dub Nation, and I extend my invitation to the Warriors. Joining Congresswoman Lee, who represents Oakland, we join in extending an invitation to the Warriors to once more come to the Capitol to celebrate this historic accomplishment.

On behalf of San Francisco, I extend well-deserved congratulations to the Golden State Warriors.