Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today on Vietnam Veterans Day to first and foremost thank the Vietnam veterans from my district and around the country who served, but also for a very special person, First Lieutenant Theodore ``Ted'' Cohen, a Staten Island resident who sadly passed away this past Saturday.

Ted was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn College where he was a member of the ROTC. Not long after the start of the Vietnam war, he served his first tour in Spain with the Strategic Air Command before flying on 26 close air support missions in Vietnam.

Upon his return to the States, Ted spent his nights working with the Daily News before spending 25 years working for Avon in international marketing. When Ted's wife fell ill, he retired early. He decided to care for her and ensure that their last 9 years together were spent traveling the world.

After his wife passed away, his passion for caring for others, especially our veterans, became his mission. Ted served as a member of the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, the Air Force Association, and The American Legion. He would bring food to homebound servicemen and -women. He would provide rides to and from their appointments at the VA if they were unable to drive themselves. He even went to help them complete their paperwork, which we know can sometimes be cumbersome.

Not only was Ted a constituent and a champion for our Nation's veterans, but he was a dear friend to my office, having been a vocal member of our monthly veterans' roundtable. He always contributed greatly. He had many recommendations. We worked together to improve VA access and care.

He also served on our academy nomination board for the past several years where he provided invaluable assistance and advice to our youth throughout the entire academy nominations process, and he helped us select the next generation of servicemembers.

Our office, our local veterans, and our entire community will sincerely miss Ted and his invaluable service. His willingness to give back was so appreciated by all.

Ted exemplified the very best of what it means to be an American, to put your country, to put your community, and to put others first. He answered every call to serve with honor, integrity, and distinction. We owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude, not only for his service to our country, but for his lifelong service to our community.

Please join me in extending condolences to his family. I thank Ted for his service.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from my colleagues the reasons why Representative Omar should be removed from this committee, but I feel like all the reasons have not just yet been stated, which is why I rise to add to the Record.

We have heard about the comments that were made regarding anti- Semitism and anti-Israeli views, but I rise to add to the Record that as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have sat there and heard the Representative actually spew anti-American rhetoric, as well.

I have been in that committee room where the Representative equates Israel and the United States to Hamas and the Taliban. Absolutely unacceptable for a member of that committee.

I have also heard the Representative equate that it is the United States' fault that there is turmoil in Venezuela; that it is not because of the oppressive socialism and communism that has spread throughout Central and South America and Venezuela at the hands of the Maduro and Hugo Chavez regimes. That is unacceptable.

As a New York Representative, to hear the Representative belittle, to try to diminish the worst terrorist attack on United States soil on September 11, 2001, as ``some people did something,'' that is unacceptable, as well.

And I hold the same standard for this side of the aisle that I do the other, because when another colleague on my side said something about 9/11, I also voted to have her removed from the Committee on Education and Labor, because I thought that was inappropriate.

So I am being consistent here, and I hope my colleagues will do the same, to show that this is about consistency and accountability. Because we should not have an individual with those views on the committee that is tasked with representing our country and our Congress to foreign nations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight one of the crises that we are facing in our country, and it is obvious to so many--except, unfortunately, so many in this House--that we have a crisis at our southern border.

We have not only seen over 4.7 million people cross illegally, many of whom are claiming asylum despite not qualifying for asylum, but we are also seeing record levels of fentanyl killing so many Americans each and every single day. We must take a stand to secure our border to stop this flow of illegal drugs, to stop this mass illegal migration.

When you talk about the number of 4.7 million, when you think about the number of people who have actually evaded our government, who have evaded any interaction with our law enforcement and CBP agents, you are talking about 1.2 million people. That is more than twice the size of Staten Island, the borough in New York City I represent.

It is outrageous to think that we would have individuals entering our country illegally, and we don't know what their intentions are, where they are coming from, why they are here. That is what scares me the most as an individual who represents the city of New York.

We know that 98 suspected terrorists on our terrorist watch list crossed the border last fiscal year, and we know, so far this year, there have been another 38. That should be alarming to every single person in this country.

We must know who is entering our country and what their intentions are. To allow this amount of people to evade law enforcement, to evade any interaction with our government, is a very dangerous action on behalf of this administration.

House Republicans believe that Secretary Mayorkas has completely abdicated his responsibility to keep our country secure, and we will be moving forward with hearings to expose what he is doing. I do believe at the end of the day it warrants him being impeached and removed from his position.

Also, I highlight how the Federal Government's lack of action at the border, coupled with my State legislature's and Governor's horrible actions in New York, have led to what we are seeing now in terms of a rise in crime.

First of all, New York is dealing with major actions in terms of crime, car thefts, people being released. In fact, I just read yesterday that, in my district, a 20-year-old guy who has been stealing cars is being released right back onto the streets. It has been about three times. The first time he was arrested, it was for 20 counts of car theft.

Let's now look at what we are doing here. When I went down to Federal Plaza and met with our ICE officials, they are saying that New York City is not cooperating with any detainer requests for people who are criminals. That means they either were convicted of a crime in their home country or were convicted of a crime here.

It is the worst of the worst in society that ICE is trying to remove from our country, and our local officials won't cooperate. I think it is outrageous that the city of New York continues to harbor people who are not only in this country illegally but are committing crimes on top of it.

Just the other day, New York City residents found out that they are paying to house, paying to feed, paying to provide services to individuals who were shoplifting in our State. Think about that. Not only are they crossing into our country illegally, but after committing crimes, they were released back onto the street thanks to our State's ridiculous bail law, and on top of it, the taxpayers of the city of New York are paying to house and feed them. How does that make any sense, and how is that in the best interests of our citizens?

I am the daughter of immigrants. I understand and appreciate the aspirations of the American Dream. We need to work together to address what is happening at our border. We need to work together to ensure that those legitimate asylum seekers are not getting stuck in the bureaucracy and the red tape because of those individuals who are here claiming asylum when they don't qualify.

We have to work on our visa system to ensure that we address the labor shortage. We should have more visas, employee-sponsored visas, and family-sponsored immigration, as well.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to secure our border. Let's impose some common sense.

Mr. Chairman, President Biden's dangerous anti- energy policies have hindered our energy independence. His curbing production, sitting on leases and permits, canceling Keystone pipeline, they have all led to high gas prices, heating costs, food costs, and has the left Northeast heating fuel supply at its lowest point since 1951.

Then, to cover up for his failed policies, he raided 266 million barrels, or 40 percent of our SPR, meant for real emergencies like natural disasters. This was not meant to sell to China.

It is now at its lowest point in 40 years. We are vulnerable as a result of it; and this bill stops the President from depleting our resources and pushes him to refill it, not with Russian oil, not with Saudi oil, not with Venezuelan oil, and certainly not with Iranian oil, but with American oil to protect our national security and the economy.

Mr. Speaker, at a time when we should be tightening our belts, Democrats plan to spend $80 billion on 87,000 IRS agents, doubling the size of the department.

This is meant to nickel-and-dime, audit, and harass America's small businesses and families, who they know cannot afford the legal fees to fight this army.

Mr. Speaker, 87,000 IRS agents but we only have 20,000 Border Patrol agents and an unprecedented crisis with terrorists, convicted criminals, and illegal immigrants crossing, in addition to fentanyl. We only have 5,000 drug enforcement agents to stop traffickers who are peddling this poison to our kids, the number one killer of young Americans.

Mr. Speaker, 87,000 IRS agents is more than twice the size of the FBI and more than the entire staff of the Department of Justice.

We know that our colleagues on the other side love taxes, spending, Big Government, and bureaucracy, but the American people don't. That is why we should be voting ``yes'' on this legislation today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the deadly consequences of President Biden's open borders.

In the last month, three Border Patrol agents have committed suicide, bringing the total number of agents who have sadly taken their own lives to 14 this year. That tragically adds to the 35 who have been killed in the line of duty in 2021.

With President Biden tying the hands of our agents and enabling lawlessness at our border, morale among the force has been crushed to an unthinkable low--so low, in fact, that the CBP has hired a suicidologist to help prevent further loss among its force.

Our CBP agents are overwhelmed, overworked, underfunded, and they are demoralized. They put their lives on the line every day to defend our Nation's borders while receiving no support from the top levels of our government.

In fact, the President says that there are more important things going on.

It should not come as a shock that so many are at wit's end.

While some have taken their own lives, many others have been seriously injured or have made the ultimate sacrifice while on the front lines.

In April, 22-year-old Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans was swept away in the Rio Grande while attempting to save two migrants from drowning. We later found out that the two he sacrificed his life for were actually attempting to traffic illegal narcotics.

Just last week, a 38-year-old father of two, CBP Agent Raul Humberto Gonzalez was killed in an ATV crash while chasing a group of migrants illegally crossing the border.

Perhaps if the cartels were not allowed free rein on our border to smuggle drugs and to traffic humans, Specialist Bishop Evans and Agent Gonzalez would be with us today.

No one has benefited more from this country's lax open border policies than the cartels. The Drug Enforcement Agency has told us that up to 70 to 80 percent of fentanyl in the United States comes into our country over the southern border. We know the vast majority of fentanyl is being manufactured in China and brought into our country over the southern border straight into American cities poisoning our youth.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is telling us that is where it is coming from, yet we continue to have an open border policy, and this body refuses to act to secure our border.

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death of 18-to 45-year-olds in the United States, killing 100,000 Americans last year alone; three- quarters of those deaths are from fentanyl. One American dies every 7 minutes from this deadly drug streaming over our open border, and by the time I finish this speech, there will be one more American lost.

Our babies are dying. Last month, San Francisco firefighters had to use Narcan to save the life of a 10-month-old baby boy who came into contact with fentanyl while playing in a park. In May, a 3-year-old in California died from a fentanyl overdose, and in November of last year, so did a 1-year-old child in Connecticut. In the last 3 months, there have been two fatal fentanyl exposures in western Washington State involving children no older than 2 years old.

The fact that our babies are overdosing on this poison should alarm every single person in this Chamber. The silence from many of those on the other side of the aisle and the Biden administration is, quite frankly, sickening. And if you hear anything at all, they tell you that the border is secure--a complete lie.

Biden's open borders have created full-blown national security, public safety, and humanitarian crises in the United States, not only for our law enforcement and constituents but for the migrants as well.

In fact, fiscal year 2022 was the deadliest year ever recorded for migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully with 853 migrant deaths. Many drowned in the Rio Grande. They perished due to dehydration from battling extreme heat and difficult terrain or taken deadly falls while climbing border barriers.

In June, 53 migrants were found dead in San Antonio after being abandoned in a tractor trailer without air-conditioning or water. In September, a migrant mother of two committed suicide in a New York City homeless shelter. Her 15-year-old son discovered her body. Think about the consequences he will have for the rest of his life.

Some have accused the Republicans who want to secure our borders of being uncompassionate. The greatest humanitarian crisis in our country is unfolding right before our eyes, and I urge our colleagues and our President to work with us to take action to secure it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to comment on one portion of the rule, H.R. 8987, which is a bill that is incredibly important to me and to those that I represent. As a matter of fact, I drafted the legislation. On August 5, I had introduced the language as part of H.R. 8667. We garnered bipartisan support for this very important bill.

What the bill does is finally make whole so many of our families that were affected by 9/11 because they lost loved ones, but they were not compensated properly under the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorist Fund.

So we are talking about 5,347 widows and children that were excluded from this fund by this body; and it was an injustice that should have never been allowed to happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children missed the first two payments of the USVSST fund, creating a massive disparity between their restorative justice payments and others that were included.

This bill would catch up those widows and children to the other victim groups and ensure that, moving forward, they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. So this bill is truly about fairness and doing what is right for the wives and the children or the husbands and the children of our first responders killed on September 11.

Twenty-one years later, this House is finally going to do the right thing, and I am very happy to have played a part in helping them move this forward.

In the gallery I have a special guest, Angela Mistrulli, who is the head of the 9/11 Children for Justice. She is a tireless advocate who has been affected personally, and I thank her for working with our office over the last 6 months and the advocacy of all of her members in seeing this through. I hope all my colleagues support this on the floor when it comes up later today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge that we amend the rule to also include H.R. 7967, which is the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act. My legislation would hold prosecutors accountable and create transparency by letting the public know how many cases prosecutors are declining to prosecute, the number of offenses committed by career criminals, and the number of criminals released.

Over the past 2 years, we have seen a disturbing trend in progressive district attorneys in cities across the country who are refusing to prosecute violent criminal offenders. Look no further than my city of New York, our city of New York, where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released a Day 1 memo initially directing his staff not to prosecute certain crimes, including drug possession, trespassing, sex trading, driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest, and public obscenity. He even directed his staff to downgrade felony charges filed by our police, including armed robbery, weapons charges, and drug dealing.

Worst of all, his office will no longer seek sentences of life without parole, which means that the most heinous murderers, including terrorists, serial killers, cop killers, and perps who kill young children in connection with sex crimes will be released back onto our streets in 20 years or less.

These policies have sent a clear message to the criminals. It is, go ahead, break the law because we will not enforce it. With prosecutors that refuse to prosecute, violent career super-criminals are free to wreak havoc on our streets.

I urge my colleagues to oppose the previous question today so we can hold woke prosecutors accountable for failing to do their jobs and protect.

We want to be able to add this legislation to the rule because it is incredibly important that the public knows which prosecutors are refusing to do their job; and as we saw in San Francisco, they did repeal one of their prosecutors. Many States, like ours, do not have a recall law, but this would give them the information they need to make informed decisions when it comes to selecting who is going to be the prosecutors for their cities, because prosecutors should actually be prosecuting crimes. They should not be acting like criminal defense attorneys.

Madam Speaker, I understand that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't believe in transparency, that they believe this information should be kept from the public. But these prosecutors work for us.

Quite frankly, crime has soared in my city. People are getting killed. People are getting assaulted. Nearly every single category of crime has risen in New York City, and our prosecutors are refusing to put people behind bars.

If the Democrats feel that public safety and crime skyrocketing in America's cities is not an issue, that explains why you support defunding the police, bail reform, and all of these ridiculous policies.

Mr. Speaker, although 21 years have passed, the pain we experienced on September 11, 2001, when terrorists unleashed deadly and calculated destruction across our country has not faded.

Those that have empty chairs at their dinner tables, the widows, the widowers, the children of those that perished in that attack, they are still fighting for their entitled compensation under the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

Frankly, the exclusion of the 5,364 widows and children from this fund was an injustice that Congress should have never allowed to happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children missed the first two payments from the terrorism fund, creating a massive disparity between their restorative justice payments that others, including people like Madeline Bergin and Jeanette Schardt from my district, who lost their husbands, FDNY firefighters, on that dreadful day.

This bill, which I drafted and introduced on August 5, would catch up widows and children to our victims' groups and ensure that moving forward they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. This bill rights a grave wrong that should have been corrected long ago.

Today with us earlier was Angela Mistrulli, the head of the 9/11 Children for Justice, someone who was also affected, a tireless advocate for the widows and children and someone who has become a good friend to me and my office.

For nearly 6 months we had been working together on this issue and this legislation. Today, I am proud that the work we have done is being brought to this floor and that the widows and children are one step closer to their entitled compensation.

I thank Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, Chris Smith, and my other colleague, Kathleen Rice, who made this a bipartisan bill, for their support and their help in getting this done.

President Truman once said, ``It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit.'' This case is no different.

So many people have come together from across the political spectrum to correct a wrong that should have been done, as I said, years ago. I am so proud and honored to have been a part of this process and bringing these wonderful people, people who lost so much, some justice.

Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member in this Chamber, on both sides of the aisle, to vote in support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the crisis at our southern border and to call for this body to immediately take up the Border Security Act of America that will restore order; that will enhance technology; and that will give our Customs and Border Protection agents the tools that they are begging for.

A year ago last March, I actually went where the President and our Vice President refuse to go: to the southern border, Rio Grande. And if you talk to the CBP agents there, they will tell you exactly what is going on.

We are seeing our southern border overrun by the drug cartels. We are seeing human trafficking take place. We are seeing and hearing from children who are being abused along the journey, and the amount of fentanyl and other drugs that are streaming over our border and killing Americans is at record levels. It could be stopped today, but this administration and this Congress refuse to do it.

The issue of public safety and national security is one we just discussed last week, September 11; we said we will never forget. But yet, here we have policies in place that make us less safe and could potentially cause something catastrophic to happen.

We need to be wise. We need to be reasonable. We are a nation of immigrants. We are a compassionate nation. My mother is a Cuban refugee. My father is a Greek immigrant.

It is not about that. It is about having order. It is about having laws. It is about having policies in place and making sure that they are being followed.

We know that 66 suspected terrorists were apprehended attempting to cross

our border. We also know that, at a time like this, we face threats from Russia and from China, and Iran straight out said that they plan attacks on United States soil.

And yet, with 3.2 million people crossing into our country illegally and 500,000 gotaways from over 60 different countries, we run a risk of being in danger. Think about that, that is almost four times the population of the President's home State of Delaware.

Now it is also having a financial impact on our constituents. It is now costing American taxpayers $20 billion a year, something completely unsustainable as U.S. debt approaches $31 trillion.

Americans are struggling right now to get by. They are trying to keep roofs over their own heads. They are trying to pay their utility bills. They are trying to put food on the table for their children, and now the majority wants them to pick up this additional cost for this unsustainable policy.

My own mayor is saying that it is having an impact on New York City and that it is at a breaking point. He is complaining about the Governors who are busing individuals to New York City, but he hasn't said a peep about the President who was flying them in over the last 2 years.

The bottom line is, if my mayor or anyone else has an issue with what is happening in their cities, they need to hold the President accountable and this Congress accountable to make sure that we pass the laws that make sense.

We need to bring up the Border Security for America Act before we leave next week. If not, we are doing a great disservice to the people of this country. We are continuing to increase our debt. We are continuing to make our cities less safe, and we are continuing to put our Nation at risk in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of my constituent, Leon Wallace, who recently passed away at the age of 85, and to share with the Nation his contributions to our community and country.

Leon was a native Staten Islander who grew up in West Brighton and Mariners Harbor, attended P.S. 18, and graduated from McKee High School in 1956.

Leon enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served as a jet mechanic while stationed in Guam and later returned to service with the Army National Guard's 117th Calvary. He put his life on the line for our country at a time when our country did not afford him equal rights as an African American. That shows you how truly special he was.

Not only was Leon a dedicated member of our military but he was a steward of outstanding service to our community. After his time in the Air Force, Leon dedicated his time to helping individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. He was also a member of the NAACP, USIVO, and the 369th Veterans Association, as well as St. Philips Baptist Church, and recently, even completed the New York State chaplains' course to minister to other vets in need.

To many across our community, he was referred to as Uncle Leon. He was well-known for his uplifting sayings and positive perspective. Whenever you asked him how he was doing, he would smile and say, ``I am too blessed to be stressed.''

I was proud to call Leon a friend. This is our last photo together from June. I know I speak for so many in our community when I say that his presence will be missed.

Madam Speaker, at a time when the country is facing a 40-year high rate of inflation, Americans are struggling, the economy is contracting, and we are in a recession, they are jamming through a $750-billion bill with a slush fund that will only further fuel inflation, lead to higher energy costs, and drive up manufacturing costs as a supply chain crisis persists.

What a lousy idea to raise taxes during a recession. This will not just hit businesses, but families earning as little as $50,000, and that is exactly why this bill is doubling the IRS by 87,000 agents.

This is a level that is:

More than the population of Biden's entire hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

More than the fans that can fill the MetLife Stadium where the Giants play.

Three times the staff at the Pentagon.

Four times the Border Patrol agents when we have a border crisis; and

Eight times the drug enforcement agents when fentanyl is taking record lives of young Americans.

This bill does not include one cop as crime is skyrocketing in cities like mine.

This Congress is disconnected with the real problems that Americans face. To call this the Inflation Reduction Act is a lie.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) as cosponsors of H.R. 1642.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues and everyone who spoke before me for recognizing the great achievements of a great man.

Mike Long was somebody who I was proud to represent as a State assembly member and then in Congress. He is somebody who truly believed in faith, freedom, the American Dream, and family.

As was mentioned, he had an amazing, beautiful family, who I am also very proud to serve, as I represent many of them. They are so dedicated to our community of Brooklyn, to our city of New York, to our State, and to our Nation. All the children contribute in one way or another to the community that we are so proud to call home.

Mike served and led by example for his family. He was not just a marine who served our country, willing to die for our country. He was also a member of the City Council of New York. He was a small business owner. He was also the chairman of the Conservative Party, which made such an impression and was so influential in our city and State politics for decades and still continues to be because of the leadership of Mike Long.

When I first ran for the assembly, I was so proud to have the banner of the Conservative Party and to have the support of somebody like Mike Long, who had so much integrity and was so passionate about what we believed in: that our country needs to be preserved, that we must preserve our freedoms and our liberties, that we must make sure we respect the taxpayer, that we make it easier for small businesses, and that we support individual freedoms and liberties.

In fact, it was the Conservative Party that was the margin of victory in my very first race, and so I owe a lot of my success to Michael Long and his initial support of me.

So, I thank Mike Long for all he has done for our community, for the delegation, for our city, and for our country. He will be missed.

I give my sincere condolences to his wife, Eileen, their nine children, their 25 grandchildren, and their four great-grandchildren. That just shows you how truly dedicated he was to his family. It is just a beautiful family. God bless them.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the fact that the World Trade Center Health Program is facing a looming deficit of $3 billion. In a few weeks we are going to be commemorating the 21-year anniversary of 9/11, the horrific terrorist attacks, where we told firefighters, police officers, families who lost loved ones, and those who today are battling cancers and illnesses, that we would never forget, and that we would stand by them and give them what they needed on their journey in this great country.

They gave so selflessly. They put their lives on the line, and so many lost their life on that dreadful day. But to this day, we still have heroes who are battling these illnesses, and we should not be leaving this session, we should not be leaving next week without passing this incredibly important bill, H.R. 4965, the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act.

This bill has bipartisan support. I am proud to be a prime sponsor of this bill, but we must call on the Speaker of the House to bring this to the floor before we leave next week. We owe it to those who put their life on the line for our city and our great country.

Mr. Chair, I understand the plight of the Cuban people, I would say, more than most in this Chamber simply because I still have family who resides there. It is true that these people are starving, and they are struggling, but the reality is that it is because of their own government.

Whatever you do, Mr. Chair, any business that you conduct with Cuba will go to the regime. It never gets to the actual people. We know this because that is the way they have acted in the course of history, doing business with every other country in the world and then taking it all for themselves while the people suffer.

The people who want the Fight for $15 on the other side of the aisle know that the people of Cuba make $15 per day, that they are being treated inhumanly, and that young children are put in jail.

If you want to help the Cuban people, Mr. Chair, side with them in their quest for freedom. Side with them when they say they want to be liberated. They want what we have in the United States.

Stop appeasing the regime; stop empowering the regime; and stand on the side of freedom.

Let's try to change this form of government for the better so those people can have true human rights and freedoms that they deserve and that they are not put in political prisons simply for peacefully protesting like we are so privileged to do here in the United States.