Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding leadership and achievements of Mr. Christopher Kui, Executive Director of Asian American for Equality (AAFE) on the occasion of his retirement after 31 years of public service. AAFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to social justice and community development. It was founded in 1974 in New York City's Chinatown community in response to a local developer's refusal to hire Asian-American workers for the federally financed towering apartment complex known today as Confucius Plaza.

Chris immigrated to New York from Hong Kong at the young age of 10. As a newcomer, he witnessed early in life the injustice and discrimination faced by the Asian immigrant community in the areas of housing, education, employment practices and more. This experience helped shaped his life and career path. In 1986, he joined AAFE where he helped strengthen the organization's approach to advocacy and community development. In 1991, he assumed the position of Executive Director where he has served for the last twenty-five years. His vision, leadership and comprehensive approach to community planning has been extraordinary and has served as a model for other organizations. In this capacity, Chris successfully raised more than $100 million to build more than 800 housing units for low-income and homeless families and individuals. In his efforts to promote homeownership opportunities, he secured $378 million in mortgage financing.

In addition to his leadership role at AAFE, Chris is also the founder and board chair of Renaissance Economic Development Corporation (REDC). REDC is an AAFE-affiliate that provides counseling to small businesses and has loaned more than $44 million to over one-thousand businesses during the past ten years. During Hurricane Sandy, it assisted 200 small businesses and awarded a citywide total of $3.5 million dollars in loans and grants.

There is no doubt that Chris has been responsible for AAFE's growth and success. His breadth of knowledge, understanding of social policy, small business and housing have greatly contributed to the public and private partnerships that have fueled job creation and community development in Manhattan's Chinatown community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing Christopher Kui for his 31 years of exemplary service and dedication to the Asian-American and diverse immigrant communities of New York City. My district is enriched by his vision and lasting legacy. I wish him a healthy and enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Speaker, as we stand here today, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will tell you that this tax scam bill will help ordinary people. As we New Yorkers say: ``If you buy that one, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.''

This bill takes a wrecking ball to our middle class. It erases deductions that ordinary, working families count on to stay afloat. It raises taxes on 36 million middle class families.

By eliminating the medical expense deduction, this scam will force nearly half a million New Yorkers who already struggle with serious illnesses to dig into overstretched bank accounts just to pay their healthcare bills.

By gutting the student loan interest deduction, higher education will become even more expensive for 800,000 New York students. Graduate students will be taxed on tuition waivers.

I heard from one woman in my district, a recent Ph.D., who said she would have paid $2,700 in income out of her pretax income of $13,000.

The choice is clear. Vote ``no.'' Reject this scam.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2874.

This bill makes flood insurance more expensive, less available, and less fair for millions of working families.

This bill all but abandons Hurricane Sandy victims.

Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New York and New Jersey 5 years ago, causing approximately $60 billion in damage. More than 50 people lost their lives.

Today--half a decade later--more than 1,000 homeowners still have not obtained proper resolution of their flood insurance claim.

That is why I have worked for almost 1\1/2\ years on legislation to improve FEMA's claims processing system and to bring proper oversight and management to the write-your-own program. While some of my recommended changes were included in this bill, language was also included that blows a direct hole in these reforms. This bill requires policyholders to exhaust all administrative remedies on any disputed claim before having their day in court.

However, we have already seen that FEMA's administrative system is broken--and this bill will enable dishonest insurance providers to continue hiding behind an unreachable threshold--meaning policyholders will never be made whole.

After more than 5 years, with more than 1,000 families still awaiting resolution of their Hurricane Sandy claim, we must seek to meaningfully reform the claims process, not make it harder for families to return to their home.

A vote for this bill is a vote to abandon Hurricane Sandy victims. Vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize All Saints' Episcopal Church of Woodhaven, Queens on their 120th Anniversary. This longstanding place of worship has a rich history as a congregation that embraces diversity and community service.

All Saints held its first service and Sunday school at a store-front in Richmond Hill, Queens on November 26, 1897. Initial offerings collected by the service totaled $22.00, which became the initial contribution towards the purchase of a permanent church. A few years later, the church laid its first cornerstone on Lefferts Blvd., where it served for more than a century.

The Church has a long history of providing guidance and comfort to new arrivals and families faced with hardship. For decades, All Saints enjoyed the leadership of Rectors dedicated to its parishioners and the greater community. Later on, the former St. Matthew's Church, a beautiful gothic revival building became its new home.

Today, All Saints is a bedrock of the Woodhaven community. The Church continues to provide spiritual and physical comfort by offering social and community services. Initiatives like the senior lunch program, youth projects, the St. Hilda's Guild women's outreach program, and the Community Cemetery Project all promote fellowship.

Mr. Speaker, our churches, temples, and mosques are the cornerstones of our communities, the bedrock on which our faith, values, and sense of purpose rest. On this special occasion of its 120th year anniversary, I congratulate the All Saints Episcopal Church congregation and wish them many more years of service.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as Puerto Rico struggles to recover from the historic damage of Hurricane Maria, this legislation shortchanges the island's long-struggling healthcare system at exactly the time that Puerto Rico most needs our help.

This legislation provides a measly sum of Puerto Rico's Medicaid system. Even before Hurricane Maria made landfall, Speaker Ryan had committed to help resolve Puerto Rico's looming Medicaid crisis, yet this bill provides just $1 billion. We have no assurance or guarantee that the next emergency supplemental will provide appropriate funds to address this problem.

The fact is that our fellow citizens have been shortchanged by the disparity in Medicaid funding. This forced the government of Puerto Rico to borrow money to provide healthcare. So if you wonder where Puerto Rico's financial crisis stems from, you can look right here at the U.S. Congress. Yet the amount included in this bill is far from sufficient to address even this year's shortfall. For the Puerto Rican people who have already suffered so much, this funding level amounts to an insult.

If ever there were a time to channel aid to the island's healthcare system and fix the systemic problems that we sought in the system underfunding, this is it.

Mr. Speaker, there are a litany of reasons to oppose this bill, but let's make it clear: one of them is that it will not do enough for the people of Puerto Rico. These are U.S. citizens. They have fought, shed blood, and died in every major conflict. Now they need our help, and this bill does not supply it. Reject this bill. Vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and service of ``Mother''

Rosa McKie, who for the past 50 years has shown tremendous dedication to the community of the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ on Williams Avenue in Brooklyn.

Known as a source of pure kindness, inspiration and fortitude, Ms. McKie's longstanding service to the Church earned her the title of ``Church Mother''. Ms. McKie migrated to New York in 1943 and has since called Brooklyn her home. A World War II Navy Bride, she married the late Charles McKie as he was on active duty. This summer, on July 17th, she turned 100 years old, proving that age has not slowed her from counseling, nurturing and investing in her community.

Present at nearly every worship service that takes place at the Church, Ms. McKie has fulfilled roles as diverse as usher, Choir Director, and outreach missionary. It is this spirit of willingness to meet every need that has earned her such a warm legacy among congregants.

It is my great honor to wish Mother McKie a joyful birthday and lifetime celebration as she leaves her daily role with the Church to relocate and live with her daughter. For someone who has been a living inspiration for so many, it is my deep hope that this service is a chance for her community to return the love.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Puerto Rican Bar Association of New York (PRBA) on the occasion of its 60th Year Diamond Jubilee Anniversary.

Founded in 1957, PRBA was created to connect lawyers and judges who shared common goals, ideas and concerns relating to the practice of law, the courts and the community.

PRBA is credited with mentoring and helping generations of attorneys develop their careers while staying true to its core mission of empowering and giving back to the Puerto Rican and Latino communities.

Through the Puerto Rican Bar Association Scholarship Fund, the Association promotes opportunities for educational and professional advancement for underserved young professionals.

Throughout its rich 60-year history, PRBA has benefited from the leadership of some of the brightest and best Board members and Presidents. This year's PRBA President, Carmen Pacheco, is an inspiring example of what can be accomplished with support and vision. In 1992, Carmen and her business partner Betty Lugo, established Pacheco & Lugo, the first Hispanic women-owned law firm in New York.

PRBA's members have ascended to the highest levels of the legal community within private practice, non-profit and all levels of government including the U. S. Supreme Court by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in saluting this year's extraordinary individuals and institutions: Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte, Elisa D. Garcia, Chief Legal Officer, Macy's Inc., Robert L. Haig, Esq. Partner, Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP, the CUNY Board of Trustees and the New York State Court of Appeals. I also would like to recognize the Mistress of Ceremonies, Jeanine Ramirez, Brooklyn's own NY1 News outstanding reporter and journalist.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to congratulate the Tai Look Merchants' Association on their Centennial Anniversary Gala. I thank you for your commitment to bettering the community of Chinatown and the community of New York City as a whole.

The Tai Look Merchants' Association was established on 1917 in Hong Kong but expanded to New York less than a decade later, and has been a part of our community ever since. For a century the Tai Look Merchants' Association has contributed to the community through the mission, ``for the love of the Country and Motherland.''

Under the leadership of Teddy Mui and representing over a hundred members and small businesses, Tai Look Merchants' Association has shown the good that can be done when people work together, from raising money for victims of the Sichuan Earthquake and Hurricane Katrina to holding local Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations for Chinatown's seniors.

As they celebrate 100 years of tremendous work, I am confident the Tai Look Merchants' Association will continue to build on its history of service and find many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank both the gentleman from New Jersey, the chairman, and the ranking member from New York for their work.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Puerto Rico, 3.5 million of our fellow citizens, are suffering. The mayor of my home town, Yabucoa, where Maria made landfall, is predicting that as many as 5,000 residents are potentially facing starvation.

More than 85 percent of the island is without electricity. One-third of Puerto Ricans lack access to drinkable water, which will surge the number of bacterial infections and mosquito-borne illnesses.

As Puerto Rico faces this humanitarian crisis, the President of the United States is tweeting out threats to withdraw assistance. That is an outrage. It is an insult. It is an abdication of the President's solemn duty to protect the safety and security of the American people. American citizens everywhere deserve better.

Where the President is failing to lead, Congress must act, and act now.

The legislation we are debating today is far from sufficient. It is not enough, but it is a start. It is a downpayment in helping the response process. It will keep FEMA operating, removing debris and distributing food and water.

It also helps Puerto Rico's Government address a looming cash shortfall. With the government running out of money by November 1, vital services could be suspended when residents can least afford it.

This bill would provide a short-term cash infusion for the government to keep going. The way this assistance is structured under the law, these funds will likely not be paid back, which is reasonable, given the challenges Puerto Rico faces. Some of those challenges have been created by the lack of action of the Congress when it comes to Medicaid.

Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. There is going to need to be much more assistance in the future. Puerto Rico will need help rebuilding its energy grid, repairing telecommunications networks, and putting its ports, bridges, and roads back together, and we cannot forget shoring up the island's Medicaid system, something that was critical before Maria, but is even more important now.

This problem is of Congress' making, and we must fix it. Make no mistake. Those priorities will require more money, and we will need to come back and address them in a few weeks.

The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens. And, you know, what? Even when so many of my brothers and sisters are suffering in Puerto Rico, are facing a humanitarian crisis, at last, 50 percent of the people in this country who didn't know that Puerto Ricans are American citizens are learning that fact.

Yes, American citizens, when, in 1898, Puerto Rico was invaded and taken over by the U.S. Government. So now it is our responsibility to make Puerto Rico whole.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Detective Paul Grudzinski, 76th Precinct Community Affairs Officer who is retiring after 30 years of service to the people of New York City.

A model of successful police and community relations, Detective Grudzinski has always put the needs and safety of New Yorkers above all else. A fixture in the Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Gowanus communities, he is known and valued by many.

First appointed to the New York City Transit Police Department on April 28, 1987, Detective Grudzinski joined the NYPD shortly after in 1989. Throughout his career, Detective Grudzinski has reached many milestones. Since 2001, he has served as the Precinct Community Affairs Officer, and was promoted to Detective Specialist in 2007 and Detective 2nd Grade in 2016.

It was always the mission of Detective Grudzinski to get to know the neighborhoods and residents that he served. An expert local problem solver, he has always been aware of the often too common gap between police and residents, and he has worked tirelessly to close it.

I send my best wishes to Detective Grudzinski and his family, as he's recognized at his last 76th Precinct Community Council meeting on October 4, 2017. A life of dedication and honor, I wish Detective Grudzinski a happy retirement and thank him for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding. For over 40 years, the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, has stood as a bulwark protection for women's reproductive rights and healthcare rights.

Now, in 2017, House Republicans are leading yet another unconstitutional, dangerous, and outright assault on women's health and privacy. This extreme bill not only takes aim at Roe v. Wade by lowering the ban on abortion to 20 weeks, it goes even further by promising to throw doctors in jail. This is a cynical, repugnant effort by Republicans to pander to a far-right base while jeopardizing women's health--all for a political payoff.

At the same time this House is considering a measure restricting a woman's right to choose, we have not found time to assist 3.5 million American citizens who are suffering and dying in Puerto Rico. You call that pro-life? I urge Republicans: listen to the majority of Americans who support a woman's right to privacy and a safe abortion. Reject this shameful bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Chinese American Medical Society as they host their 54th Annual Scientific Symposium and Annual Red Lantern Gala.

This year, CAMA is focusing on advancing women's health. Throughout its history as one of the most successful national Chinese American Medical Societies, CAMA has sought to eliminate health disparities for Chinese Americans and other underserved minority populations. Each year, the Symposium is an opportunity for many of medicine's most foremost experts to gather, collaborate and ultimately impact lives.

Their annual Red Lantern Gala is a chance to celebrate the ground breaking work of all those who have dedicated their lives to advancing health and well being for Chinese Americans. I'd especially like to salute this year's honorees: Dr. Anna Suk-Fong Lok with the 2017 CAMS Scientific Award, and Mr. Michael J. Dowling, Mr. Peter Lau and Dr. Wai Lap Leung with the Community Service Award.

I applaud CAMA for their unwavering dedication to improving health outcomes for Chinese Americans both in New York City and around the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I really appreciate those kind words.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill. As we all know, many people are hurting in the areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Sadly, the response by the administration has been bumbling, inexcusably weak, and inadequate.

While some of the proposals in the bill are needed, these measures are necessary, but far from sufficient to help Puerto Rico recover. If anything, these half steps are an insult to the American citizens living in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico is hurting. They do not need legislative lip service passed just so that the majority can claim they are helping. Instead of taking real and meaningful steps to provide much-needed relief for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, this bill ignores the challenges they face.

Providing personal casualty assistance and penalty-free withdrawals from retirement accounts is commendable, but not for Puerto Rico. Just under half the island is living in poverty, and the average median income is under $20,000. In fact, 67 percent of workers have no money left to save for retirement after paying bills, and only one in five workers is contributing to retirement savings.

So I ask you, what savings will they pull from, and how and when will this happen? American citizens in Puerto Rico cannot even get cash out of an ATM without waiting hours in line. Providing funds based on the assessed value of those provisions for Puerto Rico is insufficient. It is a fig leaf offered by Republicans so that they can check it off their list.

In order to truly help the many victims affected by the hurricanes, Congress needs to start by providing the economic support required to recover.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is unworkable for Puerto Rico as it stands now. I applaud the effort and speed with which this was drafted, but it must be strengthened to truly address the needs of Americans in these disaster areas.

Even today, I got a call from the most important medical institution, and they are running out of antibiotics. The veterans hospital that treats 200,000 soldiers who have participated in every war, they do not have access to healthcare. This is how we honor their service? No, Mr. Speaker.

Vote down this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Brooklyn Chinese-American Association's Eighth Avenue Senior Center on over two decades of service to Brooklyn's seniors.

For seniors living in the Sunset Park, Borough Park and Bay Ridge neighborhoods, the Eighth Avenue Senior Center has provided life

changing support and services. From daily meals and medical screenings, to a variety of social events and activities, the Center undoubtedly enhances the quality of life for so many of our seniors.

During the celebration, the Annual Millennial Roundtables will gather seniors aged 84 and above for an opportunity to socialize with each other. Together, the seniors who take part in this cherished tradition have a combined age of over 1,000 years.

I would like to send my deepest gratitude to all those who support and work with BCA's Eighth Avenue Senior Center. Thanks to your hard work, we can all take pride in the many accomplishments this community hub has achieved over the last two decades. My best wishes for a successful event.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Moy Family Association U.S.A. National Convention on their 27th Annual event and to recognize past and present members. I commend their community service and civic engagement that benefit not only the local Asian community in New York City but also the national and international community.

The Association is a charitable organization with a focus on community, education, civic engagement and social welfare. Since its inception over 125 years ago, the Moy Family Association has played a key role in community building efforts, particularly in the vibrant Chinatown communities I represent.

In particular, I congratulate Mr. Robin Mui for his public service. His accomplishments and contributions to the Asian community I represent is immeasurable. Mr. Mui has been instrumental in increasing awareness and dialogue about issues and concerns that impact Asian American communities. Through their leadership, the Moy Family Association has championed numerous community causes and relief efforts for families impacted by tragedy. This includes raising millions of dollars for the American Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina and for the families of slain NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Officer Rafael RaInos in 2014.

As a nation, we must embrace the diverse cultures and organizations that have worked to advance the needs of all citizens and have helped to define what it means to be American. I ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating the Moy's Family Association U.S.A. National Convention on this special occasion. I commend their public service and shared goal of enriching the lives of the constituents of my district. My best wishes for a successful event.