Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, as the coauthor of the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education in the 21st Century Act-- the largest reform of skills-based education in more than a dozen years--I rise today to celebrate one institution that has become a national exemplar.

I am honored to join Congressman August Pfluger from Texas in recognizing Dr. Gregory Williams at Odessa College. Odessa College has been named a top-10 community college by the Aspen Institute. Dr. Williams has seen both enrollment as well as students with passing grades increase year after year.

When we reformed CTE in 2018 and increased Federal funding by over 10 percent, we did so with educators like Dr. Williams in mind.

I commend Dr. Williams and Odessa College for their tremendous success. I will continue fighting for robust funding for skills-based and vocational education funding so that programs like Odessa's can flourish in my State of Illinois as well as across the country.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Postal Service Reform Act. I thank Chairwoman Maloney and Ranking Member Comer for delivering good news for America.

What is this good news? This bill eliminates the retirement health prefunding mandate. It requires 6-day-a-week delivery. It increases transparency and accountability for the Postal Service.

I thank all of our allies who have been working to pass this bill, including the letter carriers, post handlers, rural carriers, postal workers. Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor politics or partisanship can get in the way of this bill.

I urge swift passage of the Postal Service Reform Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of amendment 260 and in support of the America COMPETES Act.

My amendment 260 contains the bipartisan College Transparency Act, which creates an extremely secure privacy-protected system to finally allow students to shop for college and other postsecondary educational opportunities, like community college and trade and technical schools.

Today, unfortunately, the system is shrouded in darkness. There is no transparency and people can't shop. When students have access to transparent data, they can shop and make informed decisions, avoiding excess debt and realizing their full potential.

My colleague and dear friend, Dr. Foxx, says that this data will be tracked for adults through a person's lifetime. That is wrong. She also says that the Biden administration is going to treat this data like the Chinese Communist Party. That is wrong.

Madam Speaker, the choice is clear. Either choose transparency and allow parents and families to finally shop for college or keep the status quo, which nobody likes.

Madam Speaker, this bill is supported by everyone from the American Federation of Teachers to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and I urge its support.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to condemn the violence inflicted upon Armenians on the 34th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms in Azerbaijan. I believe that condemning these actions today will help prevent renewed aggression against citizens of Armenian descent who continue to live in Azerbaijan, while bringing attention to efforts to erase these atrocities from our collective memory. Further, I reaffirm our nation's commitment to an enduring, peaceful, and democratic resolution of the Artsakh conflict.

From 1988 to 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan was the target of ethnically targeted pogroms in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. Beginning on February 27, 1988 in Sumgait, Armenian Christians were indiscriminately murdered, raped, and maimed by mobs of criminals and thugs. According to independent reporting, police in Baku allowed the pogroms to continue for 3 days, during which lime Armenians were burned alive and thrown from windows,

Despite vocal U.S. and international protests over the Sumgait Pogroms, renewed anti-Armenian pogroms were launched in Kirovabad on November 21, 1988 that lasted for seven days. Fourteen months later in the capital,

Baku, another pogrom was launched against its Armenian minority. These vicious attacks killed hundreds of unarmed civilians and displaced tens of thousands of Armenians fleeing systematic violence as refugees.

These pogroms set the stage for decades of aggression by Azerbaijan. In September 2020, Azerbaijan bombed the Republic of Artsakh with Turkish support, targeting Armenian schools and religious sites, and killing innocent civilians. Over a year later, Azerbaijan still illegally holds and tortures Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) from 2020, despite signing a joint statement requiring all captives to be released.

Madam Speaker, on this 34th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms, I want to emphasize the importance of remembering these crimes against humanity. I call on the Azerbaijani government to acknowledge that these atrocities occurred, and that it seeks justice for the victims by prosecuting those who committed these horrific acts of violence. I also call upon the government of Azerbaijan to take all appropriate action to prevent further tragedies of this nature, and to respect the rights of all minorities living within its borders. I condemn Azerbaijan's ongoing aggression against Armenia, and call on the Azerbaijani government to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian POWs and captive civilians.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to recognize the seminal contributions of Dr. Nasir Ahmed in the field of computer science, whose work on image processing underlies much of the video conferencing and photo sharing technology that we now take for granted--technology that has been essential to getting us through this pandemic.

Born in Bangalore, India, Dr. Ahmed immigrated to the United States in 1961 to pursue a masters and then a Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico. It was there that Dr. Ahmed met his wife, Esther Parente-Ahmed, whose love and support proved instrumental to Dr. Ahmed's career. Describing Esther, Dr. Ahmed said, ``she helped me all through my career; she was always next to me.''

After receiving his doctorate from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Ahmed became a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Kansas State University in 1968.

While at Kansas State, Professor Ahmed developed the discrete cosine transform, known as DCT, as a way to compress digital images. Working with his Ph.D. student, T. Raj Natarajan, and colleague, Dr. K. R. Rao, Professor Ahmed developed a working DCT algorithm, and the results, first published in 1974, ``appeared too good to be true,'' in Dr. Ahmed's words. Indeed, the new algorithm performed better than any other method of digital image compression.

In layman's terms, digital files that contain images, photos, videos, and audio are simply too large to practically send over the internet; to share this data, it must be compressed. The discrete cosine transform is the most widely used method for compressing digital images, and DCT would become the basis for innumerable other technologies for sharing and streaming photos, video, and audio that we now take for granted.

Our zoom calls, that JPEG your friend sent you last weekend, the MP3s you listened to jogging this morning--it's all thanks to Nasir Ahmed.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of all of us who use these essential technologies every day, I want to thank Dr. Ahmed for his contributions to computer science, which have brought us together and reshaped our world in ways we could have scarcely imagined when the discrete cosine transform was first published.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of our Korean War veterans, who fought so bravely to repel an invasion intended to overthrow the government of the Republic of Korea and subjugate its people to authoritarian rule.

On June 25, 1950, the armed forces of North Korea attacked South Korea with the goal of imposing a totalitarian regime on the men, women and children living south of the 38th parallel at the demarcation line of the two countries. That same day, the Security Council of the United Nations unanimously condemned this violation of South Korean sovereignty, and two days later published Resolution 83, which authorized the use of force by member states to repel the invasion. President Truman immediately sent United States troops to assist in responding to this aggression, but the conflict rapidly expanded to include armed forces from the People's Republic of China. After three years of bloody struggle, and the deaths of nearly 37,000 members of the Armed Forces of United States and millions of Korean civilians, an armistice was signed by the governments of North Korea, the People's Republic of China and the United States ending hostilities and establishing a demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel to formalize the existence of North and South Korea.

The Korean War is often referred to as the ``Forgotten War,'' as contemporaneous news coverage was censored, and its three years of conflict were overshadowed by the Second World War and the war in Vietnam. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, however, liked to display in his Pentagon office a night-time satellite image of the Korean peninsula. This image, which revealed a thriving, brightly lit South Korea and a pitch-black North Korea emblematic of the painful suffering of its citizens, was kept on display by Mr. Rumsfeld to remind himself and his visitors that the sacrifices of our veterans were not forgotten by, and had a transformative impact on, the people of South Korea.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the brave veterans of the Korean War as we approach the seventh decade since the 1953 armistice ending the conflict. On behalf of a grateful Nation, we honor our veterans' courage and their sacrifices to preserve peace and the blessings of liberty for an important ally and for the men, women and children who live in the Republic of South Korea.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend, Fred Andes, of Chicago, on receiving J Street's highest honor, the Tzedek v'Shalom Award. This is the Justice and Peace Award.

No one is more deserving than Fred. I am honored to call him a good friend and be close with his family, including his lovely wife, Melanie.

He is empathetic, Fred is generous, and he is a leader in the community. Fred practices the ancient expression ``tikkun olam'' every day in repairing the world.

He serves as a co-chair of the U.S. International Advisory Committee for EcoPeace Middle East. He is also a lay co-chair of the Joint Israel Committee for the Reconstructing Judaism movement. And he has served as a critical member of J Street's Chicago Executive Committee.

Fred is one of those people whose actions speak louder than words. We are so honored by his presence in the community.

Congratulations to Fred, again, in receiving the Tzedek v'Shalom Award.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Dr. Lorna Breen Act.

My wife, Priya, is a physician. Like her colleagues, she has worked tirelessly during the pandemic. During the pandemic, people have referred to these healthcare workers as heroes, but as you know, our heroes are human. They struggle with the trauma of losing colleagues and patients, and they expose themselves to the daily risks of COVID. They suffer from burnout, depression, and suicide.

In fact, before the pandemic, one physician every day committed suicide. That rate has gone up significantly during the pandemic.

I am reminded of the situation of Dr. Scott Jolley in Utah. He would sometimes work until 3 a.m. as the only physician on duty at his hospital in Utah. By November 2020, he was diagnosed with PTSD, and by February 2021, he had committed suicide.

These tragic losses and stories from medical professionals are unending. Today, in honor of one of these heroes, Dr. Lorna Breen, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was created and will expand access to mental and behavioral health resources to help our heroes, to help them cope with the stresses and anxieties that they face every single day.

Unfortunately, some of those stresses and anxieties will continue after this pandemic. That is why this act is so important. I look forward to passing this necessary piece of legislation today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join the many devout followers of Jainism in honoring in the month of October the life of the remarkable Jain poet, scholar, religious leader, and philosopher Shrimad Rajchandraji, and to acknowledge his many writings, in particular his poetic spiritual masterpiece, Atmasiddhi Shastra.

Born in 1867 in the Indian port city of Vavania, Rajchandraji was drawn to a religious life from an early age. His spiritual odyssey led him to Jainism and its core belief of ahimsa or non-violence (the ethical principal of not causing harm to other living beings). Shrimad Rajchandraji scaled great spiritual heights and demystified the path to self-discovery in an effortless manner relevant to the contemporary social environment. Even in a short life of 34 years, Rajchandraji gave the world a rich heritage that continues to guide generations of seekers. His life and works have been compiled and published in a volume titled Shrimad Rajchandra, the contents of which are an inspiration to turn within and discover life's eternal truths.

In his early spiritual and philosophical writings Rajchandraji wrote about the importance of women's education and the practices that cultivate the essential mindset of non-attachment, and authored many commentaries on spirituality and Jain religious beliefs. Shrimad Rajchandraji was a visionary who laid the foundations of Jain spirituality for a new era. He composed Atmasiddhi Shastra in the late 19th century to present the six spiritual truths and the path to self- realisation. The poem is revered by many seekers as a masterpiece of spiritual enlightenment and guidance.

In 1891, Rajchandraji was introduced to a young Indian lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi. This encounter led to a long friendship and mentorship between Rajchandraji and the future father of modern India. In his autobiography, Gandhi paid homage to his spiritual mentor by noting that ``[i]n my moments of spiritual crisis, Shrimadji was my refuge.''

Madam Speaker, I also take this opportunity to commend Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, spiritual visionary and global humanitarian leader, who has devoted his life to sharing the wisdom of Shrimad Rajchandraji through the work of the Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur. Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji's impact in fostering peace and serving society, aligned with Rajchandraji's philosophy, has been recognised by various prestigious forums and contemporary spiritual leaders globally.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize Shrimad Rajchandraji's teachings on the importance of nonviolence, truth, and peace, which are as relevant today as they were to Mahatma Gandhi over a century ago, and the guidance and comfort provided to his devotees by the epic masterpiece, Atmasiddhi Shastra.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to join the many Hindu faithful in

the United States in recognizing the month of October as Hindu heritage month. The 8th Congressional District is home to many followers of this uniquely pluralistic religion, and I wish to celebrate the Hindu community's valuable contributions to my district and to our state and country. I believe this acknowledgment is especially timely, given the disturbing rise of prejudice and racism in this country, including Hinduphobia as manifested in hateful speech and violent acts perpetrated against Indian-Americans and Hindu houses of worship.

The Hindu religion dates back millennia and has profoundly influenced both ancient and modern cultures. Its message of religious tolerance, non-violence, and the universality of the human experience was introduced to this country in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda in his landmark address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois. Swami Vivekananda's words of peace and his emphasis on self-perfection and service to others sparked interest in the Hindu faith and contributed to the growth of Hinduism in the United States. His spiritual understanding had a profound influence on one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi, who in turn inspired the important work of one of our nation's most revered leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr., to advance the cause of civil rights in the United States.

The Hindu faithful in our country include physicians, lawyers, scientists, economists, philosophers, artists, academics, business leaders, government officials--and Members of Congress. They are guided by Swami Vivekananda's call to service and respect for all religions and all people. Madam Speaker, I know all Americans of goodwill share these beliefs, and today I would like to celebrate the work of the Hindu faithful in building bridges of understanding between all Americans, for their important contributions to our economy and our cultural and civic life, and for the part they play in creating our wonderful and distinctively diverse American experience.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of my amendment, which would permit the Secretary of HHS to receive unused and oftentimes just about to expire COVID vaccines from States and be able to redistribute them to foreign partners or allies.

Now, my primary legislation before the body in Congress is called NOVID. It is a play on words, no more COVID. And this legislation would actually establish a program to help vaccinate 60 percent of the population of the world's 92 poorest countries. I hope that this legislation is taken up by this body and supported by the administration.

In the meantime, the very least that we can do is to donate unused vaccines from the States. Now, these vaccines are about to expire. They are going to be no good in just a matter of months, and so instead of allowing them to go to waste, we should donate them abroad.

This is not only the right thing to do to help to end suffering abroad, but it is the smart thing to do because then it helps to prevent variants that are generated abroad from coming back home to the United States and further wreaking havoc on our economy.

On top of that, we see the Chinese Communist Party going around the world peddling their ineffective Sinovac vaccine, and we should be instead vaccinating those populations with effective vaccines.

Again, I hope that the administration utilizes this amendment to great impact, and I hope that they also do more and endorse my NOVID legislation.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to honor the work of the American Tamil Medical Association, an organization devoted to promoting charitable work both in the United States and around the world.

Formed by ten Tamil physicians in 2005, ATMA has grown to include 13 chapters in 3 countries. Its annual convention brings together the brightest minds in the Tamil medical community to share ideas and initiate projects to create healthier conditions for the poor and underserved in this country and abroad.

As a Tamil American, I share a deep sense of pride in the accomplishments of fellow Tamil Americans. ATMA has raised thousands of dollars to underwrite relief efforts for natural disasters all over the world. Its charitable endeavors support homeless shelters in the United States, construction of children's hospitals in India, and organizations that prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ATMA provided funding and resources for hospitals, and operated a 24-hour helpline to aid those in need of medical assistance.

ATMA also serves as an important educational resource through its efforts to mentor medical students of Tamil origin, and the Continuing Medical Education seminars it offers in the United States and India.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize and commend the American Tamil Medical Association for the contributions its members make to improve public health around the world.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to honor the life and talent of Avasarala Kanyakumari, a revered master violinist, composer, and teacher in the Indian Carnatic musical tradition.

Born in the city of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, India, Kanyakumari began her musical life on the violin at the age of eight. Blessed with an abundance of natural talent and nurtured by her family and dedicated teachers--including the eminent violinist Maestro Ivaturi Vijayeswara Rao--Kanyakumari was soon performing in small concerts and building a reputation as a musical prodigy.

After graduating high school, Kanyakumari moved to Chennai, where she continued her education and her musical career as an accompanist and soloist of great renown, deeply admired by critics and aficionados alike for her technical skill and exquisite musicality.

The Indian Government recognized her talent and contributions to Indian music and culture with the Padma Shri Award in 2015. The following year, Kanyakumari was honored with the Kalaimamani Award from the state of Tamil Nadu, and the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi Award from the Madras Music Academy.

Kanyakumari is revered for her commitment to cultivating the next generation of Carnatic musicians. She offers her services without charge, as her way of paying it forward and honoring the contributions made by her teachers to developing her talents. And Kanyakumari is a wonderful musical ambassador, sharing the beauty of the Carnatic tradition with music lovers all over the world. (I was especially moved by a recent rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner on this Fourth of July, performed by Kanyakumari and her student disciples.)

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the contributions of maestro, guru, and composer Avasarala Kanyakumari to Indian music and culture, and the gift of her talent to the millions of devotees of the Carnatic musical tradition.

Madam Speaker, I rise to salute my departing chief of staff, Mark Schauerte, for his devoted service to my office and to my constituents.

Mark and I have been friends since the third grade, having grown up in Peoria, Illinois, and today Mark is one of my most trusted advisers. His intelligence, decency, and grit informed every initiative undertaken by my office.

I will miss Mark's daily presence and his warm sense of humor. My loss, however, is his family's gain, and I am glad Mark's lovely wife, Chris, and his son, Eddie, will now enjoy more of Mark's time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mark for his dedicated, stalwart public service, and I thank him for his friendship of more than 40 years. I wish Mark great success in this new chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support this en bloc amendment, which includes mine and Representative Porter's amendment to improve booster seat safety.

In December, my Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released a concerning report on the safety of booster seats for children. Booster seatmakers have been marketing their booster seats as safe for 30-pound children, a standard not recommended by experts. And these makers have been left largely unregulated when it comes to side- impact testing.

Some makers gave passing grades to booster seats because the seat maintained its structural integrity. Meanwhile, the dummy was damaged. And we all know what a damaged dummy equates to: The severe spinal cord or other injuries to a child.

We expect the products we buy to be tried and true, but, sadly, that is not the case with booster seats. And when it comes to our children, we cannot continue to stand idly by.

My amendment would require NHTSA to revise their recommended minimum weight for a booster seat to 40 pounds, and would require booster seatmakers to produce labels that display recommendations clearly for parents.