Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the gentleman from Arizona for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of my bill, H.R. 4867, the Economic Development Through Tribal Land Exchange Act, which is a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill that passed unanimously out of the House Natural Resources Committee and is supported by the Department of the Interior.

The bill would aid economic development in the city of Banning, California, through a land swap, supported by all of the parties involved. Currently, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and a private landowner, Mr. Lloyd Fields, would like to exchange two parcels of land which are nearly identical in size and value, but they are restrained from doing so because one of the parcels is currently held in trust by the United States on behalf of the tribe.

My bill facilitates an equitable land swap between the Morongo Tribe and the landowner to provide more consolidated reservation land for the tribe and commercial development opportunities for the landowner, the city of Banning and Riverside County.

The bill is consistent with the Department of the Interior's policy of promoting land consolidation within Indian country and facilitating economic development. We can all support this type of commonsense, bipartisan legislation for the simple reason that it benefits all parties involved and spurs job creation.

This bill serves as a model for how land use issues can be addressed by a community's coming together while upholding the sacred government- to-government relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes.

I would like to thank Chairman Robert Martin of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in the city of Banning for bringing this issue to my attention; my colleague, Representative Paul Cook from California, for being an original cosponsor; and Senator Boxer from California for introducing the companion bill. I would also like to thank the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs' Chairman Young and Ranking Member Hanabusa for holding a hearing on this bill as well as to thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member DeFazio for considering this bill in committee and for their help in bringing it to the floor today.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 4867, the Economic Development Through Tribal Land Exchange Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on the Bring Jobs Home Act. I cosponsored this bill to help businesses create jobs in my home district and across America. In the Coachella Valley, there are unacceptable high unemployment rates, in some areas over 17 percent.

The Bring Jobs Home Act will create critical tax incentives for businesses to bring jobs back to the United States and close tax loopholes for corporations who ship jobs overseas.

Over the last decade, America lost 6 million manufacturing jobs. That is millions of jobs families can gain if Congress does their job and votes to bring jobs home. Congress must put hardworking families above corporations that ship jobs overseas.

This week, the Senate will vote on legislation. The House must act. Mr. Speaker, Congress must put people before politics, solutions above ideology, and allow a vote on the Bring Jobs Home Act.

Let's put people back to work.

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

Mr. Chairman, before I begin, I would like to thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for their hard work and collaboration on this bipartisan and important bill.

I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 4923, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, to provide additional, critical resources for Bureau of Reclamation environmental restoration projects that address or improve public health conditions.

The Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for managing, developing, and restoring our Nation's waters to support the interests of the American public. Mr. Chairman, I can think of fewer efforts more in the public interest than protecting the public's health.

Across the West, the Bureau helps water districts develop recycled water technology to provide safe irrigation water for crops, provides engineering assistance for restoration efforts, and monitors water quality so that communities can take preventative action to protect the environment and public health.

There are many examples in our Nation, and I will give just a couple.

In southern California, in the Coachella Valley, the Bureau of Reclamation plays a large role in protecting public health by monitoring and helping restore the water equality of the Salton Sea. For several decades now, deteriorating water quality and reduced water inflows have made the Salton Sea a threat to southern California residents, and eventually the sea could threaten public health in cities all across southern California.

As the sea dries and the water level recedes, exposed lake bed will release windblown contaminants containing selenium, arsenic, and pesticides. Exposure to these contaminants has been shown to increase the number and severity of asthma attacks; decrease the growth and development of lung function in school-age children; and increase the risk of cardiac disease, heart attacks, and mortality in adults.

Already, exposed lake bed on the southern portion of the sea has had an impact on local air quality, with rates of pediatric asthma-related hospitalizations in the region far above the national average. As an emergency medicine physician, I have seen firsthand the effects of poor air and water quality.

The public health danger to families and children from the Salton Sea is very real, and to help address the exposed lake bed in the southern portion of the sea, a partnership has put together the Red Hill Bay project to cover over 700 acres of exposed lake bed with clean water. These shallow pools will cover the dangerous contaminants in the lake bed, preventing them from becoming airborne and threatening the surrounding communities.

The Bureau of Reclamation supports projects like Red Hill Bay all across the Western United States, working with local stakeholders who recognize the value of ensuring our waters are well managed.

For example, in my neighboring district, California's 42nd District, the Bureau of Reclamation assisted in helping to mitigate public health concerns and water quality issues at Lake Elsinore. Lake Elsinore, like the Salton Sea, has faced chronic challenges related to water level and water quality. Algae blooms from the lake caused public health concerns, and even took the life of a child.

A collaboration between local governments, local water districts, and the Bureau of Reclamation came together to establish a supply of recycled water to maintain water levels and installed aerators to reduce algae blooms and prevent fish die-offs by keeping oxygen levels high.

Lake Elsinore now supports many local businesses, has a flourishing tourism industry, and is safer for residents to enjoy all the benefits the lake has to offer, including swimming and water sports.

My amendment would provide additional resources towards many Bureau water projects throughout the Nation that will protect the public's health. The health of the American people must be put above politics, and I urge my colleagues to come together to support my amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, our Nation is in the midst of a transportation and infrastructure crisis. In California alone, we have over 2,500 structurally deficient bridges in dire need of repair.

Current investments into transportation infrastructure are barely able to cover our Nation's most pressing needs, and critical projects in my district are the foundation of our growing economy. That is why in 2009 Congress created the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program, known as TIGER. TIGER grants have successfully funded projects to revitalize and expand infrastructure across the country.

A grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was to provide roughly 50 percent of the funding needed to upgrade the SunLine Transit Agency's operations management system in my district. These upgrades allowed SunLine to integrate vehicle location technology, scheduling systems, and automatic passenger counters into their Web site to provide riders with a gateway for simple information, like when the next bus is going to arrive and if it will have room for passengers, which is important for my constituents to reduce wait times outside in our desert heat. This technology has improved ridership, taken vehicles off the road, reducing our carbon footprint. There are other projects in my district that could receive TIGER funding should we adequately fund it.

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments has developed a CV Link project to connect eight cities in the Coachella Valley, with a new alternate transportation route to the busiest corridor in our valley. A TIGER award paired with local investment would be enough to make it a reality. The project would create 690 jobs and potentially generate $147 billion in economic benefits through 2035 from sources such as increased tourism, reduced vehicle emissions, improved health conditions, and new jobs.

Mr. Chairman, this is why it is essential that we do not cut successful grant programs like TIGER, especially as our economy continues to recover and unemployment rates remain high. Ultimately, this is just part of the lack of funding for transportation infrastructure's story.

Within a few short months, the highway trust fund, which is responsible for the vast majority of Federal transportation funding, will run out of money. This will bring hundreds of transportation projects across the Nation to a grinding halt, eliminate the thousands of jobs they support, and jeopardize our economic recovery.

As Representatives, it is our responsibility to put aside our differences and work together to find a pragmatic, fiscally sound solution to fix the highway trust fund. Our communities in our districts are depending on us to demonstrate leadership to help them rebuild roads and bridges and operate public transit lines that take people to work, to their doctor's appointments, to grocery stores and, ultimately, keep our economy moving forward.

We must serve the people we represent by doing our jobs to find a bipartisan solution that addresses a highway trust fund crisis so critical infrastructure projects in my district and across the country are not ignored. I look forward to working with Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member Rahall of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to get this done. I encourage all my colleagues to put aside partisanship and problem-solve this critical issue.

I want to thank Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor for your great service. Thank you so much.

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

Amendment Offered by Mr. Fleming

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a dear friend of mine, Carmen Velasquez of Chicago as she retires from her position of executive director at Alivio Medical Center, for her incredible dedication to the medical community and the underserved Latino community of Chicago.

Carmen devoted her life to the care of others in her community, advocating for health, education, civil rights, and equitable heath access for all in Chicago. As founder of the

Alivio Medical Center, a bicultural nonprofit health center and extremely respected advocacy organization, she has dedicated over 25 years to expanding the reach of health care to low-income residents of Chicago. Because of Carmen's determination and perseverance, regardless of income, insurance, or ethnicity, over 20,000 individuals have received the best quality care in the greater Chicago community in over 6 clinics with plans for two new health clinic sites this year.

Coming from a family of hardworking Mexican immigrants, she became a social worker, community organizer, and bilingual education specialist after earning degrees from both Loyola University Chicago and the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico. As a member of Chicago's Board of Education, she saw firsthand the disparities in both education and health for Chicago's neglected Latino population. In 1988 Carmen found herself in a muffler shop parking lot, marking the beginning of her campaign to raise $2.1 million for the construction of her first of many health clinics. One year later, Carmen's passion manifested in the first Alivio Medical Center and she has been serving the otherwise unrepresented and overlooked community since.

Carmen has been recognized on numerous occasions for her renowned work, including recent recognitions at halftime by the Chicago Bears and the National Football League's Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, the MALDEF Lifetime Achievement Award and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership Award. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has honored her as the Latino Heritage Month ``Trailblazer of the Day.''

It is an understatement to say that Carmen Velasquez is a true champion for Chicago's Latino community. Her undying fervor, commitment, and care for giving back to the low-income and at risk groups have had profound effects on the health and wellbeing of Chicago. On behalf of all who have benefited from her initiative and the entire medical community, I'd like to thank and congratulate Carmen for her lifelong dedication to others and wish her well in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its current form, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

Here in Congress, we wrestle with some of the hardest choices about the future of our great Nation, but sometimes these choices are very easy. Some choices cut across party lines, define our values as Americans, and give us an opportunity to stand together and fight for what is important.

The easy choice today is to either fund more wasteful and outdated printing services or fund the Wounded Warrior Program. The Wounded Warrior Program in Congress provides paid fellowships for injured veterans to work in congressional offices across the country to help serve other veterans and gain work experience as they assimilate back into civilian life.

There has never been a more important time for the heroes who have defended our country to play these pivotal roles in shaping our laws. I have the honor of working with a Wounded Warrior fellow in my office, and I have seen firsthand their dedication and greatness.

Chris Rennick is a marine from the 1st Battalion in Twentynine Palms, California, who served in Iraq. He was raised on a farm by his godparents, Linda and David Matheny. Mr.

Matheny always told him, ``Chris, do your best,'' and that is exactly what Chris did.

He deployed twice with the United States Marine Corps. His first was with the ``tip of the spear'' in the first invasion of Iraq in 2003. Chris was injured in an IED blast in his first deployment and still returned to Iraq for a second tour in 2004, and again was injured in an IED explosion.

Chris served honorably and received the Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Action Medal, and the Iraq Expeditionary Medal. Chris' unit received the Presidential Unit Citation.

After serving in the Marines, Chris came home and dealt with a traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder. He told me he was in a bad place. He struggled to hold down three jobs while caring for himself. It was a fellow veteran in the Wounded Warrior battalion who reached out and helped Chris get back on track. Now Chris does the same for others, as a Wounded Warrior fellow.

Chris joined the Wounded Warrior Program because he still firmly believes in the Marine Corps motto, ``Semper Fidelis,'' always faithful. Chris remains always faithful to his brothers in arms and to this day is always faithful to our great country that he sacrificed for.

In his short time with my office, less than 1 year, Chris has helped over 300 veterans in my district alone receive the benefits that they have earned and get the care that they need. Chris' passion for helping veterans is an inspiration for me and, I know, for all of you, and that is the reason why we must fully fund the Wounded Warrior Program.

My motion to recommit would fund the Wounded Warrior Program with 30 slots for both Republicans and Democrats by redirecting $767,000 from the Government Printing Office. Additionally, it would provide $267,000 for Books for the Blind and Handicapped. We can do all of this with no new spending.

So the choice today is clear and it is easy: Would you rather fund more printed outdated copies of the Congressional Record and House legislative calendar, or would you rather support our Wounded Warrior fellows like Chris?

This institution and this entire country needs heroes' voices like Chris' in every decision that we make. I urge you to vote ``yes'' and support our veterans and those with disabilities by supporting these critical programs.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 4486, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

This amendment is for the brave men and women who have served our country, our veterans. Right now, in my district and across the Nation, thousands of veterans who have sacrificed for our country are struggling to receive access to benefits that they have earned. This is due to the enormous claims backlog at the Veterans Affairs Administration.

Currently, California is home to almost 2 million veterans, almost 140,000 in Riverside County alone. There is an additional 40,000 veterans expected to return to the State every year for the next several years.

As our troops continue to return home and assimilate back into civilian life, it is critical we are able to keep faith with our veterans and ensure they have timely access to critical benefits.

Too often, Washington becomes bogged down with statistics on a page or numbers on a screen that show how this backlog is affecting veterans, but the people this is affecting are not just a statistic. They are men and women, like retired Air Force Master Sergeant Andrew Walker and his family from Beaumont, California, who I represent.

Mr. Walker and his family struggled with the VA, waiting years on end, without receiving the critical health benefits he earned and needed. Due to what seemed like an insurmountable claims backlog, Mr. Walker told me that he suffered pain and frustration, leading to hopelessness and despair. He felt dejected and lost. This is unconscionable and no way to treat a veteran and his family.

I am thankful I was able to help resolve Mr. Walker's claim, but the reality is there are many more stories just like this one that continue every day across the country. It is critical that we as a Nation work urgently to address the claims backlog.

That is why I am offering this amendment to advocate for an additional $5 million to fund the digital scanning of health and benefits files to reduce the backlog by redirecting funding within the general operating expenses account of the Veterans Benefits Administration.

This amendment simply directs funds towards the digital scanning of health and benefit files that will reduce the claims backlog without any new spending. As an emergency medicine physician, I understand the importance of efficiency in health care.

By committing resources to digitizing health and benefit files, we will further increase VA's capacity to tackle the claims backlog, ensuring veterans receive the benefits that they have earned in a timely manner.

Let us continue to bear in mind that these men and women have served this country and they have put their lives on the line. We must serve them by making certain that Congress focuses on eliminating the claims backlog for good.

I encourage my colleagues to stand up for veterans and support my pragmatic amendment to reduce the veterans' claims processing time.

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

Once again, through the Ryan budget, House leadership is seeking to balance the budget on the backs of hard-working American families and seniors, undermining the economic recovery, and ending the Medicare guarantee.

As an emergency medicine physician, I know firsthand that many of the seniors I care for rely on the Medicare they have earned. In fact, in Riverside County, California, alone over 250,000 seniors rely on Medicare.

Our priority should be reducing health care costs in order to make Medicare stronger and more sustainable, but this budget transforms Medicare into a voucher program, shifting

the costs of health care to our seniors and ending Medicare as we know it.

We must work together to protect and preserve Medicare, reduce our deficit, and decrease health care costs. The Ryan budget is not the way to do that. This proposal has the wrong priorities for Riverside County, California, and our Nation.

I urge my colleagues to end the partisan political gamesmanship and put American families and our seniors first.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I am opposed.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended.

Right now, House leadership is forcing a vote on a bill that they know will go nowhere. Instead of working to find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing problems, they have chosen to put politics above the needs of the American people.

They have chosen to put politics above jobs, the economy, health care, comprehensive immigration reform and, again, they are playing politics with millions of hardworking families who have lost their job through no fault of their own and are currently looking for jobs.

Currently, over 2 million people have lost unemployment insurance because of these political games. Every week, 72,000 people, on average, are losing their unemployment benefits nationwide while they are looking for jobs. In my home State of California, almost 350,000 people are living on the brink of financial disaster because of these games. This is exactly the kind of political gamesmanship that the American people are sick and tired of.

House leadership continues to refuse to restore these vital economic lifelines that help people support their families and pay their bills while they look for a new job.

Long-term unemployment remains an enormous challenge for millions of Americans and our overall economy, which is exactly why we should put the American people first and renew this important program. We need a focus on creating new jobs and help American families temporarily weather the storm.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the Republicans' refusal to extend unemployment insurance that protects 238,855 workers in California who lost their job through no fault of their own, and who actively seek work.

Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Unconscionably, domestic violence has reached pandemic proportions, affecting one out of every three women in the United States.

As an emergency medicine doctor, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of domestic violence. I have treated the beaten and bruised bodies of countless women who were victims of domestic violence, and I have been inspired by their unbroken spirits.

I am proud of the work that many are doing to prevent domestic violence and keep women safe throughout my district and our country, like Shelter from the Storm in the Coachella Valley.

Domestic violence is a leading threat for women. On average, four women are murdered by their intimate partner every day in the United States. A woman is battered in the U.S. every 15 seconds. That equals 240 domestic violence episodes in one hour.

No woman should ever suffer domestic violence, and those who are victimized should know that they have access to the care and services they need to seek justice. We must continue to work together to take steps to prevent domestic violence, stand up for those who are victims, and hold perpetrators accountable to the full extent of the law.

To my patients in my district and women victims across the country, please, never give up.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we end this reckless and irresponsible government shutdown and do the right thing for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the good gentleman from California, Congressman Cardenas.

Immigrants from all over the world have made tremendous contributions to our society and our economy since the birth of our Nation. Our immigrant families are an invaluable part of our country.

For far too long, Congress has failed to act on a comprehensive plan for immigration reform.

I believe that any immigration reform plan would be bipartisan, secure our borders, uphold the immigration laws we already have, protect our workers and businesses, and include a pathway to citizenship for those who work hard and play by the rules.

Passing a commonsense comprehensive immigration reform bill would lead to an economic boom in the Coachella Valley and across the country.

Nonpartisan, independent studies have shown that comprehensive immigration reform will reduce the deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years and reduce our Federal debt. It will also increase economic growth and strengthen our economy by expanding our labor force, increasing investment, and increasing overall productivity. It will also provide a significant boost to our tourism and agriculture sectors, two of the top industries in my district in the Coachella Valley.

In the Coachella Valley, tourism industries will benefit substantially from some of the provisions in the bipartisan Senate bill, like the Visa Waiver Program. Additionally, our U.S. agriculture output and exports will grow once our farmers have access to the stable workforce they need.

Comprehensive immigration reform means more jobs and more opportunity for people in my district and across the country, but only if we act.

I stand ready to work with both Democrats and Republicans toward a comprehensive immigration system that is rooted in common sense. It is time to put aside the political games and work together in a bipartisan effort to address this critical challenge.

Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for this session.

Mr. Speaker, Representative King's recent comments about children of immigrants are a disgrace to this institution. These comments are unacceptable and just plain wrong on so many levels.

We may not all agree on the best way to fix our Nation's broken immigration system, but we can all agree that it's broken.

Comments like Representative King's don't do anything to solve problems or bring us closer to a true bipartisan solution on immigration. They only exacerbate the problem of extreme partisanship and inject needless divisiveness into the conversation on how to best reform our immigration system.

This sort of ideologically driven and hateful rhetoric has no place in this institution, and it must stop. It is time for both parties to put down the partisan talking points and make a good faith effort to work together to have a conversation and not a confrontation.

We need to act, and we need to act now. We don't have time for this partisan gamesmanship. We must reduce our deficit by passing this comprehensive immigration reform.

Mr. Speaker, today I wish to make a statement in memory of a brave firefighter in California's 36th Congressional District, Christopher Douglas, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty.

Christopher Douglas, a native of Colorado Springs, lived in Temecula, California. Chris was an avid surfer who was well-known and respected by the local community. Chris served his country in the United States Air Force and, after leaving, became an Engineer and Paramedic for CAL FIRE. On Friday, July 5, 2013, he was struck by a vehicle along Interstate 10 in Riverside County, California, while preparing to leave the site of a traffic collision to respond to another incident. He was rushed to the hospital, but tragically passed away. Chris Douglas, an eight-year veteran with the fire department, was only 41 years old. He leaves behind his expectant wife Amy, their two-year-old son Samuel, and family members and friends. Chris died with the same courage as he lived, helping those in need.

This brave man died before his time. He was an honorable, passionate man who devoted himself to his country, his duty, and his family. His service and life are to be commended. His memory will live on in the people whose lives he inspired with his final act of sacrifice.