Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I wish to make a statement in memory of two brave firefighters from California's 36th Congressional District, William Warneke and Chris MacKenzie, who lost their lives tragically in the line of duty.

William ``Billy'' Warneke grew up in Hemet, California, where he attended Hemet High School. As a student, he enrolled in the Junior Air Force ROTC, and served four years in the United States Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq. When Billy returned from serving his country, he went to school in Tucson, Arizona, utilizing his hard earned veteran education benefits. While at school, he attended fire training and became a firefighter with the Prescott Fire Department. As a firefighter in Prescott, Arizona, Billy was a member of the highly trained, elite Granite Mountain Hotshots, who placed their lives on the line every day. On Sunday, June 30, 2013, Billy Warneke was fighting the 13-square-mile Yarnell Hill Fire when was overrun and perished with 18 other members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Billy was only 25 years old, leaving behind his wife Roxanne and their baby due to be born in December. Billy's death cut short a brave and selfless life of service, but he died just as he lived--serving with honor and protecting the lives of others.

Chris MacKenzie grew up in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, and graduated from Hemet High School in 2001. Chris loved snowboarding and dreamed of becoming a firefighter like his father, and worked hard to achieve that dream. Chris joined the United States Forest Service in 2004, and in 2011 transferred to the Prescott Fire Department. As a firefighter there, he served in the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots, who placed their lives on the line every day. On Sunday, June 30, 2013, Chris MacKenzie was fighting the 13-square-mile Yarnell Hill Fire when he was overrun and perished with 18 other members of the Granite Hotshots. He was 30 years old, leaving behind his mother, Lauri Goralski, and his father, Michael MacKenzie, as well as family members and friends. Chris died just as he lived--protecting the public from a dangerous fire.

These two brave young men died before their time. They were heroic public servants and upstanding members of the communities they gave their lives to serve. They were honorable, passionate men who devoted themselves to their country, their duty, and their family. Their service and lives are to be commended. Their memories will live on in the people whose lives they inspired and their final act of sacrifice.

Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for your remarks and for hosting this Special Order today to discuss the economic benefits of immigration reform. This is an issue that is very important to my district and to our great Nation.

Madam Speaker, Democrats and Republicans recognize that our current immigration system is broken and that the passage of the bipartisan Senate immigration bill a few weeks ago sends a strong message that the time for comprehensive reform is now.

Passing a commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform bill will lead to an economic boon in our country. Nonpartisan, independent studies have shown that comprehensive immigration reform will reduce the deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years and will reduce our Federal debt. Passing comprehensive immigration reform is being fiscally responsible. It will also increase economic growth and will 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 southern California, which is the 36th Congressional District in the Coachella Valley and the Palm Springs area.

Comprehensive immigration reform means more jobs and more opportunity for people in my district and across the country--but only if we act. There is too much at stake if we do not take action to fix our broken immigration system. It is time for Congress to put partisanship aside and work together to pass a meaningful comprehensive immigration bill now.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Jesus Cardenas, Sr., a great man whose life embodied the American Dream. After a battle with cancer, he passed away on March 5 at the age of 73.

Born on March 20, 1939, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, Jesus came to this country at

the age of eighteen to work as a manual laborer under the Bracero Program. He spent long hours picking fruits and vegetables in fields from southern California to Washington for little pay and under harsh working conditions. Ever the entrepreneur, one day Jesus traded some tools for a pregnant pig, which he brought home to his wife Luz. From that beginning investment, Luz grew a small pig farm while Jesus continued to work in the fields. The couple began a small business by selling pork and poultry, as well as Luz's signature home-cooked food. Their steady efforts led them to open the first Cardenas Markets grocery store in Ontario, California in 1981.

Today, there are 29 Cardenas stores in cities throughout southern California, and in Las Vegas. In my district alone, there are 4 stores, which employ more than 500 people. Jesus extended the warmth and hospitality that made his grocery stores so popular to the communities they served. His business has established close to $250,000 in scholarships, including a program in my district that helps students who live close to Cardenas stores to attend the local community college, College of the Desert. Jesus himself did not have the luxury of much education, but that did not stop him from providing it to others.

Jesus Cardenas is a model American, who started from humble beginnings and created his own success with hard work and a strong sense of both personal and social responsibility. His life's work will live on through the many people his stores and philanthropy have touched, and as an inspiration to people everywhere who seek to achieve the American Dream.

Thank you, Dr. Bera.

This Congress has a responsibility and an opportunity to work together to grow our economy and to set this Nation on a fiscally responsible path. However, the Ryan budget is irresponsible, and it places the burden of the deficit on hardworking American families and seniors. This plan ends the guarantee of Medicare. As an ER doctor, I know that many of my senior patients are struggling financially and rely on Medicare in the moments of their lives when they need it the most.

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 onto the shoulders of our seniors. We must, once again, work together to protect and preserve Medicare, reduce our deficit and decrease health care costs. I urge my colleagues to come together across party lines and put American families and our seniors first.

I would like to thank the Senate for working in a bipartisan manner to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. However, the House Republican version of the bill fails to protect all women, including Native American women, immigrant women, and the LGBT community.

I rise today in strong opposition to the House Republican version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. As an ER doctor, I have seen firsthand the beaten and bruised bodies of women victims and the invisible scars left on the victim, her family, and community. Native American women in my district and across the country endure an epidemic of domestic violence, and in most cases the abusers are not members of the tribes. Tribes must have the right to protect their daughters, sisters, and mothers from violence.

We must work to make sure that all women are protected from domestic violence. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in opposition to the House Republican version of this legislation, and I look forward to the passage of the bipartisan Senate version of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today I had to make the difficult decision of voting for a pay raise for myself or against continuing a pay freeze for federal workers. I voted for H.R. 273 because although I believe it is unfair to balance the budget on the backs of hard working middle- class families, I could not accept a pay raise for myself. I recognize the critical contributions federal employees make every day to the health and well-being of our country and I thank them for their service. I am honored to serve the people of California's 36th Congressional District and I will continue to work to do the right thing for my district and to ensure that the American dream is attainable for everyone.