Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Mildred Garcia as she celebrates her first anniversary as Chancellor of the California State University (CSU) system. Throughout her career, Dr. Garcia has been a tireless champion of economic opportunity and educational equity, particularly for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

As the first Latina to lead the largest public four-year university system in the U.S., Dr. Garcia is breaking barriers and creating transformational opportunities for students. Under her leadership, CSU serves over 450,000 students, with more than half coming from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and over one-quarter being first-generation college students. As a proud alumnus of California State University, Long Beach, I know firsthand the immense impact of this institution.

CSU's 23 universities consistently deliver high-quality, affordable education and are ranked amongst the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in prestigious college rankings. Notably, the Wall Street Journal's 2025 Social Mobility Ranking placed seven CSU campuses in the top 10 for social mobility, a true testament to its role in elevating students' futures.

Dr. Garcia has held numerous prestigious positions and received countless awards, broadening her influence beyond CSU and establishing herself as a visionary leader who is paving the way for the next generation of educated, empowered citizens.

She was the first Latina to lead the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and has served on several national advisory boards. This year, she was honored with the TELACU ``CREO'' Award and inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Garcia often refers to CSU as a model for serving America's new majority. In fact, she embodies that new majority. Her leadership and vision for an equitable future are what public education--and our nation--need today. On this special anniversary, I want to commend Dr. Garcia for leading CSU forward with courage, innovation, and compassion for the benefit of all students.

Mr. Speaker, in the past 18 months, Republicans have gathered 3.8 million documents and 80 hours of witness testimonies on a baseless inquiry against President Joe Biden, but now that Joe Biden is not running for President, they have ended their political impeachment stunt.

The investigation that we should be focusing on is Jared Kushner and his $2 billion from the Saudis, just months after leaving the Trump White House. New reporting today from The New York Times has noted that Jared Kushner collected $112 million in fees but hasn't made a single dime for the Saudis through this fund. We don't know if the Saudis expected profits or if they just wanted to reward Jared for his service.

This $2 billion payment for this investment fund represents the reward of sitting next to former President Trump and pushing for pro- Saudi policies.

During his time in the White House, Mr. Kushner consistently ignored the recommendations of top foreign policy experts at the State Department and even ignored the warnings of Trump's own Secretary of State.

These conflicts of interest and the national security threats are obvious, but House Republicans are not interested in uncovering the truth about Kushner's actions or the suspicious actions of the Saudi Government and other foreign governments.

While the Senate is beginning to finally move on this investigation, the House has done nothing.

Mr. Speaker, we can no longer wait to hold the Kushners accountable for their shady dealings. Our democracy is not for sale, and we need to ask ourselves the question: Why did Jared Kushner receive $2 billion for an investment fund just months after leaving the White House?

The American people deserve answers, and we should never stop until we get them.

Madam Speaker, this Hispanic Heritage Month, I pay tribute to a legendary Latina singer who crossed genres and generations, Linda Ronstadt.

Utilizing her distinctive voice, she brought delight to fans of pop, country music, folk, light opera, and, of course, Latin music.

She was incredibly proud of her Mexican heritage. When she told record executives that she wanted to record an album all in Spanish, they told her it would ruin her career. She went ahead anyway, releasing ``Canciones De Mi Padre,'' which stands as a best-selling non-English language album in American history.

Selling over 100 million albums, Linda has 12 Grammys, an Emmy, and, in 2014, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A passionate advocate for the arts, in 2013, she was honored for her work by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Arts.

She announced her retirement in 2011. She revealed having a neurodegenerative diagnosis that left her unable to sing aloud. She is a personal favorite of mine. My favorite song of hers is ``Blue Bayou,'' and I will always honor her love of music and people.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, Linda is someone I will uplift and support. Her musical achievements will be remembered for a long, long time.

A Warning to the American People

Madam Speaker, I rise to warn the American people about one of the greatest threats we face as a country.

A shadowy network led by a billionaire businessman is working to threaten some of our most important values. This businessman attacks immigrants from far places and mild-mannered journalists here in our country. The shadowy network seeks power at all costs.

No, I am not talking about Lex Luthor and his legion of doom, but Donald Trump and his authoritarian and dictator friends who threaten our very democracy and world peace.

I am here to raise the alarm about the massive foreign interference of our politics at the highest levels. We know that, recently, The Washington Post reported allegations that the Egyptian President, seen right here, may have tried to transfer $10 million to the Donald Trump campaign for President in 2016. We also know that other foreign governments have also tried to buy influence from the Trumps and the Kushner family.

We know that Jared Kushner colluded to collect $2 billion from the Saudi royal family for his investment fund just 2 months after leaving the White House job.

We also know the Trump Organization has collected, at a minimum, $7.8 million in foreign payments from multiple countries during his Presidency, funneled through The Trump Organization and his hotel properties.

Madam Speaker, we cannot delay more accountability or an investigation. Donald Trump has made dangerous allegiances with enemies of the United States of America and our allies. They do not stand for truth, justice, and the American way.

I have raised this alarm over and over again, and we should not stop.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to defund Donald Trump's ineffective and harmful border wall and to restore the critical funding, which actually helps immigrants in our country.

This is also very personal to me. I immigrated to this country as a small child, and I love our country for all it has provided me and my family. The

day I raised my right hand and swore an oath to become a citizen was the proudest day of my life.

We know that immigrants love this country. In fact, some of the most patriotic people in this country are immigrants. We know that immigrants make our communities stronger and safer.

We should all be able to agree that we need an orderly process at the border. Democrats and Republicans can agree. We need a process where people with real asylum needs are protected and funded.

We also need legal pathways to provide an orderly system for people who want to come here and build better lives.

I thank President Biden on his recent executive order to keep 500,000 families together by allowing members that are undocumented to marry their American citizen husbands and wives. That is real leadership and real progress on this issue.

Democrats can agree that we need border security, but that actually comes from technology, smart strategies, and giving Border Patrol agents what they need, not from a pointless wall that we know does not work.

Here are some facts: If you come here to the U.S. and make a legitimate asylum claim, you have a right to stay here while your claim is being heard. My colleagues in the majority may not like this, but it is actually the law of the United States.

While you wait for your claim to be heard, you may also need some help, and we know people that come here are oftentimes vulnerable. They are sick. They are hungry. They are fleeing persecution. What happened to being a good human being and helping people and doing the most that we can?

Communities and nonprofits that provide shelter and aid are key partners to border security, and they let our border agencies focus on actually keeping us safe. Republicans want to defund local governments and nonprofits.

This bill ignores even what the Gospel teaches us. It ignores that our brothers and sisters who are tired, poor, hungry, and sick should not be left behind but helped and given some type of love and support.

If this Republican bill were to become law, it would cause chaos and suffering in border communities and interior cities across our Nation.

Before coming to Congress, I was the mayor of Long Beach for 8 years. We actually sheltered over 1,500 migrant children in our convention center, and I know firsthand how important it is for local organizations and local cities to get support.

I am offering this amendment to restore $700 million in funding to local governments and nonprofit organizations by eliminating the unnecessary border wall and deportation funding increases.

Wasn't Mexico supposed to pay for the wall? Isn't that what the former President kept claiming? Yet, it keeps being repeated by the majority that they want to continue to fund something that doesn't work and was supposed to be paid for by Mexico.

Instead, we should be investing in organizations like Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army, and the United Way.

Please don't defund Catholic Charities, don't defund our cities, and vote for our amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood).

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the LGBTQ families, gay people who serve in our country, and, frankly, anyone who just likes to have fun, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Now, we know there are a lot of threats to the health and well-being of our servicemembers: poisoned water on military bases, toxic mold in military housing, PTSD and suicide. I am stunned to see that a top Republican idea to protect our troops is actually to ban drag shows.

Mr. Chairman, my Republican colleagues want us to believe that gays are trying to murder us. They want to believe that drag is harmful or immoral or wrong. This is completely ridiculous.

I hate to break it to my Republican colleagues, but LGBTQ people have fought and died for this country since the American Revolution, even if they were forced to hide their true selves.

We can document and celebrate drag shows on military bases, and they have been celebrated since the 1800s and through both world wars. The USO and Red Cross hosted drag shows during World War II. The army that defeated Hitler and saved the world included drag queens. Ronald Reagan starred in a movie called ``This is the Army,'' a movie about World War II that featured four drag performances. He is not the only Republican President who knew that drag can be fun and sometimes silly.

Mr. Chairman, drag is art, drag is culture, and drag is a form of comedy. Drag is not a crime, and it is not pornography.

Now, real obscenity is when one of our colleagues, the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene), shows literal photos of revenge porn in our Oversight Committee. If we want to end porn in government facilities, let's ban that.

We know that inclusion in our military is good for our country. We want to welcome anyone who wants to serve,

and I would invite my Republican colleagues to join me at a drag show in the future. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle will see that drag is not a threat to anyone, and I am convinced that some of the majority would really enjoy it.

It is my deep concern that this amendment is legitimatizing an extremist narrative that drag performances are now harmful or threatening. Drag is art.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment should sashay away. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I remind my colleagues that art should be celebrated in this country. There are all forms of art. Whether it is going to a live theater performance, whether they are seeing something in a gallery, whether they are enjoying a sculpture, whether they are seeing a live music performance, or whether they are seeing a drag show, it is all a form of art. It is also an American art form that has been around our country for hundreds of years and has been on military bases since the USO was performing these similar types of shows.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a culture-war stunt that does nothing to make our troops safer. It politicizes our military and silences servicemembers who just want to be themselves. It is Big Government telling our troops they aren't smart enough to decide if they want to attend a particular type of entertainment and that Congress knows best in what is funny or may not be funny.

We should respect drag artists for the talent that they are and for the artists that they are. We should focus on real solutions to make life better for our troops and for our country.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for the time.

Madam Speaker, this is an incredible debate we have here. Of course, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 192. It is interesting that the majority keeps talking about fair elections, ensuring that elections are done the right way, when 147 of them wouldn't even vote to certify the last Presidential election that we had here in this country. A majority of the Republican Party won't even admit or certify the last election on who actually won the last Presidential election, yet you want to talk about an attack on local neighborhood councils here in Washington, D.C., and local elections.

It is hypocrisy what we are seeing here today in this debate.

This is nothing more than the majority's attempt to attack D.C. over and over again. They want to talk about Chinese spies voting in elections. The only Chinese spies that are here in D.C. are the ones being invited by the majority to come testify at our Oversight Committee hearing to actually attack the current President of the United States. This is a ridiculous debate we are having here by the majority.

Now it sounds also that the majority is obsessed, as they always are, with the local laws of D.C., and as I said before, if they are so interested in local government, they should resign from Congress and run for the local city council or mayor.

It is a great job. I was mayor of my community. I was on the local city council. That is what they seem to be most interested in doing.

Instead of wasting our time here, we should be focused on the real issues that Americans are facing. That is why today I will make a motion to recommit this bill back to committee and instead call up H.R. 16, the American Dream and Promise Act.

Dreamers have come to our country as children. They know no other country or have no other allegiance than to the United States, and we all know that this is true.

The American Dream and Promise Act is a landmark, bipartisan piece of legislation that would give these children and young adults a pathway to lawful, permanent residency. This is actually a transformational law that could impact our country. It would change the lives of nearly 2.3 million people in all 50 States.

Madam Speaker, I thank the countless Members who have worked to pass the Dream Act, including this year's sponsor, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, and advocates and community members.

Dreamers are our friends, family members, classmates, and coworkers. They are estimated to contribute about $45 billion a year to the American economy and $13 billion in taxes every single year. The data is clear: Dreamers, like all immigrants, make our country stronger.

I offer this amendment today to get this back on track and get this legislation through. Let's let the Dream Act come to the floor today and vote to protect these 2.3 million people.

For me, this is personal. As an immigrant myself, and as someone who has lived with immigrants, I know how important the Dream Act is to our country and to so many.

Instead of wasting our time on this bill, we should be focused on actually helping people in this country who are making our country better every single day. Today, Republicans and Democrats once again have the chance to work across the aisle to protect millions of people who have put down roots and invested in our country and our economy. It is the right thing to do.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, today, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this motion.

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

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that our planet is the most important thing we have, which is why we need to make the necessary investments to protect it.

I am proud to announce that I have joined forces with Senator Elizabeth Warren to introduce the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act.

This bill is part of the Green New Deal, and it is a major step toward addressing climate change. It will invest $500 billion over 10 years to electrify and modernize public vehicles and trains across the country, all while building new electric transportation infrastructure in every major city in America.

It will make our transportation networks safer and cleaner from buses to trains to rail. The bill links transit investments with increasing density and affordable housing. It will also help create millions of new green jobs with strong protections for labor.

The BUILD GREEN Act is sustainable, equitable, and most importantly, necessary for protecting our future. We will continue working to combat our climate crisis and supporting a Green New Deal for every single American. Let's pass this bill now and electrify the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ramirez for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, our Nation faces a severe housing crisis, and it is time for Congress to start working on real solutions for working families.

We know that we are facing a shortage of 3 million homes across the country. That is unacceptable, and the deficit has led to years of rising costs for every American.

Housing is a human right, but today, there are millions of people with no access to a safe home, no access to a stable home, and this is happening in cities and towns across America. We know that millions more are at risk.

In 2020, almost half of American renters were forced to spend more than 30 percent of their income just on housing, and 23 percent were forced to spend more than half their income on rent.

We just know that rent is too damn high. This is unacceptable, and it is the single biggest driver of our country's homelessness crisis.

In places like L.A. County that I represent, and in communities across America, rents are going up and housing stock is becoming more and more difficult. We know that working families and middle-class families have less and less access to not just buying a home but even renting a home that they can afford.

We know the most vulnerable constituents are facing the most severe consequences of this crisis, and it impacts especially Black, Brown, and low-income communities across America.

We also know it is a crisis for seniors and for people on a fixed income who can't keep up with skyrocketing housing costs. It is impacting young people, who are entering the job market and starting families but realizing, sadly, that they will never be able to afford a home.

For the past 70 years, being able to buy a home and build wealth has been the gateway to the middle class for millions of families. It has made the American Dream possible for so many generations, but now we are allowing that American Dream to crumble.

The shortage of affordable housing is estimated to cost us approximately $2 trillion a year due to lower wages and productivity. We need to build more housing.

Housing is a social justice issue. Housing is a climate issue. We know that communities that adopt smart housing policies can build more affordable housing.

Not only does our Federal Government need to invest in more housing, in more vouchers, in more affordability, and focus on more not just local but national tenant protections, but we also need to take a smart approach to growth.

Mr. Speaker, that is why, last year, I also introduced the People Over Parking Act to eliminate minimum parking

requirements near high-quality public transit. For those who don't know, parking minimums force property owners to create a certain number of spaces regardless of the needs of the people who live in those homes.

In fact, parking minimums are oftentimes the single largest driver of housing costs across America, leading to less and less affordable housing. Additionally, many of these spaces go unused, even as the financial costs are passed on to renters and tenants, even folks that may not even own a car.

We need to reduce parking minimums. We need to increase density across the country. We need to look at our zoning to ensure that we can spur more multifamily units and developments across neighborhoods and across communities in this country.

We must expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and invest in housing that is affordable and accessible. That is what the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit can do.

Let's pass commonsense policies. Let's protect renters and tenants. Let's ensure that neighborhoods are for everyone and that folks have access to the middle class. Housing is a human right.

Mr. Speaker, last week we learned that the Jared Kushner grift continues to grow across the globe.

We already know that Donald Trump put his unqualified son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in charge of Middle East policy in the White House. We also know that Jared intervened and negotiated a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia and pushed for Donald Trump's first state visit to be in Saudi Arabia, a huge change of policy and a huge gift to this foreign government.

We also know that months after Jared left the White House, the Saudi Prince went against his own advisers and gave $2 billion to Jared Kushner's

hedge fund. Let's not forget that during the Trump Presidency, receipts also show that at least $7.8 million in foreign cash went directly to Donald Trump's businesses.

Now, Jared is pushing new deals in Albania and Serbia, trading on the connections he made during his White House service. The Trump crime family grift never stops. I have said it before and I will say it again. It is time for investigations. This kind of influence peddling harms our national security.

Instead of wasting time on a sham impeachment against President Biden, we should be focused on stopping the real corruption that has been committed by the Trump family. The American people deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I have enormous respect for the efforts of my colleagues to focus on security and data protection and I share many of their concerns; however, I disagree with this approach and this bill that could impact 170 million Americans who use TikTok.

One-third of all U.S. adults use the app and millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners use the platform to support their family.

Yes, just like every other social media platform, there is misinformation and privacy concerns on TikTok, and I share those; however, it is important that we don't treat TikTok differently than other platforms.

If we are going to address this issue, we have to take the same approach to all social media platforms. We can't just single out one.

I join many of my colleagues and the ACLU in voicing concern over the freedom of expression. I am a strong supporter of ensuring that TikTok remains an open marketplace. There is no guarantee in this bill that there won't be an interruption of service that could lead to an end of this app. I don't think we fully appreciate the impact this is going to have. Mr. Speaker, I am a strong ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Women's History Month by honoring an American icon who has left an unforgettable mark on our culture and our country, the one and only Selena.

Now, few artists have shaped American and Latin music like Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The queen of Tejano music, who I grew up listening to, has won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and dozens of top awards and honors. She released 11 albums, 5 of those with her band Selena y Los Dinos, and 6 solo albums.

She was arguably the most influential Mexican-American artist of her generation.

While she left us too soon, Selena's life and music touched the lives of so many, transcending borders and barriers and breaking into a male- dominated Tejano music scene.

Selena's impact, though, reaches far beyond her music, her business, and her fashion. Selena was one of the most influential Latin artists of all time. She has been credited for elevating Tejano and Latin music into the mainstream market.

Whether at a family party, a celebration, or at the club, when a Selena song comes on, everyone hits the dance floor. She is a symbol of unity, resilience, and Latino and Mexican-American pride.

``The cultural impact of Selena lives with us,'' ``El impacto cultural de Selena vive con nosotros.''

We will never stop ``Dreaming of You.''

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans have finally decided to have Hunter Biden testify in public on their sham impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Now, the American people will soon see what we all saw behind closed doors: that there is zero evidence--zero evidence--of any wrongdoing by President Biden who had no involvement in any of Hunter's business dealings. Absolutely none.

We will continue to call out these lies.

Let's take a look at the star witnesses that the House majority has brought forward in this political stunt impeachment.

We have Alexander Smirnov, who we know is an indicted Russian asset. He has been indicted for lying, by the way, and working with Russian spies. We have another who turned out to be a spy for China, who actually sold weapons to Iran. The third witness right now is serving a 14-year sentence in prison for fraud.

You can't make this stuff up.

We also, of course, have recently learned about another disgraced con man who colluded with the Trump campaign. They are all-star witnesses of the Republican majority. Of course, we shouldn't forget Rudy Giuliani and his grand conspiracy theories, which is all the House majority is left with.

Now, the GOP insists on impeaching President Biden at whatever the cost, all to help Donald Trump get reelected.

Now, Donald Trump was impeached twice for his crimes and faces 91 felony charges, and he is desperate for revenge. If there is anyone we should be investigating, it is the Trump crime family and Jared Kushner's $2 billion deal from the Saudi Government, which he received just weeks after leaving the White House. The one person that was in charge of the Middle East--the Middle East envoy--then receives $2 billion into an investment fund. We know that the Saudis spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Trump properties. That is a real scandal and should be investigated.

It is time to end this impeachment scam and get back to work for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Tuesday, March 5. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA- Roll Call No. 60 and YEA on Roll Call No. 61.

Madam Speaker, yesterday I sat in on the Hunter Biden deposition for hours. Republicans, once again, provided zero evidence--zero evidence--and failed to show any sort of link between Hunter Biden and the President. There are no links between those business dealings.

This entire case is a political stunt and a joke. Donald Trump ordered House Republicans to smear President Biden. They tried and tried and tried and failed.

Nonetheless, I want to remind everyone about the real White House crime family.

Why did Saudi Arabia give Jared Kushner $2 billion--billion with a b--just months after he left the Trump White House?

Moreover, why did the Saudis spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at Trump properties while he was still the President?

We also know that Jared Kushner used his cushy White House job to secure a $100 billion arms deal for Saudi Arabia and did other favors, as well.

Some Members of the majority actually agree that this was unethical. In fact, a few weeks ago, Jared Kushner was asked by a reporter about his grift. He responded: ``Are we really still doing this?''

Yes, Jared, we are still really doing this.

The American people deserve answers.

I rise yet again to urge my colleagues across the aisle to answer our calls and subpoena Jared Kushner's companies once and for all. We are not stopping, and we demand answers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to help improve the lives of thousands of vulnerable youth across our country.

Our Guaranteed Income for Foster Youth Act will create a new Federal program to provide $1,000 a month to young adults exiting foster care and helping them pull themselves out of poverty, as well as build healthy economic communities across the country.

It is no secret that there are major gaps in the Federal foster care system. More than a fifth of foster care youth experience homelessness within 1 year of emancipation. It is critical that we uplift our foster youth during such a transformative and vulnerable time in their lives.

For my entire career, I have been a strong advocate for guaranteed income programs. When I was the mayor of Long Beach, we built and launched a transformational guaranteed income program that is now directly helping over 900 low-income individuals, including over 500 children.

I have also had the pleasure of working with the Mayors for Guaranteed Income, to show how providing direct payments can end poverty in the United States.

Across the country, guaranteed income programs have done incredible things for families. They have pursued higher-paying jobs, obtained undergraduate degrees, paid off debt, and afforded basic necessities like food and utilities.

The evidence across the country is clear: Guaranteed income programs have been incredibly successful in lifting people out of poverty and helping to preserve economic freedom and independence.

Working together, we can ensure that children leaving the foster care system can have the foundation they need to thrive in our community.