Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, the issue at hand is actually a simple one: it is whether or not to declassify data pertaining to the investigations into the origins of COVID. This is a simple vote. The simplicity of this vote is in stark contrast to the magnitude of the ramifications of this declassification process.

By declassifying, we will be able to seek clarity, give transparency, and gain security, which is what the American people deserve.

By declassifying, we have a chance to ensure that the 7 million people who died of COVID are honored correctly. This is a chance to hold China accountable for COVID and seek justice and a reckoning. Perhaps most importantly, it is a chance to prevent another man-made pandemic such as this from wreaking havoc on the planet again.

I think it is shameful that some have politicized this issue. This isn't political at all. Declassifying this information is simply the right thing to do.

I have personally been cleared to handle classified information since I was 18 years old, and the point of classifying information is to protect American lives, whether it is civilians and/or military personnel.

Information that is classified is material that would cause damage, serious damage or exceptionally grave damage to national security if made publicly available.

Now, the irony of this debate, however, is that the release of this data will actually save lives and help prevent the loss of life in the future. It will enhance our security, not degrade it. The continued overclassification of this data at the highest level actually poses the greatest threat to our Nation's security.

This is an easy and simple ``yes'' vote. The implications of this will determine whether or not we are able to prevent such another catastrophic pandemic from paralyzing us and taking so many lives.

I encourage all Members from both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' and enable us to get to the bottom of this, hold China accountable, and defend us against any future CCP threats.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as an educator who spent 10 years as a college instructor and administrator to support the President's student debt relief plan, which is now currently under threat by the Supreme Court.

When I was in the classroom, I saw my students taking out loans to pay for basic needs like rent or food. We tell young people to get an education, to go to college, to work toward your chance at the American Dream, but for so many, that means taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans.

Student loan debt also disproportionately impacts low-income students, and millions of students may not have access to financial training or advice.

To this day, I am also paying off my student loans, and I have former students who continue to struggle with student debt years after they have graduated.

Yes, we need to do more to address college affordability and access, but we must address student debt.

If the Supreme Court takes the dangerous, irresponsible step of ending relief to student borrowers, then Congress has a duty to codify the President's debt relief plan and protect these 40 million Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the end of Black History Month and the beginning of Women's History Month by honoring an individual who represents both so well.

She is an icon, she is a legend, and she is now--and forever--the moment.

I want to celebrate none other than who I believe is the undisputed queen of pop and R&B, Beyonce Knowles Carter.

A few weeks ago, this Brown skin girl out of H-Town won her 32nd Grammy, giving her the most Grammy wins of all time.

But Beyonce is so much more than a performer and a singer. She is a creator and an artist. When the radio said to speed it up, she went slower.

I will never forget the time I saw Destiny's Child perform for the very first time. It was life changing for me and for the way I experience music. I became an instant fan then and have been a huge fan ever since.

Beyonce is also a role model for millions across the country. She stood up for voting rights, for feminism, for women and girls, and for my community--the LGBTQ+ community. For my generation and so many others, she simply is the greatest of all time.

Her story is history.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mrs. Carter on her achievements and for winning the most Grammys ever in the history of our country. You are irreplaceable.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to pass the TRUST Act to ban individual stock trading by Members of Congress and their spouses.

Now, Representatives are elected to serve their communities back home, and this bill builds trust and makes important reforms. While the American people are working hard to keep

their small businesses afloat and keep food on the table, the last thing Members of Congress should be doing is trading stocks with any inside information.

As we work to restore Americans' trust in government, this is a commonsense step in ensuring that Americans throughout the country have no doubt about the work that we were sent here to do. This bill ensures more transparency in our government and is another step forward as we make our Congress more accountable to the people.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored that this is my first cosponsored bill in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding his time and for his leadership in this legislative body.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the so-called Freedom for Health Care Workers Act. This legislation is an attack on public health and will endanger the lives of medical personnel and patients. Why should we remove vaccine protections for nurses and medical workers in our hospital and clinical settings?

This bill is not supported by our public health officials and certainly not supported by our nurses on the ground. Why would we endanger vulnerable populations? This is cruel and irrational.

Over 1 million people have died in this country due to the pandemic, many of them nurses and healthcare workers. One of them was my mother, Gaby Elena O'Donnell.

My mom was my rock. She was a kind, loving, and strong immigrant woman who dedicated her life to serving her country and community. She served our country as a frontline healthcare worker. My mom also

taught me what real patriotism is, it is serving your neighbors through service and giving back to your country.

She was on the front lines of this pandemic helping as many people as possible. In the summer of 2020, my mom lost her life to COVID-19.

This vaccine could have saved my mom's life, but it was not yet available. I made a promise to my mom and to my community to fight for legislation that would protect them and keep them from the pandemic and keep them healthy.

No other family should have to go through what mine did and millions of others had to go through in this country. We know, due to science, that the vaccine saves lives, and our medical workers should be able to go to work knowing that their lives won't be endangered due to the service they are giving to our country. Vaccinating hospital and healthcare workers is a basic form of protection that they all deserve.

Mr. Speaker, for this reason, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Huffman Amendment No. 15, Roll Call 46, on January 26. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 46.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for my first floor speech to stand with women across the country to commemorate what should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this past weekend.

This decision had guaranteed every woman and girl in our country the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. Yet, 7 months ago, our radical Supreme Court ripped that freedom away.

In today's America, there are millions of women who won't be able to have a say in their own futures. This came as a direct result of extremist Republicans and their decades-long war on reproductive healthcare.

Instead of focusing and delivering for Americans, Republicans have proposed and prioritized a national abortion ban. Let's be clear: Abortion is healthcare, and abortion should be accessible to every woman in our country.

For this reason, I rise today strongly in support of the Women's Health Protection Act to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land.

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

Mr. Chair, releasing our Strategic Petroleum Reserves helps us respond to emergencies, supply chain disruptions, and disasters, and have been utilized by Presidents of both parties, including the former administration.

Today, thanks to President Biden's use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, gas prices are down, saving the average family $170 a month.

While consumers are just now recovering from record costs and getting back on their feet, oil and gas companies are sitting on billions of dollars and thousands of unused but approved permits that they could be using to boost production right now.

The last thing these oil companies need is more Federal land while they sit back and watch the American people suffer.

This bill will not make energy cheaper, but it will harm our planet. If we want our children to have a future, we must fight for climate justice.

To my Republican colleagues from California, this bill could result in leasing Federal land on the Outer Continental Shelf, including our very own coasts here in California.

Will you vote to endanger our beautiful coastline back home? Will you vote to jeopardize the jobs that our coastal economy provides?

This Republican bill puts polluters ahead of the American people. Our planet is in distress. Storms are getting stronger, faster, and more powerful, while wildfires take lives and destroy homes, and floods devastate crops and communities throughout our Nation.

While Republicans in Congress sit back and do nothing to address the climate crisis, Democrats know that we must act.

That is why I am introducing an amendment, which blocks implementation of this bill until the Secretary of Energy certifies to Congress that leasing will not increase harmful greenhouse gas pollution.

My amendment would stop this Republican giveaway to big polluters in its tracks. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for the planet, ``yes'' for our children's future, and ``yes'' for this amendment.

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