Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to tell the story of how last week's reckless and poorly implemented executive order indiscriminately banning immigrants from seven countries directly impacted two University of California, Santa Barbara graduate students in my district.

My office was contacted by Hassan Arbabi, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at UCSB. Hassan reached out to me on behalf of his girlfriend, Maryam Rasekh, who has also been accepted into UCSB's Ph.D. program for electrical engineering.

Maryam, an Iranian citizen, left the United States to undergo the vetting process for her F-1 student visa in order to attend graduate school in Santa Barbara. For months, Maryam interviewed and underwent an exhaustive administrative immigration process.

Maryam's F-1 student visa was approved on Friday, January 26, the same day the President signed his executive order banning all immigrants from Iran. The order prevented Maryam from returning to the United States to begin her studies.

We have in place the strictest vetting process in the world. Banning immigrants like Maryam from pursuing higher education degrees does not make us safer. It prevents people like Maryam from making important scientific advances and contributing to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban on women like Sara, an Afghani television presenter who fled amidst death threats, had waited for years to be resettled in the U.S., only to have her hopes dashed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank my friend and former colleague, Xavier Becerra, for his long and effective record of service on behalf of California in Congress.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been a true mentor and a friend to me, especially during this transition serving as a new Member of Congress.

His support and his service reaffirm that the children of immigrants and immigrants themselves have a crucial role to play in our Federal Government.

I want to congratulate Xavier Becerra on his well-deserved appointment to serve as California's attorney general. While he is no longer with us in the House, I know that his new appointment will be even greater felt across our country during these troubling political times.

I have no doubt that, as attorney general, Xavier will defend our Constitution and fight for families in California and help our State serve as a beacon of hope and progress in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the first time as a Member of Congress to discuss an issue that is at the forefront of the American conscience and is one that I care deeply about: protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act.

Today, over 45,000 of my constituents have access to reliable, affordable healthcare coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. These are seniors who would otherwise be unable to afford their prescription drugs. These are working families who no longer have to worry about being one illness away from bankruptcy. These are children who have been born with birth defects who would have previously been denied coverage for having a preexisting condition or reached their lifetime limits before they even started school.

What concerns me most is this effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act without putting forth any sort of replacement. This will have real consequences for American families, and it is simply reckless governance. We cannot play politics with 20 million American lives who depend on the Affordable Care Act for access to quality, affordable health care. This is not a game.

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