Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman: Suzanne Curtis, of San Luis Obispo, California.

Suzanne is one of the quiet heroes of her community by selflessly contributing her time and resources over several years to the local American Red Cross and victims of fires. She is a Volunteer Coordinator of the San Luis

Obispo chapter of the American Red Cross, and is tirelessly working to aid victims of natural disasters. Last year, San Luis Obispo County faced a devastating fire that consumed nearly 4,000 acres and forced residents to evacuate their homes. During the Chimney Fire, Suzanne was instrumental to securing people shelter and ensuring and assisting in their recovery from the disaster.

She continues to help natural disaster victims by serving as the local Red Cross Disaster Action Team dispatcher. In this capacity, she aids community members affected by house fires, earthquakes, and flooding. Her dedication to San Luis Obispo County's disaster victims is volunteered, and Suzanne gives most of her free time to working on behalf of others and protecting her fellow community members' safety.

As a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer, Suzanne continues to be a passionate supporter of our troops and local veterans. She is always willing to extend a helping hand to those who need it. She set up a scholarship specifically for women veterans at Cuesta College, which is the sole funding available for them.

Suzanne has been a champion for natural disaster victims and selflessly works for those who need it most. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Suzanne Curtis, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of millions of students and graduates in this country that are struggling to finance their higher education and pay off student loans.

Yesterday I invited Izeah Garcia to the President's address. Izeah is an advocate for increasing accessibility and lowering the cost of a higher education. Izeah and I share a similar story: sons of hardworking immigrant parents, and the first in our families to attend a university, both at UC Santa Barbara, located in my district.

Like many students today struggling to afford the rising cost of tuition, we relied on student loans to put us through college. In the President's speech last night, we didn't hear one mention of the over $1.3 trillion student loan debt crisis.

I urge this administration and Congress to commit to addressing the unsustainable future of student debt by allowing students to refinance their debt at a lower interest rate and expanding access to Pell grants. We can ensure that every student is afforded the opportunity to pursue a higher education and to better their lives, their communities, and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recommit myself to work first and foremost for the interest of the American public, regardless of political ideology.

I am under no illusion about the overwhelming partisanship that permeates this Congress. But I believe that, as vigorously as we debate our policy differences, we should also commit to upholding the principles of civility and respect to encourage productive discourse. To this end, we must work together, when at all possible, to advance the policy that serves our constituents and our country.

In this effort, I reflect on my service in the United States Marine Corps. We did not first stop to question whether our fellow marine was a Democrat or a Republican. We counted on each other to protect and defend our country. That is the approach to service we should aspire to in this distinguished legislative body.

On the issues of national security and to provide for the needs of the American people, there is no doubt in my mind that there is more that unites us than divides us. I look forward to working with my colleagues here today to do just that.

In the infamous words of President Kennedy: ``Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.''

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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