Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, I rise to begin the discussion that I think we will continue in days to come and even into the new year, and that is to discuss the Congressional Black Caucus' accomplishments in this Congress, the 117th.

By its very nature, the tenure and the breadth and depth of members of the Congressional Black Caucus, I believe that we can be talking for a very long time, and so this will probably be a continuum to tell the American people how we have been helping to ensure that they have a better quality of life.

I am very proud to join with the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beatty, who has led us, in the 117th Congress, to be instrumental in the lives of intergenerations, across generational lines, and to ensure that those who are at the beginning of life, and those at the end of life, and those in between raising their families, know that the Congressional Black Caucus is standing with them.

One particularly unique example of that is, of course, the HBCU conference that is going on this week, where HBCUs are coming from all over the country. And it is interesting to be able to associate, not only our colleague, Alma Adams, as the chair of the HBCU Caucus, of which I am a member and many of our colleagues are members, including I see on the floor, Chairman Scott.

Under his leadership, the HBCUs have gotten more money--than I believe in the history of many of our tenure here in the United States Congress--working with President Biden. This is the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus.

So let me quickly begin my comments, and I will look forward to yielding to my friends who are here, including my colleague and friend from Louisiana, Mr. Troy Carter, Congressman Carter, who is the new vice chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus. And I know that we are looking forward to many days of action on behalf of the children of America and on behalf of children of color and African-American children.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus strongly support the President's goal of passing legislation that will significantly reduce healthcare costs for all Americans.

The Inflation Reduction Act will significantly reduce, and has significantly reduced, prescription drug costs and expanded healthcare coverage for millions of Black Americans, relieving financial strains on individuals and families.

What I think is most important is the work that many of us on the Congressional Black Caucus did, including the work that I advocated with our whip, Jim Clyburn, and Senator Warnock. We were on it for the $35 cap on insulin, along with our colleagues. It was driven and inspired by members of the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure that insulin, which now is one of the driving forces of creating a better quality of life for our seniors--you can say that the Congressional Black Caucus was intimately involved in that.

We were intimately involved in ensuring that it has a fair response to climate change around the issue of bringing down the cost of energy for our families in America. And of course, that impacts Black families.

This new law will help bring down energy costs for millions of Black Americans, and it includes very strong protections and programs to promote environmental justice.

Of course, we worked extensively on the bipartisan infrastructure law. That was, of course, a very pivotal role for those of us in the Congressional Black Caucus. Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Americans, especially those who reside in urban communities, are more likely to be negatively impacted by pollution. Black people are almost three times more likely to die from asthma- related causes than their White counterparts.

And, of course, the Congressional Black Caucus led in negotiations to assure that this was a balanced bill.

In particular, my constituents have already seen the magnificent results of the once-in-a-generation piece of legislation. Houston METRO was granted a $21 million grant to buy battery-powered electric buses, and it has helped it move to the next level, next generation of rapid transit, and plans to go to the airports, both Hobby and Bush Intercontinental, in my district, with bipartisan infrastructure dollars.

And as a hurricane-prone community, as many of the Gulf States are, from Louisiana to Texas and Mississippi, the bipartisan infrastructure bill will help us work on those flood-

prone areas and ensure the safety and life of so many.

I am excited about how the Congressional Black Caucus gravitated around the Juneteenth legislation, the first bill in almost 40 years that created a Federal holiday which was signed on June 17, 2021. I am very pleased to be the first Member to introduce legislation to ensure that there was a holiday after 10 years of introducing the resolutions, and the culmination of all of these years, and particularly, the culmination of Opal Lee, who came on a hot day in 2019, and brought us a million petitions--she was in her nineties--to ensure that Juneteenth could become a Federal holiday.

Her work in getting all those petitions, the introduction of the legislation that I was proud to introduce, and ultimately presiding over the floor--all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus were strong proponents of this, and we could not have done it without their leadership and urgency.

Many of you know that Juneteenth represents two more years of slavery for those west of the Mississippi, until General Granger came with Order Number 15 to announce that the slaves were free, because the South had not adhered to the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. So he came to Galveston, Texas, General Granger, announcing the end of the Civil War and the freedom of the last Americans enslaved in the Confederate States.

Since the 1800s, Juneteenth has been an important commemoration to African Americans. Even as Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois reminded us that--Frederick Douglass, in particular--there is no power with struggle. And, of course, W.E.B. Du Bois talked to us about ``The Talented Tenth.''

That means that the work of the Congressional Black Caucus is keen, and we are keen to make sure that the work that is done continues to emphasize what is best for them.

Let me also take note of the support of African Americans in helping to assure--and the Congressional Black Caucus, with the leadership of Chairwoman Beatty, and working with the Judiciary Committee, the chairman of the full committee, Nadler, subcommittee, Cohen and myself, and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Judiciary Committee, we were able to mark up for the first time in history, H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act.

What a powerful experience, first, with two hearings, bringing people from all over, including the author and proponent of the 1619 Project, and leaders and scholars who understood that this is simply restoration and repair, and this must be created as a commission by law, by vote, or executive order.

In addition, glad to have the help of the Congressional Black Caucus on the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, a reauthorization act that I introduced. And in it were many aspects of work or language for people of color for the first time; training for young men and boys on how to deal with the issue of violence, and also the question of rape and how we should be working on that.

We followed with massive work on education, as I indicated, doing more for primary and secondary education than could ever be imagined, under the leadership of Chairman Bobby Scott.

I will conclude my remarks in order to yield to my friends. I want to be able to say that during the midst of the pandemic, there were several things that the Congressional Black Caucus led on. One, to push testing into our community where there was none; to push vaccines and vaccinations into our community where there were none; and to ensure that we focused on lost learning and our children who did not have access to broadband.

It was our voices that made it loud and clear. Ultimately, broadband access has been put more and more into the bipartisan infrastructure bill. But during the pandemic, it was the voices of the Congressional Black Caucus that insisted that we do better with respect to these children who had no access. The stories were large and looming. They were frightening, and I am glad that our voices continue.

There are many other litanies of issues dealing with climate change, dealing with criminal justice reform. It was because of us that ultimately we introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, one of two bills named after George Floyd.

Because of all the work we did, with Karen Bass and all the members of the CBC, all the work that we did ultimately resulted in an executive order that we do know, as indicated by executive order, that you will have no more choke holds, no more no-knocks, and more that we hope to put into statutory law. We are excited that the bill did include large aspects of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

With that in mind, I am delighted to be able to yield to--as I talk further about some of these important elements of the work of the Congressional Black Caucus, but I am pleased now to yield to the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee so that he can evidence the Congressional Black Caucus' 117th Congress accomplishments through the works that he has done on his committee, the Education and Labor Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks. It is clear that there is a new day on the Committee on Education and Labor. That committee, led by Chairman Scott, has shown itself to be the people's committee, and I am delighted that his longstanding membership with the Congressional Black Caucus has shown that his work is for all of America. But through the Congressional Black Caucus he has helped and elevated families who have suffered because of racial discrimination and because of economic inequities. He has been focused.

Certainly, I credit him again with the work that has been done on HBCUs. I can assure you, with HBCUs in Texas, everywhere I go, they are taking note of the increased funding that has allowed them to do issues or handle matters with physical infrastructure, scholarship, the new Pell grant executive order, student loan executive order that is allowing for those with Pell grant loans making $120,000 to get $20,000 in relief. The Congressional Black Caucus worked extensively to ensure that those people with student loans were not forgotten.

Let me say it again. We work without ceasing to ensure that individuals who were overburdened with student loans, couldn't get down payments for housing and other matters for their quality of life--we were ensuring that we were in the front, if you will, to continue to advocate for student loan reduction.

Let me just say this, as I prepare to yield to my dear friend on the floor here.

As poet Langston Hughes reminds us, in his famous poem ``Mother to Son,'' life in America for African Americans ``ain't been no crystal stair.''

The goodness of this message is that in spite of it all, African Americans have put on uniforms and fought their battles on behalf of this Nation. African Americans are great lovers of this country, and they are great patriots. African Americans have worked in every level of government. They have, of course, been individuals who have worked, as some will say, at the bottom of the totem pole, meaning every manner of work they have done.

There have been African Americans who were enslaved who helped build the White House and the very building that we are in, never to hold the anger of their station in life but continue to work to insist on a better quality of life for their families.

It is very much important to take note of the bills that we have been able to do as individual Members of Congress.

I am just going to cite H.R. 7566, stops human trafficking in schools, that I introduced; working with an amendment to the Workforce Innovation bill; ensuring HBCU's full access to job skills training; amendment to H.R. 8294, the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill to ensure that HBCUs had specific work--it supports the work of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture by increasing the funding by $2 million.

Then I will finish more deeply on H.R. 40. That bill is much exhibited, as I have been on the floor before, with this slave and his back and the welts on his back from a whip. This was the life of slavery in America.

I just read recently of Germany's response to aging holocaust victims, which I applaud, providing millions of dollars to respond to their pain, just recently. In the course of the commission to study slavery and develop reparation proposals, it would give America a moment of healing. We have been hearing this discussion across the Nation and across the world, most recently, of course, in the halls or the places in Great Britain.

But for America to take that stand that the discussion is worthy, that the study is worthy, that the idea of what kind of proposals would come about, what inclusive ways would we deal with the recognition of over two centuries of slavery--unpaid, no insurance, no workers' comp, no days off, from sunup to darkness, beat by the whip, as the slave narratives in 1939 told us. The stories are powerful. Ripped away from our families. Made families, husband and wife and children. Then you would hear the pleas in the slave narratives when they say, ``Come home, husband. They are about to sell me and the children in different ways and different places.'' It happened to slaves all the time.

I was honored and humbled to meet the survivors of the Wall Street massacre. It happened in 1921. Those people were, in actuality, some even former slaves, but mostly descendants of the most recent people who were slaves, the most recent, their ancestors or their mother might have been a slave. But they built a Wall Street, but yet it could not survive because of racism and discrimination.

So to heal our land, the Congressional Black Caucus has worked in many ways to heal our land, and I am grateful for their advocacy for just a fair and simple study and assessment of what we should do to repair what occurred two centuries and continues even today.

The story is long about the inequities of the GI Bill, redlining, discrimination in voting, in the criminal justice system, the basis of wealth, so distinctive between other populations in this country.

So I thank the Congressional Black Caucus for the extensive legislative history that it has had over the 117th Congress.

It really is my privilege, Madam Speaker, to yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter) to speak about the accomplishments of the Congressional Black Caucus, my dear colleague and friend who has shown himself a leader.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to indicate my appreciation to President Biden and Secretary Walsh, for, yes, diving in and stopping a union worker/freight industry collision and understanding the importance of providing benefits to our hard workers.

Yesterday, at the Teamsters, I indicated how important it is that workers have benefits, and the ability to go to the doctor. That is the fight that we must continue. I am glad it has been derailed, but we need to continue to fight to get a permanent solution for our workers.

I rise today as well, Mr. Speaker, to introduce and acknowledge the SHIELD Act, to shield doctors and nurses and other reproductive healthcare providers from harassment, litigation, and draconian laws. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation that would protect pregnant people and the medical personnel who provide reproductive healthcare services to them and will prevent interference, restriction, and retaliation against doctors, nurses, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and others who evaluate, diagnose, advise, treat, or provide other services in order to protect them, to give healthcare, and to stop women from standing outside the door of doctors' offices and not getting care. I ask my colleagues to support the SHIELD Act.

Mr. Speaker, this is a devastating time for the people of Pakistan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to share this with my colleagues and to ensure that their story is in the public eye because it is a story that addresses devastation like you have never seen before. I guess the story that is so devastating is the 600,000 women who are on the verge of giving birth in conditions that are so devastating.

The week of September 2, members of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus made their way as quickly as they could to the rain-torn, flood-torn region of Pakistan. We arrived on Sunday morning and immediately were able to secure a transport into the flooded areas.

As the government indicated, this is not overflowing rivers, this is sheer rain that generated into flooding. In the Sindh region, Balochistan, the southwestern region--sheer rain turned into floods that were unspeakable.

The water was unspeakable, it was of biblical proportion. The size and the width and the depth was unspeakable. It was a monstrosity. We took an aerial survey. You could not see land. It was only water as far as the eye could see.

In fact, tragically and unfortunately, we could imagine that whole communities were covered with water, that bodies are yet unfound. Even though the death toll is upwards of 1200 to 1300, with one-third or more of those being children. Can you imagine seeing the video of the currents rushing and tearing children away from desperate parents' hands or families being caught in the current and children being pulled away by the rushing waters?

We saw, as was displayed by the government, whole buildings and hotels coming down to the ground. There were 200 bridges destroyed and water going through those bridges. We could, of course, see that it was irreparable harm. Even as we were surveying we saw a bridge that was breached, which divided people that were on that one little line of bridge as their safety net because they were surrounded by water, and then they were separated because the bridge broke in half because the water was so powerful.

In the midst of that, we got a report that military forces had to flood towns of 250,000 people. They had to flood towns so that a city of 1.1 million people could survive. We landed in the city of Dadu, and there are now 400,000 homeless people in Dadu. Overwhelmed. There are 600,000-plus homeless people in Pakistan.

I know that America is a Nation that has always extended its generous arm. If there is ever a moment--as we have done around the world in earthquakes--Pakistan's earthquake of 2005 and floods of 2010--as we have done around the world when the nations around the world have fallen upon disastrous times.

As a Member of Congress, I went into that horrific tsunami that impacted Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, you could not recognize those nations. The tsunami had come and taken out all of the coastal land. People were drawn into the sea, and you never saw them again. Houses were destroyed. The United States joined with the United Nations and was there to help.

The United States has helped when there have been issues of national health crisis, we have been there. We became the leading guardians of fighting HIV/AIDS, particularly on the continent of Africa.

I do want to applaud the Biden administration on being the first donor of the United Nation's call for help for Pakistan, $30 million. Just as we were leaving--after we had petitioned the Federal Government--they came with an extra $20 million.

More importantly, as I left to go to Pakistan, writing President Biden about the issue of shelter and tents, the United States military dropped or delivered 300,000 tents on Wednesday or Thursday of last week to be delivered to homeless and helpless persons.

The Pakistani-American community have been outstanding, working with consul generals across America and the Ambassador. They are now raising funds, upwards of millions of dollars. But it is not enough.

First, Pakistan probably has $10 billion in damages and destruction, but that number has been characterized as low because the water has not been able to drain because there is no drainage. That means that that water not being able to drain that damage will be caused and go on and on and on. I am afraid of dengue fever, waterborne diseases, hepatitis, malaria, with no medications.

While we were there we met a family that had just been plucked out of the waters. Their dad had a kidney transplant, who had not yet received his medicine--everything lost. We were able to press upon the military's generosity and good heart to get him his medicine and get it to where he is--out in an area where I saw no medical facilities.

I want the Record to know that even though this country is many miles away, we are connected by its democratic beginnings. This is the 75th anniversary of its independence. It has by and large had peaceful transfers of government, a frequent government, but a democratic government. The founding father, Dr. Jinnah, established this country-- as India was established by Gandhi in its independence--that it should have as its form of government democracy.

I am fearful of the loss of life and children and disease will set this country back for many, many, many years.

Let me share with you this story.

The hospital has nothing. Pakistani floods put pregnant women in danger. Just 2 days ago this article from the Guardian came out. A third of the country is under water, and a U.N. fund says almost 650,000 women in affected areas need maternity services. That should give you an amazing level of fear--650,000.

I visit hospitals because I am an advocate for hospitals, particularly in rural areas. And they tell me, well, we have delivered 3,000 births in a month, and I applaud that. That is a high number here in the United States.

But I want to say this again. The U.N. says almost 650,000 women in affected areas need maternity services to have healthy babies.

Crying, vomiting, and 8 months pregnant--I know that wives and Members of Congress, women Members of Congress, women across America, can understand the fragility of a woman during her pregnancy. The young woman walked in labor pains for an hour in search of an ambulance. She wasn't driven. She wasn't on a bicycle. She wasn't on a cart. She wasn't on any form of scooter, any form of transportation.

When Naseeba, 23, eventually found one, she had to beg the driver to take her. Pakistan floods had left the roads damaged and gridlocked, making what is usually a 2-hour journey to the provincial capital of Quetta a punishing 12-hour drive; 2 hours to 12 hours.

She left her flood-ravaged home in Nasirabad district in Balochistan province in the morning and reached Quetta at night.

During this time, I didn't know what has happening around me; struggling to speak. When I finally reached the hospital, the doctors said I would not survive if they didn't operate immediately. Complications with labor, including severe high blood pressure, meant doctors had to rush to deliver the baby.

I would venture to say that this was a circumstance of life and death.

Complications with the labor continued. And Naseeba said she gave birth to a baby boy 2 days ago, but the doctors told her that the baby requires to be incubated, but there were no incubators available, so we had to take her baby to my mother's place, she said. I haven't seen my baby yet.

We can only hope that that baby survived, and that the help at home might have helped that baby breathe.

Naseeba is one of the thousands of pregnant women, according to the United Nations Population Fund, who will bear the brunt of the worst floods in Pakistan and are in desperate need of maternal health services.

And so I will be asking USAID and the head of that agency, who I am very gratified, was visiting Pakistan as we were visiting--as we were leaving, USAID was coming on the ground. As

we were there, we received a briefing from USAID, and the very schools that USAID, our humanitarian arm of the State Department, built in that region, became the shelters for people. But that means the children are not in school.

More than a dozen women who were interviewed in this story, were pregnant, or had already given birth in the worst flood-affected provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, women who said they have been abandoned without healthcare, food, and clean drinking water to meet their nutritional needs.

We should be very clear. A third of Pakistan is under water, with 1,400 dead, most children, and 33 million people affected, as the country has been ravaged by monsoon-triggered floods, coming at a totally unique time. In our briefings, they said, we have dealt with monsoons. These are like we have never seen.

The impact on climate change should not be lost. This is clear evidence of how stark it is. UNFPA said 73,000 women were expected to give birth this month--that is this month of September--who need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support. It estimates, as I said, that 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas require maternal health.

Again, people living in plastic tents or camps on roadsides, near flood waters, and the homes of millions of people have been swept away.

It is well-known that the health facilities across Pakistan are affected; 432 are fully damaged; 1,228 are partially damaged.

Another woman, Rubina, who is 8 months pregnant, in this Guardian story, and currently lives in a tent on a roadside, said she had pregnancy-related complications that included body aches and anemia. She said medications prescribed by doctors were not available, and she could not afford to buy them from a private hospital. They did whatever they could for her, her husband and brother.

They have lost their source of earnings and cannot provide us with anything else; and the government hospital has nothing.

This is the story of thousands. This is not a story that is going to end. It is a story that is going to continue.

Another woman had delivered on her way as she was walking to the hospital, and the infant was brought into the hospital via ambulance, but the woman couldn't come because of the high level of water.

Many women could not even come to the hospital, and midwives had to be called.

We are doing all that we can.

And this is a call out to our American humanitarian agencies, as I indicated. Healthcare is the most crucial, along with food, and it is clearly an urgent emergency condition.

One young woman left her home after it was submerged in flood water in the Sindh province. And as I said, many people are living in schools built by the United States. This young woman gave birth to a baby girl named Shamma, which means light. We get food sometimes, but not at other times. I am unable to feed my infant because I am so weak. And so, baby formula is needed because women are not able to breastfeed.

Roshan, another displaced woman who had given birth a month ago: Everyone is falling sick here. I feel faint. I have constant headaches. Our children do not have clothes. There is only one piece of cloth for my newborn that I wash every day to use again.

And UNFPA has warned that many women and girls are at increased risk of gender-based violence as almost one million houses were damaged in the catastrophic floods. I am convinced that that is another crisis.

As Samina, who took refuge, along with thousands of other pregnant women, in Larkana said, there can be no greater pain than having to leave your home. I cannot tell you how difficult it was to leave. I am expecting a baby soon, but in a state of homelessness.

The government is working very hard to try and reach these persons but, in the midst, they face a financial crisis which they are working very hard to try to cure with work with the World Bank and, of course, with the International Monetary Fund. But it is not going to be enough.

And so, our visit, we are grateful, highlighted the crisis which is being faced. It was a visit covered with a desire to be as quick on humanitarian aid as we could, and to bring the story forward as to what is transpiring.

In addition, we wanted to make sure that those who could not get back to their province and are here in the United States could secure a temporary protected status because of the devastation of their country. We hope, joined with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, that our request will be given reasonable consideration.

As I indicated, as I started, we are dealing with an extreme climate change, horrible exhibition of the devastation that could come about. It is extreme. The reasons for the flooding are linked to climate change and the resulting extreme weather.

It is important to note that Pakistan produces only about 1 percent of the pollution, the carbon footprint linked to global warming; while we, in the United States, produce 11 percent; China, 27 percent; India produces 6.6 percent, and the EU, 6.4 percent.

But researchers say the catastrophe probably started with unprecedented heat waves because, in April and May, temperatures reached above 104 degrees in Pakistan for sustained periods in many places in the region.

In fact, when we were briefed by the head of the climate agency, they said that temperatures went up as high as 127 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are killing temperatures. On one sweltering day in May, the city, Jacobabad, topped 123.8 degrees. This is not normal. This area is not accustomed to heat like this. And recorded as the hottest place on Earth was in Pakistan.

The intense heat also melted glaciers in the northern mountainous regions. And now many would wonder, glaciers? Yes.

One of the other places in the world where glaciers are are the mountains in Pakistan. And so when those glaciers, those northern mountainous regions, increasing the amount of water flowing into tributaries that eventually made their way into the Indus River, compounded by the rain--the Indus is Pakistan's largest river and runs the country's length, from north to south, feeding towns, cities, and large swatches of agricultural land along the way.

But let me add something else because Pakistan is an agricultural country, and the largest percentage of work in Pakistan is agriculture. The region where the flooding took place was where they grew one of their most bountiful products, and that is wheat.

The farmers managed to gather their wheat and to store them in their homes, preparing for the market, or preparing for next year. But the floods came and wiped away their homes and their food source and the moneys that they would get from selling. But even more devastating, this may go on for years because they lost their seeds.

So imagine that: Mighty waters flowing down from the glaciers, melting because of this unusual heat, this out-of-the-world heat; then rivers overflow, but then add to the monsoon or monsoons, and then, of course, the flooding that has taken away millions of homes, impacted 33 million people, and taken away their food.

We, as Americans, have faced our levels of disaster. Our heart goes out to the people in Eastern Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Eastern Kentucky; Central Mississippi; Dallas, Texas; Death Valley, California; and this does not include the thousand-year flood events that impacted, in recent years, New York and New Jersey.

We should be well-aware of the impact of climate change. And I am very gratified that I have seen my constituents in the energy industry face up to this and realize that the carbon footprint must come down, down, down. I want to continue to work with them as they recognize that it will be a disaster if we do not work, both nationally and internationally, on stopping the carbon footprint and addressing the question internationally and nationally of the question of climate change.

The rains in Pakistan have resulted in unimaginable changes in the landscape. Reports are backed up by new images taken by NASA's MODIS. Satellite sensors show the result of heavy rain and an overflowing Indus River that has formed a 62-mile lake in the Sindh province where there was farmland. In this region, the monsoon rainfall has been 500 percent over average.

Let me try to lay this out for you. I indicated the Indus River is the natural river. But the leaders of government explained, it was not the Indus River that overflowed its banks and caused the damage miles away from its banks; though there are many Pakistanis who live on the bank because it is the source of their food, source of their income, source of their livelihood.

But what the NASA's MODIS showed us is that an unnatural lake was created by the huge monsoons, the glaciers melting, and created an unnatural lake that formed a 62-mile lake in the Sindh province where there was farmland, so where there had not been any water before.

They also told us that the area that we were in, the Sindh province, did not receive a lot of rain, which speaks to the reason why they had no drainage. They did not have a lot of rain.

The issues of the day caused the Indus River to be an ocean. You could see no start and stop. Then, it caused a man-made lake to occur that would, in fact, be there enough of a time to, in fact, continue to be devastating.

Let me give you some facts that have not been gone over. This began in mid-June 2022, at the beginning of the monsoon season, which, as I said, there have been monsoons, but these were a monstrosity, unbelievable proportions.

Heavy rains began flooding areas of Pakistan. Estimates range from double to several times the normal monsoon rain. They were just sitting and waiting. Is it going to end? Is it going to end? Mr. Speaker, 6.4 million estimated people requiring humanitarian assistance--again, 33 million people affected: 44 percent Sindh province, 28 percent Balochistan, 13 percent in Khyber, 50 percent in Punjab.

As of September 13, just shortly after we came and left, 1,396 people have been killed, and, of course, 12,278 people have been injured as a result of the flooding. We don't know if people will die of their injuries.

More than 900,000 livestock have been killed, and there are people today, right as we stand here, who are refusing to leave because they have their livestock, and there is no place for them to go.

Mr. Speaker, 3.1 million people have been displaced. I have already indicated that there are hundreds of thousands that are homeless-- 650,000 people, women needing maternal services, on the verge of giving birth, but 70,000 are giving birth this month. This is, without question, a challenge that far surpasses the capacity of the Pakistan Government, although willing, to be able to do this on their own.

The climate minister told a public radio interview that an area the size of Colorado is now submerged, that 66 districts, equivalent to a county, are underwater. According to satellite imagery, the flooding has created, as I indicated already, this huge lake.

Pakistan is equipped with water pumps to respond to monsoons and helicopters for rescue purposes, but there is no place to send the resources.

Again, I do want to note that the Pakistani Government has been working with the resources they have--147 camps for populations displaced by the floods. Cash assistance was being organized to give to the families.

The Pakistani Government has allocated $173 million to aid flood- affected people. On August 30, the United Nations and the Government of Pakistan launched a joint flood response plan, and the United States, as I said, was the first to give the funding from all other countries.

They gathered $160 million for food security assistance, agriculture, livestock, shelter, nonfood items, non-nutrition programs, primary health services, water and sanitation, and shelter for displaced persons. It is not enough, and there are people that cannot be reached.

Money is also coming from the various elected officials, like the Prime Minister, the Central Emergency Response Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Commission's department for European Civil Protection, and UNICEF. Governments from around the world have made an effort to help, but I believe it is going to be important for the United States to raise its voice again.

As I said, the United States has always been there, and I am very glad to say that 1.4 million pounds of USAID relief commodities were airlifted to Pakistan by CENTCOM, $4 million in dedicated aid from the U.S. Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

As I indicated, 300,000 tents--30 million had already been given on the very day, August 30, that the United Nations asked for. CENTCOM has operated nine flights transporting USAID items, including approximately 30,000 kitchen sets, 10,000 plastic tarps, 1,400 rolls of plastic sheeting from USAID's warehouse.

Again, 300,000 tents after the Pakistan Caucus had engaged and worked with the administration that I am very glad to say came forward. Then an additional $20 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the flooding was announced on September 9.

I do thank, again, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who announced this effort, and we hope that this will continue.

As noted in The Washington Post, the ``U.S. ramps up aid for Pakistan floods with military airlift.''

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Washington Post article of September 9, 2022, and the article from the Guardian dealing with the plight of a pregnant woman.

[From the Washington Post, Sept. 9, 2022]

U.S. Ramps Up Aid for Pakistan Floods With Military Airlift

Dadu, Pakistan.--The United States is ramping up support

for Pakistan and beginning a days-long military airlift into

the country as it struggles to battle devastating floods that

are expected to take years to recover from.

The military began airlifting supplies into Pakistan this

week as part of the additional $20 million the Biden

administration is providing for humanitarian aid here,

Samantha Power, the head of the U.S. Agency for International

Development, announced on Friday.

The announcement comes as it is increasingly clear that

Pakistan is incapable of providing even the most basic relief

to the more than 33 million people affected by the crisis.

The majority of those who have fled their homes are living in

makeshift shelters, and many report they are not receiving

food, clean drinking water or medical attention.

The airlift will establish a ``beachhead'' inside

Pakistan's flood zone, Power said during a visit to affected

areas Thursday. She said the plan is to begin staging

operations closer to those in need so humanitarian supplies

can be distributed more efficiently.

``It may go beyond this, but for now we are looking at

shelter supplies to accommodate 300,000 people,'' she said.

She admitted the number is a small fraction of those

affected, but hoped other countries would follow suit and

move operations inside Sindh province, one of the worst hit

areas.

The airlift is expected to last just over a week with two

to three U.S. C-17s--massive cargo planes--landing daily in

Sukkur, a town in Sindh province nearly encircled by

floodwaters. The planes will bring tens of thousands of

pounds of tents, field rations and kitchen sets into the

country.

While a number of countries have pledged millions of

dollars in humanitarian aid money to Pakistan, aid groups on

the ground are struggling to source the materials they need

and reach the worst-affected parts of the country.

Floodwaters moving south are cutting off key roads and

highways, turning towns into islands and blocking the

delivery of aid.

Power said she hopes the assistance will also help reset

perceptions of the United States in Pakistan.

``I think during the war in Afghanistan, there was an

impression among some Pakistanis that the U.S. saw Pakistan

only through the prism of Afghanistan,'' she said.

``Hopefully this is a chance through this cooperation [with

the Pakistani government] to strengthen the relationship

between the two countries.''

U.S.-Pakistan relations have gone through periods of

intense strain, despite decades-long humanitarian and

military ties that predate the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

The enmity that many Pakistanis feel toward the United States

was clearly visible earlier this year when former Pakistani

leader Imran Khan began to strengthen his base of support by

claiming his ouster was part of a U.S.-backed conspiracy.

Although anti-Americanism remains a popular rallying cry in

Pakistan, the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz

Sharif, who replaced Khan, has moved to improve relations

with the United States.

The U.S. military's top commander, Army Gen. Michael Erik

Kurilla, visited Pakistan in August and acknowledged the

country's ``commendable efforts in fight against terrorism''

and its ``efforts [to promote] regional peace and

stability,'' according to a Pakistani military statement.

The visit came shortly after the killing of Ayman al-

Zawahiri, the leader of alQaeda, in a U.S. drone attack on

his Kabul residence. The Taliban condemned the attack and

accused Pakistan of allowing the United States to use its

airspace to fly drones over Afghanistan. Pakistani

authorities refuted the Taliban's allegations.

``The partnership that we continue to deepen builds on

years of cooperation between

our two peoples and between our two countries,'' Power said

at a news conference in Islamabad Friday.

During Power's visit to the heart of Pakistan's flood zone,

she asked local officials and families affected by the floods

to estimate the disaster's long-term economic effects, in

particular those linked to the loss of crops, livestock and

infrastructure.

It is clear that recovery from these historic floods will

require a concerted effort by the donor community and

international financial institutions for the coming years,''

Power said. The support announced Friday, she continued, ``is

another mark of our long-standing commitment to the Pakistani

people.''

Let me show you what people are facing and how people are struggling, and this is, as someone would say, with your own eyes.

These little, small pieces here, those are human beings. This was their refuge. This is water. This is water as far as the eye can see. They were making a life, barely, on a bridge. That was the only dry land.

I can see they were on both sides, but they were able to get notice to run on this side so that they could be together, but they are stranded as this water breaks the bridge. It breaks the bridge. Water as far as the eye can see.

This is what we saw. These are not little bushes in a lake. These are the tops of trees, the green that you see. Most of the land is covered. Some people are stranded on these little patches of land. It looks like a beautiful, blue ocean, no land, and the fear of what is under this massive ocean.

As I said earlier, there are pumps in normal times because there is no normal draining, but there is absolutely no ability to deal with something as massive as this. It is speculated that it will not come down for another 6 months--stagnant water, disease, raging across Pakistan.

This is just to let us look at a little bit of dry land in Dadu, working with the military, giving out food items to an elderly woman without food resources and a little child looking up, babies in hands who are obviously in need of resources.

It was an emotional time for the Pakistan Caucus and the Members who were there showing our love and affection because we want people to see the leadership that has worked to establish dry land and to try and work without resources for their community.

The face of this little one tells it all. There are no schools. There is not much food, and there is not much housing. You could not have a dry eye in watching the conditions of our fellow human beings.

We gave out food, but we gave out little lollipops to the children. I will tell you, they were clamoring for that more than anything else. But that is what I think is our biggest concern, between mothers having provisions for giving birth and feeding these little ones.

I asked one little boy, does he want to go to school. There are no schools in that region. The schools that, as I said, were built by USAID were, in fact, used to ensure that there is shelter. We need more tents. We need more healthcare. It was interesting. The heat was extensive and intensive while we were there.

In my conversations, it was so good to be able to maybe not speak with language that we both understood but

with the gesture of welcoming and appreciating their plight as we were giving out food gifts to people who had nothing.

It is a moment in history that I did not want our colleagues to miss, and it is a recognition that we have work to do. I wanted our colleagues to help me and to help us find a way to be constructive, so I used a number of $10 billion.

We have gone way beyond that, as I indicated. The economic impact of the floods is now estimated to be at least $30 billion as of September 13, 2022--just the difference from when we went at the beginning of September of $10 billion and even as we were in meetings, all the government officials were surmising that it had to be more. You can't displace 33 million and it is only $10 billion. An estimated 2 billion of crops and livestock could be lost due to flooding.

Remember what I said. The region is a lifeline for Pakistan and for their product that they might be able to provide to other destinations. They lost 30 percent of their rice crop and 70 percent of their cotton crop, the country's third largest export, making up 11.8 percent of the country's total export. That is income; that is opportunity. Ten percent of the sugarcane, lost. Estimates show that 800 million in textile exports would be lost, 3.6 million acres of crops have been affected, according to Pakistan authorities, and 735,000 livestock have perished. These are numbers coming from Pakistan.

Food is still needed. This is going to be a long, long journey. It is difficult to see this, but let me try and bring this to the attention of my colleagues.

The red area says 4 million children are under 5 years old, and this red that you can see shows that these are severely impacted areas. This takes up a very large part of the country. Seven hundred thousand people 65 and older are impacted. Five hundred thousand women are currently pregnant. Those numbers have gone up, I know.

Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record the Pakistan Floods Report from September 2022.

[From SKT Welfare, Sept. 2022]

Pakistan Floods Report

According to the government of Pakistan, a third of the

country--equivalent to an area the size of the UK--is under

water, in what the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has

called a ``climate catastrophe''. Whole villages have been

cut off, with rescuers struggling to reach them. At least

1,300 people have been killed and 12,703 injured.

The people of Pakistan are in dire need of food, clean

water, makeshift shelter and non-food items such as hygiene

kits. SKT Welfare is on the ground, trying its best to reach

those affected by the floods.

More than half a million more houses in Pakistan were

reported damaged or destroyed in the past week, with the

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reporting more

than 1.17 million damaged houses and nearly 566,000 destroyed

houses as of 8 September. By nearly all available metrics,

Sindh has been most affected by the heavy rains and flooding

that have swept the country this monsoon season--particularly

notable given that Sindh and Balochistan are historically

drought prone areas. Nearly 88 per cent of all damaged or

destroyed houses--over 1.52 million houses--are in Sindh, and

the province has also recorded the highest number of human

casualties: 577 people killed and 8,321 people injured, out

of a total of nearly 1,400 deaths and more than 12,700

injuries, including at least 496 children killed and nearly

4,000 children injured across Pakistan. Gender-based violence

(GBV) as well as child protection and other protection

concerns have reportedly more than doubled since the pre-

monsoon period, according to the Protection Sector.

Mr. Speaker, let me draw upon these final efforts and words so that you can know that now, after we have come back, the clarion call of crisis is out.

``U.N. chief calls for massive help as Pakistan puts flood losses at $30 billion.''

The U.N. Secretary General called for massive help as he visited the country last Friday. Record monsoon rains and glacier melt created this catastrophe. He is now calling on the international community, and we do need it. The country is enormously dependent on our help. It has been, in many instances, helpful during the Afghan evacuation of recent time, and most people are unaware of the military lives lost of the Pakistani military in fighting terrorism.

The very fact that this dam has been seen by NASA, this lake, shows that this damage is going to be far reaching. Pakistan must reach out to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, to be able to address this tragedy.

My friends, this is not normal. If I can leave you with anything here, it is that we are, in fact, our brothers' and sisters' keeper and that as we see the clear evidence of a climate catastrophe, a mountain of horror, unspeakable devastation, it brings your mind back to the floods of the Biblical times.

As we stand here today, children are not rescued, and 33 million people are in the eye of the disaster. Again, we are waiting, tragically, for the potential of massive disease that will shut Pakistan down.

I cannot conclude without acknowledging my great appreciation to the Pakistani-American community diaspora, some of whom traveled to Pakistan. The doctors, businesspersons, and people preparing now to take huge amounts of goods or dollars to be able to help.

But as I speak about that, let me tell you what UNICEF has said. With 1.1 million houses washed away and vital infrastructure destroyed, such as schools, UNICEF's representative in Pakistan, Mr. Fadil, explained that 18,000 schools have been destroyed and thousands of schools are now fully shuttered. That means children who have lost education for 2 years are also losing learning opportunities.

These are the things that cannot be fixed immediately, nor can they be fixed with only emergency help.

That is why I ask for the following: One, a major focus and research on dissecting the climate catastrophe that occurred that would generate the kinds of monsoons that caused 33 million people to be displaced. The State of Texas is about 29 million. That would mean the wiping out of an entire State, 33 million displaced. There are towns that are not as large as 650,000. Equal that to the women that are pregnant without medical care.

We can all imagine and know what 1,300 dead are and more possibly being found. And we can also understand when the Army Chief of Staff reminds us in his story of the mother who came holding the infant that was hungry and said: ``Here, I cannot feed my baby.''

The government is fearful of a food security crisis. I have already said to you that cotton is gone, wheat is gone, income is gone, and therefore what is next.

This is what we need. International funding that will be complemented by Pakistani funding from the Pakistani diaspora. I believe we need a massive infusion of tents, the quality of which the United States has begun to bring and drop into Karachi. More need to come. I also believe that food goods are going to have to be airlifted into hard-to-reach areas and into the camps that have been established.

Then, of course, I am begging for the international medical community, the World Health Organization, to airlift medical facilities into the region. They have got to set them up on levels of dry land, with the ability to treat waterborne diseases and the separate abilities to help deliver babies and take care of the elderly.

My friends, I have tried to provide a reason for us to come together. Pakistan is still in danger. Flooding may take up to 6 months, and we were even told that there may be more rains coming.

We know what happened to the people of Kentucky. We watched the devastation of their story. We don't take lightly what can happen in difficult times. We realize that people have suffered all over the world.

With my own eyes and those of my colleagues, I documented that Pakistan is suffering. Oh, it is a country far away, but I know the capacity and the heart of the American people. I know the effectiveness of the United States military and the effectiveness of our own humanitarian aid and the State Department, USAID, and I know the compassion of President Biden and the administration. Let us work together with the United States Congress.

I thank the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security for their contributing efforts, and, of course, the Committee on Foreign Affairs as we look at collaborative ways to be of help.

I thank my colleagues, the bipartisan Pakistan Caucus and the Members of the Senate who likewise have been advocates for the region. This is Southeast Asia, a very important region. Pakistan has to be able to be stood up. The death toll cannot increase, and the agony of the people just cannot continue.

Join me in my efforts to provide more resources, healthcare, food, housing, tents, and the care of yet-born babies and the restoration of the land. That is being a good neighbor, a good Samaritan. As a Nation, the United States has always been a problem-solver.

I thank my colleagues for listening, and I thank the Pakistani diaspora for their heart. Yes, we went because our hearts were torn with grief.

With everything we gave to the people, we also wanted to give them hope that America was there to be a friend. As I spoke and my words were interpreted, I said: We are here from the United States Congress, but we are Americans. When the word ``America'' was said, the people applauded and smiled. Maybe the only words that they grasped was: America was here to help.

Again, I thank my colleagues for listening, and I know and feel that we will gather together and provide the comfort and resources needed by the people of Pakistan.

Crying, vomiting, and 8 months pregnant, the young woman walked for an hour in labor pains in search of an ambulance. She was 23 years old.

Her journey did not end with that. She finally got to a place where she found a taxi. She had to convince this taxi driver in the midst of confusion, desperation, lack of food, to take her--12 hours in labor-- to a place where she could deliver her baby.

That is the plight of almost 650,000 women in Pakistan, where the flood waters are monstrosities that you would not imagine.

In visiting Pakistan over the last 10 days with the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, I could see water as far as the eye could see. The devastation is overwhelming: 33 million people displaced, more than 600,000 homeless, but more than that, hungry.

I continue to thank the Biden administration for its initial support of the U.N. fund of $30 million and the additional funding of $20 million. After our briefing in Islamabad and working with the administration, the United States military joined in in delivering 300,000 tents.

To my colleagues, more is needed. I will be introducing legislation that reflects the delegation's work and, as well, their efforts; and that is, we need additional funding for these devastating conditions.

We have to realize, as I visited the people in Dadu, children are without schools, pregnant women are without medical care, and as I indicated, more and more women will be giving birth over the next 6 weeks. This can turn into a medical crisis.

The water is not moving, primarily because this water is without a place to drain. There are no drainage facilities, if you will, in that area. So we will also have water-borne diseases, like hepatitis, dengue fever, malaria.

The people of Pakistan need our help. The Pakistani Americans have risen to their call. So many in my Congressional district are providing and offering to help send medical care, if you will. Doctors are leaving various places in America to head in that direction. But it is very important for the United States Congress to go on record in recognizing the devastation that the people are facing every single day.

Would you imagine, even in the trials and tribulations that we have in the United States, that you have populations of people who are isolated by dirty water and that there are people who are living in the outlying areas with no shelter whatsoever. The people are hungry, the lack of food is rising. The pregnant women are fearful for the unbelievable challenges they have in giving birth.

Madam Speaker, I am calling upon Congress, as I introduce this legislation dealing with the devastation of the floods in Pakistan, to join me in supporting the legislation and, as well, recognizing the dire conditions that our friends in Pakistan are having.

Our final point is to be reminded that Pakistan has been a friend and has helped us in the evacuation of Afghan refugees; helped us in the war on terror, where they lost Pakistani military in the war on terror. And, of course, the huge and very engaging Pakistani diaspora, Pakistani Americans who are both respected and, of course, energized to be collaborative with their government here in the United States to try to save the lives of babies and children, women and men, people who are sick, who need kidney transplants, who can't get their medicine, it is imperative that we rise up to this occasion.

Let me thank the members of the Pakistan Caucus who joined us, Mr. Suozzi and Mr. Green. We are grateful for all of our members who have been so energetic in advocating for strong Pakistan-U.S. relations.

I also recognize the USAID, the embassy staff, and of course, the President and Prime Minister, and other leaders of government who opened their doors in the midst of this crisis for us to be briefed and to see the ongoing devastation that is going on there.

Madam Speaker, I will come back to the floor again because I am in fear of the devastation of pregnant women being stranded in places around that region who cannot be reached.

This 23-year-old traveled 12 hours, out of her mind, if you will, to get to a place.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me.

Mr. Chair, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman for her work as chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. Again, I give her my deepest appreciation for the enormous legacy of leadership that she has given to issues of empowerment, civil rights, civil liberties, and the rights of women. I thank Chairwoman Maloney.

I rise today to support the underlying bill, H.R. 2988, and address my amendment, of which I am very grateful has been included in the en bloc.

It does make a difference. Whistleblowers can help change governments for the best. They are part of the constitutional infrastructure of ensuring due process and the rights of the vulnerable.

My amendment reinforces the spirit of confidentiality by providing another way to communicate whistleblower information to an OIG that poses less risk of confidentiality being lost or being breached while not affecting existing mechanisms, especially in some cases when there is a concern about the threat of retaliation. A potential whistleblower might be unwilling to provide information for fear of consequences if their identity is disclosed.

I am very glad to say that the Government Accountability Project is supporting my amendment. They wrote in their letter of support for my amendment: ``This is solid, commonsense legislation to restore what works if we let it. For many whistleblowers, the decisive factor whether they bear witness or remain silent observers is whether they will remain anonymous.''

``It will increase the flow of evidence and prevent retaliation.''

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the Government Accountability Project letter dated September 13, 2022.

Government Accountability Project,

Washington, DC, September 13, 2022.

Hon. Sheila Jackson Lee,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Lee: This letter is to express support

and appreciation for your amendment to the Whistleblower

Protection Improvement Act that would upgrade the safety of

channels for anonymous whistleblowing disclosures to Offices

of Inspector General. The amendment would require OIG's to

restore traditional, effective channels to share evidence

that had been canceled for more convenient but unreliable

high tech options such as the internet or telephones. In

addition to those channels, agencies would have to restore

services such as secure drop boxes and accept anonymous

disclosures by mail.

This is solid, common-sense legislation to restore what

works if we let it. For many whistleblowers, the decisive

factor whether they bear witness or remain silent observers

is whether they will remain anonymous. Unfortunately, many

understandably do not trust OIG confidentiality safeguards,

because OIG's routinely breach them with impunity. While

nearly all lG's have anonymous hotlines or phone channels,

those engaging in surveillance often are one step ahead with

tactics that expose the witness. This is an instance where

the old-fashioned way is the safest. But at too many agencies

it no longer is available, as risky high-tech options now

monopolize the disclosure channel.

The bottom line is that sometimes tried and true approaches

can work best, even if less convenient. Your amendment would

apply that truth where it counts most--shielding the identify

of endangered whistleblowers. It will increase the flow of

evidence and prevent retaliation.

Appreciatively,

Tom Devine,

Legal Director.

Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support the en bloc, the underlying legislation, and the Jackson Lee amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2988, the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act, and thank you for bringing this important legislation to the floor today.

I applaud the Committee on Oversight and Reform for this timely and purposeful bill. By strengthening whistleblower protections, H.R. 2988 would enhance the capabilities of the Offices of Inspector General at each government agency to improve government accountability and transparency.

Whistleblowers are uniquely positioned to know of actions that derogate from laws, regulations, stated government objectives, and the best interests of the American people.

As a matter of public policy, potential whistleblowers should be encouraged to come forth with information that improves our government's operations, efficiency, and effectiveness.

To incentivize such noble conduct, whistleblowers must be assured of protection and insulated from retaliation for the accountability they facilitate when an OIG pursues their leads.

Indeed, being a whistleblower is an act of patriotism--helping our government serve Americans more responsibly--and those who provide this service should be honored, not vilified.

I would also like to thank the Rules Committee for making my amendment in order, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform for including it in the En Bloc amendment.

My amendment adds a key mechanism to amplify the operational impact of the bill, and it is supported by the Government Accountability Project.

H.R. 2988 addresses very important aspects of the handling of whistleblower complaints, whistleblower rights against any retaliatory action, and vital protections to avoid disclosures of identity, breaches of confidentiality, and retaliation.

My amendment reinforces the spirit of confidentiality by providing another way to communicate whistleblower information to an OIG that poses less risk of confidentiality being breached, while not affecting existing mechanisms.

In some cases--especially when there is concern about a threat of retaliation--a potential whistleblower might be unwilling to provide information for fear of consequences if their identity is disclosed.

To encourage whistleblowers to share information in these situations, my amendment directs the Office of Inspector General in each agency to establish a mechanism to receive whistleblower information that is completely anonymous and assured of remaining anonymous.

By being able to submit information in a way that anonymity is assured, some potential whistleblowers who might otherwise not be willing to share information with the OIG may be willing to do so.

As the Government Accountability Project wrote in their letter of support for my amendment, ``This is solid, common-sense legislation to restore what works if we let it. For many whistleblowers, the decisive factor whether they bear witness or remain silent observers is whether they will remain anonymous. . . . It will increase the flow of evidence and prevent retaliation.''

The anonymous method could be by sending a letter through the mail, dropping a paper note into a receptacle, or some other mechanism devised by the OIGs that cannot be traced back to the whistleblower.

These approaches assure anonymity, unlike submission through a website or phone call, which could be traced back to the person submitting the information.

By submitting facts with full anonymity, a whistleblower does not run the risk of their identity being disclosed either accidentally, by court order, or by other means.

Ideally, an OIG may prefer to know the identity of the person providing insights so they can contact them for more details.

Yet, since some people with vital information may refuse to submit it due to the risk of exposure, the public interest in receiving useful insights from an anonymous source outweighs an OIG's interest in contacting them.

With the information that it receives, the OIG could pursue facts and elevate its investigation through other channels.

My amendment would create a channel for this to occur.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8326, the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act, and thank you for bringing this vital legislation to the floor today.

I applaud the Committee on Oversight and Reform for this necessary and thoughtful bill. By establishing structural and functional standards, H.R. 8326 would insulate the Census Bureau from the type of tactics and abuse it encountered in the few years preceding the 2020 decennial census count.

Among its key provisions are the statutory codification of the Director's and Deputy Director's roles. Doing so would improve the Census Bureau's operational effectiveness, accountability, and transparency.

Specifying their duties also provides the opportunity to establish responsibilities that will enhance the work product of the Census by improving the fair and accurate counting of all Americans.

In that context, I offered an amendment to H.R. 8326, and I would like to thank the Rules Committee for making my amendment in order, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform for including it in the En Bloc amendment.

By reforming the operations of the Census Bureau, this bill enables us to ensure that racial and ethnic equity in the decennial count will be a priority in future decennial counts.

My amendment would enhance the bill's operational impact.

It would specify that the deputy director appoint an official with responsibility to optimize racial and ethnic equity in the Census count. To ensure that equity be a priority, this official would report directly to the director and deputy director.

My amendment directs the equity official to engage and collaborate with organizations that have influence with racial and ethnic groups, develop strategies and tactics to maximize participation of these populations, and rectify the undercount that has been typical of recent Census counts, especially among immigrants and homeless people.

The status of the efforts to optimize racial and ethnic equity will also be included in the Census Bureau's biannual reports to Congress, to ensure accountability and bolster the likelihood of progress.

Optimization of racial and ethnic equity in the Census count requires designation of a high-ranking official with direct responsibility for achieving this goal and reports directly to the Census leadership.

My amendment establishes that function, makes racial and ethnic equity in the decennial count a priority, specifies key strategies that must be undertaken, and ensures that Congress receives regular reports about the progress toward the goal.

H.R. 8326 is an excellent bill with vital reforms that are aptly augmented by my amendment's use of this opportunity to, at the same time, advance equity in the Census count.

In light of the decennial count's extremely consequential impact in terms of funding allocation formulas, political district apportionment, and other uses, it is imperative that the Census Bureau elevate racial and ethnic equity to a top priority in its counting strategies and procedures.

My amendment would create a framework for achieving this objective.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3103, the ``Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2022,'' bipartisan legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for victims of federal child sexual abuse offenses to file civil claims against their abusers in federal court.

This legislation would allow survivors of more than a dozen federal child sex abuse offenses to have their day in court no matter the time it takes them to disclose their abuse.

Oftentimes victims of offenses, such as aggravated sexual abuse, sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child pornography require years of treatment to process and disclose their victimization.

This is particularly true for young victims of these despicable crimes, who continue to process trauma inflicted upon them well into adulthood--only to be barred by statutes of limitations that prevent them from holding their abusers accountable when they are able to name them.

We have come to understand the effects of fear, depression, and shame that result from the trauma of sexual abuse, and the power dynamics between child victims and adult abusers, that explain why victims may not immediately report abuse--or delay disclosure for decades.

Although we extended the statute of limitations in 2018 for federal civil child sex abuse claims for damages until the victim reaches age 28 or until 10 years after discovery of the offense, that extension does not reflect current findings on the delayed disclosure of child sex abuse.

A study by the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at The University of Texas found that, in my home state of Texas, there are almost 79,000 minors and youth victims of sex trafficking, while data from CHILD USA suggests that almost 90 percent of child sexual abuse goes unreported.

Countless examples of delayed disclosure--by adults victimized as children--fill the headlines of newspapers, televised news reports, and social media posts from every corner of the country.

One study of more than 1,000 survivors found that the average age of survivors at the time of disclosure was roughly 52 years old.

Historically, statutes of limitations have silenced victims and favored their abusers--allowing them to escape accountability.

However, since 2002, 49 states and 2 territories have amended their laws to extend, eliminate, or revive civil statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse.

Congress must take note of the available research, data, and trends before us, making certain that federal law does not deny survivors the ability to have their day in court or force victims into court before they are psychologically ready to do so, causing further victimization and trauma.

Instead, we are duty bound to ensure survivors of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking can seek justice against their abusers regardless of the timing and, through successful litigation, have the means to access life-sustaining treatment and other services necessary to make them whole.

Justice should never be denied to any person in this country, especially victims who have been robbed of their innocence and childhoods.

S. 3103 is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will provide a pathway to justice and healing for many victims and survivors while holding abusers accountable for the harms they

cause. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4785, bipartisan legislation that would extend the authorization of the $5,000 special assessment for the Domestic Trafficking Victims' Fund.

Human trafficking is one of the greatest ongoing threats to human rights in the world--and in this country.

An estimated 25 percent of human trafficking victims are reportedly in my home state of Texas, with Houston being one of the largest hubs for human trafficking in the country. And although some populations are at greater risk of victimization than others, human trafficking spans all races, ages, genders, and every socioeconomic status.

In 2020, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified more than 16,000 victims of human trafficking, who likely represent only a fraction of the actual problem.

In that same year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 21.7 million reports, most of which were related to child sexual abuse material, online

enticement, child sex trafficking, and child sexual molestation.

Victims who have been exploited or abused sexually or trafficked, whether for labor or sex, require and deserve victim-focused, culturally informed responses from well-trained providers and law enforcement, that direct them towards emergency and long-term services critical to sustaining them as they heal.

Funding and grants--from the Domestic Trafficking Victims' Fund to develop, expand, strengthen, and provide these victim services and programming--derive from the mandatory special assessment, which is imposed on perpetrators convicted of human trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, and child pornography.

Because it is our duty not only to ensure victims and survivors of these ghastly crimes are not re-victimized but also to provide them with services that help them successfully re-integrate into society, we must extend the authorization of the $5,000 special assessment.

I support S. 4875 and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

We must also continue to shape legislation to improve upon the U.S. antitrafficking response--as well as other legislation and programming aimed at preventing sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and protecting victims and survivors--particularly our children and youth.

That is why I introduced H.R. 7566, the Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act, to ensure schools are safe havens for students.

It is my hope that my bill, which was ordered to be reported favorably by voice vote, will be brought to the floor for consideration soon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5774, the ``Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022'' which promotes swift strategic implementation of resources by the president following natural disasters.

After the declaration of a major disaster, the Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022 authorizes the President to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance for unmet needs of those impacted by the disaster.

The President may also provide financial or direct assistance to individuals or households to construct permanent or semi-permanent housing in areas outside the continental United States if the President deems it a more cost-effective solution.

According to the National Center for Environmental Information, the U.S. spent approximately $152 Billion just last year from various environmental events such as the Deep Freeze in Texas and Hurricanes across the Gulf Coast.

One of the most critical and unprecedented natural disaster emergencies was the Deep Freeze in Texas, resulting in a number of unforeseen complications for Texas residents.

Millions of households lost power during the Deep Freeze, disrupting their heating, food and water supplies, and communication systems.

Based on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report for the Deep Freeze, estimated costs for damages in Texas reached a staggering $80 Billion, with $35 Billion alone due to physical damages, of which insurance only covered $20 Billion.

Texas residents will need to pay for a large portion of the damages, putting their own lives on hold until they are financially stabilized. Meanwhile, families who are unable to meet the expenses out of pocket are stuck in bleak living conditions.

Alongside the unprecedented winter storms in Texas, were the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida, which ravaged many coastal cities and counties. The National Center for Environmental Information estimated that there were $75 Billion in damage costs.

Unfortunately, most home insurance policies do not cover flood damages, including damages caused by Hurricane Ida, This means that individuals would have needed to purchase separate policies dedicated for flood damages on top of the already rising home insurance prices.

Recent flood disasters, such as those in Kentucky, have once again highlighted the dangers of inadequate planning and the overall expenses incurred by its residents.

Outdated federal flood zone maps underestimate the occurrence of floods within certain communities. Therefore, insurance companies, which base their policies on federal flood zone maps, end up paying for a small portion of damages to households.

For residents of some of the poorest counties in the U.S., this means they will be forced to pay mostly out of pocket for all damage expenses, further hindering their chances of recovery from future disasters.

H.R. 5774 can help families with unmet needs, easing financial burdens by distributing funds for the purpose of rebuilding homes and communities. This can provide these families the opportunity to dedicate their finances towards health concerns, exploring education, and other basic living expenses.

Millions of families suffer from natural disaster events without the ability to recover effectively. With the help of the Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022, families with unmet needs will be able to recover more fully and more rapidly, allowing them to reinvest themselves in their communities and return to their normal lifestyles.

The Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022 sets forth the requirements for the President to establish swift and effective financial and technical assistance to aid in the recovery of families who may be unable to cover financial costs for repair and rebuilding.

I urge my colleagues to support this very helpful legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2293, the ``Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce Act of 2021'' or ``CREW Act.''

This bill would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide certain employment rights to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reservists.

FEMA reservists are temporary, on-call, and intermittent employees who are crucial to the agency's mission to swiftly respond to disasters--but, they currently do not have employment protections.

The bill makes employment protections under the Uniformed Services and Reemployment Rights Act (USRRA) applicable to FEMA reservists who deploy to major disaster and emergency sites.

It allows reservists to claim such rights under USERRA even if they do not provide notice of their absence from work due to deployment.

The bill ensures that reservists will be able to return to their full-time jobs once their disaster response mission is complete.

These FEMA workers were essential during the Texas Freeze of 2021, the historic natural disaster Hurricane Harvey, and the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

We need to protect intermittent FEMA employees' rights to return to their full-time jobs after performing life-changing and life-saving work in our communities.

Currently, FEMA faces a large shortfall of reservists because it is difficult to recruit and retain Americans who can balance reservist duties and full-time employment.

With this bill's protections for employees, FEMA's ability to recruit and retain employees would be enhanced. With more FEMA employees, we can combat disasters and crises quicker.

Our Nation must never again be so ill-prepared to weather a disaster like Hurricane Harvey or a crisis like COVID-l9.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise enthusiastically to support the rule and the underlying bill.

As I do so, let me ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join me in asking President Trump to lower the rhetoric so we don't have people dying every day because of his provocative words.

Let me say, this bill is a miracle of success. It is a miracle because we, the Democrats, are giving back $300 billion to reduce the inflation that was created by the Trump tax cut that has been killing us for the last couple of years.

I am excited about the idea that those who are not paying their fair tax, the top 1 percent--$160 billion they do not pay--yet we will raise no taxes on those making $400,000 or less.

We will make corporations and ultrawealthy persons pay their fair share through the IRS working to help working people. No new taxes on families. That is crucial.

Now, on the underlying bill, I would have wanted to offer an amendment dealing with the carried interest, which would have gotten us $14 billion. I wanted to make sure that we had the $35 limit on insulin and, as well, help for Medicaid recipients.

This is a great bill. I support the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend you and Chairman McGovern for the Rule enabling the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, H.R. 5376, to be considered and voted on the floor today.

Rapid action on the Inflation Reduction Act is vital, as it will have a major positive impact on quality-of-life for American families, reduce inflation for all Americans, and bolster our national economy and competitiveness for years to come.

This landmark legislation will provide urgently needed relief, as well as many reforms and initiatives that will help our nation transition to its next era of economic success for all Americans.

Even though H.R. 5376 doesn't include every solution that I hoped would be included, I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support the rule and the bill because of the overwhelmingly positive effects that the Inflation Reduction Act will have.

The bill makes historic investments to combat climate change by putting the United States on a path to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030, including investments in clean energy and energy efficiency that will lower household energy costs.

The bill's clean energy and emission reduction programs attack the climate crisis at its source--electric utilities, cars, trucks, and even methane-producing farm animals--while ensuring that rural and disadvantaged communities share the benefits.

It would bring electric cars--and the fuel costs they save--within the reach of working families. It would also lower utility bills, promote community solar projects, and boost America's clean energy manufacturing base and workforce.

The Inflation Reduction Act will lower the costs of prescription drugs by empowering Medicare--for the first time--to negotiate prices, while limiting out-of-pocket costs and price increases. Medicare would negotiate a maximum price of high-cost prescription drugs for Medicare Part B and Part D that will take effect in 2026. This provision will make prescription drugs more accessible and stop drug companies from raising the price of prescription medicines faster than inflation.

This legislation will also extend the Affordable Care Act's health insurance premium tax credits through 2025. This will avert a huge price hike in premiums for the majority of the 14 million people who have enrolled in ACA Marketplace plans.

The Inflation Reduction Act would create a more equitable tax system by applying a 15 percent minimum tax to corporations with more than $1 billion in average annual income

over a three-year period. This would ensure that these corporations at least pay roughly the same rate as many working taxpayers.

The bill would also impose a 1 percent excise tax on corporate stock buybacks, and it would enable the IRS to reverse staff cuts and ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations.

By creating a more equitable tax system, this legislation will ease the pressure of inflation and allow more Americans to participate productively in the economy. Americans overwhelmingly agree that corporations have paid too little for too long. Only in Washington would Republicans fight against cutting costs for low- and middle- income workers and their families in defense of wealthy corporations.

That point about fundamental equity brings me to one of my regrets about this bill. When the agreement that led to this bill was announced in July, it had a provision to close the carried interest loophole. That tax code loophole allows managers of private equity and other investment funds to pay lower taxes on their earnings than those paid by wage and salary earners.

The Senate agreement, as it was first announced, would have closed the carried interest loophole by extending the required holding period to five years, which is more in line with how long private equity funds typically hold their investments. But unfortunately, the Senate dropped that provision from the bill, giving up $13 billion that it would have raised over ten years.

The carried interest loophole benefits billionaires, and by that provision being dropped from the bill, billionaires scored a victory worth billions of dollars at the time when most Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

Obviously, that offends principles of equity and fairness, and, if I had the opportunity amend H.R. 5376, I would have offered an amendment to close the carried interest loophole.

Another amendment that I would have offered would have lowered the costs of insulin for people whose health care coverage is with private insurance companies.

While I am delighted that H.R. 5376 imposes a $35 per month cap on the price of insulin for people covered by Medicare, this cap should have extended to Americans with private insurance. I was very upset that Senate Republicans rejected that policy, as it is unconscionable to force people to choose between affording their life-sustaining insulin or their other daily needs. Some Americans have died because they couldn't afford their insulin, which has been subject to unjustifiable pricing practices.

So, I would have offered an amendment to ensure that all Americans, including those with private health insurance, benefit from a $35 per month cap on their insulin costs.

Finally, I was disappointed that Senator Raphael Warnock's amendment about Medicaid expansion was not adopted by the Senate. This amendment sought to close the Medicaid coverage gap so that 2.2 million people living in poverty, with no affordable health care, would be able to see a doctor when they are sick, pregnant, or have other health needs.

The third amendment I would have offered would have closed the Medicaid coverage gap for health care to impoverished Americans who have a need for, and the right to, health care. Although it is not in this bill, I will continue to fight for this.

Even without those three elements, the Inflation Reduction Act is excellent legislation that will be a great leap forward for the American people, particularly for my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, as well as for all of America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to dispel the myths of the smoke and mirrors that are flaming up across the way with my friends.

Do they not recognize the opportunity that we have for reducing the costs of healthcare with subsidies so that working families can get the Affordable Care Act? Or excitingly, I am so delighted that there is a cap on insulin. Diabetes is raging for those on Medicare, and we are going to get those on private insurance as well.

Let's tell the truth about taxes. No taxes on those making $400,000 or less but getting the $160 billion in the top 1 percent that have refused to pay their fair share.

What is this folder?

These are letters from my county attorneys and communities about concrete batch facilities put in neighborhoods of Hispanics and African Americans by Trinity Gardens in the East End and Aldine. This legislation, $60 billion, will help save these people who have been living in their homes and losing their homes because environmental toxins like a concrete batch facility gets put in their neighborhood and creates respiratory diseases: asthma, bad grass, and parks that you can't play in.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation. Why?

Because it is for the working people in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, H.R. 5376.

I commend our Democratic colleagues in the Senate--whose tireless efforts culminated in this landmark legislation--and our Democratic Caucus in the House, whose commitment to the policies embodied in this legislation kept the prospect for progress alive and ready for action over the past year.

We persevered to extend health care benefits, limit the cost of medication, combat the climate crisis, help impoverished Americans, and reduce inflation for all Americans. We never relinquished our focus and determination to help those who are suffering from the economic aftershocks of COVID-19.

Enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act is crucial at this vital moment, as Americans need the economic relief that this bill will provide. It will boost quality-of-life for American families by reducing costs and inflation, and bolstering our national economy and competitiveness for years to come.

This legislation is truly historic because it will dramatically advance major policies and programs supported by the vast majority of Americans, and it will do so in a fiscally responsible way, applying much of the revenue raised to deficit reduction.

A key message that this legislation sends is that Congress, with Democrats at the helm, is focused on providing aid to working Americans, middle-income families, impoverished Americans, and those who most need a little help during challenging times.

This is a stark contrast from a few years ago, when Republicans in control of Congress passed bills that gave massive tax breaks to the wealthiest people and corporations, and helped the rich get richer, while tossing mere table scraps to the middle class, and barely a few crumbs to Americans suffering in poverty.

So, I'm delighted that the Inflation Reduction Act will provide urgently needed financial relief to Americans in need, reforms to address the climate crisis, and initiatives that will help our nation transition to its next era of success for all Americans.

Among the provisions that will directly benefit family finances across the country are the Inflation Reduction Act's health care reforms, initiatives, assistance, and restraints on cost increases.

For the first time after years of efforts by Democrats, Medicare will be able to negotiate with drug companies to lower the price of medications for Americans receiving Medicare. Maximum prices for 10 drugs will take effect in 2026, 15 more drugs in 2027, another 15 in 2028, and 20 more in 2029 and beyond.

Manufacturers that do not offer a price equal to or less than the maximum fair price will be subject to a civil monetary penalty of 10 times the difference between the offered price and the maximum fair price for all of its drugs sold in violation of that.

The IRA will impose rebates on drug companies that increase prices faster than inflation to limit annual increases in drug prices for people with Medicare. The inflation rebate provision will be implemented beginning in 2023, using 2021 as the base year for determining price changes relative to inflation.

Another major reform is a new $2,000 annual cap on Medicare Part D out-of-pocket spending starting in 2025. Currently, there is no limit on out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs that seniors need.

This bill ensures that devastating diagnoses, like cancer, will never again mean paying tens of thousands out-of-pocket for just one drug, which forces Medicare recipients into severe financial hardship.

The bill expands the low-income subsidy program in Medicare Part D. Currently, it is fully available to those earning less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level, and partially available to those earning less than 150 percent of that level. The bill eliminates the partial subsidy, giving those earning up to 150% of the poverty level the full low-income subsidy in Medicare Part D.

The bill initiates a major reform to help Medicare patients who need insulin and have been forced to pay exorbitant costs for their life- sustaining supply.

The Inflation Reduction Act caps out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month for insulin co-pays under Medicare programs. Cost-sharing for Part D plans will be capped at $35 for approved insulin products starting in 2023. After 2025, the price will be the lesser of $35, 25 percent of the maximum fair price, or 25 percent of the negotiated price. From January to March 2023, there will be temporary subsidies for any cost sharing over $35 per month.

While I am delighted that H.R. 5376 imposes a $35 per month cap on the price of insulin for people covered by Medicare, this cap should have extended to Americans with private insurance.

I was very upset that Senate Republicans rejected that policy, as it is immoral to side with drug companies that force people to choose between life-sustaining insulin and other daily needs. Some Americans have died because they couldn't afford their insulin, which is subject to unjustifiable pricing practices.

This bill should have ensured that Americans with private health insurance would benefit from a $35 per month cap on their insulin costs, and I will continue the fight for this reform.

The Inflation Reduction Act lowers health insurance premiums for nearly 13 million low- and middle-income Americans whose coverage is from the Affordable Care Act. The bill allocates $64 billion to extend tax credits for three years, through 2025.

Recipients saved on average $800 in 2021. Monthly premiums were estimated to decrease by $50 per person on average in 2022, and 80 percent of ACA enrollees with the tax credits were able to find a plan that amounted to $10 or less per month.

This is extremely important because extension of these credits subsidizing the cost of health insurance will prevent 3 million people from becoming uninsured due to steep premium hikes, protecting them from financial hardship, and saving the health care system from the perilous costs of uncompensated care.

I was dismayed that Senator Warnock's amendment extending Medicaid expansion to 2.2 million people living in poverty in 12 states was not adopted by the Senate. Impoverished Americans with no access to affordable health care would have been able to see a doctor when they are sick, pregnant, or have other health needs. We must still close the Medicaid coverage gap for Americans who have a need for, and the right to, health care. Although it is not in this bill, I will continue to fight for this.

The bill makes historic investments to combat climate change by putting the United States on a path to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030, investing $369 billion in clean energy and energy efficiency to lower household energy costs, and ensuring that lower-income households can benefit from these programs.

The bill's clean energy and emission reduction programs attack the climate crisis at its source--electric utilities, cars, trucks, and methane emission producers--while ensuring that rural and disadvantaged communities share the benefits.

The IRA provides direct consumer incentives to relieve the high costs of energy and decrease utility bills by encouraging purchases of energy efficient and clean-energy goods, with a significant portion of the funding going to lower-income households and disadvantaged communities.

The bill includes $9 billion in consumer home energy rebate programs, focused on low-income consumers, to electrify home appliances and for energy efficient retrofits.

The IRA provides 10 years of consumer tax credits to make homes energy efficient, using clean energy and making heat pumps, rooftop solar, community solar projects, electric HVAC, and efficient water heaters more affordable.

The bill includes a $4,000 consumer tax credit for lower- and middle- income individuals to buy used clean-energy vehicles, and up to a $7,500 tax credit to buy new clean-energy vehicles. This will bring electric cars--and the fuel costs they save--within the reach of working families.

Additionally, the bill establishes a $1 billion grant program to make affordable housing more energy efficient.

The investments in this bill will reduce emissions in every sector of the economy, substantially reducing emissions from electricity generation, transportation, industrial manufacturing, buildings, and agriculture.

Tax credits are provided for clean sources of electricity and energy storage, and roughly $30 billion in targeted grant and loan programs for states and electric utilities to accelerate the transition to clean electricity.

The legislation includes tax credits and grants for clean fuels and clean commercial vehicles to reduce emissions from all parts of the transportation sector.

The bill provides grants and tax credits to reduce emissions from industrial manufacturing processes, including almost $6 billion for a new Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment Program to reduce emissions from the largest industrial emitters like chemical, steel and cement plants.

To spur innovation, $27 billion is provided for a clean energy technology accelerator to aid deployment of technologies that reduce emissions, especially in disadvantaged communities.

The IRA has $9 billion for Federal procurement of American-made clean products, including $3 billion for zero-emission Postal Service vehicles, to create a stable market for them.

The Inflation Reduction Act includes over $60 billion for environmental justice priorities to drive investments into disadvantaged communities.

The bill has $3 billion for Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants that will invest in community-led projects in disadvantaged communities and community capacity building centers to address disproportionate environmental and public health harms related to pollution and climate change.

The IRA creates Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants with $3 billion to aid neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access. This landmark program addresses a long legacy of ignoring environmental justice concerns in project decision-making. The grants aim to reconnect communities divided by infrastructure barriers, mitigate negative impacts of transit facilities or construction projects on disadvantaged or underserved communities, and support equitable transportation planning and community engagement activities.

The bill provides another $3 billion for Grants to Reduce Air Pollution at Ports to support the purchase and installation of zero- emission equipment and technology at ports.

The IRA also provides $1 billion for clean heavy-duty vehicles, such as school and transit buses and garbage trucks.

There is $60 million for Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grants to address diesel emissions from goods movement facilities like airports and railyards, and from vehicles using those facilities.

The IRA has $236 million for Air Pollution Monitoring that will particularly benefit disadvantaged communities exposed to areas with persistent air pollution.

The bill includes $50 million to address Air Pollution at Schools by monitoring and reducing air pollution at public schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The bill provides $87 million for the Low Emissions Electricity Program to support low-income and disadvantaged communities, and offer technical assistance to industry, as well as state and local governments, as they work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental justice is also central to initiatives that aim to decarbonize the economy, such as the technology accelerator and consumer home energy rebate programs, that focus on disadvantaged and low-income communities. Additionally, many of the clean energy tax credits include either a bonus or set-aside structure to drive investments and economic development in disadvantaged communities.

This bill funds energy reliability, cleaner energy, and historic investments in American clean energy manufacturing.

It includes over $60 billion for clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. across the full supply chain of clean energy and transportation technologies. These manufacturing incentives will help alleviate inflation and reduce the risk of future price shocks by bringing down the cost of clean energy and clean vehicles and relieving supply chain bottlenecks.

The IRA invests roughly $30 billion for production tax credits to accelerate U.S. manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and critical minerals processing.

The bill has a $10 billion investment tax credit to build clean technology

manufacturing facilities, like facilities that make electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels.

The bill also funds $500 million in the Defense Production Act for heat pumps and critical minerals processing.

The bill has $2 billion in grants to retool auto manufacturing facilities to manufacture clean vehicles, ensuring that auto manufacturing jobs stay in the communities that rely on them.

The IRA provides up to $20 billion in loans to build new clean vehicle manufacturing facilities across the country.

To spur the next generation of energy technologies, the bill provides $2 billion for National Labs to accelerate breakthrough energy research.

To afford these investments and reduce the deficit, the Inflation Reduction Act requires the wealthiest people and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes, without raising taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 each year. In fact, the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation reported that, in addition to not increasing taxes on any family making $400,000 or less, taxes on those families would actually be reduced by the IRA.

This would correct the longstanding injustice of hardworking American families paying their taxes on time while wealthy millionaires and billionaires avoid paying the taxes they owe to the federal government.

By creating a more equitable tax system, this bill will ease the pressure of inflation and allow more Americans to participate productively in the economy. Americans overwhelmingly agree that corporations have paid too little for too long. Only in Washington would Republicans fight against cutting costs for low- and middle- income workers and their families in defense of wealthy corporations.

To fairly and appropriately raise revenues, the bill includes major reforms, each of which are sound tax policies.

The Inflation Reduction Act imposes a corporate alternative minimum tax on corporations that earn more than $1 billion in annual profit, but do not pay at least a 15 percent tax rate. This would apply to about 150 corporations that average nearly $9 billion in profit, but which paid effective tax rates of just 1.1 percent. The minimum tax will make sure they pay their fair share, and will raise approximately $222 billion.

The bill will levy a 1 percent fee on stock buybacks by publicly- traded corporations to level the playing field. This reform to the tax code, which raises $74 billion, would put an end to favoring buybacks for rich shareholders and executives over investments in workers and innovation.

The legislation will help prevent the wealthiest Americans from sheltering their nonbusiness income and avoiding taxes. By extending the limitation on excess business losses for two years, the bill would raise an additional $52 billion.

This bill also gives the IRS resources to rebuild its antiquated systems to make the wealthy pay their taxes. By investing $80 billion over ten years for tax enforcement and compliance, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the IRS will collect $203 billion. Nearly 75 percent of Americans believe the IRS should conduct more tax audits of large corporations and millionaires. Recently, the IRS Commissioner emphasized that families making under $400,000 per year will not see increased audits.

I was upset that the Senate did not close the carried interest loophole, which lets investment fund managers pay lower taxes on their earnings than wage earners pay. Billionaires scored a win worth billions as others struggle to make ends meet. Yet, I am pleased that the bill levels the playing field with other taxes.

The Inflation Reduction Act is excellent legislation that will be a great leap forward for the American people, including for my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 263, the ``Big Cat Public Safety Act'' which would prohibit the private possession, breeding, and public exploitation of lions, tigers, leopards, and other large cats.

H.R. 263 amends the animal rights protections outlined in the ``Lacey Act'' and the ``Captive Wildlife Safety Act'' by prohibiting the import and shipment of big cats in the U.S., preventing public contact with big cats outside of academic and research institutions, and halting the illegal breeding of cubs by private owners.

I have long been an advocate for protecting big cats.

In the 114th Congress, I proudly sponsored the ``Cecil the Lion Endangered and Threatened Species Act of 2015'' which prohibited the importation of any endangered animal killed via trophy hunting, including African lions, amur leopards, and other big cat species.

Today I will continue to fight for the wellbeing of these animals by urging Congress to pass this equally important piece of legislation--

Madam Chair, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Colorado for yielding, and I thank this body for recognizing the cruciality of where we are today as it relates to fires.

I know the gentleman's territory, but many people might not know that Texas also is impacted by wildfires. So, I rise in strong support for H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act for many reasons.

One, I support my firefighters. As anyone has seen firefighters who fight these fires being interviewed, they are in the midst of the fire. As anyone has heard the families that look and say there is nothing here; but for firefighters, I would not be here.

So Houston is no stranger to these weather conditions. Fifty-one trillion gallons of water fell from Hurricane Harvey, yet wildfires are another type of extreme weather that imperils our community, and it is attributable to climate change, as Hurricane Harvey was.

Wildfires are often unplanned fires, which burn in a natural area such as a forest. Along with the destruction and loss of forests caused by blazes, there are immediate and long-term environmental impacts that dramatically affect vital resources. Expanded areas of high-severity fire can impact tree regeneration, soil erosion, and water quality, and, yes, the quality of life. It can cause major destruction of property and loss of life, and this legislation is a recognition of attempting to address this question and address it now.

Madam Chair, this bill would boost pay and benefits for firefighters, help the U.S. Forest Service fill gaps in fire management staff, expand forest management projects, and reduce hazardous fuels.

I ask my colleagues to support the underlying bill.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5118, also known as the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act.

Climate change is the most important existential challenge of our lifetime. It is not simply an issue, but a threat with credible and uncompromising dangers to our world.

Climate change degrades living conditions, human security, and our government's ability to meet the basic needs of their populations.

For too many years, we have heard warnings from scientists regarding the danger to people if nothing is done to reverse the amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

One of the most devastating consequences of climate change is the frequency and intensity of extreme weather disasters.

Houston is no stranger to these intense weather incidents. On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm hit Texas, causing $125 billion in damages and affecting over 13 million people from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Climatologists agree that global warming contributed to Hurricane Harvey's impact. Studies found the amount of rainfall was between 15 to 38 percent higher because of global warming.

Rising sea levels as a result of climate change also made flooding more likely near Gulf Coast cities. The sea levels around Houston were six inches higher than 20 years ago. This is partly because warmer global temperatures have been melting the ice caps in Antarctica. They have been shrinking at 1.6 meters per year, compared to 3.8 centimeters annually before 1992.

Global warming also stalled weather patterns in the region. That allowed Harvey to hover over Houston instead of moving back out into the ocean.

Wildfires are another type of extreme weather event that imperils many regions of the country. Wildfires are often unplanned fires which burn in a natural area such as a forest, grassland or prairie. They have devastating consequences on a region by decimating an environment, while weakening a community's health and economy.

Along with the destruction and loss of forest caused by blazes, there are immediate and long-term environmental impacts that dramatically affect vital resources. Expanded areas of high-severity fire can impact tree regeneration, soil erosion, and water quality.

Wildfires can affect the physical, chemical, and biological quality of streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. These changes are noticeable for years and even decades after a fire.

The smoke from wildfires can cause eye and respiratory tract irritation and in more severe cases, reduced lung function, bronchitis, and an exacerbation of asthma and heart failure. Air pollution can spread up to thousands of miles away, not just in the surrounding region.

Property loss and damage is another consequence of wildfires. In 2020 alone, fires in the U.S. caused $21.9 billion in property damage. What's more, eight of the 10 costliest wildfires ever in the U.S. have taken place in the past five years.

Climate change exacerbates these conditions. Long periods of record high temperatures as a result of climate change intensify droughts that contribute to dry conditions and drive wildfires, which, in turn, reinforce the cycle of environmental peril.

Wildfire risk depends on a number of factors such as temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel. All these factors have strong direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change.

Climate change enhances the drying of organic matter in forests (the material that burns and spreads wildfire) and has doubled the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015 in the western United States.

The stress that extreme weather is placing on the nation cannot be understated.

H.R. 5118 would boost pay and benefits for firefighters, help the U.S. Forest Service fill gaps in fire management staff, and expand forest management projects to reduce hazardous fuels.

The provisions and purpose of this bill are not new. Historically, Congress has made numerous investments to fight drought, wildfire and the climate crisis.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in November 2021, dedicated $7.81 billion under Title VIII to the DOI and the Forest Service to reduce wildfire risk and support ecosystem restoration. In total, the bill allotted $3.369 billion aimed at reducing wildfire risks. This amount was allocated to supporting firefighters, research dedicated to risk mapping, satellite wildfire detection, etc.

The measure would provide $1.6 billion in annual spending on firefighter salaries and expenses at the Forest Service, and just under $2.4 billion annually for salaries and expenses for forest stewardship and management in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

Forest management projects, which mainly involve reducing hazardous fuels such as dead trees, are part of the bill, authorizing $500 million annually for that purpose. The Department of Agriculture would select up to 20 large, landscape-scale restoration projects over five years.

H.R. 5118 represents a continuation of bipartisan efforts to support the reduction of wildfire risk. It is essential in order to protect communities from the devastating consequences of wildfires and to actively fight against the impending climate crisis. The provisions within H.R. 5118 are essential to the protection of our ecosystems and to the brave first responders who are tasked with wildfire recovery efforts.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5118.

I include in the Record ``North Texas wildfire continues to grow amid high heat'' and ``Bottle-magnified sunlight ignited paper and started a 500-acre Texas wildfire, officials say.''

[From ABC News, July 19, 2022)]

North Texas Wildfire Continues To Grow Amid High Heat

Graford, Texas.--A North Texas wildfire continued to grow

Tuesday amid sweltering temperatures and dry conditions after

burning at least a dozen structures, officials said.

The Chalk Mountain Fire about 50 miles (80 kilometers)

southwest of Fort Worth was the largest active Texas wildfire

as of Tuesday afternoon after blackening 6,000 acres (2,400

hectares), an increase from 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares)

Tuesday morning, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. The fire,

which began Monday afternoon, was just 10% contained, and

crews using bulldozers were digging containment lines while

fire trucks and aircraft worked to extinguish the flames, the

Forest Service said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Hood County Judge Ron Massingill

ordered the mandatory evacuation of a rural area south of

Tolar, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Fort

Worth.

It was not yet clear how many, if any, of the 12 structures

lost as of Tuesday afternoon were residences or businesses,

Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Leathers said.

Meanwhile, crews continued to battle a wildfire that has

burned at least 10 structures, five of them homes, around a

lake in North Texas, authorities said.

The fire at Possum Kingdom Lake about 70 miles (113

kilometers) west of Fort Worth, which began Monday afternoon,

had burned about 500 acres (202 hectares) and was 10%

contained Tuesday, Forest Service spokesman Adam Turner said.

Firefighting crews were working around the clock, focusing on

protecting threatened homes in resort subdivisions along the

lake's western shore.

The area remained under a voluntary evacuation notice, the

Forest Service said.

No injuries have been reported from the fires, and their

causes were under investigation. A combination of near-

record- and record-high temperatures approaching 110 degrees

Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) combined with breezes gusting

as high as 30 mph (40-50 kph) and drought conditions leave

the region ripe for fire, the forest service said.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag fire

warning for northern and central Texas and western and

eastern Oklahoma for Tuesday.

``We are experiencing dry fuels to a level that we haven't

seen in the past 10 years,'' Turner said. ``Any spark that

lands in tall grass or even lands in some short grass right

now is liable to spark.''

Wildfires and intense heat in Texas and some other parts of

the United States come as unusually hot, dry weather has

gripped large swaths of Europe since last week, triggering

wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and leading to

hundreds of heat-related deaths.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. We can see the lengths the Democrats have gone to to simply try to save lives. With John Lewis we sat on the floor of the House, not regarding what would happen to us personally after Parkland and literally said you have got to do something. As John Lewis said: ``Never give up, never give in, never give out,'' the moral authority of this Congress.

We failed because my friends on the other side of the aisle just could not see the carnage and bloodshed that happened to Parkland or Sandy Hook and elsewhere. Now we have in the backdrop El Paso. We have Uvalde. And I repeat myself, going there days after that tragedy and literally hugging crying 9-year-olds who should be on the playground who are crying because of their loss and deceased friends. The story that is so powerful, two of them, one that bled to death, and one that smeared themselves with blood to live.

Do we now stand in the way of stopping carnage and bloodshed? And my good friend that I have done a lot of things with, M4s, M16s are weapons are war; if I have the correct numbers, and I believe I do.

You can pontificate about that, but, frankly, the language is ``assault-style weapons.'' That is what it is. And assault-style weapons still do not belong in civilians' hands because the munitions that are used in war, when soldiers can't even bring their weapons of war home when they are off duty or coming home to see family members or traveling as a civilian, it is because they are killers. And that is what killed those children in Parkland, Highland. That is what killed them in Uvalde, in Buffalo. That is what killed these people in El Paso, and in the hands in some instances of white supremacists.

Let me be perfectly clear, as I thank Mr. Cicilline for this legislation, he prohibits that possession. Many of them are grandfathered in. I wish somebody would read the bill. These are weapons already grandfathered in. Don't frighten the American people. What is most frightening are the parents who are outside these doors.

Madam Speaker, what is really frightening is that parents who are outside these doors are asking the question: What are we doing?

I would say the families in Buffalo, where the theme was replacement theory, or these little babies, where is your heart in a reasonable bill that prohibits the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices subject to grandfathering provisions but, in actuality, allows the possession of any semiautomatic assault weapon lawfully possessed on the date of enactment?

How much fairer can we get? I only ask my colleagues to stop pontificating to us like we know less than you when it comes, as a civilian, that there are weapons of war that our military has, that there are assault-style weapons that are in the hands of citizens on the streets of this country, and that they adapt the same munitions. The individual in Uvalde had 350 pounds.

Madam Speaker, let us vote for the rule and the underlying bill.