Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I think that we will spend most of our time here today where facts will be told and then rhetorical conversations will be told, as well.

Fact: The Constitution, in the Second Amendment, does not prohibit the ban on assault weapons.

Fact: H.R. 1808, led by Mr. Cicilline, allows gun owners to hold their guns. This deals with the transfer of guns.

Fact: As we can see, the lives of our children are lost through carnage, bloodshed, and murder--fact--by the hands of an AR-15, an assault-style weapon.

Fact: Our fellow citizens are killed by an AR-15, -14, an assault- style weapon.

Fact: Mass carnage is not done by a knife, a BB gun. It is not done by throwing a water bomb or words. It is not done by taking a bus and running over citizens. It is done by assault-style weapons.

So, I rise today to support H.R. 1808 because I am tired of a fact of doing nothing.

Mayor Bowser has a right to complain about Governor Abbott generating individuals unfairly, unjustly, and wrongly to another jurisdiction. But the fact is that these weapons have killed.

So, without any concern, we are now offering facts. Anyone that suggests that we are taking guns from good gun owners, we are not.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record three articles from The Washington Post, CBS News, and KXAN.

Uvalde Parents, Highland Park Survivors Demand Assault Weapons Ban

(By Ellie Silverman)

Kimberly Rubio keeps trying to picture the classroom

through her 10-year-old daughter Lexi's eyes, haunted by the

different ways that May day could have ended.

What side of the room did Lexi run toward with her

classmates, huddling and fearing for their lives? What if

Rubio had taken her daughter home earlier after an award

ceremony that day? What if the outside door locked properly?

What if police had immediately engaged the suspected gunman?

But the one question that lawmakers should ask themselves

every morning and night, she posed, was: ``What if the gunman

never had access to an assault weapon?''

``We are no longer asking for change,'' Rubio, 33, said to

a cheering crowd of about 200 people at the U.S. Capitol on

Wednesday. ``We are demanding it.''

Rubio was one of several people who spoke at a rally about

the ways gun violence had irreparably harmed their lives and

demanded a federal ban on assault weapons.

Those gathered wore bright orange shirts and included

community members from Highland Park, Ill., where a gunman

killed seven adults and injured dozens more during a Fourth

of July parade, and parents of children who were among the 21

people killed in May at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde,

Tex.

Rubio's daughter Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, known as Lexi,

was one of the children killed.

Many openly grieved at the rally, crying during Rubio's

remarks. A mother at the Highland Park parade recounted how

she fled, holding her 1-year-old daughter in her arms as she

was grazed by a bullet. Parents shared the terrifying

questions they're hearing from their young children who

survived shootings. And speaker after speaker demanded more

sweeping federal action to curb the scourge of gun violence.

Last month, President Biden signed a bipartisan gun-control

bill into law, the most significant of its kind in three

decades. It expands criminal background checks for some gun

buyers, bars a larger group of domestic-violence offenders

from purchasing firearms, and funds programs that would allow

authorities to seize guns from troubled individuals. However,

gun control advocates, and Biden himself, have noted that the

legislation does not include everything they hoped for.

During an event on the White House's South Lawn on Monday

billed as ``commemorating the historic achievement of the

passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,'' the father

of a 17-year-old boy killed in the 2018 massacre at a high

school in Parkland, Fla., heckled the president. demanding

more action to curb gun violence. Biden renewed calls for a

federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition

magazines.

On Wednesday, mothers continued to step up to the lectern

near the grassy area by 1st and C streets NE and speak about

their children, friends and relatives who died of gun

violence and the ways survivors grapple with anxiety attacks,

fear and guilt. Democratic lawmakers from Illinois, including

Sen. Tammy Duckworth; Rep. Brad Schneider, whose district

includes Highland Park; and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, also spoke

at the rally before the crowd marched toward the Capitol.

Nubia Hogan, 45, stood among the crowd and held a poster

with a photo of her father, Eduardo Uvaldo.

Uvaldo was at the July Fourth parade with Hogan and their

relatives when gunfire rained on the crowd. The parade was a

family tradition and Uvaldo's favorite holiday, she said.

Hogan said she thought about how when gunfire erupted from

a nearby rooftop, she froze. Her son, Brian Hogan, 13, yelled

to run and the family tried to flee. A bullet hit Brian in

the arm and fragments hit Nubia Hogan's mother, too. Uvaldo

was also struck and was rushed to the hospital, where he died

two days later.

``I get anxiety really bad. I get nightmares, waking up to

hearing `boom boom' like the shots,'' said Nubia Hogan, of

Waukegan, Ill. ``These types of guns should not be out there

for civilians. These are for the military and for police.''

She plans to continue with activism around this issue,

joining the many other people who have channeled their grief

into advocacy for change. Thousands of people gathered

earlier this summer on the National Mall to join the rally

staged by March for Our Lives, the organization founded by

student survivors of the mass shooting in Parkland, where a

gunman killed 17 people.

Still, more than 115,000 students have been exposed to gun

violence on K-12 campuses during regular hours since the

Parkland massacre, according to a Washington Post database.

Brett Cross, 39, stood toward the back of the crowd and

said he thought about his nephew, 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia,

and how the ``system'' didn't protect his family and so many

others. The day of the shooting in Uvalde, his wife raced

over to the school where Cross said police pushed and blocked

parents from entering the building to save their children.

In the first classroom the gunman entered, Cross said, was

his nephew, ``Uzi,'' the young boy who was fast, always

racing people, and who aspired to make music, be a YouTuber

and one day become a police officer to help people.

``Those same cops that he looked up to failed him and his

classmates,'' Cross said.

His 10-year-old son and Uzi shared a room together but now,

his son doesn't want to be in there. Cross bought a cot and

placed it next to his bed, where the two hold hands before

falling asleep.

``He said he wanted to go to school that day so that he

could have done something,'' Cross said. ``He wants to know

why an 18-year-old kid can go buy these weapons, why it took

his brother from him.''

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote for H.R. 1808. That is a fact.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1808, the ``Assault Weapons Ban of 2022,'' that would prohibit the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

Whether we call them assault weapons or AR-15 style weapons, we all know that we are talking about civilian versions of firearms created for the military.

Day after day, mass shooting after mass shooting, we are confronted with the carnage that is inflicted on the human body when these weapons of war are used against elementary-aged children, teachers, parade- goers, high school students, worshippers, shoppers, and on and on.

In America, gun violence is the leading cause of death among children while mass shootings occur ever increasingly each year.

It is no secret that I am adamantly opposed to assault weapons and large capacity magazines--implements designed for war. Neither belong in our communities.

Since the time I first joined my colleagues in the House in 2003 to extend the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, we have seen innumerable acts of violence and carnage perpetrated using assault weapons and large capacity magazines.

I have hugged far too many grieving spouses and friends, wiped away the tears of too many loved ones left behind to pick up the pieces, and offered condolences to countless communities across the country-- including my own.

There is no debating that when paired together, large capacity magazines and assault weapons perform as they were designed--killing more people quickly and efficiently.

We all know that the parents in Uvalde were asked to provide DNA swabs to identify their murdered children because they were unrecognizable. I am tired of seeing parents bury their children--tired of promising that we in Congress will remove these military-style weapons from our communities--then, returning and doing nothing.

H.R. 1808 will help gradually reduce the number of assault weapons and large capacity magazines available--keeping them out of the hands of criminals--while reducing the number of lives lost to gun violence, and making us all safer, the bill still recognizes that many Americans already own assault weapons and

large capacity magazines and provides ways in which they can keep their firearms, transfer them following a background check.

The evidence is clear. Bans work. During the 1994 federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities were 70 percent less likely to occur. And, when the large capacity ammunition feeding device ban was in place, there were 77 percent fewer injuries from guns.

In the past decade, gun makers have flooded the market with assault weapons, making over $1 billion in sales, but at a tragic cost to the rest of us.

From 2000 to 2004, the average number of people killed from active shooter incidents per year was 22. But from 2005 to 2021, the average number of people killed from active shooter incidents was 68.7.

We know the common denominator here--assault weapons and large capacity magazines--and H.R. 1808 is the solution. It is time to act.

H.R. 1808 is a necessary measure that will protect Americans and promote public safety. We should all be tired of bracing ourselves for the next attack on another unsuspecting gathering of Americans going about their daily lives or identifying the nearest exits as we sit and try to enjoy time with our loved ones or hearing children tell us about the active shooter drills they participate in at school or camp.

I thank Representative David Cicilline for his leadership on this important measure.

Examples of mass shootings involving assault weapons and/or large

capacity magazines

Uvalde, Texas--AR-15-style weapon killed 19 children; 2 teachers

Buffalo, New York--AR-15-style rifle killed 10 shoppers

Boulder, Colorado--Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic killed 10 people including a police officer

Dayton, Ohio--AR-15-style weapon equipped with a 100-round ammunition magazine to kill nine people and injure over 25 others in less than 30 seconds at a local bar

El Paso, Texas--AK-47-style weapon killed 22 at a Walmart.

Gilroy, Calif.--AK-47-style weapon wounded 17 and killed three including a 13-year-old girl and 6-year-old

Thousand Oaks, Calif.--Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and several high- capacity ammunition magazines killed 12.

Pittsburgh, Pa.--AR-15-style weapon killed 11 worshipers. The deadliest anti-Semitic attack committed against the Jewish community in America.

Parkland, Fla.--M&P15 AR-15 military style rifle; killed 17 students and educators.

Sutherland Springs, Texas--Ruger AR-556 Rifle; killed 26 churchgoers.

Las Vegas, Nev.--Shooter with more than 20 assault style weapons and 12 bump-fire stocks killed 58 people and wounded over 500 others.

Orlando, Fla.--Sig Sauer MCX assault rifle killed 49 and wounded 58. The deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in our nation's history.

Newtown, Conn.--Bushmaster semiautomatic assault killed 26 people including 20 children.

Aurora, Colo.--Smith & Wesson M&P15 semiautomatic assault-style rifle with a 100-round ammunition drum and other firearms killed 12 people and injured 58.

Sadly, though, this is called the CHIPS and Science Act, it left out the calculation of math for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

America is applauding. For once they will not be stopped and stymied by a supply chain that says: no technology, no cars, stay forever without wheels when you have a driving business.

This bill is expected to create 100,000 jobs. I am excited, in particular, about the addition of NASA's reauthorization and to specifically note that NASA's Johnson Space Center will be doing the Orion program funded, Gateway program funded, Extravehicular Activity in Human Surface Mobility funded. Orion, Gateway and EHP funded. These are individual programs that we funded for one of the most prominent centers there.

In addition, we are going to move to manufacturing chips in this Nation, including Houston.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has precious metals. Where do they want to send them?

To the United States of America.

They want us to produce. They want us to be able to transport.

Out of this bill with the amazing amount of research coming forward in science it is going to be a testimony.

I want to pay tribute to Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, the chairwoman who guided this with the kind of calm and expertise that has brought us to this point.

Texas is proud, the Nation is proud, and 100,000 jobs and over $3 billion that will be provided in energy alone, $10.9 billion for the Office of Science, $7.5 billion for FY22, a 6 percent annual increase.

This is a jobs bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act, which comes as a result of bipartisan bicameral work following the passage of the Competes Act and the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

CHIPS' authorization was part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Which authorized the Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of State (DOS) to engage in activities to develop onshore domestic manufacturing of semiconductors critical to U.S. competitiveness and national security.

This bill is expected to create nearly 100,000 new American jobs.

And provisions in the Bill are reflecting my legislation.

I am proud to say that many of those jobs would be housed in Texas.

Currently, more than 30,000 Texans work in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips. In fact, for the last 11 years, my state has been the country's number one top exporter of this product.

There are opportunities in addressing the necessity of finding and refining of rare earth-critical mineral elements that are needed to manufacture technology in every aspect of the economy.

I will be hosting a major energy discussion and a series of meetings in September and October to focus on closing the gap between U.S. demand for these materials and the supply available to us in the global marketplace.

I believe that our nation's independence and competitiveness is on the line if we do not solve this problem.

On September 12, 1962, President Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University that outlined the task he was given to the nation's best and brightest scientists by saying:

``We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept. One we are unwilling to postpone.''

Our nation has never measured itself by the progress of other nations, but by the boundlessness of our imagination that we work to make real.

Before the race to the moon, the United States had conquered other science, engineering, and technological challenges like the building of the Panama Canal and human flight.

We know the fruit of this labor is greater knowledge, innovations, the unlocking of new knowledge, and the dispelling or confirmation of scientific proofs.

As a member of the Bipartisan Space and Aeronautics Caucus, I am in support of the NASA Authorization that is included in this bill.

I am a sponsor H.R. 5260, the Advancing Human Spaceflight Act of 2021, a bill establishing programs and policies pertaining to human presence in space.

This bill would establish a program to develop next-generation space suits and associated technologies, establish an outpost in orbit around the Moon as described in this bill, and submit a plan for achieving a power supply on the Moon.

The bill declares that it is U.S. policy to continuously maintain the capability for a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit through and beyond the useful life of the International Space Station (ISS) and that such capability shall maintain U.S. global leadership and relations with partners and allies, contribute to the general welfare of the United States, and leverage commercial capabilities to promote affordability so as not to preclude a robust portfolio of other human space exploration activities.

I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 869, the Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act of 2021 or the RISE Act of 2021, a bill that authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill provides supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution, national laboratory, or individual that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; issue awards to research the effects of the current pandemic and potential future pandemics; and provide flexibility on awards to account for facility closures or other limitations during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act bill before us today, includes National Aeronautics and Space Administration authorization for the:

Artemis Moon Program;

Moon-to-Mars Exploration Campaign, including the Artemis program to return America to the Moon;

Maintenance of the International Space Station.

Extension of authorization for the International Space Station through 2030 and establishes priorities for research, as required to bring Americans to Mars;

Extend NASA Enhanced Use Lease Authority. Enables NASA to lease underutilized;

Prioritization through 2032, and to use lease revenues to address facility maintenance while reducing taxpayer costs;

goal of including Earth science observations and the search for life beyond Earth;

Advancement of U.S. Aeronautics Leadership

Enhancement of NASA Technology, Infrastructure, and Workforce; and

Focused attention that ensures Planetary Defense against meteors and large asteroids.

I have long held an intense interest in the Nation's premier space exploration agency, first as a member of the House Science Committee and now as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

From space exploration to climate change the work of Congress is needed now more than ever before.

I have for several Congresses offered an amendment to the NDAA to provide Congress with a report on the issue of space debris, which jeopardizes human space exploration.

These objects are a product of earlier space exploration when there were only a few nations capable of low earth orbit space flight.

Today, public-private partnerships and collaboration is bringing the commercial sector into space exploration.

The space debris amendment brings valuable insight into the challenges, dangers, and opportunities present by addressing space debris moving over 17,000 miles an hour and the real changes of debris disabling or damaging manmade space exploration or development efforts.

President Kennedy knew what was on the line if our nation did not dominate the space race.

Because he understood what was at stake he set the nation's sights on people walking on the surface of the moon, and to safely return home required technology, materials, metals, food preservation, clothing, and instruments that had not been invented at the time of his speech this was a monumental challenge that captivated and motivated Americans--All Americans to find within themselves the talent, courage, and fortitude needed to make his words our nation's greatest scientific accomplishment.

He said his challenge was an act of faith and vision because no one know what would come from the effort of accomplishing the challenge of conquering space.

The speech at Rice University is located in the city of Houston because of the concentration of engineering, researchers, and academic institutions doing cutting-edge work in the energy sector of the economy.

First established as the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in 1961, it was later named the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in honor of the late President.

The JSC is responsible for the design, development, and operation of human space flight.

For more than four decades, JSC has been the world leader in human space flight operations for NASA.

The critical thing to understand about what JSC means to human space flight is to understand the importance of a critical mass of experts that are working collaboratively from the training of astronauts to all aspects of the support during missions.

The Center's famed Mission Control Center, or MCC, has been the operational hub of every American human space mission for over 40 years since Gemini IV.

The MCC manages all activity onboard the space station and directs all space shuttle missions, including station assembly flights and Hubble Space Telescope servicing. Construction of the control center began in late 1962.

In addition to conducting mission simulations and operations with flight controllers, space was allocated for key NASA engineering and scientific personnel along with representatives of the major contractors to support each mission.

This increased presence strengthened the problem-solving capabilities of the MCC team.

Today, JCS is comprised of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres that is known as Space City.

Houston is where the Johnson Space Center was born and remains to this day--a place of boundless imagination in the pursuit of new horizons in space exploration.

There are approximately 3,200 civil servants, including 110 astronauts, employed at Johnson Space Center, and a contract workforce of over 15,000 are the people who prepare people for space missions.

This bill is a matter of national pride, national economic innovation, and most importantly, national security.

I want to note for Congress and the nation that the JSC with continuing to serve a vital role in the next chapter of space exploration for our nation.

Several essential NASA programs are authorized and fully funded separately under this authorization bill.

The bill provides funding for each of the essential tasks that NASA has for the JSC:

the Orion Gateway Program is funded separately,

Extravehicular Activity is funded separately, and

Human Surface Mobility (EHP) Program is funded separately.

The authorization language in this bill makes clear that the Orion Gateway Program, Extravehicular Activity, and Human Surface Mobility (EHP) Program are assigned to the Johnson Space Center.

Language in this bill also provides clarity that all new lunar and Mars samples are under the purview of the JSC.

This is a wise decision given that the JSC maintains over 5 decades of experience and expertise in the stewardship and curation of all current collections of NASA-held Astro-materials.

All U.S. government or U.S. government contracted services involving extraterrestrial material or Astro-materials such as, but not limited to rocks, dust, minerals, meteorites, regolith, ices, organic matter, gasses, and atoms, and including samples collected in space, on other solar system bodies, and on earth will be curated and managed by Johnson Space Center.

NASA's Johnson Space Center shall curate and manage all NASA-held Astro-material sample collections, including providing loans of Astro- material specimens, review of the proposed use, approval of research investigations, education, and public display.

These are NASA Johnson Space Center Human Exploration Programs that are a part of Moon to Mars or Artemis, all funded separately in this bill. They are:

Orion Program;

Gateway Program--Referred to in the bill as ``an outpost in orbit around the moon'';

Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility (EHP) Program--in the bill ``Spacesuits'' are called out and state any other elements needed to meet the requirement of the Moon to Mars Program; and

Orion, Gateway, and EHP (suits and Mobile systems, rovers), all are critical Programs.

Just as the moon project was a massive endeavor that would touch nearly every aspect of our nation's scientific community and efforts so will the work outlined by this legislation.

The CHIPS Act would invest $52 billion in domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing, and various vital science initiatives to return the United States to its role as the preeminent leader in science and modernization.

These initiatives include efforts to expand diversity and equity in STEM fields by combatting sexual harassment in science workplaces, investing in minority-serving institutions, and expanding fellowship and scholarship opportunities for women in STEM.

It would also focus on scientific initiatives for biological and environmental research that would accelerate the growth of clean energy commercialization and development across the country.

Everything from helium conservation to nuclear physics, to biological threat preparedness, is included in this bill.

Additionally, the CHIPS and Science Act are authorizations for incredibly important innovations happening at NASA.

It would authorize the Artemis Moon Program to work towards the goal of returning American astronauts to the moon, including sending the first woman and person of color.

In addition to resuming goals of lunar landings, the CHIPS and Science Act would prioritize the research necessary to continue the Orion program and bring Americans to Mars.

Several essential NASA programs are authorized and fully funded separately under this authorization bill.

The Orion Program gateway program is funded separately; Extravehicular Activity is funded separately and Human Surface Mobility (EHP) Program is funded separately. The authorization language in this bill makes clear that the Orion Gateway Program, Extravehicular Activity, and Human Surface Mobility (EHP) Program are assigned to the Johnson Space Center.

Language in this bill also provides clarification that all new lunar and Mars samples are the responsibility of the Johnson Space Center.

The other priority I believe should have been included in this bill is a clarification that NASA's Johnson Space Center with over 5 decades of experience and expertise in the stewardship and curation of all current collections of NASA-held Astro-materials should continue in this role for the materials that will be brought back from the moon and Mars to earth for study.

Further, it would have served the mission to make sure that all U.S. government or U.S. government contracted services involving extraterrestrial material or Astro-materials such as but not limited to rocks, dust, minerals, meteorites, regolith, ices, organic matter, gasses, and atoms and including samples collected in space, on other solar systems bodies and earth should be curated and managed by Johnson Space Center.

NASA's Johnson Space Center should be charged with the management of all NASA-held Astro-material sample collections, including providing loans of Astro-material specimens, review of the proposed use, approval of research investigations, education, and public display.

I will support the bill, and pledge to continue to work with my colleagues in the House and Members of the Senate to make sure that the JSC's role in the next chapter of our nation's space exploration includes management of materials returned to earth for study.

In addition to its many improvements to STEM workforce growth and scientific research and development, this bill has a particular focus on America's need for a robust push in semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Much of the funding in H.R. 4346 would be dedicated to building the capacity of the American semiconductor chip industry.

This bill would set aside resources designed to incentivize the construction of potentially 7 to 10 domestic semiconductor fabrication plants.

These plants would be responsible for manufacturing the core of all our modern electronics.

Cars, cell phones, air conditioning units, microwave ovens, medical tools, and laptops all rely on semiconductor chips to transport, connect, feed, and support the American public.

The CHIPS Act would ensure that American consumers retain access to these products during times of international instability.

The United States' ability to manufacture semiconductor chips has been on a steady decline for decades.

In 1990, the U.S. met roughly 40 percent of the world's semiconductor chip capacity.

In 2020, that fell to just 12 percent.

East Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan are now home to nearly 80 percent of global chip fabrication.

Some of America's largest tech firms, including Google, Apple, and Amazon, rely on a single Taiwanese manufacturer, TSMC, for nearly 90 percent of their chip production.

I have long advanced that chip manufacturing should be domestic because of the critical importance to telecommunication, medical, transportation, national defense, industrial control systems, and financial systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic made evident the limitations of domestic manufacturing capacity in the United States and vulnerabilities in global supply chains.

During the pandemic, our healthcare centers, schools, and other vital industries struggled to import the technological goods they needed to battle the virus, educate our children, and keep our economy running.

Thousands of American people died in hospital beds while hospitals struggled to obtain additional ventilators, oxygen monitors and other necessary medical equipment--medical equipment that rely on semiconductor chips to work.

Delays in supply chains and manufacturing capabilities undoubtedly wasted time and cost countless lives.

This cannot happen again.

The 21st-century world is only able to stay upright through a careful scaffolding of electronic and computer products.

There are some products that we must maintain the ability to produce upon demand to meet domestic need.

With Russia at war with Ukraine and an uncertain future for Chinese and Taiwanese relations, it is more imperative than ever that the manufacturing of semiconductor chips returns to American soil, American businesses, and American control.

With the passage of the CHIPS Act, the United States would rise again to its status as a world leader in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips.

Doing so is an economic and national security necessity.

For years, the United States has neglected to invest in semiconductor manufacturing. Meanwhile, China has invested $150 billion to build its domestic capacity.

If we do not invest in the future of American innovation and excellence now, we are sure to fall behind our East Asian competitors in the future--at the expense of the American people.

In addition to the provision of funding for manufacturing facilities, the CHIPS Act includes about $100 billion for the research and development of secure semiconductors and secure microelectronic supply chains.

This would include the creation of a Subcommittee on Microelectronics Leadership which would be tasked with developing a national strategy for the creation of a robust microelectronics industry in the United States and setting priorities for the maintenance of American leadership in advanced chip design and production.

This is our opportunity to secure the economic and national security of our nation.

It is our opportunity to provide much-needed jobs and industry.

It is our opportunity to return the United States of America to its position of prominence and example as a world leader in innovation and manufacturing.

Made in America is good for business, it's good for security, and it's good for our people.

That is why I wholeheartedly support the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

I include in the Record a list of NASA bills I have sponsored and cosponsored.

1. H.R. 5250--117th Congress (2021-2022) Advancing Human

Spaceflight Act of 2021 Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-

TX-29] (Introduced 09/14/2021) Cosponsors: (2) Committees:

House--Science, Space, and Technology Latest Action: House--

09/14/2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Space and

Aeronautics.

2. H.R. 869--117th Congress (2021-2022) RISE Act of 2021

Sponsor: Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (Introduced 02/05/2021)

Cosponsors: (178) Committees: House--Science, Space, and

Technology; Agriculture; Armed Services; Education and Labor;

Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources; Transportation and

Infrastructure Latest Action: House--03/03/2021 Referred to

the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.

3. H.R. 7308--116th Congress (2019-2020) RISE Act Sponsor:

Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (Introduced 06/24/2020)

Cosponsors: (147) Committees: House--Science, Space, and

Technology; Agriculture; Armed Services; Education and Labor;

Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources Latest Action: House--

08/13/2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Biotechnology,

Horticulture, and Research.

4. H.R. 4304--116th Congress (2019-2020) NASA Enhanced Use

Lease Authority Act of 2019 Sponsor: Rep. Palazzo, Steven M.

[R-MS-4] (Introduced 09/12/2019) Cosponsors: (40) Committees:

House--Science, Space, and Technology Latest Action: House--

09/12/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology.

5. H.R. 1865--116th Congress (2019-2020) Further

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 Sponsor: Rep. Pascrell,

Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9] (Introduced 03/25/2019) Cosponsors: (304)

Committees: House--Financial Services Committee Print: H.Prt.

116-44 Latest Action: 12/20/2019 Became Public Law No: 116-

94.

6. H.R. 1396--116th Congress (2019-2020) Hidden Figures

Congressional Gold Medal Act Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Eddie

Bernice [D-TX-30] (Introduced 02/27/2019) Cosponsors: (314)

Committees: House--Financial Services; House Administration

Latest Action: 11/08/2019 Became Public Law No: 116-68.

7. H.R. 255--111th Congress (2009-2010) NASA 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee,

Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 01/07/2009) Cosponsors: (2)

Committees: House--Financial Services Latest Action: House--

01/07/2009 Referred to the House Committee on Financial

Services.

8. H.R. 6455--110th Congress (2007-2008) NASA 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee,

Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 07/10/2008) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House--Financial Services Latest Action: Senate--

07/16/2008 Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on

Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar

No. 885.

9. H. Res. 1315--110th Congress (2007-2008) Commemorating

the 50th Anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration. Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10]

(Introduced 06/26/2008) Cosponsors: (44) Committees: House--

Science and Technology Latest Action: House--07/10/2008

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without

objection.

10. H. Amdt. 1096--110th Congress (2007-2008) Description:

Amendment to clarify that the NASA Outreach and Technology

Assistance Program will include small, minority-owned, and

women-owned businesses. It would also give preference, in

selection for the program, to socially and economically

disadvantaged small business concerns, small business

concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans,

and HUBZone small business concerns. Amends Bill: H.R. 6063

Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Offered 06/12/

2008) Latest Action: 06/12/08 On agreeing to the Jackson-Lee

(TX) amendment (Ao12) Agreed to by voice vote.

11. H. Amdt. 691--110th Congress (2007-2008) Description:

Amendment to prohibit the funds made available in this Act

may be used in violation of Subtitle A of Title VIII

(International Space Station Independent Safety Taskforce) of

the NASA Authorization Act of 2005. Amends Bill: H.R. 3093

Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Offered 07/26/

2007) Latest Action: 07/26/07 On agreeing to the Jackson Lee

(TX) amendment (A049) Agreed to by voice vote.

12. H.R. 2750--110th Congress (2007-2008) NASA 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee,

Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 06/15/2007) Cosponsors: (296)

Committees: House--Financial Services, Senate--Banking,

Housing, and Urban Affairs Latest

Action: Senate--08/03/2007 Read twice and referred to the

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

13. H.R. 2500--110th Congress (2007-2008) NASA and JPL 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee,

Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 05/24/2007) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House--Financial Services Latest Action: House--

05/24/2007 Referred to the House Committee on Financial

Services.

14. H. Res. 446--110th Congress (2007-2008) Honoring the

life and accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra

and expressing condolences on his passing. Sponsor: Rep.

Bilbray, Brian P. [R-CA-50] (Introduced 05/24/2007)

Cosponsors: (7) Committees: House--Science and Technology

Latest Action: House--06/06/2007 Motion to reconsider laid on

the table Agreed to without objection.

15. H. Res. 316--110th Congress (2007-2008) Recognizing the

accomplishments of Roger D. Kornberg, Andrew Fire, Craig

Mello, John C. Mather, and George F. Smoot for being awarded

Nobel Prizes in the fields of chemistry, physiology or

medicine, and physics.

Sponsor: Rep. McNerney, Jerry [D-CA-11] (Introduced 04/18/

2007) Cosponsors: (9) Committees: House--Science and

Technology Latest Action: House--05/01/2007 Motion to

reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

16. H.R. 363--110th Congress (2007-2008) Sowing the Seeds

Through Science and Engineering Research Act Sponsor: Rep.

Gordon, Bart [D-TN-6] (Introduced 01/10/2007) Cosponsors:

(18) Committees: House--Science and Technology, Senate--

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Report: H.

Rept. 110-39 Latest Action: Senate--04/25/2007 Received in

the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

17. H. Con. Res. 448--109th Congress (2005-2006) Commending

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the

completion of the Space Shuttle's second Return-to-Flight

mission. Sponsor: Rep. Paul, Ron [R-TX-14] (Introduced 07/13/

2006) Cosponsors: (34) Committees: House--Science Latest

Action: Senate--07/21/2006 Message on Senate action sent to

the House.

18. H.R. 5356--109th Congress (2005-2006) Research for

Competitiveness Act Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-

10] (Introduced 05/11/2006) Cosponsors: (31) Committees:

House--Science Committee Report: H. Rept. 109-525 Latest

Action: House--06/22/2006 Placed on the Union Calendar,

Calendar No. 294.

19. H. Con. Res. 366--109th Congress (2005-2006) To

congratulate the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration on the 25th anniversary of the first flight of

the Space Transportation System, to honor Commander John

Young and the Pilot Robert Crippen, who flew Space Shuttle

Columbia on April 12-14, 1981, on its first orbital test

flight, and to commend the men and women of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration and all those supporting

America's space program for their accomplishments and their

role in inspiring the American people. Sponsor: Rep. Calvert,

Ken [RCA-44] (Introduced 03/29/2006) Cosponsors: (52)

Committees: House--Science Latest Action: Senate--04/07/2006

Message on Senate action sent to the House.

20. H. Amdt. 512--109th Congress (2005-2006) Description:

Amendment requires the NASA Administrator to transmit to

Congress a plan describing steps to be taken by NASA to

protect the employment status of NASA employees who raise or

have raised concerns about a potentially catastrophic risk to

health or safety. Amends Bill: H.R. 3070 Sponsor: Rep.

Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Offered 07/22/2005) Latest

Action: 07/22/05 On agreeing to the Jackson Lee (TX)

amendment (A005) Agreed to by voice vote.

21. H. Amdt. 510--109th Congress (2005-2006) Amends Bill:

H.R. 3070 Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]

(Offered 07/22/2005) Latest Action: 07/22/05 By unanimous

consent, the Jackson Lee (TX) amendment was withdrawn.

22. H.R. 3250--109th Congress (2005-2006) National

Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of

2005 Sponsor: Rep. Gordon, Bart [D-TN-6] (Introduced 07/12/

2005) Cosponsors: (19) Committees: House--Science Latest

Action: House--07/27/2005 Referred to the Subcommittee on

Space and Aeronautics. Notes: For further action, see S.

1281, which became Public Law 109-155 on 12/30/2005.

23. H. Amdt. 284--109th Congress (2005-2006) Amends Bill:

H.R. 2862 Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]

(Offered 06/15/2005) Latest Action: 06/15/05 On agreeing to

the Jackson Lee (TX) amendment (A037) Agreed to by voice

vote.

24. H. Amdt. 254--109th Congress (2005-2006) Amends Bill:

H.R. 2862 Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]

(Offered 06/14/2005) Latest Action: 06/14/05 By unanimous

consent, the Jackson Lee (TX) amendment was withdrawn.

25. H.R. 68--109th Congress (2005-2006) NASA and JPL 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Culberson,

John Abney [R-TX-7] (Introduced 01/04/2005) Cosponsors:

(290) Committees: House--Financial Services; Ways and

Means, Senate--Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Committee Report: H. Rept. 109-133 Latest Action: Senate--

07/13/2005 Received in the Senate and Read twice and

referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban

Affairs.

26. H.R. 4881--108th Congress (2003-2004) NASA and JPL 50th

Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act Sponsor: Rep. Culberson,

John Abney [R-TX-7] (Introduced 07/21/2004) Cosponsors: (347)

Committees: House--Financial Services Latest Action: House--

08/03/2004 Referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and

International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.

27. H. Res. 723--108th Congress (2003-2004) Recognizing the

35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, and for

other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Hall, Ralph M. [R-TX-4]

(Introduced 07/19/2004) Cosponsors: (27) Committees: House--

Science Latest Action: House--07/21/2004 Motion to reconsider

laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

28. H.R. 4522--108th Congress (2003-2004) International

Space Station Independent Safety Commission Act of 2004

Sponsor: Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (Introduced 06/

08/2004) Cosponsors: (0) Committees: House--Science Latest

Action: House--06/14/2004 Referred to the Subcommittee on

Space and Aeronautics.

29. H. Res. 550--108th Congress (2003-2004) Expressing the

sense of the House of Representatives relating to the

extraordinary contributions resulting from the Hubble Space

Telescope to scientific research and education, and to the

need to reconsider future service missions to the Hubble

Space Telescope. Sponsor: Rep. Udall, Mark [D-CO-2]

(Introduced 03/03/2004) Cosponsors: (77) Committees: House--

Science Latest Action: House--03/03/2004 Referred to the

House Committee on Science.

30. H. Res. 490--108th Congress (2003-2004) Recognizing and

commending the achievements of the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and

Cornell University in conducting the Mars Exploration Rover

mission, and recognizing the importance of space exploration.

Sponsor: Rep. Dreier, David [R-CA-26] (Introduced 01/20/2004)

Cosponsors: (31) Committees: House--Science Latest Action:

House--01/21/2004 Motion to reconsider laid on the table

Agreed to without objection.)

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3771, known as the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2021.

This bill establishes programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among communities disproportionately affected by heart disease, like the South Asian community within the United States.

The South Asian American community across the United States grew by nearly 40 percent between 2010 and 2017. Today, there are over 5 million South Asian Americans in the United States.

South Asian Americans are four times more likely to suffer from heart disease than other ethnic groups, and experience heart problems nearly a decade earlier on average.

Globally, South Asians have emerged as the ethnic group with the highest prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, which is a leading cause of heart disease.

Type 2 diabetes often occurs due to a combination of a patient's genetics, and environment. Those with South Asian heritage contain a genetic predisposition that places them at an even greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, and by extension, heart disease.

Studies have shown that South Asians in the United States--people who immigrated from or whose families immigrated from countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal--are experiencing dramatic rises in rates of heart disease when compared to other immigrant groups within the United States.

As a co-chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and a member of the Congressional India Caucus, I've had the pleasure of engaging with members of the South Asian community, especially within my hometown of Houston. Texas has one of the highest populations of South Asian Americans, along with California and New Jersey.

This bill would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to create grants to provide funding for community groups involved in South Asian heart health advocacy, while also developing culturally appropriate materials to promote heart health in the South Asian community.

These culturally appropriate materials to promote heart health would be tailored by health care providers who best understand the specific needs of the South Asian community within the United States.

It would also direct the HHS Secretary to fund grants through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research on cardiovascular disease and other heart ailments.

Organizations like the South Asian Heart Center and the South Asian Health Initiative would be eligible for these opportunities.

These organizations work to educate members of the South Asian American community

about their increased risk for heart disease, lead prevention efforts through programs that promote healthy lifestyles, and work on research towards understanding why South Asian Americans are at an increased risk for heart disease.

This legislation would be instrumental in improving the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans. It is endorsed by a number of health organizations such as:

the American College of Cardiology,

American Heart Association,

American Medical Association,

American Stroke Association,

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease,

American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin,

South Asian Public Health Association,

Hindu American Foundation,

Hindu American Physicians in Seva,

South Asian Health Lifestyle Intervention,

Bangladsh Medical Association of North America, and

South Asian Heart Center.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3771.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4040 the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021, which would make permanent several telehealth flexibilities under Medicare that were initially authorized during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This bill would extend the life-saving measures put in place by Congress during the

COVID-19 pandemic that allowed millions of American people to access telehealth-care.

Specifically, H.R. 4040 would:

permanently remove originating site and geographical restrictions that limited telehealth services to designated clinics in the event of a physician shortage,

give rural providers the ability to serve patients remotely while being properly compensated for their work,

empower providers to provide access to smart devices and innovative digital technology to their patients for monitoring purposes, and

provide coverage for audio-only evaluation, management, and behavioral health services.

H.R. 4040 would codify critical telehealth policies implemented during the pandemic for the continued benefit of all, but especially those in isolated communities, people with disabilities, and seniors.

Telehealth has dramatically improved the medical industry by making healthcare more accessible to people in rural areas, those with mobility concerns, and individuals whose work or family schedules may not accommodate an appointment at a physical location.

During the height of the pandemic, while more than 3,000 people were dying per day of the virus, telehealth served as an invaluable weapon against the spread of infectious disease.

Remote screening and care prevented undue burden on our already exhausted medical professionals and allowed patients to get the care they needed without putting themselves or their families at risk.

What began as emergency protocol then, has now emerged as best practice.

Currently, 76 percent of hospitals in the U.S. connect doctors and patients remotely via telehealth.

This is up from 35 percent a decade ago.

Remote healthcare allows for greater flexibility for patients, enables certain physicians like allergists or occupational therapists to access an individual's environmental needs, and streamlines the scheduling process to prevent long wait times and wasted time.

Telehealth has allowed doctors to monitor their patients' chronic conditions more closely, like heart or lung disease.

Better monitoring can improve patients' quality-of life and reduce hospital admissions and deaths from chronic diseases.

Additionally, telehealth is a good way to deliver care quickly in an emergency, such as a stroke or heart attack.

Telehealth has also played a significant role in expanding pediatric mental healthcare access.

As of April 2019, there were only 8,300 practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists in the U.S.

This number is dwarfed by the more than 15 million kids and teens in need of a psychiatric provider.

For over a decade, The University of Texas Medical Branch has offered telehealth services for rural patients.

After initially partnering with community mental health clinics in fringe counties, the program has since been able to expand adolescent mental health services directly to school districts.

This means children without access to a local psychiatrist can receive the care they need without being pulled from school or traveling long distances.

It also means psychiatrists can observe children in their natural setting at home or in school, rather than in an inorganic hospital environment.

Telehealth allows children to be where they ought to be--in the classroom getting an education.

These are just some of the many examples of how telehealth has aided our healthcare system in providing the quality medical services that our constituents deserve.

The passage of H.R. 4040, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021, would ensure that these positive developments continue to benefit communities across the country.

It is important to note, however, that telehealth has not always served all people equally.

Historical data shows that People of Color have long faced obstacles to getting the critical health care services they need.

Unfortunately, the rapid implementation of telemedicine hasn't bridged the equality divide as much as one would have hoped.

A study led by the University of Houston College of Medicine found that African Americans were 35 percent less likely to use telemedicine compared to White Americans, and those in Hispanic communities were 51 percent less likely to use it.

Only 66 percent of African American and 61 percent of Hispanic households have access to broadband internet compared to 79 percent of white households.

Additionally, only a quarter of families earning $30,000 or less have smart devices, such as a phone, tablet, or laptop at home, limiting their access to telehealth services.

So, while telehealth has reduced many barriers to adequate healthcare, we must stay vigilant to the needs of our most disadvantaged community members.

We are a long way from full medical equality in this country, however, I believe that the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021 is an important step in bringing us closer to that goal.

H.R. 4040 is an opportunity to connect our healthcare providers with patients who might otherwise go without the medical care they so desperately need.

It is an opportunity to lift our nation's healthcare into the 21st century and to utilize technology as a medical equalizer.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 4040 the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6929, the ``Susan Muffley Act of 2022.''

H.R. 6929 is a bipartisan, bicameral effort to restore the retirement benefits for over 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees.

This legislation will lay out a formal procedure to pay the difference between the pension benefits earned by Delphi salaried retirees and what they received following the General Motors (GM) bankruptcy in 2009.

Moreover, it will ensure that beneficiaries who have already begun receiving benefits will receive a separate payment of the difference between what was actually paid by the U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation

(PBGC) and what would have been paid without the limitations plus interest.

Under H.R. 6929, retirees from this auto parts manufacturing company will be eligible for increased benefits in connection with the following pension plans:

The Delphi Hourly-Rate Employees Pension Plan.

The Delphi Retirement Program for Salaried Employees.

The PHI Non-Bargaining Retirement Plan.

The ASEC Manufacturing Retirement Program.

The PHI Bargaining Retirement Plan.

The Delphi Mechatronic Systems Retirement Program.

During the Great Recession of 2009, several major auto manufactuers including GM filed for bankruptcy.

As a result, the PBGC recklessly cut retirement benefits by as much as 70 percent for more than 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees, including over 500 retirees in Texas.

This is unacceptable. Social Security, pensions, and personal savings have long ensured that workers could retire with dignity.

Now, majority of these retirees are struggling to stay afloat especially those with climbing medical bills.

Therefore, I applaud the efforts of my colleagues in both the House and Senate for bringing this issue into greater focus.

Those who have worked hard their entire lives and played by the rules deserve the benefits they earned.

That is why I am proud to support this legislation that will restore the benefits that hundreds of Texans were promised.

This legislation will relieve the suffering of thousands of salaried and hourly workers who were left behind after GM's filing for bankruptcy.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 6929 to finally correct the mistreatment of these union members and allow them to live out the rest of days with dignity.

Madam Speaker, last week, I viewed a wall that showed Brittney Griner and a list of hostages, American citizens, held around the world.

A few weeks ago, the United States House went on record to demand the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

I have always argued that the sovereignty of the United States should insist on the freedom of its citizens. Now, we find that it has been made public what we have known and what we have pressed for: The United States is actively negotiating to bring Brittney, BG, and Paul Whelan home.

It is crucial to let it be known that we are negotiating with an entity that does not want to be fair. So, we demand that Russia be fair and negotiate the freedom of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

She sits in a cage, a cage when they transport her and a cage when she is in trial. Obviously, the case is that this was a mistake, and there is no basis for her conviction. We know that everyone that goes to trial in Russia is convicted, found guilty.

Free her now. Free Paul Whelan.

As I close, I acknowledge the Americans with Disabilities Act on its 32nd anniversary. It is an important law.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6552, the ``Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022.

H.R. 6552 is a bipartisan initiative to bolster programs and provide critical funding to combat human trafficking.

I would like to thank Congressman Chris Smith, for authoring today's legislation, and Congresswoman Karen Bass, for co-leading this initiative to take important steps in preventing trafficking and protecting the most vulnerable among us.

This bill will effectively reauthorize the historic Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

H.R. 6552 will provide more than $1 billion over five years to support education, restorative care, and other programs that protect victims of human trafficking.

This includes strengthening the Frederick Douglass Human Trafficking Prevention Education Grants created in the Frederick Douglass Act of 2018.

Frederick Douglass Prevention Education grants work to prevent online grooming and trafficking of children through trauma-informed approaches and programs.

H.R. 6552 will also authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a Human Trafficking Survivors Employment and Education Program to prevent the re-exploitation of eligible individuals who have been victims of trafficking.

The program will provide job-related skills training, life-skill training programs, assistance with enrollment in college or technical school, and other programs and services to help individuals achieve selfsufficiency.

H.R. 6552 commits to fighting human trafficking both domestically and internationally.

Today's bill will also reauthorize ``International Megan's Law'' to track convicted sex offenders living abroad and returning to the U.S. after living in foreign countries. It goes further by adding accountability for U.S. Federal and foreign governments, hotels, and airlines with anti-trafficking training and codes of conduct.

My record in Congress reflects my longstanding, deep commitment to fighting human trafficking.

While drafting the major update of the Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA), I added human trafficking provisions that address more resources and tools to aid local law enforcement and advocacy groups to assist victims and seek justice for them.

I also introduced H.R. 128, the RAISE Act, which directs the Attorney General to create a pilot youth diversion program for youth that have been the victims of abuse, sex or drug trafficking, or other violent conduct, and for whom the criminal conduct is due in whole or in part to that victimization.

Texas has the second-highest number of reported cases of human trafficking in the nation. In 2020, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported a total of 987 human trafficking cases in Texas.

This statistic is only a fraction of the actual number of cases since human trafficking is difficult to detect and measure. Researchers from the University of Texas have found that more than 300,000 people are victims of some sort of human trafficking each year in Texas.

The Department of Justice declared Houston as one of the largest hubs in the nation for human trafficking.

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and a global problem.

Today's legislation provides the necessary additional support to victims of human trafficking. It goes further by enforcing preventative measures to help ensure victims are not trafficked again.

H.R. 6552 programs are dedicated to education and offer innovative practices to help survivors navigate the pathway to self-sufficiency and recovery.

Too often women and girls who are victims of trafficking are arrested for crimes associated with their victimization, but they are treated as criminals and not victims in need of services.

I find these practices to be heinous, disgusting, and unconscionable.

A victim who has just been forced into the most vile, vicious, and vulnerable reality of being trafficked must not be treated as a criminal, just like the person who trafficked her.

It is almost inconceivable that this continues to occur in modern-day America. Yet, it is the actual reality for millions of trafficked women.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 6552.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7002, the Gateway Solidarity Act, which would authorize the illumination of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, by blue and yellow lights for a certain period of time to show support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

It has been five months since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the relentless pain caused to the Ukrainian people has not subsided.

Families are being separated by war, adults and children are being ruthlessly killed, and a rogue Russia is violently crushing political speech from its own citizens who oppose the war.

The threat and aggression by Russia has persisted despite global resistance.

This act of aggression on the part of Russia creates instability in the region and places at risk the over 70 years of global peace that followed World War II.

The lives of all Ukrainians matter at this moment, and we must do what we can while we can to stop Russia's assault on the people of Ukraine and its democratically elected government.

As President Biden so aptly stated, ``We either back the Ukrainian people as they defend their country or stand by as Russia continues its atrocities and aggression.''

The United States must continue to support Ukraine during their time of war.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 7002, the Gateway Solidarity Act.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Ukrainian people during their darkest hour.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support of H.R. 8404, the ``Respect for Marriage Act.''

This Act would enshrine in federal law marriage equality for same sex and interracial couples.

I would also repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 that problematically defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

The Supreme Court's backwards ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that was used to justify overturning the right to abortion could be weaponized in the future to strip away other fundamental rights, including the right to marriage equality.

In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its decisions protecting other fundamental rights, including the right to same-sex marriage recognized in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Although Justice Thomas conveniently chose not to mention the right to interracial marriage--a right he currently enjoys--that right relies on the same constitutional doctrines as the right to same-sex marriage, and therefore, could also be on the chopping block.

The Supreme Court's rulings in Loving v. Virginia, and Obergefell v. Hodges were founded on the promise of unenumerated rights and due process for all American people as guaranteed in the 9th and 14th Amendments of our Nation's Constitution.

The 9th Amendment states that the Federal Government does not retain final authority over rights not listed in the Constitution--including the right to marry someone regardless of their sex or race.

No, that very personal and intimate right, remains retained by the people.

Additionally, the 14th Amendment ensures that no right afforded to the American people can be taken away without due process of law, while also guaranteeing to all Americans that they shall have equal protection under the law.

Equal protection under the law.

The same law that applies to a Black man wishing to marry a Hispanic woman must be applied equally to an Indigenous woman wishing to marry a White woman, a nonbinary individual wishing to marry a man, and so on.

That is the constitutional promise in the United States.

Marriage equality is not a right that can be stripped away by a conservative faction of the United States Supreme Court, nor by extremist Republican legislators.

It is a fundamental aspect of our democracy.

The assurances of the 14th Amendment became part of our national governing documents as a protection against those who would use their power to wipe away the freedoms of others without restraint or consent of the governed.

It is unfortunate that we must rely on its strength again today.

The night before the Dobbs ruling, LGBTQI+ couples and people in interracial relationships went to sleep confident in the legality of their marriages.

They had no reason to believe that the next morning five individuals would pass a ruling

that would strip women of their right to abortion and threaten the legality of their marriage unions.

On June 24th, amidst the horror of the Court's ruling against abortion rights, innocent LGBTQI+, Black, and Brown people had to also grapple with the possibility that the legality of their marriages might be violently stripped away.

We cannot and will not allow Republican lawmakers and conservative Justices to toy with the rights of the American people.

That is why I strongly support the Respect for Marriage Act.

This act would ensure that an individual be considered married as long as the marriage was valid in the State where it was performed.

This ensures that same-sex and interracial couples would continue to enjoy equal treatment under Federal law--as the Constitution requires.

This bill would go further by officially repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

While the Supreme Court effectively rendered DOMA inert with its decision in Obergefell, this unconstitutional and discriminatory law, however, still officially remains on the books.

Therefore, H.R. 8404 would repeal DOMA once and for all.

The Respect for Marriage Act would also prohibit any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out- of-state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the individuals in the marriage.

It would also authorize the U.S. Attorney General to enforce these protections and would create recourses of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.

If conservative lawmakers and Justices want to wage war against human and civil rights, we are ready to meet them toe for toe.

We will meet them with the full strength of the United States Bill of Rights to defend the American people against discrimination and injustice.

We will not back down for marriage equality.

We will not back down for racial justice.

We will ensure equal rights for all American people.

I strongly put my full support behind H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7025, the ``Advancing Human Rights-Centered International Conservation Act of 2022.''

H.R. 7025 is a bipartisan effort instructing the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from funding entities that commit, fund, or support gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, and for other purposes.

This legislation provides procedures on how to identify human rights violators including:

A concrete framework of requirements for an international entity to apply for and receive a conservation grant.

Creating a Social Safeguards Plan that will implement appropriate human rights standards and prevent gross violations of internationally recognized human rights in connections with activities funded under the award.

Reporting requirement for grant recipients who stand accused of violating international human rights.

Generating a formal review process that would include an investigation and may require the grant recipient to address the alleged violation.

I applaud the efforts of my colleague, Congressman Grijalva and his office for uplifting this issue.

Through this effort, we are reminding the American people that the fight against environmental degradation must go hand in hand with Congress' commitment to uphold human rights across the globe.

I know firsthand the importance of environmental conservation efforts both at home and abroad.

In my home state of Texas, about 1,300 species of plants and animals are currently on the endangered list, diminishing our biodiversity.

Several economic sectors including agriculture depend on natural resources so we need to make sure that we are facing the effects of the climate crisis head-on.

These grants from the Fish and Wildlife Service will equip us with the tools to ensure clean air, land and water will be accessible to our children.

When enacted, H.R. 7025 will lay out a formal procedure to curtail those seeking financial assistance from the U.S. but clearly do not have a respect for human rights.

This legislation sends a clear message that recipients of conservation grants funded by the American taypayer must respect American values.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 7025 to confront those who continue to violate human rights around the world and uplift the democratic values we work to protect.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1130: Expressing support for the sovereign decision of Finland and Sweden to apply to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as calling on all members of NATO to ratify the protocols of accession swiftly.

The resolution expresses support for Finland and Sweden's historic decision to apply to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and opposes any attempt by the Russian government to obstruct Finland and Sweden's decision to apply to join NATO.

The bill also calls on the member states of NATO to formally support the accession of Finland and Sweden into the transatlantic alliance.

Finland and Sweden have worked with the NATO alliance for nearly thirty years, and they are widely regarded as capable security partners.

They joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1994 and both contributed personnel to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Iraq.

In 2014, they became two of just six Enhanced Opportunity Partners and have since worked to increase their militaries' ability to operate with NATO forces.

Sweden recently hosted more than a dozen NATO allies and Finland in BALTOPS 22, a major maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea.

Both nations are EU members and solid democracies with sophisticated economies, secure borders, and highly advanced militaries.

There is no question that Finland and Sweden are well-equipped to join NATO.

There is also no question that Russia's aggression will not diminish.

With a reported death toll of over 10,000 soldiers and civilians, there is no guarantee that nearby nations are safe from mass destruction.

Russia has a long history of invading and annexing bordering countries, which is all the more reason for fortifying the NATO alliance.

We must do everything in our power to put an end to the violence continually caused by Russia and bring back peace to the region.

Finnish and Swedish membership in NATO will stretch NATO's borders and bolster our collective defenses in northern Europe.

Finland shares an 830 mile border with Russia, which would more than double Russia's border with NATO.

Sweden's defense budget for 2022 is estimated to total $8.6 billion, while Finland's is $6.3 billion, according to the Global Firepower Index.

Both Sweden and Finland have announced plans to dramatically boost their military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 1130: Expressing support for the sovereign decision of Finland and Sweden to apply to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as calling on all members of NATO to ratify the protocols of accession swiftly.

Madam Speaker, my friends on the other side of the aisle must have amnesia. You know why we are on this floor today? Because of the Dobbs case from a runaway Supreme Court, dominated by Members who answered that they understood precedent in Roe v. Wade and ignored it.

I thank Congresswoman Manning and all of the cosponsors who recognize that we have to methodically protect women. Do you know what is happening to doctors? Every news station will have doctors on, frightened about what they should do about women's healthcare.

This is important legislation, Right to Contraception, because it does deal with menstrual regulation, endometriosis, or hormonal imbalance.

Teenagers are given this because of menstrual problems, but those who don't understand this, they are standing on the floor talking about this is a runaway bill.

If it is coronavirus, the monkey pox, or any other health matter, it is Democrats who are saving America. This legislation is definitely needed because the Supreme Court has trampled on the Constitution, trampled on the Ninth Amendment, trampled on equal protection under the law.

I support H.R. 8373. The women who are in need, who are vulnerable, who are individuals, who are minority women need this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support of H.R. 8373, the ``Right to Contraception Act.''

H.R. 8373 would expressly assert the right of an individual to obtain and utilize contraception.

This would include any FDA approved device or medication used to prevent pregnancy, whether specifically used for that goal, or for other health needs like menstrual regulation, endometriosis, or hormonal imbalance.

Additionally, the ``Right to Contraception Act'' would outline the rights of healthcare providers to prescribe and dispense contraceptives and relevant information to patients.

This bill would require lawmakers who attempt to place additional requirements on providers or access to contraception to prove that the requirement significantly advances access to contraceptives and that access could not be better achieved by other methods.

Birth control pills, IUDs, and other forms of contraception are all forms of safe and essential healthcare.

They are central to women's ability to participate equally in the workplace, in academia, and in society.

The right to contraceptives has long been an expectation held by the American people.

In 1965, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Griswald v. Connecticut affirmed a married couple's right to birth control. In 1972, Eisenstadt v. Baird protected that right for single people. Then in 1977, the right to contraception for minors was secured in Carey v. Population Services International.

For more than 50 years, the right to contraception has been settled law.

That is, until the Supreme Court's recent ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, when five conservative Justices chose to let their personal opinions and beliefs supersede decades of established precedent by overturning women's right to abortion.

Since then, the American people have witnessed the abhorrent consequences of Republicans' radical agenda to criminalize women's reproductive health decisions.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas made it very clear that the extremist ruling that ended Roe v. Wade could be used to chop away at other rights--including the right to access contraception.

Reproductive rights opponents are now including emergency contraception, IUDs, and other forms of birth control in their anti- abortion legislation.

These anti-abortion laws shackle women to unwanted pregnancies.

Conservative lawmakers now seek to stop women from exerting agency over the prevention of pregnancy, as well.

If a woman is not permitted to end a pregnancy, and she is not permitted to prevent a pregnancy, I ask you, what rights to her body does she have left?

The ability to make personal choices about one's own body is the most basic of fundamental human rights.

That right is engraved into the very foundation of our Nation and inked into the hallowed lines of the U.S. Constitution.

Do we not uphold our Constitution for its promise of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?

How then, can we withhold those rights from half of our population by robbing women of agency over their bodies?

In 1965, the United States Supreme Court made the 7-2 Griswold v. Connecticut ruling that established the right for married couples to utilize contraception.

This decision was not determined by the personal belief systems of those Justices nor their approval or disapproval of contraception.

No, the right to access contraception was upheld by the promise of unenumerated rights and due process for all American people--as outlined in the United States Bill of Rights.

As my colleagues know, the 9th Amendment states that the federal government does not retain final authority over the rights that are not listed in the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights does not exhaust all the rights retained by the people.

Instead, those undocumented rights belong to the people, as does the right to contraception.

Also, as a hallmark of democracy, the 14th Amendment ensures that no right afforded to the American people can be taken away without due process of law, while also guaranteeing all Americans that they shall have equal protection under the law.

The assurances of the 14th Amendment became part of our national governing documents as a protection against those who would use their power to wipe away the freedoms of others without restraint or consent of the governed.

Unfortunately, it is just as necessary and relevant today as it was when it was ratified in 1868.

Even before the barbaric Dobbs ruling, conservative lawmakers across the country have been moving to limit women's ability to make decisions about their own healthcare and bodies.

In 2021 alone, at least 4 states attempted to ban access to some or all contraceptives by restricting public funding for these products and services.

Those laws work in conjunction with actions conservative legislators in red states have taken to curtail funding for family planning services at reproductive health centers like Planned Parenthood.

Such actions would limit access to birth control, particularly for Black and Brown low-income women.

A 2010 study found that access to contraceptive care resulted in approximately one million fewer unplanned conceptions per year.

That is one million fewer children born into families who are unprepared to support them.

When access to contraceptives is limited, more children are born into lives of difficulty and hardship.

After Texas Republicans excluded Planned Parenthood from its public family planning program for low-income women, there was a 35 percent drop in prescriptions for long-acting, reversible contraceptives and a 31 percent drop in the use of injectable contraceptives.

This caused a more than 25 percent increase in unintended births-- largely among Black and Brown low-income women.

H.R. 8373, the ``Right to Contraception Act,'' would help ensure that children are born into families who are eager, equipped, and prepared for their arrival.

We cannot allow human rights to be so callously stripped away from the American people.

We must fight back and codify these rights into law.

Contraception allows individuals, couples, and families to be in control of their own futures.

Contraception can allow a young woman to achieve her dreams of earning a college degree.

It can allow a young couple to prioritize their careers before raising a child.

It can allow parents to focus their financial and emotional resources on the care of a special needs son or daughter.

It is a tool that allows those who wish to become parents, and those who do not, the agency to make the decision that is best for them.

The Right to Contraception Act asserts that we will no longer allow the human rights of women to be infringed.

If conservative legislators and conservative Justices intend to continue to attempt to limit access to reproductive rights, we will fight back.

We will not allow women to be regulated like reproductive chattel.

American women deserve to have the final authority over their own bodies and their own lives, including whether or not to become pregnant and become a parent.

Contraception is on the front lines of this battle.

That is why I support H.R. 8373, the ``Right to Contraception Act'', and encourage my colleagues to do so as well.

Mr. Speaker, over this past week, we have had to raise concerns about whether the Constitution still stood strong. I am glad that we have worked hard to ensure the Ninth Amendment and the equal protection of the law are viable parts of American society and constitutional rights.

I rise today to promote H.R. 40, the Commission to Study Slavery and Develop Reparation Proposals, as a way of redress, repair, and restoration for the 246 years of slavery.

I think it is important and an important moment for the country to pause and understand this historic moment in our history, the contributions that slaves made, including building this very place, the United States Capitol and the White House, and, as well, the economic engine that they created when making cotton king--never to be compensated, never to be provided for, but still turned into patriots that fought in every world war.

It is crucial that we move expeditiously to establish this commission to tell their story and to work on the restoration of the disparities that are found in the African-American community from east to west and north to south.

I cannot think of a reason why this House and this administration would not want to move on something as embracing as H.R. 40. Let's move it now.

Madam Speaker, let me rise in support of and with rebuttal to my good friend, my other good friend from Pennsylvania.

It is well-known that the appropriations process is an investment in America, and so I rise to support the appropriations that will be presented to us in this rule T-HUD, Agriculture, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Interior, Military Construction, and Veterans.

I ask the question: Is anyone going to suggest that our military personnel do not need better housing, better schools, better facilities, and bases, both in the United States and across the world?

And so, investment in the American people I will never run away from, and I hope the Senate does not, as well.

And on the question of inflation, I want to remind my good friend from Pennsylvania, my other good friend, that the prices of gas at the pump are going down, because inflation is not pertaining to one administration; it is continuing. And the past administration dug the hole of the inflation that we are now in today.

I also want to make sure that every aspect of reproductive freedom is protected, and the contraceptive legislation should be strongly supported because people are running for their lives. Women are running for their lives because they do not have the lack of fear that they could be arrested; that they could be stopped; or a doctor could say: I am sorry, I cannot help you in your desperate time of need.

This rule is very important, and I support the underlying bills.

And finally, let me--as I was here, as we debated this concept of whether or not you are free in your private rights to make a decision of who you love, I support H.R. 8404 the rule provides for this because it says the ``full faith and credit given to marriage equality.''

I want the LGBTQ community in Houston to hear me, the caucus to hear me, we are hearing your voices as well. And I want you to know that this bill includes, for the purpose of Federal law, rule, or regulation in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the State where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any State, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into, it is safe.

I believe this law is key to rejecting the interpretation of Justice Clarence Thomas, who indicated, or speculated, that other provisions or rights under privacy may be in jeopardy.

We should not jeopardize someone's right to love who they want to love, interracial marriages, marriages of any kind. And I support the Respect for Marriage Act and the underlying rule. I thank the gentlewoman for her graciousness.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of this legislation and the leadership of our chairman, and, as well, the millions of families that are, in fact, families.

My good friend from Ohio started out with the litany of violence, of which none of us stands for, we abhor violence. We believe in the freedom of speech and the right to petition. There are countless acts of violence against those who are seeking reproductive freedom and countless acts of violence against the LGBTQ community.

Listen to the violence against transgender parents just trying to help their children, or the violence that started in the early days of this community seeking their freedom and their rights. I know it well from the LGBTQ+ community in Houston and

the Caucus and the leaders who started out in those early years. I know that they suffered from just the simple position that they were different.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Constitution of the United States of America because that is what the Respect for Marriage Act exemplifies. It exemplifies a recognition of the Constitution. As the legislation says, the full credit and faith to marriage equality.

I believe that our friends have gotten it wrong. There is a constitutional right to privacy. And morally there is a right to love who you love and to establish a family as you desire.

It is horrific to believe that with the elimination of the precedent of 50 years of Roe v. Wade, one Justice decided to say, wait, there may be more. There may be an ending to marriage equality. There may be an ending to any number of constitutional rights.

Well, I am here today to say, I support enthusiastically H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying the constitutional right to privacy and the constitutional right to marriage.

Mr. Speaker, over and over again, I would ask my colleagues to vote for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support of H.R. 8404, the ``Respect for Marriage Act.''

This Act would enshrine in federal law marriage equality for same sex and interracial couples.

It would also repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 that problematically defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

The Supreme Court's backwards ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that was used to justify overturning the right to abortion could be weaponized in the future to strip away other fundamental rights, including the right to marriage equality.

In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its decisions protecting other fundamental rights, including the right to same-sex marriage recognized in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Although Justice Thomas conveniently chose not to mention the right to interracial marriage--a right he currently enjoys--that right relies on the same constitutional doctrines as the right to same-sex marriage, and, therefore, could also be on the chopping block.

The night before the Dobbs ruling, LGBTQI+ couples and people in interracial relationships went to sleep confident in the legality of their marriages.

They had no reason to believe that the next morning five individuals would pass a ruling that would strip women of their right to abortion and threaten the legality of their marriage unions.

On June 24th, amidst the horror of the Court's ruling against abortion rights, innocent LGBTQI+, Black, and Brown people had to also grapple with the possibility that the legality of their marriages might be violently stripped away.

We cannot and will not allow Republican lawmakers and Conservative Justices to toy with the rights of the American people.

That is why I strongly support the Respect for Marriage Act.

This act would ensure that an individual be considered married as long as the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed.

This ensures that same-sex and interracial couples would continue to enjoy equal treatment under federal law--as the Constitution requires.

This bill would go further by officially repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

While the Supreme Court effectively rendered DOMA inert with its decision in Obergefell, this unconstitutional and discriminatory law, however, still officially remains on the books.

Therefore, H.R. 8404 would repeal DOMA once and for all.

The Respect for Marriage Act would also prohibit any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out- of-state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the individuals in the marriage.

It would also authorize the U.S. Attorney General to enforce these protections and would create recourses of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.

If conservative lawmakers and Justices want to wage war against human and civil rights, we are ready to meet them toe for toe.

We will not back down for marriage equality.

We will not back down for racial justice.

We will ensure equal rights for all American people.

I strongly put my full support behind H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.