Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege of serving in this august body, and serving the American people and the people of the 18th Congressional District.

Just a few minutes ago, I was at Arlington Cemetery participating in the wreath-laying ceremony for the women of the United States military, those who have fallen in battle, and recognizing young and new women members of the United States military.

In fact, Sergeant Kelly, whom I honored, is in combat, having been given permission to be engaged in combat since 2015 by the Pentagon and the United States Defense Department. That means that I have the greatest respect for all of these men and women and take very seriously the issues of war and peace.

I was here in the United States Congress during the heinous and devastating attack on this Nation on 9/11. I was here for Afghanistan and Iraq, the Kosovo war, the Bosnian war. Every one of those war zones I visited. I saw the men and women sacrifice. I take very seriously this issue of war.

I am very concerned with the efforts now in the waters in the Mideast, with the intelligence that is alleged by the administration that is coming and this saber-rattling that is occurring, because the lives of our men and women will be put in harm's way.

Congress must be engaged, and I demand that, beyond the immediate

briefing today, the Members of the United States Congress, those who care about national security, homeland security, be briefed as to why our vessels are there, others are headed there, and the allegations or suggestion that 120,000 troops will be moving in that direction.

America is strong. We have no fear, but we have always been a defender, not an offender. Iran is not just any old country in the Mideast. Shamefully, we disengaged from the Iran nuclear deal--wrong decision, evidenced by what is happening today.

You cannot backdoor conversations. You have to show yourself willing to negotiate with leaders from the position of facts and knowledge.

I can't stomach the frivolous engagements and noninformation that is translating into our men and women put in harm's way. We must be involved and engaged.

So I ask the administration to do so posthaste. I ask that we move forward with knowledge of what is going on, and each and every Member of this body and the other body should be knowledgeable about this point.

I return to a local issue that has bothered me, and as a member of the Judiciary Committee, I want the family of Pamela Turner, who is now deceased, to know that I stand with them.

I do not give a blanket assessment of the great law enforcement we have in this Nation, but I am appalled at the shooting death of an African American woman, Black woman, shot down in cold blood in the streets.

Yes, this lady was walking her dogs in her apartment complex. There are suggestions that this individual was well-known to police and that there were some mental health issues, something that we have to fight against and give resources. Unfortunately, she was with warrants.

I have no quarrel with people doing their job; but you are in your home, your apartment, walking your dogs, any other means could have been utilized to pick you up on warrants. You are not going anywhere. We know your address. Through an unfortunate interaction, altercation, the gun was taken out by a law enforcement officer, and she was shot five times--not once to wound, but five times.

So this requires, for the comity of relationships and respect, a full Federal and State investigation--we cannot hide--just as I have indicated that shooting on Harding Street, recently, by officers requires a thorough and full investigation, which is going on right now.

So I would simply say that because we are the land of the free and the brave, we are adherents to the Constitution and democracy and dignity and justice for all, this is an untenable and unacceptable act, that I could be walking my dogs, unarmed, and I proceed into an unfortunate circumstance which included a Taser, but then it results in the absolute ending of my life, and I may be a person who needed mental health assistance.

I am deeply troubled to learn of the death of the Pamela Shantay Turner, who was shot and killed by a Baytown Police Officer. She was a mother of three children, and she died the day after Mother's Day.

In the investigation following Ms. Turner's death, the officer indicated that he was patrolling as part of his duty, and recognized Ms. Turner from ``prior dealings'' and proceeded to commence an arrest but she resisted. Nothing in the record suggests any wrongdoing by Ms. Turner prior to this chance encounter with Baytown Police. Reports suggest the officer attempted to arrest Ms. Turner. The officer alleges Ms. Turner reached for his Taser and a lieutenant with the Baytown police claims that Ms. Turner actually tased the officer. According to the Baytown Police Department, the officer fired his duty weapon and struck multiple rounds at Ms. Turner. The shooting was recorded by a civilian and caught on cell phone video. After her death, it was revealed that Ms. Turner suffers from serious mental ailment. Prior to her death, Ms. Turner, 44, was heard stating that she was pregnant. After her death, this was determined not to be the case.

I stand with the family of Pamela Turner. We must get to the truth; the facts and we will not relent until justice is served. The circumstances surrounding Ms. Turner's death are shocking and I demand a state and federal inquiry into her death. First, what predicate did the officer involved have in detaining Ms. Turner? Why were no efforts made to deescalate the controversy so that it did not end in a loss of life? And, if Ms. Turner was known to law enforcement in prior dealings, did they not also know about her mental state? In recent months, we have seen too many instances of these types of killings. During National Police Week we honor our officers and I abhor attacks on our brave law enforcement personnel. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I look forward to working with law enforcement to protect justly our citizens and them. This disturbing act should not have happened and should never be repeated.

Mr. Speaker, let me, too, add my appreciation and congratulations to Head Start, a very viable program, not only in my district, as I watched little children become empowered with education, but also around the Nation. I congratulate all of those who were engaged in its beginning, and I thank them for their brilliance and their leadership.

I rise today to say that we are troubled because the work of this body is to legislate on behalf of the people of the United States. We are, in fact, the people's House, and we have done our work. We have passed disaster funding.

Those of us who are, if you will, the remnants of various hurricanes in the 2017 season--in particular, those that impacted the East Coast, Puerto Rico, Houston, and the State of Texas--are waiting for disaster funding, which we have done.

We are waiting for the Violence Against Women Act to be passed. We are waiting for the universal background checks to be passed. We are waiting for protecting people against losing their preexisting condition coverage and, of course, lowering prescription drugs to pass. All that has been passed in this House.

We are waiting as we begin to debate the Equality Act that will have a blind eye to anyone's difference and be able to celebrate them and support them without discrimination.

Where is the other body? Why haven't they passed a bill in 3 months? Why can't we do the work for the American people?

It is time to get the job done.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to rise and support, enthusiastically, H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act.

This omnibus bill combines three key bills to lower drug costs by promoting generic competition--long overdue--and four key bills to strengthen healthcare, reverse the GOP sabotage, and rescind the Trump administration's devastating junk plan rule.

I know full well what happens when individuals are impacted by junk plans, and they don't have the courage they need. I encourage my good friends on the other side of the aisle to drop politics and join with us to pass this legislation.

This omnibus bill invests most of the savings of $13.8 billion created by its cracking down on junk plans into strengthening healthcare, which will fund about 500,000 additional enrollees into non-group coverage and Medicaid.

Let me say to you, in 2017, due to the direct interference by the Trump administration, the number of uninsured people increased by 700,000, the first increase since implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

I know full well that Texas, which is the number one State in the number of uninsured, is experiencing the devastation of not having the expanded Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act at its fullest.

We had a roundtable discussion with people who experience diabetes. Insulin is going through the roof. These people are suffering. The average uninsured resident in my congressional district pays 23 times more for a form of insulin than people living in Australia, 15 times more than they would in the United Kingdom, and 13 times more than they would in Canada.

Let's protect those with preexisting conditions, and let's pass this bill to bring down these drugs and save the lives of our constituents.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Cost Act.

This is an omnibus bill that includes the:

H.R. 938, The BLOCKING (Bringing Low-Cost Options and Competition While Keeping Incentives for New Generics) Act;

H.R. 1499, Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs of 2019;

H.R. 965, The CREATES (Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples) Act; and

H.R. 1010, Rescinding Trump Administration's Final Rule Promoting Junk Insurance Plans.

This omnibus bill invests most of the savings of $13.8 billion created by its cracking down on junk plans into strengthening health care, which will fund about 500,000 additional enrollees in nongroup coverage and Medicaid.

Health care should be a fundamental right for all Americans.

This is why I introduced the Breath of Fresh Air Act, which establishes a Department of Education grant program to be used by local education agencies for the purchase of nebulizers for use in elementary and secondary schools and secured passage of Amendments to the Commerce Justice State spending bills that preserve and expand upon green spaces needed to reduce the worse symptoms of respiratory illnesses.

Each Congress I have secured adoption of amendments to Department of Defense Appropriations and Authorization Bills that increase funding for triple negative breast cancer research and treatment.

I am an original sponsor of H.R. 366, the Insulin Access for All Act of 2019, which addresses the extreme financial hardship most vulnerable Americans face and too many may face untimely deaths due to insulin rationing.

Last month, I held a forum in my Congressional district in Houston Texas that engaged physicians, patients, public health officials in a discussion about the high cost of insulin.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) led to historic gains in health insurance coverage by extending Medicaid coverage to many low-income individuals and providing Marketplace subsidies for individuals below 400 percent, of poverty.

The number of uninsured nonelderly Americans decreased from over 44 million in 2013, the year before major provisions of the ACA went into effect, to just below 27 million in 2016.

Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has been doing all that it can to undermine the ACA and deny deserving Americans access to affordable health insurance.

In 2017, due to direct interference by the Trump Administration the number of uninsured people increased by nearly 700,000 people, the first increase since implementation of the ACA.

One of the most difficult challenges are the hurdles to healthcare created by lack of health insurance and the expense of prescription medication.

In 2017, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than government coverage, at 67.2 percent and 37.7 percent, respectively.

Of the subtypes of health insurance coverage, employer-based insurance was the most common, covering 56 percent of the population for some or all of the calendar year, followed by Medicaid (19.3 percent), Medicare (17.2 percent), direct-purchase coverage (16.0 percent), and military coverage (4.8 percent).

Unfortunately, the state of Texas remains the state with the most uninsured persons at 17 percent because it refuses to accept federal Medicaid funding to cover the poorest residents of the state.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in four people taking prescription drugs report difficulty affording their medication.

In 2017, diabetes contributed to the death of 277,000 Americans--and was the primary cause of death for 85,000 of those individuals.

That same year diagnosed diabetes cost the United States an estimated $327 billion--including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in productivity losses.

Diabetes drugs, including insulin and oral medications that regulate blood sugar levels, play a critical role in helping people with diabetes manage their condition and reduce the risk of diabetes-related health complications.

After the Democrats took control of the House in January we got to work on a report on the high cost of insulin and we determined that the Americans with diabetes are in crisis.

Insulin--used by approximately 7.5 million Americans to treat their diabetes--was discovered nearly a century ago by Canadian researchers Frederick Banting, Charles Best, J.B. Collip, and J.J.R. Macleod, who assigned their patent to the University of Toronto with the goal of making the medication widely available.

The researchers charged $3.00 to transfer ownership of insulin to the University of Toronto.

Even though analog insulin has been on the market for nearly 30 years, it has no meaningful generic competition.

Over the past two decades, manufacturers have systematically and dramatically raised the prices of their insulin products by more than tenfold--often in lockstep.

These prices dwarf manufacturing costs.

One study found manufacturers could charge as little as $7 to $11 per month for insulin and still make a profit.

In recent years, the high prices of diabetes drugs have placed a tremendous strain on diabetes patients as well as the federal government, which provides diabetes medications to more than 43 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Reva Verma, is a type 1 diabetic who faces firsthand the struggles of managing diabetes in an era of skyrocketing insulin prices.

Diabetes is a life-threatening disease that disproportionately affects communities of color.

Diabetes is associated with serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke, kidney failure, and blindness.

There are 15,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the Eighteenth Congressional District who have been diagnosed with diabetes.

These individuals are my constituents and I know that on average, each of them pay 4.8 times the cost of similar medication in Australia, 3.6 times the cost in the United Kingdom, and 2.6 times the cost in Canada.

Additionally, in the Eighteenth Congressional District, there are 191,000 uninsured residents in this district and, because they lack insurance, they often pay significantly more than their insured counterpart, or any patient overseas.

The average uninsured resident in my congressional district pays 23 more times for a form of insulin than people living in Australia, 15 more times than they would in the United Kingdom, and 13 more times than they would in Canada.

The consequences of these staggering costs are not benign.

Many patients often speak of having to make heart-wrenching decisions about what to buy with the commonly fixed incomes attendant to seniors.

Many medical professionals indicate that the high prices for prescription drugs are a function of a lack of competition, and authorizing Medicare to create a program to negotiate drug prices may be an estimable way to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

All told this reflects a disturbing trend: in our country, the cost of branded drugs tends to go up, whereas in other countries, the costs tend to go down.

These high prices lead many people to ration or stop taking their medications, which can result in serious health complications and even death, as the Energy and Commerce Committee heard in direct testimony earlier this year.

The prices of diabetes medications--and insulin in particular--are far higher in the United States than they are overseas, in part because certain federal programs lack the authority to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers.

The Democratic majority came into office with a promise to the American people, to make sure that they had affordable and dependable healthcare.

Today, we are delivering on that promise, not just for persons with diabetes but for all Americans who have pre-existing conditions that require medication management.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Law Enforcement Caucus and a senior member of the Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security, I rise to commemorate National Police Week, which runs from May 12 through May 18, 2019.

It is altogether fitting and proper that we do this.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is the nation's monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.

Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the Memorial honors federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our nation and its people.

Carved on its walls are the names of 21,910 officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the first known death in 1791.

Added to the Wall this year will be the names of the 158 police officers killed in the line of duty in 2018.

Madam Speaker, enshrined on the Memorial Wall of Honor also are the names of 1,751 fallen peace officers from the state of Texas, the most of any state, including 115 members of the Houston Police Department who gave their lives to keep their city safe.

Madam Speaker, today there are more than 900,000 law enforcement personnel serving the people of our country, the highest amount ever.

About 12 percent of them are female.

These brave men and women risk their lives to keep the peace and keep us safe, but they are too often taken by the violence they are working to prevent.

Every year, a law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in the United States every 55 hours, and there are also 60,211 assaults against our law officers each year, resulting in 17,476 injuries.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas in paying tribute to the 158 fallen heroes who will be joining the 21,910 gallant men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion to the communities they took an oath to protect and serve.

Madam Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in memory of the 158 officers who died in the line of duty in 2018 and an additional 213 officers who died in previous years but whose story had been lost to history, the names of all of whom will be added to the National Peace Officers Memorial Wall of Honor.

Houston Law Enforcement Officers Memorialized on the Wall of Honor

1. Timothy Scott Abernethy; End of Watch: December 7, 2008;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

2. Charles H. Baker; End of Watch: August 16, 1979;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

3. Johnny Terrell Bamsch; End of Watch: January 30, 1975;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

4. Claude R. Beck; End of Watch: December 10, 1971;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

5. Jack B. Beets; End of Watch: March 30, 1955; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

6. TROY A. BLANDO; End of Watch: May 19, 1999; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

7. James Charles Boswell; End of Watch: December 9, 1989;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

8. C.E. Branon; End of Watch: March 20, 1959; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

9. John M. Cain; End of Watch: August 3, 1911; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

10. Richard H. Calhoun; End of Watch: October 10, 1975;

Houston Texas Police Department.

11. Dionicio M. Camacho; End of Watch: October 23, 2009;

Harris County, Texas, S.O.

12. Henry Canales; End of Watch: June 23, 2009; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

13. Frank Manuel Cantu, Jr.; End of Watch: March 25, 2004;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

14. E.C. Chavez; End of Watch: September 17, 1925; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

15. Charles Roy Clark; End of Watch: April 3, 2003;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

16. Charles Robert Coates II; End of Watch: February 23,

1983; Houston, Texas, P.D.

17. Pete Corrales; End of Watch: January 25, 1925; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

18. Rufus E. Daniels; End of Watch: August 23, 1917;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

19. Johnnie Davidson; End of Watch: February 19, 1921;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

20. Worth Davis; End of Watch: June 17, 1928; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

21. Keith Alan Dees; End of Watch: March 7, 2002; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

22. Reuben Becerra Deleon; End of Watch: October 26, 2005;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

23. William Edwin DeLeon; End of Watch: March 29, 1982;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

24. Floyd T. Deloach, Jr.; End of Watch: June 30, 1965;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

25. George D. Edwards; End of Watch: June 30, 1939;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

26. Dawn Suzanne Erickson; End of Watch: December 24, 1995;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

27. J.C. Etheridge; End of Watch: August 23, 1924; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

28. James E. Fenn; End of Watch: March 14, 1891; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

29. E.D. Fitzgerald; End of Watch: September 30, 1930;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

30. C. Edward Foley; End of Watch: March 10, 1860; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

31. Joseph Robert Free; End of Watch: October 18, 1912;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

32. Guy P. Gaddis; End of Watch: January 31, 1994; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

33. James T. Gambill; End of Watch: December 1, 1936;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

34. Florentino M. Garcia, Jr.; End of Watch: November 10,

1989; Houston, Texas, P.D.

35. Ben Eddie Gerhart; End of Watch: June 26, 1968;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

36. G.Q. Gonzalez; End of Watch: February 28, 1960;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

37. Charles R. Gougenheim; End of Watch: April 30, 1955;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

38. Carl Greene; End of Watch: March 14, 1928; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

39. Leon Griggs; End of Watch: January 31, 1970; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

40. Maria Michelle Groves; End of Watch: April 10, 1987;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

41. Gary Allen Gryder; End of Watch: June 29, 2008;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

42. Antonio Guzman, Jr.; End of Watch: January 9, 1973;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

43. Howard B. Hammond; End of Watch: August 18, 1946;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

44. James Donald Harris; End of Watch: July 13, 1982;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

45. David Michael Healy; End of Watch: November 12, 1994;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

46. Timothy A. Hearn; End of Watch: June 8, 1978; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

47. Oscar Hope; End of Watch: June 22, 1929; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

48. Elston M. Howard; End of Watch: July 20, 1988; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

49. David Huerta; End of Watch: September 19, 1973;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

50. James Bruce Irby; End of Watch: June 27, 1990; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

51. Bobby L. James; End of Watch: June 26, 1968; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

52. John C. James; End of Watch: December 12, 1901;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

53. Rodney Joseph Johnson; End of Watch: September 21,

2006; Houston, Texas, P.D.

54. Ed Jones; End of Watch: September 13, 1929; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

55. P.P. Jones; End of Watch: January 30, 1927; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

56. Frank L. Kellogg; End of Watch: November 30, 1955;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

57. S.A. Buster Kent; End of Watch: January 12, 1954;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

58. James F. Kilty; End of Watch: April 8, 1976; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

59. Kent Dean Kincaid; End of Watch: May 23, 1998; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

60. Louis R. Kuba; End of Watch: May 17, 1967; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

61. J.D. Landry; End of Watch: December 3, 1930; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

62. Robert Wayne Lee; End of Watch: January 31, 1971;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

63. Fred Maddox, Jr.; End of Watch: February 24, 1954;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

64. Eydelmen Mani; End of Watch: May 19, 2010; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

65. A.P. Marshall; End of Watch: November 8, 1937; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

66. Charles R. McDaniel; End of Watch: August 4, 1963;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

67. E.G. Meinke; End of Watch: August 23, 1917; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

68. Harry Mereness; End of Watch: October 18, 1933;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

69. Noel R. Miller; End of Watch: June 6, 1958; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

70. Kenneth L. Moody; End of Watch: November 26, 1969;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

71. Horace Moody; End of Watch: August 23, 1917; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

72. William Moss; End of Watch: September 12, 1983; Houston

Airport Police, Texas

73. Dave Murdock; End of Watch: June 27, 1921; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

74. William E. Murphy; End of Watch: April 1, 1910;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

75. David Franklin Noel; End of Watch: June 17, 1972;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

76. M.E. Palmer; End of Watch: March 24, 1938; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

77. Isaac Parson; End of Watch: May 24, 1914; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

78. Ross Patton; End of Watch: August 23, 1917; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

79. Stephen Albert Perez; End of Watch: August 27, 2017;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

80. W.B. Phares; End of Watch: September 30, 1930; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

81. Herbert N,Planer; End of Watch: February 18, 1965.

Houston, Texas, P.D.

82. Ira Raney; End of Watch: August 23, 1917; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

83. Winston J. Rawlings; End of Watch: March 29, 1982;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

84. Jerry Lawrence Riley; End of Watch: June 18, 1974;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

85. John Charles Risley; End of Watch: October 23, 2000;

Harris County, Texas, S.O.

86. Sandra Ann Robbins; End of Watch: March 17, 1991; South

Houston, Texas, P.D.

87. George G. Rojas; End of Watch: January 28, 1976;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

88. Michael P. Roman; End of Watch: January 6, 1994;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

89. John Anthony Salvaggio; End of Watch: November 25,

1990; Houston, Texas, P.D.

90. Louis L. Sander; End of Watch: January 21, 1967;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

91. Jeffery Scott Sanford; End of Watch: September 14,

1991; Harris County, Texas, S.O.

92. Kathleen C. Schaefer; End of Watch: August 18, 1982;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

93. Robert Schultea; End of Watch: August 25, 1956;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

94. Daryl Wayne Shirley; End of Watch: April 28, 1982;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

95. Richard Snow; End of Watch: March 17, 1882; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

96. Bruno David Soboleski; End of Watch: April 12, 1991;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

97. Jerry Leon Spruill; End of Watch: October 27, 1972;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

98. R.H. Sullivan; End of Watch: March 9, 1935; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

99. John W, Suttle; End of Watch: August 3, 1959; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

100. Cuong Huy Trinh; End of Watch: April 6, 1997; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

101. Alberto Vasquez; End of Watch: May 22, 2001; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

102. James T. Walker; End of Watch: March 8, 1963. Houston,

Texas, P.D.

103. Victor R. Wells III; End of Watch: October 2, 1980;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

104. R.O. Wells; End of Watch: July 30, 1927; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

105. Albert Charles Wilkins; End of Watch: January 6, 1978;

Harris County, Texas, C.O.

106. Kevin Scott Will; End of Watch: May 29, 2011; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

107. Henry Williams; End of Watch: February 8, 1886;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

108. William C. Williams Jr; End of Watch: April 16, 1930;

Harris County, Texas, S.O.

109. Edd Williams; End of Watch: January 12, 1974; Harris

County, Texas, S.O.

110. James Franklin Willis; End of Watch: July 1, 1964;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

111. Marvin Alton Winter; End of Watch: December 4, 1937;

Harris County, Texas, C.O., Pct. 4

112. Andrew Winzer; End of Watch: February 18, 1988;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

113. Jeter Young; End of Watch: June 19, 1921; Houston,

Texas, P.D.

114. Herman Youngst; End of Watch: December 12, 1901;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

115. Joe A. Zamarron; End of Watch: April 18, 1981;

Houston, Texas, P.D.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule governing debate of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, and the underlying legislation.

I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation and I commend once more the tireless work of my colleague, the gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Cicilline.

I was proud to stand by him at its introduction, and championed it during our hearing on the matter in this committee, the first such hearing on the matter, for which I would also like to commend the Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jerry Nadler.

Much has changed in recent years about Americans' attitude towards members of the LGBTQ community.

While Americans can be happy that we as a society have made strides in marriage equality, there is much work to do.

Despite significant legal advances over the past several years-- including marriage equality, LGBTQ Americans remain vulnerable to discrimination on a daily basis and too often have little recourse.

Fifty percent of the national LGBTQ community live in states where, though they have the right to marry, they have no explicit non- discrimination protections in other areas of daily life.

In most states, a same-sex couple can get married one day and legally denied service at a restaurant, be fired from their jobs or evicted from their apartment the next.

The Equality Act is historic legislation that says, unequivocally, that LGBTQ Americans deserve the full protections guaranteed by the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Equality Act extends anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Americans with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, and public accommodations.

No American should ever be treated as less than equal in the eyes of the law.

The Equality Act will guarantee that LGBTQ Americans in Texas and across the country cannot be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love.

It is long past time for this legislation to become law and that is why I proudly joined my colleagues today to get the job done.

In some areas, federal law prohibiting sex discrimination has already been properly interpreted by federal courts and administrative agencies to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Equality Act affirms these interpretations of existing law and makes the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity explicit, in order to provide greater clarity to members of the public, employers, schools, businesses and others.

In areas where sex discrimination is not already prohibited, the bill amends existing law to bar discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as sexual orientation and gender identity.

The need for this legislation is all the more urgent following recent news that the Supreme Court has granted a writ of Certiorari to a trio of three cases to test the reach of the Civil Rights act to determine if they cover gay and transgendered individuals.

With the political reality on the Court as it is, this body--the House of Representatives--owes it to our constituents to ensure that critical issues related to the civil rights of our fellow citizens are handled by their elected representatives, and not left to the whims of a reconstituted Trump Court demonstrably antagonistic towards the interests of minorities.

This is why the Equality Act has the bipartisan support of Members of Congress, the strong support of the business community, and the overwhelming support of the American people--with more than 7 in 10 supporting the Equality Act.

On behalf of LGBTQ Texans and all Americans, I am proud to be one of the original co-sponsors of H.R. 5, the Equality Act.

I look forward to voting YES when it comes to the House Floor, tomorrow and working towards full enactment.

With this critical legislation, we will finally, fully end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, and move our nation closer to fulfilling the promise of equality, opportunity and justice for every American.

In the meanwhile, I support the rule governing debate of H.R. 5 and the underlying legislation.

The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. Cole is as follows:

Amendment to House Resolution 377

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 4. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the

House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the

bill (H.R. 336) to make improvements to certain defense and

security assistance provisions and to authorize the

appropriation of funds to Israel, to reauthorize the United

States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015, and to halt

the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, and for other

purposes. All points of order against consideration of the

bill are waived. The amendment described in section 5 of this

resolution shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as

amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order

against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The

previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill,

as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final

passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of

debate equally divided and controlled by the Majority Leader

and the Minority Leader or their respective designees; and

(2) one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Sec. 5. The amendment referred to in Section 4 is an

amendment to H.R. 336 to add at the end of the bill the

following:

``SEC. 406. CLARIFICATION OF DEADLINE FOR REPORT ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the story, very briefly, of little 4-year-old Maleah Davis, who has now been missing for almost 2 weeks.

Just a few days ago, it was said that her dad was taking her and her younger brother to the airport. All of a sudden, he says she was kidnapped.

This is a little girl who was taken away from this family by CPS last year and, unfortunately, returned to that family by a judge at the beginning of this year. The little girl was abused and had brain surgery.

All of a sudden, after being kidnapped, the story that was told by the father was that he was unconscious from Friday to Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

My heart has gone out to that family and that little girl.

I thank law enforcement in Texas and in Houston, along with Texas EquuSearch and other volunteers who poured their hearts out to find this little girl.

We now know that this individual is under arrest. Blood has been found in the apartment. Other items or activity suggest that maybe that wasn't the true story.

I believe, as the chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, we must define how CPS returns children to their families, and there must be national standards.

I pray for the little girl, and I pray for those who love her.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019.

This bill is a comprehensive emergency disaster supplemental bill to help meet the urgent needs of American communities still struggling to recover from recent hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters.

This robust disaster package includes $17.2 billion in long overdue emergency spending for disaster-stricken communities across our nation and territories.

It builds on the legislation that passed the House in January-- including an additional $3 billion to address the urgent needs of those living in the Midwest (Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas) and South (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas) who have been devastated by flooding and tornadoes in recent months.

This bill also provides some additional disaster assistance to communities continuing to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

House Democrats are standing up and taking action to help communities across the United States and in Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa recover and heal from devastating disasters--these communities should not be held hostage because of President Trump's personal contempt for Puerto Rico.

Senate Republicans should come to their senses and join Democrats in advancing this bill and speeding relief to millions of Americans.

Included in this legislation is critical funding for:

Infrastructure and community development to rebuild our transportation systems and repair housing, businesses and public infrastructure;

Farmers and rural communities to bolster the farmer safety net and restore disaster-damaged lands;

Social services, mental health, education and dislocated worker initiatives to invest in the well-being of children, workers and families in disaster-struck areas--including providing critical nutrition and Medicaid assistance for Puerto Rico and U.S. territories;

DOD and Veterans Affairs to repair and rebuild hurricane-damaged bases and facilities; and

Disaster resiliency to mitigating damage and costs from future disasters which are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change.

American families hit by natural disasters deserve to know that their government will stand with them throughout the road to recovery.

Democrats are committed to delivering this assistance to our fellow Americans as they work to rebuild their lives and their communities.

Another reason I strongly support this bill is that H.R. 2157, the ``Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019,'' provides much needed and long overdue relief to Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands still suffering from the ravages of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as relief to victims of Hurricane Michael which struck Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in October 2018. It also provides relief to the victims of the Midwestern floods that have caused so much damage in Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas.

I support this legislation and offered an amendment that would have provided additional funding for electricity delivery and necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Maria, and Super Typhoon Yutu including technical assistance related to electric grids.

As the representative of the Eighteenth Congressional District of Texas, which was ground zero for Hurricane Harvey, I regularly hear from constituents expressing their concern with ineffective and inadequate FEMA mechanisms put in place to help rectify the damage caused by natural disasters.

That is why I also offered an amendment to H.R. 2157 that would prohibits funds in the bill from being used to prevent the FEMA Administrator from monitoring the response given to disaster victims in order to ensure quality control or becoming aware of complaints regarding the response given to disaster victims and having in place a mechanism to address such complaints.

A third Jackson Lee amendment to H.R. 2157 would have provided a minimum of $1 million for wastewater and drinking water treatment works and facilities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Hurricane Sandy inflicted more than $70 billion in damages in 2012, and Matthew cost the U.S. about $10.3 billion in 2016. With Harvey, an estimated 13 million people were affected, nearly 135,000 homes damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding, and up to a million cars were wrecked.

Hurricane Harvey ranks as the second-most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since

1900, causing more than $125 billion in damage.

Our residents need more money than for single-family home repairs, whether it is disaster recovery or general housing dollars and I will continue to stride on behalf of the neighborhoods and on behalf of hard-working homeowners who deserve these funds, so they can continue on with their lives and return to their homes.

Victims of natural disasters are entitled to know who to contact when issues related to FEMA arise and to be assured that their questions are answered, and complaints addressed.

Allocating funding for measures such as Electricity Delivery for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Super Typhoon Yutu, is vital to negate the effects of these catastrophic events from significantly worsening.

Hospitals, first-responders, and a number of other vital institutions that help our communities recover from the aftereffects of natural disasters need access to electricity.

Moreover, with the severity of natural disasters and the ranging of their locations we must be proactive in our preparation for recovery.

Alternatively, water is the most essential resource known to man.

A human can go for more than three weeks without food--Mahatma Gandhi survived 21 days of complete starvation--but water is a different story.

At least 60 percent of the adult body is made of it and every living cell in the body needs it to keep functioning.

Under extreme conditions an adult can lose 1 to 1.5 liters of sweat per hour and if that lost water is not replaced, the total volume of body fluid can fall quickly and, most dangerously, blood volume may drop.

We do not have the luxury of not preparing for hurricanes, floods. earthquakes, mudslides, tornados or other natural disasters.

With these events it is not a question of if, but when.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation.

Madam Chairwoman, allow me to thank my very important sponsor of this amendment and, as well, our Republican colleagues for their leadership. We are underwater in Houston. We are concerned about Puerto Rico and support the underlying bill. If this amendment passes, we will be able to help all of those who have been impacted by disaster: 203,000 homes, 12,700 of which were destroyed.

Four billion dollars are important dollars, and to have that delay really hinders those who are suffering now. You can imagine that we will be going home to overflowing bayous and homes and people who are in fear. Therefore, this amendment, particularly in the shortening of the time, recognizes that disasters mean emergencies, and people in emergencies are desperate and they need help.

So I am delighted to support this amendment and will join with the gentlewoman as we move forward on improving how FEMA responds, as well, to these disasters and how we can work further with the Army Corps of Engineers.

This important amendment is going to be a lifesaver for so many by shortening the time in which these regulations will be able to be rendered, and I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and her leadership.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of the Fletcher-Jackson Lee Amendment to, H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019.

The Fletcher-Jackson Lee Amendment shortens the time requirement of the publication of rules of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Fund in Public Law 115-123.

Flooding is a serious problem in Houston, today areas of the city are experiencing high water placing residents, businesses and city services at risk.

I am in strong support of this amendment because of the desperate situation of those who have lost their homes during disasters and the unacceptable length of time victims have had to wait for housing assistance.

Hurricane Harvey was the largest housing disaster in our nation's history.

Hurricane Harvey damaged 203,000 homes, of which 12,700 were destroyed.

The nine-county Houston metro area impacted by Hurricane Harvey covers 9,444 square miles, an area larger than five states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Harris County covers 1,778 square miles, enough space to fit New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Austin and Dallas, with room still to spare.

Hurricane Harvey dropped 21 trillion gallons of rainfall on Texas and Louisiana, most of it on the Houston Metroplex.

The underlying bill is a comprehensive emergency disaster supplemental bill to help meet the urgent needs of American communities still struggling to recover from recent hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters.

This robust disaster package includes $17.2 billion in long overdue emergency spending for disaster-stricken communities across our nation and territories.

It builds on the legislation that passed the House in January-- including an additional $3 billion to address the urgent needs of those living in the Midwest (Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas) and South (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas) who have been devastated by flooding and tornadoes in recent months.

This bill also provides some additional disaster assistance to communities continuing to recover from Hurricane Harvey.

House Democrats are standing up and taking action to help communities across the United States and in Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa recover and heal

from devastating disasters--these communities should not be held hostage because of President Trump's personal contempt for Puerto Rico.

Senate Republicans should come to their senses and join Democrats in advancing this bill and speeding relief to millions of Americans.

Included in this legislation is critical funding for:

Infrastructure and community development to rebuild our transportation systems and repair housing, businesses and public infrastructure;

Farmers and rural communities to bolster the farmer safety net and restore disaster-damaged lands;

Social services, mental health, education and dislocated worker initiatives to invest in the well-being of children, workers and families in disaster-struck areas-- including providing critical nutrition and Medicaid assistance for Puerto Rico and U.S. territories;

DOD and Veterans Affairs to repair and rebuild hurricane-damaged bases and facilities; and

Disaster resiliency to mitigating damage and costs from future disasters which are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change.

American families hit by natural disasters deserve to know that their government will stand with them throughout the road to recovery.

Democrats are committed to delivering this assistance to our fellow Americans as they work to rebuild their lives and their communities.

Another reason I strongly support this bill is that H.R. 2157, the ``Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019,'' provides much needed and long overdue relief to Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands still suffering from the ravages of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as relief to victims of Hurricane Michael which struck Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in October 2018 and to the victims of the Midwestern floods that have caused so much damage in Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas.

Madam Chair, H.R. 2157, the ``Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019,'' provides much needed and long overdue relief to Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands still suffering from the ravages of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as relief to victims of Hurricane Michael which struck Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in October 2018 and to the victims of the Midwestern floods.

I support this legislation and offered an amendment that would have provided additional funding for electricity delivery and necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Maria, and Super Typhoon Yutu including technical assistance related to electric grids.

As the representative of the Eighteenth Congressional District of Texas, which was ground zero for Hurricane Harvey, I regularly hear from constituents expressing their concern with ineffective and inadequate FEMA mechanisms put in place to help rectify the damage caused by natural disasters.

That is why I also offered an amendment to H.R. 2157 that would prohibits funds in the bill from being used to prevent the FEMA Administrator from monitoring the response given to disaster victims in order to ensure quality control or becoming aware of complaints regarding the response given to disaster victims and having in place a mechanism to address such complaints.

A third Jackson Lee amendment to H.R. 2157 would have provided a minimum of $1 million for wastewater and drinking water treatment works and facilities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Hurricane Sandy inflicted more than $70 billion in damages in 2012, and Matthew cost the U.S. about $10.3 billion in 2016. With Harvey, an estimated 13 million people were affected, nearly 135,000 homes damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding, and up to a million cars were wrecked.

Hurricane Harvey ranks as the second-most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 1900, causing more than $125 billion in damage.

Our residents need more money than for single-family home repairs, whether it is disaster recovery or general housing dollars and I will continue to stride on behalf of the neighborhoods and on behalf of hard-working homeowners who deserve these funds, so they can continue on with their lives and return to their homes.

Victims of natural disasters are entitled to know who to contact when issues related to FEMA arise and to be assured that their questions are answered, and complaints addressed.

Allocating funding for measures such as Electricity Delivery for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Super Typhoon Yutu, is vital to negate the effects of these catastrophic events from significantly worsening.

Hospitals, first-responders, and a number of other vital institutions that help our communities recover from the aftereffects of natural disasters need access to electricity.

Moreover, with the severity of natural disasters and the ranging of their locations we must be proactive in our preparation for recovery.

Alternatively, water is the most essential recourse known to man.

A human can go for more than three weeks without food--Mahatma Gandhi survived 21 days of complete starvation--but water is a different story.

At least 60 percent of the adult body is made of it and every living cell in the body needs it to keep functioning.

Under extreme conditions an adult can lose 1 to 1.5 liters of sweat per hour and if that lost water is not replaced, the total volume of body fluid can fall quickly and, most dangerously, blood volume may drop.

We do not have the luxury of not preparing for hurricanes, floods. earthquakes, mudslides, tornados or other natural disasters.

With these events it is not a question of if, but when.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, I was unavoidably detained in my congressional district by inclement weather and was not present for Roll Call Votes 185 and 186. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

1. On Roll Call 185, I would have voted ``aye.'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Res. 273, Reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act)

2. On Roll Call 186, I would have voted ``aye.'' (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1704, Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019)

Madam Speaker, this week the Nation has seen this Congress deal with the questions of the rule of law and the Constitution. But this Congress believes that our work is for the people and, at the same time, our oversight on issues of national security are immense and important.

Yesterday, I raised a question of military presence off the shores of Iran; for no explanation has been given to the United States Congress on the need for that presence.

And having been a Member of Congress during the Iraq war and, certainly, during the war in Afghanistan, committed to the men and women of the United States military, only Congress can declare war. This administration must advise and seek consent of Congress. But those of us who are concerned about national security, with the jurisdictional committees, must be briefed, and must be made aware to protect the American people.

So I stand here today to say the rule of law is important, but the national security of this country is important. No war without the involvement and engagement of the United States Congress.

We believe in peace and diplomacy.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding, and I thank her for her leadership.

Madam Speaker, the American people will insist that this legislation passes. My Republican friends, since my time in helping to pass the Affordable Care Act, have never offered a plan to ensure that America's wonderful citizens have good healthcare and that those with preexisting conditions, such as many of us, including myself and many of my constituents in Houston, Texas, are able to access healthcare.

Let me be clear on what this legislation does, as I thank Representative Kuster for her leadership.

H.R. 986, of which I am strongly in support of, is a saving grace. What it does is it stops the Trump administration in their tracks from watering down an opportunity of flexibility, section 1332.

Here is what is going to happen if we do not pass this legislation:

We will stop the coverage of preexisting conditions, period;

There will be no protections;

You will see a rise in costs in healthcare;

Short-term plans will be thrown to the people and other plans that will destabilize the risk pool;

It will limit access to comprehensive coverage because the Trump guidance says: Just give access and don't worry about if the plan even allows you to be admitted into a hospital;

And finally, it will reduce benefits like maternity coverage, mental healthcare, and coverage of prescription drugs.

Is that what Americans want?

Every day, in my district, I am seeing people desperate for healthcare. There has been not one proposal coming here.

I rise as well to support the supplemental appropriations, because I have been to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We need these resources.

But I have also seen the devastation of victims impacted by Hurricane Michael in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia; the damage in Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and now in Houston, 10 inches of rain and flooding and more rain coming. I know that people who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey are still suffering.

This particular legislation, appropriations, is important. It is important, in particular, to ensure that we add more funding and that we shore up the infrastructure.

I submitted amendments that covered the idea of improving FEMA so that it would stay longer and it would have oversight to know whether it is helping people; to increase energy services so that we don't black out so that people are suffering; and to make sure we have the right kind of water.

There are many other elements to the appropriations bill which I hope to debate at a later time, but this rule should be supported.

Let me additionally go back to the H.R. 986 legislation and indicate that preexisting diseases cover things like sickle cell, which 1 in 13 African American babies are born with; triple negative breast cancer, which is the most deadly and causes immediate or short-term life to White women, Black women, Asian Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaska Native women; diabetes; and HIV/AIDS.

This is why H.R. 986 is important, Madam Speaker, and why the appropriations bill is important.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong and unequivocal support for the rule governing debate on H.R. 986, the ``Protecting Americans With Pre- Existing Conditions Act of 2019'' as well as the underlying legislation and ask all Members to join me in supporting these legislative initiatives that combat the Trump Administration's ongoing efforts to take away health care from more than 100 million Americans and to make health care dramatically less affordable for those fortunate enough to be insured.

Another reason I strongly support this rule is that it makes in order H.R. 2157, the ``Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019,'' which provides much needed and long overdue relief to Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands still suffering from the ravages of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as relief to victims of Hurricane Michael which struck Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in October 2018 and to the victims of the Midwestern floods that have caused so much damage in Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas.

H.R. 986, rescinds this damaging, dangerous guidance immediately, and reinforces the ACA's vital protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

It also prevents the Secretaries of HHS and Treasury from promulgating any substantially similar guidance or rule in the future.

Section 1332 of the State Innovation Waivers included in the ACA has a clear statutory directive that states must maintain the level of benefits, affordability, and coverage provided to state residents by the ACA.

This Administration's 2018 Guidance allows states to simply demonstrate that a comparable number of residents will have access to comprehensive and affordable coverage, regardless of whether they actually enroll in that coverage, thereby allowing the Secretaries of HHS and Treasury to approve waivers that do not provide coverage that is as affordable or as comprehensive as under the ACA.

The ``Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act'' is a vital legislative measure that emphasizes the importance of not limiting coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions or imposing lifetime limits on access to care.

Predatory practices such as this will prove to be devastating to communities across the nation, many of which, who will be affected are disproportionately communities of color.

The people receiving the life-sustaining medical protections under this provision will be cast aside and left with no way to cover the exorbitant healthcare costs that would otherwise be covered in through the Affordable Care Act.

Relenting on this protection will put a great number of my constituents and various communities across the nation at terrible risk.

Specifically, in the 18th Congressional District many of my constituents are disproportionally affected by several pre-existing conditions such as:

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) affects approximately 100,000 Americans and occurs among about 1 out of every 365 Black or African-American births.

SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births.

And 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT).

During 2005, medical expenditures for children with SCD averaged $11,702 for children with Medicaid coverage and $14,772 for children with employer-sponsored insurance.

About 40 percent of both groups had at least one hospital stay.

The most common cancer in women, no matter your race or ethnicity.

The most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women.

The second most common cause of death from cancer among white, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Diabetes is at an all-time high in the U.S. and continues to increase exponentially every year.

The CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation states that over 30 million Americans are living with Diabetes, over a quarter undiagnosed.

This trend continues in the state of Texas, where Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death.

Nearly 12 percent of Texas is living with diagnosed Diabetes.

According to a collaboration report between the nonprofit Texas Health Institute, the State Demographer's Office and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, one in three adult Texans are either diagnosed with diabetes, have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed, or are at high risk for developing the disease within a decade.

Approximately 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV today.

About 15 percent of them (1 in 7) are unaware they are infected.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that the decline in HIV infections has plateaued because effective HIV prevention and treatment are not adequately reaching those who could most benefit from them.

These gaps remain particularly troublesome in rural areas and in the South and among disproportionately affected populations like blacks/ African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos.

The overall prevalence of CKD in the general population is approximately 14 percent.

High blood pressure and diabetes are the main causes of CKD.

Almost half of individuals with CKD also have diabetes and/or self- reported cardiovascular disease (CVD).

More than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis, and roughly 193,000 live with a functioning kidney transplant.

Kidney disease often has no symptoms in its early stages and can go undetected until it is very advanced.

For this reason, kidney disease is often referred to as a ``silent disease.''

What is also concerning is the overwhelming number of constituents plagued by these diseases, are people of color, African American, Latino, and Native American.

H.R. 986 stopped the Trump Administration in its tracks from taking away health care from vulnerable Americans.

Madam Speaker, the Trump administration cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of the American people that is why I offered two amendments to H.R. 986, which would extend the prohibitions of the bill to (1) ban lifetime limits with respect to persons with preexisting conditions and (2) prevent the Secretaries from taking any action that would reduce the affordability of comprehensive coverage for children under 26 with pre-existing conditions who are covered under their parents' policies.

I will soon be introducing legislation that will achieve these important objectives and protect vulnerable Americans from an uncaring Administration that is unceasing in its efforts to take away health care from vulnerable Americans.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 2157, the ``Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019,'' provides much needed and long overdue relief to Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands still suffering from the ravages of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, as well as relief to victims of Hurricane Michael which struck Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in October 2018 and to the victims of the Midwestern floods.

I support this legislation and offered an amendment that would have provided additional funding for electricity delivery and necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Super Typhoon Yutu including technical assistance related to electric grids.

As the representative of the Eighteenth Congressional District of Texas, which was ground zero for Hurricane Harvey, I regularly hear from constituents expressing their concern with ineffective and inadequate FEMA mechanisms put in place to help rectify the damage caused by natural disasters.

That is why I also offered an amendment to H.R. 2157 that would prohibit funds in the bill from being used to prevent the FEMA Administrator from monitoring the response given to disaster victims in order to ensure quality control or becoming aware of complaints regarding the response given to disaster victims and having in place a mechanism to address such complaints.

A third Jackson Lee amendment to H.R. 2157 would have provided a minimum of $1 million for wastewater and drinking water treatment works and facilities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Hurricane Sandy inflicted more than $70 billion in damages in 2012, and Matthew cost

the U.S. about $10.3 billion in 2016. With Harvey, an estimated 13 million people were affected, nearly 135,000 homes damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding, and up to a million cars were wrecked.

Hurricane Harvey ranks as the second-most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 1900, causing more than $125 billion in damage.

Our residents need more money than for single-family home repairs, whether it is disaster recovery or general housing dollars and I will continue to stride on behalf of the neighborhoods and on behalf of hard-working homeowners who deserve these funds, so they can continue on with their lives and return to their homes.

Victims of natural disasters are entitled to know who to contact when issues related to FEMA arise and to be assured that their questions are answered, and complaints addressed.

Allocating funding for measures such as Electricity Delivery for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Super Typhoon Yutu, is vital to negate the effects of these catastrophic events from significantly worsening.

Hospitals, first-responders, and a number of other vital institutions that help our communities recover from the after-effects of natural disasters need access to electricity.

Moreover, with the severity of natural disasters and the ranging of their locations we must be proactive in our preparation for recovery.

Alternatively, water is the most essential recourse known to man.

A human can go for more than three weeks without food--Mahatma Gandhi survived 21 days of complete starvation--but water is a different story.

At least 60 percent of the adult body is made of it and every living cell in the body needs it to keep functioning.

Under extreme conditions an adult can lose 1 to 1.5 liters of sweat per hour and if that lost water is not replaced, the total volume of body fluid can fall quickly and, most dangerously, blood volume may drop.

We do not have the luxury of not preparing for hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, mudslides, tornados or other natural disasters.

With these events it is not a question of if, but when.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation.

Madam Speaker, I happen to live and be in the area of the Texas Children's Hospital. I have obviously supported the legislation of Danny Davis.

The point is that people with preexisting conditions, including sickle cell, will not have access to healthcare under the Trump guidance.

I am standing here not about the research, which is certainly beneficial, but about the fact that I am standing for those with sickle cell, which is a preexisting condition, to not be blocked from having good healthcare. That is why I rise to support H.R. 986, in order to ensure access to healthcare and not stopping preexisting conditions from being covered.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman very much for yielding.

Just a second on memory lane, for those of us who were here for the Affordable Care Act, dozens of our committees, including the Judiciary Committee, heard the pain of people whose family members had died because they had no access to healthcare and/or they had junk policies.

Mr. Chair, I rise today with the strongest of support for H.R. 986. I thank my good friend, Ann Kuster, for her great leadership and indicate that since the Affordable Care Act--and I know that we are now looking at Medicare for All and many others. My view of it is yes, so that we all can have access to healthcare.

It is, in fact, sure that this bill that we now have, which is being attacked by the Trump administration in the Fifth Circuit right now because of my attorney general attacking the Affordable Care Act, Texas saw a national decrease of the uninsured from 14.8 to 8.8.

Now this legislation, which is to turn back the Trump guidance on the issue of waivers, is vital because we have lower costs for health insurance because of the ability for people to access and be taken care of with the Affordable Care Act when they have preexisting conditions.

Sickle cell, triple negative breast cancer, and diabetes all plague my constituency. Insulin costs are going through the roof. With this guidance that Trump has put in place, it will be worse. It will be compounded.

Rates will go up, and people suffering from preexisting conditions, including pregnancy, will not get policies at a low cost. They will not have comprehensive coverage that will include mental health. Certainly, they will see a reverse of them being able to have coverage for preexisting conditions.

That is the civil rights of healthcare. Preexisting conditions must be protected.

I rise to enthusiastically support H.R. 986, and I demand that the Trump administration stop taking away constitutional rights in everything and denying people their right to good healthcare. Enough is enough. Let us support this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 986, the ``Protecting Americans With Pre-Existing Conditions Act of 2019,'' which blocks the Trump Administration's efforts to give states the ability to weaken the Affordable Care Act's critical protections for Americans with pre- existing conditions.

On October 22, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS, and Treasury issued a guidance on Section 1332 of the ACA, which authorizes states to waive certain requirements of the law and experiment with health insurance reforms that could improve the well- being and health of their residents.

The ACA has a clear statutory directive that states must maintain the level of benefits, affordability, and coverage provided to state residents by the ACA.

Section 1332 requires states to meet four statutory ``guardrails'' simultaneously and demonstrate that the proposed waiver will provide comprehensive, affordable coverage to a comparable number of residents as under the ACA, without increasing the federal deficit.

But in the 2018 guidance, HHS and Treasury revised the agencies' interpretation of the statutory requirements, and significantly loosened the standards that states must meet in order to receive waiver approval, setting forth weaker requirements that must be met for the affordability and comprehensiveness guardrails and adopted a new definition of what classifies as coverage.

The 2018 guidance provided by the Trump Administration would allow states to simply demonstrate that a comparable number of residents will have access to comprehensive and affordable coverage, regardless of whether they actually enroll in that coverage, thereby allowing the Secretaries of HHS and Treasury to approve waivers that do not provide coverage that is as affordable or as comprehensive as under the ACA.

The 2018 guidance also allows states to receive waiver approval for proposals that direct the ACA's tax credit subsidies towards STLDI plans and other types of health insurance plans that do not provide protections for pre-existing conditions.

H.R. 986 revokes and rescinds the October 2018 Section 1332 guidance and prohibits the Secretaries of HHS and Treasury from promulgating any substantially similar guidance or rule.

These improper waivers leave consumers with less comprehensive plans that do not cover needed services, such as prescription drugs, maternity care and substance use disorder treatment.

Another way the ``Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019,'' protects consumers is by prohibiting insurance companies from selling junk health insurance plans that do not provide coverage for essential medical treatments and drugs or cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.

As a member of Congress who voted against each of the dozens of Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, I know first-hand how important and critical access to affordable, high quality, accessible health care available to everyone, including those with pre- existing conditions, to the well-being of American families.

Because of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the national uninsured rate has been slashed from 14.8 in 2012 to 8.8 percent in 2018. Texas has long led the nation in rate of uninsured so the comparable rates are 24.6 and 15 percent, respectively.

Mr. Chair, I distinctly recall a candidate for the highest public office in the land saying ``Obamacare is a disaster'' and appealing for voters to support him with this question: ``What have you got to lose?''

The question deserves a response so I hope that person, who occupies the Oval Office, is listening to my answer.

The Affordable Care Act, or ``Obamacare,'' has been an unmitigated success to the more than 20 million Americans who for the first time now have the security and peace of mind that comes with affordable, accessible, high quality health care.

Mr. Chair, Tip O'Neill used to say that ``all politics is local'' so let me share with you how Obamacare has dramatically changed lives for the better for the people in my home state of Texas.

1.874 million Texans who have gained coverage since the ACA was implemented could lose their coverage if the ACA is entirely or partially repealed or invalidated.

1.1 million Texans who purchased high quality Marketplace coverage now stand to lose their coverage if Texas v. United States, No. 4:18- cv-00167-0 (N.D. Tex.), the lawsuit brought by Republican Governors, and now whole-heartedly supported and aided by the Trump Administration were to succeed.

508,000 kids in Texas who have gained coverage since the ACA was implemented are also at risk of having their coverage rolled back.

205,000 young adult Texans who were able to stay on a parent's health insurance plan thanks to the ACA now stand to lose coverage if the Republican Congress eliminates the requirement that insurers allow children to stay on their parents' plans until age 26.

646,415 Texans who received cost-sharing reductions to lower out-of- pocket costs such as deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance are now at risk of having healthcare become unaffordable if the Republican Congress eliminates costsharing reductions.

10.28 million Texans who now have private health insurance that covers preventive services without any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles stand to lose this access if the Republican Congress eliminates ACA provisions requiring health insurers to cover important preventive services without cost-sharing.

913,177 individuals Texans who received financial assistance to purchase Marketplace coverage in 2016, averaging $271 per individual, are at risk of having coverage become unaffordable if the Republican Congress eliminates the premium tax credits.

1.1 million Texans could have insurance if all states adopted the ACA's Medicaid expansion; these individuals will not be able to gain coverage if the Republican Congress eliminates the Medicaid expansion.

Women in Texas who can now purchase insurance for the same price as men are at risk of being charged more for insurance if the ACA's ban on gender rating in the individual and small group markets is invalidated.

Before the ACA, women paid up to 56 percent more than men for their health insurance.

Roughly 4.5 million Texans who have pre-existing health conditions are at risk of having their coverage rescinded, being denied coverage, or being charged significantly more for coverage if the ACA's ban on pre-existing conditions is struck down.

346,750 Texas seniors who have saved an average of $1,057 each as a result of closing the Medicare prescription drug ``donut hole'' gap in coverage stand to lose this critical help going forward.

1.75 million Texas seniors who have received free preventive care services thanks to ACA provisions requiring coverage of annual wellness visits and eliminating cost-sharing for many recommended preventive services covered by Medicare Part B, such as cancer screenings, are at risk of losing access to these services if congressional Republicans go forward with their plan to repeal the ACA.

The Affordable Care Act works and has made a life-affirming difference in the lives of millions of Americans, in Texas and across the country.

This is what happens when a visionary president cares enough to work with a committed and empathetic Congress to address the real issues facing the American people.

You want to know why the American people have Obamacare?

It is because Obama cared.

The same cannot be said about this Republican president and congressional Republicans who have made careers of attacking and undermining the Affordable Care Act's protections and benefits for the American people.

I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 986 and send a powerful message to the President and the American people that this House will not stand idly by as this Administration tries to take away health care from more than 130 million persons.

Instead, this House will resist by all constitutional and appropriate means, including opposing this Administration in the courts and by passing H.R. 986, the ``Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019.''

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I want to join both Congresswoman Jayapal and Congresswoman Lee on just reinforcing the devastation and the dastardliness of child separation from their parents. I would just like to very briefly say that this sad commemoration should equate to a commitment of zero tolerance for separating children from their families.

We should end the migrant policy that includes child separation, the position of remaining in Mexico as you seek asylum, the losing of your space, or your bed, if you are in a shelter and have to be sent back to Mexico when you actually apply for asylum. All of these migrant policies, which included child separation, clearly can devastate the families.

So I want to emphasize just one point that included my many trips to the border, including the time we had the opportunity to travel together, and I want to focus on the psychological and maybe irreparable damage that is being done particularly to children in the understandable period. That is not a technical term. I am not a sociologist or a psychologist, but in that period where the child may be somewhere between 4 and 15, or 4 and 12. Those are really years when, whether it is a boy or girl, they are bonding with mom. People must realize that those children traveled thousands of miles or 1,000- plus miles with that parent and mostly that mother, and it has been a dad.

So that mother made a sacrifice, either out of lack of understanding of the language or signing a paper that she did not understand or thinking that she needed to separate because of the housing situation, and many of us saw the housing situation and the metallic blankets and the lack of space.

Let me just say this for the personnel on the border. We found some very empathetic personnel on the border, men and women who do their job. But the resources of the facilities are absolutely inadequate and disgraceful, and they have been like that on the border of Texas for a very long time.

So I am grateful for Congresswoman Lee and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, those who realize we have to really overhaul those facilities, that will include healthcare facilities and otherwise.

But in that reunion, you might say--and there were good staff people who thought they were doing the right thing, and they were excited with the expectation. They had brought the children.

I remember two little boys. First of all, there wasn't a dry eye in the room of those of us who had come. It was just unspeakable. It was overwhelming. It brought back memories. You thought about your children or your extended family members.

So two little boys, crisp little white shirts on over at a table playing with the best red fire truck and truck that they could find. In walk mothers who went to different corners. But in walks this mother with her belongings, as I recollect, like in a pillowcase, not even a suitcase. Obviously, you have traveled 1,000 miles plus, and then you have been detained somewhere and your child went off some other place.

She comes with those welled-up eyes of expectation. She stood by that table for the longest period of time.

We all know there is no way you don't know someone is standing behind you or there is no way you don't recognize your mom even in the sight of your eye who was walking in. We know how mom and children are, mom and dad. They break that big grin, and they run like they have never run before to get into the arms of that mom and dad.

This mom stood there with her pillowcase belongings for the longest period of time, and those little boys continued to play and ignore and play and ignore and play and ignore. I almost wanted to reach out and turn that little face back here.

There was no way they did not know mom was standing there, but the detachment was so devastating. When that mom put her arms around precious little boy, he was so stiff that I knew this was going to take a very long time.

What I was fearful of was, where they would be destined, there would be no resources for his treatment, for his ability to understand what happened.

How callous this policy is, to date, that there are still some separated children; and with the leadership we have now, we don't know whether they will do it again.

So I thank the gentlewoman for doing this because, even now, my eyes well up because children are children, and we will never repair the damage, but we must stop this policy. It must be zero tolerance. We must not have this policy ever again. It is truly inhumane, and it is not representative of the values of this Nation, in spite of some of the history we have had as a country.

This is a nation where people believe in that sense of dignity and equality. Our values say that. We need to act on that and, certainly, humanity, which is so very important.

Madam Speaker, first of all, let me thank Congresswoman Alma Adams for gathering us a couple of weeks ago to stand and be counted as members of the Black Maternal Mortality Caucus; and to continue her recognition that if we don't become problem solvers the problems will continue.

So I want to join with my colleagues, and, in particular, Congresswoman Adams and Congresswoman Lee, both of whom I knew in the time that they were going through the loss of their moms.

A mom and a mother are always a mom and a mother, so let me, in the name of my late mother, who I continue to remember, Ivalita Bennett Jackson, indicate that we stand here in your name and in the names of young mothers around the Nation and young mothers-to-be.

I don't believe we could be doing a more important task than what we are doing, to not only bring relevance and substance to this question of why Black women, African American women, suffer more with maternal mortality and infant mortality; because we know what happens when that bond is broken by death or sickness, particularly in the infant stages of a young child's life.

So I want to remind us of the beauty of pregnancy, and particularly, those pregnancies that these young women are certainly evidencing, just the beauty of the spirit, the softness of their faces and the contours of their body, excitement. If you have been around a pregnant expectant mother, meaning expectant of joy and excitement, then you understand.

Should they not live? Should they not live, and should their children, their babies not live?

We have come to find out that Black women are three to four times as likely than White women to die of pregnancy-related causes. A Black baby born today is twice as likely as a White baby born the same day, in the same California city--and I will mention the fact that California has made great strides--to perish before she can take her first steps or experience her first birthday.

One in seven babies are born too soon or too small. We have euphemisms that mask the real impact of the maternal healthcare crisis. Good prenatal and maternity care is critically important for healthy pregnancies and healthy children.

Congresswoman Adams knows that we have been on the floor discussing access to healthcare. We know that pregnancy has been described as a preexisting condition, which means that women, even if they could, could not access good healthcare.

Collectively, we need to make greater efforts to arm the next generation with the right mix of robustness and agility and, I would say, righteousness; that we are righteously indignant that we live in the greatest Nation in the world, and here we are talking about the death of mothers and the death of their infant child.

As I listened to Congresswoman Adams speak of her beautiful, taller- than-her grandchild, imagine that she says the healthcare that her daughter had, in spite of the horrific challenges--just think if she did not, or no one had listened to her about the pain in her body or how she felt.

That is one the things that we find with Black women, that, in fact, they are not paid attention to as relates to the pain and medical symptoms that are represented by them. They are dismissed or taken less seriously.

Let me quickly say that, as the senior member on the Crime Subcommittee, I have had the privilege of knowing that crime impacts humanity in many different ways. And so I introduced legislation called H.R. 5130, the Stop Infant Mortality and Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016.

I am very glad, as I wrote the Violence Against Women Act, that I was able to include the SIMARRA Act in the 115th Congress, but it was proudly passed in H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019.

The SIMARRA Act permits the Bureau of Prisons to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Federal prison systems for pregnant offenders, many of whom are African American, by establishing a pilot program, a critical stage, and developmental nurseries in Federal prisons for children born to inmates.

The SIMARRA Act helps decrease, unprecedentedly high current infant mortality rates by allowing inmate mothers to provide healthy and safe gestation for their unborn, as well as providing a space for bonding with infants during their first 30 months of life.

It is important to administer effective services for pregnant, incarcerated women and transcend our divide, to protect families and continue sheltering the lives of our most vulnerable children, babies born to mothers in prison.

And although males account for 96 percent of the deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2014, the number of female prisoners who died was 154.

I use this example to simply say, we found a problem in incarcerated women, many of them African American, and we sought to get in the way of that problem by finding a solution, to be able to help those mothers have a healthy pregnancy and those babies be born.

So let me just simply say that I am glad to be on the floor to be with my sisters. I am unhappy to be on the floor because, as we stand here today, some African American mother is losing her life in birth or losing the life of her child. That is how devastating maternal mortality is.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I am here to stand with her and fight with her, and this caucus is going to help save lives. We are saving lives tonight.

Mr. Speaker, as the Judiciary Committee sits at this time to uphold the rule of law, I want to make sure that the American people understand the role of the United States Congress, that is, to represent the people, to engage in oversight and truth.

As a student of the Mideast, a visitor of the Mideast on behalf of this country on any number of occasions, and, of course, throughout the Iraq war, and, of course, also visiting that area of the world during the Afghan war, I know what our soldiers go through. Boots on the ground.

I can never live their life, but I am very concerned about the presence of the U.S. military by way of a naval ship that is in the Mideast at this time. No explanation has been given to the American people.

The Secretary of State makes a surprise visit to Iraq.

I simply want to say that the powers of war are entrusted to the United States House of Representatives, the United States Congress.

It is inappropriate for there to be saber rattling by this administration with Iran with no explanation as to why we send young men and women into harm's way. We should not use one approach to start a war to overcome an approach dealing with the investigation of the rule of law. I oppose any such saber rattling.

We need to understand what is going on in the Mideast. We have to protect the men and women of the United States military, though, they fight for us.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the holiday of Cinco de Mayo commemorating the victory of the Mexican Army 1862 over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

The fifth day of May, or Cinco de Mayo, is a special day because it represents the importance of freedom, liberty and determination for the people of Mexico and for Mexican-Americans.

It was on that day, May 5, 1862, that untrained, outnumbered, and outgunned Mexican forces--determined to protect their land-- successfully defended the town of Puebla against the French.

The quest for an independent Mexico started on September 16, 1810, when the people of Mexico, following the will to become a free nation, refused to submit to Spanish rule.

The struggle went on for 10 years.

Finally, in 1821, the first independent Mexican government was established.

But being an independent nation was not easy.

Over the years, Mexico received economic support from several nations, France and England among them.

Later on, even Spain supported the new country.

Thus, Mexico became heavily indebted to foreign powers.

Due to ongoing political unrest caused by many groups struggling for power, Mexico was not able to pay back the loans.

On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium in which all-foreign debt payments would be suspended for a period of two years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.

In 1862, France, Spain, and England dispatched their fleets to Mexican shores pursuing not only money but also land rights as payment for their loans.

A government representative greeted them and explained that Mexico acknowledged its debts but had no funds to pay them.

They were offered payment warrants in exchange.

The Spaniards and the British decided to accept the warrants and withdrew from the scene.

But the French government's representative did not accept the offer and ordered his troops to invade the country and head toward Mexico City, the nation's capital.

They had to cross through the state of Puebla to get to the capital.

Mexican President Benito Juarez reacted immediately and prepared the defense.

He commanded Ignacio Zaragoza, a young and brave General, to fortify the City of Puebla and repel the French invaders.

The battle was by no means even.

France, under Louis Napoleon's rule, had the world's most powerful army, and sent more than six thousand men to invade Mexico.

But the courage and the love of freedom impelled the Mexican people to fight back.

General Ignacio Zaragoza led 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians called Zacapoaxtlas.

On the 5th of May 1862, the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe, in the city of Puebla, became the scene of the historic defeat of the great army of France.

Against overwhelming odds, they managed to drive the enemy back, achieving a total victory over the best trained and equipped soldiers in the world and ending the era of European domination of the Americas.

For Mexico, this day has come to represent a symbol of Mexican unity.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is also a celebration of the rich cultural heritage Mexican Americans have brought to the United States.

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States.

According to the most recent data available, the estimated Hispanic population in the U.S. is 57.5 million--constituting 17.8 percent of our nation's population.

Hispanics now own a record number of small businesses--1.6 million, with annual revenues of more than $221 billion.

Small businesses create two-thirds of American jobs, and the fastest- growing small business sector is Latino-owned firms.

Today, there are 40 Hispanic Members in the United States Congress, including 4 Senators and 36 House Members, many of whom are Mexican- American, representing constituencies in all regions of the country, from California to New York, from Arizona to Illinois, from Colorado to Florida.

These gains and numbers tell us that Hispanics are a driving force in our country--economically, socially and politically.

Hispanics share the common goals with all other Americans of freedom, opportunity, and a chance to build a better life.

In pursuing these aspirations, Hispanics have made important contributions to life in the United States in the fields of culture, sports, entertainment, business enterprise, science, politics and others.

Today, millions of Americans will join our neighbors to the south in celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

On this day, we are reminded that all people--regardless of their race, color, or gender--have enriched cultures and are worthy of respect and self-determination.

I am happy to be here today to celebrate this momentous day and to recognize the values, traditions, and positive contributions of the Mexican culture.