Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act. This bill does not make housing more affordable. Instead, it will lock in higher utility bills.

We know and we understand there is an affordable housing crisis, and that is true in the district I represent in the State of Oregon and across the country. Too many people cannot afford homes, but here is the truth: Low-cost homes with expensive utility bills aren't affordable.

Manufactured homes are a critical source of affordable housing, and that is especially true for seniors, veterans, and working families.

These homes might cost less upfront, but monthly utility bills can determine whether families can afford to stay in them.

Before I came to Congress, I served in the Oregon legislature, and I chaired the Senate Consumer Protection Committee. I had in the district I represent, and still have in my congressional district, the largest manufactured home park in Oregon, with more than 450 homesites. Back then, and it is still true today, the largest complaint was about utility costs. Once people get in their homes, they can't afford rising utility costs.

In Oregon, demand for energy is rising. We have colder winters and hotter summers. Sometimes, wildfire smoke can trap families indoors, forcing air systems to run longer and harder. Oregonians may need more energy, but they certainly don't need higher costs.

When homes are energy inefficient, families pay more. However, energy efficient homes mean lower costs and homes that are safer, healthier, and more resilient.

This legislation will increase costs, reduce protections, and shift responsibilities away from manufacturers and onto families who are already struggling with high costs for groceries, healthcare, and housing.

I understand the concern about HUD because they have had the responsibility since 1994. Finally, DOE enacted some standards. Giving that responsibility to HUD is not reassuring.

Mr. Speaker, let's defeat this bill.

Mr. Speaker, let's work together. Let's defeat this bill today. Instead, let's consider legislation that will really lower costs, not raise them. Let's ensure that the standards are enacted before we start passing these costs on to consumers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound opposition to this administration's aggressive and cruel immigration enforcement actions, especially targeting students and parents near schools.

Throughout the last year, the Trump administration's hard-line immigration enforcement campaign has terrorized communities and created an environment where many students don't even feel safe going to school.

Children can't learn when they are living in constant fear.

At a townhall meeting last year, a fourth grade student, a 10-year- old, gave me a handwritten letter saying that she was afraid that ICE was going to come into her school and take her friends.

Children may not understand the complexities of the immigration system, but they know that masked people indiscriminately kidnapping people off the street is wrong and terrifying.

In July, a Beaverton, Oregon, father was dropping off his child at preschool. With his child in the car, ICE surrounded him, traumatizing the child, other parents, and preschool teachers. ICE then arrested the father within sight of the school.

In October, two Oregon high school students were at a drive-through coffee shop near their school. They were surrounded by multiple ICE agents who were pointing guns at them. That is terrifying, outrageous, and obviously dangerous.

At a recent city council meeting, an Oregon high school student bravely shared his concerns and the concerns of his peers, especially those who cannot speak up for themselves because they are too afraid. This compassionate student has been raising money to help people in his community whose lives are being torn apart by this administration's immigration enforcement tactics.

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of students across northwest Oregon have bravely protested the ongoing immigration enforcement that is happening in their communities, and I am grateful for their acts of peaceful protest that are calling attention to these injustices.

The reality is that too many students are afraid to leave their homes, even to go to school. At a time when chronic absenteeism is at a record high, more students are switching to attending school online if they can because they don't feel safe, or they stop going altogether.

A small school district in northwest Oregon told me that more than 150 students have withdrawn this year, an increase of 120 since this time last year. It is likely that most of them left school because they are afraid of ICE. Statewide, it is estimated that more than 10,000 students are now unaccounted for.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the media is force-feeding the public stories about parents and children being afraid to return to school. This is categorically untrue. Despite what the Department of Homeland Security wants people to believe, ICE is creating significant levels of fear, including around schools.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about targeting criminals. It is about targeting, arresting, and detaining people because of their national origin or the color of their skin. This ought to send chills down the spines of everyone in this body and this country.

As someone who has dedicated years of my career to education and striving to create a better future for children, I am appalled but, sadly, not surprised that this administration continues to terrorize children, using the same playbook as when they separated families at the border.

Let me be clear: According to the United States Supreme Court, all children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to attend public schools. The ICE tactics that we are seeing of targeting students and families will have lasting effects on children and families, and they will cause generational trauma.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to show some empathy and kindness. Work with us to protect sensitive locations. Work with us on humane immigration reform. We cannot allow these abuses of power and these lawless actions to continue.

Let's put an end to this ugly chapter in our country's history and do better for our Nation and our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this critical bill that will lower the cost of healthcare for thousands of Oregonians and millions of Americans by extending the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.

Right now, too many people are struggling. At the end of 2025, Republicans let healthcare costs skyrocket, adding to the stress Americans are already experiencing, because Republicans have done nothing to address the high costs of housing, groceries, childcare, utilities, and more.

David from Tillamook, Oregon, said premiums for him and his wife increased from $415 a month to $2,384 a month, a 474 percent increase.

For Stacy in St. Helens and her husband, their premiums went from $539 a month to $2,396, a 344 percent increase.

It is unconscionable, it is unacceptable, and it is unnecessary. This is the United States of America, and everyone should feel secure, not fearful when they get sick or injured. Our constituents want affordable healthcare. They deserve better, and we can make things better, starting with this vote to extend the tax credits.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the deceptively titled Do No Harm in Medicaid Act.

Healthcare costs are about to skyrocket for millions of Americans across the country, but instead of solving that crisis, we are here with a bill that has politicians interfering with personal healthcare decisions and outrageously putting into law provisions that will essentially ban the type of healthcare that Republicans have decided they don't like. Personal healthcare decisions should be made by patients and providers, not by politicians.

This bill attacks the rights of States by banning Medicaid from covering any medical care for transgender youth, and it would put discrimination into law because it would allow the same exact care for cisgender youth.

The history of gender diverse people goes back to ancient cultures, and why this House majority is so obsessed with a very small group of vulnerable people baffles me. Transgender people deserve the same protections as everyone else, including the ability to access medically necessary care. They certainly don't deserve this bill.

Research shows that health insurance coverage for transgender people is affordable and cost-effective.

This legislation is about discrimination, and we have seen this playbook time and time again. Republicans are fear-mongering about the trans community to divert attention from the fact that they have no real solutions to make healthcare more affordable.

Congress should be focused on fixing the expiring ACA subsidies, addressing the rising costs of healthcare, and addressing affordability issues, which is what I am hearing about at home. We should not be working on this bill that would interfere in personal healthcare decisions that are between patients and their own healthcare providers.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will cause, not prevent, harm, and I urge my colleagues to reject it.

Madam Speaker, I join many of our colleagues in opposing this hateful and harmful legislation. This is a devastating moment for transgender youth, their parents, and their healthcare providers across the country.

The so-called Protect Children's Innocence Act is a blatant attack on the rights of parents. It allows the government to interfere with very personal healthcare decisions.

My Republican colleagues have spent years touting parental rights, yet now they want to put moms and dads and doctors in prison for deciding how to best support their own children. It is dangerous, and it is wrong. These decisions belong to parents, their children, and their healthcare providers, not politicians.

Every parent wants what is best for their children. As a parent, I cannot imagine how I would feel if a doctor told me that Republicans in Congress banned lifesaving, evidence-based care that would help my child.

Medical care for transgender youth is safe, effective, and supported by major medical associations. Access to transgender-related healthcare is critical, medically necessary, and often lifesaving.

The President and my Republican colleagues have spent the year scapegoating a very small group of very vulnerable children because they have no solution to strengthen the economy, reduce healthcare costs, or make our communities safer. This legislation is just the latest attack.

As I close, Madam Speaker, I find it disturbing that my-- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has again expired.

I find it disturbing and disappointing that my colleagues seem to be more obsessed with what genitals are in people's pants than whether they can afford their healthcare or housing bills.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Figures for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the bipartisan Oceans Caucus, I rise enthusiastically today in support of S. 216, the Senate companion to my bipartisan legislation, the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act.

Marine debris does not stay in one place. A plastic bottle tossed inland can end up hundreds of miles away, wrapped around a propeller, tangled in fishing gear, or broken down into microplastics that end up in the food we eat. Across the country, communities see the damage every day.

In the Pacific Northwest, crews use Marine Debris Program grants to remove abandoned and derelict vessels--rusting tankers that leak fuel, collapse into waterways, and scatter debris with every storm. These removals protect ports, safeguard workers, and prevent thousands of pounds of plastic and fiberglass from entering the ocean.

In Alaska and the Gulf Coast, the program targets ghost fishing gear, including abandoned nets and traps. One abandoned net can trap fish, seabirds, and marine mammals for decades. Through this program, local partners recover that gear, return usable materials to fishers and anglers, and stop the cycle of loss.

In the Great Lakes, communities use these funds to intercept plastic before it reaches open water, cleaning up shorelines, restoring habitats, and keeping microplastics out of the drinking water systems that serve millions of people.

This program doesn't stop at cleanup. It fuels economies and strengthens resilience. Since its creation in 2006, the Marine Debris Program has removed more than 36,000 metric tons of debris. According to NOAA, last year, the program's removal projects drove more than $474 million in tourism and $248 million in recreational value in just the four States in which it operates.

The Marine Debris Program supports research and innovation that address microplastics and microfibers, the invisible pollution shed from tires, textiles, and everyday products. These particles show up in ocean sediments, seafood, and even human bloodstreams. This program helps the scientists track them, understand them, and stop them at the source.

The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act reauthorizes the Marine Debris Program so communities can keep doing this important work. It also makes targeted, responsible administrative fixes to the Marine Debris Foundation, so the public-private partnerships deliver results faster and more effectively.

The Senate passed this bipartisan bill unanimously earlier this year, and today, Congress can send it to the President's desk.

We often think of plastic pollution as an overwhelming problem, and we haven't made the strides necessary to solve it. The Marine Debris Program and the Marine Debris Foundation are proven tools that make a difference.

When Congress invests in practical solutions to save our seas by empowering local leaders, scientists, fishers, and cleanup crews, it makes measurable progress. This bill protects ecosystems, jobs, and public health.

Mr. Speaker, clean water and a healthy ocean support every community in this country, coastal and inland. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Radewagen and Moylan, for co-leading this legislation, and Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse for leading it in the Senate. I urge my colleagues to support the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Figures for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3962, the Enhancing, Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems Act, or ESTUARIES Act.

Estuaries rank among the most productive ecosystems in the country, where freshwater meets saltwater, and entire communities benefit from that key meeting point.

Families depend on estuaries for clean water. Fishers depend on them for healthy stocks. Small businesses depend on them for tourism, recreation, and the natural beauty that draws people to our coasts. When estuaries thrive, local communities thrive. The National Estuary Program makes that possible.

For more than three decades, NEP partnerships have restored wetlands, improved water quality, reduced toxic pollutants, strengthened fish habitat, and built natural buffers that protect homes and businesses from flooding and storm surge.

These partnerships unite scientists, local governments, Tribal nations, fishers and anglers, farmers, and community leaders around a shared plan, and those plans deliver results.

In Tillamook Bay in Oregon, in the district I am honored to represent, the NEP helped restore hundreds of acres of tidal wetland which improved salmon runs, protected dairy farms from flooding, and created new recreational corridors.

On the Gulf Coast, NEP projects rebuilt marshes that shield front- line communities from hurricanes. In New England, estuary programs helped revive the shellfish beds that sustain entire working waterfronts.

This bill continues the NEP's successful legacy. The ESTUARIES Act reauthorizes competitive grants from 2031 so every estuary of national significance can implement science-driven conservation, respond to emerging threats, and support long-term economic resilience.

This bill upholds a simple principle: When we give local experts the tools they need, they protect the ecosystems that protect us.

This legislation reflects a strong bipartisan, bicameral commitment to support these critical ecosystems and recognize their significance.

I thank Representative Figures for leading this effort. I thank, as well, Representative Johnson for his support. Also, I thank my fellow co-chairs of the Bipartisan Estuary Caucus for their partnership: Representatives Haridopolos, Mast, and Ranking Member Larsen. Together we can continue decades of success in estuary restoration and resilience.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the ESTUARIES Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for organizing this Special Order hour but also for her leadership. We are so fortunate to have Representative Hayes on the Committee on Education and Workforce, National Teacher of the Year, and I will say what an honor it is to serve with the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, I ran for Congress because I care so much about public education. Although I haven't been a teacher, I spent a lot of time in public schools myself, as a parent volunteer, serving on committees, and advocating for education over the years.

Little did I ever dream that I would come to Congress and have to fight for the actual existence of the Department of Education. We are watching--and I condemn in the strongest terms--this illegal and unconstitutional dismantling of the Department of Education. What message does it say to our country and around the world that we won't have a Department of Education? We are going to fight this because we know that the Department of Education was created by an act of Congress, and only Congress can eliminate it.

We look at what is happening with all of these programs--the programs that help low-income students, students with disabilities, and higher ed.

I got through community college and college and law school because I had Federal support. Programs like TRIO and GEAR UP that help underserved students, these are all under attack. It feels like we are just watching the unfolding of the Project 2025 playbook. Now we are seeing the Secretary try to outsource all of these things to other agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I tell you: Poll after poll shows that the majority of parents across the country support the Department of Education, and that is especially true with parents of students with disabilities. They know how important that is. I tell you: Over my years and decades as an education advocate, I have never had anyone say to me: We need less money for IDEA.

It is always: Please fully fund IDEA.

People know that public education is an investment. They know that our students are our future. Yet we are seeing a Congress here where our colleagues, Representative Hayes, found $170 billion with a b--$170 billion to give to the Department of Homeland Security to carry out an inhumane mass deportation agenda.

Imagine if we had $170 billion to carry out a mass education agenda. That would be wonderful for our country and for our economy. I tell you: Right now, we are seeing this war on public education, but we are not going to back down.

I think about the education laws. I know Ranking Member Scott talked about the civil rights obligations of the Department of Education, and we know that a lot of the education laws that came about were signed by President Johnson in the civil rights era to expand opportunities and to close opportunity gaps.

Right now, there are approximately 25,000 pending civil rights complaints at the Office for Civil Rights, which has been gutted.

Mr. Speaker, 7 of the 12 regional offices were closed, and 90 percent of the Office for Civil Rights employees have been issued termination notices. Now the Department has tried to call some of them back because they can't handle the backlog. That is government inefficiency, not government efficiency.

Look at the interagency agreements, where they are

trying to outsource all of these programs to other agencies that don't have the staff, don't have the expertise, and Congress didn't approve it.

I am here with you today, Representative Hayes, to say: We need the Department of Education. The Republican majority cannot abolish that. The Trump administration cannot abolish the Department of Education without congressional aid.

I wanted to ask Representative Hayes: We have had some conversations, you and I, where we hear people say: Well, we have to close down the Department of Education because students aren't doing as well now ever since the Department of Education existed.

If you will engage in a brief colloquy with me, and let's talk about why that is an erroneous assumption.

Absolutely.

That is why we have Federal education research, which they are also trying to cut. I tell you: If we could fully fund IDEA, if we could fully fund title I for low-income schools, fund title II for professional development, fund title III for English language learners, and fund title IV-A for well-rounded education that includes the arts and music, school security, and technology, imagine.

What would that look like, Representative Hayes?

Absolutely. Kids can't learn if they are hungry, if they are homeless, or if they are sick. Those programs really matter.

I thank Representative Hayes for leading this. We must protect the Department of Education. It is the future of our children.

More than 90 percent of the students in this country attend public schools. It is a good investment, and that is true from early childhood to the K-12 system and higher education, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Hayes. I am with her in the fight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal and unconstitutional dismantling of the Department of Education by the Trump administration.

Congress created the Department of Education. Only an act of Congress could eliminate it. The administration knows this, so they are trying to circumvent the separation of powers by chipping away at the Department until it is gone. What a sad and terrible message that sends to the country and the world.

The administration's latest attack on the Department of Education is with six interagency agreements that will move critical programs and services out of the Department of Education to other agencies without the needed expertise, funding, or staff.

The programs this administration illegally reassigned to other departments include Title I, which provides funding for schools with high populations of low-income students; the McKinney-Vento grant program for youth experiencing homelessness; grant programs for English learners, rural schools, literary initiatives; and more.

Programs like TRIO and GEAR UP help underserved students access and succeed in higher education, and they moved those, too. They moved programs that support HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.

These are statutory responsibilities that Congress directed the Department

of Education to fulfill. Instead of fulfilling those legal responsibilities, Secretary McMahon decided to follow the Project 2025 playbook by outsourcing the work as part of the Trump agenda to abolish the Department of Education.

These actions will make it more difficult for local schools to get the funding they need. Now, they will have to navigate multiple Federal agencies instead of one. It is inefficient, unnecessary, and unpopular.

Poll after poll shows that the majority of parents support the Department of Education, and that is especially true with parents of students with disabilities. These parents know what is at stake if schools lose the Federal resources they rely on to educate every student, no matter their background or ability.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration has endangered these resources by intentionally burying them behind additional layers of red tape and bureaucracy.

There is a lot we could be doing to improve public education. To prepare future students, they need a well-rounded education that inspires critical thinking, confidence, communication, creativity, and a love of learning. Students need arts and music education, hands-on project-based lessons that teach teamwork, and a wide range of career and technical education classes. We must invest in, not cut, educational research, and we need to promote, rather than politicize, family, parental, and community engagement.

To fully learn and thrive, students need to have enough food to eat, and they deserve the best physical infrastructure in which to learn. They need access to behavioral healthcare, and they need to be safe and feel safe.

Unfortunately, right now, many students across the country are terrified to go to school because ICE is in their community. In Oregon, ICE agents are stalking school parking lots and school routes and detaining parents in front of their children. In one instance, ICE agents surrounded two high school students at a coffee shop and pointed rifles at them. This is beyond unacceptable.

Students as young as 9 years old know these actions are wrong. A fourth grade student gave me a handwritten letter, saying she is worried that ICE will take her friends away and that her friends will go home and their parents won't be there because they got deported. How is a student supposed to focus on learning if they are afraid that armed, masked agents are going to take their family and friends? These are children.

Unfortunately, House Republicans are taking their cues from Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and others who do not grasp the damage they are causing to children as they try to close the Department of Education and slash education funding, food assistance, and health insurance but somehow manage to find and give $170 billion to the Department of Homeland Security to carry out an inhumane mass deportation agenda. It is tragic, and it is pathetic.

This administration has declared war on public education, but we are not backing down. We will not stop fighting against the dismantling of the Department of Education and the weaponization of immigration enforcement.

House Democrats understand how much better our country would be if we had a mass education plan instead of a mass deportation plan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound opposition to the aggressive, cruel, and dangerous immigration enforcement actions that are taking place in Oregon and across the country.

During the past few months, we have seen a dramatic increase in agents from ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Oregon, fueled by hatred and Donald Trump's inhumane, out-of-touch mass deportation agenda.

I am infuriated by story after story of extreme overreach, excessive force, and brutal tactics being used by masked ICE agents to arrest and detain Oregonians.

In Portland, ICE wrongfully separated a young, loving mom from her four little children for 4 months.

In Hillsboro, multiple unmarked SUVs circled a man in a parking lot. He was simply going to pick up groceries. In Beaverton, ICE was parked on the street, randomly scanning license plates of cars, and then checking names. They wrongfully arrested a man who would have been sent to detention had his lawyer not intervened at the very last minute.

At the ICE facility in Portland, ICE staff are lying to lawyers, pepper spraying people who are peacefully protesting, and recklessly exposing residents who live nearby, including seniors, veterans, and children to toxic fumes.

ICE detained one of my constituents, Victor Cruz, because he has the same name as someone with a criminal record. My constituent showed the ICE agents his identification. It didn't matter. He doesn't have a criminal record, nor was there a warrant for his arrest. It didn't matter. He has a valid work permit, a job, and a pending visa case. It didn't matter. He has a heart condition and a pacemaker. It didn't matter.

Victor is a well-respected member of the community with, as you can see, adorable grandchildren. He was arrested, detained, and sent to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. Then immigration officials tried to deport him.

I visited Victor in Tacoma, where he was kept in bleak conditions and spoke about his experience and his hopes to be reunited with his family.

After almost 4 weeks of being wrongfully detained, Victor Cruz was finally released after an outpouring of support from the community, his friends, and neighbors, and with the assistance of his lawyer.

I am overjoyed, but he should never have been arrested and detained in the first place. For far too many others, they aren't as fortunate.

ICE is now moving people from the detention facility to other immigration facilities across the U.S. to block legal action. As this headline says, ICE's strategy is to ``Detain people first and ask questions later.''

Simply put, ICE is not following the law. They are part of an out-of- control Federal agency, indiscriminately kidnapping people off the streets, and sowing terror in our communities. This is not how a civilized Nation treats its people.

There are countless stories of ICE drawing their weapons and pointing them at bystanders, driving into oncoming traffic to deter bystanders from filming them. To make matters worse, now the Trump administration is demeaning and scapegoating immigrants.

The United States of America is a country of immigrants and our Nation is stronger because of its diversity, but the Trump administration's actions are actually making America more dangerous.

This isn't about safety. Nobody wants violent criminals in their neighborhoods and districts, but that is not the issue here. In fact, ICE is spending so much time targeting people based on their race or ethnicity that they aren't focused on the real criminals.

Recently, I spoke with a high school student who is terrified that his family and friends will be kidnapped. I spoke with education leaders who were in tears about the trauma they are seeing in their school districts and with students who are afraid for themselves and their families. This trauma will last for years and will affect the ability of these kids to learn and thrive in schools.

I met with Latino businessowners who have seen significant reductions in people visiting their shops and restaurants. The common thread in their interactions was the word ``terror.''

Earlier this week, high school students were here advocating for humane immigration policies. They spoke about how the Trump administration is dehumanizing immigrants and making it more difficult for people to call America home. High schoolers know this is wrong. You and I know this is wrong.

I urge my colleagues to show some empathy and understanding. Let's show some respect for civil and human rights. Work with us on humane immigration reform.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow these abuses of power and lawless actions to continue. We must all speak out. Let's work together to put an end to this ugly chapter in our country's history.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this continuing resolution. I will not support a bill that will continue the Republicans' assault on Americans and their pocketbooks. At a time when Oregonians and Americans are already struggling with rising costs, this bill locks in devastating cuts to healthcare and drives up the cost, in many cases, significantly.

The assault on healthcare and the Republican shutdown more broadly are further proof that the first 10 months of this Trump administration have been chaotic, harmful, and completely out of touch with the needs of the American people. Donald Trump held an extravagant Great Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago the night before SNAP benefits expired, while the administration and Republicans continue to ignore the needs of working families. That is not governing. They have abandoned their responsibility to bring down costs and grow the economy.

Mr. Speaker, this bill was already bad, but now they have added this corrupt, get-rich-quick scheme to give hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to Trump-aligned Senators. That is outrageous. Oregonians and Americans deserve better.

My colleagues should listen to their constituents, vote ``no,'' and come back to the table and join us in the work to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this Continuing Resolution. Although I support opening the government after this devastating 43-day shutdown, I will not support a bill that will continue the Republican's assault on Americans and their pocketbooks. At a time when Oregonians and Americans are already struggling with rising costs, this bill locks in devastating cuts to health care and drives up the cost of health insurance--in many cases significantly.

Just a few months ago the Republicans passed a cruel budget in which they paid for tax cuts for billionaires by making the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in history. Now they are continuing their heartless obsession with destroying the Affordable Care Act.

These Republican policies are damaging to the entire health care system, but are especially harmful for rural hospitals and clinics. At home in Oregon, hospitals and health systems have described the consequences of this agenda as `catastrophic.' Staff will be reduced, clinics will close, and we will go back to the day when people without insurance delayed care and ended up in emergency rooms.

These cuts to health care--and the Republican shutdown more broadly-- are further proof that the first ten months of this Trump administration have been chaotic, harmful, and completely out of touch with the needs of the American people. Donald Trump held an extravagant Great Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago the night before SNAP benefits expired, and the administration and Republicans continue to ignore the needs of working families. That's not governing; it's a cruel and corrupt abdication of their promise and their responsibility to bring down costs and grow the economy. Oregonians and Americans deserve better.

During the shutdown I held three town hall meetings--something most Republicans still refuse to do--and heard from many constituents who are extremely worried about the already high cost of living. The Republican health care cuts and the increased costs the Republicans are locking in with this bill will make life harder, not easier, for the people we represent. The Republicans who crafted these policies might change their minds if they actually showed up to hear from their constituents.

Donald Trump claimed he would lower costs, but this bill, along with his chaotic tariff policies, are making costs rise--not fall. People across this country are struggling to pay for housing, groceries, child care, and other necessities. Too many families have already reached their breaking point, and this will drive them further into debt and despair.

The Republican agenda would dramatically increase premiums for more than 198,000 Oregonians, including my constituent Teresa from Clatsop County. Teresa, a small business owner, runs a small flower and produce farm. Like many small business owners, she purchases her coverage on the Oregon health care exchange. Because of Republicans' refusal to protect health care, her premium will soon be going from $230 a month to $1,077 a month.

This is unconscionable, unacceptable, and unnecessary. Teresa is about to turn 60; she works a tough, physical job. Running a small family farm is challenging even in a strong economy. She won't be able to afford her premium, and yet she can't afford to be without health care. One illness or one injury could threaten her health and her livelihood. Teresa could be forced to close her family business--a business that plays an important part in Oregon's north coast economy.

Teresa is not alone. Americans across the country are receiving similar letters about dramatic premium increases, forcing them to make impossible decisions; if they keep their coverage, how will they pay for food and housing and child care? They can't.

Teresa, and everyone in the United States, should feel secure, not fearful, when they get sick. They deserve better.

I am fighting to make health care accessible and affordable, and I'm asking Republicans to join House Democrats in this important work. We've had weeks to address the rising costs--to consider good-faith proposals that could prevent pushing millions off a health care cliff. But the Speaker of the House closed the United States House of Representatives for business for seven weeks. That's no way to run government.

This Continuing Resolution is a betrayal to the people we represent. Outrageously, at the last-minute Republicans included a provision in this bill that allows certain Republican Senators to sue the federal government for hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with seizing their phone records regarding Jan. 6, 2021. This provision is a get-rich-quick scheme for Senators who attempted to overthrow democracy. It's the epitome of corruption and has no place in Congress much less in a spending bill. I supported removing the language from the bill, but Republican leadership didn't even let us vote on an amendment to do that.

I invite my colleagues to listen to their constituents, vote no, come back to the table, and join us in the work to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all.

Madam Speaker, ``Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.''

Madam Speaker, like many of you, I grew up singing that song. We sang it at camp, on holidays, and in school. It has no genre. It has been performed by country, soul, gospel, and Latin rock artists like Carlos Santana, Pat Boone, Johnny Mathis, Gladys Knight, Nat King Cole, and Mahalia Jackson.

Here is its history. It was written back in the 1950s for a group of teenagers from different religions and racial and economic backgrounds. They were brought together in California at a workshop designed to create friendship and understanding through education.

The teens said that singing helped them to create a climate where they would have world peace and understanding.

I have been thinking about that a lot this past week, especially in the context of education. This is National Arts in Education Week. It is a time to celebrate and recognize the importance of arts education.

Maybe you wonder why, Madam Speaker.

There are many reasons, and here are three:

Students do better in school when they have arts education.

Arts education inspires creativity, which is important for economic growth and innovation.

Importantly, the arts help heal, and students and our Nation need healing.

First, scores of studies over several years show that students do better in all subjects when they have arts education. Unfortunately, arts education is often seen as an extra, or it is cut because it is not included in the national test scores, but that is very shortsighted.

Arts education has a remarkable and positive effect on students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes, including higher test scores, more compassion for others, and fewer disciplinary problems. It also keeps students interested in school, improves attendance, and increases graduation rates.

Arts education benefits every student, even in preschool. A recent study shows that students in an arts-integrated preschool show three times the growth in vocabulary compared with a similar program without the arts. That is something to celebrate.

Second, arts education will prepare students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Many people talk about the four Cs of job skills for the 21st century: collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking. I will add a fifth: confidence.

I visited Quatama Elementary School, an arts-integrated STEAM school in my home State of Oregon, where two sixth-grade students explained how they made a stop-motion animation film about cell division. Now, that was very impressive, and they were very confident. With more technology and artificial intelligence, students will need skills to observe, analyze, question, and consider multiple perspectives. It is not just answering questions, it is knowing what questions to ask. These skills are all enhanced with arts education.

There are millions of jobs in arts and culture sectors across the country. Madam Speaker, when you listen to music or watch a TV show or a movie or play a video game, those are all created by artists. However, collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, and confidence help in any career and in life.

Finally, the arts heal, and we need that now. The brain research is there; the arts improve health and well-being.

A few years ago I met two students at Aloha High School in Oregon. They were in a music class. They were high school students, and I asked them what they liked about the class. They told me they had both lost family members during COVID, so they wrote a song about it. They said that when they sang, it made them feel better.

In fact, the former Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, said that music is medicine, and research continues to show the healing power of the arts.

The VA runs a successful arts therapy program for veterans with PTSD. World-renowned soprano, Renee Fleming, recently released ``Music and

Mind'', a new book about harnessing the arts for health and wellness. It is full of examples, stories, and research.

For today's children and young adults who will be tomorrow's leaders, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the bipartisan Arts Education for All bill. For those keeping track, it is H.R. 2485, and to fully fund the Every Student Succeeds Act, especially title I and title IV-A.

This is so students do better in school and become creative, critical thinkers. It is so our economy can thrive because the next generation will know how to collaborate, communicate, and come up with new ideas and new ways to solve problems. It is also so young people and people of every generation can learn more about each other's ideas and culture, and we can work on healing.

Mr. Chair, I thank Representative Stansbury for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to this amendment, which would ban transgender women from participating in women's sports but also lead to challenges on all women's bodies, making the military and academies less safe for any women to enlist, no matter who they are.

Military personnel already undergo in-depth medical exams, and this amendment would allow for women and trans people to be subjected to increased and invasive targeting and harassment.

Athletic associations and the service academies are better prepared to understand the sports that they regulate and how to provide both respect for transgender people and fairness in sports. These associations and academies should be addressing this issue, not politicians, especially politicians who do not understand that trans people are not men who put on skirts.

Republicans have already banned trans people from the military and the service academies via executive action. This amendment is just another backdoor attempt to discourage transgender people from enlisting in the future while making the military less safe for all women and embedding discrimination into law. This amendment is a classic example of politicians trying to insert themselves where they don't belong. I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to demand answers, answers from the Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget. Today, it is July 22, and the Trump administration continues to withhold

more than $5 billion in critical K-12 and adult education funding that should have been released by the July 1 deadline.

More than 150 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives joined a group of 42 Senators, including 10 Republican Senators, in calling on Secretary McMahon and Director Vought to release the funds by July 15. That date has obviously passed, but we have received no answers.

Although the administration did release the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants yesterday, they are a small percentage of the outstanding funding, and there is still no word on any of the other grants.

School districts across the country are scrambling to make decisions, but they have unclear information and severely constrained budgets. Many districts have already been forced to lay off educators and staff who will not be paid without the Federal funding.

For many students across the country, the new school year starts in a few weeks, and schools are now in an all-out crisis. As one administrator told me, it is a ``five-alarm fire.''

Funds authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act are not a luxury. They are part of what closes opportunity gaps. They are a critical part of our effort to provide students across the country, regardless of income or ZIP Code, with a world-class education. Yes, this is about civil rights. Every single dollar is a good investment in students and in our future.

State administered title I, part C grants, which have been around since the 1960s, support migrant students. These grants help children of mobile farmworkers and fishers, people who are harvesting our crops and putting food on our tables, meet academic standards and graduate from high school, preparing them to become responsible citizens and productive employees.

Title II grants provide essential support to recruit, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers and school leaders. These grants address the growing educator workforce shortage and provide professional development for educators to improve teaching and student outcomes.

Title III grants provide English language learners with the integrated academic support they need to learn English and meet State standards.

Title IV, part A grants are designed to give students access to a well-rounded education. That is what students need: to improve school safety and to create better conditions for student learning and engagement. These grants fund critical music and arts programs and integrate technology into the classrooms so students can develop digital literacy skills.

Finally, Adult Basic and Literacy Education grants help provide integrated education and training services that promote essential skills for the 21st century workforce.

These are all programs that Congress authorized. Again, these are programs that Congress authorized, yet the Trump administration is refusing to release the funds.

Mr. Speaker, 10 Republican Senators were brave enough and principled enough to request with the Democrats that the administration release these funds for their intended purposes, yet we have heard nothing, nothing, from House Republicans about the illegal and unconstitutional withholding of these congressionally appropriated dollars.

Is there a fear of President Trump keeping them from their commitment to the millions of students in the school districts that they were elected to represent?

I tell my colleagues that everyone can show that they care about the kids in their districts, that they care about education. Everyone should join us in demanding answers.

Secretary McMahon and Director Vought must release these funds immediately. This is about our Nation's children, our students, and our future leaders. They deserve better.