Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to vote today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 343, Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 953; NO on Roll Call No. 344, H. Res. 953.

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to vote today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted NAY on Roll

Call No. 337, Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 951; and NAY on Roll Call No. 338, on H. Res. 951.

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to vote today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 339, the Motion to Recommit on H.R. 4371; NAY on Roll Call No. 340, H.R. 4371; YEA on Roll Call No. 341, the Motion to Recommit on H.R. 3632; and NAY on Roll Call No. 342, H.R. 3632.

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to vote today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted: YEA on S. 284--Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act (Sen. Lummis-- Education and Workforce); and YEA on H.R. 3187--Conveyance of specified Forest Service property to Perry County, Arkansas (Rep. Hill--Natural Resources).

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to vote during the vote series. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted YEA on the Motion to Recommit H.R. 3668 and NAY on H.R. 3668, Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Joe B. Allen, an accomplished attorney and civic leader who has devoted his career to strengthening and uplifting the City of Houston. Scenic Houston has recognized Mr. Allen with its Scenic Visionary Award for his leadership and his lasting contributions to our community.

For decades, Mr. Allen has helped guide Houston's growth with a steady hand and a clear vision. Through his work in public infrastructure and policy, he has advanced the idea that a great city must be both functional and beautiful. It must be a place that serves its people and reflects their pride. He has been a leading voice for thoughtful urban design and the protection of green and scenic spaces across our region.

His commitment to preserving the character of our city has inspired generations of Houstonians to see beauty as an essential part of civic life. Mr. Allen's influence endures in the parks, neighborhoods, and gathering places that define our city.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Joe B. Allen on this well-deserved honor and thank him for a lifetime of service that has made Houston a stronger, more welcoming place for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of the Honorable Gladys Toney Branford.

Gladys was born in the Jim Crow South in Madison County, Alabama. To grow up in that era and go on to serve as a judge is truly remarkable.

In 1986, then-Mayor Kathy Whitmire appointed her to the bench in Houston, and I had the profound honor of swearing her in.

She was a great judge, Mr. Speaker, tough and fair, and always giving everyone a full hearing in their day in court.

She built shores of sisterhood as a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta and through her decades in The Links, Incorporated.

Above it all, Judge Branford often said that her greatest joy was her family: three accomplished children and six beautiful grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, Judge Branford was a friend and a dear colleague, and it is especially an honor for me to be able to lift her life here today and on the floor of the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding, along with subcommittee ranking member and the co-lead of this bill, Ms. Brownley, and Chairman Bost.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, the Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordinator Act of 2025. Women veterans are the fastest growing group using VA healthcare services today, and I am proud to say more of them call Texas home than any other State in the Nation.

As this population ages--keep in mind the average woman veteran is 54--they become more likely to develop cancers. The average age of women veterans diagnosed with breast cancer is 58, and the average age for reproductive cancers is 55.

For many of these veterans, the road ahead is not as clear as it should be. Many VA centers are still building out their services, so often women are connected with community care.

However, when they move outside the VA network, problems start to pile up. Records don't transfer and systems don't update with the latest data. That means more phone calls, more waiting, more back and forth, more frustrations.

Women veterans and their families could be using this energy and time on their treatment and their journey to recovery. A cancer diagnosis shakes your sense of stability. These women need a care system that works for them, not one that makes them fight to get the care that they need.

By connecting them with dedicated coordinators at VA to guide them on their path to remission, we can help these mothers, sisters, and heroes stay in the fight. We made a commitment to these women veterans. Now we must do everything in our power to keep that promise and to save their lives.

This is a commonsense bill. It passed out of committee on voice vote, and I trust the same will happen here. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Bob Stein: a friend, a teacher, and a brilliant mind, who passed away last week after living an equally brilliant life.

I had the privilege of knowing Bob throughout my entire public service career. When he wasn't cycling, Bob was a professor at Rice University, where he spent 46 years being a leading voice on elections, disaster response, and local government, but to call Bob just a professor wouldn't capture who he truly was.

His classroom extended far beyond Rice. He had a remarkable habit of turning local officials into students, and I was proud to be one of them.

Bob Stein spent his whole life helping this Nation live up to its promise. To his wife, Marty, and his children, I thank them for sharing him with us. Mr. Speaker, you know that if you planned to run for office in Houston, you had to sit down and talk to Bob Stein.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful city and a grateful nation, I thank Bob. May he enjoy his cycling in Heaven. God bless.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate my longtime friend, Arturo Vargas, as he marks 30 years of extraordinary leadership with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) and the NALEO Educational Fund.

As a former President of NALEO, I know the kind of dedication it takes to build lasting impact. And for three decades, Arturo has done just that. He has helped shape the civic landscape for Latinos in this country--not by chasing headlines, but by doing the work. The hard, necessary, behind-the-scenes work of building power, lifting up leaders, and making sure our voices are counted.

Under Arturo's leadership, NALEO has become a powerhouse for civic engagement training elected officials, defending voting rights, championing fair representation, and connecting communities to the ballot box. He's helped demystify the process of government and made sure it actually works for the people.

Arturo knew that in order to elect Latino leaders, he had to become an expert in the systems built against them. He went to Stanford, mastered the ins and outs of redistricting and demographics, and became one of the foremost experts on Latino civic participation. That expertise has helped guide countless policymakers, including many of us in this chamber. If you're a Latino in government, odds are Arturo Vargas has touched your journey.

Even before NALEO, Arturo was doing the work at the Mexican America Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), at the National Council of La Raza, and everywhere justice and opportunity were on the line. Arturo's legacy isn't written in stone--it's ongoing, growing, and living in the generations of leaders he's helped raise. He's not done yet, and thank goodness for that.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Arturo Vargas for his years of service, his deep commitment to our democracy, and his unwavering belief in what's possible when every voice is heard and every opportunity is seen.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a robbery being planned by a felon.

In the first 6 months of this administration, Republicans have lost the battle of ideas. Now set on making sure that they don't lose power, they lie and cheat in order to steal the midterm elections.

Governor Abbott bent a knee to the felon in the White House, calling an emergency session to redraw congressional maps in Texas. These are maps that he himself approved in 2021.

While Texas Hill Country is still reeling in grief and trying to recover from devastating floods, Republicans prove that it is always the right time to do the wrong thing.

Texans are struggling and deserve so much better than what Abbott has cooked up for them. This is an attack on democracy and nothing more than a power grab.

We must fight them with everything we have because, in this country, the voters choose who they elect and not the other way around.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the amendment at the desk that protects against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there are children in Texas going hungry, and Governor Greg Abbott just made it worse.

This week, he vetoed $60 million in State spending for a summer food program that would have helped feed children while school was out. With that one decision, he turned his back on our most vulnerable kids and walked away from $450 million in Federal funding that could have helped struggling families across Texas.

Texas has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the Nation. One in four children in our State face hunger. That is 25 percent of our children.

Let's be clear: How can you claim to be pro-life and then just let children starve?

To paraphrase Matthew: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

Our job is simple: Take care of our kids, feed the hungry, and lift up the families who need us most. I will never stop fighting for them, and I will always put people over politics.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish everyone a joyful and proud Pride Month.

In Houston, pride runs deep. We hosted one of the first nighttime parades in the country, and today it is the fourth largest in the Nation. It is not just a parade.

Groups like Fundacion Latinoamericana De Accion Social, Legacy Community Health, and the Montrose Center are doing the work every day making sure that our LGBTQIA+ neighbors have care, housing, community, and support. That is what we should be focused on. There is so much good that we can be doing.

Instead, my Republican colleagues are using their power to bully and target trans kids, children who just want to be safe, make friends, and be themselves. Those kids show more bravery than many of my colleagues here in this Chamber. We should all learn from them.

Every young person watching should know I see them, I hear them, and I will fight for them today and every day because in Texas when we say ``all,'' that means all.

Mr. Speaker, Scripture calls us to help one another.

In the Gospel of Matthew it says: I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. . . . I was a stranger, and you invited me in.

However, Republicans never come here to talk about poverty or hunger or the sick. It is always about tax cuts, the rich, and the billionaires.

Tonight I rise for one of the Houston families they are attempting to hurt.

Luisa and Roberto are seniors in my district. They have worked their whole lives, and now they are afraid. They are afraid of what happens when Republicans slash the programs they paid into and now rely on to stay healthy.

It is not just them. We hear from moms with cancer, families with disabled children, or families with loved ones in nursing homes, and on and on. They are terrified of losing Medicaid and SNAP.

What Republicans are doing is un-American, un-Christian, and unacceptable.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker. The American people know the difference between leadership and cruelty, and they won't forget who chose cruelty.