Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to applaud President Biden and House Democrats' efforts to lower the cost of goods for hardworking American families.

As we have seen, war criminal Putin has caused price hikes by way of his cruel war on Ukraine. As a result, Americans are seeing rising costs at the gas pump and the grocery stores and across the shelves of stores.

While extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to play the blame game, President Biden and House Democrats have decided to take action. Together, we are delivering results.

We have passed key bills like the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which will strengthen supply chains and produce cleaner and cheaper gas. This will lead to lower prices.

You see, Democrats are laser focused on lowering costs for hardworking families, not helping greedy billionaires and greedy companies. Together, we will continue building a better America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate President

Biden's massive accomplishment of slashing the Federal deficit by more than any other President in the first 16 months.

Mr. Speaker, this is huge. But even better news: Biden is on track to double down on building a better America for generations to come.

This year's deficit is on track to fall by $1.7 trillion which is the single largest 1-year reduction in American history. I repeat: This is the single largest reduction in American history.

In contrast, the Trump administration increased the Federal budget deficit. Every single year in office, it went up.

I can't say I am surprised, however. This accomplishment of the President is not coincidence. It is the result of a well-designed and well-managed recovery plan from the pandemic.

It is a result of President Biden and Congress passing key legislation like the historical American Rescue Plan which got people back to work, kids back in school, and families healthy again.

It is the result of a President who puts people first--not politics, people.

But on another note, it is no secret that the recent price hikes that have been caused by the war criminal Putin are burdening hardworking families. In fact, Putin's price hike has increased gas prices by $2 a gallon in many places since Russian troops began to threaten Ukraine, and families are seeing higher prices in the grocery aisles, too.

Sadly, Putin is increasing inflation, not only here in America, but also throughout the globe. House Democrats and President Biden won't stand for this. My colleagues and I are working side by side with the President to lower costs for working people at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and across the shelves.

That is why House Democrats passed critical bills like the Lowering Food and Fuel Costs Act, Ocean Shipping Reform Act, and the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act.

These key bills will strengthen our supply chains, create more maritime jobs in communities like my home district, and lower both gas and goods prices.

Just yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the President announced that he is in favor of taking a pause of 3 months on the Federal gas tax. He has challenged Congress to pass that, to put a pause on the Federal gasoline tax for 3 months.

Now, our tax is 18 cents. That would be 18 cents per gallon every time someone fills up. He challenged all of the Governors to do the same.

Some Governors, like the Governors of Florida and Georgia and others, have already done this. In my State of Texas, that means an additional savings of 20 cents. Added together, that would be 38 cents a gallon.

That is huge. That is a huge savings in cutting prices down. For an average tank of 15 gallons, that would be a savings of $5.70 every time they fill up.

So I hope that our Governor does like Florida and Georgia and rises to the challenge that the President has made yesterday and puts a pause on Texas' gasoline tax.

House Democrats are taking strong steps. We are joining hands with the President to make sure that we lower rising prices caused by Putin's cruel war in Ukraine. I call on all my Republican colleagues across the aisle to join us.

Most Republicans voted against all those bills that I just mentioned. It is time to act. Enough is enough. I urge them to fight with us for hardworking American families. Together, we can build a better America for today and for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the House Democrats' efforts to lower rising costs that threaten and burden our American families.

Putin's cruel war in Ukraine is rising prices across our Nation and the world, but Democrats are taking decisive action.

Last week, we passed the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act. This bill will reduce our dependence on foreign fertilizer production, strengthen competition in the meat and poultry sector, and strengthen our supply chain.

It will also expand access to cleaner Unleaded 88 gas that costs an average of 40 cents less per gallon. These steps for Democrats will go a long way, Mr. Speaker, to protect American families from Putin's inflation.

Yet, some extreme MAGA Republicans continue to side with greedy corporations and billionaires instead of hardworking families.

I call on our Republican colleagues to work with us in our efforts to lower costs for all families across America. The time to act is now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 10- year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, more commonly known as DACA.

Ten years ago, President Obama and Democrats reaffirmed America's tradition as the land of opportunity by creating DACA. Since that day, brave young immigrants, known as Dreamers, have provided massive contributions on their path to the American Dream.

DACA gave Dreamers a chance to do that, to dream big. It allowed them to use their talents, giving them a chance to seek higher education, work, and, most importantly, protection from deportation. They were there for us on the front lines, working as healthcare workers, all kinds of workers, to help us through the pandemic, and we thank them.

While we celebrate DACA as a significant temporary achievement for all of America, it is by no means a substitute for fixing our broken immigration system.

Mr. Speaker, I promise to continue our fight for comprehensive immigration reform so that we can finally keep families together permanently.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize President Biden's and House Democrats' work in reducing the budget deficit, fighting inflation, and lowering the cost of goods in America.

Madam Speaker, it is no secret Russia's cruel war against Ukraine is driving up prices not only here in America but all over the globe. Putin's price hike has increased gas prices by $2 a gallon in many places since Russian troops began to threaten Ukraine, and families are seeing higher prices in the grocery aisles also.

But President Biden and House Democrats won't stand by and watch rising costs and inflation continue to burden our hardworking families. Putin may raise prices temporarily, but President Biden and House Democrats are fighting back with key legislation, and we will win.

This week alone, Democrats acted to lower costs and crack down on outrageous ocean shipping fees by passing the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act. These shipping fees have made goods more expensive for American small businesses and American consumers. This bill will correct this inequity and make sure that American consumers are not being overcharged.

Democrats soon will pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which aims to lower prices for American families in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump by giving American farmers and ranchers the support they need to thrive. This bill will take massive steps, including lowering fertilizer costs in the field to lower prices at the grocery store; lowering meat and poultry costs by increasing meatpacking competition and capacity; and lowering prices at the pump by making cheaper, cleaner Unleaded 88 more available.

These are meaningful and practical steps we are taking to ensure lower prices and to lower inflation. But that is not all.

This week, Democrats have delivered for the American people and will continue to do so. Last March, we passed the COMPETES Act. Now it is in conference, and we are negotiating with the Senate. The COMPETES Act will strengthen our supply chain and lower costs big time.

This bill also will help us make more products right here in America. We will see ``Made in the USA.''

It also will include my bill, which has language to provide critical grants for maritime centers that would ensure our supply chain is not interrupted by work shortages and to ensure a pipeline of the future workforce. This will lower prices for our districts, like mine in Texas-29, and it will also create many good-paying local jobs for people in my district and all hardworking Texans.

Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that our negotiations with the Senate while we are in the conference committee will soon end and that we can find final passage of this very critical bill because this bill will make sure that America competes and that America will see products that say ``USA.''

Madam Speaker, one major accomplishment less talked about but so important to all of us today and tomorrow is President Biden's historic Federal deficit cut. In a nutshell, President Biden has delivered the largest Federal deficit cut in the past 16 months than any other President's first 16 months.

You see, Democrats understand that building a better America is not only about today, but it is also about our future generations. It is about building a better America for all of us here today but also for generations to come. That is why Biden is on track to drop the budget deficit by more than $1.6 trillion this year alone.

In contrast, the Trump administration and my Republican colleagues raised the deficit every year that Mr. Trump was in office.

President Biden and House Democrats will remain committed to lowering costs for working families, and I promise we will make good on that promise. We will continue delivering results for today and for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2543, the Financial Services Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Economic Justice Act. Let me repeat the words, this is what we are talking about: racial equity, inclusion, and economic justice.

I thank Chairwoman Waters for bringing this legislation forward and for her leadership on all these important issues. I thank Chairman Green who is the chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for navigating us through this bill being heard today.

Specifically, I will speak about two bills which have been included in this important package, such as the Improving Language Access in Mortgage Servicing Act.

According to the U.S. Census, over 20 percent--that is one out of five--households in the United States speak a language other than English, and nearly 9 percent of households lack a proficient English speaker.

Homeownership is an opportunity to build generational wealth and speaking another language should never be a barrier in home buying and mortgaging.

This legislation will establish language access requirements in the eight most commonly spoken languages in the United States, besides English, for creditors and servicers to ensure that Americans who lack English proficiency are not at a disadvantage while buying a home.

Imagine getting something from your mortgage company telling you you owe something or that you are at risk of maybe being foreclosed on, but it is all in English, and you speak no English. Of course, you will end up being in foreclosure because you don't understand the notice that you are getting. This is what my bill is about.

The second bill is the Studying Barriers to Housing Act, which has also been included in this package.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will require the GAO to conduct a study to identify housing barriers that contribute to the issue of homelessness.

This study will find laws, regulations, common practices, and funding formulas that create barriers to housing in an effort to pinpoint the problems in our system that cause homelessness to continue and grow.

I am proud of both of these bills, and I hope that both of these bills pass to increase expanded language access and to find the root causes of homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the record-breaking number of jobs created under President Biden's watch, his plan to lower costs for hard-working American families, and our plan to continue building a better America.

Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 8.7 million new jobs--8.7 million new jobs. That is staggering. Fun fact, Mr. Speaker, this is the most jobs added in any President's first 16 months. I repeat: The most jobs added in any President's first 16 months. This is historic.

The fact that the economy is booming is no accident. You see, President Biden laid the foundation for an amazing recovery through his American Rescue Plan and vaccination program. This plan got people back to work, kids back in schools, and helped the American economy bounce back.

Together, with President Biden, House Democrats are not only bringing back jobs, but we are growing paychecks for households across the country. Because of this, unemployment is near historic lows, and even better, the number of Americans relying on unemployment benefits has dropped by more than 90 percent. This is huge.

In short, our Nation has recovered 96 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic and is on track to return to prepandemic employment levels before the end of the year.

Mr. Speaker, this is a direct result of President Biden's leadership, Congress' partnership, and the backing of the American people.

While many Americans are back at work, we have heard calls from hardworking families struggling with the cost of inflation. Sadly, Putin's war against Ukraine is now the biggest single driver of inflation, but we have a plan for this too.

I am proud to report that House Democrats and President Biden are acting to lower gas prices by fighting Putin's price hike. The United States is on track to produce a record amount of oil next year, and coming from Texas, that is music to our ears, and the President is working with the industry to accelerate this output.

Democrats are also laser focused on lowering everyday costs for families at the grocery store, and they are also improving the supply chain. We are fighting for everyday Americans by reducing the cost of everyday goods through the COMPETES Act.

This landmark legislation will lower costs and strengthen our supply chains by making more products right here in America: Made in USA. Again, this will create more jobs.

We also have great news on the Federal deficit. Biden is still on track to drop the budget deficit by $1.6 trillion this year alone.

Mr. Speaker, another fun fact, President Biden has cut the deficit more this year than any President in history. I repeat, more than any President in history. In contrast, Mr. Speaker, the Trump administration increased the Federal budget deficit every single year they were in office.

All things considered, President Biden and House Democrats are not only working together to continue building a better America for all Americans, but we are delivering on that promise, and we will continue to do just that--delivering on our promise.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act, and H.R. 2377, the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act.

In Texas, our souls are crushed, and our hearts are still broken. We stand in solidarity with our friends and neighbors in Uvalde and communities across the Nation, mourning the lives of those who have lost their lives to gun violence.

Empathy, love, and morality are calling upon us to pass these bills that are commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence and save children's lives.

Let's not be deceived by the absurd proposition to arm our teachers in schools. Let's let schools be schools. A teacher should be armed with books, not guns. Children need to focus on learning the ABCs, not how to dodge bullets.

I urge my colleagues across the aisle to consult their conscience, not the NRA, and vote ``yes'' on these measures.

Madam Speaker, I was attending a meeting in preparation for a hearing for one of my committee assignments, and was not released timely; therefore, I was unable to vote. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 190.

Madam Speaker, due to technical difficulties, I am recorded as ``Not Voting'' on Final Passage of H.R. 5129.

I was present, I proxy voted for three members, and I intended to vote YEA on Roll Call No. 182.

Madam Speaker, I rise in outrage due to recent attacks on women's reproductive rights and now, as we have seen, maybe plans to attack other fundamental rights.

Republicans are using this leaked opinion as fuel to take their extreme policies even further. I say to my fellow colleagues, if Republicans overturn Roe, they will take aim at other privacy rights, such as same-sex marriage and access to contraception.

Indeed, in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott now wants to overturn a Supreme Court decision that ensures public education for immigrant children.

In West Virginia, a white nationalist wants to take aim at Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools.

I ask you, what comes next?

Madam Speaker, we are fighting to protect a woman's freedom to make her own healthcare decisions. But we will also be fighting the fight of all fights to protect all our freedoms.

Don't mess with women's reproductive rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with outrage at the recent cruel attack on women's reproductive rights.

Through a leak, we have learned about the Supreme Court draft opinion that would terrifyingly overturn Roe v. Wade if finalized. This is shocking.

You see, I know what happens when Republicans strip reproductive rights away from women. I have seen it in my home State of Texas, which has the strictest reproductive healthcare laws in the country, S.B. 8.

Each month, nearly 1,500 Texans are forced into such desperation where they travel to surrounding States for a chance to receive their healthcare. Many times these Texans are forced to travel in unsafe conditions, putting themselves in harm's way.

Mr. Speaker, we will not go back. We must not go back. I urge my Senate colleagues to codify Roe v. Wade into law. We must protect a woman's right to reproductive healthcare.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleague from New Jersey Mr. Gottheimer's bill, H.R. 5914, the Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor.

Increasingly, senior investors and consumers have become the target of financial exploitation. Sadly, one in five older Americans have been victimized by financial fraud.

Madam Speaker, in today's world of technology and telemarketing calls and robocalls, it is only getting worse.

I can tell you, Madam Speaker, that I have had many lives in my life. I am like a cat. The first life I had was as a geriatric social worker. I saw it back then, but it was a little bit different. Now, with technology and all the high-tech things that one can do, it gets worse and worse. The numbers are getting higher, and the dollar values are getting higher.

Protecting seniors from financial exploitation is critical to ensuring that seniors can maintain a secure retirement.

This bill will help do that. It creates a senior investor protection grant program to be implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will work closely with State securities regulators to protect older investors and educate seniors about financial matters and financial scams.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters and Representative Gottheimer for bringing this bipartisan bill before us today. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for bringing this bill forward, a bill that is literally very important, not just to the Guillen family but to so many constituents in my district.

I also recognize that we are in the midst of celebrating the 1-year anniversary of Vanessa Guillen's death.

Vanessa was one of my constituents before she was transferred to Fort Hood military base for her Army training. She was a rising star before her life was tragically cut short.

As Members of Congress, we have the moral obligation to honor Vanessa's memory and enact change that will end violence in our military installations.

Her story has captivated Americans of all backgrounds. It brought much-needed attention to sexual assault in the military, and it has led to changes being implemented at Fort Hood and at military bases throughout the Nation and, in fact, the world.

I will not rest until there is justice for Vanessa Guillen and her family. There is still much work that will need to be done. But the naming of a post office in her memory this year of her first anniversary would be but a small gesture on the part of this Congress in naming a post office after her to memorialize her work and her legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two Houston-area leaders, Pastor David Smith and his wife, Lady Linda Smith.

Many strong community leaders go unnoticed. They serve silently every day and draw very little attention to themselves, quietly doing their work. Yet through their service, they enrich and improve the lives of everyone around them.

Pastor Smith and Lady Smith are both quiet, everyday heroes who put smiles on faces across the district and particularly in the Eastex/ Jensen Freeway community. Through their faith-based work, they spread positivity and hope to countless Houstonians.

They are also very active in community activities and are the lead organizers of the Houston area's annual Jensen Jubilee Fall Festival. Pastor Smith is more like the mayor of the Eastex/Jensen Freeway area.

Pastor Smith and Lady Linda Smith embody the Houston spirit of service, compassion, and volunteerism. I am proud they are my constituents, and I thank them for their selfless community service.