Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the incredible impact the bipartisan Affordable Insulin Now Act will have on Americans across the Nation.

It is no secret diabetes poses a major health burden to Americans across our country. Texas, in particular, suffers greatly from the effects of type 2 diabetes. Every day, new Texans are diagnosed. On top of that, the rate of new cases increases every single year.

This topic, Mr. Speaker, hits very close to home. I have seen firsthand the hurdles diabetes creates for families simply looking to live a quiet life and be alone and have a good, productive life. In my family, my mother faced uphill health battles because of diabetes most of her adult life. She died eventually of diabetes complications.

Diabetes runs in my family. In fact, my doctor tells me that no matter what I do, I may end up getting diabetes. I am one of 10 children. Five of us have already gotten diabetes and are dependent on insulin.

Sadly, this epidemic disproportionately impacts older adults, especially Latinos, minorities, and populations with lower levels of education. It remains one of the leading causes of death in Texas and the United States. In my own home county of Harris County, diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death.

Even when purchased through Medicare, insulin is more than three times as expensive in the United States than in the U.K. The bipartisan Affordable Insulin Now Act is truly needed to save lives.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act caps insulin copays at $35 per month or 25 percent of an insurance plan's negotiated price, whichever is lower. It is a great first step, and it will save lives. But more must be done.

You see, Mr. Speaker, Americans without health insurance will not benefit from this bill. This will help those residents who are fortunate to already have health insurance, and we welcome this support. Again, it is a great first step. But much more is very needed.

Texas is the State with the highest rate of uninsured individuals and, in my district, 33 percent of the residents in my district do not have health insurance.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, my district has the highest number of uninsured people than in any other district in the Nation. To make matters worse, diabetes is highly concentrated in east Texas, the area where I live. It pains me that these folks were not included in the bill.

The immense health and emotional challenges diabetes brings to households are burdensome enough; but its economic strain is ruthless to families not fortunate enough to have insurance.

Because of corporate greed and companies focused only on profits, Texans without medical insurance face astronomical prices for insulin. In short, people with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.3 times higher than those who do not have diabetes.

The out-of-pocket costs for healthcare and insulin have crippled hardworking Americans across our country. It has gotten so bad that one in four people have rationed, rationed lifesaving insulin because they could not afford proper dosage amounts. This is unacceptable and wrong, and we must do better.

No one--I repeat, no one--should have to gamble with their health by rationing insulin to make ends meet. The bipartisan Affordable Insulin Now Act will save lives, and it is a great step forward. But I will continue fighting for residents across my district who do not currently have health insurance but do need insulin. We will continue to fight until we get it done.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the plaza dedication in honor of Jose ``Joe'' Campos Torres taking place Saturday, April 2, 2022.

On May 5, 1977, Army veteran Joe Campos Torres died of injuries inflicted by several on-duty officers of the Houston Police Department (HPD). Following a cruel, racially-motivated beating that evening, the police officers took him to the city jail where the jail staff refused to process Joe due to his grave visible injuries. Officers were instructed to transport him to the hospital for medical care. Outrageously, the officers instead pushed Joe off a wharf into the Buffalo Bayou. Tragically, he did not survive.

Joe Campos Torres was taken from his family and our community too soon, but his legacy was the light shone on violent police incidents plaguing Latinos and minorities in 1977. This set a new course of police reform for HPD. In 2021, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner issued a public apology for the brutal murder at the hands of HPD officers more than 40 years ago. Following sincere attempts to address racism within their ranks, today, HPD reflects the diversity of the city and is committed to building powerful relationships with minority communities. Joe Campos Torres' sacrifice sparked this movement and continues to protect countless numbers of Latino and minority community members.

Madam Speaker, let the record show Jose ``Joe'' Campos Torres is a national and local hero. With this plaza dedication in honor of his life, residents across Houston and the State of Texas will welcome a permanent memorial worthy of his legacy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the impact the COMPETES Act will have on our Nation.

We are seeing the best economy for American workers in decades, with people earning higher wages, better benefits, and better jobs, thanks to President Biden's leadership.

With that said, when I visited with the leadership from the Port of Houston in my district a while back, they expressed their gratitude for Congress' strong investment in the maritime infrastructure needed to keep America's economy moving in the right direction.

They also expressed concern, however, that more workers will need technical training than our current system will be able to provide.

The America COMPETES Act will be that critical next step in providing vital maritime workforce training.

My home district, Texas-29, will benefit greatly from the large grant program for domestic maritime worker training and education included in the America COMPETES Act.

I was proud to see this maritime grant program language included, as it was originally part of my bill, H.R. 987, which was one that was introduced to strengthen our maritime workforce.

This investment will provide more Houston area workers the technical training, education, and resources needed to become qualified for good- paying maritime jobs.

For example, the San Jacinto College Maritime Center in my district helps thousands of students learn new skills so they can earn good paychecks, paychecks that hold families together.

Located just outside of Houston, the San Jacinto College Maritime Program offers maritime training and deck-level coursework for all professional mariners. They cover everything from entry-level deckhands on an inland towboat to unlimited tonnage masters on the world's largest ships.

The COMPETES Act will empower the maritime grant program that will directly benefit this community college; more workers for maritime work.

But like the San Jacinto Community College in my district, there are also similar training centers across the Nation that will benefit. The COMPETES Act will help thousands of students learn new skills so they can provide comfortably for their families and live a good life with good benefits.

This is another way the America COMPETES Act will strengthen our supply chains. While there will be plenty of large-scale improvements across the Nation, there will also be many local governments like this in our hometowns that will benefit.

I look forward to President Biden signing this bill into law. And this is yet, Madam Speaker, another example of how we are building a better America for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the country's tremendous economic improvements.

While our economy is stronger than ever, the America COMPETES Act will strengthen the economy even more in the near future. But one key economic accomplishment during Biden's first year I would like to highlight is the large budget deficit decrease he produced.

In his first year, the deficit decreased by $360 billion. That is an average drop of $30 billion each month. That is huge.

This is a night-and-day difference from the past administration, which only increased the budget deficit year after year during his time in office. But even better, Biden is on track to reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion this year. This is truly remarkable.

We really are building a better America for generations to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 90th anniversary of a Houston-area community staple, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Anyone who lives in or around Houston knows about the Houston Rodeo, but outside of their legendary fried Oreos, incredibly tasty brisket, and impressive livestock shows and rodeo, it is a family-friendly place where families and communities across the region learn about agriculture.

The Houston Rodeo has a special place in my heart, Madam Speaker, as it does to many Texans. Growing up on a farm, I still remember my first trip to Houston was to attend the Houston Rodeo.

Today, it is the world's largest rodeo with attendance surpassing two million people. Money raised at the rodeo goes to scholarships. This year alone, 350 4-year scholarships will be awarded.

The Houston Rodeo is a Houston gem. It is a Texas gem.

Madam Speaker, I congratulate the Houston Rodeo on its 90-year anniversary, and I look forward to the next 90 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate President Biden for the progress our Nation has made this past year. In early 2021, the President took office during a global crisis and was determined to get America back on track. He knew we needed a comeback. He knew we needed to focus on building a better America.

So what did President Biden do? He invested in the American people, and he invested big. The boom was beginning.

In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan was signed into law. In total, a historic $1.9 trillion were put to work for the American people during the severe public health and economic crisis caused by

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council on their century of service to the girls of southeast Texas. One hundred years ago, the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council was founded in Texas. Today, the council has grown immensely to 54,000 Girl Scout members. That is a lot of girls who are being empowered to lead and serve.

You see, Girl Scouts are changemakers who become bold and strong leaders. In fact, the 117th Congress boasts a record number of women members, and more than 55 percent of us are Girl Scout alums.

While I never really was a Girl Scout, I served on their board for many years in Houston, and I know firsthand no matter what these Girl Scouts choose to do in life, they will be well-prepared.

I can't wait to see what the next 100 years will bring to the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate President Biden and his administration following February's job report.

678,000, that is the total number of jobs created last month. But these are not just any type of jobs. These jobs are good-paying jobs that are giving Americans the dignity of a good paycheck.

In the last 13 months, 7.4 million jobs have been created, and unemployment has been slashed from 6.4 percent to 3.8 percent. When the President took office, over 18 million people were receiving unemployment benefits. Today, only 2 million people remain.

The bottom line, Madam Speaker, is we are seeing the best economy for American workers in decades, with people getting higher wages, better benefits, and better jobs across the board.

Our national deficit has also seen improvement. Under President Biden's watch, the deficit fell by $360 billion last year. This is the first deficit decline in more than half a decade. Better yet, our Nation is on track to cut the deficit even more this year. Biden's plan of action will make sure we continue our path to building a better America.

But building a better America requires much more than only economic success. It also requires healthy communities. I am proud to share that America has had much success on the public health front during Biden's first year.

In my home State of Texas, only 10 percent of the population was fully vaccinated this time last year. Today, 60 percent of the entire population is fully vaccinated in Texas. On top of that, 21 percent of the population have received a booster shot.

In short, Madam Speaker, our Nation is recovering, and we are powering through the challenges COVID-19 created.

As we continue to recover from COVID-19 and rebuild the economy, we also must invest in our infrastructure. Investing in roads, bridges, and public transportation is critical. Shockingly, in America, one in three U.S. bridges need repairs or replacement. Biden has a plan for that, too.

There are 4,000 infrastructure projects already planned, alongside 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges scheduled to be repaired.

But it is not only highways and bridges that need repairs and upgrades. Our ports need improvements as well. In my home area, the Port of Houston secured $142,500,000 in new funding because of the Biden boom.

In Houston, the transit authority, METRO, also received more than $137 million in Federal funds to strengthen local public transportation.

The best part, Madam Speaker, this is only the beginning. I am truly excited that we are really accomplishing much for the American people as we work in partnership with President Biden and his boom. We truly are building a better America for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, in January, 14 HBCUs received bomb threats. Even worse, on the first day of Black History Month, 18 HBCUs received bomb threats. That is more than 30 threats to our HBCUs in only 3 months. That is simply appalling and unacceptable.

The numbers show threats to HBCUs are rising. These threats have no place in our communities. These actions must stop now and should be condemned by Congress now.

As a proud graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, an HBCU institution, and a proud member of the HBCU Caucus, I am honored to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 70, which condemns these threats to our HBCUs.

Students deserve to be free from fear. College is for learning, not for bombing. I urge my colleagues to condemn these acts now and support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, the Biden boom continues.

Last month, 678,000 jobs were created, and unemployment ticked down to 3.8 percent--less than 4 percent. This follows the greatest year of job growth in American history and the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years.

But it is not only the fact that new jobs were created, Madam Speaker. It is also the fact that they are well-paying jobs--terrific and impressive. These jobs have given Americans the dignity of a good paycheck and much-needed financial breathing room.

On the public-health front, vaccination rates have increased 50 percent since last March, making it possible for 99.9 percent of our schools to reopen and stay safely open. This is the result of strong leadership in the White House, Congress' partnership, and the backing of the American people.

Together, we are building a better America, and we are standing strong with Ukraine.

Madam Speaker, as we heard at the State of the

Union address, President Biden's first year delivered a record-breaking number of new jobs. In total, 6.7 million new jobs were created for hardworking Americans.

America also saw the largest calendar-year decrease in unemployment in the Nation's history, paired with record-breaking GDP growth.

But America's economic prosperity is only one side of the equation. America's public health has also been strengthened during Biden's first year.

Vaccination rates have tremendously risen from 15 percent to a whopping 65 percent in 1 year for full vaccination. That is more than 215 million fully vaccinated Americans--again, a record. In addition, 70 million households also received free COVID tests, and those numbers will only rise.

While these are tremendous accomplishments, I can't say I am too surprised. You see, we have a strong leader in the White House and the backing of the American people. As President Biden said on Tuesday, never bet against the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate President Biden and the significant accomplishments he shared with us during last night's State of the Union address.

Last year, together with President Biden, we made a promise that Democrats would deliver for the people; and that we have. Thanks to our President's bold leadership and our work in Congress, we have been delivering. Let's look at a few areas.

Jobs, jobs, and more jobs. As was mentioned last night by President Biden, in his first year, 6.7 million jobs were created, marking the strongest year of job growth in history. In my home State of Texas alone more than 37,600 manufacturing jobs were created. These are good, well-paying jobs that are putting Texans back to work. Our economy is on the rise. Wages are strong. The unemployment rate is low.

Another area is our Nation's GDP. While GDP dropped 3.4 percent in 2020, it was able to shoot up to 5.7 percent in 2021--the highest rate since 1984. Simply put, the economy has rebounded during President Biden's first year in office.

Another very important area to all our working families is our public schools. I am proud of the significant progress that has been made in our public schools during the President's first year. We have made huge strides in reopening our schools and keeping them open safely.

One year ago, Mr. Speaker, merely 46 percent of schools were open because it just wasn't safe for teachers, students, and faculty due to COVID. Today, 99.9 percent of schools are safely opened. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as well as the American Rescue Plan both provided schools the necessary funds they needed to stay open and make up for lost learning time.

Another very crucial area, vaccination rates. One year ago today, only 15 percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, today that number is 65 percent. The massive increase in vaccinations is the direct result of the President and this Congress' leadership to tackle this virus. Even today we do not have to wear our masks this morning.

Let's look ahead. Action from the Biden administration and Congress has already resulted in significant progress on the supply chain challenges. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will improve and protect supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign oil immensely for years to come. It will help lower costs and inflation rates with time. As President Biden said last night, the plan is to lower your costs, not your wages.

There is a lot more President Biden and Democrats are working on in building a better America, like investments in affordable childcare and paid and universal pre-K that would allow more working families to participate in the economy.

It is those very workers and everyday hardworking Americans who deserve the greatest praise of all.

Our hometown heroes have braved through this pandemic and powered through many challenges. They have been the muscle and the backbone of our Nation's record-breaking economic growth and recovery from the pandemic and we thank them.

With President Biden's leadership, Congress' partnership, and the support of the American people, there is truly no limit as to what we can achieve together in building a better America.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the people of Ukraine that we stand with them. I stand with them. ``Yes, we can,'' ``si se puede.'' I want the people of Ukraine to know that we see you, we hear you, and we love you. And Russia, who has purposely invaded your homeland has been--well, I should not say the word I really want to say on the floor--but they have been inhumane, cruel, and just beyond the pale. We will not stand for this.

We will stand with Ukraine. Again, ``yes, we can,'' ``si se puede.'' We stand with you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 8-year-old Sunny Bryant from Houston, Texas.

Some hometown heroes, like Sunny Bryant, might be too young to work and are certainly too young to even have a driver's license, but they inspire millions of people across our Nation.

Sunny Bryant is a transgender girl who, like her transgender community, is currently experiencing fear and anxiety due to politically motivated attacks sparked by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his anti-trans actions.

Governor Abbott recently directed State officials to investigate parents who support their trans children with gender-affirming healthcare, describing it as child abuse. This measure not only goes against the opinions of medical experts, but it intentionally strikes fear in the transgender community for political gain. This is appalling.

But like hometown heroes across the country, Sunny is strong and resilient--and she has got some missing teeth as you can see in the photo, Mr. Speaker.

Sunny Bryant, from my home district in Texas, will be my virtual State of the Union guest. I am truly honored that she will be joining me today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and, of course, the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of, and as a proud sponsor of, the CROWN Act.

For far too long, people with hairstyles or hair textures associated with their race or their nationality have faced discrimination. Yes, there are laws on the books, but it does not protect DeAndre Arnold, who was a senior at Barbers Hill High School in the Houston area. He was told to cut his dreadlocks in order to attend prom and his graduation ceremony.

Imagine, you work all those years because they tell you that you need to graduate, and then he is told you have to cut your dreadlocks.

For DeAndre, his hairstyle was important to him because it was part of his Trinidadian culture and about who he is.

This is wrong. It must never ever happen again. The way that individuals choose to style their hair is a direct representation of their culture and of who they are. When individuals are told to alter, cut, or change their hairstyle, what they are really being told is to alter their culture and their being. This must end.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this bill. I urge my colleagues here today to support it, to vote for it, and let's make this wrong a right.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Sadly, more than 6,500 Black Americans were lynched between 1865 and 1950. My home State of Texas sadly-- sadly--has the third highest number of lynchings in history. There were 468 documented deaths by lynching in Texas between 1885 and 1942. However, many historians believe that closer to 5,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans died by lynching around this time.

Few actions are crueler, more heinous, and more inhumane than someone being lynched. Yet to this day--and shamefully so--lynching does not have a Federal hate crime legislation. Since 1900 there have been more than 200 attempts to codify lynching as a Federal crime, but each attempt was unsuccessful.

Today we can correct this historical injustice. By passing this bill, we can begin the closing of this terrible and shameful chapter in America's history.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this bill, and I urge all my colleagues to support it here today. I am pleased to hear the other side of the aisle talk about a unanimous vote. What we need is a unanimous vote to support this bill. It is time. It is time.