Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, Bella Hirigoyen was an immigrant who lived the American dream. Born in Israel to two Holocaust survivors, her family was sponsored by U.S. Steel. Her father, George Weibel, was a part of the design and build teams at Hughes Aircraft Company for the Surveyor spacecraft which hung in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for decades. Bella arrived in America at the age of five, learned English, and became very successful in school. She graduated from Fairfax High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Interior Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2020. In 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement established the Wildlife Detector Dog Program as part of a national effort to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. Certified canines and wildlife inspector handlers go through a 13-week training course at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Detector Dog Training Center in Newman, Georgia, and they are trained for real work environments such as mail facilities, ocean containers, and air cargo warehouses. Since the program's inception, USFWS has added more wildlife detectors. There are now six detector dogs deployed at USFWS designated ports of entry: Dutton in Houston, Texas; Beans in Chicago, Illinois; Viper in Miami, Florida; Samm in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Dock in Anchorage, Alaska; and Lockett near my Congressional District in Los Angeles, California.

These highly intelligent canines, paired with highly trained handlers, are able to detect many wildlife scents, such as elephant ivory, sea turtle skin, dried seahorse, python skin, and rhino horn. USFWS has reported that the use of these dogs is far more efficient than deploying human inspectors. For every 1,000 packages sniffed by dogs, 10 packages are properly inspected by humans.

The Wildlife Detector Dog Program strengthens and expands USFWS' inspection capabilities on illegal wildlife products. With more than 18 major ports of entry across the country, I would like to take this opportunity to urge more attention and resources be dedicated to the growth and expansion of this program.

My amendment will designate $200,000 of Department of Interior appropriations for the Wildlife Detector Dog Program, which is the estimated cost of adding an additional K-9 unit to the program. I thank Chairwoman McCollum for her support on this amendment and I urge my colleagues to join us in passing it.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

On May 24, the Trump administration notified Congress that it was declaring a so-called emergency to bypass congressional review of 22 arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

I am offering this amendment because there is no emergency, just a conflict in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians with U.S.-made weapons and a Congress that is tired of being complicit. That is why we voted last month to pass bipartisan, bicameral resolutions to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Despite that clear signal from Congress, the administration decided to use an emergency power to go around us and push through an unpopular arms package that would likely be used in that conflict.

That package includes an unprecedented proposal to move production of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, essentially outsourcing jobs to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Simply put, this is an egregious abuse of the emergency authority we gave the executive and a direct affront to our institution.

To add insult to injury, the arms in question aren't even available to be exported. As Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper testified last week, most of these weapons systems will not be ready for months, if not potentially years.

Our arm sales process was designed to include congressional review specifically to ensure that each case serves U.S. interests.

If the administration believes that these sales can stand on the merits, they should make their case to Congress. Until they do, we must use the power of the purse and every other avenue to block them.

I also want to thank Chairman Visclosky for his leadership and support as well. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from California.

I simply note that the issue here is not whether we should sell arms to our allies, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The issue is whether Congress should have a role or we are going to be completely bypassed by this administration.

That is all this amendment seeks to do, to have Congress take a role in the way we have always taken a role in arms sales.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the issue today is very simple. It is simply about the right of the American people and Congress to get information. That is it.

All this resolution does is allow us to enforce congressional subpoenas. These are documents and witnesses we want, and it allows us to go to Federal court to enforce it. That is all this resolution does.

Why are Republicans so scared of this resolution? Because they know we are going to win in court. We have won three times against the Trump administration.

But why do we even have to go to court to do this? Because the Trump administration is engaging in unprecedented obstruction. And it is not just about the Mueller report; it is about all areas.

So, for example, right now, the Trump administration is suing to eliminate healthcare coverage for people with preexisting conditions. We want to know more about that. We can't get it. We want to know about a lot of areas that we cannot get, so we want to go to Federal court to get this enforced.

What are Republicans doing? They are making stuff up. They are saying somehow we are asking the Attorney General to do things that will make him violate the law. That is wrong, wrong, wrong.

I am just going to end with this simple example.

The Attorney General of the United States gave the Republican ranking member of the Judiciary Committee the right to see their unredacted Mueller report. Was that illegal? No. But I can't see it.

That is wrong. There is no basis for that. We are simply going to go to Federal court. We are going to litigate it, and we are going to win.

All this resolution does is it allows us to enforce congressional subpoenas in Federal court. It is about not allowing the Trump administration to cover things up.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Arnie

Wishnick--a beloved husband, and Los Angeles community leader--who passed away on April 27, 2019 at the age of 76.

Arnie was born on September 7, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois to Ruth and Ben Wishnick, who immigrated to the United States from Poland. His career began in high school as a repairman for the Schick Razor Company. After college, he moved out west to join the emerging banking industry in Beverly Hills, eventually settling in Pacific Palisades.

In 1993, Arnie assumed the role of executive director of Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, a position he held for 25 years. During those years, his extraordinary love and commitment to the community was evident from his dedicated organization of annual events like the Palisades Teen Contest, the Classic Auto Show and the Holiday Ho Ho Ho.

Arnie especially enjoyed coordinating celebrity appearances each year for the Fourth of July Palisades Americanism Parade. He also convinced stars such as Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Steve Guttenberg to be Honorary Mayors of Pacific Palisades.

He was deeply involved in every aspect of the community. He was president of the Optimist Club of Pacific Palisades and an active member of both the Village Green Committee and PRIDE, two organizations designed to improve and enhance the aesthetics of Pacific Palisades. He was an honorary Rotarian and was recognized time and again for his service to the community, including with the Citizen of the Year, Sparkplug, and Pride of the Palisades awards.

Arnie loved the arts--he produced four musicals at Theatre Palisades and was a member of the Just Off Via Dance Troupe that performed at various community events. For a time, he even wrote movie reviews for the local newspaper.

Arnie is survived by his wife, Jackie; step children, Wendy and Daniel; their child, Bella; and his sister, Audrey. Arnie was always smiling, eager to chat and willing to help in any way he could. May Arnie's memory be a blessing to us all.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA's excellence is clear. With 13 Nobel laureates, 13 MacArthur Fellows, 9 National Medal of Science winners, 3 Pulitzer Prize winners, a Fields Medal, an A.M. Turing Award, UCLA's academic credentials are rivaled by few.

And the UCLA Bruins have enjoyed 117 NCAA team championships and 261 Olympic medals over their 100-year history.

Alumni have gone on to make incredible strides in fields like rocket science, film, and politics. It has been an incredible century for

Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of California, Los Angeles. What was once the largest teacher training school in the state was rechristened the Southern Branch of the University of California, developing into the full-fledged university, nestled in the hills of Westwood, with the global reputation it enjoys today.

With 14 Nobel Laureates, 13 MacArthur Fellows, nine National Medal of Science Winners, three Pulitzer Prize winners, a Fields Medal, and an A.M. Turing Award, UCLA's academic credentials are rivaled by few. And, with 117 NCAA team championships and 261 Olympic Medals, the UCLA Bruins are in the highest echelon of collegiate sports, with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Michelle Kwan, and Troy Aikman wearing the Blue and Gold.

Along the way to such a historic milestone, each successive class of students and their professors, doctors and researchers have lit new paths, bringing new discoveries to the fore and making groundbreaking accomplishments in almost every field.

The first node on the Internet in Leonard Kleinrock's laboratory in Boelter Hall; Coach John Wooden's almost uninterrupted streak of 10 NCAA men's basketball championships and his Pyramid of Success-- building blocks in the pursuit of excellence; the first diagnosis of AIDS in the United States; and the first confirmation of the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milkey Way Galaxy by Andrea Ghez--UCLA has played an important role in shaping the course of history, advancing our understanding of the natural and man-made worlds, and setting standards time and time again for academic and athletic excellence.

Not only is the UCLA community proud of the accomplishments of its students and athletes while they attended this important institution, but also of the achievements of alumni as they pursue careers in every field.

UCLA has contributed many of this country's most dedicated public servants, including my predecessor, Congressman Henry Waxman, whose 40- year record in the U.S. House of Representatives saw passage of numerous consumer and patient protections; Ralph Bunche, who helped negotiate an end to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War; and Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of Los Angeles. Legendary actress and comedienne Carol Burnett, Academy Award-winning director Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins, film composer John Williams, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jim Morrison are only a few of the Bruins who have left their mark on the entertainment industry and the collective consciousness of American culture for the past century.

Given all that has happened in the first 100 years of UCLA's existence, I eagerly look forward to what UCLA will accomplish in its next hundred. With the launch of the UCLA Grand Challenges Initiatives in 2013, UCLA has set admirable goals aimed at increasing sustainability and tackling depressive disorders. The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge focuses on transitioning Los Angeles to rely on 100 percent renewable energy and 100 percent locally sourced water by 2050, enhancing the health of the local ecosystem and making the region a model for the world. The Depression Grand Challenge aims to understand, prevent, and treat depression, ultimately cutting the burden in half by 2050 and eliminating it by the end of the century.

UCLA's accomplishments would only be possible with the support and resources of the Bruin family. I would like to commend Chancellor Gene Block on his successful stewardship of the Centennial Campaign, which raised $4.7 billion in total from more than 205,000 donors to fund programs for students and faculty in every comer of campus.

On the eve of UCLA's centennial, I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to Chancellor Block, UC President Janet Napolitano, and the rest of the UCLA community as they prepare for a year of celebration. I would also like to recognize all the people in UCLA's history that worked to make sure the university could light the way for the past century and the next 100 years to come. Go Bruins.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Doug Jeffe. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Doug was both a prominent figure in California politics and an invaluable member of our community. It was an honor for me to have known Mr. Jeffe, and I am incredibly sad he is no longer with us.

For over two decades, Doug was the aide and protege of California State Assembly Speaker Jesse M. Unruh. He later put this experience to work as a campaign manager, policy advocate, and writer. In 1995, Doug founded Issues Management Network, a firm that specializes in message engineering and ballot measure campaigns. Doug used his policy experience and campaign skills to promote measures that would help others: for example, in 2002, Doug led a successful ballot measure campaign that secured funds to save and support trauma centers in Los Angeles County. No matter what he was working on, Doug's colleagues always noted his unflagging good humor and genial nature, an attitude that garnered him many friends over the years.

In addition to his work as a political professional, Doug was also the president of the Board of Directors of L.A. Theatre Works and served on the board of the Venice Family Clinic, two important community institutions in our region. He also contributed to the political blog Fox & Hounds Daily and lectured on political communications at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Doug is survived by his beloved wife, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, with whom he spent over 50 years traveling the world. Doug is also missed by his rescue pit bull, Kennedy, and his innumerable friends and colleagues. He will forever be remembered for his selflessness and work to make a positive meaningful impact on his community.

Mr. Speaker, in the last 24 hours, we have discovered that Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr saying that the Attorney General mischaracterized the Mueller report. That is an extraordinary letter.

I am now going to read into the House Congressional Record the relevant portions of that letter, which is dated March 27, 2019, from Robert Mueller to Bill Barr.

He writes: ``The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this Office's work and conclusions. We communicated that concern to the Department on the morning of March 25. There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.''

Bill Barr is supposed to be the attorney for all Americans. He is supposed to be the people's attorney, not Donald Trump's personal attorney. He does not understand that. He needs to resign.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the life of Mrs. Kathleen ``Kay'' Finer, who passed away on March 2, 2019 at the age of 68. Kay was a dedicated member of and leader in the business community in Los Angeles County's South Bay.

Born on October 14, 1950, Kay grew up and attended school in Inglewood; after attending El Camino College, Kay started her career in the fashion industry before taking time off to raise her family. She was an active member in civic life, serving as a reserve officer for the City of Palos Verdes Estates and organizing a neighborhood watch group.

Kay also devoted herself to promoting local businesses, as a volunteer with the Malaga Cove Business Association and President and CEO of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce from 2005 to 2010. She also involved herself with a myriad of nonprofit organizations; she served as director of Community Helpline, which offers a confidential, safe, and empathetic space to talk for individuals experiencing mental health crises. Her energy, commitment, and warm smile helped her make a difference in the community she loved.

Kay is survived by her daughter, Jessica, and grandson, Colt. I hope that Kay's family takes comfort in knowing her memory will live on in the people, businesses, and organizations she touched through her work.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Chen Ling Kou, a devoted wife, mother, and dedicated community member who passed away after battling cancer on April 6, 2019, at the age of 55.

Chen Ling was born to En Kai Chang and Shu Chuan Yang Chang on November 5, 1963 in Cheongju-si, South Korea, the fifth of six children. Chen Ling was a brilliant student and a member of an elite study group in Seoul, South Korea, before immigrating to Los Angeles, California, with her family in 1982.

She would go on to attend California State University, Fullerton and would later marry Mr. Ming Shin Kou on February 8, 1987 in Anaheim, California. Approximately 1,200 people attended the wedding.

Chen Ling was an active member of the community of Palos Verdes Estates in my congressional district, devoting her time to various charitable causes but she was most proud of her three children and all their accomplishments. Dow Li was the first student in the history of Marymount High School to win the state of California Mock Trial competition and went on to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dow Yi obtained degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the National Taiwan University, and went on to work for Fox Entertainment. Dow Ken recently graduated from the Brentwood School, and has been accepted to the University of Southern California. A fighter throughout her life, Chen Ling bravely fought her battle with cancer for four years, accepting experimental cancer treatment in the hopes that it would help others suffering from cancer.

Chen Ling is survived by her husband and their three children. She was truly a beautiful person inside and out. She will forever be remembered for her selflessness, incredible bravery, and meaningful impact on her community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, which was introduced by my good friend Representative Karen Bass.

In 1994, Congress took the monumental step of passing the Violence Against Women Act to address violence against women and men and ensure they had access to justice and necessary services. Since its first enactment, Congress has reauthorized the law several times to provide critical updates and ensure that vulnerable persons, including Native Americans and LGBTQ Americans, are protected.

While domestic violence has declined in the past two decades, it remains too high. One-quarter of women and one-ninth of men suffer from intimate partner violence or intimate partner stalking; moreover, every year one in 15 kids is exposed to such violence. That is why I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 1585, which reauthorizes and improves the Violence Against Women Act. Among other things, the bill increases the funding authorization for the Rape Prevention and Education Program, improves grant programs that serve domestic violence survivors with disabilities or who are elderly, and ensures that Native American survivors have access to justice

Furthermore, H.R. 1585 recognizes the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness. In the Los Angeles Continuum of Care area, which includes my congressional district, nearly half of women who experienced homelessness reported that they had also experienced domestic violence and 14 percent stated that domestic violence was the reason they became homeless in the first place. We know that when women leave their abusers they are gravely concerned about finding safe and affordable housing and that too often they're forced to choose between staying with their abuser or facing homelessness. Critically, H.R. 1585 preserves and improves housing protections for survivors.

I'd also like to respond to criticism from my Republican colleagues about firearms and transgender people.

First, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University and others, we know that the risk that a woman will die increases more than fivefold when her abusive partner has access to a firearm. H.R. 1585 acknowledges this reality and ensures that those convicted of stalking misdemeanors and dating violence or who are subject to ex parte orders do not possess firearms.

Second, transgender people experience violence at disproportionately high rates--since 2013 more than 128 transgender Americans have been killed--and they deserve access to services for domestic violence survivors. I believe it is vitally important that the Violence Against Women Act is inclusive of trans people.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act takes important steps to address violence against men and women in the United States. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for bringing this bill to the House Floor. I am proud to lend my support and vote in favor of it.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the life of Mrs. Karyn Foley, who passed away on March 9, 2019 at the age of 82. Karyn was a founding councilmember and the first woman to serve as mayor of the City of Calabasas, the most recent city to be incorporated in Los Angeles County.

Born in Detroit, Michigan on July 17, 1936, Karyn moved to California with her family as an infant, settling in Los Angeles. She attended local public schools in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood before graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received her degree in physical education.

Karyn married James Foley in July 1969, and with their minds focused on where best to raise their new family, they moved in 1976 to Calabasas, then part of unincorporated Los Angeles County. Karyn was a community activist and engaged citizen from the moment she arrived, whether as a volunteer parent and part-time substitute teacher with the Las Virgenes Unified School District or president of the Round Meadow Elementary Parent Teacher Association. She and James also played a crucial role in the early years of the Calabasas Park Homeowners Association, with both serving as president and organizing summer activities like lakeside races and pet contests.

Karyn's leadership in the effort to push for cityhood for Calabasas was pivotal in the success of the campaign. This decade long effort culminated in the city's incorporation in 1991 as the 88th city in Los Angeles County and 466th in the State of California. She served on the Calabasas City Council from 1991 to 1997 and was the first woman to serve as mayor, from 1994 to 1995.

Even after leaving office, Karyn remained involved in civic government and helped foster the city's cultural institutions, serving on the City's first Library Commission, as well as getting involved in the Art in Public Places Committee, Friends of the Calabasas Library, Friends of the Calabasas Orchestra, and the Calabasas Players Theatrical Group.

Karyn is survived by her husband of 49 years, James; daughter, Megan and son, Patrick; and three grandchildren. I hope that Karyn's family takes comfort in knowing her passion for public service, visionary leadership, and remarkable compassion will live on in the unique identity that Calabasas has developed over the past three decades.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Dr. Wing Mar, esteemed doctor, beloved husband, father, and former member of the Torrance-South Bay YMCA Board of Managers.

Dr. Wing Mar was born on January 15, 1924 in China and immigrated to the United States as a very young child with his family. After serving with the 10th Army Corps as an intelligence member of the 711th Tank Battalion headquarters during World War II, he attended University of California, Berkeley, and later graduated from the University of South Dakota Medical School.

Dr. Mar had a long and impressive career in medicine while also serving for many decades as a leader in his local YMCA. He has always been an important member of his community, working to improve medical care for the elderly, participating as a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility in the 1980s and becoming a charter member of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in Los Angeles. It was thanks to Dr. Mar's fundraising skills that the Chinese Historical Society was able to financially secure a Los Angeles headquarters in two beautiful historical homes in Chinatown. He will forever be remembered for his work as a doctor and volunteer with a desire to make an impact in his community and beyond.

Dr. Mar is survived by his wife Joyce, their children Jeff, Gayle and Carolyn, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren whom I hope take comfort in the way he lived his life as a healer, a community leader and compassionate citizen. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution requesting that Special Counsel Mueller's report be made available to the public.

There are three reasons why this must happen.

First, the taxpayers paid for this report. The American people funded this investigation. They have a right to see the contents of the report of the investigation.

Second, internal bureaucratic Department of Justice policies do not apply to Congress, especially on matters of national importance.

And third, if we don't get this report, it could amount to a cover- up.

The United States Constitution does not say that a sitting President cannot be indicted. There is nothing in the Constitution that would prevent that.

Unfortunately, the Department of Justice has taken the policy position that they are not going to indict a sitting President, which means that the only institution that can hold the President accountable is Congress. If we do not get this information, we cannot effectively do our jobs, we cannot hold the President accountable, and it is something that the American public wants to see.

Over 87 percent of respondents in a recent poll say that this report should be made available to Congress and to the American public. If the Department of Justice does not do this, we all need to ask: What are they trying to hide?