Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Judge Stephen Reinhardt--a beloved husband, father, and grandfather--who passed away on March 29, 2018 at the age of 87. He was a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Stephen Reinhardt was born on March 27, 1931 in New York City. Stephen graduated from California's Pomona College with a degree in government and earned his law degree from Yale University in 1954. Stephen used his education on behalf of our armed forces and signed up to serve his country as a first lieutenant in the legal counsel's office of the Air Force. After his service, Stephen practiced entertainment and labor law in California and clerked for the late United States District

Court judge for the District of Columbia, Luther Youngdahl. Stephen informally advised California Governor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission, which he chaired before his judicial confirmation in 1980.

In 1979, Stephen was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California. The last of President Carter's appointments, Stephen would serve on the Ninth Circuit for 38 years and become the 6th longest serving judge in the Ninth Circuit's history.

Stephen's judicial philosophy was defined by his empathy for the underdog, authoring rulings that often sided with the most down-trodden of our citizens. Stephen described this empathy as being inspired by his relationship with his step-grandfather Max Reinhardt, a Jewish filmmaker who had fled the horrors of Nazi Germany and came to America. Some of Stephen's rulings were later reversed by the Supreme Court, but his steadfast dedication and commitment to creating a more just society never wavered. When asked if he was upset with the Supreme Court for overturning some of his decisions, Stephen replied, ``Not in the slightest! If they want to take away rights, that's their privilege. But I'm not going to help them do it.''

Stephen's vision of the law empowered the expansion of civil liberties and civil rights. He authored rulings designating California's overcrowding of prisons as unconstitutional, overturned a Washington state law prohibiting doctors from prescribing medication to help terminally ill patients die with dignity, and ruled that certain regulations and restrictions on a woman's ability to access healthcare services was unconstitutionally vague and imposed an undue burden on women.

Even though the publication The Weekly Standard would describe Stephen as ``the liberal bad boy'' of the federal judiciary, Stephen's critics admired his ability to transcend political differences and praised his legal reasoning. Stephen authored the ruling striking down California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages, writing that the ban ``serves no purpose and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to official reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.'' The Supreme Court would recognize the right of marriage equality a year later.

Stephen is survived by his wife Ramona Ripston, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, his three children Mark, Justin, Dana, and seven grandchildren whom I hope take comfort in the way Stephen lived his life as a deeply thoughtful, compassionate and moral citizen. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Kurt Toppel--a beloved father, husband, and Los Angeles community leader--who passed away on February 9, 2018 at the age of 85.

Kurt Toppel was born in Cologne, Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. He served

in the National Guard in the late 1950's and later moved to Pacific Palisades in 1960 where he became very active in the community.

Kurt served as president of the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC), and was instrumental in formulating its Guiding Principles which are still used today. He played a critical role in securing funds to assure the construction of the new gym in the Palisades Park, which led to him being honored with the Pacific Palisades Citizen of the Year Award. He served as the president of the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association for over 10 years, serving as an important advocate for homeowners' rights.

Through his prodigious community involvement, Kurt became President of PRIDE, a non-profit designed to improve and enhance the aesthetics of Pacific Palisades. He was also a member of the Community-Policy Advisory Board for 10 years.

Additionally, Kurt was a member of American Legion Post 283 Pacific Palisades. He served on the Palisades Park Advisory Board, and on his 80th birthday his family donated $20,000 in matching funds to build a Veteran's Garden at the Recreation Center in Pacific Palisades.

Kurt believed that the residents of Pacific Palisades should continue working together to maintain the beauty of Pacific Palisades here in Los Angeles. May Kurt's memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Ms. Teresa Bird--a beloved mother, grandmother, and Los Angeles activist--who passed away on January 16, 2018 at the age of 86.

Teresa was born in Los Angeles on September 19, 1931. She married her late husband, Richard G. Bird, on September 2, 1950 and together they moved to the city of Torrance in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.

Teresa was a loving mother who volunteered at her children's schools and became the President of her local Parent-Teacher Association. Teresa, who was a young mother, was inspired to do more in her community when she heard that then Senator John F. Kennedy was going to run for President. Teresa recounted that Senator Kennedy, ``turned her on to getting really involved and doing something good for the country.''

Inspired by the 1960 election, Teresa went on to volunteer for the presidential campaigns of Senators John Glenn and Gary Hart, President Bill Clinton, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition to volunteering for national campaigns, Teresa spent eight years as manager of Governor Jerry Brown's Los Angeles office during his first term and thirteen years working in the district office of the late California state Senator Ralph Dills. Through her continued activism, Teresa became a founding member of the South Bay Democratic Club.

Teresa's activism in her community continued unabated outside of her professional career. She organized grape boycotts to call attention to the plight of farmworkers and lobbied local governments in support of expanded civil rights; she led voter-registration drives and marched to protest the Vietnam war. Teresa's prodigious community involvement led to the California State Senate naming her 2007 Woman of the Year for the 28th Senate District.

Teresa is survived by her three children, Elaine Bird Jones, Lisa Marcum, and David Bird as well as her grandchildren Jarrod Fletcher, Stephanie Robinson, Sean, Justin and Lucas Marcum and her great- granddaughters Chloe Robinson and Evie Fletcher whom I hope take comfort in the way Teresa lived her life as a patriotic, selfless and caring citizen. Teresa described the life she led as wonderful due to those whom she cared for most, her family and friends. May her memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I served on Active Duty. I want a functioning government. But yet we are in day two of the Trump shutdown.

How did we get here?

Well, Republicans control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, and they could not come up with a bill that would pass both Houses, signed by the President. In fact, the harmful House CR was rejected by the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan basis. It couldn't even get to 51 votes.

But Democrats have a variety of ideas to reopen government, and we can't even get a vote on it because we don't control the floor, we don't control the agenda, and we do not control this government.

And watch this: my request to reopen the government won't even get a vote. Watch this request get shut down.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 4872, the End the Shutdown Act of 2018, a continuing resolution that would immediately reopen the government through Tuesday while negotiations continue on a long-term budget agreement that adheres to parity and on other critical issues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of the co-owner of the iconic Canter's Deli, Mr. Gary Canter--a beloved son, husband, and father--who passed away on December 26, 2017 at the age of 58.

Gary was born on March 18, 1959 to Alan and Elizabeth Canter. Gary was the grandson of Ben Canter, who started Canter's Deli with his brothers in 1931 in Boyle Heights. The deli was later moved to Fairfax in 1953 and has been one of the oldest and most famous eateries in Los Angeles.

Gary's career at the deli spanned over 43 years. He began working in the bakery at the age of 15, selling rye bread, danishes, and coffee cakes. After a few years, he moved to the deli counter and sold corned beef, pastrami, and brisket. By the age of 21, he was promoted to manager and oversaw 125 employees and the day-to-day operations of the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week restaurant. Gary helped expand Canter's Deli to Las Vegas in 2016 in two locations, the Linq and the Tivoli Village.

Gary was a person with a big heart and personality. He lit up any room he walked into and was known for calling those who he cared for, ``Buddy Buddy''.

Gary is survived by his wife, Traci, his daughter, Jenifer, and his parents, Alan and Elizabeth, whom I hope take comfort in the way Gary lived his life. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, having served on Active Duty in the United States military, when it comes to foreign terrorists on foreign soil, we need to track them down and kill them. That is why I support the FISA Act, as applied to foreigners.

But, unfortunately, this act has now been used to apply to Americans. If you are going to do that, you need to follow the Constitution, you need to put in a warrant requirement. Unfortunately, the Nunes FISA bill does not do that. That is why I support the USA RIGHTS amendment.

At the end of the day, this is not about terrorists or terrorism. It is about: Can you use warrantless information against Americans in a domestic court?

That is what this issue is about. Don't let the intelligence agencies scare you.

Vote ``no'' on the Nunes bill and ``yes'' on the USA RIGHTS amendment.

Mr. Speaker, let me make this issue really simple for the American people: spying on foreigners without following the Constitution, that is okay; spying on Americans without following the Constitution, that is not okay.

The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it. The Constitution applies to all of government. That is why I support the USA RIGHTS Act.

Support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Raskin for organizing this terrific forum tonight.

I am here to, first of all, commend Senator Warner for going on the Senate floor earlier today and drawing very bright lines for the President of the United States. If Donald Trump were to either get Robert Mueller fired or parting key witnesses, he will be violating those red lines.

Now, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but not to your own facts. So I am going to run through three facts about the special counsel's investigation.

The first is that it is being led by three people: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the entire investigation; Special Counsel Robert Mueller; and FBI Director Christopher Wray. All three of them are Republicans. They were also appointed by a Republican President.

FBI Director Christopher Wray also happened to have given over $39,000 in political contributions exclusively to Republicans. So the notion that this investigation is somehow a Democratic investigation is false. It is a Republican investigation investigating a Republican President.

The second fact you should know is Donald Trump cannot actually fire Robert Mueller directly. He would have to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein first because Mr. Rosenstein came to the Judiciary Committee and testified under oath that there is no cause to fire Special Counsel Mueller.

So for this to happen, Donald Trump would have to get Rod Rosenstein fired. He would have to fire him. Then he would have to find another person to put in that position who would fire Robert Mueller. So the next person to take Rod Rosenstein's place would be Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand. And while she is conservative and while she also made over $37,000 of political contributions exclusively to Republicans, she is also known as a person of integrity. I believe she will not fire Robert Mueller. So Donald Trump would have to then fire her. He would then have to stick a third person in, find anyone to fire Robert Mueller.

Well, that is exactly what Richard Nixon did in the Saturday Night Massacre when he fired three Department of Justice officials because the first two would not fire their investigator against Richard Nixon. So if Donald Trump wants to follow in the footsteps of Richard Nixon, he is certainly welcome to try, but it will not end well for him.

And then the third fact that you should know is that no one has been able to attack the actual legal actions of Robert Mueller. There has been two guilty pleas: one of George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign official on the foreign policy team; and the second is Michael Flynn, the former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump.

No one disputes that those guilty pleas have a solid legal and factual basis. Two other people have also been indicted: Paul Manafort and Mr. Gates. As people know, Mr. Manafort was the campaign manager for Donald Trump for a period of time. No one disputes that those two indictments have a solid factual and legal basis.

So nothing Robert Mueller has done can be attacked, and that is why they are now doing a smear campaign on his team because they are getting desperate. And when I say ``they,'' I am talking about the White House as well as some of my colleagues in the House on the Republican side.

I sat through a Judiciary Committee hearing that I thought was disgraceful, with Members on the other side of the aisle trying to smear not only FBI Director Christopher Wray, but also Rod Rosenstein and Director Mueller. These are good people. They have integrity. And if they think that the Women's March was large, wait till they see what happens if the President actually tries to take these unconstitutional and, what would really amount to, criminal actions because he would be obstructing justice.

So, at the end of the day, it is very important for the American people to understand that no one is above the law. That was the central lesson of Watergate, it is the central lesson of American history, and I urge the President to understand what happened in Watergate and to refrain from taking criminal and unconstitutional actions.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for letting me clarify that statement.

It is a law enforcement investigation led by Republicans.

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely right. I trust FBI Director Christopher Wray and Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand to do the right thing, even though they have made contributions to Republicans, because it is demeaning and offensive to the FBI and Department of Justice prosecutors to say that somehow they can't be fair just because they have a political opinion in exercising their rights under the First Amendment.

Keep in mind that under our democracy, fundamental to it is the rule of law. To attack law enforcement and smear their credibility just because you don't like where an investigation is heading is disgraceful.

Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by quoting my favorite Press Secretary. Sarah Sanders previously said: When you are attacking FBI agents because you are under investigation, you are losing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the retirement of Keith S. Parker--public servant, fierce education advocate, public servant, and community leader, after 36 years of service.

Keith began his career with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1981 and has held numerous positions since that time including Senior Consultant in the Staff Affirmative Action Officer, Staff Affirmative Action Officer, and Executive Officer in the Administrative Services division. He has held the position of Assistant Vice Chancellor, Government & Community Relations since 1998 and has devoted his career to advocating for important issues for UCLA. Keith is the true embodiment of a public servant.

During his impressive career that spans over three-and-a-half decades, he has worked on many important issues affecting students and faculty, including building relationships with community leaders, organizations, and elected officials at the local, state and federal government throughout the Greater Los Angeles area, integrating community service projects into advocacy activities, and UC systemwide Advocacy Days in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Prior to his service with UCLA, Keith worked at the Minnesota Department of Education in the area of staff development and as an Instructor in the Afro-America Studies Department at the University of Minnesota. Keith has truly been a champion for UCLA and has devoted his life to helping others and the greater Los Angeles community.

UCLA has been extremely fortunate to benefit from his experience, leadership and kindness. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Keith's 36 years of distinguished service to the University of California, Los Angeles and wish him peace, happiness, and joy in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Judge Harry Pregerson--a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather--who passed away on November 25, 2017 at the age of 94. He was a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Harry Pregerson was born on October 13, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA and attended the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. In 1992, the UCLA Alumni Association awarded Harry the ``Community Service Award'' for his efforts helping homeless families to house in Salvation Army shelters. Harry was also a United States Marine

Corps First Lieutenant in World War II and suffered severe wounds in the Battle of Okinawa. In 2001, the Department of Veterans Affairs honored Harry and presented him with a token of appreciation with the VA seal.

In 1967, Harry was first appointed by President Lyndon Johnson as a judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. In 1979, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth District. Harry took senior status in 2015 at the age of 92 after 36 years on the 9th Circuit.

Harry's judicial philosophy was frequently characterized as being committed to social justice and ensuring due process for all Americans. He was a strong supporter of federalism, which was evident in his majority decision for Gonzales v. Raich, holding that the Interstate Commerce Clause forbade the federal government from interfering with state laws that permitted the use of medical marijuana. Judge Pregerson focused a spotlight on due process issues for death row inmates as he felt many had not been given fair trials.

In 2002, the California Legislature named the interchange between Interstate 110 and Interstate 105 the ``Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange'' in honor of Harry, the longest-serving judge in the history of the Ninth Circuit. When he was a district judge, he supervised the settlement of a federal lawsuit against the Century Freeway, enabling the construction of the interchange that would later be named after him. In this settlement, he made sure construction jobs were set aside for women and minorities and a training program was in place to give them the needed skills. He also ensured that affordable housing was built for residents displaced by the project.

Harry is survived by his wife of 70 years, Bernardine, children, Dean Pregerson, who is a federal district judge for the Central District of California, and Katie Rodan, son-in-law Amnon Rodan, daughter-in-law Sharon Pregerson, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Harry viewed the bench as a way to improve the lives of others. I hope his family takes comfort in the way Harry lived his life as a one-of-a-kind patriotic, selfless and caring public servant who let his conscience inform his rulings. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Louis Papia, 92, of Agoura Hills, California, a constituent of mine who was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, October 30, 2017. Mr. Papia was a decorated World War II veteran who fought in the D-Day invasion with the 1st Batallion, 314th Regiment, 79th Infantry Division. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star and eight other citations, including the Good Conduct Medal, the Presidential Unit Emblem, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal with German Clasp, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Honorable Service Lapel Button for WWII. Mr. Papia was also a recipient of the French Jubilee Medal, for his service at Utah Beach during the Invasion. Mr. Papia received his Bronze Star when helping an Army medic save the life of a fellow soldier while under heavy fire.

Mr. Papia landed at Utah Beach with the 79th, and took part in the Battle of Cherbourg. His initial mission was to battle his way southwest, across the Cherbourg Peninsula. One of the critical missions was to capture the port city so the Army Corp of Engineers could quickly erect a working port big enough to accommodate large U.S. supply ships. The 79th fought in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and in Central Europe, including Germany. Mr. Papia was under the command of Colonel Olin E. Teague, who later became the 16- term Congressman from Texas's 6th Congressional District. After serving his country abroad in Germany, and as the war in Europe was drawing to a close, Mr. Papia was shipped back to the U.S. where he began to prepare to do his part in Operation Downfall, the planned U.S. invasion of Japan.

Louis Papia is survived by his wife of 65 years, Kay Papia, of Agoura Hills, California, and four sons: Louie, Russell, Mark, and Todd. Mark and Melissa Papia reside in Calabasas, California, with two of Papia's five grandchildren.

Mr. Papia will be remembered for his selfless service to our country, and we are forever grateful to him.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Jayapal for yielding.

You know, today is Thursday, so we first have to ask: Why does Jared Kushner still have a security clearance?

But I digress. We are going to talk about the GOP's disastrous tax plan. The reason we know that it is a disaster is one simple fact: the math doesn't add up.

So if you believe that 2 plus 2 equals 5, then this tax plan is for you. For the rest of us, it is going to explode the deficit and add to the Federal debt.

What does that mean?

That means massive cuts to Medicare, to Medicaid, to other vital programs that are protecting seniors and all Americans who depend on some of these programs in order to survive.

Now, we can look at this tax plan and we can say, ``Hey, it might give tax breaks to the wealthy who are then going to trickle down,'' except in the history of the United States, that kind of trickle-down economics has never worked. If you look at how the tax plan is constructed, it really chafes States such as California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, and other States by eliminating the State and local tax deduction.

When you do that, it causes filers to not be able to deduct their State and local taxes; and in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, and other States, there's going to be tax increases to middle class families.

In addition, because the way the tax plan is constructed, it has the potential to lower housing prices because it also caps your mortgage interest rate deduction. That is why the National Association of Home Builders came out opposing this plan, and they have put out something which is deeply concerning. They are saying this could potentially cause a housing recession.

You also have the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small businesses across America, opposing this plan.

Why?

This is a big tax giveaway to the ultrawealthy. If you look at an early analysis by The Washington Post, they say that 80 percent of this tax plan's benefits will go to the top 1 percent.

If you look at this tax plan, it is going to hurt middle class Americans in order to fund those at the very top. This is not something we should be doing in our country.

I also request this Speaker work with Democrats on a bipartisan basis. We are not opposed to tax reform. We are opposed to stupid tax reform. And this is just a really stupid plan that, again, explodes the deficit, adds to our Federal debt, and whacks States like California, New York, and New Jersey, as well as Washington State. So I urge that Republicans work with Democrats and come up with a plan that actually helps middle class Americans instead of going after them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about my friend Harvey Michael Horikawa, who passed away earlier this month. Harvey was an amazing individual and it was an honor to have known him.

Harvey was born in Chicago in 1948 and raised in the Los Angeles area. After graduating from UCLA law school in 1973, he was a founding partner in two law firms where he specialized in civil litigation, trials, and administrative law. Mr. Horikawa also worked for three years in the Civil Liabilities Section of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, during which he devoted a significant amount of time defending claims against the Los Angeles Police Department. As a result of his extensive jury trial experience, Mr. Horikawa was invited

to be a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Mr. Speaker, before we do, let me just first say that today is Thursday. That means we all need to ask: Why do Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner still have their security clearances?

But I digress. We are now going to read into the Congressional Record outrageous and stupid things the President of the United States has done or said, and then Representative Gallego is going to give you Speaker Ryan's response. So I am going to start.

On May 11, Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and this is what Donald Trump said:

``Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. And, in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, `You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.''

On May 16, it was revealed that Donald Trump asked Director Comey to drop an investigation into General Flynn's collusion with the Russians before he was fired.

Trump said to Comey: Flynn ``is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.''

On May 22, Donald Trump confirmed he leaked classified information to Russian officials at a meeting in the Oval Office.

On July 17, Donald Trump defended his son, Don, Jr., for holding a highly inappropriate and likely illegal meeting with agents of the Russian Government.

Donald Trump said: ``Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don, Jr., attended in order to get info on an opponent. That's politics!''

On July 26, Trump announced a ban on transgender Americans serving our Nation in uniform.

Let me just digress for a moment. Representative Gallego is a combat veteran. I served on Active Duty. We know that to have our strong, all- volunteer military, the best in the world, we need to recruit the best and the brightest. To discriminate against an entire class of people is not only wrong, it is harming our military readiness.

This is what Donald Trump said: Our military ``cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.''

And we are still waiting.

On August 8, Donald Trump reacted to escalating tensions with North Korea by irresponsibly threatening military action.

Trump said: ``North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.''

On August 16, Donald Trump repeatedly refused to condemn a White supremacist rally in Virginia. Trump said: ``I think there is blame on both sides. But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.''

On September 5, Trump announced his intention to terminate the DACA program, a move that will expose 800,000 undocumented young people, Americans in every respect except on paper, to deportation from the United States.

On October 3, with millions in Puerto Rico without electricity or basic necessities, Donald Trump congratulated the people of the island on not losing hundreds of lives like in ``a real catastrophe'' like Hurricane Katrina.

Despite massive flooding and overwhelming devastation, Trump called his administration's response ``unbelievable'' and ``incredible.''

He attacked the mayor of San Juan and other local leaders who had pleaded with his administration for additional resources. Trump even criticized the brave people of Puerto Rico, claiming they are ``throwing our budget out of whack.''

And I would just also note that Trump was kind enough to dedicate a golf trophy cup to Puerto Rico.

Finally, beginning October 17, President Trump repeatedly attacked one of our colleagues, Congresswoman Wilson from Florida, and he essentially said that a Gold Star widow was lying.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Gallego. There are really only two choices here. Either all of us in Congress can follow the leadership of Republican Senators John McCain, Bob Corker, and Jeff Flake and tell the truth, or we can be complicit.

Senator Jeff Flake is unwilling to be complicit. We are unwilling to be complicit.

And keep in mind, when Senator Bob Corker, who is not a flamethrower, he is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he comes out and says that he is concerned that the President of the United States could lead us to world war III, Americans need to listen.

So we call on Speaker Ryan to not be complicit and enable the reckless and dangerous behavior of our President, and that he have the courage to stand up and tell the truth and to really make sure that our President does not take our country off the rails.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of former mayor of the City of Torrance Delores ``Dee'' Hardison--a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother--who passed away on September 30, 2017, at the age of 79.

Born Delores Grinton on January 22, 1938, in Bellingham, Washington, Dee was one of nine children born to Walter and June Grinton. She graduated from Western Washington University in 1960, where she met her future husband, Lowell Hardison, who worked for Boeing. Dee later received a master's degree from California State University, Long Beach. She

taught at Lincoln High School in Seattle and moved to Reno, Nevada with Lowell. Dee and Lowell moved to Torrance, near what is now Sur La Brea Park, in 1967.

Dee began mobilizing the local community to persuade the city to build Sur La Brea Park. This successful campaign led to her service for almost a decade on the Parks and Recreation and Planning Commissions, while she also worked as a physical education teacher and later a special-education instructor for the Torrance Unified School District.

She was then elected to the Torrance City Council in 1986 and became mayor in 1994. During her time as mayor, she was visible and accessible to her constituents. In the days immediately after 9/11, Dee was at Del Amo Fashion Center talking to community members and offering her support during that difficult time. She oversaw the expansion of the Civic Center library, establishment of the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve and redevelopment of Old Torrance.

Her outstanding public service extended to other community organizations. For more than 25 years, Dee was an active member of the Torrance Education Foundation and board chair for LINC Housing, a nonprofit group that builds housing for seniors and families throughout the state. She was the 2011 recipient of the Jared Sidney Torrance Award, which recognizes an individual's sustained service to the community and is considered Torrance's highest honor. She was also recognized as Torrance YMCA Woman of the Year, Switzer Center South Bay Woman of the Year, and a Cal State Dominguez Hills Distinguished Alumni.

Dee is survived by her husband, Lowell, her two sons, Mark and Brad, and two grandchildren whom I hope take comfort in the way Dee lived her life serving Torrance, the city that she loved. Torrance loved her back. May her memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Kathleen Peiling Chang, MD, a physician, wife, mother, sister, daughter, Ironman triathlete, and tireless school volunteer. Kathleen left this world peacefully on Friday, July 28, 2017 after a six-year battle with breast cancer. She was the center of the universe to her loving husband, Teddy Chen, and their two sons, Matthew, aged 8, and Alex, aged 6. I have had the honor of knowing Kathleen and Teddy and their beautiful family for many years.

Kathleen was born in December 1976 and grew up in Southern California where she and her sister enjoyed many trips to the beach and Disneyland. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, and after graduating with degrees in neurobiology and psychology, she earned her MD at the University of California, San Diego. Kathleen completed her pediatric residency and infectious diseases fellowship at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. She married Teddy during her residency and after completing her fellowship, she practiced at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose.

During their time together Kathleen and Teddy embarked on many adventures, including triathlons, scuba diving in underwater caverns, hiking the lava fields of Kilauea, climbing Half Dome, and ice climbing on glaciers in Switzerland.

While pregnant with Alex, at 34 years old, Kathleen was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer. Alex was induced and born a few days early so that Kathleen could begin treatment. After recovering from chemotherapy and surgery, Kathleen went back to work, ran half marathons with Teddy, and focused on being a mother. But the cancer was relentless, and exactly two months after running the Orange County Half Marathon in 2013, she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer, with extensive bone metastases causing pathologic fractures in her spine, and unresectable liver metastases. Kathleen's oncologist didn't expect her to live through the end of the year, and discussed transitioning to hospice care. But Kathleen was strong and full of will to live for her children, and searched for a better alternative. She found hope with the help of Dr. Michelle Melisko, an oncologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

During the next four years, she went back to work despite the advice of her doctors, because that was what she trained to do and she wanted to help her patients. Each time she was forced to go on disability leave, many of her patients waited for her to return. She worked part- time, ostensibly to rest and take it easy on her days off. Instead, she filled those days off with volunteering at her children's school, and continued to be a supermom, somehow juggling motherhood, her medical career, and cancer treatment. Kathleen insisted on living life to the fullest. She did many things likely inadvisable for a stage IV cancer patient with extensive bone metastases and several pathologic fractures including vertebrae, ribs, and hip. She ran or walked several 5Ks, biked, skied, bungee trampolined, rode roller coasters, and other things that made her doctors cringe. She also had the chance to see her children finish second grade and kindergarten, and renew her wedding vows with Teddy as the children looked on.

The cancer, however, was implacable, notwithstanding Kathleen's efforts to live life to the fullest. She faced each heartbreaking setback with incredible strength and courage, all the way to the end. Kathleen is survived by her husband, Teddy Chen, their two sons Matthew and Alex, her sister, Jennifer, and her parents, Kuo-Cheng and Christine. She is also survived by her extended family from Kaiser Permanente and from her residency at Children's Hospital Oakland, who provided love and support during her travails. She is and forever will be greatly missed. Her extraordinary life was cut too short at 40 years old, but the things she did in life will ripple through the years to come