Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I use today to celebrate the women's water polo team from the University of California, Los Angeles. They took home the 2024 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship on the 12th of May. UCLA defeated the women's water polo team from the University of California, Berkeley at the Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley, California.

The UCLA women's water polo team accomplished their third undefeated season in program history, completing a perfect run to their NCAA Championship. This year's championship is the program's 12th national championship and 123rd overall NCAA championship earned by a UCLA team.

The team's head coach Adam Wright led the women's water polo team to their first championship since 2009. The UCLA women's water polo team should be proud of their accomplishments, becoming the fifth team in NCAA women's water polo history to complete an undefeated season and remain the top-seed. The team's perseverance allowed them to lead the game following a tie of four points during halftime. During the third quarter, holding an outstanding 8-6 lead, the team secured a 10-6 lead following a hat trick by one of their star players.

I would like to sincerely congratulate the UCLA women's water polo team once again on winning the national championship and wish them the best of luck next season. Their performance and perseverance was a sight to behold and a tribute to the achievements of student athletes throughout the Nation. Go Bruins.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the men's volleyball team from the University of California, Los Angeles. They took home the 2024 NCAA Men's National Collegiate Volleyball Championship on the 4th of May. UCLA defeated the men's volleyball team from the California State University, Long Beach at Walter Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State in Long Beach, California.

This year's championship brought home the team's 21st national title win, cementing their record as the winningest program in NCAA history. The win marks UCLA's 122nd overall NCAA title across all sports. These are truly remarkable achievements.

The men's volleyball team should be proud of their achievement in earning the distinction of being back-to-back national champions, amongst the more than half a million student-athletes who participate in NCAA events each year. With guidance from Coach John Speraw, who secured his fifth NCAA men's volleyball title as a collegiate head coach, UCLA ended their season with wins in 15 out of their last 16 matches.

I would like to sincerely congratulate the UCLA's men's volleyball team once again on winning its second consecutive national championship and wish them the best of luck next season. This win is a special moment in the collegiate athletic careers of each player and marks an exceptional accomplishment and historical achievement for the UCLA community. Go Bruins. U-C-L-A. Fight. Fight. Fight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to again recognize May 14th as IgA Nephropathy Awareness Day. This year, I'd also like to recognize that 2024 represents the IgA Nephropathy Foundation's 20th anniversary. For twenty years, this organization has worked on behalf of all families affected by IgA Nephropathy (IgAN), a rare genetic autoimmune disease which affects over 150,000 people a year in the United States.

IgAN is the most common form of glomerulonephritis, which is the leading cause of kidney disease after diabetes and hypertension. It is particularly devastating because while it can present at any age, if most often affects younger Americans in their 20s and 30s when many are considering starting a family. About half of those affected by IgAN will go on to develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) which leads to dialysis, transplant, or death. What makes IgAN particularly insidious is that it can recur in a transplanted kidney. Unfortunately, there are usually little or no immediate signs and symptoms and patients are often not diagnosed until their kidneys are already damaged, or they ``crash into dialysis'' in an emergency room.

This year, I include in the Record a letter which was sent to the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the impact of rare kidney disease as a health equity issue for the Asian American communities. The letter, which was signed by twelve organizations ranging from rare kidney disease patient

groups, national AANHPI organizations, national nephrology foundations, and key healthcare providers across the country, urged raising awareness and improving outcomes in rare kidney disease in the disproportionately impact Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities. Asian populations have the higher proportion of IgAN at 40-50 percent. This powerful letter cites that Asian Americans are at several times higher risk of IgAN than white Americans and is a significant driver of ESKD. The letter also calls attention to successful rare kidney disease screening programs used in other countries which have reduced the rates of ESKD for people under 20 by about 50 percent. Programs show that early intervention and screening can have a big impact.

As I noted last year, novel therapies to treat IgAN have been recently approved and it is my understanding that numerous clinical trials are underway with more therapies are on track for FDA review later this year and 2025. These therapies give families hope and are already helping promote kidney health and delay the progression to dialysis or transplant for thousands of people.

I once again want to thank the IgA Nephropathy Foundation and note that Mary Schneider from Venice in my district remains a Board member of this outstanding organization. I understand that the IgAN Foundation is hosting an Advocacy Day this year, and hope that it is a major success. On this day, May 14, 2024, we honor all families facing this challenging disease and recognize IgA Nephropathy Awareness Day.

April 12, 2024.

Re Request to Raise Awareness and Improve Outcomes for Rare

Kidney Disease in AA and NHPI Communities.

Hon. Secretary Xavier Becerra,

Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

Washington, DC.

Dear Secretary Becerra: We are writing to urge you to take

action beginning this May to address the high rates of rare

kidney diseases (RKD), including IgA Nephropathy (IgAN), as a

significant health equity challenge for the Asian American,

Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI)

communities in the United States.

We recognize and appreciate that the Biden Administration

has placed equity and the needs of underserved communities at

the center of all of its efforts, including at HHS Given your

role as Co-Chair of the President's Advisory Commission on

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, we

wanted to emphasize the opportunities presented by the

rapidly changing treatment and care paradigm in RKD,

including IgAN, which has the potential to improve outcomes

for patients, particularly within the AA and NEIPI

communities. Taking action now can ensure that the AA and

NHPI communities are not left behind as what has been called

a ``golden age'' of research in RKD begins to yield advances

in care and treatment, while also preventing significant

costs for American's healthcare system, including Medicare

and Medicaid.

Asian Americans are at several times higher risk of IgAN

than white Americans. In one global study, among patients who

had renal biopsies with glomerulonephritis--the most common

cause of kidney disease in the United States following

hypertension and diabetes--Asian populations have the highest

proportion of IgAN, at 40-50 percents. In chronic kidney

disease, Asian patients have both worse prognosis than white

patients and increased risk of progression to end-stage renal

disease (ESRD).

While it is a rare disease in the United States, IgAN is

the most common form of chronic glomerulonephritis, a

significant driver of ESRD. IgAN can be especially

devastating because onset often begins when patients are in

their twenties or thirties, potentially leading to kidney

failure much earlier in life than other causes of ESRD.

Thankfully, we now have effective tools to deploy,

including cost-effective urinalysis and two new Food and Drug

Administration-approved approved therapies to address IgAN,

with over 60 more clinical trials underway in IgAN, FSGS,

C3G, Minimal Change Disease, and others.

However, many barriers to care remain for AA and NHPI

communities, from lack of patient and provider awareness of

RKD and kidney disease generally, to cultural and linguistic

barriers unique to the AA and NHPI communities. Evidence

shows that interventions can be cost-effective and

transformative, with a recent paper showing a universal

urinalysis program in Japan reduced ESRD rates among people

under 20 by nearly 50 percent.

We urge you to increase awareness of rare kidney diseases,

including IgAN, as a health equity challenge for the AA and

NHPI communities, and to take further steps to mitigate

current barriers to screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The

upcoming Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

in May and IgAN Awareness Day on May 14 represent an

opportunity to initiate these critical efforts.

We look forward to partnering with you to improve the

health and well-being of the AA and NHPI communities and

tackling the challenge of RKD together.

Sincerely,

Juliet K. Choi, President & CEO, Asian and Pacific Islander

American Health Forum.

Yanlin Wang, M.D., Ph.D., FASN, President, Chinese American

Society of Nephrology.

Bonnie Schneider, Founder & Executive Director, IgAN

Foundation.

Josh Tarnoff, CEO, NephCure Kidney International.

Raymond Hsu, MD, MAS, School of Medicine, University of

California-San Francisco.

Kevin Longino, CEO, National Kidney Foundation.

Jenifer Ngo Waldrop, Executive Director, Rare Disease

Diversity Coalition.

Fahmeedah Kamal, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford

University Medicine.

LaVarne Burton, President and CEO, American Kidney Fund.

Li-Li Hsiao, MD, Ph.D., Founder, Kidney Disease Screening

and Awareness Program (KDSAP), Harvard Medical School.

Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, FASN, Assistant Professor of

Medicine, Northwestern University.

Gary A. Puckrein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive

Officer, National Minority Quality Forum.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and my fellow Congressional App Challenge Co-Chair, Representative Zach Nunn (IA-3), I rise to congratulate the winning students and their apps from the 2023 Congressional App Challenge.

The 2023 Congressional App Challenge saw 11,334 students from all 50 states and the U.S. territories submit applications. Collectively, these students created 3,645 fully functioning apps. In the nine years since its inception, the Congressional App Challenge has helped motivate 58,262 students to create 16,589 applications. With 374 Members of Congress, nearly 84 percent of the House of Representatives, hosting an App Challenge in their district, this year marks tremendous success and growth of the program. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the successes of these students here in Washington, D.C. at ``House of Code'' later this month.

The 2024 Congressional App Challenge launches on May 1, 2024, and concludes on October 24, 2024. I am thrilled to continue to support this terrific program and its students at this milestone moment. Please join us in celebrating the program, and all our student alumni on September 17, 2024 for National App Challenge Day.

To learn more about the winning apps and the student winners, visit www.congressionalappchallenge.us/2023-winners/.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss how House Democrats, working with the Senate and the White House, are delivering cost savings to American families.

My constituents tell me how high costs are affecting them and their families, and Democrats are listening. That is why we passed the American Rescue Plan, which allowed Medicaid to limit drug prices starting this year.

We also passed another law, the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped insulin costs at $35 a month, and as a result of these laws, the three largest manufacturers of insulin have announced that they would slash the cost of insulin by 75 percent.

These are real cost savings for the 62,000 constituents in my district who are living with diabetes.

What are Republicans focused on? The Republican Study Committee just released a budget, about 70-something percent of the Members are a part of that committee that wants to raise the retirement age for Social Security, end Medicare as we know it, ban IVF, and roll back the Affordable Care Act.

The two parties are not the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of my friend, Bill Brand, Mayor of Redondo Beach. Mayor Brand passed away on Friday, February 9th at home alongside friends and family. He valiantly fought stage-four lung cancer over the past four and a half years, while remaining in office. He survived his specific cancer longer than any other diagnosed in the United States.

Bill Brand was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to the South Bay region of Los Angeles County in 1966. He vividly remembered his first sight of the Seaside Lagoon and called it ``finding heaven.'' Bill dedicated his life to serving people. He saw the need to champion access to open space for South Bay residents and created a non-profit organization in 2004, the South Bay Parkland Conservancy, which is dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and public use of coastal land resources in the South Bay. This organization continues to grow and serve our coastal communities as a steward of our environment, carrying on Bill's legacy.

Bill Brand expanded on his work in public service, first as a Member of the Redondo Beach City Council, and finally as Mayor, a position he served until his last day. He was a fierce advocate for many environmental and coastal priorities, and it was a great honor to work with him to champion these issues.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Deirdre. He served his community fervidly despite the difficulty of his condition. His tremendous will was a demonstration of his love and dedication for his community. He was a remarkable public servant, and it was a privilege to know him and call him a friend. May his memory live on in his many contributions to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House floor for part of January 18, 2024. As a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, I have spent my career in public office working to protect equal access to reproductive health care for all Americans. I also believe that the government has no place to influence an individual's decision to use family planning services such as birth control or abortion.

Had I been present to cast a vote, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 19.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on the House floor on March 8, 2023 due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 138.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Mrs. Lorraine Edith Geittmann, who passed away on January 5, 2024, in Redondo Beach, California. My friend Lori Geittmann was a remarkable person and I will miss her dearly. Lorraine Edith Geittmann was born December 11th, 1933, in Lancaster, Wisconsin, to Elmer T, and Leone E. (Allen) Geittmann. She grew up in the Ohio River town of Metropolis, Illinois. She was a 1951 Honor Society graduate of Metropolis Community High School. She won the Massac County general scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was a senior reporter on the student newspaper of the Daily Illini and was elected to Honorary Shorter Board and Torch. She received her bachelor's degree in Journalism in June of 1955, and moved to California where she had family members.

In 1957, she joined the staff of the Daily Breeze Newspaper where she worked for 10 years, taking leave in 1960 to be a congressional fellow of the American Political Science Association in Washington. DC. She worked on the staff of Rep. B.F. Sisk of Fresno California, and Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine. While in Washington she attended the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. She returned to the Daily Breeze Newspaper in 1961 but left in 1967 to attend graduate school to study Political Science at California State University at Long Beach where she was a graduate assistant.

In 1969 she became a Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer and held that position for 25 years. She was the secretary of the Probation Officers union for two terms.

After her retirement in 1994, she served as a Commissioner on several Redondo Beach City Boards, and as the President of Friends of the Library. She served 5 terms as president of the Beach Cities Democratic Club and several years as an AD 66 Delegate for the Democratic Party. She also served several terms as an elected member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee, and a member of the executive board of the Democratic State Central Committee. She was a 1980 delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She served on a committee for the Beach Cities Health District. She also was a volunteer for several years at Torrance Memorial Hospital and belonged to Omnilore Learning in retirement from 2000 until her passing.

She was an early member of the Pacific Unitarian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes.

She was preceded in death by her parents, longtime companion Robert Jones, brothers: Charles Geittmann and John W. Geittmann, sister-in-law Myrna Geittmann, nephew J. Greg Geittmann, and great nephew Shawn M. Norman.

She is survived by her niece Suzanne Lowery, nephew William F. (Karen) Geittmann, great nephew Geoffrey W. (Cindy) Geittmann, Kyle (Courtney) Howerton, great great nephew Leon and her great, great, nieces Autumn F. Norman, and Grace S. Geittmann from Marion, Illinois, along with niece Jodie L. Geittmann and nephew Rick A. Geittmann from Rainier, Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Larson for his terrific leadership on Social Security. Many people here have been hearing about Social Security 2,100.

I just want to talk a little bit about what is actually in this amazing bill. It increases a number of benefits, including increases benefits 2 percent across the board. It improves the cost-of-living adjustment. It increases benefits to boost lower income seniors. It improves benefits for widows and widowers. It restores student benefits up to age 26. It increases access to benefits for children. It repeals the windfall elimination provision. It ends the 5-month waiting period. It increases benefits by an additional 5 percent for the most elderly. It provides caregiver credits and ends the disability benefit cliff.

How does it do that? It does it by ensuring millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, and it closes a loophole of avoiding FICA taxes, and it puts an investment income tax only for people making over $400,000.

This is an amazing bill. It is time we pass Representative John Larson's Social Security 2100 Act to preserve Social Security for this generation and generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, when Democrats were in control, we put people over politics and passed the Inflation Reduction Act to lower costs and to create new jobs. We are also working with the Biden administration to eliminate junk fees, and we have legislation to address childcare costs, and to go after people who engage in price gouging.

What do Democrats care about? We care about how we lower costs, create new jobs, and get our economy going. Because of that, we have had record GDP growth and unemployment at a 50-year low.

What are Republicans focused on? They are focused on impeachment with no evidence. Even today, they cannot explain what action President Biden took that they thought was illegal or criminal.

That is right. They are going forward with impeachment, even though they cannot explain what crime they think President Biden committed, because he didn't commit any. It is a waste of people's time.

Republicans are, again, focused on the wrong priorities.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Ms. Lynne Wasserman, a generous philanthropist in California's 36th Congressional District, who passed away on October 25, 2023.

Ms. Wasserman was born on October 18, 1940, to Lew and Edith ``Edie'' Wasserman and was raised in Beverly Hills, California. After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, Ms. Wasserman pursued a degree in law. During her career, Ms. Wasserman worked at Salomon Brothers Investment Bank in New York and later became General Counsel to Jerry Weintraub's production company.

Ms. Wasserman spent her retirement years as a philanthropist. Through her family's foundation, Ms. Wasserman proudly supported LA's Best, an after-school program that benefited children's social, emotional, and academic needs in the Los Angeles public school system. Ms. Wasserman was committed to electing more women to office and believed participating in the political process was an obligation to fulfill one's citizenship. While our country experienced political divisions, Ms. Wasserman always believed there was a candidate on the horizon somewhere who could bring unity and normalcy back to our country.

Ms. Wasserman was a sports enthusiast and was not shy about expressing her allegiance to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and UCLA basketball and football. Ms. Wasserman is survived by her husband, Michael Powell, son, Casey Wasserman, daughter, Carol Leif, and three grandchildren. May her memory be a blessing to all who know her.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life and legacy of Professor An Yin, who passed away on July 12, 2023. Mr. Yin was a distinguished Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles located in my congressional district.

Professor Yin was born on June 24, 1959, in Harbin, China. He was a part of an intellectual family with both of his parents being medical professors. Mr. Yin was inspired by his family to pursue a career in science. He began his academic career at Beijing University where he studied Geomechanics before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) in 1982 to join their master's and doctoral degree programs in structural geology.

Professor Yin officially received his doctoral degree from USC in 1988 and was offered a tenure tracked professorship at the University of California, Los Angeles. By 1996, he ascended to full Professor status at UCLA, even earning a title of Distinguished Professor for the year of 1995. During this time, Mr. Yin was sharing a joint appointment with the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics from 1995 to 2011. He made important contributions to the field of geophysics by integrating a range of geological observations into unexplored fields in Earth and planetary science.

Professor Yin was recognized widely for his innovative efforts to help understand how the planetary lithosphere forms and deforms. He was awarded the Young Scientist award and became a fellow of the Geological Society of America in 1994. He was then elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2013. Another significant recognition he received was the prestigious Penrose Medal in 2022, which is the highest medal granted at the Geological Society of America.

Professor Yin also kept a continued focus on the geology of China and East Asia. He and his colleagues worked together to construct views of many critical issues in key places throughout the territory, including fault systems in Central Tibet, possible seismic gaps in northern China, and a metamorphic belt in Qiangtang. He was a founding member of the International Professionals for Advancement of Chinese Earth Sciences in 1999, a non-profit organization established to promote earth science research and education in China and international collaborations. Mr. Yin offered lectures and courses to numerous students in China and inspired many young academic professionals to pursue interests in geophysics, geology, and geochemistry.

Professor Yin is remembered for being an excellent advisor to many graduate and undergraduate students at UCLA. He supervised over 40 graduate theses and was considered the backbone of the UCLA field research curriculum for over 30 years. Many of his students have gone on to accept professorships themselves and one of his doctoral graduates is a NASA astronaut. He set a high bar for the scientific community that remains an inspiration to all who studied under him.

An Yin is survived by his wife Sandy and children, Daniel, and Hanah, along with his numerous mentees and academic colleagues who credit him with inspiring their strong work ethic and creative mindsets. May his memory live on in all those he taught and inspired in life.

Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise to recognize the life and service of Ukrainian Air Force Major Andrii Pilshchykov, a fighter pilot who tragically lost his life in the fight to defend his country from the Russian invasion. Mr. Pilshchykov reached the rank of Captain in the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, before being posthumously promoted to Major.

Born in Kharkiv only 30 years ago, Andrii fulfilled his life-long dream to fly some of the fastest and toughest airplanes in the world. From a young age, Andrii was fascinated with airplanes and jets and eagerly took on the little-known hobby of ``Planespotting,'' in which participants track the movement and record photos of desired aircraft all around the globe. As soon as he could, Andrii enrolled in Ukraine's Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University. It was in this academy that Andrii learned to fly MiG-29 fighter jets, which he would go on to fly during the current war to save his country. Andrii's peers and instructors were so impressed with his abilities that he was assigned to be an instructor for certain classes even though he was still a cadet.

After graduating from the academy in 2018, Andrii joined the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade at Yasylkiv Air Base, where he would become an Air Force Captain. During his first year, Andrii traveled to my home state of California, where he completed an internship with the 144th Fighter Wing of California's Air National Guard in the City of Fresno. As he learned how to fly F-15 fighter jets, Andrii took his learning experience in California very seriously, earning the nickname ``Juice'' because he would only order juice as he refrained from alcohol. He took this nickname back home with him, and for a time he was the only pilot in the Ukrainian Armed Forces with an official call sign: ``Juice.''

After leaving the Air Force for only a brief period, Andrii did not hesitate to sign up again for service in February 2022 as the Russian invasion threatened the people and very sovereignty of Ukraine. It was not long before he resumed flights, fighting to keep Ukrainian skies safe over Kyiv and other major battle areas. During Andrii's service, he flew over 100 combat missions and destroyed dozens of the enemy's command posts. In May 2022, Andrii was awarded the Order for Courage (3rd Class) for his valiant service.

Because of his keen interest in promoting the modernization of Ukraine's Air Force, and his proficiency in English, Andrii and a small contingent of his colleagues were sent to Washington, D.C., to illustrate and emphasize the urgent need to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. I had the honor of meeting Andrii. After his visit to Capitol Hill, the Ukraine Fighter Pilots Act was introduced, which I was proud to cosponsor.

I want to express my deepest appreciation for the invaluable service rendered not only to the nation of Ukraine, but in the fight for democracy itself, by Major Andrii Pilshchykov. My deepest condolences go out to his family, the people of Ukraine and all those impacted by his loss.