Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, President Biden and Democrats are building a better America.

Last year we passed the American Rescue Plan. That helped get our economy back on track. We have created in America approximately 7 million jobs in the last 12 months. That is a record in U.S. history. We are also experiencing very high economic growth. Jobs are up, wages are up, and unemployment is down.

We then followed it up with an infrastructure law that is going to rebuild roads, bridges, and highways. It is going to put broadband internet everywhere from rural areas to inner cities. It is going to get lead out of our water, and it is going to put EV charging stations across America.

What are Republicans doing?

I know two sitting Republican Members went to a White nationalist conference a few days ago.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. John C. Law, who passed away on January 20, 2022. John, a resident of the City of Santa Monica, was a beloved husband, father, and champion of affordable, high-quality health care.

John dedicated his life to serving others and was a generous philanthropist in the Los Angeles community throughout his time on the Board of Directors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which he joined in 1997. He loved Los Angeles for its dynamism and diversity, and it was of great importance to him that the board of an esteemed medical institution like Cedars-Sinai reflected this. During his tenure serving Cedars, John championed efforts to bring women and people of color on to the Board of Directors and to better the health and well-being of the Los Angeles community. As President of the Los Angeles Free Clinic, he worked to improve health care quality, access, and outcomes for underserved communities in the region.

John contributed to health care causes and research not only through sweat equity but also through his tremendous generosity. John and his wife made their first gift to Cedars-Sinai in 1992 and contributed frequently to its prostate cancer research and health care leadership funds. An accomplished businessman, he served as president of the Los Angeles County Capital Asset Leasing Corporation and as the Co-Managing Director of Warland Investments, a property development and management company. Before his time in Los Angeles, John resided in Washington, D.C., where he co-founded Bendixen and Law, a family attorney professional corporation in operation for over 40 years.

John is survived by his loving wife, Hope Warshaw and their son, John Law-Warshaw. He had an amazing spirit that was dedicated to serving his family and especially those most in need. He will be greatly missed by his friends, family, and all who know him.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Jonathan ``Jon'' Flagler, a beloved community member and firefighter in the 33rd Congressional District who passed away in the line of duty at the age of 48 on January 6, 2022.

Born on October 9, 1974, Jon was born and raised in the neighborhood of San Pedro in the City of Los Angeles. He attended Crestwood Elementary School, Dodson Middle School, and graduated Class of 1992 from San Pedro High School. Immediately after high school, Jon threw himself into working towards his passion, dedicating his time to helping others by becoming a firefighter. After high school, he attended El Camino Community College to take fire science classes and then later graduated from Rio Hondo's Fire Academy. Jon continued his education and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Fire Administration from California State University, Los Angeles in 2001.

Jon began his 21-year career as an industrial firefighter with Northrop Grumman Aerospace in 2002 before being hired by the City of Vernon Fire Department later that same year. He spent the majority of his career working at Vernon Fire Station One and Three. In 2020, Jon relocated to the Los Angeles County Fire Department after the agency took over firefighting services for the City of Vernon. As a part of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, he worked at Fire Station 22 before moving to Fire Station 83, located in Rancho Palos Verdes, just a few blocks from his childhood home. Tragically, Jon lost his life in the line of duty--bravely fighting a fire, selflessly protecting the community he served.

Jon exemplified the important traits of a firefighter both on the job and off the job. Jon was known by friends as always being willing to lend a helping hand and for his infectious smile that would light up a whole room. As a man of faith dedicated to a life of service, Jon's greatest love was always his family.

Jon is survived by his loving wife Jenny and sons Brody and Jack Flagler; his nephews Matix, Corey, Van, and his niece Mikiela, and his in-laws Dwight, Cindy, and Tracy. May his kindness and dedication to selflessness continue to live on in those he touched with his compassionate and welcoming spirit.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life of Mr. Conner Kurahashi, who passed away on January 22, 2022. A beloved member of California's 33rd Congressional District, he was known for his exemplary leadership skills, devotion to civic engagement, and commitment to community service.

Conner was born on October 7, 1999, in Torrance, CA to Brian Kurahashi and Gay Koga. From a young age, Conner had a sense of compassion and supported others in their times of need. As an elementary and middle school student, he volunteered his time to help set up school assemblies, and he served as student body president in his senior year at West High School. As student body president, he ably represented his classmates at Torrance City Council and Torrance Unified School District Board meetings.

Always thinking of others and planning ahead, Conner was committed to documenting the activities of his high school classmates; he had stashed photos and videos for their 10-year high school reunion. Even after graduation, he continued to document his sister's achievements on the girls' basketball team and the school's track and field meets. Conner had a hand in many campus activities: fund-raising, taking photos, painting signs, and volunteering with the Kiwanis International organization. He was also a multi-sport athlete, playing volleyball and basketball, as well as running track and cross-country.

As a student at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, Conner helped plan basketball games and tournaments, dances, overnight ski trips, leadership conferences, and community service events with his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. He also served as Chief Communications Officer for the Nikkei Student Union. Conner was to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning.

To friends and family, Conner will be remembered for his love of cooking, gardening, and even building a personal computer from scratch. Conner also loved basketball from an early age, playing for community youth teams and coaching them as he got older.

Conner is survived by his parents, Brian and Gay; sister, Bailey; and grandmother, Kazuko Kurahashi. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our thoughts and condolences to the Kurahashi family as they try to deal with this tragic loss. May Conner's memory live on in all those he touched through his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. John C. Law, who passed away on January 20, 2022. A resident of the city of Santa Monica, John was a beloved husband, father, and champion of affordable, high-quality healthcare.

John dedicated his life to serving others and was a generous philanthropist through Los Angeles County during his time on the board of directors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. During his tenure, John championed efforts to bring women and people of color onto the board of directors and to better the health and well-being of the community.

As President of the Los Angeles Free Clinic, John also worked to improve healthcare quality, access, and outcomes for underserved communities in the region. John also contributed to healthcare causes and research not only through his leadership, but through his tremendous generosity. John and his wife, Hope, made their first gift in 1992 and contributed frequently to its prostate cancer research and healthcare leadership funds. An accomplished businessman, John served as president of the LA County Capital Asset Leasing Corporation and as co-managing director of Warland Investments.

John is survived by his loving wife, Hope Warshaw, and their son, Jack Warshaw. He had an amazing spirit that was dedicated to serving his family and especially those most in need.

John will be greatly missed by his friends, family, and all who knew him.

Madam Speaker, Democrats are fighting for the people.

Along with President Biden, we enacted the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure law. That has resulted in the fastest GDP economic growth in nearly four decades, the lowest unemployment rate in five decades, and the fastest 1-year job creation in U.S. history.

Growth is up. Wages are up. Unemployment is down.

And Democrats recently completed over 1,200 events to highlight the infrastructure law, a law that is going to rebuild roads, bridges, highways, airports, and ports; get lead out of our water; put broadband everywhere from rural areas to inner cities and everywhere in between; and create good-paying union jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced.

These 1,200 events are also a reminder that 200 Republicans voted no on this infrastructure law. That is the difference.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Betty White, who passed away on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99, three weeks before what would have been her 100th birthday. A longtime resident of California's 33rd Congressional District, Betty was a Hollywood icon and a devoted animal welfare advocate whose career in theater, film, television, and radio spanned eight decades. In that time, she earned numerous awards and accolades and endeared herself to audiences across America and around the world.

Betty was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, to Horace and Tess White. The family moved to Beverly Hills when Betty was a child, and she graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1939. Betty's entertainment career began as a recent graduate, when she took part in one of the first ever experimental television broadcasts. She put her career on pause because of World War II, when she served in the American Women's Voluntary Services, delivering supplies to soldiers stationed along the Santa Monica Mountains.

After the war, she dabbled in both radio and television, appearing in radio shows like Blondie and This is Your FBI and hosting the talk shows Hollywood on Television and The Betty White Show. She established herself as a force for justice on one of her eponymous shows, willing to stand up for what was right. After featuring Arthur Duncan, a Black tap dancer, on her nationally syndicated show, Betty received calls from television stations in the Jim Crow South to fire Duncan or risk being taken off the air. Rather than accede to racist demands, Betty invited him back three more times.

Though Betty had married twice before, it wasn't until her stints in the early 1960s on various game shows as a celebrity guest on To Tell the Truth, I've Got a Secret, and What's My Line? that she met her true love. After appearing on Password, she and host Allan Ludden got to know each other, and he eventually proposed. They married in 1963 and remained together until his death by stomach cancer in 1981. The couple had had no children of their own, but she helped raise Ludden's three sons and daughters from a previous marriage. Of Ludden, she said ``I'll never get over him'' and never remarried.

Betty played her best-known roles in the latter part of her career. She played Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1973 to 1977 and Rose Nyland on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992. As Sue Ann, Betty was wily, crafty, and cunning behind her wide, beaming smile, which contrasted with Rose's naivete and innocence. Both roles helped her win Emmy Awards, of which she won eight in total: five Primetime, two Daytime, and a Los Angeles regional. She also won three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy.

Appearances in a Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, 2009's romantic comedy The Proposal, and a guest host spot on Saturday Night Live reintroduced Betty to a new generation of film and television viewers, sparking a resurgence in her career that lasted well into her nineties. However, she repeatedly said over the years that show business was only a means to fund her other passion: animal welfare.

Betty grew up surrounded by animals, recounting how her family at one point owned 20 dogs. Such an upbringing cemented her love for all species at an early age. She produced and starred in The Pet Set, a syndicated talk show in which celebrity guests talked about their pets in the early 1970s. Betty also contributed and sat on the board of trustees of a host of animal welfare organizations, including the Morris Animal Foundation, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the American Humane Association, and the Fund for Animals.

Betty's support for the Los Angeles Zoo and its foundation dated back to the zoo's opening in 1966. In 1974, she joined The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's Board of Trustees and hosted a television special alongside several celebrity friends, including Mary Tyler Moore, Jimmy Stewart, and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. In 2006, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa honored Betty with the title of ``Ambassador to the Animals,'' and the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers made her an honorary zookeeper in 2013. Throughout the years, Betty was seen at the zoo's charitable functions smiling alongside an assortment of animals, including pythons, owls, sloths, and giraffes.

Betty White's pioneering career brought laughter into the homes of millions and will continue to do so for generations to come. Her support for animal welfare over the years, which inspired thousands to carry on the torch of the cause after her death, also cannot be overstated. May her memory be a blessing.

Madam Speaker, last year Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan that provided funding to schools so they could reopen, funding to cities and States so that first responders, municipal employees, and county employees didn't get laid off, and it got stimulus checks to the American people.

As a result, we were able to have over 6 million jobs created since January 20, 2020, and the lowest unemployment rate now in nearly 50 years.

However, with the opening of our economies across the world, inflation has happened, including in the United States, and that is why I am so pleased that the Biden administration has announced $14 billion to go to 500 Army Corps of Engineers projects, including at ports to help with supply chain issues. By making sure we can move goods faster and easier and to address these supply chain issues, we will reduce the cost of goods, and that was because Democrats also passed the infrastructure law. Democrats have delivered for the people.

Madam Speaker, I am upset about inflation. As our economy reopens and demand surges, big corporations have taken advantage. They have squeezed consumers for profit and raised costs on everyday Americans.

Corporate greed is a primary reason why costs for American businesses and families have gone up. I will give you one example.

The cost of refining oil has gone down, yet gas prices went up. Let me repeat that again. The costs to oil companies have gone down, and fuel prices went up.

That is why I am joining President Biden in calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil and gas companies are engaging in anticompetitive or potentially illegal behavior to jack up your gas prices.

Mr. Speaker, three of the goals of President Biden's agenda and that of Congressional Democrats are to recover from this pandemic, to create jobs, and to lower taxes. We have met all three.

Under President Biden's leadership, case rates and hospitalizations from COVID are dropping across our country, unemployment rolls have decreased, and since January 20, approximately 5 million jobs have been created.

In addition, Democrats delivered a tax cut for families with children. We greatly expanded this tax cut, and we sent payments on a recurring monthly basis to American families. By the middle of this month, in November, the overall majority of families with children will get another round of payments directly deposited into their bank accounts.

The Joint Economic Committee has shown that this creates $19 billion worth of economic activity in the local jurisdictions and when you let American families keep their hard-earned money, it creates economic growth. We will try to extend this tax cut for working families in the Build Back Better Act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Republicans to join us.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the people on this floor and the people watching on television a very simple question. Do you know if I am carrying the COVID virus?

In fact, do you know if the next person you meet is going to be carrying the COVID virus?

And the answer is, you don't know, because we cannot see this virus with our naked eyes. And you don't know how this virus is going to interact with your body if it comes in contact with you. Don't act like you do know.

Over 680,000 Americans have died. Millions more have been hospitalized, and many more are still suffering the effects of long

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the service of Lieutenant General John Ferdinand ``JT'' Thompson of the United States Air Force, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at the Los Angeles Air Force Base, who will soon be retiring after 37 years of military service to our nation.

Lieutenant General Thompson has had a decorated career in military service, having begun his journey as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy Class of 1984. Throughout his Air Force career, General Thompson has served in various acquisition, scientific and logistics-oriented capacities, including assignments at Air Force Materiel Command, Systems Command and in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.

General Thompson served in several leadership positions including as Chief of Commodities Division, Ogden Air Logistics Center, Utah and as commander of the 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He also served as Deputy Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program and the KC-46 Program Director.

Lieutenant General Thompson will soon retire from the United States Air Force, where he currently serves as Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center and the Los Angeles Air Force Base where he is responsible for 6,000 employees nationwide.

As the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, Lieutenant General Thompson supervises the research, arrangement, expansion, and sustainment of associated command and control systems and satellites. His leadership and efforts have fostered revolutionary space projects and programs that will impact generations for years to come.

Lieutenant General Thompson's major awards and decorations exemplify his leadership, and unwavering dedication to our country having received the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal and Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters. He

has also been decorated with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Three Oak Lead Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with four oak leaf clusters. These honors truly illustrate the deep commitment and incredible service that mark Lieutenant General Thompson's career in the Air Force.

I would like to commend Lieutenant General Thompson for his dedicated service to the United States Air Force and our nation and I wish him all the best in his new life in retirement with his lovely wife, Mrs. Ruth Ann Thompson.

Madam Speaker, 5 days ago, millions of American families with children received Child Tax Credit refunds deposited directly into their bank account. This is hundreds of dollars that they could use for childcare expenses, to put gas in their cars to go to work, and to help fuel our economy.

This is going to happen again next month, and again in the middle of September. And these payments go out again the middle of October, and again the middle of November, and again the middle of December. This is critical lifesaving money. These are tax cuts directly to the American people.

And how did this happen? It happened because every Democrat voted for the Child Tax Credit. Every Republican voted ``no.'' We want to give Republicans another chance at this. We are going to try to make this Child Tax Credit permanent. We want this tax cut to the American people permanent, and the contrast could not be clearer. When Democrats are in control, we give tax cuts to the middle class.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask to engage Representative Neguse in a colloquy to ask a question.

Mr. Speaker, that wonderful tax cut for American families with children, did any Republican congressman vote for it?

That's right. It was Democrats in the House, Democrats in the Senate that got the American Rescue Plan signed into law, and President Biden enacted it.

Some of you may wonder, well, what else is in this American Rescue Plan.

So we have this amazing tax cut for millions and millions of American families with children, but in addition, the American Rescue Plan was designed to do four things: To get shots into arms, children into schools, people back on their jobs, and cash in their pockets. And it is doing all four of those.

We know that since January 20, there has been over 3 million jobs created under the Biden-Harris administration. We know that jobless claims have been cut in half. The American Rescue Plan had stimulus checks go out to millions of Americans who needed cash in their pockets. It also provided billions of dollars to schools across our country so they could reopen safely, and it also had money for restaurants and small businesses. It had additional economic injury disaster grants. It also had shuttered venue grants to help those shuttered venues. It was so full of programs to help the American people that we now have projections that our GDP is now going to skyrocket.

We see people coming back into jobs, and we see America back on track, and not a single Republican voted for that American Rescue Plan.

You know what else was in that plan? Funding for local government. I served in local government. I was on the Torrance City Council; I loved that job. It is very clear to me that one of the big aspects of local government funding is funding for public safety, funding for our firefighters, funding for police officers. Not a single Republican voted for that local funding for public safety. This American Rescue Plan was a transformative law and it is still continuing to provide benefits to the American people.

Just a few days ago, as Representative Neguse mentioned, on July 15, most American families got a tax refund--hundreds of dollars. This is going to happen again the middle of next month; they are going to get hundreds of dollars again. And then it is going to happen again on the 15th of September, and again on the 15th of October, and again on the 15th of November, and again on December 15.

This is transforming the lives of Americans. It is allowing hardworking parents to have cash to provide childcare, cash to get gas for their car, to go to work, to get back into our economy, get back into the labor market; and again, not a single Republican in the House or in the Senate voted for the American Rescue Plan. And this was just the first 6 months of Democrats in control.

What did the Republicans do when they were in control? Well, they also did give tax cuts, except it went to the top 1 percent. It went to billionaires. And all of you know that, because you didn't get a tax cut. You would have remembered if you did, but you didn't. The American people actually did not get this, because it went mostly to billionaires.

Democrats and Republicans, very starkly different. The first 6 months in office, we chose to give a tax cut to the middle class, to families with children, and we are not done. Now we are working on the American Jobs Plan that is going to have an infrastructure component. It is going to have money for elder care. It is going to have workforce retraining. It is going to help restore the millions of jobs that were lost during this pandemic. We are working on the American Families Plan, because this amazing tax cut for families with children, we want to make it permanent. We want to give Republicans another chance to vote for it, because we want to make this tax cut for families with children permanent. Hopefully, we are going to get bipartisan support for that.

What else is going to be in the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan? It is going to have funding also for education. Studies show that in terms of education, the most impact it can have on a human being's life is under the age of five. So we are going to have funding to have universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds. This is when their brains are developing. This is when you can have tremendous impact that is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.

We are going to extend higher education funding to provide free community college for anyone who wants it. We are in the 21st century now. We simply have to expand our education. People have to learn more skills so they can prepare for the economy of the 21st century.

Hopefully, Republicans will join us. Hopefully, we will get bipartisan support, and we will continue to make America as great as we want it to be and to move forward on a bipartisan basis. We ask Republicans to join us, but for now, we do know not a single one of them voted for the American Rescue Plan.

That is correct. Even though a number of them took credit for that program, they actually didn't vote for it. So I don't want the American people to be confused. If your Republican Member of Congress claims credit for the American Rescue Plan, they did not vote for it. But hey, if they want to talk good things about it, we are happy to accept it, but your Republican Member of Congress did not vote for the American Rescue Plan.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Dr. Sara Adler who passed away on June 21, 2021. With decades of work as a professor, researcher, and author, Dr. Adler's passion for education and generous spirit has impacted not only the lives of her students, but also the academic field of Italian Studies and Literature.

Born on September 14, 1946, Dr. Adler earned a bachelor's degree in Italian from Smith College, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in Italian from Harvard University. Sara then went on to pursue a career in academia and education.

Dr. Adler taught Italian at Harvard University, Georgetown University, and Wellesley College before earning the title of Professor Emerita of Scripps College in Claremont, California. During her 40 years at Scripps College, Dr. Adler led the teaching of Italian Studies at The Claremont Colleges. Sara also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Webb Schools in Claremont and of the Board Advisory Committee of Scripps College. To honor her decades of academic leadership an endowed Professorship of Italian Studies was created in Dr. Adler's name by Scripps College following her retirement in 2018.

In addition to her tremendous achievements in the classroom, Dr. Adler authored the book, Calvino: The Writer as Fablemaker, centered around Italian fiction of the Twentieth Century and women poets of the Italian Renaissance, and published a number of peer reviewed articles and papers.

Spending time with her children, her grandchildren, her loving family and friends, and seeing her students grow and prosper brought Sara great joy. She was full of good humor and fine taste to the end. Dr. Adler fought on despite the incredible pain brought on by ALS, with true determination so that she could live her life with dignity and purpose. We can learn a lot from her example of living life to the fullest.

Dr. Sara Adler is survived by her spouse of 48 years, Robert L. Adler; her son Joe and his wife, Carrie; her daughter Caroline and her husband, Tristan; and four grandchildren: Ben, Penny, Liana, and Halle. May her memory be a blessing to all who knew her.