Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Roberto Mondragon, a Lieutenant Governor and musician.

Roberto Mondragon was a beloved cultural figure in New Mexico whose voice, music, and lifelong work helped keep our traditions alive. He brought his resonant tenor to the cultural renaissance that made sure Nuevo Mexico did not lose its culture, its songs, its language, or its poetry. At a time when the Spanish language, music, and tradition were being pushed aside, he lifted them up, insisting that they belong not only in memory, but in classrooms, on the radio, and in the halls of power. He showed generations of young people, including my own high school choir that I sang in, the West Side Singers, that tradition is not behind us, but within us.

Roberto will be remembered every time we sing ``That's New Mexico''; ``Asi Es Nuevo Mexico,'' our State song.

``That is New Mexico, the Black, the Hispanic, the Anglo, the indigenous, all your children, all equal''; ``Asi es Nuevo Mexico. El negro, el hispano, el anglo, el indio. Todos son tus hijos, todos por igual.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, America is suffering. Americans don't recognize the country we live in. Trump's tariffs have caused prices to soar. We have the highest unemployment rate in 4 years so fewer people have jobs. Those out of work can't even afford those expensive groceries, housing, and appliances.

Republicans refused to extend the health insurance tax cuts in time, so now millions of Americans have health insurance premiums that are double and sometimes even triple what they were 1 year ago. In their big, beautiful bill, Republicans took a sledgehammer to our fragile healthcare system to give permanent tax breaks to their political donors, the billionaires, and the biggest corporations.

Our President bombed boats and then the capital of a foreign country for oil, and now he says he is acting President of that country.

He wants our military to invade a NATO ally. Remember, Mr. Speaker, America and our NATO allies fought fascism together in World War II. Republicans claim we don't have money to keep healthcare costs down, yet they are going to keep spending billions of taxpayer dollars for Trump's reckless military action in Venezuela and everywhere else he decides to invade or bomb.

Trump and Kristi Noem have militarized our streets. Masked men in full military gear roam the streets of our cities. These masked men invade church properties and schools, knock down doors without warrants, ram cars, and assault pastors and people of faith. These masked, armed men have arrested hundreds of citizens just for looking Latino.

Last week, they killed a citizen. They shot a mother of three in the face three times. Her last words were: I am not mad at you. His words, after shooting her to death, are too obscene to say on this floor.

Kristi Noem and the President have now demonized this dead mother. Trump wants Americans to deny what we can see with our own eyes: the killing of a mother, Renee Nicole Good.

In the face of all this pain, chaos, and economic hardship, the American people expect Congress to do something, to ask hard questions of the administration, to be the check and balance that we were taught about in school, conduct oversight, lower prices, and protect our healthcare.

So what are Republicans doing?

Last week, following the invasion of Venezuela and the expiration of the healthcare tax credits, their priority was a bill about showerheads. This week it is worse. They are actively putting their thumb on the scale in favor of big corporations and against workers, lowering what parents get paid in overtime, reclassifying workers so they can pay them less, or make it easy for corporations, like those big meatpacking plants, to get away with hiring child labor or wage theft. They want to block financial managers from even considering environmental risks like flooding and wildfires.

Yes, Americans want Congress to do something. The problem is that Republicans control the House and the bills we consider in the Rules Committee and vote on.

However, Democrats can force votes, like we did on the healthcare tax credits and like we will soon do on the War Powers Resolution. On the floor of the people's House, we will call out Republicans who always seem to stand with the biggest corporations and against workers.

Despite what the titles of their bills say, they do the opposite.

Mr. Speaker, we will force Republicans to face the consequences of ignoring the economic struggles of everyday Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, what is amazing is that on the floor of this House we heard my colleague talk about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and I guess they are going back to calling it that. They were trying to change its name because they know that the American people know it is not beautiful. It is only beautiful, Mr. Speaker, if you are a billionaire and you have benefited from those tax cuts for the millionaires, the billionaires, and the biggest corporations.

Remember, Mr. Speaker, that Democrats wanted to make permanent, and offered amendments, so that we could continue tax cuts for middle-class Americans. We wanted to do something more than what they did on tipped workers.

Are you kidding me, Mr. Speaker? Republicans made tipped worker tax credits temporary but gave permanent tax cuts to the billionaires. The predominant benefit of that big, beautiful bill went to the richest Americans, and there is no denying that.

There is no denying that $1.4 trillion went to the wealthiest Americans. There is no denying the fact that they keep talking about deficits, $4 trillion, that they are forcing our children and grandchildren to pay because they wanted to give those tax credits to the biggest corporations and millionaires.

Now, the other thing that is interesting that got raised is Minnesota. She talked about a couple of immigrants who have been arrested. We don't have any problem about enforcement and arresting people who commit crimes. In fact, we have had Democratic Presidents do that. Obama deported more people than Trump has, but he went after people with criminal records.

Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of the people in ICE custody have committed no crime. Hundreds of citizens have been arrested for no crime by ICE, which has no jurisdiction. Why were they arrested? Is it just because they look Latino? Is it just because they speak Spanish? That is not okay.

Let's talk about criminal activity. Trump pardoned the January 6 insurrectionists who beat law enforcement right outside these doors, violently beat the law enforcement officers who were protecting us.

What has happened since then? Do you want to talk about people who have been arrested? Talk about all of those violent offenders who were arrested, and what did they get? They got a pardon from this President. We have dozens who have gone on to reoffend, who have gone on to assault, who have been engaged in child pornography, in egregious crimes because this President pardoned them. When you want to talk about going after criminals, let's look at what this President has failed to do.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that in response to this litany and this long list of criminal activity and the criminals who were pardoned by Trump, we heard the same thing, there was a sex offender. What about all those sex offenders that have now been pardoned?

What about all of the egregious actions that ICE is conducting in Mrs. Fischbach's very own State? She won't stand up for the law enforcement officers who she walks by every day and the attacks that they faced, but she will stand up in favor of ICE activity that has killed one of Minnesota's own citizens?

Let me read one of the President's latest posts: ``Do the people of Minnesota really want to live in a community . . . '' His last sentence: ``Fear not, great people of Minnesota, the day of reckoning and retribution is coming.''

Retribution? We should not live in a society where we have a President who goes after cities and States because they have Democratic leadership. There are Republicans who live in that city. There are Democrats who live in that city, Independents. It should not matter.

However, this President and Republicans who support him and refuse to condemn him seem to think it is okay to beat up law enforcement officers in our own Capitol, but it is not okay to question excessive, egregious abuses by ICE not only in Minnesota, but across this country.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle).

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 20, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that would expand workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain in the workplace, hold employers accountable for violating workers' rights, and allow for free, fair, and safe union elections.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the slate of partisan bills that Republicans want us to vote on this week, which lower overtime pay for workers, cut workers' wages, give corporations more loopholes to mistreat workers without consequence, and mess with workers' retirement savings plan to combat supposed wokeness, whatever that is, Democrats simply want to add another bill for consideration, one that actually helps workers and is cosponsored by 214 Members of Congress, including several Republicans.

The PRO Act was one of the first bills I got to cosponsor in committee and in Congress when I joined in 2021. That was back when the committee was called the Education and Labor Committee because Democrats are not afraid of saying ``labor,'' and we will always protect workers' rights. That is why when we held the majority, we passed the PRO Act to support workers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the ranking member of the Committee on Education and Workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I will address something in one of the bills that is about childcare and the care economy.

We all know the care economy is what makes all other work possible. Women can go to work when they know their babies will be well taken care of. When a parent or grandparent gets ill, we know that it is women who

step in to fill the gap. In fact, because it is so expensive to get care, we have seen a record number of women fall out of the workforce. It is up to about 350,000 women, I think, who have left.

This is a problem because we need women to be able to participate in our workforce, to be able to contribute to their own household's income. We know that this is something that can be fixed with governmental action.

In New Mexico, we now have universal childcare. It is something we can get done, and the reason why we do this is because it is important to allow women and parents to work. It is often men who stay home as the father. It is also important for the child because when you get good early childcare, you grow up to have more opportunities in life.

On average, though, parents spend between $6,500 and $15,000 per child for 1 year of childcare. That is eating up more and more of families' budgets. People can't afford this.

What we know that people have done is negotiate. They talk to their employers, and those employers have often provided childcare as one of the elements of compensation. This is why unions are important. They have negotiated this and fought for this as part of compensation.

For decades, when you get paid overtime, you include all of your compensation, including if you were getting assistance for care expenses.

Now, they have named their bill and added ``childcare'' to it, and they say this is to increase the availability of childcare. What it actually will do is that it is going to decrease people's overtime pay. You are no longer going to get paid overtime based on your full compensation. This is overturning decades of precedence.

Once again, they are acting in a way that makes life more expensive, that makes sure that parents who receive this benefit will get paid less if they are forced to work overtime. Guess what. If you are forced to work overtime and have to keep your kids in childcare, it is going to cost you more.

Their spiral of increased costs for American families is always looking out for the big guy, always looking out for those big corporations. That is why Democrats oppose this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will point out that Americans know that Trump has been horrible on the handling of their economy because he has done nothing to lower the cost of living. In fact, everything he has done is the opposite.

His tariffs have increased prices. Their failure to address the healthcare crisis and extend tax credits for health insurance premiums has increased the cost of healthcare for Americans. In fact, Americans know this.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article titled ``Americans are more dissatisfied with Trump's handling of the economy than ever, polls show,'' from Politics, dated December 17, 2025.

Mr. Speaker, as we mentioned earlier, Trump's economy is a mess, and Republicans have failed to step up and do anything. They fail to step up and challenge him on any of the issues. They refuse to allow a vote on the tariffs on the floor of this House. They stopped the clock so that we wouldn't vote on the tariffs in this House.

Today's bills are another step in Republican efforts to chip away at workers' rights, their retirement, and their pay, while costs are sky- high.

House Republicans continue to uphold Trump's failing economy and broken promises. As one of his campaign promises, Trump said that, on day one of his term, he would lower the prices of all goods and make America affordable again. Yet, nearly a year into his Presidency, life for Americans is more expensive than ever.

For the first time in nearly 4 years, more Americans reported that their family's current financial situation was bad rather than good. This was in December before the craziness of this--what?--just 12 days in.

Consumers are worried about prices, inflation, and tariffs. Those were the concerns of working Americans, but none of these bills before us do anything to address that.

Mr. Speaker, the wallets of Americans are emptier today than they were a year ago. My colleagues refuse to call out Trump's broken promises or stand up against his tariffs or all of his policies, any of his policies. I guess they are just afraid of him.

As working-class Americans work paycheck to paycheck to paycheck, millionaires and billionaires get richer and richer. What is the response? They offer bills about showerheads and bills that tip the scales against workers. They want workers to get less money for more work. That is a lousy deal.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject these bills and to vote against the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, mining corporations, including foreign-owned, pay nothing in royalties when they take our publicly owned minerals on our Federal lands.

The American people get nada, zero, for our copper, gold, or critical minerals.

H.R. 1366, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, is yet another giveaway to big mining companies by making it easier for them to dump their waste on more of our public lands.

At the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an amendment to prevent mining projects from qualifying for the expanded public lands access if the project is owned or operated by a foreign entity of concern like China or one of its subsidiaries.

Why should we let the Chinese Communist Party take advantage of the copper, gold, and critical minerals on our Federal lands? Chairman Moolenaar of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party offered a similar amendment to the Rules Committee last Congress on the same bill. Republicans refused to make it in order.

I don't know why Republicans are afraid to limit China's access to America's critical minerals.

If we are not going to make international mining companies pay for our precious minerals that they take from us, the least we could do is stop foreign adversaries, like China, from dumping mine waste on our public land. We should not treat our public land like a big trash pile available to international mining corporations.

Republicans should focus on making life more affordable for Americans, not giving away more land, and not making those big international companies even richer. They should focus on bringing down costs for Americans, not giving a big giveaway to the big corporations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit and stop letting China and its adversaries use our public lands like their big trash dump.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of a new beacon of hope and belonging in our Land of Enchantment. The doors of the QC, Santa Fe's first LGBTQIA+ Center, have opened, and those doors open a space where every New Mexican can breathe freely, stand proudly, and be wholly themselves.

In this home of chosen family, community, and courage, Santa Feans will gather not just for events or activities but to share joy, to be seen, to be embraced without condition. The QC adds its own bright colors to Santa Fe's already vibrant tapestry, a testament to the leadership of the Human Rights Alliance Executive Director Kevin Bowen and the entire community's tireless passion, persistence, and commitment to equality in Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, it brings me great joy to know that these advocates continue to fight for equality in New Mexico and uplift members of our beautifully diverse community. I stand in celebration with them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, do you remember what it was like when you were a kid, waking up on Christmas and hoping for a certain gift?

Maybe it was a Doctor Barbie or a new bike, but then you ran to the tree and got socks that were itchy, a knockoff Barbie whose arms fell off and shoes that didn't quite fit.

Americans know what they need for Christmas as they worry about how they are going to make Christmas affordable and how they are going to make it work. Their costs are skyrocketing from the tariffs increasing costs for toys to grocery bills that are going up and up, and to those utility bills. It is hard to keep those Christmas lights on given the rising costs of utilities.

However, nothing in the bill that we are considering today makes Americans' lives more affordable or merry.

Americans want us to extend the tax credits so their healthcare premiums don't go from $250 to $2,600 a month. They will for my constituent's family of five.

How is a parent supposed to buy Christmas gifts for the kids when they now need to spend an extra $2,000 a month for health insurance?

Instead of lowering costs, what kind of lumps of coal is Congress working on this week?

We have a bill that rigs the energy system to make it more difficult to use clean energy. Wind and solar energy are the cheapest forms of new electricity. The studies prove it over and over, and they are good for the planet. However, Republicans are defining energy to exclude renewables.

If it saves you money, Mr. Speaker, and it is good for the air we breathe, then why wouldn't Congress want us to use more renewable energy?

Instead of making your life better, Republicans are standing with their dirty fossil fuel campaign donors and big corporations that threaten our clean water.

The only thing that we are doing of significance today is the National Defense Authorization Act. Indeed, the 3 percent pay raise for servicemembers and reimbursements to travel to see a doctor for rural bases is really important for our servicemembers and families.

The NDAA's requirement that the Pentagon turn over footage of the boat strikes in the Caribbean is essential to accountability, but I would argue it is not enough. Congress must pass a war powers resolution to prevent a needless and reckless war with Venezuela and any other country Trump decides to attack on a whim.

Trump says that he is going to war with drug traffickers. This is hypocrisy of the highest degree. While Secretary Hegseth was busy blowing up boats of suspected drugs dealers, Trump was pardoning former Honduran President Hernandez. Hernandez was tried, convicted, and sentenced for bringing in 400 tons of drugs to America. There was proof and evidence in a court of law, not random airstrikes and a declaration of a forever war that Congress has not authorized and the American people do not want.

My constituents and Americans all across our beautiful country are outraged that war crimes may have been committed in our name. Two people clinging to an overturned boat in the ocean are not a threat to our Navy, the strongest and most powerful on Earth.

Mr. Speaker, don't insult our intelligence or our pride.

Let me tell you something else, Mr. Speaker, that Republicans really don't want us to talk about today. Speaker Johnson stripped out a provision in the NDAA that would have provided IVF coverage for servicemembers. Today's Republican-led bill destroyed any hope for a Christmas miracle for the servicemen and -women who just want to have a baby and raise a family.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes), who is the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I also applaud the idea of innovation and research, which we should be doing in our military, but we should also be doing the same in every aspect of our economy.

That is why it is so disturbing that Republicans continue to want to look backward rather than forward with regard to our energy future. They refuse to engage, invest in, and celebrate the innovation that is going on with regard to renewable energy and how they are indeed the cheapest forms of energy.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to enter into the Record an article from June 17, 2025, in Scientific American, titled: ``Wind and Solar Energy Are Cheaper Than Electricity from Fossil-Fuel Plants. Even without subsidies, renewable energy is staying competitive. . . .''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 3628 does not address the fact that energy prices are rising. They are 13 percent higher since Trump took office. Trump has called the affordability crisis a Democratic hoax. He insults our intelligence once again every time we open a utility bill or open that notice about what healthcare premiums would be next year.

When we go to the grocery store, we know the affordability crisis is not a hoax. It was created by Trump and his policies, his tariffs, and all of those cuts to our medical programs that Republicans jammed through this summer and their refusal to put before the floor the extension of those tax credits.

In the area of renewable energy, Republicans also continue to close their eyes to how we make life more affordable for Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove), who is also a member of the Democratic Caucus Executive Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As I said earlier, Americans know what kind of job the President is doing because they are paying those bills every month. Every month, they know that tariffs are causing this inflation, and it is a self- inflicted wound. It wasn't Russia invading Ukraine. It wasn't a pandemic. It was Trump and his tariffs that are not rooted in any kind of true economic policy.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 6074, which would extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits for 3 years, through 2028.

Yes, they are extensions of time. We would like to see them permanent, but in negotiations, we have always worked on extensions so that we can address issues together in a bipartisan manner.

Millions of Americans are already receiving those notices of health plans where the price is going to skyrocket. I get stopped on the streets where people tell me what they are seeing when they open those bills, and they are drastic. For some, it is a few hundred dollars, but for others, it is $1,000, $2,000. They wonder how they are going to pay just for health insurance. What happens when something goes wrong and they have to pay that doctor's bill?

There are only 8 days left to fix this problem, but Republicans still have no viable healthcare plan of their own.

We heard that they took out a chalkboard and started throwing ideas on there. None of the ideas were to extend the tax credits, which is the quickest and easiest way to make sure that Americans don't see those skyrocketing plans.

Instead, they want to maybe get rid of the Affordable Care Act. They want people to be forced into junk plans, which could force Americans into bankruptcy. By the way, Trump made sure that if you don't pay your healthcare bill, it will go on your credit report. He actually went out of his way to make sure that that happens.

The PQ vote today will be Republicans' 22nd opportunity to vote to prevent the health insurance costs of over 20 million Americans from rising significantly. I hope they finally decide to side with their constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), the author of this legislation and a champion in this regard, to discuss our proposal.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, 20 million people rely on this tax credit, so the fact that my colleague doesn't need to rely on it and that he has enough cash so that he can go and buy the prescriptions outright is great for him.

Mr. Speaker, what about those 20 million Americans, many of whom are in his district, who rely on the Affordable Care Act tax credits? Not only that, but Americans want us to do this work. If you were listening to the constituents in the gentleman's district--by the way, a lot of those Republicans aren't having townhalls because their constituents are speaking out.

Mr. Speaker, 74 percent of Americans want us to extend those tax credits. I think it is the easiest thing and the quickest thing that we can do. We are not saying we shouldn't continue to make improvements. In fact, I have

bigger ideas of how we should fix the healthcare system. However, this is the system we have today. With weeks left, it is easy. It is an easy fix. All we need is four Republicans--four Republicans--to have the courage to stand up for their constituents. Whether we see that or not is yet to be seen.

My Republican colleagues send tweets out. We see Republicans signing letters that they want the ACA extended, but we don't see them doing what counts on the floor of the House, which is signing their names to that discharge petition and voting for their constituents and healthcare that is affordable for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury), my ``sister''; ``hermana.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I wish that my colleague would have been around to hear from Brick. Brick lives in Utah. He is a constituent of Representative Kennedy. He doesn't have the luxury of being able to go into a pharmacy and pay with cash. He has a rare genetic disease, and under the Affordable Care Act, his life is saved every day. It would cost him $150,000 to pay for the infusions that he needs to receive on a regular monthly basis or else he dies.

It would not help to go in and try to pay with cash when you talk to the worker who I met with. Her son needs transfusions or else he would not be able to play as a regular kid because he would bleed to death, and she cannot afford that either.

The Affordable Care Act, how it is structured, I am willing to take it out. Let me tell you, I am a Medicare for All girl because I think we should get rid of the insurance companies. But we have it now, and I am not going to pull the rug out from under Brick or Julian or any of those other people who rely on it.

Let's talk about what the Affordable Care Act did before we had it. Once we got the Affordable Care Act, it stopped insurance companies from charging sick people more in premiums than healthy people.

Let's talk about preexisting conditions. I am a breast cancer survivor,

and I know so many other survivors. Guess what. I would not be able to get health insurance because you could not get insured if you had a preexisting condition. Let's face it, they were treating being a woman of childbearing age as a preexisting condition until we had the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act demands that insurance companies cover most preventive services. It gives States the flexibility to expand their Medicaid programs, which 40 States have. You know what? Americans want us to keep the Affordable Care Act right now. They want us to extend those tax credits, and we should do that.

We should do that because the other thing it covers is IVF. I know that my colleague has a wonderful family he loves. His daughter is participating in a cheerleading competition. I need to tell you, Representative Scott, I truly appreciated your comments last night with regard to the IVF provision because it should not be the case that a provision that has been negotiated by both Chambers, by the leadership of the committees of jurisdiction, is overturned merely because leadership--I think that means Speaker Johnson--decides to strip it.

As we noted earlier, 13 percent of couples say they need fertility service to help them become pregnant or prevent a miscarriage.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to enter in the Record the article titled: ``Military families face unique barriers to fertility care, and new legislation aims to close the gap.''

Mr. Speaker, that new legislation was just torpedoed by the Republican Speaker of the House. What he did was eliminate the possibility of the joy that comes from bringing a new baby into this world. He dashed that hope.

What kind of leader is Speaker Johnson when he ignores the Senate, his own Members, his own rank and file, and the committee chairs to support his own limited view of what a family should be?

What about President Trump? He said he was the IVF President. I don't see any outrage from him about Speaker Johnson torpedoing Congress' work to benefit military families.

In Congress and in the White House, making a statement on social media like Trump did about IVF is pointless if it isn't combined with legislation and votes.

Republicans, Johnson is your leader. You have the power to push him on

this. You have the power to give this gift of possibility to military families. Don't let him push you around. Our servicemembers will give their lives for our country, but Speaker Johnson will deny them the possibility of a child.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I have some other issues I wanted to talk about with my wonderful colleague from across the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to the issue of the forever wars that President Trump is leading us down into. As I said in my opening, he says it is to combat drug trafficking, and I agree, we should be arresting and putting these drug dealers away for life.

I don't like the President of Venezuela. He is an authoritarian, a dictator. He is the opposite of what democracy should be like. But let's face it, this isn't about drug dealing because Trump keeps pardoning convicted drug dealers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter in the Record the December 8, 2025, article titled: ``Trump pardons major drug traffickers despite his anti-drug rhetoric.''

``The President has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his time in office, a Post analysis shows.''

Mr. Speaker, Trump said he would lower costs for Americans on day one. Guess what he actually did on day one. He pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted of creating the largest online black market for illegal drugs and other illicit goods.

He pardoned Larry Hoover, who imported tons of illegal drugs in a major city, $100 million a year into that city.

Mr. Speaker, Trump is lying to the American people, and he thinks he can play war. War is not something you play with. We do not want another Afghanistan or Iraq where a Republican starts a war that lasts 20 years, costs trillions of dollars, and too many lives. Where is the Republican outrage about these pardons for drug traffickers who kill the people we love in our communities?

I am very glad, as I noted earlier, to see some oversight in calling for the release of the video, but we must be doing more.

My Republican colleagues need to join Democrats in asserting that Congress, and Congress alone, has the authority to declare war.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have half a minute to speak, and we have 22 days to act where we need to pass those tax credit extensions.

For months, we have been urging you to do it. Let's get it done. The bills that we are considering here today, some of them have already passed last week. We should be doing the Americans' goals. We should be extending those tax credits. We should be doing it now. I call on four Republicans to join us and sign that discharge petition. Help us give Americans a healthy Christmas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Michael Canfield, the President and CEO of IPMI, Inc. and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Over the last 30 years, Mike's leadership built the businesses and operations of this cultural landmark owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The Cultural Center and tribal businesses are on land that was once a boarding school, with the historical complexities that the boarding school era represents. The transformation of the land into a thriving business center, a world renowned cultural center, and a world class Native American charter school, exemplifies the possibilities when Native Americans exercise self-determination and control over their own destiny and resources. He oversaw a restructuring of the museum so that the voice that told the history of the Pueblos was Puebloan, he professionalized the historical archival work, and education department and the restaurant at the cultural center is not only a place for delicious post contact food, but also itself a teaching kitchen. The Cultural center is the most visited site in Albuquerque. The former Albuquerque Indian School campus is a place of spirited community and family.

The distinguished Legacy Circle also honors the name of Michael G. Canfield because of his work elevating IPCC to a place of national recognition. This honor exists now as he has helped create endless opportunities for Pueblo people. These visionaries to receive this honor through new IPCC estate plans ensure the strength of the culture and economic stability for generations to come.

His leadership focused on his people, the preservation and celebration of Pueblo culture. Visitors steam into the dance circle at the cultural center to watch Puebloan and other indigenous dancers from around the world share both culture heritage and creativity, where the drums reverberate under our turquoise skies. But the Indian Pueblo Marketing, Inc., which is the economic arm of the 19 Pueblos stewardship of their land now boasts two hotels, two major office buildings, restaurants and business centers. The financial return helps fund not just the cultural center activities but also the 19 Pueblos themselves, who in turn use the funds to meet their governmental needs.

I had the benefit of working with Mr. Canfield as the attorney for IPMI and can attest to the wisdom and diplomacy he brought to every board meeting, every finance discussion, and every entrepreneurial expansion he proposed. He always balanced the cultural heritage that needed to be preserved and honored and the economic opportunities that beckoned.

His impact on the IPCC and the Native American community will be remembered forever. The Pueblo people have always lived on

these lands, and their descendants have found another home at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

I am honored to recognize Mr. Canfield so history will remember his name. There is strength in culture and tradition, there are leaders we will follow to show us the way. Let Mike Canfield be remembered as one of those leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Robert Martin, former President of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As one of the 37 tribal colleges in the United States, and the only fine arts college in the world dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaskan Native arts, the IAIA fills a vital space in the academic world.

A world class arts education institution doesn't just happen overnight; it takes leadership and vision. Dr. Martin spent the last eighteen years providing that vision as he expanded IAIA from 2007 to 2025.

The student body represents 99 tribes and includes individuals from 35 states. Dr. Robert Martin has inspired not only Congress, but philanthropists to invest in the school. The many famous alumni, like Sherman Alexie, a celebrated author, poet, and screenwriter, to Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz a historian and author known for works in indigenous issues to the next generation who are active in helping him guide the school and inspire present day students in the classroom and in the studio.

He has also championed tribal colleges beyond IAIA because he knows that they nurture the languages that keep tribal cultures alive and vibrant like the Navajo, and the Zuni that even have programs offered at the college.

As a champion for indigenous art and education, he nurtures the university mission to empower creativity and mold the indigenous leaders we need. His extensive experience in higher education is a testament to his commitment to indigenous students and stories.

I know the impact of his work lives on in the students, faculty, and staff of every institution he has been a part of. His legacy as an outstanding leader in higher education has even earned him his own day in Santa Fe, November 8, called ``Dr. Martin Day''.

His dedication to education and cultural preservation has also earned him distinguished recognition from the White House, as one of the recipients of the 2022 National Humanities Medal.

I am honored to include his name into the Record, so history will remember him. There is strength in culture and tradition, there are leaders who answer the call. Let Dr. Martin be remembered as one of those leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of a new beacon of hope and belonging in our Land of Enchantment. The doors of the QC--Santa Fe's first LGBTQIA+ Center--have opened, and those doors open a space where every New Mexican can breathe freely, stand proudly, and be wholly themselves.

In this home of chosen family, community, and courage, Santa Feans will gather not just for events or activities, but to share joy, to be seen, and to be embraced without condition. The QC adds its own bright colors to Santa Fe's already vibrant tapestry--a testament to the leadership of the Human Rights Alliance Executive Director Kevin Bowen and the entire community's tireless passion, persistence, and commitment to equality in Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico.

It brings me such joy to know that these advocates continue to fight for equality in New Mexico and uplift members of our beautifully diverse community. I stand in firm solidarity with the QC and its mission to protect the rights of all New Mexicans--regardless of who they are or who they love.

Mr. Speaker, there were thousands of girls and young women abused, trafficked, and used by Epstein and the elite and the powerful who believed they could get away with it.

Epstein told the young victims that he controlled the banks and the government.

Those women refused to be silenced. Today, they have pierced the dark with their light.

Anytime any girl is trafficked, molested, or abused, the world must stand up. Today, the House proves Jeffrey Epstein wrong. The Senate must do the same tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, when Republicans vote in favor of today's rule, they will be voting in favor of higher coffee prices, higher car prices, and higher prices for car seats and strollers. Republicans will be voting for inflation.

They buried a provision in today's rule which prevents the House from voting or even debating Trump's tariffs. Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazil because he didn't like the fact that that sovereign country was prosecuting a former President for staging a violent coup.

Now Republicans are making people pay for Trump's protection of that convicted President in Brazil every time they buy coffee. That tariff doesn't serve any economic purpose. Thanks to Trump's tariffs, Americans across the country are already paying more for their coffee, whether they drink Folgers or the New Mexico Pinon Coffee that we love at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

The Constitution says Congress should levy taxes and tariffs, but Republicans don't have the courage to stand up to Trump, to stand up for their constituents, the constituents who are taking food out of their grocery carts because grocery inflation is back.

Remember, consumers pay for the tariffs, not foreign countries. Don't brag about how much has been collected for tariffs because that is money that has essentially been taken away from American families.

I hope my Republican colleagues realize what they are doing to American working families and stop this madness. They can't hide behind this rule and say they didn't vote on the tariffs.

Republicans have been warned. They should know what they are doing when they vote for this rule. When they vote for this rule, they are voting to continue Trump's tarifflation.

Vote against tarifflation. Vote against this rule.

Mr. Chair, Republicans have a series of amendments targeting trans people and the ability of servicemember parents to make decisions about healthcare for their children. All of these amendments, including this one, do not do anything to make us safer or to honor our commitment to the servicemen and -women who are willing to give their lives for this country.

These amendments are part of a culture war that is intended to make Americans angry, divided, and fearful. They want to rename it the Department of War because they are in a war against the idea that the American life is something that includes all of us, that we can all belong.

Their proposed facilities ban is a huge violation of privacy and would make all women and girls less safe. Will Republicans require menstrual monitoring, checking reproductive organs, as has happened, as my colleague pointed out? Girls and women who are tall, strong, and gender-nonconforming are already being questioned and yelled at. Republicans seem to always want to dictate from D.C. what we can do with our bodies, and that is not freedom.

I stand with all our servicemembers, including our trans servicemembers, who are willing to fight and die for our freedoms. I am going to fight for their freedom to be who they are, to fight for an America where we all belong. We should not be at war with each other. We all belong.

Mr. Speaker, once again, Republicans on the Rules Committee blocked a vote on the bipartisan Massie-Khanna bill to release the Epstein files. Covering up the files just protects the criminal activity of pedophiles and the people who participated in those heinous acts.

Epstein told the young girls and women: I have the banks and I have the government. You have no power.

Let's prove him wrong. I am asking that just two more of my Republican colleagues sign the petition to expose the rich and powerful monsters that were part of the Epstein sex circle.

Trump is engaged in a cover-up. He is forcing Republicans to ignore their own moral conscience when he blocks the Massie-Khanna bill.

What is he hiding? Well, just in the last 24 hours, the card that Trump said didn't exist was released. It is a disgusting, degrading birthday card that Trump sent to Epstein calling him a pal and stating that they shared a wonderful secret.

Mr. Speaker, if that is not enough, Trump had the audacity to imply that domestic violence is not a crime. He said: ``If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime.'' Consistent with that, he has cut Federal funds that support victims of sexual crimes, including domestic violence.

Trump was found liable in court for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. Yesterday, a court upheld an $83.3 million defamation jury award against President Trump.

Women are not safe in Trump's America. So, yes, Americans deserve a vote on the Massie-Khanna bill to know what else Trump is hiding.

The survivors' painful stories brought many to tears last week. Their pain made us cry, but we cannot stop at tears. We owe them the justice they asked us for.

Release the damn files.

Mr. Speaker, I am Latina. I am a citizen, and I speak Spanish.

My family has been in ``Nuevo''; ``New'' Mexico for 17 generations.

Today, ICE can now detain me if they hear me talking to my ``tia''; ``aunt'' saying something like:

(English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)

As of today, the Supreme Court has put latinos in danger of being detained by ICE.

They have given them permission to detain any person who looks latino, speaks with an accent, or works a humble job.

Instead of protecting its people, this government has just sentenced millions of latinos to live in fear.

We'll see more fathers handcuffed in front of their children, and workers detained while they harvest our food

We now have to carry our passports, as if being latino were a crime.

This is the kind of racism that goes hand-in-hand with fascism.

Hoy, la Corte Suprema puso a todos los latinos en peligro de ser detenidos por ICE.

Les dieron permiso de detener a cualquier persona que parezca latina, hable con acento, o tenga un trabajo humilde.

En vez de proteger a su gente, este gobierno acaba de condenar a millones de latinos a vivir con miedo.

Veremos mas padres esposados frente a sus hijos, y trabajadores detenidos mientras cosechan nuestra comida.

Ahora tenemos que cargar nuestros pasaportes, como si ser latino fuera un crimen.

Esto es el racismo que va mano a mano con el facismo.

In my America, we all belong. In Trump's America, we do not.