Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible work of former-Congressman and now California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

Attorney General Becerra holds nearly three decades of elected public service as a State legislator, a Member of Congress, and now as California's attorney general.

I am proud to call Xavier Becerra my friend. It has been a pleasure to work alongside him as he courageously fought for all Americans, for women, LGBTQ communities, minorities, and comprehensive immigration reform.

He is the first Latino to serve as a member of one of the powerful committees in our House, and he is also the first Latino chairman of the Democratic Caucus. Through his leadership and guidance, our priorities have become more defined and have driven the legislative process.

Attorney General Becerra, thank you for your tireless service and commitment to our country as you have certainly become one of the most influential leaders of our time.

``No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.''

Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to call attention to the irresponsible actions of my Republican colleagues. Holding the Department of Homeland Security and our national security hostage is reckless and irresponsible. This politically motivated action puts the physical and economic safety of our people and of our country in jeopardy.

The Republicans claim that they have already passed a bill. Well, on a technicality, they might be right, but when you look at it, they have not, and they have been acting irresponsibly.

More than 130,000 agents and officers from the Border Patrol, the TSA, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service will continue to work despite having their livelihoods denied them. Not only is this endangering our national security, this is directly harming the men and women who have sworn to protect all of us.

How can we treat those so disgracefully who serve our Nation? What message are we sending to the American people?

I implore my Republican colleagues to put aside their personal politics and consider what is best for our country and our people. We have 15 days left. Let us pass a clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill to protect the safety of our Nation and to respect the people who have sworn to serve us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 596, a bill to deny access to health care to tens of thousands of Americans with preexisting conditions.

Americans should know that these same fear-mongering comments were made when Congress created Medicare. Today, we have millions of grandmothers and grandfathers who would not be alive today had Congress abandoned this critical lifesaving law.

I am proud to have supported the Affordable Care Act last year in the San Fernando Valley which I represent. My office helped experts sign up over a thousand families. Family after family sat there, nervous at first, but after realizing that now their family could afford to see a doctor, I personally witnessed tears of joy.

Republicans need to stop playing games with people's lives. The Affordable Care Act saves lives. ObamaCare never existed. ObamaCare is just a form of a lie. Americans need to learn that the Affordable Care Act is not what people call ObamaCare.

Millions of people will be alive today and tomorrow, and we just have to look at history in Congress to know that fear-mongering should not intimidate elected officials.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in support for increased funding for Alzheimer's research.

There is no other way to put it: Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. It destroys your memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks.

In the United States, more than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's, and about half of those with the disease do not know they have it. In fact, every 67 seconds, someone in this country develops Alzheimer's--a staggering statistic, no doubt--but by 2050, it will be every 33 seconds. To make matters worse, Alzheimer's is the only cause of death in the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, treat, or slow the progression of the disease. In other words, there is no cure.

It should not be a surprise that Alzheimer's is the most expensive disease in America. In 2014, caring for people with the disease and other dementias will cost the United States an estimated $214 billion. Medicare and Medicaid spending will shoulder the majority of the care cost, an estimated $150 billion this year alone. This means that roughly 1 in 5 Medicare dollars are spent on someone with Alzheimer's. And unless something is done, the costs of Alzheimer's to Americans will total $1.2 trillion, in today's dollars, including an over 500% increase in Medicare and Medicaid spending on Alzheimer's.

Congress has already taken action to address this very serious issue. Specifically, Congress unanimously passed the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) in 2010, calling for the creation of a National Alzheimer's Plan. That plan has resulted in some notable accomplishments, including the NIH creating a blueprint for Alzheimer's research. However, for the progress this disease requires, scientists need additional funds to carry out the blueprint.

While Congress provided a much needed addition of $100 million in Alzheimer's research, a chronic underinvestment in Alzheimer's research persists. Congress must continue its commitment to the fight against Alzheimer's by increasing funding for Alzheimer's research in Fiscal Year 2015 by $200 million.

Democrats and Republicans alike should be united in tackling Alzheimer's. After all, it is a disease that affects individuals regardless of party preference, a disease that affects our very own constituents and loved ones, and a disease that we, as elected officials, have a responsibility to do something about.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the retirement of an incredible man and a dear friend, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Nash.

As presiding judge of the juvenile court for more than 16 years, a total of 29 years on the bench, his retirement is a huge loss for the community and for the Los Angeles judicial system.

During his tenure, he brought numerous changes to the juvenile court: the creation of a drug court in both delinquency and dependency courts, the development of protocols to foster communication and coordination between the courts, and simple changes such as lowering the judge's bench so that children in his court could better participate in the proceedings.

While I know Judge Nash will always continue to be a champion for children and families, I want to thank him for his distinguished career and congratulate him on his well-earned retirement.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to talk about the United States economy. I want to talk about the number one thing that politicians talk about when they ask you to support them when they are on the campaign trail, and that is that we want to put America to work.

I know what it is like to put America to work because I am very proud to say that, before I got elected to office, my full-time job was to put Americans to work. I owned a business, and there were dozens of families who depended on me as the leader of that business, as the owner of that business, to make sure that we were successful. So I had to do my job so that dozens of people could go to work and do their job.

Every year, millions of Americans go to the polls and hope and pray and think and expect that their elected people are going to focus on putting America to work. But unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, the leadership of this House under Speaker John Boehner has been delinquent in doing one simple thing, and that is to focus on bills that create jobs. In some cases, it is bills that move government out of the way to make sure that people can put people to work in private industry. In some cases, it is about changing laws that are broken and old and just don't work for today's economy, changing those laws to make sure that Americans can go to work.

Democrats have made jump-starting our economy a priority, and I believe in that priority. Since I have been elected to Congress, I have been fighting for that priority to try to get bills heard in our committees that will create jobs, that will move America forward, and that will move Americans who are hard-pressed and want to get off of the unemployment lines back into work. I have been trying to get them through committee and eventually to the floor of this House so we can have the debates and we can cast our votes for America. Unfortunately, those bills just languish, sitting somewhere in the corner, and don't see the light of day.

For example, the biggest bill to ever pass either the House or the United States Senate since this 113th Congress has come into session was a bill that was passed by the United States Senate with bipartisan support. There are 100 United States Senators, ladies and gentlemen, and 68--Democrats and Republicans--voted ``aye,'' voted ``yes,'' voted affirmatively for that bill. If this House would have taken up that bill, or H.R. 15, a bill that looks just like it, that would have boosted our economy.

Ladies and gentlemen, you hear people all the time right now today on the campaign trail saying, ``Reelect me,'' or, ``Elect me,'' and they are talking about the economy and talking about deficit reduction. That one bill was analyzed by a third party. It was not analyzed by the Democrats, not analyzed by the Republicans, not even analyzed by the Independents. It was analyzed by a third party whose job is just to call it like it is. That bill, if passed by Congress and put on the President's desk, would give us an opportunity to have a deficit reduction of at least $900 billion. But that bill doesn't see the light of day--not in this House.

That bill has not been taken up in this House. Speaker John Boehner has said over and over: I'm not going to take up that bill. I'm not going to take up that issue. I'm not going to support the American economy with that bill. I'm not going to do the right thing by America and give the economy of the United States of America the biggest boost we could ever see coming out of the actions of the United States Senate and this House of Congress.

It has been sitting here in this House in the corner collecting dust while too many Americans are having their unemployment run out, while too many Americans are losing their homes, while too many Americans are telling their children: I'm sorry, son, we can't afford to continue to send you to college. We don't have any money because we don't have a job.

The United States economy can do better, but unfortunately, it is because this Congress chooses not to do the right thing that the United States economy moves along slowly, picking up just a little bit. That is not good enough. That is not right.

What I am doing here at this moment tonight and the reason why I came to this floor, the reason why I asked the Speaker to give me some time to speak on an important issue--the economy of the United States of America--is because it tears me apart to know that the lack of leadership in this House and the lack of leadership of Speaker Boehner is crippling our economy.

We have $900 billion of deficit reduction wrapped up in one bill, and that bill has sat in this House and has not heard a debate in any committee. It has not heard a debate on the floor of this House. The people that you elected have not had an opportunity. The 435 Members of the United States Congress have not had an opportunity to stake a claim on whether or not they believe that we ought to put Americans to work, that we ought to get out of the way and fix a law that is broken, a law that does not work, a law that should have been changed a long time ago; but we can change it at any moment on any given day in this House, and this Speaker refuses to allow that to happen.

What is going on right now in the United States Congress is just like what happens in your home or sometimes in a workplace. Let's say you have a family and everybody in the family has been assigned their chores, their responsibilities. Let's say you have a workplace where everybody has their job duties and their titles.

In the United States Congress, we have our chores and we have our responsibilities. Our job is to pass laws to help America move forward and to make sure that all the different dynamics of the number one economy in the world can flourish. That is our job. But the United States Congress, this House, has refused to do its job.

What is going on is just like that example I gave you. Let's say in your home one member of your family chooses not to do their part. You know what happens? Something good eventually happens. Somebody in that house, somebody in that home, somebody in that workplace sees that that job is not getting done, even if it is not their primary responsibility, and they think of the bigger picture. They think of the whole family, the whole house, the whole home. That person in the workplace thinks of the whole body of workers there and says: Somebody ought to take that job and get it done, even though so-and-so isn't doing their part--and that is their job.

Congress is not doing its job. It is not passing this law. But you know what happens eventually? Somebody walks over there and does it themselves, even though it is not their primary responsibility. But we ought to be grateful that there are people like that in every community, in every household, in every business, in every work environment. But not in this House, not as long as John Boehner, our Speaker, chooses not to allow us to have a debate, to do our job, to have a vote. Maybe it passes, maybe it fails, but our job as Members of Congress is to legislate, put ideas, good, bad, and otherwise, before the Members of this House and vote up or down, ``yea'' or ``nay'', ``yes'' or ``no,'' to move America forward and let the votes fall where they may.

There is a bill that has been languishing in this House for close to a year and a half, and the bottom line is we have not taken up our duties and our responsibilities. As a result of that, in another branch of government there is that one person--not 435, not 100--that says: I want to move the economy of the United States of America forward. I want to fix a broken system. I want to see it fixed. I want Congress to

put this on my desk so that I can do my job and sign it and watch Americans go back to work. All of a sudden, the one person who says: Since you won't do your job, I will go over there and to the best of my ability, to the extent that I legally can, I am just going to have to do as much as I can, lift as much as I can and do the heavy lifting because Congress won't, and he gets criticized.

That is a shame, ladies and gentlemen. That is a shame.

When, in the workplace, or somebody's household, somebody decides to step over and say, you know what, since you won't do it, and it is the right thing to do, I am going to do it. And then they criticize that person. He is the bad guy.

No, no, no, ladies and gentlemen. The bad guy, the bad person is the one that says, I know I have duties, I know I have responsibilities, I just don't want to do it because I can say I don't want to. And if I don't want to, it doesn't get done, at least not in this House.

That is what is going on, ladies and gentlemen. The United States Congress is sitting on a bill that will supercharge the economy of the United States of America, to the tune of deficit reduction of as much as $900 billion with one bill, one vote of this House. And our current speaker, the Republican leader, does not want to let that happen.

The President of the United States is another branch of government. The President of the United States is part of that balance of power. But when one branch of government is delinquent, is derelict in their duties, there comes a time where that person has to say, hey, what can I legally do? I want to step up. I want to put America to work and, as a result of that, has to take action.

Now, to me, that is a duty bestowed upon every single one of us elected officials, and I am so disappointed that I got elected to a Congress that has been labeled as a do-nothing Congress. I got elected to a Congress that the statistics, not just opinions, but the facts show that this Congress has passed so few laws that people can actually legitimately say that we are do-nothing Congress.

That is a shame. We have responsibilities to this country. When we act responsibly, we make our country what it is, the best country on the planet, and when that happens, the whole world is a better place. But that has not been this 113th Congress, not under this Speaker, not now.

But the most important thing that I want to get across today, that could change. That could change tomorrow morning. We could have that bill on the floor of this Congress tomorrow. We could have it on this floor next week, and we can unleash what Americans go to vote for, and that is action.

Let the votes fall where they may, ladies and gentlemen. Our duty, as Congress, is to hear bills on this floor, have the debate from the left and from the right, from the center and all, come one, come all, Members of Congress, and then the Speaker says, open the roll, and there go the votes, green ones, red ones, ``yea,'' ``nay.''

But just on that one bill, ladies and gentlemen, more Americans will go to work as a result of one piece of legislation than any other thing that this Congress has been poised to do in this 113th Congress.

So right now, as the clock ticks, as Congress might adjourn in just a couple of weeks or so, it is going to be left for another branch of government to decide to move this economy forward, to put Americans to work.

That is a shame. That is not the way it should be. That is not the way it was designed to be.

But the Constitution of the United States, you have all heard it, everybody who has taken government class, it is called the balance of powers: executive branch, judicial branch, the legislative branch.

But when one of those branches is derelict in their duties, as this House has been derelict in their duty to put Americans to work, it takes a committed American, it takes a brave American, to step up and say, ``I will do it''; to be careful about how it is done, to be doing it in a way that is legal and does follow the Constitution of the United States of America.

But more importantly, ladies and gentlemen, to get the job done, to put America to work, to break a broken system, to break a set of laws and renew that into a law, into action that will actually put America to work and allow us to continue to be the great Nation that we have become.

But, unfortunately, there is a piece of our government, this House, that is not living up to that greatness. It is not living up to its responsibilities. It is not living up to its duties, this House, this do-nothing Congress.

When I say do-nothing Congress, that is so painful to me. I am the son of parents who used to wake me up, sometimes before the sun came up, to go to work in my father's business. And what my father used to tell me--I was 5, 6 years old when he had me working with him--he used to say, son, the work is not done. We have got to keep working.

Sometimes, so much that my hands would bleed, and I would put on my best crying game and I would say, Dad, look, my hands are bleeding. Can I sit in the truck?

My father was a handyman. We used to clean fields and clear out houses or whatever odd job that people had for us. He would take me to work with him. And I remember the first time I thought I was going to be able to sit it out and not do my part because my hands were bleeding. I had blisters, they turned into--they busted, and then they turned into blood, and I showed them to my dad and I tried to give him my best sob story.

And he told me, son, the work is not done. We have got to get back to work. Now get back to work.

Oh, I hated him for it.

That is a leader, someone who can look someone in the eye and say, you need to be what you need to be right now. And that is someone who gets the job done, not someone who looks for excuses, not someone who tells stories, not someone who tries to get off the hook. You need to be the person that gets the job done.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker, this House is not the House that gets the job done. It hurts for me to say that. I hate saying it. But sometimes the truth hurts. That is not my opinion, ladies and gentlemen. I am just restating the facts.

I hated my father when he taught me that lesson. But it wasn't until I grew up, and it wasn't until I had to put food on the table for my family, it wasn't until I grew up and ran my own business, that I realized that it is not about the easy way out. It is not about quitting. It is not about being derelict in your duties. It is about accepting your responsibilities, acting out on those responsibilities, working through your responsibilities, not making up stories, not holding press conferences and hoodwinking the American public into thinking that it can't be done.

No, no, no, ladies and gentlemen. We can take care of business on this floor from today to tomorrow and get a bill to the other House, or take a bill from the Senate, take it through this House and get it to the President overnight.

So any time some Congressman or U.S. Senator tells you, no, no, no, there is not enough time, as long as there is at least 1 day, 1 day of legislation left--oh, as a matter of fact, both Houses have the authority to call back their entire House and say, our business is not done. We can get it done tomorrow. Call every Member of Congress, call every Member of the United States Senate to their Chamber, and say, we have got work to do.

There is no time off for us. There is no time away from these Chambers, we are going to get the work done.

But this House chooses not to do its job.

Some people might think, well, this Congressman, this Congressman Cardenas, he is kind of talking a little strong about this House. You better believe it. We are the Congress of the United States of America.

There have been moments in this House where we have been applauded by America for the kind of bravery and the kind of work that gets done in this House. That hasn't happened much lately, not in the 113th Congress.

One bill, ladies and gentlemen, one bill has been sitting in this House, languishing, collecting dust, while millions of Americans are out of work. That is a shame. That is a shame.

I wish there were more Members of this Congress like my father, who knew how to get the job done, who knew how

to focus on the people that depended on him, who had a ``don't quit'' attitude.

My father was a man of few words. Few words. But when he spoke, he was serious, he was forthright, and he got the job done. And he had the guts, he had the fortitude, he had the character to know that sometimes, when it meant him getting the job done, it meant that maybe he wasn't going to be too popular, even with his own son.

I am so glad, so proud to be the son of a man and a woman, Maria and Andres Cardenas, who taught me how to go to work every single day, and whatever my duties were, whatever my responsibilities were, it wasn't about me, it was about the work that I committed to do and to get it done.

Every week I leave my family in my district in California, in the San Fernando Valley, and I kiss them goodbye, and I hope and pray that they put me to work, that I get to do the work that I was elected to do. But that hasn't been happening in this House.

And I am not alone, ladies and gentlemen. I talk to a lot of Members of this House and they feel the same. They want to move America forward. They want to get this economy up and running the way it should be, the way America deserves to be.

This House refuses to help make that happen.

Mr. Speaker, I really do hope and pray that we can put America to work, that we can pass a bill that will create $900 billion of deficit reduction opportunity. I hope and pray that we can do that. Unfortunately, it is not up to me. I am not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. It is not up to me. I do not have the authority or the ability to put a bill in the House of Congress.

I have introduced bills. That is my right--I can introduce bills, and I do do that--but the only person who has the authority to decide if a bill will be heard by this House is the Speaker of this House, and he is elected Republican John Boehner. He is the man. He is the person who refuses to put a bill on the floor of this House, so that every Member of Congress can have the opportunity to do his job and help put America to work.

I am a proud American, and I am so honored and privileged to be a Member of the United States Congress, to represent the 29th District in California, the place that I was born and raised in and the community that I love. It is just a microcosm of what this great Nation is about, what it is, and my hands are tied. I am not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. I am just telling you the truth.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Boehner, please, please put that bill on this floor. Put it in motion. Do your job, so that we can do our jobs, so that Americans can have jobs, so that we, as Members of this Congress, can put America to work.

We have a broken immigration system, and one bill can fix that. We have a broken system in this country, and that one bill will put $900 billion toward deficit reduction for America. That one bill will unleash our economy and create hundreds of thousands of opportunities for Americans to go back to work.

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of California's 29th district, I am proud to honor one of our most distinguished constituents and homegrown heroes, Colonel Gary P. Goldstone of the United States Air Force. On August 6, 2014, Colonel Goldstone is retiring, after an incredible 26 years and 19 days of active duty service.

Colonel Goldstone has served our great country with dedication and honor beginning his military career as a candidate in the United States Air Force Officer Training School. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1989. In the time since then, Colonel Goldstone's career epitomizes leadership and selfless service. He has served his country extraordinarily well as a Commander at the Squadron, Group, Wing, and Installation levels of command. During those challenging command tours he deployed into austere conditions in foreign lands to command flying operations in combat and humanitarian missions. Further, Colonel Goldstone has flown all over the world as a command pilot in a variety of aircraft in service to the United States.

Colonel Goldstone attended California State University, Northridge, and graduated in 1987. He went on to earn his commission and the coveted Air Force pilot wings of silver at

Laughlin Air Force Base Texas in the Smooth and Easy Class of 1990-07. He has nearly 4,000 flying hours (including over 630 hours of combat time) in the following aircraft: T-37, T-38, C-130E/H, EC-130H, EC- 130J, KC-135R/T, C-17A, and C-21A. Colonel Goldstone's career has taken him to foreign lands and harsh living conditions and to the dynamic environment of the Chairman's Joint Staff in the Pentagon, the Headquarters Air Force Staff in the Pentagon, and the Headquarters Air Mobility Command Staff. Additionally, Colonel Goldstone has held key positions on every staff and concludes his career as Chief of the Strategic Planning Integration Division in the Directorate of Strategic Planning. He also serves as Chief of Staff at the Headquarters Air Force Total Force Task Force and the Total Force Continuum.

As testament to his exceptional service, Colonel Goldstone's military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Aerial Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Colonel Goldstone's wife of 25 years, Mary Goldstone, has also supported the Air Force mission, actively volunteering and holding a variety of positions primarily with spouse and family support organizations. Notably, she was instrumental in reactivating the 16th Airlift Squadron spouses group while at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. Through her tireless commitment she expanded the group from approximately 30 spouses to 120 spouses by the time the Goldstones departed in June 2004. During this time she helped sponsor numerous morale-building socials, fundraisers, and welcome/farewells. These activities were vital toward promoting unity of effort and support for families, especially when active-duty members were deployed conducting combat operations.

During Colonel Goldstone's tour as the Scott Air Force Base Illinois Installation Commander, Mary shined as ``The First Lady of Scott Air Force Base'' by continuing her steadfast work primarily with families and spouses through groups such as Phoenix Spouses, Heartlink, and Newcomer's Orientations for spouses. She also worked closely with the Airman and Family Readiness Center to restart and revitalize various key programs.

Colonel and Mrs. Goldstone have two children, Garrett and Danielle. It is with great pride and honor that I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Colonel Gary Goldstone and his family for all of their sacrifice and service, and wish them well in all future endeavors.

Colonel Goldstone has set a truly inspiring example of dedication to the defense of freedom, service before self, and what it means to be an Officer and Gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I will enter into the Record the story of an 18-year-old Mexican boy who was trafficked into the United States and held by the U.S. Marshals Service so he could testify as a material witness to some deaths that he witnessed.

Juan Antonio is an 18-year-old Mexican UAC. He fled severe

cartel and criminal gang violence in his home town. His

uncle, cousin, and several family members were killed before

he fled from Mexico. He was trafficked to the US and

initially in the US Marshals custody to testify as a material

witness before being turned over to ICE and released to ORR

because he was a minor.

Mr. Speaker, Sunday, July 20th, marks the 40th anniversary of the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.

I would like to express my unwavering support for the reunification of Cyprus. Since 1974, Cyprus has been wrought with conflict and tension between the northern Turkish Cypriot population and the southern Greek Cypriot population. This conflict has left Cyprus divided. Although I am encouraged by the recent support shown for Cyprus by my fellow colleagues in Congress and by Vice President Biden, who recently visited Cyprus and helped facilitate dialogue between both sides, only a Cypriot-led resolution can bring lasting peace to the country and region.

Cyprus is an important economic and geo-political strategic partner for the United States. With its recent discovery of offshore gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, a stable, unified Cyprus can be an important economic and strategic ally for the United States and neighboring European countries. As such, it is important for the United States to continue to express its support for a re-unified Cyprus.

Moving forward, I hope that Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders can peacefully negotiate a just and enduring resolution to this conflict. I know that it won't be simple. I understand that given the situation's complexity, there is no silver bullet to a solution. A sustainable resolution will require patience and a genuine willingness from both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leadership to seek a secure and stable re-unified Cyprus. However, in spite of these difficult realities, I am confident that a peaceful resolution can and will be achieved.

Mr. Chairman, I have owned a business and know what it is like to be a job creator in this country, and I am very proud of it.

This week, House Democrats introduced our budget alternative, a budget dedicated to the priorities of the American people: creating jobs, raising new ladders of opportunity, and building an economy that works for everyone. It is in stark contrast to the broken priorities of the Ryan budget. The Ryan budget will take $2,000 more in taxes away from American families--that is working class families--without closing one tax loophole for the corporate rich.

The Ryan budget is an attack on seniors, students, workers, and middle class families, all for the sake of protecting loopholes for the wealthy and special interests. The budget will have a devastating impact on jobs. Republicans would lay waste to our commitments to education, lifesaving medical research, clean energy, modern infrastructure, and high-tech manufacturing. The Ryan budget will cripple our growth and surrender the future jobs of American kids to other nations like China, India, and Russia. The Ryan budget devastates our middle class.

The Ryan budget even rejects comprehensive immigration reform. The Ryan budget denies people the important bipartisan legislation that would create 120,000 American jobs each year for the first 10 years should that legislation be passed and empower small businesses, spur innovation, supercharge the economy, and reduce the deficit by over $900 billion.

The Ryan budget is nothing less than a job-killing recipe. Democrats are strengthening the middle class, embracing economic growth, and we want responsible deficit reduction. Comprehensive immigration reform is investing in the future and creating jobs for our future, creating jobs for Americans.

Madam Speaker, this week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office told us that the bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation in this House, H.R. 15, will reduce the deficit by $900 billion over the next 20 years--$200 billion in the first decade alone.

In today's economy, immigration reform is a vital lifeblood. By adding 11 million to our workforce here in the United States, our economy will continue driving our recovery. This influx of workers will increase consumption, pushing businesses to grow and hire more employees to meet their new consumers' needs.

Thanks to the Congressional Budget Office's report, we are reminded that bringing 11 million hardworking men and women out of the shadows is not simply a moral battle, it is not only an attempt to legalize millions of hardworking people who are already here in our country, it is an opportunity for us to create employment for our fellow Americans. It will supercharge the economy of this great Nation.

I think it is important for all of America to understand that comprehensive immigration reform is the best thing that we can do for our economy. The economists have reminded us of that. But, unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, what stands in the way is a

decision by the Speaker of this House to just offer the opportunity to put that bill on this floor so that we as Members of Congress can vote on this legislation.

Should it pass, should it fail, that is the objective as to why we are elected to this House--so that we can debate, so that we can deliberate, so that we can help make decisions that move this country forward.

All we are asking is that we have the opportunity to vote on the floor of the United States Congress on a bill, an issue, that will unleash this economy, and that is something that I think every American wants to see happen.

We have millions of Americans who are out of work. Some have been out of work for years. This comprehensive immigration reform will unleash this economy and create more jobs for American citizens more than anything that this Congress can do today.

I think it is incumbent upon every American to urge your congressional Member to vote on comprehensive immigration reform. Should they choose to vote ``no'' or choose to vote ``yes,'' that is the prerogative of that elected official. Unfortunately, the Speaker of this House will not give us that opportunity.

Once again, Americans, the best thing that we can do as a country is to get our economy back on track and allow hardworking Americans the opportunity to go back to work, to have the dignity of bringing home a paycheck for them and their families.

Comprehensive immigration reform is that answer. The economists have said so. But, unfortunately, some politicians refuse to face reality and refuse to supercharge the American economy. We are just one vote away, one opportunity away, from doing that.

I thank my good friend from San Antonio, Texas.

Congressman Castro, you are absolutely right. To go back away from the Affordable Care Act means to go back to the old system, and the old system is not the good old days.

When we are looking at families who are fortunate to even have insurance, their insurance is going up seven to 17 percent, year over year over year. That is unsustainable.

People's income does not go up that high, that fast. People's opportunity to find other ways to find that money somewhere else in their budget doesn't go up that fast, so those were not the good old days. Actually, the best days are yet to come.

What we have seen 52 times here is an opportunity--or a tried opportunity to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, and by calling it by another name doesn't make it bad.

Yes, the rollout could have happened better, but the bottom line is the good days are yet to come. They are here now. The past are not the good old days.

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to speak. I think it is important for us to understand that what we are talking about here is high quality affordable health care, which is something that was denied and out of reach for so many seniors and families in my district in the San Fernando Valley and across the country.

One in three people in my district were uninsured, but Covered California is giving those people the opportunity to purchase affordable plans that will give them the care they need when they get sick and the preventative services they will need to stay healthy.

While the rollout of the Affordable Care Act hasn't been perfect, Covered California has been very successful in providing a simple, straightforward way to enroll.

I feel really bad for those States where their State legislatures and their Republican Representatives have denied them the opportunity to experience good affordable health care. I hope that they can catch up.

Last week, Covered California announced that they had enrolled over 1 million people through the State-run exchange. That is in California alone. Their critical work has helped hundreds of thousands of California families, seniors, small businesses to gain access to high quality affordable health care that was once denied to them for too long.

My staff and I have been working alongside Covered California to help enroll residents in the San Fernando Valley. Over the last few months, I have been hosting a series of successful enrollment workshops for the Affordable Care Act; and as a matter of fact, we will reach 30 events by this weekend.

This is where families learn about the options available to them under the new health care law, including learning about insurance policies that can be purchased through the Covered California health insurance exchange, which has been successful in getting folks enrolled.

More than 500 families have taken advantage of these workshops just in my district alone.

Wow. Can you imagine, Congressman Castro, if every single one of the 435 Congressional Members rolled up their sleeves and helped people get enrolled?

That would be millions upon millions of more American families that would be enrolled in affordable health care.

In the last week before the deadline, every Representative should take this opportunity to do the same job that we have been able to do in my district. We must help families sign up for the Affordable Health Care Act.

The day will come very soon when the truth will overcome the lies that have scared so many people. Billions of dollars have been spent scaring people away from trying to even enroll in the Affordable Care Act.

Let me give you an example. I have met with parents who have come to workshops to sign up, and they have anxiety and fear in their eyes; but thank God, just moments later, their fears go away when they find out that they now have affordable, reliable health care.

People with mild asthma that were once denied health care can no longer be discriminated against. They are no longer denied health care, and they can breathe easy knowing that they can now see a doctor, and they can actually get the medicines that they need just to breathe.

I met with a gentleman who was sitting there with his wife and his daughter, the sole income earner for that family. I don't know how he does it, but with $9 an hour, he manages to feed a family of three; and he was worried that he couldn't afford maybe $30, $40, $50 a month.

When the person turned the computer around and showed him what his eligibility was, he almost came to tears, realizing that, once and for all, himself, his wife, and his teenage daughter can now have health care.

I will tell you what. This is serious business. America, it is time that you sign up for affordable health care. Just try it. Don't worry; be happy.

Sign up for the insurance that you deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of our friend Ernest J. Reyes who passed away recently at the age of 73. Though Mr. Reyes is sorely missed by friends and family, I know his legacy will endure. He had an illustrious career and was a passionate, hard-working advocate.

Mr. Reyes, a native of Madera, CA, was dedicated to the California real estate community. He was a licensed broker since 1972, served on the San Diego Real Estate Board, and founded Network Realty, a real estate brokerage firm. He also tapped into his knowledge of the real estate market to help families thrive and realize the American dream of homeownership. He co-founded the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. Under his leadership, NAHREP has become ``The Voice for Hispanic Real Estate'' and proud champions of homeownership for the Hispanic community.'' Mr. Reyes was also Chairman of the San Diego Home Loan Counseling Center, a non-profit serving low and moderate-income families through economic literacy education.

Additionally, Mr. Reyes was an exceptional public servant. He was a member of the Hollister Elementary School District Board and served as Secretary. And in 1976, the California Senate Rules Committee appointed Mr. Reyes to serve on the Employment Services Board. He was also appointed by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Administrator Karen G. Mills to Chair the Regulatory Fairness Board, Region IX. And notably, Mr. Reyes served on the staff of the Honorable Leon E. Panetta while he was in Congress.

I extend my sincerest condolences to his wife of 50 years, Patricia Pedregon Reyes, along with his children, Denise Johnson and Daren Reyes, and his three grandchildren. Mr. Reyes was an inspiration and I know his loss will be felt by many, including the 29th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life and legacy of a very positive man, my friend, Ernest J. Reyes, who passed away recently at the age of 73. Though Mr. Reyes is sorely missed by friends and family, I know his legacy will endure.

Ernest J. Reyes was a native of Madera, California. He was dedicated to the California real estate community and used his knowledge to help families thrive and realize the American Dream of homeownership.

He cofounded the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and advocated for Spanish language services and documents for Hispanic homeownership. Mr. Reyes was also an exceptional public servant, holding various roles throughout his long career.

I extend my sincerest condolences to his wife of 50 years, Patricia Pedregon Reyes, along with his children, Denise Johnson and Daren Reyes, and his three grandchildren.

Mr. Reyes was an inspiration, and I know his loss will be felt by many, including the 29th Congressional District.