Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21.

If the beautiful, wonderful Marvin Gaye were with us today, he would say, ``What's going on?'' much more beautifully than I could say it.

This is what is going on: This legislation is bad policy that will severely increase the price of gas at the pump, destroy our environment, and pollute and poison the air that our children and grandchildren deserve to breathe. It will only help the rich get richer.

This bill could require the U.S. to open up over 300 million acres of Federal lands for new oil and gas drilling. To put that into scale, that is three times the size of the State of California.

Rather than curbing our dependence on fossil fuels and making America more energy independent, my Republican colleagues are pushing legislation that will only increase our resilience on fossil fuels. This bill is incredibly foolish and does nothing to address the real problems.

What are they really up to? They want to put money into the pockets of Big Oil executives while taking it out of the pockets of everyday Americans.

So, I ask, what is the true intention of this legislation? Who does this help? Well, I just told you. It helps Big Oil and hurts everyday Americans because I know for damn sure it doesn't help the working families across our great country.

I remind my colleagues and all of us that we were elected to come here to this body to represent all Americans, not just special interests.

Your bill will only line the pockets of your fossil fuel friends while making gas more expensive for everyday Americans.

This bill is shameful. It fails our children and grandchildren, and it fails to protect the American people.

Mr. Speaker, the alarm bell has been sounding for over a decade on the urgent need to permanently protect Dreamers in America.

For years, we have tried and tried to get a solution across the finish line, but there are Members of this body who have lacked the heart to do the right thing and get this done.

This is shameful.

It is now or never. If we don't act in this session, then DACA could end as early as next year. Immigrant youth deserve better. They are our teachers, firefighters, nurses, small business owners, servicemembers, and leaders across our country.

Their contributions of $1.7 billion annually benefit all of us.

America is their home, and they deserve every opportunity to achieve the American Dream and continue to contribute to our economy and our great country.

I urge my colleagues to fight for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and I pray that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do the right thing and put forth humane solutions, not senseless legislation that keeps countless immigrant people in the shadows.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Evelyn Cortez-Diaz as a Valley Luchadora, Valley Fighter.

Evelyn is a civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the water industry, water conservation, water quality, pipeline design and construction, environmental compliance, recycled water, water rights, groundwater remediation and groundwater planning.

She is the highest-ranking Latina at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which is the largest municipal water and power utility in the United States.

She is also the first Latina and second woman to be appointed Director of Water Engineering and Technical Services.

In her role, Evelyn leads a team of over 400 engineers and technical professionals to safely retreat, store, and transport water for the 4 million people of the City of Los Angeles and the thousands of businesses that they serve.

At LADWP, Evelyn helped launch the Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers chapter to support its employees and inspire the next generation of engineers and STEM professionals.

She immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 12 years old and was placed in remedial English classes to become fluent in English.

At a young age, she knew she wanted to help make the world a better place. She aspired to protect the environment and decided to focus her studies on water resources and environmental engineering.

After she graduated high school as 10th in her class with a 4.3 GPA, she earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In 2015, she published her book, which chronicles her family's immigration story and journey to U.S. citizenship.

Evelyn Cortez-Davis, thank you for sharing your story and for your commitment to conservation and our environment and to all the people of Los Angeles. It is my honor to recognize you as a distinguished community leader and luchadora this Hispanic Heritage Month.

Honoring Margaret ``Mar'' Diego

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Margaret ``Mar'' Diego as a Valley Luchadora.

Mar is the co-owner and operator of Dough Girl, a small business pizzeria located in Sylmar. She grew up in San Fernando Gardens, a low- income housing project in my district.

Her business, Dough Girl, is much more than a local valley pizzeria. Mar is a proud employer of formerly homeless and incarcerated individuals, two demographics of people who traditionally struggle to find stable employment and who are often ignored and tossed aside.

A formerly incarcerated person herself, Mar understands the obstacles people face as they work to rebuild their lives after serving their time in the system. Through her restaurant, she continues to pay it forward and makes a positive impact in her community.

Mar can often be found on the street, finding and hiring employees on the spot. She gives people a second chance and a job, training to help them succeed and be productive members of the community.

Most importantly, she gives them the opportunity to rebuild their lives. She has made her restaurant a positive rehabilitation-oriented space.

Upon her own release from prison, Mar attended the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary arts school and continued to blossom from there. She has a one-of-a-kind inspirational story and has traveled the world, visiting 16 countries on her culinary journey.

She received notable praise and appeared on television with well- known celebrity chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Roy Choi.

Her restaurant, Dough Girl, has given her the chance to elevate and formally showcase her culinary skills and positively benefit her community.

Mar is an inspirational chef and philanthropist who envisions her restaurant as a home for amazing food and a place where people develop vital life skills. She continues her work and is developing a curriculum centered around the teaching of essential life, culinary, and entrepreneurial skills.

Thank you, Mar, for your commitment to paving the way forward, making a positive impact in our community, and uplifting others to give them a second chance.

Thank you for being a caring and loving person. It is my honor to recognize you as a distinguished community leader and luchadora during this Hispanic Heritage Month.

Honoring Veronica Padilla-Campos

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Veronica Padilla- Campos as a Valley Luchadora.

Veronica continues to serve the community she grew up in and has been fighting for environmental justice in the San Fernando Valley for the past 25 years.

She grew up in Sun Valley and is a daughter of hardworking parents. Her dad was a gardener, and her mom worked at a local factory.

A graduate of UCLA, she has experience in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, including environmental consulting, GIS mapping, and work for the Los Angeles Housing Department.

Throughout the last decade, Veronica has played a crucial role at Pacoima Beautiful, a grassroots environmental justice organization in my district that provides education, impacts local policy, and supports local arts and culture to promote a healthy and sustainable San Fernando Valley.

She joined Pacoima Beautiful as deputy director in 2010 and has served as executive director since 2013. During her leadership, she has spearheaded environmental cleanup and safety campaigns in some of the poorest and hardest-impacted areas of Los Angeles County.

Previously, she helped lead ICON CDC, a community-based, not-for- profit organization that serves small business owners and entrepreneurs, and serves on the North Valley Area Planning Commission for the city of Los Angeles.

In 2020, Veronica joined the South Coast Air Quality Management District as a board member, after being appointed by the speaker of the California State Assembly.

In her role as board member, she continues her commitment to building people power and improving the lives and voices of her community. She creates equitable, healthy, and safe neighborhoods every single day by her commitment to the community and the wonderful work that she does.

Thank you, Veronica, for your countless years of public service. It is my honor to recognize you as a distinguished community leader and luchadora during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Honoring Corinne Sanchez

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Valley Luchadora Corinne Sanchez for her decades of service in our community.

Corinne is the daughter of a World War II veteran of the Pacific front in Burma and a mother who worked at the Santa Fe Railroad.

Corinne attended Long Beach State University, where she became a student leader and was involved in the creation of the Chicano/Chicana studies program and social justice organizations. There were only three Chicanas that started the United Mexican American Students, UMAS, in 1967 at Long Beach State University, and Corinne was one of them.

Corinne is a lifelong trailblazer. Upon her graduation, she worked for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and then went on to travel throughout the Midwestern and Southwestern U.S. to promote the creation of Chicano studies departments in universities and colleges.

She then began her work for El Proyecto del Barrio, a not-for-profit, community-based organization that provides health and human services to communities with underserved populations. As president and CEO, Corinne oversees expanded services in comprehensive primary healthcare, employment, childcare, and perinatal social services.

After realizing her dream of becoming an attorney, she, alongside eight

other women, founded and served as president of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association to help advocate and educate for the advancement of Latinas in law.

Corinne has always been a strong leader in the community. She has held numerous roles in various commissions and associations for many years.

In more than three decades of service, Corinne has never forgotten her roots. She has worked to make the community a better place for thousands of underserved families and individuals.

Her advancements are a testament to how hard work, inspiration, and perseverance can make a difference in helping people realize the power of their dreams.

Thank you, Corinne. It is my honor to recognize you as a distinguished leader and luchadora this Hispanic Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am so proud of what Democrats have accomplished and delivered for working families across our great country.

Since the beginning of the 117th Congress, since January of last year, Democrats have taken action on legislation that puts people over politics. We are lowering costs, creating better-paying jobs, and making a real positive difference in the lives of every hardworking American.

In the northeast San Fernando Valley alone, we have created 30,000 new good-paying jobs and countless workforce training opportunities for our community.

We know that additional jobs will come to our neighborhoods with the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.

Soon, we will begin to see more of our family, friends, and neighbors become plumbers, pipefitters, electrical workers, steelworkers, laborers, electricians, and engineers, and so much more.

These investments will help us fight the climate crisis, rebuild our roads and sidewalks and grow our clean energy economy.

But that is not all. In just one year, we have helped 13,000 entrepreneurs, many of them women and people of color, in the northeast San Fernando Valley build their small businesses from the ground up. That means 13,000 new, local mom-and-pop shops serving our community, employing our neighbors, and helping grow our economy.

This is all thanks to our partnership with President Biden. Since he took office, we have created 10 million jobs across the country, dropping the unemployment rate to 3.7 percent, the lowest rate in 50 years. We are seeing the best economy for American workers in decades, with people getting higher wages, better benefits, and better jobs across the country.

While we are seeing progress in the fight against inflation, we know that there is much more work to do. The good news is we are finally starting to see gas prices drop after Putin's price hike.

Families across the country will soon start to get some additional relief with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which lowers the cost of prescription drugs, makes health insurance more affordable, provides credits for electric vehicles, and more.

From day one of the 117th Congress, we have successfully worked day in and day out to fulfill our promise to the American people. I am so proud of our work, and I look forward to continuing to help families in the northeast San Fernando Valley prosper now and into the future.

Inflation Reduction Act Climate Wins

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the profound, positive impact that the Inflation Reduction Act will have on all communities

across the Nation, including my district, the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Anyone can see that the climate crisis has already taken a huge toll on communities like mine. From poor air quality, droughts, and extreme heat to the constant threat of wildfires, my district has known the realities of climate change all too well and for far too long.

But our experiences are not isolated. Over the past 5 years alone, the United States has experienced over 90 climate disasters. As we witness the destruction caused by Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian, it is clear now more than ever that aggressive action to fight climate change is necessary.

Last month, we delivered the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history by passing the Inflation Reduction Act. That is a big deal, especially for communities like mine.

Growing up, I remember not being able to play outside because the air quality was so, so bad back then. For many of us, it was normal to have someone in our family or a friend have serious respiratory problems like asthma. The fact is that our children deserve to live in a community that is safe and free of toxic pollutants.

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we are going to be on track to reduce emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030, a necessary step to clean our air and prevent the worst effects of climate change.

One of the ways we are going to be able to do this is by electrifying our heavy-duty vehicles and school buses, an investment that I am so proud to have led with our United States Senator from California, Alex Padilla.

We are also lowering costs for hardworking American families by making rebates and tax credits available to electrify home appliances, install rooftop solar, electrify air-conditioning and heaters, and make electric vehicles more affordable.

We are putting environmental justice communities first and investing $60 billion to reduce pollution to make clean energy more accessible and to provide a better quality of life in lower income neighborhoods across the United States of America.

The best part is we are making polluters pay so that communities like ours don't have to continue to bear the brunt of climate change.

The Inflation Reduction Act is a transformative law and will do so much good for families in the San Fernando Valley. It ensures that all people, regardless of ZIP Code, can access cost-saving solutions that will help us fight the climate crisis together. It means that our friends, family, and neighbors will be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water.

This is just the beginning of the work that we are going to continue to do. We will continue to fight to make sure we keep climate action front and center in the job that we do for all the people of this great country.

My Life Has Been Blessed

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment of personal privilege to say thank you to the community that I was born and raised in and for which I have the honor to be a United States Congressman.

I would like to also recognize that I am so, so blessed to have been raised by my two parents, Andres and Maria Cardenas, who came here as immigrants from Mexico. They never dreamed that any one of their 11 children could have such an honor.

They taught me and my brothers and sisters simple values that have served all of us well and that serve me well to have the honor of being a United States Congressman and serve the northeast San Fernando Valley.

I also want to thank my constituents for having the confidence in me to represent them here in Washington, and I pray every day that I do the job that they have sent me to do, to make their lives better and to help them live a good and clean life.

I also want to take a moment of personal privilege to say how blessed I feel to have such a beautiful, amazing family. My wife Norma, who has been so supportive; our four children, Vanessa, Cristian, Andres, and Alina; my son-in-law, Brian; and our amazing, beautiful grandchildren, Joaquin and Jimena. These are blessings that I have been so, so honored to have in my life.

I am so, so fortunate and blessed. To be able to speak on this floor, to be a Member of Congress is so humbling. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to express how much I care about the leaders of my community and how grateful we are for them and for the honor to be a Member of this prestigious and amazing body, the House of Representatives of the United States of America.

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

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the heritage, culture, and immense and amazing contributions of Latinos to the United States by introducing a bicameral resolution recognizing September 15 through October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month.

When you walk into my office, both in my Washington, D.C., office, and the San Fernando Valley office which I represent, you will notice a very important picture of two hard-working gentlemen, two generations of Mexican immigrants, my father and my mother's father, smiling while crouching down picking potatoes in the very hot Stockton, California, sun.

No matter how exhausted, how busy, and how much pain they endured, they never complained, and they took the time to pause and smile because they were so proud to be able to do a hard day's work and an honest day's work right here in the United States of America.

That same grit and positivity that they demonstrated in that photo are values carried by Latinos throughout our country's history: farmworkers, astronauts, scientists, and many amazing contributors to our great country. They are Latinos who have helped keep our country operating before the pandemic, through the pandemic, and still to this day. It is those same values and stories, those of individuals, many of them immigrants, who encompass an unwavering spirit of perseverance. These are the true stories that will be told at the National Museum of the American Latino.

Latinos have been in what is now the United States for hundreds of years. So current and future generations have the opportunity to visit the National Mall and experience our beautiful history, culture, and contributions that make us the greatest Nation in the world.

Yes, that is right, Mr. Speaker. The beautiful National Mall will soon have a Latino museum on it so that people from all over the world can appreciate the amazing contributions that Latinos have been making to this great country and this continent for hundreds and hundreds of years.

I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in recognizing these amazing contributions of Latinos of the United States, and to encourage everyone to recognize that we are a great country. We are an eclectic country, and we do have much to be proud of. We, as Americans from every part of this world, have made this country their home.

To people who are Latinos, it is sad to hear just a few minutes ago that even Members of Congress will say derogatory things about the southern border and make people believe that you should be afraid of immigrants who come to this country, who seek a better life, people who come to this country and do the jobs that most Americans, including me, really don't want to do but need to be done.

If you are a senior in the United States of America, it is very likely, as you get older and you need somebody to help you in your day- to-day life, it will probably be somebody with an accent. And yes, I smile when I say that; somebody who gives their love and commitment to that person who deserves the dignity of being cared for. Many, many times, it is an immigrant. Many, many times, they speak Spanish. ``Of course, they speak Spanish.'' ``Seguro que si, hablan espanol.'' Like my grandfather who came to this country, my mother who came to this country, and my father who came to this country did.

My grandfather had no formal education; my mother and father only had a first and second grade education.

Why did they come to the United States?

Because they knew that this was a country of opportunity.

And although they suffered many indignities of racism and derogatory comments toward them or what have you, they raised 11 American-born citizens in what some people would call a very tough neighborhood. I say a very beautiful, challenged neighborhood, but a beautiful neighborhood at that.

And now I, as their youngest son, get to be a United States Congressman, to contribute to this country as a U.S. citizen and a Representative of the community that I was born and raised in; yet, at the same time, to advance what is good about our country and to be an example to every single one of us.

We live in a great country, the United States of America, and Latinos have always made contributions.

Madam Speaker, July 16 marked the turning point for America.

For the first time in our history, anytime, anywhere in America, you can call 988 for immediate help during a mental health crisis.

But to truly meet this moment and carry forward the full potential of 988, we need to do more.

Right now, America's default for people who need immediate help when experiencing a mental health crisis is to call 911, and the default treatment facilities are jails and emergency rooms.

Time and time again, we have seen repeating tragedies of police officers killing individuals during a mental health emergency. The fact is, we need to stop criminalizing mental illness and get people the crisis help that they need.

To truly fulfill the promise of 988, we must make sure anyone who dials 988 will have someone to call, someone to come if they need help, and somewhere to go for compassionate continuous care.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate a tremendous community leader, a friend of mine, and a friend of the community of Los Angeles and beyond, Irene Tovar, for being conferred an honorary doctorate from California State University at Northridge, otherwise known

as CSUN, for her decades of public service as an advocate for education in the San Fernando Valley, throughout the State of California, and across the country.

I think of a quote from Saint Francis of Assisi: ``Start by doing what is necessary; and then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.'' That is Irene Tovar.

Irene's story begins like many of ours: in search of the American Dream. Her mother is from Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico, and her father is from Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico. Her parents met in southern California, where later they married. They first settled in East Los Angeles, where Irene, her sister, and her brother were born, and then they moved to Pacoima and lived on Pinney Street.

Irene was a dedicated student and attended Pacoima Elementary School, San Fernando High School, and San Fernando Valley State College, which is now known as Cal State University Northridge.

While attending CSUN, Irene, who earned a bachelor's degree in social science from the university in 1969, noticed that the dropout rate for Latino students was disproportionately high, so she helped create an organization to address the issue.

It grew into the Latin American Civic Association, known as LACA, which administered the first Head Start program in the San Fernando Valley. This organization helps thousands of working families access quality childcare and education.

Alongside leaders such as Dr. Rudy Acuna, Irene began to advocate and organize for the creation of the Equal Opportunity Program and the Chicano Studies Department at California State University Northridge.

The Chicano Studies Department was established in 1969 with only 100 students. Now, it is one of the largest Chicano studies departments in the country.

Her advocacy caught the attention of then-Governor Jerry Brown, who, during his first tenure, appointed Irene to the State Personnel Board. She was the first Mexican American and first person of color to sit on the board.

She was instrumental in implementing policies and procedures that removed artificial barriers in the California civil service system, including differential pay and affirmative action. She also served as a full-time member of the California Public Employment Relations Board, a quasi-judicial body she joined in 1974.

Irene's passion for education and public service continues. She currently serves as the CEO of LACA, which now focuses on providing multifamily services and affordable housing.

Irene has played a key role in the history of the San Fernando Valley as a founding member of the L.A. Mission College, board member of the United Way, board member of the L.A. Urban Coalition, board member of the CSUN Alumni Association, and many other organizations.

She currently serves as a commissioner on the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, whose mission is to promote intergroup peace-building, equity, and human rights.

Irene, your service is unparalleled, and this doctorate is a symbol of your sacrifice and hard work for the families of the San Fernando Valley, the great State of California, and our country.

Congratulations, Irene, and I am proud to call you Dr. Irene Tovar.

Honoring the Life of Rodrigo Garcia

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a trailblazer who made a difference across this country.

Rodrigo ``Rod'' Garcia, founder of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, otherwise known as SHPE, was a man of deep conviction and passion. Not only did he commit to his work as an engineer, but he opened a door for so many, including myself, to follow in his footsteps.

As one of the only handful of Hispanic engineers during the 1973 tech boom, he could easily have gone on to a promising career in the sciences. But when he saw a wrong, he set out to right that wrong.

In gathering a cohort of fellow Hispanic engineers, he was determined to diversify the STEM industry across our country, and that is when SHPE was born.

While Rod Garcia was an incredible man, his legacy in SHPE is equally incredible. Now, the organization has grown into the largest Hispanic STEM association nationwide, with 13,000 members and 286 chapters across the country.

An engineer to his core, Mr. Garcia attributed the success of SHPE as such: ``We were engineers. We drew up the plan. . . . To see it take off the way it has, it is really special.'' And special it is.

SHPE's impact is only growing. In the 2021-2022 academic year, SHPE awarded scholarships to over 200 students across the country, distributing over $1.3 million.

Rod has passed on, and he will be sorely missed, but his reputation and his memory will live on forever.

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 379.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Women's Health Protection Act and lend my voice to the chorus of calls across the country for urgent action on abortion rights.

When I first heard the news of the Dobbs decision, I felt as if I were thrown into another country--a country without our Constitution.

How is it that such a fundamental right to our autonomy over one's body, over one's life, and over one's future can be stripped away so callously?

We are talking about far-right Justices telling women that they cannot get the care that they need and telling doctors that they cannot treat their patients to the best of their ability. Yes, these five Justices with no medical expertise stole the fundamental freedom of controlling the health of one's own body and opened the floodgates to criminalize doctors for doing their job.

Make no mistake, Madam Speaker: this is a stain on our healthcare system and a flat-out assault on health equity, and it is a self- inflicted wound.

This resolution will leave women--especially women of color and low- income women, including White women--in the lurch. So in the absence of any respect or compassion for reproductive health in this country, we, as a body, must show our leadership. It is incumbent upon us elected officials to ensure that the basic right is restored and finally written into law.

The Women's Health Protection Act will do that. It would restore 50 years of precedent and right a deeply invasive wrong. History has its eyes on us.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 10th anniversary of DACA, the program that has protected nearly 1 million inspiring young people and given them the opportunity to contribute to our great economy.

Dreamers are our family, friends, and neighbors. They are teachers, doctors and nurses, small business owners, servicemembers, and so much more.

They work hard and contribute to our great economy. They make America a better place for everyone. Yet, they face unspeakable hardships and witness the ugliness of anti-immigrant sentiments in our great country. But their resilience has shined through all of that.

Let me be clear. Today is an incredible milestone, but another 10 years without permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship is simply unjust. That is why I will continue to fight to give every single Dreamer that continues to live in our country permanency, because in America, we believe that when given that shot at the American Dream, anything is possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Miguel Gonzalez, a charismatic and innovative entrepreneur from the San Fernando Valley who was recently taken from us in a fatal car accident.

Miguel was one of the founders and owners of Vallarta Supermarkets, a chain of family-owned grocery stores committed to offering the best- quality products from Mexico and Latin America.

Originally from Jalostotitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, he immigrated to the San Fernando Valley with his family and graduated from Van Nuys High School.

As a young man, Miguel had an eye for buildings and design. He pursued his passion in architecture after receiving an associate's degree in arts. This led him to begin a career at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as a quality assurance technician who worked on parts for the Space Shuttle program.

In 1985, his brother, Enrique, Sr., started the family business when he opened Carniceria Vallarta in a 1,000-square-foot market in Van Nuys, California. Enrique, Sr. soon expanded the business to a second location and got his four brothers to join, including Miguel. They focused on selling traditional cuts of popular Mexican meats. The brothers would put in 18-hour days, 7 days a week to make sure the business succeeded.

Miguel brought his passion for design and helped develop the significant architecture and interior design of the Vallarta stores. He created the trademark Vallarta aesthetic with the focus of modern and nostalgic references to his hometown in Jalisco.

Anyone in our community can recognize the iconic design when they are driving around the neighborhood. When they go in they forget they are in California, and they are taken directly back to Mexico. That is what Miguel did, he made a simple shopping experience feel like home.

He was always pushing the envelope to make sure every store completed its mission to serve our community with respect and pride, while providing authentic, traditional, fresh products that bring families together over a meal.

One of his last projects was Sayulita Tap Room established in October of 2020 in Indio, California. This project epitomized his vision of spending quality time with loved ones, excellent food and drinks, and live music.

When he pitched this idea to his family, they all had doubts and concerns. They asked, ``A bar at a grocery store?'' Miguel said, ``If Whole Foods can do it, so can I.'' This project represented Miguel's vision and entrepreneurial spirit to make his dreams a reality.

Miguel wasn't just a shining example of the American Dream, he inspired countless others to ``work hard and play harder,'' which was his motto. He left a legacy of 52 stores throughout southern and central California, all which provide jobs to more than 8,000 hardworking people.

Miguel had a deep passion and love for the employees and families of Vallarta Supermarkets. He was heavily involved in the Gonzalez Family Foundation, which offers scholarships to its employees and their children.

The foundation has given thousands of dollars to help their families pursue higher education.

On top of that, he was a supporter and donor to the St. Jude Children's Center. For this and so much more, I know that his legacy will continue to inspire Latinos and countless others in our community and across the country. I know that his designs will be seen and appreciated by more and more people every day.

Miguel leaves behind his high school sweetheart and wife, Maria Teresa; his two sons, Christian and Luis Angel; his granddaughter, Aria Soleil; his mother, Eva; his father, Felix; his brothers; sisters; cousins; aunts; uncles; and many of us who are his dear friends.

Many of Miguel's family made the trip to Washington, D.C., to watch him be honored in this body.

I have had the honor of knowing Miguel and his family, admiring his wonderful work and his work ethic.

Miguel came to the United States not speaking English. Miguel's first language was Spanish. So with that, I honor him and all those who come to this country and give so much to the United States of America.

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

To Miguel's family, thank you very much for giving so much of Miguel to the community.

I would also like to thank Miguel for being such a good man, husband, father, son, friend.

It is very important for everyone to know that, in the United States of America, we are all equal.

Miguel achieved many of his dreams and the dreams of thousands and thousands of families, not only those who work at Vallarta but also the people and community they serve.

A la familia de Miguel, muchisimas gracias por dar tanto de el a la comunidad. Tambien quero gradecer a Miguel por ser tan buen hombre, esposo, padre, hijo, amigo. Es muy importante que todos sepan que, en los Estados Unidos todo somos iguales. Miguel en el creo muchos suenos, y vivio eso suenos y tambien miles y miles de suenos a familias no de mas los que trabajaban en Vallarta pero tambien las personas que ellos serven.

So today I honor the life of my dear friend Miguel Gonzalez.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3525 to commission a study for the creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act.

Asian Americans have been contributing to the fabric of our United States of America from its earliest days, helping to build, shape, and defend our great country.

This long-overdue museum will serve as a gateway for everyone to see, feel, and understand the countless true stories of Asian Americans, stories of perseverance, dedication, and beating the odds to achieve their dreams. Those from trailblazers like Larry Itliong, a Filipino- American labor leader who organized with Latino civil rights leaders like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

My father worked in the fields, and I remember when I was a little boy, he told me once, ``When I worked in the fields, I wanted to work harder than everyone else. The people who always worked as hard as me and challenged me were my Filipino colleagues working in the fields.'' I quoted him in English, although my father spoke to me in Spanish.

Or people like Constance Wu, Awkwafina, and Ali Wong, whose contributions to the arts have positively impacted millions of Americans. These stories and so many more deserve to be told and understood.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bill. I can't wait to see the day this museum is on The Mall with the National Museum of the American Latino, the American Women's History Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of the American Indian.

I would also like to take a point of privilege to say thank you to Grace Meng, who at one time was the only Asian-American legislator in the legislature in New York. Not the first one, but she was there by herself, and she was a caucus of one, and she is now in the United States Congress, serving our community proudly and representing her community proudly as well.

Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Insulin Now Act is a just act.

This personal affliction of diabetes affects millions of families every day. The price of insulin is too much for hardworking American families, and the Affordable Insulin Now Act is something that is going to bring life to individuals and opportunity for families.

My father died from diabetes 10 days before our son Cristian was born. I hoped and prayed that he would live long enough so I could present him to his grandfather, but that didn't happen. That is what this affliction does. It robs time. It robs the life out of people, and that doesn't need to happen.

For $35 a month--no, not hundreds of dollars--this act will help relieve families.

I thank Representatives Craig, Kildee, and McBath for introducing this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of labor and civil rights leader, Cesar E. Chavez.

Born in Yuma, Arizona, Cesar worked with his family in the fields of America's southwest.

After serving in the United States Navy, Cesar began organizing for the human dignity and respect of all farmworkers, farmworkers like my father and grandfather, who did backbreaking working in the fields of California.

Cesar's powerful message of hope and opportunity motivated a generation to stand up and demand the respect and dignity their work deserves.

He taught us the importance of nonviolent activism to fight for fair wages and fair treatment that helped put the American Dream within reach for hardworking immigrant families, but his legacy extends beyond agriculture.

He spent his life making sure our Nation lived up to its core values of freedom, justice, and equality for all. His timeless vision of hope for a better world continues to inspire us every single day.

Today, on what would have been his 95th birthday, let us reflect on Cesar's life's work and carry forward the legacy he set forth. ``Si, se puede.'' ``Yes, we can.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Arthur, Sr., a beloved San Fernando Valley leader whom we lost earlier this year. Pops, as many of his students called him, was known by Men's Journal Magazine as the toughest man in America.

Born in Starkville, Mississippi, Pops attended Clark Atlanta University with an athletic scholarship. He met the love of his life, Jeraldine, and they had a beautiful daughter, Jonvette. He worked as an underground bare-knuckle fighter with a black belt in various martial arts. He also worked as an undercover FBI agent and had various public safety roles.

After the passing of his wife, Pops moved to southern California with his beautiful daughter. There, he worked as a trainer with fitness personality Billy Blanks and trained various world champion fighters such as James Toney.

However, after a vibrant career training some of the world's most recognizable names, Pops found his true calling when he began coaching at-risk youth for free. He impacted countless families in our community by training their little children about life--not about fighting, but about life.

Pops dedicated his life to helping others and creating champions. A legend himself, Pops was truly a force of good in our community and in our world. For many reasons, I honor the life of the toughest man in America, John ``Pops'' Arthur.

United States Remains a Beacon of Hope

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak before the House, and it is an honor to be a Member of this prestigious body. With that, I would like to take the opportunity to explain and exclaim how our hearts in America go out to the people of Ukraine as they fear for their lives and they flee this tragedy that is caused by Russia and Vladimir Putin.

It is unfortunate that there are many people around the world right now as we speak who have, unfortunately, had to flee their country, flee their homes, in fear of people like Vladimir Putin and others who create atrocities on them, their communities, and their country.

I want to just remind everybody that the United States of America continues to be the beacon of hope, light, and life for everyone who needs to seek asylum. There are opportunities for us and many, many great countries around the world to embrace these people who are fleeing these unspeakable horrors.

It is very important for us to understand that we are great when our arms are open. We are great when we receive those who are less fortunate. We are great, and our greatness comes from so many of us who come from families who fled their country, who left atrocities so that they can have a new life for them, but more importantly, for the next generation, the next, and the next.

Once again, the United States of America shall always remain the place where people can seek refuge when they are fleeing atrocities like we are witnessing in Ukraine and other parts of the world.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that I and many of us voted for, we are now putting those resources on the ground across America.

The first billions of dollars to go to California and every State in the Union are now being put in place to fix bridges. Next, we are going to fix our roads and build our infrastructure to electrify our system throughout the country.

These are the kinds of things that our voters sent us to Washington to do, to bring those resources back to every single community, every single one of our communities, and that is what we are doing here in Congress with a President who actually believes in the fundamentals of infrastructure and making sure that we put our American workers back to work to build our Nation as it should be and what we are so proud of.

We are the number one infrastructure place in the world, and we will continue to be so with these investments.