Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today we recognize national Education and Sharing Day U.S.A., a day in which we recognize the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson's global campaign to educate young people about our responsibility to be a just and compassionate society.

On April 12, 2022, we celebrated the 120th birthday of the Rebbe, one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century. Under his leadership, he was committed to inculcate young people with deep ethical and moral values, promote compassion, and celebrate our diversity to create a healthy society. His transformational vision has left lasting contributions of acts of goodness and kindness--even a positive act of an individual can make a major impact in the world.

In El Paso, the Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) Giving Project provides school children with small giving boxes in the shape of an ark. They are encouraged to fill them every day with small amounts of money and donate the collected money to a worthy cause. This is a profound lesson in education. The County of El Paso have also launched a similar campaign with all their employees, in the spirit of leading by example, thereby nurturing a more compassionate society by turning Acts of Random Kindness into Acts of Routine Kindness.

Madam Speaker, please join me in calling people for a better, brighter, and hopeful future for all by nurturing our inherent goodness.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to commemorate Vietnam veteran alumni from Bel Air High School who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

On March 29, 2022, we commemorate the 49th anniversary of the last United States combat units leaving South Vietnam. Every year on this day, we observe National Vietnam War Veterans Day to honor the service that veterans made and gain a deeper understanding of their sacrifice. Additionally, the Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) students and staff at Bel Air High School spend countless hours learning about the war and work to find ways to honor the Vietnam veterans.

I would like to recognize the Bel Air Vietnam veteran alumni who gave their life in honor of their service. The veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice are:

CPL Charles Peter Barnes, CPL Luis Carlos Borrego, SP4 Roberto Dominguez, SGT Bobby W. Jobe, SP4 Fred V. Jurado, PFC Daniel Leon Navarro, PFC James Wayne Parham, SPC4 Thomas Edward Ross, CPL Hugo H. Ulloa, CPT. James Robert Valtr.

Our Vietnam veterans fought bravely for our country, and we are eternally grateful. Upon their return home, they continued their service in other capacities by continuing their military careers or reentering the workforce. Because of these veterans, America is a stronger nation for generations to come. I am also humbled to recognize the Bel Air High School JROTC cadets in their work to memorialize Vietnam veterans.

Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing our Vietnam veterans everywhere. We are forever grateful for their service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong and enthusiastic support of my bill, H.R. 4380, the El Paso Community Healing Garden National Memorial Act.

My bill will designate the El Paso Healing Garden at Ascarate Park in El Paso, Texas, as a national memorial, and help ensure that our entire country honors the 23 innocent lives we lost in

the attack on El Paso on August 3, 2019.

I rise today for my legislation, but I also rise in memory of the 23 souls who were killed by a domestic terrorist. I rise for the 22 other victims who were injured in the attack. I rise for their loved ones-- their families, friends, and for an entire community rocked by white supremacy.

On the morning of August 3, 2019, a 21-year-old gunman drove more than 11 hours and hundreds of miles to get to El Paso. He used an AK-47 and opened fire at a busy Walmart while families were shopping for groceries, getting their prescriptions filled, and buying school supplies for their children. He killed couples, grandparents, siblings, brand new parents. His youngest victim was just 15 years old. It was the deadliest targeted attack on Latinos in modern American history.

The weapon he used wasn't just intended to kill--an AK-47 rips flesh, bones, and arteries to shreds. Most of the survivors from the attack don't just live with the scars that we can't see in front of us, but they live with unbelievable physical agony, and they also have to shoulder the financial consequences of ongoing surgeries and medical care, even years later.

When he turned himself in, the domestic terrorist confessed to police that he drove to El Paso to slaughter Mexicans and immigrants. He published a screed online just before the massacre, and in it he cited the anti-immigrant Great Replacement theory and xenophobic hate speech, claiming that he was combating what he called the ``Hispanic invasion of Texas.''

This is the same language, these are the same theories, the same hate and racism that we still hear today from rightwing public figures and the former President, whose favorite scapegoats are still vulnerable immigrants.

These people should have seen that their words have power. Unfortunately, however, instead of learning from this tragedy, racists and supremacists have grown more emboldened. And why wouldn't they? They are radicalized nightly by a national media outlet disguised as ``news'' that runs unchecked, their talking points openly parroted by leaders here, in the Halls of Congress.

Our safe, loving, welcoming community, a community of good will, is seen as a threat by people with hate in their heart. The language of hate draws a target on the backs of the most vulnerable. On August 3, El Paso paid the price.

El Pasoans, however, came together in the immediate aftermath of this shooting and we did what we do best: take care of each other, stand united, stand in love. We represent the best of America, and El Pasoans continue to be a source of great hope for me.

El Paso is strong. We are resilient. But we deserve justice and recognition. I am honored to help ensure that what happened in El Paso is not forgotten, not anywhere, not in any corner of this country. That we remember every victim and we work to prevent more tragedy.

Madam Speaker, I will close by sharing the names of the victims:

Andre Pablo Anchondo, Jordan Kae Anchondo, Arturo Benavides, Jorge Calvillo Garcia, Leonardo Campos, Jr., Maribel Hernandez-Loya, Adolfo Cerros Hernandez, Sara Esther Regalado Monreal, Guillermo ``Coach Memo'' Garcia, Angelina Silva Englisbee, Maria Munoz Flores, Raul Estrada Flores, Gerhard Alexander Hoffmann, David Alvah Johnson, Luis Alfonso Juarez, Maria Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, Ivan Manzano, Gloria Irma Marquez, Elsa L. Mendoza, Margie Reckard, Javier Amir Rodriguez, Teresa Trinidad Sanchez Guerra, and Juan De Dios Velazquez.

May they rest in peace, may their families find comfort, and may our country learn from this tragedy.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of Ingeborg Heuser, who passed away after a lifetime in the arts.

Ingeborg immigrated to the United States from Germany after World War II, arriving to El Paso in 1953 as the wife of a servicemember.

As a classical ballet dancer, she opened her first studio that year and became ballet director of the Texas Western Civic Ballet. Over the next 47 years, she would establish and direct Ballet El Paso, Ballet of the Americas, and the University of Texas El Paso ballet. Thousands of students passed through her studio doors, and countless audience members were exposed to a wide range of classical ballet through her service.

Her cross-border collaborations with companies in Europe, Mexico, and Latin America contributed to the exchange of international artistic endeavors, including the first U.S.-Mexico repertory exchange in 1977.

Madam Speaker, we have lost one of El Paso's shining stars, a trailblazer of the arts for our region. I ask you to join me in paying tribute to the life of Ingeborg Heuser. May her legacy and commitment to the arts continue to be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, I have the honor of representing El Paso, Texas, a critical hub for commerce and trade with one of the busiest land ports of entry in the country.

Today, I am proud to have voted for the passage of the America COMPETES Act to strengthen supply chains, U.S. competitiveness, and create good-paying STEM jobs at home. It will build on policies championed by congressional Democrats and President Biden that have led to a historic year of job creation, as shown in today's jobs report.

The bill includes my amendments to address many El Paso priorities on local job creation, addressing the climate crisis, and optimizing our ports of entry.

One of my amendments creates a mandatory set-aside specifically for small businesses, the backbone of our local economy, to move into the solar component manufacturing sector.

Additionally, I included amendments that respond to the climate crisis by ensuring that we reduce deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions in developing nations and allow environmental defenders to assist in developing our climate-resilient strategy.

My amendments also address the needs of our ports of entry, El Paso's major artery for trade and commerce.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to have also addressed inflation.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano for his continued, strong, unwavering leadership on behalf of our veterans.

I am proud to represent a district that is home to a strong and growing veteran community, and proud to represent Fort Bliss in Congress, where thousands of our servicemembers transition to civilian life.

One of my top priorities in Congress has been to protect our veterans and their families in the same way they have served and defended our country. Today, I am honored to stand in support of this critical legislation for our Nation's veterans and to present my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4673, the Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition Act, provides automatic enrollment in the VA for all transitioning servicemembers. This bill is vital in that it expedites

the use of healthcare benefits that veterans have already earned. My amendment seeks to ensure that servicemembers who were discharged up to 90 days before the enactment of this legislation can also reap its benefits.

Servicemembers transitioning to civilian life already face a multitude of hurdles, from adjusting to everyday life, dealing with unemployment issues, housing and security, and poor mental and physical health, among other things.

Mr. Speaker, our veterans deserve that we eliminate these and any other barriers. Thousands of veterans leave the service without knowing about the VA, whether they are eligible, and what benefits they are entitled to receive.

Veterans who returned to civilian life during the pandemic faced even more challenges to access and overall engagement with the VA due to closures and the VA's limited operational capacity at the height of the pandemic. We cannot leave these veterans behind.

Already, more than half of eligible veterans don't use VA health benefits, many of which are due to confusion on eligibility and benefits and lack of access to information. The pandemic only exacerbated this. Our withdrawal from Afghanistan this past year similarly impacted millions of veterans who now need that care more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, my amendment is not adding any new entitlements. It is simply extending them to those who are equally in need. With my amendment to this bill, we can ensure that newly transitioned veterans do not miss the opportunity to access VA benefits they deserve and are entitled to.

As our chairman has said, when it comes to supporting our veterans, the true heroes of our country, there is always more work to be done. This bill is truly transformative and assures future cohorts of veterans receive the expeditious access to the healthcare they need.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Robert Chisolm, an American hero who passed away peacefully on January 4, 2022, after a lifetime of service to our country and to El Paso.

Lieutenant Colonel Chisolm served in the Army in World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division when he parachuted into combat in Normandy, France, on D-day, a day that liberated Western Europe from Nazi rule.

He was also recognized in 2012 by the French Government and awarded the French Legion of Honor medal.

After 29 years of faithful service, he retired from the military and settled in El Paso, Texas, with his wife, Margaret. Lieutenant Colonel Chisolm helped create a community for local veterans as a founding member of the Benavidez-Patterson All Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, which awards scholarships to the children and grandchildren of paratroopers.

May Lieutenant Colonel Robert Chisolm's legacy of devotion to our country, his fellow veterans, and his unwavering commitment to service continue to inspire us all.

Madam Speaker, like Representative Ocasio-Cortez, I, too, have served in this House for 3 years, and I have found the dignity and respect that we deserve and owe one another in this Chamber has been severely lacking.

While my Democratic colleagues and I continue to work on critical legislation that improves the lives of Americans, Mr. Gosar, a Member of the Republican Conference, has decided to focus on promoting xenophobia and fetishizing violence, fanning the flames of hate.

Words have power. My community knows that only too well. And the example we set as Members of Congress is followed by millions of Americans. Mr. Gosar's actions continue to lower the bar, obliterate standards for respect and civility, and make this workplace unsafe by targeting a colleague--a woman of color. I would like to note that women of color are frequent targets of hateful rhetoric and attacks like these.

In any other environment, someone like Mr. Gosar would have immediately faced termination, would have to live with the consequences of his dangerous actions and words, but not in the Republican Conference.

Mr. Gosar's video, which glorifies the gruesome killing of our colleague and a violent attack against our President should have sparked immediate condemnation and action by the minority leader and his entire conference. But instead, we are told to relax, and we are threatened, told that if we dare take action, we will face retaliation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman.

Madam Speaker, I say to my colleagues, when you give hate, racism, and violence cover, you give it life. With this vote, we are saying ``not on our watch.''

Madam Speaker, I invite my Republican colleagues to do what is right and support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, Congressional Democrats have been focused on working with President Biden to deliver long overdue investments for the American people and for our future.

We started earlier this year with the American Jobs Act, which got critical resources, including vaccines, into our communities and put money in people's pockets. We helped struggling businesses and schools, and we did so much more.

Now, we are on the cusp of passing two bills that will enormously improve the lives of all Americans, the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These two bills together will rebuild America's aging and failing infrastructure, create jobs, cut taxes and lower costs for families, protect and recognize the contributions of immigrants, tackle the climate crisis, and so much more.

Mr. Speaker, my district of El Paso, Texas, has long suffered from chronic poverty due to lack of access to many resources and economic opportunities.

On healthcare, my State of Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the Nation. In my community of El Paso, a quarter of my residents have absolutely no health insurance whatsoever.

On climate, El Paso has seen the second highest increase in average temperatures over the past 45 years with the number of 100-degree days predicted to double.

On family care, nearly half of the people, 48 percent of the people, live in a childcare desert with no access to childcare whatsoever.

On education, in my State of Texas your education and the amount of money invested in K-12 kids depends on your ZIP Code and where you live.

The historic investments that we will be making with both of these bills will strengthen healthcare access to Texas families by expanding Medicare coverage for those who have been denied. They will protect our communities from the consequences of the climate crisis by helping us lower emissions, advancing a clean energy economy, and advancing environmental justice.

These bills will support families with the child tax credit, which will benefit 173,000 children in El Paso alone, in addition to the investments in childcare, home healthcare, paid family and medical leave, workforce development, and universal pre-K, which is probably the best predictor for school success and for kids who end up going to college. My community needs that. My kids in El Paso deserve that.

Americans everywhere need this health and support, and they need it now. These investments are fully paid for. They will not add to the deficit, and because these expenditures represent less than one percent of our GDP over the next decade, and because they are paid for in part by making corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share, the Build Back Better Act will not increase inflation.

I am so proud to have played a role in crafting these bills. I am so proud to advance them and ensure that they uplift El Paso families, improve our economy, and help save our planet.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of John Ceballos, who passed away after a lifetime of public service to our country and to El Paso.

I had the special privilege of knowing John as one of the most dedicated leaders in our veteran community. He was the chairman of the Benavidez-Patterson 82nd Airborne Division Association, where he continuously created a space of support for veterans. He was a mentor for the El Paso Veterans Courts program and would always celebrate the accomplishments of the 82nd Airborne Division.

To know John was to know a person of strength and resilience. He served in the U.S. Army for 8 years during the Vietnam war. After his time in service, he went back to school where he graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, was bestowed a Master of Science degree, and became an instructor for the Department of Kinesiology.

Madam Speaker, we have lost a giant in our community, and I ask you to join me in paying tribute to the life of John Ceballos. May his legacy of precious memories and unwavering commitment to service continue to inspire us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Dr. Diana Natalicio, who will be remembered as an icon of higher education and a trailblazer in El Paso.

Dr. Natalicio served for 31 years as the president of the University of Texas at El Paso, my alma mater, UTEP, between 1988 and 2019. As the longest sitting president at UTEP, her imprint on the institution will be everlasting.

She devoted her life's work to making UTEP accessible and elevating it to a top-tier institution. As a first-generation college student herself, she knew the importance of working for an equitable college experience for first-generation and low-income college students and access to higher education for all. In 2019, 51 percent of UTEP's graduates were first generation.

Dr. Natalicio taught us that no matter where you come from, everyone deserves a good education. She also understood the struggles that El Pasoans face and worked on finding solutions to those barriers. I am deeply grateful for Dr. Diana Natalicio's service to our community and the vision she created for UTEP students.

Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in honoring Dr. Diana Natalicio's life and contributions to El Paso.

May her legacy continue to inspire us all.

Madam Speaker, I am so grateful to the appropriators for including seven funding priorities for my district, El Paso, Texas, in the base bills, including funding for health technology upgrades, police body cameras, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and much more.

Each year I work to bring El Paso's voice to the table, and my amendments focus on our priorities.

These amendments include increased funding for the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education to support economically disadvantaged communities; emphasizing the need for a binational COVID- 19 vaccination plan; funding for water reuse programs in communities experiencing drought conditions; and several amendments directing funding towards communities like El Paso, so we aren't left behind in the fight against the climate crisis; and so much more.

Lastly, we have witnessed congressionally appropriated funding being irresponsibly diverted by Governors in States like mine, so I am happy to see all subcommittees under this bill include my congressional intent amendment expressing a strong urgency to ensure that States can no longer do this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the opening of William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Texas.

The William Beaumont Army Medical Center first opened in July 1, 1921 and has since become a major medical asset for the U.S. Army--serving the needs of countless soldiers, veterans, military families, and El Paso residents. Whether through assisting victims of the August 3rd, 2019 domestic terrorist shooting or working day and night during the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical center has always helped our community and continues to be an invaluable resource for El Pasoans.

As the United States Army prepares to open one of the most advanced medical facilities in the country, the El Paso community is thankful for the Army's support and wishes William Beaumont Army Medical Center the best of luck as it begins its years of service.

Again, I am pleased to recognize the opening of William Beaumont Army Medical Center

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the work and service of Operation H.O.P.E.

Operation H.O.P.E, which stands for Helping Other People Endure, was founded in 2009 by Angel Gomez, a life-long El Pasoan and U.S. Navy veteran. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Operation H.O.P.E. has provided funeral assistance to over 1,100 families who have lost loved ones. In the wake of the August 3, 2019 domestic terrorist attack that killed 23 beautiful souls and wounded countless others, Operation H.O.P.E. was at the center of supporting grieving families who lost loved ones. They helped find funeral homes for those who were killed and helped offset the cost of repatriation of the Mexican nationals who died that day. This past Easter, they gave away food and Easter baskets to over 400 families in need. Whether it is a holiday or tragedy, Operation H.O.P.E. is there when we need them.

I am proud to be sharing Operation H.O.P.E.'s work today, and am grateful for their continued service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank both committees of jurisdiction for their work on the INVEST in America Act.

I would like to share some of the significant resources that this bill will bring to my home district of El Paso, Texas.

This bill would bring almost $20 million in investment directly to two projects for the city and county of El Paso. The first project, the John Hayes Extension, would assist the exponential growth we have seen in the Eastern portion of our country.

The second project, the Stanton Street Bridge Intelligent Transportation System, would improve the traffic flow around this land port of entry.

The INVEST in America Act also establishes the Reconnecting Neighborhoods Program to help communities, like downtown El Paso, that were divided when highways, such as I-10, were built through the heart of our city.

The amendments I have offered to this bill would bring crucial funding to some of the most economically disadvantaged members of our community. They also recognize our key location on the U.S.-Mexico trade corridor.

My amendments include millions of dollars for colonial surface, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure, as well as an increase in an optional set-aside for infrastructure critical to trade in border communities.

Simply put, the INVEST in America Act is a transformational measure for El Paso, and I look forward to voting for it.