Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the people of Iran protesting the ayatollah's regime after a 22-year-old young woman, Mahsa Amini, died after being detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly incorrectly wearing a hijab.

Iranians are standing up to the ayatollah's regime's oppression of women by cutting their hair, burning their hijabs, and demanding freedom.

The Iranian Government began a violent crackdown on the protests that have resulted in dozens of protesters being killed, including women and teenagers.

I want Iranian women to know that the United States stands with you in your fight against the ayatollah's oppression and that the Iranian people have our support in your fight for freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in amplifying our voices for the people of Iran and holding the regime accountable.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs for 3 years and implements several reforms to strengthen the programs for years to come.

This bill safeguards taxpayer dollars by ensuring that we increase the rate of successful commercialization, prohibits our adversaries from reaping the benefits of our SBIR and STTR investments, and encourages the rapid development of emerging technologies that are vital for our national security.

In addition, this legislation would allow the Department of Defense to adopt the successful open topic solicitation process pioneered by the Air Force. The open topic solicitation will attract new small businesses into the SBIR program, accelerate the development of emerging technologies, broaden program access to young startups, and increase the potential for commercial impact.

The SBIR and STTR programs are important tools for small businesses to research, develop, and commercialize innovative technologies and help create good-paying jobs.

As we all know, the CCP is taking concerted steps to bridge the innovation gap with the United States and knock us down as the world leader in innovation. We must never relent our country's position as the leading innovator and creator of emerging technologies.

I thank Ranking Members Luetkemeyer and Lucas and Chairwomen Velazquez and Johnson for their leadership in bringing a successful, bicameral negotiation to reauthorize SBIR and STTR programs.

I urge my colleagues to support this underlying legislation and continue our country's support for our small businesses and innovation.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act. John Lewis was a powerful, tireless advocate for equality and justice all his life.

Along with his mentor and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he put his life and personal safety on the line as a leader in the nonviolent civil rights movement that profoundly changed our Nation for the better.

His boldness in pursuit of justice was powerfully rooted in faith and love. As he himself described it: ``At a very early stage of the movement, I accepted the teaching of Jesus, the way of love, the way of nonviolence, the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. The idea of hate is too heavy a burden to bear. It is better to love.''

To help pass these values on to future generations, this bill establishes the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship within the Fulbright Program at the Department of State.

The Fulbright educational exchange program has enjoyed bipartisan support for over 75 years. As part of Fulbright, the stated purpose of the John Lewis Fellowship is ``to advance foreign policy priorities of the United States by promoting studies, research, and international exchange in the subject of nonviolent movements that established and protected civil rights around the world.''

This bill is a worthy way of honoring a great man who sacrificed so much to make America and the world a better place. I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, John Lewis lived a life profoundly dedicated to pursuing equality and justice for all, rooted in love and nonviolence. The part he played in the brave struggle against racial injustice changed the course of American history and inspired many around the world.

This bill to create a Fulbright fellowship program in his name is a fitting tribute to his legacy. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, 50 million people in 45 countries are living on the brink of famine, and more than 350 million people around the world are facing emergency food insecurity. This is a staggering increase from record-breaking levels of hunger last year.

Russia's unprovoked and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, previously known as the breadbasket of Europe, has worsened an already overwhelming global food crisis and is destabilizing fragile states.

Global food prices are expected to increase by 20 percent and could be even higher in developing countries that are highly dependent on imported commodities from Ukraine and Russia.

These shocks are creating shortages and instability that affect the entire world, including our constituents.

First enacted in 2016, and amended in 2018, the Global Food Security Act provides critical authorities to respond to immediate global food needs and to advance longer term agricultural-led economic growth.

I am a cosponsor of today's bipartisan legislation to refine and extend those authorities for another 5 years, through 2028. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congresswoman McCollum, Congressman Chris Smith, Chairman Meeks, and Ranking Member McCaul, for their leadership in this effort.

In order to prevent the next food crisis, we must increase the resiliency of communities around the world to shocks like natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, and fertilizer shortages. This is why the U.S. is working with partner countries to advance targeted efforts to increase agricultural productivity, invest in food systems and market-based approaches to agricultural-led economic growth, and, ultimately, support communities' abilities to provide for themselves.

These strategic agricultural development activities are a critical investment in preventing future humanitarian emergencies and dependency on foreign aid.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this bipartisan bill to refine and extend statutory authorities needed to respond to the global food crisis and prevent future aid dependency. It updates the policy, definitions, and the strategy requirements of the current law. It also strengthens oversight and accountability and ensures continued focus on core programs that have strong bipartisan support.

At its core, the bill embodies the saying, ``Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.''

These are effective, strategic investments in agriculture and agricultural development to help ensure that communities and families are able to provide for themselves.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I hope that our Senate colleagues will take it up promptly.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce the Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act along with my Democratic colleague from Texas, Mr. Castro.

In the nearly 20 years since its founding under President Bush, the Millennium Challenge Corporation has demonstrated a strong track record of success in its mission of combating poverty through economic growth.

The agency has enjoyed broad bipartisan support, earned through strict project selection criteria and the ability to hold partner countries to a high standard of accountability. But the agency and its partners are facing new challenges. The Chinese Communist Party is increasing its malign influence in the developing world, often disguised as development assistance. The world is facing a food security crisis and other effects of Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine.

Many countries risk losing progress on development and poverty reduction made over previous decades. This bill will ensure that the world's 125 poorest countries are eligible for potential consideration as candidate countries in the MCC's rigorous selection process. It adds stability to MCC's partnerships, and it ensures its ability to focus on the world's poorest populations, who are often the most vulnerable to debt traps and other forms of outside manipulation.

This bill is an important step towards equipping MCC to operate in today's environment so, that it can continue to use its proven, evidence-based model to build sustainable economic growth, transparency, and stability in partner countries around the world.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the Millennium Challenge Corporation has done important work on behalf of the American people to promote economic growth and transparency around the world. But we must make sure that the agency is equipped to address the challenges and threats of today, including those posed by our strategic rivals who are attempting to increase their global influence.

Madam Speaker, I, again, thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro), my colleague, our bipartisan cosponsors, and Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for moving this bill forward.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. The Chinese Communist Party is at war with religious freedom. The CCP treats as threats those organizations and allegiances that it does not control. Members of the CCP and the PLA are required to be atheists and are prohibited from practicing a religion. National law effectively prohibits young people in China from receiving any religious education.

Xi Jinping is ramping up his so-called Sinicization of religion and is expressly demanding that religious groups support the control and ideology of the Chinese Communist Party. The consequences for those who refuse to submit are brutal.

House-church Protestant Christians, underground Catholics, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong practitioners, and other people who seek to worship freely are repressed.

The State Department's annual religious freedom reports note deaths in police custody. They also state that the PRC ``tortured, physically abused, arrested, disappeared, detained, sentenced to prison, subjected to forced labor and . . . harassed adherents of both registered and unregistered religious groups for activities related to their religious beliefs and practices.''

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have correctly recognized the PRC's brutal crackdown and forced encampment of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang as a genocide, involving crimes against humanity.

According to credible reports, more than 800,000 Muslim children have been separated from their families.

Just this week, 90-year-old Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen is on trial in Hong Kong, one of several Catholic bishops imprisoned and actively persecuted by the CCP. Numerous Protestant pastors remain in detention, and the government continues to demolish church buildings and crosses.

Religious believers in China deserve our prayers, our respect, and our support.

This bill before us today will help ensure that CCP officials responsible for this persecution are identified, sanctioned, and denied visas into the United States.

It also states that the People's Republic of China has continued to earn designation as a ``country of particular concern'' under the International Religious Freedom Act. It calls for efforts by the United States, including diplomacy at the highest levels, to promote the protection of Christians and other religious minorities inside China. It expresses the sense of Congress that the U.N. Human Rights Council should formally condemn the PRC for its ongoing genocide in Xinjiang as well as its persecution of Christians and other religious groups. The inability of that Council to condemn such massive human rights abuses is an indictment of its effectiveness.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler) for introducing this important bill of which I am a proud cosponsor. It deserves our unanimous support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Madam Speaker, the Chinese Communist Party persecutes religious believers who will not submit their religious convictions to CCP control. It reacts with brutality against any attempted religious practice outside of the five religious patriotic associations allowed and controlled by the regime.

This bill tells the truth about the dangers faced by Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and other religious minorities in China and takes steps to sanction their CCP persecutors.

I am an enthusiastic cosponsor of this bill by my colleague from Missouri, and I urge its unanimous passage.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, French Hill, for yielding.

Families, workers, and small businesses are hurting from the highest inflation in over 40 years, and in Southern California where I am from, everything is more expensive.

Inflation doesn't discriminate. It impacts every American and hurts small businesses and workers with less income the most.

For example, Raul and Rosalina Davis, owners of Tlaquepaque Restaurant in Placentia, in my district, told my office: ``Higher gas prices and issues with our supply chain are leading to increasing costs from everything from beverages to meat for ingredients, to workforce shortages. As a restaurant, we run our small business with very tight revenue margins, and a small change in prices can really hurt our bottom line. If we have to pass on higher costs to our customers, it puts us in a tough place when we are competing against bigger restaurants that can absorb higher costs.''

While the Biden administration calls inflation temporary and seeks to redefine the long-established meaning of a recession, I have introduced bills to combat inflationary spending, lower taxes on Californians, and support job creators.

Policies from Congress should make life more affordable, not less.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dr. Chuck Rheem, who was a leader in the Korean-American community and chairman of the U.S.-Korea Alliance Association.

Dr. Rheem had a special love for the United States and his home country of South Korea and dedicated himself to advocating for policies with numerous Presidential administrations to strengthen U.S.-Korea relations.

As a veteran of the Korean war, Dr. Rheem also had a passion for honoring our Korean war veterans and hosted numerous events to thank them and honor their sacrifices.

While Dr. Rheem is no longer with us, I know that his legacy will continue to live on through the efforts of the members of the U.S.- Korea Alliance Association.

I pray for God's peace for his family, friends, and anyone who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would negatively impact our ability to address the profound security conditions in Central America's Northern Triangle countries.

As we know, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are leading source countries of illegal immigration to the United States. Under this administration, the migration crisis at the U.S. southern border has reached the highest levels in recorded history.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection are overworked, underfunded, and demoralized. They also lack the tools and resources to address America's growing fentanyl crisis, now the leading cause of death for Americans 18 through 45. Border agents are outmaneuvered by well- resourced criminal groups and human traffickers who exploit the security conditions in the region.

In addition to needing effective border enforcement to address this crisis, we also need a comprehensive approach to the root causes of migration.

This amendment would diminish the Department of Defense's ability to contribute to those efforts. This amendment would also undermine what it seeks to achieve by impeding existing defense cooperation programs grounded in promoting and improving human rights standards.

It is also duplicative. It is wasteful, as extensive vetting on recipient forces is already extensively conducted.

In addition, much like the cuts in 2018, any additional suspensions of assistance to the Northern Triangle will worsen the security situation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of the late Jeanne Wood, who reached age 100, in our Chino Hills community.

Jeanne dedicated herself to serving others. During World War II, she enlisted as a second lieutenant Army nurse and was quickly promoted to first lieutenant. She worked 18 to 24 hours per shift, with bombings and air raids around her, to care for injured and starving servicemembers.

After the war, Jeanne continued her career as a registered nurse and became the only female commander in the history of American Legion Post 299 in Chino.

I am so glad Jeanne was able to celebrate her 100th birthday in Chino Hills with her family and friends before she passed. My heart is with her loved ones as we mourn this loss and celebrate a life well lived.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Jesus Rodriguez, a La Habra resident, a dear friend, a community leader, a Korean war veteran, and a Silver Star recipient who recently lost his fight against cancer.

He joined the Army after dropping out of his junior year of high school, deploying to Okinawa and then to the Korean war. At age 19, he was discharged as a corporal and came back home to begin and raise his family. Jesus moved up the ranks from janitor to plant manager and worked really hard.

Throughout his entire life, however, he never forgot his time in war, and neither did his 29th Infantry Regiment. After sharing his story at a reunion, Jesus accepted every invitation to speak to area veteran groups, ROTC units, and the local Korean community.

Although Jesus is no longer with us, I know his story and his sacrifice will live on and inspire others.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Rodgers for yielding. I rise today in support of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022.

The pandemic and shutdowns left many Americans, especially women and children, feeling isolated, anxious, and alone. Depression, self-harm, substance abuse, and suicide have reached crisis levels.

I am glad we can help provide meaningful, targeted hope and healing to communities who need it. I am proud that two bills that I worked on, the Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health Act and the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, were included in this package to prevent student suicide and support women facing mental health and substance abuse disorders during pregnancy.

We must keep working to turn despair into hope.

As a mom of four and a new grandma, I will always fight for the health and well-being of communities in southern California and across our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this commonsense, bipartisan H.R. 7666.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this important bipartisan legislation, the Promoting United States International Leadership in 5G Act.

Mr. Speaker, the Chinese Communist Party does not hide the fact that they will do whatever it takes to become the prominent global power, especially by taking control of the world's 5G networks. The CCP's espionage tactics, theft of U.S. intellectual property, and cyber hacking threaten our national security and our competitiveness in the international community. Allowing the CCP to establish the global standards for 5G and push countries to adopt 5G technology from CCP- linked companies like Huawei will only increase the amount of control and influence that the CCP has globally.

This bill provides increased cooperation between the United States and our allies to identify and counter security risks posed by Chinese Communist Party-linked companies in 5G. In addition, the bill requires the State Department to develop a diplomatic strategy to increase engagement with partners at the international standards setting bodies, such as the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, which sets global standards for technologies such as 5G.

There is an important upcoming election at the ITU which will decide the future of global telecommunications for years to come. It is imperative that we pass this bill today so that the United States and our allies can put up a united front against a Russian- and CCP-aligned candidate for Secretary General of the ITU. Russia's campaign to elect a Russian national, who is a former Huawei executive, to serve as the secretary general of the ITU is indicative of Russia's and China's efforts to use the international organization to promote their interests and malign influence.

The United States should ensure that we are coordinated in driving support for the United States candidate, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, for the Secretary General of the ITU, but the State Department should also be engaging on the important down-ballot races at the ITU.

There are four other posts of significance within the ITU's leadership structure, including the director of the ITU Development Sector, ITU-D. The ITU-D plays a particularly vital role in

supporting multilateral cooperation for fair and open internet governance through trustworthy deployment of digital technologies in the developing world. The United States must be doing everything we can to ensure Russian and Chinese malign influence does not grow. This bill will help.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Ranking Member Mike McCaul and Representative Cuellar for their work on this legislation. This bill will help ensure that the United States is doing all we can to stop Russian and Chinese malign influence taking control of the world's 5G networks.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 59, condemning the October 25 coup in Sudan. I thank Chairman Meeks, Ranking Member McCaul, as well as Chairwoman Bass and Ranking Member Smith of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Sudan have worked tirelessly for freedom and democracy since the ousting of 30-year dictator, Omar Al-Bashir. Unfortunately, the path toward civilian-led democracy was halted when military junta leaders detained civilian leaders and took over the government last fall. These actions undermined months of progress made under transitional authorities and hope for a new future in Sudan.

Military leaders, like General Burhan and General Hemeti, have once again prioritized power as well as personal and financial gain over the will of the people. While I am glad Congress is sending an important and unified message condemning the October 25 coup, more must be done.

That is why I am leading the Sudan Democracy Act, which passed out of committee earlier this year. The same military junta that overthrew the civilian-led transitional government and are undermining peace and stability in Sudan, are also some of the same individuals implicated in gross violations of human rights, corruption, and illicit finance schemes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the administration to utilize all existing sanctions authority to demand accountability for these actions while we continue to work here in Congress to find a path forward for new, important sanctions authority.

I stand firmly behind the people of Sudan, or anywhere else in the world, where people are fighting for freedom and democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this important measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

In closing, I again thank my colleagues on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights for offering this important resolution.

Last month, the Senate unanimously passed an identical resolution, and

Congress is speaking clearly with one voice in support of the people of Sudan and their tireless fight for democracy.

The United States should continue to support human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society leaders in Sudan who are standing up for democracy. But it is also critical that the Biden administration rethink any foreign assistance intended for Sudan under this new military junta leadership.

Prior appropriations bills provided over $700 million to solidify a fledgling civilian-led transitional government. Unfortunately, that government is no longer in power and precious taxpayer resources should not be beholden to this unfortunate new reality in Sudan.

I again commend the people of Sudan for their steadfast support of democracy, and I am proud that today, the United States Congress sends a strong message of solidarity.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 720 that I am co-leading alongside my colleague, Representative Sara Jacobs. I thank Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for their support, as well.

This resolution calls for a cessation of violence and condemns ISIS- affiliated terrorists in northern Mozambique. Since 2017, ISIS- affiliated extremists launched an armed insurgency in northern Mozambique and have brutalized communities, displaced civilians, and attacked schools, homes, and hospitals.

Last year, terrorist elements took over the town of Palma, further causing chaos, displacement, and gruesome civilian casualties. The largest private U.S. investment on the continent--a natural gas project--was forced to halt work and temporarily withdraw.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly condemn these violent attacks, and I commend the Government of Mozambique's efforts to dedicate resources to addressing this threat and early steps to partner with the United States and allies to build the capacity and professionalization of security forces, bolster the justice system, and ensure governance and services to communities in previously marginalized areas of Cabo Delgado Province. I also commend the troop deployment by the Southern African Development Community to stabilize the region.

We have seen this elsewhere--whether the early days of ISIS in Syria or Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria. Terrorist insurgency movements cannot be left unaddressed, and early steps to address the root causes of such movements can prevent costly interventions and massive loss of human life later on.

The United States has key economic, security, and diplomatic interests in urgently addressing this terrorist threat.

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

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

This resolution condemns the terrorist attacks and ISIS insurgency in northern Mozambique and urges the administration to prioritize efforts to address this threat.

I am pleased that the administration selected Mozambique as a priority country to implement a 10-year strategy for U.S. diplomatic, development, and security engagement. This type of long-term interagency planning is critically important to coordinating U.S. efforts and ensuring the most effective use of resources to target the root causes of the instability and terrorism. This issue cannot wait, and the administration must implement the requirements of the Global Fragility Act without further delay.

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