Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 45. I thank Representative Zeldin for championing this important resolution.

As the world focuses on the horrors of the war crimes being committed by Vladimir Putin's invading forces in Ukraine, we must not forget the victims of the past war crimes still awaiting justice.

Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi were three American brothers from New York State who are suspected of having been killed in July 1999 by Serbian authorities. After disappearing while in the custody of Serbian special police, they were executed, shot in the head with their hands tied behind their backs. Their bodies were later discovered in a mass grave at a training compound of the Serbian secret police.

Tragically, nearly 23 years later, there has still not been a full investigation into their deaths, and the Bytyqi brothers' murderers have yet to be brought to justice. This is unacceptable.

This case, among others, illustrates the continued need for Serbia to resolve outstanding war crimes investigations. Holding accountable those who committed and covered up the murder of the Bytyqi brothers is critical to continuing bilateral relations between the United States and Belgrade.

Therefore, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. Congress must be on the record calling on Serbian authorities to once and for all deliver justice for the Bytyqi brothers and their family.

Mr. Speaker, 23 years is too long for the Bytyqi brothers and their family to go without justice.

Seriously dealing with the past and bringing justice to all victims of war crimes committed in the wars that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia is needed to ensure reconciliation and peace throughout the region.

Mr. Zeldin reintroduced this bipartisan resolution last year. I urge Belgrade to commit to a proper investigation and full accountability for these three Americans so this resolution does not have to be reintroduced once again next Congress.

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 in strong support of H. Res. 892, calling for the release of Paul Rusesabagina on humanitarian grounds. I am proud to co- lead this resolution alongside Representative Castro. I thank him for his leadership.

Paul Rusesabagina is a legal permanent resident of the United States who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his heroic actions during the Rwandan genocide.

In August 2020, he was extrajudicially transferred from Texas to Kigali, Rwanda, by way of the United Arab Emirates, and subjected to an enforced disappearance for 3 days before the Government of the Republic of Rwanda acknowledged his detention.

He underwent trial proceedings for terrorism-related charges, and the American Bar Association has subsequently determined that his fair trial rights have been violated.

Pursuant to the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Act, the Department of State has determined that Mr. Rusesabagina was wrongfully detained.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Rwandan Government to urgently work with the State Department and authorities in Europe to secure a path forward for his release and return to the United States.

It is also critically important that the Government of Rwanda grant access to his U.S.-based doctor to assess his health and well-being.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and efforts to bring Paul Rusesabagina home to his family.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution offered by Representative Castro and myself. I want to recognize Paul's family, especially his wife and children, who have tirelessly advocated for his release.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Otto Frederick Warmbier. He is an American who was horrifically tortured and killed by the North Korean regime 5 years ago.

Otto was a dedicated young man. He was the valedictorian of his high school and at the University of Virginia. At the age of 22, he was taken hostage and suffered the worst of the North Korean regime's brutality.

Although Otto is no longer with us, his wonderful family carries on his legacy every day with their advocacy and strength.

As one of the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress, and as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I will always-- always--be a loud voice for global human rights and hold violators accountable.

We remember and honor Otto always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2543. This bill threatens the independence of the Federal Reserve and does nothing to address the rising cost of living and the highest inflation that our country has seen in over four decades. In my home State of California, gas prices are averaging $6.40 per gallon, and the cost of everyday goods continues to rise.

Mr. Speaker, during this National Police Week, I am delighted to rise today to honor Buena Park Police Chief Corey Sianez and his more than four decades of selfless service to our community, including 11 years as police chief.

Throughout his many roles, Chief Sianez set an example of excellence in our police department and created the first 5-year strategic plan in the department's history.

While he is a well-known, active member of our Buena Park community, his impact can also be seen across neighboring cities. He helped create the North Orange County Public Task Force, which is a partnership between cities that works to address pressing public safety issues such as homelessness, incarceration, and gang and youth violence.

Chief Sianez, thank you for your unrelenting dedication to safety and the well-being of our community. I wish you a wonderful retirement.

Mr. Speaker,

I rise to recognize the participants and winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge. This is the largest App Challenge to date.

The App Challenge gives students of all backgrounds and from communities across the Nation the opportunity to move from passive consumers of technology to active creators of technology.

Coding and technological skills will only become more important in the economy of the future. These students blew us away by creating apps that would make a difference, tackling real-world challenges and reflecting their commitment to making our world a better place.

I thank and offer my congratulations to all the students that participated this year, and I wish every single one of them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Wilson for yielding and for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the AXIS Act. We must take strong steps to investigate if and how the Chinese Government and affiliated entities are helping Russia evade sanctions after Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

While the United States, our NATO allies, and countries around the world have strongly condemned and taken action during Vladimir Putin's invasion, the silence and deference from Chinese Government officials is deafening.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi continues to say Russia is China's most important strategic partner. We know that as Russia continues to invade Ukraine, China is eyeing Taiwan. We must show dictators that they cannot invade a free country and ally unprovoked without consequences.

I am proud to cosponsor the AXIS Act, and I thank my friend, Congressman Andy Barr, for leading this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Meuser for yielding, and I thank Representative Connolly, Chairman Meeks, and Ranking Member McCaul for their leadership on this very important issue.

I rise in strong support of this bipartisan, bicameral effort to help restore Taiwan's observer status at the World Health Organization and World Health Assembly.

I am proud to have introduced the House version of this bill, which has nearly 130 bipartisan cosponsors.

Time and time again, Taiwan has proven to be a trusted ally of the United States and to be a world leader in global health security.

From 2009 until 2017, Taiwan had observer status in the WHO and WHA, but it was revoked due to pressure from the Chinese Government. This bill would direct the Secretary of State to implement a strategy to restore Taiwan's observer status.

I am hopeful that today we can send a united message to the people of Taiwan that we value their input and that giving them a seat at the table benefits all of us.

Support for Taiwan is more important than ever. We all know today that as Russia invades Ukraine, China is eyeing Taiwan. A threat to freedom anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.

That is why I urge my colleagues to support this effort and give the people of Taiwan a voice in vital information sharing in the World Health Organization and World Health Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this effort and will continue to be an unwavering voice for global human rights and freedom.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 127.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Luetkemeyer and Chairwoman Velazquez for their leadership on the Small Business Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation, H.R. 6450, the SCORE for Small Business Act of 2022. This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the SCORE program for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, and it will allow SCORE to expand counseling and training through online

webinars, electronic mentoring platforms, and online toolkits to better serve small businesses and entrepreneurs across U.S. communities, including the rural and underserved areas.

Additionally, this bill would better protect taxpayers' dollars through oversight mechanisms. Since 1964, SCORE has helped over 11 million entrepreneurs to establish, expand, or service a small business. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began early 2020, SCORE has seen a 30 percent increase in demand for their services. Despite challenges faced, 89 percent of SCORE clients stayed in business throughout 2020.

In 2021, the SCORE chapter in Orange County in my district helped start 269 new small businesses and create nearly 4,000 jobs. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Orange County SCORE delivered 11,154 total services. In 2021, they delivered 25,146 total services. This is a 125 percent increase and over double the rate of pre-pandemic levels.

Thanks to the volunteers and mentors in SCORE, countless small businesses in my district have been able to keep their businesses running and keep their employees on their payroll.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Craig, for her partnership on this. I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6450 and allow SCORE to continue this public-private partnership to support small businesses across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I have visited our southern border three times since I have been in office, and the crisis is only getting worse.

Not only have we seen the most illegal crossings on record over the past year, but also fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, and the top source of fentanyl is the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Biden administration's decision to end title 42 without a plan will only worsen this crisis.

It is past time to stop playing politics with border security. Federal law requires the Department of Homeland Security to create and implement a strategy to secure our northern border, but we currently don't have one that addresses the southern border crisis.

I introduced the Comprehensive Southern Border Strategy Act to change that and direct the Department of Homeland Security to create a strategy to secure our U.S.-Mexico border.

Our economic prosperity, national security, and public safety requires secure borders.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Ranking Member Lucas' motion to instruct.

This motion will agree with section 2502 included in USICA, which prohibits entities identified as Chinese military companies from receiving

funds through the new technology directorate, the supply chain resiliency program, the regional innovation program, or the Manufacturing USA program.

In other words, this motion ensures taxpayer dollars spent in this bill do not go toward the Chinese Communist Party.

On the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, we spent several months working on a series of bipartisan competitiveness bills that we could have gone to conference with. Unfortunately, with little notice, we voted on a 3,000-page bill that was not bipartisan, did not include strong protections to safeguard U.S. investments from CCP, and provided $8 billion for a climate slush fund that we have zero oversight over and China has already taken $100 million from.

Republicans offered several amendments with similar language to that of Ranking Member Lucas' motion to instruct in the Rules Committee, but unfortunately, the majority did not allow them to be considered on the House floor.

The CCP is watching us. Today, we have an opportunity to send a strong bipartisan and bicameral message: We are bolstering American competitiveness and national security to ensure we lead in the development and deployment of the technologies of the future.

It is imperative we have guardrails, such as Mr. Lucas' motion to instruct, in order to ensure these investments do not fall into the hands of the CCP and to attain a true bipartisan, bicameral agreement.

I thank Ranking Member Lucas for his leadership and his motion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Brea Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Heidi Gallegos for her dedicated service to our community.

Heidi served in the Los Angeles Police Department for 11 years and on the Board of Trustees for Rowland Unified School District for 12 years. Most recently, she guided the Brea Chamber of Commerce through the Great Recession and the COVID-19 lockdowns. Despite unprecedented economic challenges, Heidi led the chamber to build reserves and remain successful.

She consistently operates with integrity, energy, and compassion and has established a reputation for strong, trusted leadership.

I thank Heidi for all that she has done for our community. I am proud to call her a friend, and I wish her a joyful retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Ralph Ahn, a pioneer in the Korean-American community, who exemplified the American Dream.

Ralph was the youngest child of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, and Ralph joined the United States Navy and bravely served our country fighting in World War II.

Ralph eventually started acting, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Philip Ahn, who was one of the first Asian-American actors.

Ralph made his film debut as a Korean prisoner in ``Battle Circus'' before taking on the roles in ``Mission Over Korea,'' ``Prisoner of War,'' ``The Hook,'' ``It Takes Two,'' ``The Golden Girls,'' and most recently as Tran on ``New Girl.''

I remember last seeing Ralph at an event about a year ago commemorating the Korean-American Pioneers and Korean independence.

While I am sad that the last generation of Korean-American leaders have passed, I know that their legacy will continue to live on. I offer my deepest condolences to his beautiful wife, Anne, and his family.

Mr. Speaker, I share concerns that others have raised on the process of our getting here, but I rise today in favor of banning Russian energy imports. And I urge the Biden administration to work on an all-of-the-above domestic energy strategy.

While I am glad that we are stopping the flow of U.S. capital to the Kremlin, I am concerned that prices will rise without a plan to support domestic energy production. Our national security will also continue to be at risk as the administration looks to countries like Iran and Venezuela to fuel our communities.

The more we rely on authoritarian regimes, the more we hurt our economy, national security, and environment.

Energy security is national security. We need responsible energy solutions to expand domestic energy supply chains and lower costs for consumers.