Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 533) to amend the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to modify certain provisions of that Act, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 533, Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan people have suffered 70 years of Chinese Communist Party oppression and control. From forced labor, forced sterilization, arbitrary detention, the banning of Tibetan education, religious practices, and language, the CCP will not stop until it has erased Tibetan culture.

Last year, the CCP released a white paper on its policies in Tibet. In that document, the party doubles down on its oppression and crackdown on the religious and economic freedom of Tibetans.

That is why I am a proud cosponsor of this bipartisan bill, introduced by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee (Mr. McCaul).

The CCP has refused to speak with the Tibetan Central Authorities since 2010, essentially putting the future of Tibet, and the safety of millions of Tibetans, at suspended risk.

This bill helps Tibetans in two main ways:

First, it pushes back against CCP propaganda about the history of Tibet. It is simply not true that Tibet has been, as the CCP claims, a ``part of China since ancient times.'' U.S. policy has never accepted that false claim.

For that reason, this legislation clarifies U.S. policy, highlights the unique language, religion, and culture of the Tibetan people, and directs U.S. diplomats to push back against CCP propaganda.

Second, this bill ensures that Tibetans have a say in their own future. It stresses the need for a direct dialogue between the CCP and the democratically elected leaders of Tibet, and that any resolution must be peaceful and include the voice of the Tibetan people.

Tibetans are democracy-loving people who wish to freely practice their religion and have their distinct identity acknowledged and respected.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to play a small part in supporting this dream for the Tibetan people. I urge all my colleagues to help push back against the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown against the Tibetan people by voting in favor of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 533, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Madam Speaker, I again thank Mr. McGovern, Chairman McCaul, and Ranking Member Meeks for introducing this legislation. I urge the passage of H.R. 533, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 40.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate Lunar New Year, Seollal, and Tet Festival as we ring in the new Year of the Dragon, symbolizing strength, power, and good fortune.

I wish success, opportunities, happiness, and good changes for you and your family this new year.

In Congress, I will embody the fighting spirit of the dragon to keep breaking through the partisan gridlock and delivering results to keep our communities safe and prosperous, make life more affordable, and expand opportunities for Americans to achieve their dreams.

Please allow me to offer best wishes to everyone in different Asian languages:

Korean: ``saehae bok mani badeuseyo''

Mandarin: ``Xin nian kuai le''

Cantonese: ``Gong hei fat choy''

Vietnamese: ``Chuc Mung Nam Moi''.

Happy new year.

Mr. Speaker, I visited the southern border last week in Eagle Pass, Texas, to see the situation at our border firsthand and to hear from Border Patrol, landowners, judges, and community members on how this is impacting them.

This was my fourth border visit since I have been in Congress. The crisis at our border is worse than ever.

Just last month, CBP reported 302,000 illegal crossings. That is enough people to fill out the Anaheim Angel Stadium nearly seven times over, just from one month.

I heard from Border Patrol who said they are spreading themselves thin as we see more crossings. They have become caretakers instead of devoting their time to handling the backlog of illegal migrants or working to protect our border.

The border facilities are expensive. In fact, the Del Rio and Eagle Pass facilities alone cost $25 million to maintain every month. This doesn't include the salaries of Border Patrol agents.

I heard from county leaders who said that every week they perform autopsies on dead migrants found at the border. The price that both migrants and our communities pay is staggering.

Meanwhile, we have some reports of the Biden administration storing unused physical barriers and technologies at taxpayers' expense that could be used to help secure our border.

The numbers are startling, and the stories are heartbreaking. As a mother, grandmother, and immigrant who came here legally as a young girl, seeing these migrants being exploited by cartels breaks my heart.

Let me be clear, there is nothing fair, humane, or compassionate about the Biden administration's border policies. In fact, the Biden administration and DHS Secretary Mayorkas' open border policies have only emboldened cartels, giving them $32 million a week profit. While cartels line their pockets and funnel fentanyl into our streets and our schools, Americans are endangered, and our Border Patrol is overworked and overwhelmed.

Sadly, this has undermined the legal immigration process and all those who have been waiting and playing by the rules.

This year, marks 100 years of the U.S. Border Patrol. Let's do right by these brave men and women who have dangerous and demanding jobs and give them the tools they need to protect us.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced a bipartisan border strategy bill to gain operational control of our southern border, and I am committed to do my part in being part of the solution here. The Biden administration must come to the table and do the same.

Thanking Mike Markus for his Dedication to the Water District

Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the Orange County Water District general manager, Mike Markus, for his dedicated service to the water district and to ensuring access to clean water for our Orange County communities and residents.

During his impressive 35-year career, Mike managed the implementation of the Groundwater Replenishment System program, which has become the largest potable reuse project in the world with a capacity to hold enough water for 1 million people.

Mike has received many notable and well-deserved awards for his work, including most recently the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.

He has been a great resource to me and my office and I appreciate his partnership in supporting our communities. It has been a great privilege to work with his son, Dan, who is the staff director on the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mike for everything, and I wish him a very wonderful and successful retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McHenry for yielding and supporting my legislation. I also thank Representative Green of Texas for co-leading this bill, H.R. 540, and making it a bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 540, the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act.

Longstanding U.S. policy towards Taiwan has supported its membership

in international organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite.

The U.S. also advocates for Taiwan's voice to be heard where membership is not possible. This principle has lasted decades across Republican and Democratic administrations, and it has repeatedly been reaffirmed in bills passed by Congress.

My bill is straightforward. It requires the Treasury Department to implement our Taiwan policy at the International Monetary Fund, or IMF.

Taiwan is not required to be a member state of the United Nations in order to gain membership in the IMF. For example, Kosovo, also not a U.N. member, has belonged to the IMF for over a decade.

If Taiwan seeks admission to the IMF, then the Treasury Department should carry out our longstanding U.S. policy and support its application. While Taiwan awaits its admission to the IMF, H.R. 540 encourages the U.S. Governor of the IMF to support integrating Taiwan into the IMF's regular economic monitoring activities and Taiwanese nationals with equal employment opportunities at the IMF.

The IMF is devoted to monetary cooperation, exchange rate stability, and the growth of international trade. Taiwan is one of our top 10 trading partners, and it has the fifth largest cash reserves of any foreign country; greater than Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, or any European country except Switzerland.

At a time when China has been threatening the work of the IMF through its nontransparent lending abroad and its lack of cooperation with other creditors, we must focus the IMF on effective international cooperation.

Mr. Speaker, advocating for Taiwan's membership in the IMF would also unlock additional opportunities for the country in other international financial institutions, as was mentioned, one of which is the World Bank which requires countries to first be members of the IMF before becoming a member of World Bank.

With Taiwan's election taking place this week, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 540 and send the Taiwanese people a strong message of solidarity and support for their democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Calvert for his leadership and for yielding.

I rise to honor and thank Speaker Kevin McCarthy who is a selfless and amazing leader and who is always optimistic about his service in Congress which has left a lasting impact on his community, our States, our party, and our country.

Kevin has had my back since I first decided to run for Congress, and he has encouraged me every single step of the way. He has worked tirelessly to make our party look more like America, and the gains we have made in the past 5 years are a testament to that.

Kevin has been committed to ensuring people like me and each of us in our conference have what it takes to be effective Members for our districts. He is the reason we have a House majority today.

I always say the GOP is the grand opportunity party, and that is because of Members like Kevin, who are committed to promoting commonsense policies to get our country back on track, make life more affordable, keep our communities safe, and protect the American Dream.

I thank Kevin. I wish him the best in the next chapter. I know he is just getting started because I know he never gives up.

Mr. Speaker, 2 months ago on October 7, Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, subjecting women to barbaric sexual violence, taking hostages, and upending the lives of so many innocent civilians. These attacks are abhorrent.

The images, videos, and stories of the victims have rocked the world and impacted each of us. We must be unequivocal in condemning Hamas.

That is why I led 87 colleagues in a bipartisan letter to U.N. Women after they still have not publicly condemned Hamas for these attacks and sexual violence against women.

They have since reversed course, but their silence for nearly 2 months leaves a stain on their mission as a leader on women's issues.

I will keep working to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their backing of Hamas terrorists behind these attacks, and I stand with Israel and our Jewish community always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Kimchi Day. Kimchi is a staple Korean banchan, or side dish, consisting of fermented cabbage and other vegetables.

What was once limited to Korean families' tables is now a culinary icon that reflects the growing Korean cultural influence in the United States since the first Korean immigrants arrived more than a century ago.

I am proud to be joined by many Korean Americans from all across the country in the gallery today to celebrate kimchi and the larger contributions that the Korean-American community have made here in the United States.

Later this afternoon, Members and those listening are invited to come to the Cannon Caucus Room at 2 p.m. as we celebrate Kimchi Day with our Korean-American community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Korean-American colleagues--there are four of us serving in Congress: Andy Kim, Young Kim, Michelle Steel, and Marilyn Strickland--who have been instrumental in working with me in a bipartisan way to introduce this Korean Kimchi Day resolution to make November 22 as Kimchi Day. I thank my colleagues and those who signed on to that resolution.

Lastly, I thank everybody for loving kimchi. ``Kimchi mah-nee saranghae joosaeyo,'' ``Please love kimchi a lot.''

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S.J. Res. 32. This is a CRA resolution to rescind the final rule implementing section 1071 of Dodd-Frank. I thank Chairman Williams and Senator Kennedy for their leadership to rescind the CFPB's harmful proposal.

The rule is nearly 900 pages and requires lenders to report 81 data fields. If the CFPB's proposal is enacted, small financial institutions will be forced to devote more of their time to comply with burdensome regulations rather than focusing on providing loans for small business owners.

With credit tightening for small businesses due to persistent inflation, higher interest rates, and an uncertain economic environment, the CFPB's 1071 rule would impose higher costs for small businesses and lead to a decrease in lending to small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses.

Earlier this year, the CFPB suffered a major data breach when an employee forwarded consumer information of more than a quarter million to a personal email account. How can we trust the CFPB to properly manage the collection of additional data when it cannot efficiently safeguard existing data?

I urge Director Chopra to go back to the drawing board on section 1071 and issue a rule that gets it right without punishing small banks and small credit unions with higher compliance costs and burdensome requirements.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this resolution and access to credit for small businesses by voting in favor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, under current law, American seniors who defer enrollment in Medicare may find themselves hit with higher fees

due to late enrollment charges. Permanently raising seniors' healthcare premiums for delaying Medicare enrollment only hurts seniors who are already struggling on fixed incomes.

That is why I helped introduce the Medicare Economic Security Solutions Act. This is a bipartisan bill to cap these fees and address red tape for seniors enrolling in Medicare.

As someone who is approaching the eligibility age myself--believe it or not--protecting the benefits our seniors have earned is personal to me.

I am proud to help lead this bipartisan and commonsense bill that would lower costs for my constituents. I urge my colleagues to join me on this bill.

Madam Chair, I thank Chairman McCaul for yielding.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5961, the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act, to keep Iran from accessing the $6 billion in assets that were unfrozen in September.

This bill imposes sanctions on international financial institutions that process, participate in, or facilitate transactions using or involving the $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian assets that were transferred from South Korea to Qatar in exchange for five hostages kept in Iran in September.

While I am glad the hostages came back to their homes, we cannot incentivize more hostage taking by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The administration claims that this funding could be used only for humanitarian purposes, but Iranian President Raisi has countered that the Islamic Republic of Iran can use the assets ``wherever we need it.'' Those are his words.

Allowing Iran to access these funds would be foolish. Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel showed the world how much destruction Iran is capable of through its illicit finance of terrorist organizations.

We also now see Iran's proxy militia and terrorist organizations carrying out attacks on U.S. troops and military assets in Syria and Iraq.

Congress must take strong action to bolster our sanctions policy and stop Iran from accessing assets that it can use to carry out its terrorist agenda across the Middle East.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Mike Andersen, a U.S. Army veteran and owner of Veteran Air.

Mike led a life of service and made a lasting impact in his 40 years of life. He joined the Army in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, serving 4 years and deploying to Iraq. When he returned, he started Veteran Air, an HVAC company that has become a pillar of California's 40th District and throughout Orange County.

From holiday donations to restoring the Prado Dam Mural, Veteran Air is everywhere and always giving back to our community and to our area.

His efforts expanded even further when Veteran Air launched Operation Water Drop. Mike packed up supplies and drove to Texas to provide support during the historic 2021 freeze. My heart is with Mike's family, his wife, Jessica; their six children; and the Veteran Air family as we mourn Mike's passing and honor his legacy.

His impact will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution to demonstrate that this House stands united with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.

On October 7, we watched in horror as hundreds of terrorists poured across the Israel-Gaza border and massacred, kidnapped, and raped Israelis. It is abhorrent. This is at the hands of Hamas

and Hezbollah terrorist groups backed and funded by the Iran regime. They want to wipe Israel off the map. Thousands of rockets have fallen on Israel and continue falling as we speak. This has been the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

I visited Israel last year, and I felt the constant threat of attack that the people of Israel face. It reminded me of my time growing up in South Korea as a young girl after the Korean war, and I felt that constant threat coming from North Korea. This is really personal to me. Hamas now holds around 200 hostages from Israel, the U.S., and other countries around the world.

Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist aggression, bring its hostages home, and its right to exist.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for leading this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would have catastrophic consequences for priorities our conference champions, including elimination of religious freedom programming, gutting the Counter China Influence Fund, and hamstringing international cybersecurity capacity building at a time when each of those foreign policy priorities is under great pressure.

The funds from the Economic Support Fund are available to protect human rights and freedom of the press, combat human trafficking and corruption, and increase public accountability.

This account goes to countries of strategic significance to the United States and often intended to promote the political and economic stability of our U.S. allies.

Mr. Chair, the fiscal year 2024 bill already marks a $2.4 billion reduction from the President's request and a $1.3 billion reduction from the fiscal year 2023 level.

The dramatic shift proposed in this amendment would be an absolute whiplash for our partners and allies overseas and detrimental to many of the GOP and bipartisan priorities funded through this account.

Mr. Chair, I would go on about the priorities that would be lost if this amendment were adopted, like training for Taiwan and Cuba democracy programs, but I will simply say this amendment is a disservice to responsible and effective diplomacy.

I encourage my colleagues to oppose this amendment, with all due respect.

Mr. Speaker, first built in 1884 in south Orange County, Cook's Corner has become a historic and iconic staple in California's 40th Congressional District in Trabuco Canyon for local residents, motorcycle enthusiasts, and for tourists from all over southern California and from all over the Nation.

On August 23, 2023, our community was rocked by a horrific shooting at Cook's Corner that resulted in three deaths and six wounded.

We are grateful for our local law enforcement, especially the Orange County Sheriff deputies and first responders who responded quickly at the scene.

As our community mourns and picks up the pieces, we also know we are stronger together.

Today, I rise with bipartisan Members of our California delegation and ask all Members to join me in a moment of silence in the memory of the victims: Tonya Clark of Arizona; Glen Sprowl, Jr., of Stanton; and John Leehey of Irvine; and in solidarity with the communities that I represent.