Joaquin Castro

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when Americans think about their main concerns--I have a bread and butter district where people are thinking foremost about their work. They want to make sure that they can support themselves and their family members, but there hasn't been much in the way of anything from the White House to create jobs. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Congresswoman, you bring up a great point, and you focused on the environment there and how the President's budget proposal and the majority's budget proposal is damaging to the environment. I think about a series that I saw yesterday in Texas. The Texas Tribune is an online publication, but it is kind of like the State newspaper, and they did a series called ``A Pass to Poison.'' And in the series, they noted that in 2016, I believe, there were about 3,700 incidents of air pollution in Texas, and the regulating agency in Texas, which is TCEQ, only gave out fines for 20 of those incidents. So you talk about breathing harmful air. I can't help but think what will happen if these cuts that are being proposed under this budgetary situation go through, are we going to have 5,000 incidents now, and you are still only going to fine 20 people?

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. That is right. You bring up a great point, and then I want to talk real quick about the budget. There is this underlying tone from the President and from other politicians that some of the folks who are on Medicaid are somehow undeserving, that they are somehow freeloading, and that is just not the case. It is a complete misunderstanding of who these Americans are. We talk about how healthcare failed. It seems like the President promised healthcare, but it didn't happen. One of the things that they wanted to do before healthcare, which hasn't happened either, was tax reform. That is going to be very difficult, especially when one of the foundations of your new tax plan is giving a tax cut to the wealthiest folks, literally who need it the least, but it raises a question of the budget and what the budget does for the American people.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. And, by the way, Congresswoman Moore, that is why a lot of people were referring to these cuts as cruel. I mean, it really is cruel.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. And, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, in the 1990s, my grandmother was in her eighties. In 1993, she went into a nursing home and stayed there for about 3 years until she passed away. My grandmother suffered most of her life from type 2 diabetes, and before the end of her life, she had to have one of her legs amputated, and finally succumbed to congenital heart failure, but there is no way that my family, my mom, would have been able to afford to pay for 3 years of a nursing home stay but for the effect of this program.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Sixty-four percent of long-term nursing home stays are paid for by Medicaid.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.

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

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I hear you. I wanted to give Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz the last word. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. This week, I thought it was astounding, in the course of less than 24 hours, the Senate was unable to pass a healthcare bill. The President had promised for months that there would be a new healthcare bill to replace so-called ObamaCare. That failed in the Senate. And then the strategy after that became: Well, we are just going to repeal this, and we are going to give ourselves 2 years to come up with a replacement. That failed today, and I think it failed for good reasons, because that would be disastrous for the American people; 32 million people would be dropped from the healthcare rolls if all you did was repeal. So what were you hearing in this whole debate in Wisconsin from your constituents and your voters up there? Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, every day, millions of Americans from every corner of our Nation get up early in the morning, leave their families, go off to work. They work hard to support themselves and their families. Many of them work two or more jobs at a time. Some come home very late, miss seeing their kids go to bed. These are folks, again, in every part of the Nation who don't ask much from their government. The only thing that they ask is that we live in a country where there is opportunity to pursue their American Dreams. That means different things for different people. Some kids dream of growing up and being a teacher, an engineer, a lawyer, a firefighter, many things. As parents, we want to see our kids succeed, to live in a nation that remains the preeminent Nation of opportunity around the world. Unfortunately, over the last 6 months, the policies pursued by this administration are endangering the United States' infrastructure of opportunity, endangering our position in the world. Today we are going to have an opportunity to talk about some of those policies that are harmful to America now and America in the future. President Trump's proposals on the budget, for example, would hurt the creation of jobs, the ability of people to get healthcare, would be bad for the environment, would do so much harm in so many ways. So I am honored tonight to be with three of my colleagues, all of us from different parts of the country: Myself from Texas, the congresswoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), the congresswoman from Washington State (Ms. Jayapal), and the congresswoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz). First I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, because I know that she has some very strong opinions and perspectives on healthcare.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Corporal Frank Sandoval, a Korean War veteran who was laid to rest at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio today. Corporal Sandoval was taken as a prisoner of war and died in a North Korean POW camp when he was just 20 years old. His family was notified that he was missing in 1951, and told of his death in 1953. Sadly, at the time, Corporal Sandoval's remains were misidentified and interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Thankfully, through DNA analysis, the Department of Defense was recently able to correctly identify Corporal Sandoval's body, and he has returned home to San Antonio after more than 60 years. That Corporal Sandoval will now permanently rest in San Antonio provides his family with long-awaited closure. His sons, Alex and Frank, who were just babies when their father left to serve the United States overseas, have finally had the opportunity to welcome him home. I join the San Antonio community in wishing the Sandoval family well and honoring the return of a patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the life and legacy of Florentino ``Tino'' Duran, a publisher, veteran, and philanthropist who worked tirelessly to help San Antonians. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1934, Tino graduated from Lanier High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force. He attended San Antonio College where he first flexed his journalism muscle while working on tbe school paper, The Ranger. After earning his bachelor's degree in political science, Tino continued his education and completed a master's degree in public administration at St. Mary's University. Tino later became general manager of Dallas newspaper El Sol de Tejas and then served as president and CEO of Fort Worth's El Infomador Hispano. But his crowning professional achievement was his tenure as publisher of La Prensa De San Antonio, the first bilingual publication in Texas. According to his family, Tino strove to inform, educate, and inspire San Antonians, particularly the Hispanic community. A compassionate, generous man who understood the power of education, Tino established. the La Prensa Foundation in 1995 with his wife Amelia ``Millie'' Duran to award college scholarships to local students. Since its creation, the La Prensa Foundation has provided more than 200 students with over $2 million of financial assistance to attend institutions throughout Texas. Tino is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Millie; his three sons Tino Jr., David, and Steve, and their wives Susan, Norma and Virginia; his daughters Nina and Margie, and Margie's husband Kenneth; 13 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. I offer my condolences to Tino's family and share the gratitude so many San Antonians have for Tino's tremendous service to our community.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, seeing no other speakers on my side, I am prepared to close as long as there are no other speakers on the majority side. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, once again, Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and Representatives Schakowsky and Noem for their hard work. I again urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I want to thank the bill's authors, Representative Schakowsky and Representative Noem, for their years' worth of work on this measure. I also want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for helping move it forward. Wherever there are conflicts around the world, women and girls face particular vulnerabilities, but they also possess unique abilities to bring peace and prosperity to their communities. Research has shown that getting women involved in conflict resolution and peace building leads to better outcomes. That is why the Obama administration launched its executive order on Women, Peace, and Security in 2011 to make sure women had a seat at the table when it came to conflict prevention and resolution. Thanks to the Obama administration's efforts, the United States has worked to include women in conflict prevention, negotiation, and resolution. We have promoted efforts to enhance the physical and economic security of women around the world, and we have sought to break through the barriers that have stopped women from being full participants in peace processes. The bill we are considering will make these policies permanent. It would build on what the Obama administration has accomplished by making sure agency personnel across our government are fully trained on the unique strengths women bring to conflict prevention and resolution. It would also require annual reporting so Congress can stay apprised of these efforts. Making this strategy permanent is absolutely imperative. It is important that we fully recognize and appreciate how women's participation can help make our foreign policy stronger. I am pleased to support this measure, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), the coauthor of this bill, a true advocate for women, and my colleague.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Albio Sires for their incredible work on this issue and all of their passion. I also thank the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee chairman, Congressman Duncan. I know how much he has worked on the issue of Venezuela, and Latin America also. The people of Venezuela are in dire need of humanitarian assistance to endure critical food and medicine shortages. The desperation, oppression, and violence in Venezuela really are reaching a breaking point. Three out of four Venezuelans have lost significant weight during the last year due to food shortages. In 2016, the nation suffered a homicide rate of 91.8 per 100,000 people, making Venezuela the second most violent country in the world outside of a war zone. We have reason to believe more than half of Venezuelans want to leave their home country. Last year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Colombia should expect an ``avalanche'' of Venezuelan refugees, an influx that could complicate this critical time for Colombia's own peace agreement. Meanwhile, President Maduro's government is taking increasingly antidemocratic actions in violation of Venezuela's own constitution. Since Venezuela's supreme court attempted to dissolve the country's legislature in March, the Venezuelan people have sustained massive protests, leading to a brutal crackdown from government security forces. The best outcome for this political crisis is a Venezuelan solution: a peaceful return to free and fair elections. At the same time, the United States has a responsibility to work alongside our allies at the Organization of American States and the United Nations to hold Maduro's government accountable and to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela. Last week, President Trump authorized sanctions against the members of Venezuela's supreme court who attempted to shut down the legislature. While U.S. sanctions against individuals in the Maduro regime are justified, sanctions work best when implemented multilaterally. More importantly, unilateral actions are no substitute for collective, coordinated pressure. The OAS has scheduled a meeting of foreign ministers on the situation in Venezuela to take place on May 31 here in Washington, D.C. This meeting presents an opportunity to work with our partners and Venezuela's neighbors to support a return to democracy and respect for human rights. I hope Secretary Tillerson will represent the United States at this meeting and demonstrate our Nation's support for the Venezuelan people. One of the reasons that I chose to join the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee when I was already part of the Foreign Affairs Committee is because I believe that there are many things that happen in Latin America that don't get the attention that they deserve here in the United States. It is amazing to think that there is a human rights crisis going on right now in our own Western Hemisphere. Of course, there are many challenges around the world. We know that because of the war in Syria and the unrest in the region, Europe, over the last few years, has faced its largest migration crisis since World War II. There are challenges with human rights and freedom in every continent just about. But we have to make sure that we attend to the things that are happening in our own backyard, so to speak. So I thank each of you for being here tonight to speak up on this issue of human rights in Venezuela and the crisis that they are going through.

Mr. CASTRO of Texas

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Republicans, over the last few months, have said that they would fundamentally change health care in the United States, and it is clear today that they have. They have made it much worse. I want to highlight one provision that allows for States to permit insurers to get rid of essential healthcare benefits and charge people more who have preexisting conditions. Think about that for a second. In my home State of Texas, the Governor and other State leaders have already turned their back on so many people, allowing foster care children to sleep in State offices, allowing sex trafficking and human trafficking victims to go to jail because there is nowhere else to put them. You should ask yourselves: What will your leaders do? Will they allow insurers to charge you more for preexisting conditions like diabetes and hypertension and cancer and asthma? Do you think, and do you trust, that they are going to do the right thing by you? Because today, this plan allows them to abandon you.