Gregorio Casar

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for us to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act tonight in the U.S. House to uphold the fundamental right for all American workers, the right to bargain collectively for a fair contract. American workers marched, bled, and died for the right to form a union. They marched, bled, and died for the right to join together and bargain for fair wages and working conditions. However, for far too many Americans, that right exists in name only because far too often employers drag out contract negotiations for weeks, months, and then years. On average, it takes more than 465 days to secure a first union contract. That is 465 days that workers go without fair wages, benefits, and the protections that they have earned. That is unacceptable. Today, we say: When you exercise your fundamental rights to organize a union, you deserve a contract without needless delay. After we do our job in the House, the Senate should pass this bill without delay. I am very grateful to the ranking member and to Mr. Norcross for this effort. I also want to say a word about how the bill came to the floor. The bill itself is critically important, but today's vote is about more than any one bill. After the Speaker refused to bring the bill to the floor, working people got to work and organized 218 signatures needed to force this vote. This vote sends a clear message that when working people stand together, we can win under the most difficult of circumstances. It is happening more and more. Just this Congress, we have stood together to demand a vote on collective bargaining for Federal workers, the right to form a union, affordable healthcare, defense for the people of Ukraine, and the rights of those with temporary protected status. The vote sends a message that the Speaker may hold the gavel, but in the United States of America, working people are still in charge.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Art Guerrero, a dedicated public servant whose integrity, courage, and commitment to justice helped free an innocent woman after more than two decades of wrongful imprisonment. A native Austinite, Mr. Guerrero is an alum of Metz Elementary School, Allan Junior High School, and Johnston High School, Class of 1966. He went on to attend Southwest Texas State in San Marcos and left after his first year to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. He continued his public service by working for a Justice of the Peace in Travis County and then as a deputy under Sheriff Raymond Frank. Then, after seven years with the Mueller Airport Police, Art was an investigator for the city until he retired in the 1980s. After retirement, Art decided to return to the Travis County Courthouse as a bailiff. In 2005, Mr. Guerrero served during the trial of Carmen Mejia, who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison. While bailiffs are neutral observers at trial, Art recalled that this case deeply troubled him. Having witnessed many trials before, he worried that Mejia had not received adequate legal representation during her trial. In 2022, Art connected with the Innocence Project and officials in the Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza's Office to share his concerns and encourage a review of the case. His tireless advocacy helped initiate a reexamination of the conviction. In 2025 and 2026, District Judge David Wahlberg formally found Carmen Mejia innocent, and she was exonerated and freed after 23 years behind bars. Throughout this process, Mr. Guerrero has remained humble about his role, emphasizing that he simply followed his conscience and his belief that justice must always be pursued with honesty and fairness. His willingness to come forward demonstrates the importance of integrity in public service and reminds us that safeguarding our liberties requires vigilance from everyone. When the powers that be are wrong, our Nation relies on the moral integrity of everyday citizens like Art Guerrero to set things right. As the United States Representative for the 35th District of Texas, it is my great privilege to recognize Art Guerrero for his years of service to the people of Texas and for his principled commitment to fairness and accountability. His example reminds us that the strength of our democracy depends not only on laws and institutions, but also on the courage of those willing to challenge those institutions for the sake of justice. I am grateful for his decency, his tenacity, and his commitment to the pursuit of fairness for all Texans.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 1099. While I unambiguously condemn the brutal, repressive Iranian regime, I will vote against this resolution because I fear it will be used as a pretext to support Trump's illegal war of choice. I oppose Trump's illegal war in Iran, which is killing U.S. servicemembers, destabilizing the Middle East, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, and raising the price of gas, all while Americans are losing their healthcare. I remain clear-eyed about the nature of the Iranian government and condemn its malign activities across the region and its brutal domestic repression, including its recent slaughter of thousands of protesters. However, the appalling behavior of governments abroad cannot give Trump the unilateral power to start forever wars across the globe.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 19, H.R. 2262, Flexibility for Workers Education Act; NAY on Roll Call No. 23, H.R. 4593, SHOWER Act; NAY on Roll Call No. 28, H.R. 7006, Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026; and NAY on Roll Call No. 31, H.R. 2988, Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 12, H.R. 5184.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 362, H.R. 498; NAY on Roll Call No. 360, H.R. 845; NAY on Roll Call No. 358, H.R. 1366; and NAY on Roll Call No. 356, H.R. 4776.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted as follows: NAY on Roll Call No. 310, H.R. 2965, Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act of 2025; NAY on Roll Call No. 311, H.R. 4305, DUMP Red Tape Act; NAY on Roll Call No. 312, H.R. 1005, Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act; NAY on Roll Call No. 313, H.R. 1069, PROTECT Our Kids Act; and NAY on Roll Call No. 314, H.R. 1049, Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 334, H.R. 3668, Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 289; NAY on Roll Call No. 292; NAY on Roll Call No. 294; NAY on Roll Call No. 295; NAY on Roll Call No. 296; NAY on Roll Call No. 298; NAY on Roll Call No. 299; YEA on Roll Call No. 301; NAY on Roll Call No. 303; NAY on Roll Call No. 304; and NAY on Roll Call No. 305.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of Rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Resolution censuring Representative Cory Mills. Whereas, Representative Cory Mills has on several occasions conducted himself in a manner that reflects discredit upon the House of Representatives; Whereas, on February 19, 2025, Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to resolve a private matter at Representative Cory Mills' residence, where officers were called to the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, Southwest, around 1:15 p.m. for the report of an assault; Whereas, police reports obtained by NBC4 Washington confirmed that the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department was investigating Representative Cory Mills for an alleged assault of a 27-year-old woman that took place on February 19, 2025, at the residence of Representative Cory Mills. Whereas, the first police report, provided to NBC4 Washington by a source and confirmed by a second source familiar with the investigation, said that the 27-year-old woman accused her significant other for over a year of having grabbed her, shoved her, and pushed her out of the door, and also said that the woman involved showed the officer ``bruises on her arm which appeared fresh''; Whereas, NBC4 Washington also reported that the Metropolitan Police Department identified Representative Cory Mills as the significant other of the alleged victim of assault--which alleged victim was a 27- year-old woman who was not the wife of Representative Cory Mills--and that the alleged victim ``let officers hear Subject 1 [now identified by MPD as Mills] instruct her to lie about the origin of her bruises . . . Eventually, Subject 1 [who we now know is Representative Cory Mills] made contact with police and admitted that the situation escalated from verbal to physical, but it was severe enough to create bruising''; Whereas, on February 21, 2025, The Washington Post also confirmed two D.C. police officials said that the alleged victim of assault initially told 911 and police that she had been assaulted and that officers said she also had what seems to be visible injuries, and that while a supervisor initially classified the offense internally as a family disturbance, police commanders later learned of the incident, reviewed the reports and body camera footage and reclassified the case as domestic violence assault; Whereas, on February 21, 2025, NBC4 Washington also reported that the Metropolitan Police Department determined that probable cause to arrest Representative Cory Mills for misdemeanor assault existed and sent an arrest warrant for Representative Cory Mills to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia; however, then-Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin refused to sign the arrest warrant for Representative Cory Mills and instead returned the case to the Metropolitan Police Department for further investigation; Whereas, on July 14, 2025, a different former romantic partner of Representative Cory Mills, who was apparently in a relationship with Representative Mills from November 2021 to February 2025, reported to authorities in Florida that Representative Mills threatened to release nude images and other intimate videos of her and threatened to harm her future romantic partners in retaliation for her decision to end a relationship with Representative Mills after seeing the public reports described above concerning the alleged February 2025 physical assault; Whereas, in August 2024, the Office of Congressional Conduct adopted and transmitted to the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives a report indicating that there was substantial reason to believe that Representative Cory Mills may have omitted or misrepresented required information in his financial disclosure statements, accepted excessive contributions to his campaign committee in the form of personal loans and contributions that may not have derived from Representative Cory Mills' personal funds; entered into, held, or enjoyed contracts with Federal agencies while he was a Member of Congress; and may have accepted through his campaign committee in- kind contributions or other contributions not lawfully made; Whereas, individuals who served with Representative Cory Mills have called into question the veracity of the account of events which formed the basis of a recommendation that Representative Cory Mills receive an award of a Bronze Star, bestowed in 2021, for his service under enemy fire in Iraq in 2003; Whereas, in August 2024, Representative Mills provided the Daytona Beach News with documents purporting to prove that he earned a Bronze Star with heroism, including a Department of the Army Form 638 recommending Representative Mills for a Bronze Star, which includes a signature from then-Army Brigade Commander Arnold N. Gordon-Bray; however, Retired Brigadier General Bray told the Daytona Beach News- Journal in August 2024 that he did not sign a Bronze Star recommendation for Congressman Cory Mills; Whereas, five people who served with Representative Cory Mills, including two men who were reported as having been personally saved by Representative Mills at great risk to his own life as a basis for his recommendation for his Bronze Star in the Department of the Army Form 638, disputed that Representative Cory Mills was involved in their rescue or provided lifesaving care. Whereas, one private first class cited as having been involved in one of the listed achievements on Representative Cory Mills' Army Form 638 recommending him for a Bronze Star denied that Representative Cory Mills provided him any aid and also denied that his injuries were life- threatening. Whereas, one sergeant cited as having been involved in one of the listed achievements on Representative Cory Mills' Army Form 638 recommending him for a Bronze Star called the account a ``fabrication'' and claimed that he ``was not involved in any claims that Cory Mills makes about me''; and Whereas, despite the numerous available contradictions of the accounts forming the basis of the recommendation for his Bronze Star, Representative Cory Mills described the legitimate factual disputes raised by individuals he purportedly served with and rescued as ``slander and defamation'' in a statement to the Daytona Beach News- Journal: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, that-- One, Representative Cory Mills be censured; Two, Representative Cory Mills forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of the censure; and Three, Representative Cory Mills be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the amendment at the desk that protects against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am Greg Casar. I am proud to represent the heart of Texas in the United States Congress and to chair the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Before all of that, I started my career as a labor organizer, and I saw up close how corporate lobbyists and corrupt politicians would trade campaign contributions for corporate tax breaks and how they would trade lower wages for workers for fatter paychecks for CEOs and their political friends. They thought that working people could do nothing about this. They thought their workers were too divided to push back. On construction sites, guys who spoke different languages and who came from different places were pissed off, and they were willing to put their differences aside to come together and fight back, stop the corruption, and demand a fair paycheck. We didn't win by going on bended knees and begging big corporations for better treatment. We did it by unifying working people around some central ideas that Americans deserve good pay for a full day's work and that taxpayer dollars are meant for the common good, not for corporate welfare. Those ideas brought workers together to win historic wage increases and better benefits in the heart of Texas. This is what we need today in America. This is what we need the Democratic Party to be all about. The central goal of the Democratic Party should be to break the unholy alliance between corporate greed and corrupt government. We can't just beg CEOs to please bring down prices. We have to break up the giant monopolies that are screwing over consumers and small businesses alike. We can't just beg big CEOs to please be nicer to us. No. We have to get big money out of politics so that the ultrarich don't have a bigger say in this country than the everyday person. We cannot just beg corporations to give people a raise. We have to unionize workplaces and pass laws that protect the American worker and the American worker's wages. To get there, we have to transform the Democratic Party into a party that fights for working people first no matter what and into a party that is willing to stand up to the powerful special interests that are screwing over working people because, if we love our country, we have to be willing to fight for the people who make it work.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to call the attention of the House in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Communities Organized for Public Service/Metro Alliance. Since 1974, the COPS/Metro Alliance has invested billions of dollars into San Antonio families and have fought to make the City a place where everyone's voices are heard. Led by a West-Side native organizer named Ernesto Cortes Jr., church leaders across the City began to organize and work with one another to secure more opportunities for working class residents. They used their newfound voices to fight for housing for seniors, environmental protections, and safer streets. Members of COPS/Metro Alliance even began running for office, and successfully secured funding for libraries, parks, and public services. When factories and plants closed in San Antonio, they created job- training programs and worked with businesses to bring more high-paying jobs to the City. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COPS/ Metro Alliance founded an unprecedented education and job placement program called ``SA Ready to Work'', offering over 28,000 San Antonio residents job placement, support, and retention services, and tuition for high school equivalency, college degrees, and industry-recognized certifications: the first of its kind in the Nation. While great strides have been made in the last few decades to make San Antonio a more equitable city, there is still more work to be done. As the Representative for Texas's 35th Congressional District, I know that the COPS/Metro Alliance will continue its incredible legacy of uplifting the most disadvantaged among us, and work to create an even greater San Antonio.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm for her many years of dedicated public service to our communities in Austin and Travis County, and across Texas. Hailing from Arkansas but raised as a Texan in Winnsboro, Dr. Malcolm earned an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University before going on to serve as a public-school teacher and counselor, later earning her Master of Science from Texas A&M University- Texarkana. In 1996, Dr. Malcolm helped elect Max Sandlin to the U.S. House of Representatives, and later served in his district office where she served the constituents of northeast Texas. From 1998 until 2003, Dr. Malcolm led the Texas Democratic Party as its chairwoman, a position she was elected to three times unanimously. To date, she remains the only woman to ever hold the position of Chair of the state party. In 2011, Dr. Malcolm returned to public education, and earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Texas, where she is a Professor of Practice. She also joined Austin Community College (ACC), where she currently serves as its Executive Vice Chancellor of Operations and Public Affairs. In this role, Dr. Malcolm shepherded ACC into a new era by dedicating herself to educating and serving Austin's students. She led multiple departments, secured millions in public and private grants, developed ACC's COVID-19 response, and furthered ACC's footprint in our communities with the expansion of centers like the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center; El Centro, the Latino/Latin American Studies Center; African-American Cultural Center; and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Cultural Center. Dr. Malcolm's decades of educational and civic dedication have led her to be the recipient of numerous lifetime achievement and alumni awards, including the Leadership Austin Honorary Alumnus Award and the Chancellor's Leadership Excellence Award. She is a proud Texas Exes Alumni Association Life Member, Texas A&M University--Texarkana Alumni Association Life Member, and Southern Methodist University Alumni Association Life Member. As the Congressman for the 35th Congressional District of Texas, I am honored to congratulate Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm on her dedication to education and public service for nearly half a century, and on her well-deserved retirement from Austin Community College. I have no doubt that Dr. Malcolm will continue to be a leader in serving her community for many years to come.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, from 2017 to 2022, Americans who invested in the SSP Index received about a 61 percent return on their investment, but Americans who invested in one of the top 12 cryptocurrencies that existed during that 5-year period did not make money. In fact, on average, they lost about half of their money. Three out of every four bitcoin traders during that time period also lost money. From FTX to Celsius to Blockchain ATMs, the industry has repeatedly lost everyday Americans their money. Whether you are a crypto booster or a crypto sceptic, we can all agree based on the facts that crypto investment is a risk. Since it is a risk, we should want more oversight to protect Americans. This bill before us today doesn't provide us more regulation. It doesn't even provide many Americans the same level of regulation as traditional finance. Instead, it creates a light-touch regulatory regime that can be manipulated by bad actors in both crypto and traditional finance, putting Americans and our 90-year-old securities laws at risk. My amendment focuses on one key area where everyday people who would invest in crypto under this bill will, in fact, receive less protection than Americans invested in traditional finance. The current flawed bill before us creates a crowdfunding registration exemption for crypto that is 15 times weaker than the crowdfunding exemption that exists in traditional finance. In the existing bill before us, someone could crowdfund up to $75 million from everyday Americans, and those Americans would receive just the most minimal of protections. We would never allow that in the non- crypto finance world. My amendment changes the exemption cap to $5 million, putting that cap in line with other current laws, so at the very least Americans making investments in crypto can get the same level of protection as crowdfunding investors in traditional finance. I hope that whether you are for the underlying bill or against the underlying bill like me, we can agree that this commonsense amendment will help protect everyday people, and I urge everyone to support it. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Our securities laws were created after the Great Depression when this country understood that strong regulation protects Americans and is necessary for innovation and for our economy to thrive. We cannot hold cryptocurrency to a lower standard than traditional finance. My amendment ensures that when it comes to crowdfunding, cryptocurrency is held to the same standard. Mr. Chair, I urge all Members to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize the David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church's celebration of its 100th anniversary this year. In 1924, 28 African American members founded the Church out of a former blacksmith's shop in Austin, Texas. David Chapel would move twice, landing in its current site at MLK and Chestnut in 1958. Its membership continued to expand, and the need for larger accommodations became clear. At the height of racial segregation in the American South, White-owned banks refused to provide the loans necessary for the building of a new space of worship. Undeterred, David Chapel pursued the funds, development, and construction they needed for the structure, becoming a truly community- driven project. Additionally, the building was designed by John Chase, the first Black graduate of the University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture. Through the commitment and dedication of many, the construction of the current David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church building was finished only a year after it started. Since 1992, David Chapel has been led by its Senior Pastor, Rev. Joseph C. Parker, Jr., Esq., D. Min. Under Rev. Parker's leadership, David Chapel has increased its community involvement by developing and implementing the Chestnut Neighborhood Plan, and co-founding the Texas Congregations United for Empowerment (TCUE), an organization of Black churches in Central Texas working to increase their economic and community empowerment. As the Congressman representing the 35th District of Texas, I am honored to congratulate Rev. Packer and David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church on its 100th anniversary of providing spiritual guidance and serving the needs of our community in East Austin and beyond.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to call the attention of the House in celebration of a true Texas visionary, Ms. Janie Barrera, for decades of work to provide small business owners and working families with the means to achieve their dreams. A native of Corpus Christi and a sixth-generation Texan, Ms. Barrera's entrepreneurial spirit began in her youth. At the age of 12, after her mother denied her request to purchase a new bicycle, Janie went door-to-door selling raffle tickets for her old bicycle and used the proceeds to purchase a new one. Later, as a waitress in her parents' restaurant, Ms. Barrera witnessed both the hard work and the great financial risks of running a small business. After high school, Ms. Barrera became a nun and joined a local covenant. She ran the Telecommunications Center for the Diocese of Corpus Christi for 15 years. When a bishop told Ms. Barrera that she couldn't get a promotion because of her lack of business experience, she pursued a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. She left the covenant shortly after graduation. Ms. Barrera's parents ended up with nothing saved for retirement after running their restaurant for 20 years. This motivated her to use her personal experience and academic training to support both small businesses and working families. In 1994, Ms. Barrera founded Accion Texas (later renamed LiftFund) with the commitment to provide small businesses with sorely needed financial support through microloans and ongoing guidance as they navigated complex financial systems. Today, LiftFund has over 100 employees and has disbursed close to $500 million to small business owners in underserved communities, particularly people of color and low- and moderate-income individuals. Ms. Barrera stepped down as CEO of LiftFund in 2023 after three decades. Ms. Barrera has been an integral part of the creation and sustainability of countless small businesses. Her work has received high recognition in Texas and beyond, including the ``Small Business Administration Financial Services Advocate of the Year,'' and the ``Minority Enterprise Development Consortium's Corporate Advocate of the Year.'' She received the 2022 Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance, which is the Community Development Financial Institution industry's highest individual honor. Ms. Barrera has also served on boards of directors at various levels, including the Federal Reserve Board's National Consumer Advisory Council. An invaluable leader in her field, President Barack Obama appointed Ms. Barrera to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability. As Texans, we are all forever grateful to Ms. Barrera for her vision of shared prosperity, her decades-long service to creating economic mobility, and her unwavering dedication to our community. As the Congressman for the 35th District of Texas, I am proud to congratulate Ms. Barrera and LiftFund on 30 years of service in Texas, and beyond.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I am Greg Casar, and I represent the heart of Texas. I represent hundreds of thousands of Texans who faced mass blackouts, medical emergencies, and even death 3 years ago during the Texas grid's failure under Winter Storm Uri. Over 10 million people needlessly lost power, and hundreds died, cold, alone, and in the dark. Texas officials like Greg Abbott have not just failed to fix the grid and to respond to constituents' needs, but they have repeatedly abandoned us in favor of large corporations and the donations that they provide, those corporations that profit off of the misery of Texans. That is why, yesterday, I announced new legislation, the Connect the Grid Act, to connect Texas to the national electric grids and make a real difference and bring forward real solutions. If our State were interconnected, we could prevent mass blackouts, save tens of billions of dollars, and help our country meet its climate goals. It is not radical to say that, in the middle of a heat wave or a winter storm, Texans should be able to keep the lights on. Too many people have already died because of our inaction. With the Connect the Grid Act, we can keep the lights on, and Congress can give power back to the people.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to call the attention of the House in recognition of the life and legacy of Belle Ortiz, a legendary San Antonian and the Mother of Mariachi. Born on February 12, 1933, Isabel ``Belle'' A. Ortiz grew up on the west side of San Antonio, TX. She began her musical journey at the age of four, and as a youth, Ms. Ortiz performed across the city with various orchestras. After graduating from Our Lady of the Lake University, she began her career as a public school music teacher, eventually landing at Lanier High School, her alma mater, in 1970. At a time when speaking another language besides English was frowned upon, Ms. Ortiz was committed to teaching music that reflected the rich cultural diversity of Texas. At Lanier High School in San Antonio, she created the high school ballet folklorico program, the first of its kind in the country. Through her continued advocacy, thousands of schools, colleges, and universities worldwide now offer their student musicians a mariachi education. Ms. Ortiz helped co-found the Mariachi Campanas de America, an award- winning ensemble of musicians that have performed all across the country, bringing the rich history of mariachi to places like the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, and performed at the White House for five different U.S. Presidents. An active member of her community in San Antonio, Ms. Ortiz served on many local boards and committees, and was a recipient of many lifetime achievement awards and honors for her dedication to making mariachi and its rich history accessible to generations of aspiring musicians. Her life is now being celebrated in the award-winning documentary ``Suena La Educacion: The Story of Belle Ortiz''. This month, the Lanier High School music building in San Antonio, TX, will be renamed in her honor. In Ms. Ortiz's final days, hundreds of mariachi musicians came to her bedside and played for her, paying tribute to this trailblazing icon. As the Congressman for the 35th District of Texas, I am honored to celebrate the life of Ms. Belle Ortiz, who left behind an incredible legacy that transformed mariachi music from a local tradition into a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I opposed the tax bill last night. To me it was pretty simple, because whether I am in Austin, Texas, or San Antonio, Texas, whether I am in a group of seniors or with young people, in front of more liberal constituents or conservative ones, one of the most common questions I get asked is: Why is it that I and everyday Americans pay such a higher effective tax rate than some of the biggest corporations in this country? How is it that FedEx and T-Mobile would pay none, zero, in Federal income tax at all? And the answer is: Look no further than the bill that we voted to pass last night, which provided tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions, in giveaways in corporate tax breaks. Importantly, as folks have noted, packaged into the bill is a watered down partial return of the child tax credit, which thankfully, will help thousands of families. But for every dollar going to kids in the bill, $5 goes to corporations. So in short, instead of helping thousands of kids, we could have helped millions of kids. We have the money to pull kids out of poverty, to ensure that people in this country are housed, fed, and educated. The money is there. In this case, the money was sitting right there in this bill--just in the wrong people's pockets. We have to be willing to move the money from corporate pockets over to kids and families. We could provide working-class and middle-class tax cuts. We just have to be willing to fight and negotiate harder to end the giveaways to billionaires. Mr. Speaker, just like the ranking member, I am open to compromise, but instead of a deal where corporations get $5 for every $1 that kids get, what about a compromise where kids get $5 for every dollar that corporations get? I oppose this bill because we can do so much better. It is such a missed opportunity. We have to be willing to say no to deals that are so lopsided that workers get crumbs while corporate executives get a full steak dinner.

Mr. CASAR

Mr. CASAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this Republican proposal because across our country and across my home State of Texas, working families are struggling to make ends meet while big corporations boast record-breaking profits. We should all be celebrating this Biden-era NLRB rule to make sure that those same big companies have to bargain for better wages and better benefits with their workers and that those big companies can't throw contractors in the way in order to evade that baseline responsibility. Nonetheless, unsurprisingly, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are running to the rescue of those same big corporations and their record-breaking profits. The Republican majority wants to help those corporations be able to deny workers the benefits, the higher wages, the overtime, and the healthcare they deserve. The most ironic thing that I have heard today from the Republicans who are for this resolution is they keep saying they want to defend small businesses. However, in fact, the Republican proposal today will allow big corporations to throw a small contractor in between themselves and their employees so that they can keep on underpaying their staff and provide fewer benefits than those workers deserve. I will give you an example from my district, Madam Speaker. In my district, my constituents run YouTube Music which is used by millions of people across the world. YouTube Music, of course, is owned by YouTube and by Google. However, they don't get a check from Google. They get a check from a contractor that otherwise wouldn't exist except for the fact that they are there to essentially pass the check along to workers and shield Google and YouTube from their responsibility to their workers. That is why these folks who are helping make Google $60 billion in profits just last year make as little as $19 an hour. This Republican proposal is to shield enormous corporations like Google from their responsibility to make sure that the workers who create their profits actually get to share in American prosperity. Workers have the right to bargain for fair wages and working conditions with every company that controls their terms and conditions of employment, and that is why we should defend this Biden-era NLRB rule to protect workers' rights to bargain. Workers across the United States are saying ``yes'' to higher wages, they are saying ``yes'' to better healthcare, and they are saying ``yes'' to collective bargaining. It is time for Congress to catch up.