Veronica Escobar

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 8354, the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act of 2020. I thank Chairman Nadler for his leadership and support of this important legislation, along with my colleague from Texas, Congressman Taylor, for leading this bill with me. This measure is the result of a truly bipartisan effort. My staff also worked closely with the committee and incorporated feedback from the Department of Justice in drafting the text. I am so grateful to everyone who made this bill better. The Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act establishes in statute the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative within the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The bill details the initiative's responsibilities to promote the legal interests of servicemembers, veterans, and their families, such as advising the Attorney General on efforts to support this population; developing policy recommendations; and serving as the liaison and point of contact with other components of DOJ to support the enforcement of Federal laws that protect servicemembers and veterans, like coordinating the prosecution of fraud. As the proud Representative of Texas' 16th Congressional District, home to Fort Bliss and nearly 50,000 veterans, I know firsthand the importance of protecting this population with unique needs that necessitate specialized knowledge of the armed services and veterans' affairs. I have learned more about the military community through my seat on the House Armed Services Committee, where I have heard various examples of the challenges they face, from financial scams that unfairly target this population to unsafe housing conditions. Currently, the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative draws on personnel from the Civil Rights Division and the Office of Justice Programs to enforce civil laws, such as the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, among others, to protect our servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Creating an independent and permanent home for these employees will allow them to better protect servicemembers and preserve institutional knowledge. The bill would also ensure that DOJ is coordinating closely with the military departments so that servicemembers, veterans, and their families are aware of their legal rights and available benefits. Several veterans service organizations have endorsed this measure-- Paralyzed Veterans of America, Student Veterans of America, and Veterans Education Success--recognizing the significance of having a dedicated focus on those who have served our Nation. Finally, I am grateful to Senator Hirono for introducing this measure in the Senate, and I look forward to working with her to advance the bill further. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank my colleagues, specifically Mr. Taylor for his partnership on this very important bill and, again, Chairman Nadler and all of those, including staff and members of the Department of Justice, who made this a better bill. Our servicemembers and veterans have worked tirelessly to protect us at home and abroad. It is only right that we work as hard as possible to protect their rights and shield them from abuses such as fraud, predatory lending, and other victimization. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bipartisan effort to ensure the best for our servicemembers, veterans, and their families, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Charles Ambler on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). UTEP bids goodbye to one of its most notable contributors to the institution's transformation from a regional university to a leader in U.S. higher education. Dr. Ambler joined the UTEP faculty in 1984. As a recent Ph.D. graduate of Yale, he devoted himself to supporting UTEP's mission of ensuring the success of its majority Hispanic and first-generation student body. Concurrently, Dr. Ambler established himself as an internationally recognized scholar of African History, publishing numerous articles and scholarly books focused on 19th and 20th century Africa. Dr. Ambler quickly rose through the faculty ranks earning the title of Professor and serving as Chair of UTEP's History Department. In 1996, Dr. Ambler assumed leadership of UTEP's emerging graduate program, a role he played on and off as Dean and Assistant Vice President until 2019. In the mid-nineties, UTEP was limited to a small number of doctoral programs. He recognized the opportunity at hand, created by lawsuits challenging the lack of graduate programs along the United States-Mexico border region, to greatly expand program offerings. UTEP was able to establish itself as a national leader in graduate education and a major producer of Hispanic doctoral degree holders. Altogether, Dr. Ambler understood it was important for these degree programs to not only be of the highest quality, but to focus on the scholarly issues happening along the border region. UTEP's forward thinking led to the development of a doctoral degree program in U.S.- Mexico border history. This innovation was accompanied by similar degrees with a border focus in areas like International Business, Engineering, and Health Science. While Dr. Ambler was an internationally recognized African History scholar, he was deeply committed to improving undergraduate education. He regularly taught large sections of undergraduate history and developed strategies to improve the success of UTEP's students. Dr. Ambler's strategies and teaching skills included technology-based learning and contacting students who stopped attending class to invite them back. As a result, completion rates in his section and average scores on standardized tests were higher than in other sections of the same class. Dr. Ambler's influence on education, grants, and studentship has gone far beyond UTEP. He has held several prestigious fellowships, served as President of the African Studies Association, and most recently served as Dean in Residence of the Council of Graduate schools. Dr. Ambler and his wife Gloria, who recently retired herself after many years of service as a teacher and counselor in the El Paso Independent School District, are vital members of the El Paso community. UTEP is a better place due in no small part to Dr. Ambler's 35 years of service.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, Monday, August 3, will mark 1 year since El Paso, Texas, became the target of a killer who confessed to driving over 600 miles in order to stop what he called the ``Hispanic invasion'' with his AK-47. In a horrific act of domestic terrorism, he killed 23 people, injured 22, and devastated all of us. This wasn't only another tragic outcome of America's gun violence epidemic, but also a result of America's hate epidemic fueled by racism and xenophobia as well as rhetoric coming from the most powerful leaders in the land. One year later, we still don't have laws that make us safer from gun violence, and we still face a reckoning on hate. My community continues to confront hate with love and to honor the victims and survivors. In that spirit, it is my privilege today to introduce legislation that honors the victims of the August 3, 2019, attack and designates the El Paso Community Healing Garden as a national memorial.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H. Res. 1046, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I just want to frame this very simply. We are asking for the same transparency and consultation when a President decides to use troops on American soil as when he decides to send troops abroad. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, this is not about when or whether a President utilizes the Insurrection Act. This is simply about consulting with Congress in the same way that we expect a President to consult with Congress.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, for over 200 years, Presidents have had the authority to send the military into American communities at times of unrest. The Insurrection Act is a power many Americans are unaware of primarily because it has historically rarely been invoked. It has, at times, been used by Presidents at the request of State Governors, but during our Nation's tumultuous civil rights era, it was an authority used by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson against the wishes of Southern Governors. Their use of the military in American communities helped protect the civil rights of African Americans at a time of deep national unrest. In fact, the Insurrection Act was used to protect Selma to Montgomery marchers in 1965, protection needed by the marchers after Bloody Sunday, where our beloved late colleague, John Lewis, was beaten and bloodied. This is an important Presidential power intended to restore peace and protect Americans. My amendment does not seek to undermine or eliminate this authority. Instead, it is intended to bring about transparency and close a loophole. America is founded in a Constitution that enshrines a system of separate but coequal branches of government. As such, Congress has a duty to evaluate for any Presidential power where consultation may be necessary and to provide oversight. Today, if the President of the United States chooses to use military force abroad, the President would have to consult with Congress. Yet that same consultation is not required for use of military force on American soil. My amendment closes that loophole providing for consultation and oversight similar to what is currently required when the military is called on to engage overseas. The NDAA is our annual opportunity and responsibility to evaluate and authorize defense activities. With this amendment to a centuries-old law, Congress and future Presidents can ensure that Insurrection Act authority, when used, is consistent with our history of preserving peace and civil rights in America. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ESCOBAR. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Mr. Speaker, the day our country witnessed the brutal murder of George Floyd was a critical tipping point for America. His murder has sparked a movement--one of renewed calls for civil rights and justice for all. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been marching in the streets. They are not asking for incentives for studies or for task forces. No, they are asking and marching for and demanding meaningful change and meaningful reform. And it is up to us to rise up and deliver on change that will meet this moment. Mr. Speaker, I pray that our Republican colleagues have a change of heart and decide to join us on our journey toward true reform. This bill is only the beginning and we need to push for a whole-of- government response--from Congress, to the statehouse, to the city halls all over America. Mr. Speaker, our country deserves no less. This moment deserves no less. George Floyd deserves no less.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't hear the suffering happening in our communities, communities like El Paso, vulnerable communities that need more testing, more tracing. This bill does that. It provides that necessary step to safely reopening our economies. It also provides $1 billion for my community of El Paso, Texas, $35 billion for the State of Texas. For this and many other reasons, we need to look at this as one step in a long journey, a painful journey, but one that we are in together.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, I rise to support this interim package. I have spent every day in my district speaking to constituents and stakeholders battered by this health and economic crisis. I am grateful to Speaker Pelosi and Democratic colleagues who fought for additional money for small businesses, fixed problems we saw after the first round of funding, and added money for hospitals. I am disappointed by Republican colleagues who refused to include local and State governments, but we will keep fighting for them and so many others who were left out.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, this month marks the 10-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which expanded healthcare coverage to millions of Americans, including those with preexisting conditions. However, the ACA has also been attacked and undermined over the last decade, with the latest attempt originating from my home State of Texas. Texas, which has refused to expand Medicaid even though the State has the highest uninsured rate in the Nation, and the Trump administration argue that the entire law should be dismantled. With the Supreme Court announcing they will hear the case this fall, over 44,000 El Pasoans are again living with the threat of having their healthcare coverage taken away from them. If the Supreme Court does invalidate the ACA, nearly 20 million Americans will lose their coverage. At a time when we are confronting a public health emergency because of the coronavirus, a pandemic, we should be looking for ways to bolster healthcare coverage and protect community clinics and healthcare providers, not tear it away from El Pasoans and other communities around the Nation that need it the most.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. For ten years, the Foster School of Medicine has provided quality medical education to future physicians that will serve the health care needs of patients throughout the country. In 2008, prior to the opening of the Foster School of Medicine, El Paso County's average number of direct care physicians per 100,000 people was 75 percent less than the national average. In an effort to alleviate this severe shortage of physicians in the region, government leaders, community physicians, and community supporters worked to establish a four-year medical school in El Paso. The Foster School of Medicine has the distinct honor of becoming the first four-year medical school on the United States-Mexico border. It was also one of the first medical schools in the U.S. to integrate medical Spanish into its curriculum, allowing our nation's future physicians to provide culturally competent care. The Foster School of Medicine focuses its curriculum on community service. In 2013, the Foster School of Medicine established the Medical Student Run Clinic by a group of students from the inaugural class with the help of faculty and staff. Students serve the community of Sparks in far East El Paso, where the majority of the population is uninsured. The Medical Student Run Clinic is often their only access to health care. Congratulations to the Foster School of Medicine for their achievements in this decade. And I thank the faculty, staff, and students for being leaders in health care while giving back to the El Paso community.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 1-year anniversary of the implementation of the abhorrent Migrant Protection Protocol program, or MPP, which forces vulnerable asylum seekers to remain in Mexico for their U.S. court dates. MPP is currently implemented at seven ports of entry along the U.S.- Mexico border, including in my community, El Paso, Texas, where over 18,000 asylum seekers have been made to wait in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. During my time in Congress, I have brought a number of my colleagues to the border to see our Nation's immigration challenges firsthand. A number of them joined me last July, when we crossed the border to visit with some of the families impacted by the program. We heard about their journey to the U.S., the dangers they face if they return home, and what it takes to survive day-to-day in Mexico, a country that is not their own. We heard that obtaining legal counsel is nearly impossible, hindering due process. This administration is making it as hard as possible for these families to obtain asylum in an effort to deter them from coming to the U.S. in the first place, because cruelty is the point. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 2662, the Asylum Seeker Protection Act, to defund this unlawful, abhorrent program.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, as a Member of Congress, I take my duty to protect and defend our Nation's interests very seriously. The President's reckless and irresponsible actions toward Iran have endangered our servicemembers, diplomats, and allies, and they have worked counter to American security interests. Those include dangerous decisions to pull out of the successful Iran deal and kill Commander Soleimani, drastically ratcheting up tensions in the region. In the context of the administration's failure to demonstrate an imminent threat to our Nation, there is no authority for such an action without authorization from Congress. What makes this even more dangerous is that the President has no clear strategy. Under the Constitution, President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally wage war. That is why, today, I support this rule and the underlying resolution, which directs the President to end hostilities with Iran and to keep our troops in America safe. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, our country faces a great tragedy and moment of truth. We have witnessed the President of the United States abuse his public office for personal political gain and invite foreign governments to interfere in our elections, putting the integrity of a government of, for, and by the people at great risk. The evidence is overwhelming and clearly shows that President Trump will continue to abuse his office and obstruct Congress if left unchecked. The Intelligence Committee conducted a robust investigation into the President's misconduct. Members interviewed 12 witnesses in public hearings, totaling over 30 hours; conducted 17 depositions, totaling over 100 hours; examined text messages and emails; reviewed the President's own words and actions; and published a 300-page report detailing their findings. All of this, despite the fact that, under the President's direction, 12 current and former administration officials refused to testify, even ignoring subpoenas, and 71 document requests were denied. The Judiciary Committee then reviewed the evidence and concluded that two Articles of Impeachment, which I support, were warranted. The evidence shows that President Trump is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and our national security. The most powerful evidence of this pattern has come from the President himself. In 2016, we heard him when he called on Russia to interfere in our elections. He said: ``Russia, if you're listening. . . .'' He then repeated this call for election interference on the July 25 call with the Ukrainian President, and we heard him again, on the White House lawn, further adding China to that mix. I stand ready to protect our sacred Republic, support these Articles of Impeachment, and pray that my colleagues have the courage to do the same. We must uphold our oath of office and defend the Constitution and our fragile democracy, because no one is above the law.

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Return to Our El Paso Roots Reunion. This reunion, which originally started as a decennial reunion of the Douglass Grammar and High School alumni, will honor the contributions and heritage of the African American community in El Paso, Texas. There is special importance in passing down the rich history and culture that we experience throughout our lives and this event seeks to do exactly that. The reunion serves as an opportunity for participants to share stories, explore the growth of El Paso's African American community, and support the University of Texas at El Paso's Black Alumni Network (UBAN) and the McCall Neighborhood Center; both fundamental to El Paso's history and our enduring commitment to upholding civil rights in our community and across the United States. As a native El Pasoan, it is an honor to recognize the Return to our El Paso Roots Reunion in the House of Representatives. I commend their work and contributions to our community and wish them a successful series of events

Ms. ESCOBAR

Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Speaker, my votes were not recorded on September 27, 2019. I am not recorded because I had to attend to a family matter. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 553, ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 554, and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 555.