Tony Gonzales

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Chair, I represent a district that is over 42 percent of the southern border, places that, sadly, nobody knew very well a few years ago and now everybody knows, places like Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and El Paso. Right now in my communities, we are completely overwhelmed. In El Paso alone, there are over 11,000 people who are here illegally in the community. That has saturated the situation. In Eagle Pass, we have come to beyond the breaking point where over 2,000 people are coming illegally. In that community, we are beyond a point of return, and we need help. We need assistance. Every instinct in my body is to leave this place and go home and help the people in my district. It feels as if a Category 5 hurricane has hit the southern border. This is the absolute worst I have seen it, and there is no bottom to it. There is no end in sight. My amendment is simple. My amendment asks to end catch and release essentially in a humane and orderly way. If there is space, if there is capacity, instead of DHS releasing migrants into a community that is already saturated, this amendment asks that they look for other places where they have capacity. It is humane and orderly, and most importantly, it would end the catch-and-release policies that have turned my communities upside down. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I urge this body to please grant the people in my district, the people in Eagle Pass, the people in El Paso some relief. We are beyond a breaking point, and we are completely overwhelmed. I am here to urge this body to do something today, not a week, not a month, not a year, not 10 years from now--today. Ending catch and release is exactly what our communities need to get some relief. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment. This amendment is simple. Any time a Federal agency proposes a new rule, it must also submit a constitutional authority statement. This would force any administration to remain in compliance with the most sacred document in the American government, the U.S. Constitution. Congress follows this simple principle every time a new bill is submitted. The White House should be held to the same standard. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues on both of sides of the aisle to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in honor of the 1-year anniversary of the 21 Robb Elementary school victims who were murdered in my district in Uvalde, Texas.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. And I thank my distinguished colleague from Alabama for allowing me this opportunity. This bill would designate the Blackwell School in my district as one of the first national park sites dedicated to Latino history. This legislation comes at a critical time, as we celebrate the accomplishments of the Latino community during Hispanic Heritage Month. From 1909 to 1965, the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas, was the only public school for the city's Mexican-American children. Although there was no State law that mandated separate schools for Hispanic students, it was common practice for them to be taught at different facilities. This meant that the Blackwell School was the only place where children of Mexican descent could be educated and have a shot at the American Dream. Today, the Blackwell School reminds us of the resiliency the Mexican- American community has displayed throughout our history. Designating the Blackwell School as a national park site would improve the ability of the Park Service to oversee conservation efforts, promote regional tourism, and share important stories about the Mexican-American community in the U.S. Please join me in passing this bill to honor the hard work and fighting spirit of the Hispanic community.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in my district a couple weeks ago there were 53 migrants found cooked to death in the back of a trailer. The Biden border crisis has continued to spiral out of control. If this body will not take notice now, when will it ever take notice? Out of those 53 migrants, half of them were from Mexico, half of them were from Guatemala, and a few others were from surrounding areas. This crisis continues to spiral. It continues to get worse. It is over 100 degrees in Texas today, and no one seems to care. No one seems to notice. Regardless of their legal status, these people are oftentimes seeking economic freedom, and yet they are dying in the back of trailers because no one in this body will address immigration reform and border security.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022. One month ago, a gunman fired on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, 38 miles from where I grew up. This despicable crime led to the death of 19 innocent children and two teachers. As a father of six, I am absolutely heartbroken. As a Congressman who represents Uvalde, I am focusing on delivering change. The change starts with addressing the serious lack of mental health resources in our country. In a 2022 report by Mental Health America, Texas was ranked as the worst State for access to mental health care. In rural communities, that gap is felt even more intensely. It is in places like Uvalde that mental health clinicians are few and far between, and parents have to drive more than 4 hours roundtrip for access to inpatient care. Communities like Uvalde are desperately in need of mental health resources now and well into the future. That is why I am proud to support this bipartisan package that will commit significant resources to mental health awareness, training, and treatment. It is time for Congress to address the solution to the mental health crisis in America, and that starts with supporting H.R. 7666.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the first responders in Uvalde. It has been 22 days since the terrible incident in Uvalde occurred, and many of the discussions have been about the victims. I will talk about some of the survivors. Some of those survivors are first responders. In particular, one gentleman, Javier Martinez, is a lieutenant for the Uvalde Police Department. He was one of the first people on the scene. He engaged with the shooter. He was actually wounded. He goes in there and he clears the room. But afterwards he wasn't done. There are a lot of copycat threats, and Javier Martinez, even though he was going through all that, went down to the high school, and he secured the high school. The next day, he was on duty. He put his uniform on, and he went to work the next day and the next day. There are many stories just like this. When the fire happened, everyone ran to the incident, and they didn't stop. Some of the law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, after they got done clearing that room, they went to other elementary schools. There are seven elementary schools in Uvalde. This happened days on. I mention that because while the community of Uvalde, while my district is healing, there are all these heroes that are walking among us. Another person I will mention is Ann. Ann is the director of the ER there in Uvalde. She helped save lives. There are so many people that have just helped. After the cameras are gone, after everyone stops listening or even remembering what happened in Uvalde, we will be there as one community coming together. Over a year ago, my community asked me for a mental health hospital. Last year, we secured $2 million for that. When I hosted the President a couple weeks ago, we asked for $23 million on that. Mental health is at the core of all of this. There is a mental health crisis not only in Uvalde, but I would argue across the country. We have to make sure that we are devoting the resources necessary to protect our children, to protect ourselves. My whole community of Uvalde, I would argue, needs mental health assistance right now. A lot of us are getting that. My own staff, essentially, we turned into a FEMA office, and we were dealing with all these crises. Someone reminded me yesterday that I essentially have relived this crisis 22 days now. A lot of us are in that exact same boat. I mention that to say, we have to get rid of this stigma behind mental health. We have to realize all of us, from a young age to an old age, go through things in life, and we need mental health professionals in order to get through that. Today, I thank all the first responders in Uvalde for everything they are doing, the men and women, just like Javier Martinez, who put their uniform on, go to work. There are heroes walking among us that sometimes get forgotten. They are not forgotten today nor every other day. God bless them.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness for the severe mental health crisis in our country. Two weeks ago, there was a terrible incident that occurred in Uvalde, Texas; 19 innocent children were murdered and two of their teachers alongside them. Uvalde is in my district, Texas' 23rd District. Over a year ago, after I got elected, I visited Uvalde and I sat down with the county judge, who is a Democrat, and the mayor, who is a Republican, and the local sheriff. I sat down with them, and I said, If I could do one thing, what would that be, gentlemen? And they go: Tony, we need a mental health hospital. They identified this crisis over a year ago. Last year, we appropriated over $2 million toward that hospital. It is a $25-million project, and I am working on the remaining $23 million to get that over the finish line. This is something that that community asked for. There is so much division here in Congress. There is so much hate and rhetoric that gets spewed. I think mental health is an area that can bring us together, that can unite us as we go forward, not only as we reflect on what happened in Uvalde, but across the country. COVID did something to this country. We are coming out of that, and I think part of the mental health crisis that is going on in our country has to be addressed. It is heartbreaking to see what happened, to be there as the Uvalde community heals and comes together. What I will say is, this mental health crisis goes beyond those that are looking to cause harm to themselves and others. Madam Speaker, I would argue everyone in that community needs to sit down with a mental health provider; my staff, included. Our team essentially had turned into a mini FEMA office where we were answering all kinds of different claims every day and having to hear these horrendous stories and having to hear the issues that our community was dealing with. So this crisis is very deep and it is very sad. It is an issue that this body needs to address. It needs to start early on, not wait until when an incident occurs. We have to start very early on. This shooter, this gunman, was a troubled young man for a very long time. It was no surprise to a lot of people what occurred. If we could have got ahead of the issue instead of waiting until the problem happened, I think that is critical. Another thing a lot of people don't realize, the day of the shooting, there was actually a young lady that had suicide ideations, and two of the local law enforcement officers had taken her to San Antonio. This was hours before the shooting. What does that mean? That means the community of Uvalde has a very deep mental health issue that is popping up every single day. And Uvalde isn't unique. It isn't just this one small town and this one incident. We have seen it happen all over the country. Madam Speaker, I urge this body to come together. I urge Congress to come together and use this terrible incident to unite us in finding real, tangible solutions. Part of those solutions is identifying mental health resources which we can provide directly to the communities of need.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, on May 24, 2022, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, my district but a reflection of every small town in America. As I rise today with my fellow Texans to honor the victims, I am reminded of Matthew 5:4, ``Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'' I mourn with the Uvalde community and pray for healing and comfort for the families and the community for the loss of: Alexandria Rubio; Alithia Ramirez; Amerie Garza; Annabelle Rodriguez; Eliahana Torres; Eliahna Garcia; Jacklyn Cazares; Jailah Silguero; Jayce Luevanos; Jose Flores, Jr.; Layla Salazar; Makenna Elrod; Maite Rodriguez, Maranda Mathis; Nevaeh Bravo; Rojelio Torres; Tess Mata; Uziyah Garcia; Xavier Lopez; Eva Mireles; and Irma Garcia. These were our daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, and mothers who have become innocent victims of senseless violence. Please join us in a moment of silence to honor the victims. May they rest in peace, and may they always be remembered.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Nurses Week. We all know a nurse who has helped us throughout our time in life, and I am no different. My story starts with my grandfather. He had an eighth-grade education. He was a rancher. When his country called, he proudly served in World War II. He came home and became a civil servant at Kelly Air Force Base. He went off to raise seven beautiful children. One of those was my aunt, who became a nurse. And I have two cousins, Natalie and Sandy, who are nurses. But the story for me is much more personal than that. Ten days from now will be my 3-year anniversary of life. I went into BAMC medical facility for a routine procedure. I was intubated incorrectly. I coded. I had brain trauma. I had kidney failure. I was in a coma for 3 days. I was in the hospital for 23 days. I praise God that those nurses at BAMC brought me back to life. In particular, there were three nurses: Monica, Alyssa, and Jenna. Alyssa was my day nurse. She is the one who kept me alive in the daytime. Jenna kept me alive at night. Without nurses, I wouldn't be here. Many of us have similar stories. Many of us know of similar stories. In this institution, we lose sight sometimes of the everyday people who roll up their sleeves and go to work and make this country better. This partisanship that divides this country does not happen in the nursing world. Nurses don't care who you voted for. They don't care about the color of your skin. They don't care who you pray to. They care about life and protecting life, all the opportunities for a great quality of life. I am grateful to all the nurses out there, particularly those serving at BAMC.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans. Bishop Evans is a hero. He is a name that we all should learn, should know, and should be speaking. Bishop Evans, this young gentleman, was a National Guardsman. He was stationed in Eagle Pass, Texas. He selflessly gave his life trying to save people. He didn't care what nationality they were. He didn't care the circumstances. When the situation arose and two people fell or jumped into the river, he immediately took off his body armor. He immediately jumped into the river, and he tried to save these people, and he lost his life doing it. This is something that here in D.C. we should be talking about. The whole country should be talking about Specialist Bishop Evans. The man is a hero. There are many men and women that serve that are just like this, that when the time comes, it is a fight-or-flight moment and they are rushing to the fire; they are not running away from it. I give my condolences to Specialist Evans, his grandparents, Jo Ann and Dannie Johnson, in Arlington, Texas. Their grandson meant everything to them, and they are going to have a funeral this weekend. I celebrate this man's life. I celebrate what he stands for. I celebrate everything that he has done. He is a patriot. He served our country. He served in Kuwait. He served in Iraq. This man, when duty called, he answered the call. And here he was, stationed in Eagle Pass, Texas, in my district, in Texas 23, and he jumped into the river. He didn't have to do that. He lost his life doing that. This border crisis has impacted everybody, all parts, all walks of life, Texas. Every State in America has become sucked up into this crisis, and this gentleman here gave his life. He is a hero that we all should remember. Bishop Evans is a hero that we should all remember. Please say a prayer for his family. I was raised by my grandparents. He was raised by his grandparents. Not all families are traditional families, per se. And his grandparents, they lost a part of them when they lost Specialist Bishop Evans.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the passage of the Donna Doss Memorial Act. In February 2019, Border Patrol agent Donna Doss was struck and killed by a vehicle while assisting a State trooper. Donna served more than 15 years in Border Patrol and held several leadership roles within the agency. Donna was survived by her husband, two sons, parents, brother, and sister. The House voted yesterday to officially rename the Rocksprings Border Patrol Station the Donna M. Doss Border Patrol Station. This effort has been underway in Congress since 2020, and I am glad to see it has finally gotten over the finish line. Our men and women in green put their lives on the line every single day to protect our country, and Americans everywhere are grateful. Congratulating Gregg Popovich

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, on becoming the winningest head coach in the history of the National Basketball Association. On March 11, 2020, Pop earned his record-setting 1,336th win as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs when he defeated the Utah Jazz 104-102. Pop has led the Spurs for over 26 seasons. Pop has won five NBA championships and was named head coach of the year three separate times. I am honored to introduce my House resolution to congratulate Coach Popovich.

Mr. GONZALES of Texas

Mr. GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of El Paso native Special Agent Anthony Salas. Anthony was with the DPS for 9 years. Prior to that, Anthony served in the Marines. He was a true patriot. Anthony sadly passed away on January 22. He is survived by his wife, Lizzett, and his three children: Alessandra, Isabella, and Luke. Anthony was a special operations group operator involved in a traffic crash during the arrest of six migrants in Eagle Pass. Maverick County sadly has become the epicenter of the border crisis. Agents put their lives on the line every single day. My heart goes out to his family, and America is grateful for his service.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the previous question and to further highlight the failed border policies inflicted on the American people by President Biden's administration. Border security is national security. My district is over 820 miles of the southern border, over 40 percent of our entire border with Mexico. Every day, I see the challenges my constituents face because this administration has failed to protect them and failed to prioritize their safety as American citizens. Every day, I hear from Border Patrol agents about the struggles that they face because of a lack of resources and their demanding work schedules. Every day, I talk to constituents and border-town mayors who share their troubling experiences in dealing with burglaries and high-speed car chases. Enough fentanyl has been seized at the border to kill every American in the United States. Enough is enough. The Biden administration's failed policies and open-border rhetoric have led to a historic surge in illegal immigration. We need to find a permanent solution that combines border security and legal immigration. So long as I am in Congress, I will fight every day to ensure that we secure the southern border.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the leadership and community of La Salle County and the city of Cotulla on the grand opening of the new airport terminal, which is happening today in my district. I especially want to recognize County Judge Joel Rodriguez Jr., Cotulla Mayor Jose Javier Garcia, Airport Manager E.T. Page, and members of the La Salle County Commissioners Court and Cotulla City Council for all the work that has gone into bringing today to fruition. The Airport has a rich history since its beginning in 1947, when it was constructed to serve as an emergency airfield for military training aircraft in the area. The airport has truly become an area magnet for economic growth and in 2016, the Cotulla airport was even recognized as the TxDOT-Aviation Airport of the Year. With today's ribbon cutting, Cotulla-La Salle County Airport (KCOT) has been set up for many years of success in the future. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the airport's success and thank them for all the work they do every day in south Texas.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4706, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. The Blackwell School is located in the heart of my district, Marfa, Texas. This week we are voting on legislation that makes this landmark a national historic site under the National Park Service. When it comes to recognizing lands as national historic sites or national parks, it is paramount to look outside traditional parameters. We must identify and preserve our history from all walks of life and share stories of forgotten Americans, including the history of Mexican Americans and their struggle for equality. The Blackwell School operated from 1909 to 1965 as a segregated school for children of Mexican descent. While segregation was mandated by law for African Americans, it was optional for school districts to segregate Mexican students. Marfa chose to segregate. Children who attended the Blackwell School were banned from speaking Spanish and even had to bury slips of paper with Spanish words in a mock funeral ceremony. The school operated during a time of American history when separate but equal dominated our culture. Segregation is an ugly stain on America's legacy, and while we have progressed as a country, we must acknowledge the painful role segregation played in our Nation's history. Establishing the Blackwell School as a national historic site ensures that the building is maintained properly so generations to come can understand its rich but complicated history. The impact of establishing this landmark as a national historic site goes beyond cultural influence as well. My district is home to eight of Texas' 16 national parks such as Big Bend National Park. As I traveled through my district, I have seen the positive economic and societal impacts our national parks have on our communities. Establishing the Blackwell School as a national landmark would bring increased tourism and increased economic activity to Presidio County and Marfa. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, Fil Vela, for cosponsoring this bill; Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva; and, of course, Ranking Member Bruce Westerman for prioritizing this legislation.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Madam Speaker, most importantly, I would like to thank the Blackwell School Alliance and the National Parks Conservation Association for their commitment to giving this landmark the recognition it deserves. The Blackwell School has been an important piece of history for west Texas and many Mexican Americans across the country, and we are ready to share it with the world.

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for processions held on November 18th, I would like to register for the record that I would have voted YEA on H.R. 5574, the TRANSLATE Act; and YEA on H.R. 3730, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Advisory Committee on United States Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Amodei (Balderson) Bacon (Fitzpatrick) Barraga AE1n (Allred) Blumenauer (Beyer) Boyle, Brendan F. (Jeffries) Brooks (Moore (AL)) Burgess (Lucas) Calvert (Garcia (CA)) Cleaver (Butterfield) Davids (KS) (Kim (NJ)) DeFazio (Brown (MD)) Dingell (Clark (MA)) Duncan (Timmons) Fallon (Nehls) Gonzalez (OH) (Armstrong) Harshbarger (Fleischmann) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kelly (IL) (Clarke (NY)) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Krishnamoorthi (Levin (CA)) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lieu (Raskin) Lesko (Miller (WV)) Long (Fleischmann) Lowenthal (Beyer) Matsui (Thompson (CA)) McEachin (Wexton) Nunes (Garcia (CA)) Payne (Pallone) Porter (Wexton) Reed (Walorski) Rice (NY) (Murphy (FL)) Roybal-Allard (McCollum) Rush (Quigley) Sires (Pallone) Stauber (Bergman) Steube (Timmons) Swalwell (Gomez) Thompson (MS) (Butterfield) Thompson (PA) (Meuser) Tlaib (Bowman) Trone (Beyer) Underwood (Casten) Van Drew (Tenney) Waltz (Salazar) Welch (McGovern) Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. There is a lot going on in the world right now, and it is very easy to forget that we have millions of Americans who are living in a very abusive environment. Many people walk around with scars that everyone can see. But also, many of us walk around with scars that nobody can see. In particular, I would like to highlight the women who are in this very difficult situation. When I was 5 years old, I recall when my mother woke me up in the middle of the night to sneak us out of our very abusive home, and I remember spending time in a battered women's shelter. That moment will never leave me. Looking back at it now, my mother was the bravest woman that I knew then and the bravest woman that I know now. And it doesn't have to be this way. People don't have to be in an environment that is constantly under abuse. You can leave, whether that is today, whether that is tomorrow, whether that is decades from now. Today, I am very proud. Years ago, my mother left that abusive environment. Just last year, she was able to get her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, UTEP. It was amazing for her to go back and get her education. Today, she lives with me. She, along with my wife, Angel, helps raise our children. And today, she is in an environment where she is loved. This month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we can't lose sight of that. If you are in a violent situation, you, too, can get out. You, too, can change the direction of your life, and your children can go off and be very successful because we live in the greatest country on Earth. Whether it is today, tomorrow, or a decade from now, please leave your abusive environment and get back to a place of happiness and love.