Robert Garcia

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Mannion).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. Congress should be fighting hard for working people all over this country. We should be tackling the cost of living. We should be fighting to provide world-class government services, and we should be fighting for the unions which make all that possible. We should be working hard to expand the right to organize, not turning back the clock on working families. This bill is a huge win for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Golden for his work, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mayor Bob Foster. Bob was an incredible friend, a mentor, and a leader who gave so much to our country, our community, and my city of Long Beach. As mayor of Long Beach for 8 years, he transformed the city into an economic powerhouse, and he led us through the 2008 financial crisis. He signed historic agreements to clean our air, to clean our water, and to clean our ports. He made our city government more efficient and responsive to residents. Bob was also a successful businessman and CEO who brought his experience and support for working people to city hall. His vision and work led to the creation of our new civic center and downtown library. We honored that legacy when we named the new council chambers the Bob Foster Civic Chambers. It was one of the last actions we took when I was mayor of Long Beach. His commitment to public service continued even after he left office. He and his family supported charities, nonprofits, and so many others across our city. They included mental health programs, initiatives for students and libraries, and Cal State, Long Beach. Mr. Speaker, I first met Bob when I was a student at Cal State, Long Beach, and he served as a trustee for the California State University system. We served together again when I was elected to the city council and he was elected as mayor of Long Beach. I was proud to support his agenda when I was on that council. When I ran for mayor, nobody did more to help my campaign than Bob. I was honored that he trusted me to be his successor for our community. His support was invaluable. I am honored that he trusted me, but most importantly, I am honored to have just known him. His leadership is known across our community. He was a great friend and a great mentor. I enjoyed his advice, our talks, and, most importantly, his jokes. I will miss him terribly. All of our love is with his wife, Nancy, and his family. Mr. Speaker, to his wife, Nancy, I will say that we love her so much. We support her. We thank her for all her work to our city, as well. We will continue to work and honor his incredible legacy. Honoring Skip Keesal

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Skip Keesal. Skip was a force, a friend, and a devoted leader in our community. He helped shape our country, our State, and the city of Long Beach. He dedicated his life to helping others and always doing the right thing. He knew everybody. Whether it was events he would have with U.S. Senators or with community members, he was as comfortable with those in power and in business as he was with community activists and the folks working across our community. He was a giant in the legal profession, establishing one of the most admired law firms in California and one of the most powerful firms when it comes to maritime across the country. Throughout his professional success, he maintained a deep commitment to our city and our people. He was the most respected and giving philanthropist in the city of Long Beach. Nobody did more than Skip. He was tireless in his work for both the law firm and to countless charities and projects. The impact of his work will go on. It was a privilege to know him, to have worked alongside him, and to learn from him. I will miss our lunches, his advice, and his friendship. Mr. Speaker, my thoughts are always with Beth, his family, and those who loved him. Honoring Bob Maxson

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Bob Maxson. Bob was the president of Cal State, Long Beach for 12 years, and he was also my biggest mentor in life. I am forever grateful for his friendship and guidance over the years. More than anything, he was an incredible leader and teacher who devoted his life to the university and its students. His vision of excellence and effort to put student success front and center at CSULB turned it into the powerhouse it is today in our State. He was the first president in the CSU system to win the Association's University President of the Year award by its own students. He won it so many times that the award was named in his honor. He coined the nickname ``The Beach,'' of which Cal State, Long Beach is now known by. He enthusiastically supported its students and athletic teams across the campus. Mr. Speaker, I first met Bob when I served as student body president. His kindness, support, and mentorship changed the course of my life. I know for so many other people, he was a constant presence. We stayed in touch throughout my entire time in office. He supported me when I was mayor, supported me when I got to Congress, and I spoke to him just a few months before he recently passed. I have never stopped being grateful for his service to our university, to our students, and to our community. We will always be grateful. My thoughts are with his family and the Cal State, Long Beach community. Go Beach.

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose the legislation which is in front of us, which is another completely unacceptable attack on the District and on democratic principles. We know that D.C. has more residents than two States. D.C. pays more Federal taxes than 26 States. D.C.'s government is accountable to the people who live here. Local leadership should be empowered to solve problems without Congress constantly interfering. I have said many times if Donald Trump wants to run D.C., he should resign and run for Mayor. If Republicans want to get tough on crime, they should stop protecting the criminals in the Epstein files and demand transparency from Donald Trump. Let's talk about the bill in front of us today. We know the District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act is unfair and bad policy. Under this bill, if someone is charged with certain crimes, he will automatically be locked up before his trial. For other crimes, this bill would require cash bail or bond. This will make D.C.'s local law much more strict that even Federal law. Pretrial release should be based on a judge's determination of flight risk and danger to the community. We should let trained judges and prosecutors do their jobs and consider each fact of each case. A person shouldn't automatically be locked up based on a criminal charge before he is even proven to be guilty. We know in our system that a person is innocent until proven guilty. We know that should be true whether that person is rich or poor. This bill will lock up more low-income people and more people who are also innocent. It will reinforce an unfair system where the rich get perks, while the poor suffer. Democrats are fighting for a system where wealthy elites aren't above the law but where the justice system is fair for all. We are fighting for democracy. We should let the council, the Mayor, and the District's justice system work together as they balance the public safety needs of the people. When D.C. residents don't like local policies, they can demand different policies from their elected leaders and certainly vote them out of office. This bill is not about safety but about Congress once again interfering in local safety decisions by D.C. residents who are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own. We should be clear. This bill is also opposed by the Mayor, the city council, and many in the community. It is an overreach by the Republican majority to try to control the District. Mr. Speaker, the bill is unnecessary. It undermines home rule, and it can make D.C. less safe. I urge my colleagues to oppose it. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Walkinshaw).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I, once again, urge our colleagues to oppose this bill. D.C. has a right and its residents have a right to govern themselves and elect mayors and council members that choose to pass laws to support the District. Congress should not be undermining local laws. Mr. Speaker, Republicans want to make it easier to lock up poor defendants pretrial, undermining the fundamental American principle of innocent until proven guilty, all while stripping 700,000 residents of self-rule. Congress should not dictate local judicial policy. Mr. Speaker, we should oppose these bills, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I stand tonight to strongly oppose this bill, which repeals commonsense criminal justice reforms that were passed by D.C.'s elected representatives in the wake of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Mr. Speaker, we know that cities and communities all over the country passed similar reforms to increase trust, accountability, and safety. In D.C., these measures increased accountability for bad apples with independent civilian oversight, clean disciplinary process, and mandatory reporting for overuse of force incidents. It prohibited the hiring of officers with prior misconduct, and it prohibited choke holds. They improved training for officers. The Mayor, the D.C. City Council, and the community all worked together to pass a series of reforms and laws, work they were proud of. They empower the chief of police to lead the police department and do it the right way. This bill repeals all of that. It would damage the trust between D.C. police and the communities they protect and serve. We know communities are safer when residents feel safe calling on 911 and when they feel safe working with the police. We know policies like de-escalation, expanding body-worn cameras, and improving safety should not move backwards. This bill is opposed by D.C. residents. It is opposed by the Mayor of D.C. It is opposed by the D.C. City Council, and it is opposed by D.C.'s Member of Congress. This is part of my Republican colleagues' continued obsession with acting as a super city council for the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker, D.C., again, has more residents than two States. D.C. taxpayers pay Federal taxes. D.C., as a whole, contributes more Federal taxes than 26 other States. D.C.'s government should be allowed to govern themselves, to hold local leaders accountable, to elect their own leadership, and to solve problems without Congress consistently interfering. We should always continue to support D.C. and their ability to govern themselves. Congress should focus on national issues and let the residents of D.C. and their local representatives govern the District. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Again, I strongly oppose this bill. As a reminder, it would eliminate commonsense criminal justice reforms that have been widely implemented by State and local governments across the country. Local officials here in D.C. passed these laws. The voters made these decisions, and D.C. should have a right to govern itself. This bill undermines trust between police and the community they serve and makes us all less safe. It is undemocratic. It could very well make D.C. not just less safe but also lose trust between its elected government and the people. When the people come together and pass laws, Congress should not overturn those. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge opposition, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to hear Republicans, and certainly the chairman of our committee, finally want transparency on this issue. It is time to end this White House coverup now. We know that Donald Trump has tried everything to kill our Jeffrey Epstein investigation. He has failed, and now he is panicking. He is about to lose this Epstein vote to force the Department of Justice to release the files. Let's be crystal clear. Trump has the power to release the files today. He does not even need a vote. He continues to defy the subpoena of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to release all the files. What is Donald Trump hiding? What is Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, hiding? Why won't they release the Epstein files right now? He must explain to the public why he moved sex trafficker and monster Ghislaine Maxwell to a cushy, low-security prison after her interview with Trump's personal lawyer. He should declare, and every Republican should say, that she does not deserve a pardon or commutation.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, we don't care how much money you have, what party you are in, or how powerful you are. We should get justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Our work on the committee is not over. Next steps are the bank and financial records to follow and expose Epstein's network. Today, there should be a unanimous vote on releasing the files, and we will get justice.

Mr. GARCIA of California

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the principles that bind us together as a nation. First and foremost, we must acknowledge the human cost of this horrific tragedy. A wife has lost her husband, children have lost their father, and a family has been shattered by senseless violence. Whatever our personal political views, there should be no hesitation in extending deep sympathy to Charlie Kirk's loved ones, family, and friends. We also stand here today to reaffirm a principle that runs deeper than politics: Political violence has no place in the United States of America. Our democracy rests on a fragile but enduring promise: that disagreements are to be aired through speech, through debate, and through the ballot box, not through intimidation, not through violence, and not through bloodshed. That promise is enshrined in the Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and freedom of assembly precisely because the Framers understood, as we all know, that a democracy cannot function without the ability to argue, to disagree, and sometimes offend each other without fear of retribution. That principle, of course, cuts both ways. We cannot claim to defend free speech if we only protect words we find comfortable or agreeable or polite. The test of our commitment to the First Amendment is not whether we defend the speech we like. It is whether we defend the speech we dislike. Our Constitution demands that we find a way to live together in freedom even when our visions for the country might differ. Democracy requires that we resolve our differences not by force but by persuasion; not by threats, but by votes; not by silencing votes, but by answering them. Today, we all join together to mourn the Kirk family. Let's recommit ourselves to the freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.