Chrissy Houlahan

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I am struck by the fact that we are at a place where we have maligned others in the past for brutish isolationism and for colonial instincts that we have long condemned in our own adversaries. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of this aisle to vote ``yes,'' to do our jobs so that we may reaffirm our authority and rein in reckless action.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of a very special person, our defense fellow, U.S. Marine captain and JAG Viviana Lowe, whose tenure with our office is sadly coming to a close. Viviana is here with us today. Viviana has been an enormously instrumental member of our office this last year, leading us to more than 35 policy wins in the NDAA that will have lasting impact on the services for decades to come. Through her leadership of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus and especially with the WITs, Viviana has ensured that our military is a place where our servicewomen all feel valued and supported. Her dedication to the academy nomination process and inspiring the next generation of servicemembers has been a gift not only to our office but to our entire community and will pay back in dividends that we don't yet appreciate. As she leaves our office and heads back to the Pentagon to join the Marine's Judge Advocate Division, we know that our Nation is fortunate to have a fierce warrior and public servant like Viviana at the helm. We will miss Viviana and her amazing energy and spirit.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is a bipartisan compromise that continues our work to improve the quality of life of our servicemembers and their families. I thank the chair and ranking member for working so diligently to bring this forward. At the heart of our national security are the people whose courage, skill, and integrity make every mission possible. This legislation recognizes their value with a 3.8 percent pay raise, an increase in the family separation allowance, and other provisions that will help ease the financial pressures of military families. It also extends the Child Care in Your Home pilot through 2029 and requires annual reviews of childcare fee assistance. We also include protections I championed for our Department of Defense civilian workforce, barring arbitrary layoffs for DODEA teachers and childcare staff, and shielding public shipyard employees from reductions in force or hiring freezes. I am very grateful that this bill moves forward a reform that I have worked on for years. It authorizes automatic Selective Service System registration for eligible men, making the system more fair and efficient. I am especially proud that this legislation codifies the Women's Initiatives Teams across all services. Women serve and lead in every domain of our military. We cannot let Secretary Hegseth sideline them. Making WITs permanent ensures each branch can continue to identify the barriers and remove those barriers to women's recruitment, retention, health, and safety. I do all this and support this bill, despite my extreme lack of confidence in this Pentagon's leadership, but I must always support the men and women who wear the uniform. Our servicemembers and their families make extraordinary sacrifices for our Nation, and now, especially now, we must fulfill our commitments to them. Mr. Speaker, with my remaining time, with very much respect to the ranking member and chairman, I would also like to echo Mr. Khanna in imploring a full committee hearing for the House Armed Services Committee with Secretary Hegseth and a full committee hearing for the Intel Committee with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. We absolutely and collectively all must have the oversight and the understanding of what is going on in Venezuela and the attacks in the open Caribbean. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for the opportunity to serve.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sharon Loving, a remarkable leader whose more than four decades at our Longwood Gardens has helped shape one of the most treasured gardens in the world. Sharon began at Longwood in 1982 as a part-time display gardener and, through exceptional talent and dedication, she rose to become the chief horticultural and facilities officer. She has been the standard-bearer for Longwood's horticultural excellence, mentoring thousands of aspiring gardening professionals and elevating Longwood as a leader among public gardens worldwide. Under her guidance, Longwood completed transformational projects, from the restoration of the main conservatory and historic indoor spaces to expansion of beautiful landscapes and, most recently, the visionary Longwood Reimagined initiative. Sharon's leadership, creativity, and stewardship have left an indelible mark on our community, and we are deeply grateful to her.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this bill. I was very proud of the markup that passed out of the Armed Services Committee. The bill that we delivered to this floor this week was overwhelmingly bipartisan. It supported our men and women in uniform and strengthened our national defense. It was an honor to work so closely with Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith on that bill. Unfortunately, the toxically amended bill that is here before us is no longer that. Not only have a number of very difficult amendments been added to the original markup, but also, since the markup, this administration has recklessly and dangerously deployed the National Guard to American cities without the request or permission of either State or local officials. For good reason, the Governor of each State makes the decision about when and where to deploy National Guard, not Presidents who are trying to score cheap political points and who are trying to divide our Nation. I am very proud to be a veteran, and as ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, it is my responsibility to make sure that we are taking care of our troops and deploying them responsibly and legally, but you don't need to be a veteran or a member of a military family to see what this administration has done with our military. It is divisive, shameful, and irresponsible. It is divisive, shameful, and irresponsible for us to ask our soldiers to act as local police officers, a role that undermines our readiness for actual conflicts. It is divisive, shameful, and irresponsible that we force them to leave their families and their jobs for an uncertain period of time with uncertain pay and benefits. It is most certainly divisive, shameful, and irresponsible when we force them to spend their days picking up trash at a cost of millions to the taxpayer. Our National Guard is designed and trained, indeed purpose-built, to serve key roles in domestic emergencies, natural disasters, and in deployment overseas. When we stray from that mission, we put our national security at risk, and we disrespect these men and women. For these reasons, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. This simple amendment requires that the State's Governor must consent before the National Guard can be deployed. I know that many of my colleagues may agree with me, including some who are, indeed, running for Governor of their home State, so I ask these Members and all of those who believe in federalism and States' rights to have the courage to support this important amendment today. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this motion to recommit. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of this amendment. Ms. Houlahan moves to recommit the bill H.R. 3838 to the Committee on Armed Services with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith, with the following amendment: At the end of subtitle B of title V, insert the following new section:

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I thank Ranking Member Smith and the chairman for leading by example. It is a very important lesson to be learned here. I thank the chairman, Mr. Fallon, for working together with me on MILPERS this term. This is my seventh time through this, my seventh time on a bipartisan bill, and actually my sixth time a bipartisan bill has passed out of committee. This one includes many quality-of-life priorities for our servicemembers and for their families. These issues will have an immeasurable impact on our recruitment and retention efforts, as well as, of course, our readiness. The bill includes a 3.8 percent pay raise for servicemembers. It increases the family separation allowance for servicemembers to $400 a month. It also excludes the base housing allowance from a servicemembers' household income so that a great number of them should be eligible for the basic needs allowance. These and several other provisions in the bill will certainly positively impact servicemembers' pocketbooks and their ability to put food on the table. H.R. 3838 expands ongoing efforts to improve the access to safe and quality childcare by extending the Childcare in Your Home pilot program through 2029. Additionally, the bill will require the Department to conduct annual reviews of childcare fee assistance rates. These regular reviews will certainly ensure that the fee assistance program remains aligned with the ever-evolving needs of our military families. Finally, the bill addresses the ongoing healthcare needs of servicemembers and their families. It requires the establishment of the occupational resilience program for cyber personnel. Interestingly and importantly, the bill waives fees and copays for the TRICARE dental program for all members of the Selected Reserves. Most importantly, it ensures the Department doesn't further reduce the number of military medical personnel which is, of course, vital at a time when there are medical professional shortages across this country. We bring this bill to the floor to show that in a bipartisan way our country is determined to support our servicemembers and their families.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, we support readiness and recruitment. I urge my colleagues to reject poison pill policy riders that will be added to this bill that could destabilize this very important work and to not put partisan politics above the well-being of our servicemembers. This NDAA would do just that. Our servicemembers and their families make considerable sacrifices, and we must fulfill our commitments to them and their families, as well.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc package, which includes my bipartisan amendment that would require the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive strategy for emerging biotechnologies. Biotechnology can transform defense capabilities, including producing food, fuel, and medicine on the battlefield, enhancing surveillance and stealth, and reducing supply chain vulnerabilities while increasing operational flexibility. Our adversaries, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, are investing heavily in this field, and it is critical that we act and that we act now. This amendment directs the Department to develop a strategy to expand biomanufacturing and to update military specifications, to leverage market commitments, to integrate biotech into planning and exercises, to pursue research grant challenges, to build regulatory and digital infrastructure, and, lastly, to strengthen our NATO coordination, as well. I thank my fellow leaders of the House BIOTech Caucus, Representatives Khanna, Sessions, and Bilirakis, for their partnership on this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support the en bloc package.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. 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.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 183, H.R. 875, and YEA on Roll Call No. 184, H.R. 275. personal explanation

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the House and recognize the very hard work and the invaluable contributions of Ingrid Izaguirre to my office. Ingrid has honorably served as a climate solutions fellow on my legislative team for the past 2 years. During her time with my office, she has stepped up to the plate to manage planning and programming for the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, turning what was an inactive caucus into one of the most active caucuses on Capitol Hill. Notably, she has facilitated dozens of cross-aisle conversations and educational opportunities for both Members and staff. She has built bipartisan support for permitting reform and for the Department of Energy programs. She has spearheaded numerous legislative proposals through the National Defense Authorization Act to keep our Nation's energy infrastructure more secure and so much more. Our HoulaTeam will miss her quick wit, unrelenting work ethic, and friendship. Mr. Speaker, Ingrid has proven that bipartisanship and cooperation on climate change is possible even during these divided times. She should be very proud. We will miss her and welcome her to the Houla alum network, and I have no doubt that she will be successful in her next role.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a veteran of the United States Air Force on this national Women Veterans Day to tell Secretary Hegseth and President Trump that women who raise their hand and swear an oath to protect and defend this Nation are not going anywhere and we will not be silent. From the earliest days of our Nation, women have always served, both officially and unofficially, facing off against America's enemies. Today, women make up nearly 18 percent of the Active-Duty force and 22 percent of our National Guard and Reserve. Studies prove that their service improves innovation and mission outcomes, making our military stronger, smarter, and more prepared to face the challenges of modern warfare. The administration's artificial barriers on who can lead and who can serve are disrespectful and irresponsible. Firing and pushing aside decorated female leaders who earned their positions diminishes military readiness and devalues the standards and integrity of the very military itself. Women in our military are not insignificant or inconsequential. We are indeed essential, and we cannot be pushed out or erased.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise with profound admiration for Andrew Kassoy and his life well lived. Very few people on this Earth can know that they have truly changed the planet, but Andrew knows that he has. He has forever established that business is a force for good and that our global economy can be about all of us. He has also lived those values locally, teaching us and our next generations that our voice and our vote matters and that we matter. To that end, he has knocked on thousands of doors and had thousands of conversations with so many across this country in an effort to hear all of us and to unite all of us. He has done all of this with humor and a sparkling intellect. We will miss Andrew deeply, but he will never be far. For whenever we hear that doorbell ring or a knock on our door, we will know that he is with us. Godspeed, Andrew.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Paul Redman, the visionary leader behind the world-renowned Longwood Gardens, which is a fixture of my community in the Philadelphia area. Since 2006, Paul's masterful leadership has helped Longwood navigate modernization, a global pandemic, and even an escaped convict hiding on the grounds. Under his direction, Longwood has grown physically and programmatically, becoming a go-to destination for events, employing hundreds across southeastern Pennsylvania, and bringing 1.6 million people to our community last year. I have been proud to honor hosts like the Japanese Ambassador to Longwood Gardens, and I am always grateful for Paul's graciousness and hospitality. This week, for his steadfast dedication to our community and to Longwood, Paul is being inducted into the Chester County Economic Development Council Hall of Fame. He has made innumerable contributions to our region, and this honor is beyond well-deserved. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Paul. I am so proud to have an extraordinary leader such as him in our community and at the head of our Longwood Gardens.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Haley Stevens for this opportunity to speak on behalf of this really important legislation. Imagine, if you will, the ability to model a manufacturing process to design a basketball shoe, maybe modeling the opportunity to cure a disease, maybe modeling market behavior, perhaps modeling a system to be able to equitably donate organs to people or molecules to cure a disease, modeling energy sources so that we can have a more safe and healthy planet, or maybe even, unfortunately, having to model the destruction of our infrastructure so that we can make sure that we have the national security resources to be able to protect our fine Nation. H.R. 730, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, is designed to address all of these different issues in our society, but I come to the floor with really bad news, as though we needed more. America's K-12 students are falling further and further behind, particularly behind China's students, academically. This lag is particularly concerning when we talk about the STEM fields because our industrial base continues to tell us that we are not educating and preparing the designers, engineers, and modelers of the future in order to be able to compete with our adversaries. The National Assessment on Education Progress, which is colloquially known as the Nation's report card, has shown us that this knowledge and talent shortage is a nationwide challenge. In 2022, the assessment registered the largest decline in mathematics scores since we first started assessing in 1990. The scores of the average fourth grader were down 5 points. Worse, the average eighth grader recorded a score of 8 points lower than the previous assessment. The 2024 survey was even more concerning because it showed an overall growth of zero from 2022 and even declines among some students, as well. With all the chaos that is unfolding in other parts of our government, particularly in the education sector, now is the time to invest in math and STEM education. The Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act is just one answer to this challenge. It is a bipartisan bill, and it directs $10 million of already-appropriated money to the National Science Foundation for a grant program that will support the modernization of mathematical and statistical modeling for education across this Nation. As a former educator myself and an engineer by education and profession, I know personally that there is a very serious need to improve mathematics education for our K-12 students. Indeed, when I taught chemistry, I saw firsthand how my students struggled because they lacked the basic foundations in math that are necessary for the sciences. Today, I hear from both our generals and our CEOs about what these gaps mean for our country. It doesn't just hurt our economy. It hurts our national security, as well. Math skills form the basis for all the STEM disciplines, and importantly, they also form the basis just for critical thinking and problem-solving in general. If our students can't get ahead in school, how will they get ahead in the STEM workforce as engineers, computer scientists, chemists, nurses, doctors, and much more?

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, importantly, how will those who may decide to pursue STEM fields succeed where these same skills are useful among the trades or manufacturing? Thankfully, schools across the country are developing new tools and curricula with students to help them learn these challenging topics. I will repeat again that this is without any additional cost. This is with funds already appropriated. I will also repeat again that this is a bipartisan piece of legislation that will provide our young people with the skills they need to succeed in our marketplace. It passed in the 118th Congress unanimously out of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as well when it was last marked up. I hope that my colleagues will support this unanimously and make this bill finally a law. Lastly, I thank my Republican colleague and fellow veteran, Mr. Baird, for his hard work on this legislation and extend appreciation to the staff of the SST Committee, as well as Representative Stevens and Representative Babin, who have helped shepherd this legislation through today. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides to support this commonsense, bipartisan measure to strengthen our national security and our economy.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Morelle for yielding. Today, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to rise and offer this bipartisan legislation, H.R. 250, the Benjamin Franklin statue placement act. It is so very important to highlight moments where we do come together here in the body, and this bipartisan, bicameral legislation is a bright moment of that kind of unity. I am really grateful for the support and partnership of my colleagues in this effort, Representative Fitzpatrick and Senators Coons and Boozman, on the other side of the Capitol. The Benjamin Franklin statue placement act does seek to honor Benjamin Franklin, as mentioned, a renowned author, inventor, statesman, and dare I offer, the most important Founding Father of our great Nation. Mr. Franklin's accomplishments and inventions are numerous and infamous. Electricity, bifocals, and the lightning rod are just a couple of examples that every day still centuries later are in our lives. He is known, as was mentioned earlier, for very pithy, very profound, and witty statements, such as a stitch in time saves nine or a penny saved is a penny earned. Most memorable, perhaps, is: ``It is a republic, if you can keep it.'' Arguably, Mr. Franklin's most important accolade is that he is the only person to have signed formally all three foundational documents separating our new Nation from the British monarchy. The Treaty of Paris, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, together known as the Charters of Freedom, boast the signatures of some of our Nation's most revered figures. Mr. Franklin's signature is the only one that appears on all three documents, however. That is not only something worthy of note, but something, of course, to celebrate. This is why I was shocked when I learned on my very first official tour of the Capitol Building--which was given to me by my own team member, Emma Consoli, who is the one we really should thank for this legislation--that there are no statues on the Capitol tour of Mr. Franklin. Indeed, Mr. Franklin's lone statue sits at the base of a stairwell, a dark stairwell, just off the Senate floor, out of sight of the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the Capitol. As we approach this Nation's 250th anniversary, it really is of utmost importance to have Mr. Franklin rightly on display and immortalized for his contributions to our foundation. The Benjamin Franklin statue placement act will do just that. While Representative Fitzpatrick and I both are both immensely proud of Pennsylvania's own Ben Franklin, we know this is not just for Pennsylvania but for our entire country. I am very grateful to the 77 Members who shared this sentiment last Congress and to our 22 evenly bipartisan original cosponsors and to the 33 Members who have already sponsored it today. I am also very grateful for the leadership of Chairman Steil and Ranking Member Morelle who supported this bill and believed in it as it passed through the House Administration Committee unanimously in September. This placement act, as written, directs the Joint Committee on the Library to procure and to place a statue of Mr. Franklin along the Capitol tour route, as mentioned, before 2026 ends in celebration of our 250th anniversary. The installation of this statue in the Capitol Building will not only be an apt celebration for such an important figure in our history, but it is something that I will urge my colleagues to make sure that we vote in favor of today, so we can start that clock ticking. It is important that we take up this legislation now so that this awesome statue that has already been built and already been donated can be cast to perfection and placed ahead of 2026. I am grateful for the support of this effort. I thank the sculptor, Zenos Frudakis, for his beautiful work already. I appreciate so much the hard work that has gone into this by all of the people who stand around me for being able to get this to the floor for consideration.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, this week marks a very solemn anniversary. It is the anniversary of Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine. Three years ago, Russia started this war by invading Ukraine, not the other way around. I repeat: Three years ago, Russia started this war. I am utterly disgusted that President Trump would refute this absolute truth. I am equally horrified by President Trump's characterization of President Zelenskyy as a dictator who does not want peace. I was with President Zelenskyy just last week in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. He is an honorable and earnest leader, a man who has even offered to step down from the Presidency if it would guarantee the freedom of his people. President Trump's blatant lie and absurd insult is a lie directly out of Soviet-style propagandist playbooks. It is Putin who wants to take Ukraine's resource-rich land. It is Putin who wants to strip its people of their rights and their freedoms, and it is Putin who wants to destroy another European democracy. It is Putin who is a cancer on the world, a liar, a torturer, a murderer, and a war criminal. It is appalling to see our President of these United States, expected to be a reliable standard-bearer of democracy, align himself and as a result ourselves so closely with our adversaries, even organizing a sit-down to determine the fate of Ukraine without Ukraine at the table, and without the input of our European allies at all. Whatever comes out of these meetings will not be a peace agreement. It will instead be a Russian power grab and an appeasement of war criminal Putin facilitated by the United States, an illegitimate peace. It is all horrifying. It is all infuriating, and it is all antithetical to our American ideals. As President Trump and his administration publicly trash our allies, undermine the strength of NATO, and decimate our international aid programs, our adversaries are greedily and happily waiting to fill the gaps that this administration is deliberately creating. On Monday, the United States joined Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Sudan, and Hungary--I will name them again: Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Sudan, and Hungary--a group of countries I never would like us to be associated with, in voting against the United Nations resolution condemning Russian aggression and demanding the immediate withdrawal of Putin's forces from Ukraine. To quote my Republican colleague and dear friend, Congressman Don Bacon: The Trump administration royally screwed up on Ukraine. Another anniversary is fast approaching. Indeed, on April 20 of last year, 101 Republicans voted to support Ukraine. I am really glad that Representative Bacon is speaking out about President Trump's actions, but I wonder where are the rest of his colleagues? I hope that the other 100 Members who supported aid to Ukraine in April will be as brave as Representative Bacon and speak out against this administration's ridiculous and dangerous actions. I want to emphasize how important it is that the American people hear President Trump's own words, see his own actions, and be appropriately outraged. President Trump's disavowal of Ukraine and his cozying up to dictators puts us here in the United States at risk as well. President Trump's turn towards authoritarianism leaves us exposed politically and economically. Scorned allies could pull out or change their free trade agreements, cause shortages in imported goods, including food and oil, pharmaceuticals, and more. President Trump campaigned on bringing down costs, but his very actions right now are indeed undermining the value of the dollar and driving up inflation. We have heard over and over again from the American people that the prices of essential goods are already too high, and President Trump's actions will only hurt our attempts to bring down these costs. America's global leadership also helps to keep Americans safe, too. President Trump turning his back on Ukraine isolates us and undermines our strength, the strength of international institutions, and the security networks that work, like NATO. This encourages NATO allies to question our own alliance and allegiance. It, in turn, causes our allies worldwide to do the same, and those who are considering with whom to form alliances, and there are many, it causes them as well to turn away from us. It gets worse. With President Trump actually allying himself with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, these countries now seemingly have America's explicit backing to spread their influence, and in some cases to spread their force, like we have seen in Ukraine. This will undoubtedly cause people to flee oppressive regimes and create new regimes, who will be inspired by this global democratic back slide. President Trump claimed he was going to reduce this kind of migration, but the political turmoil he is causing will, in fact, make it worse, pushing people to seek safety outside of their own home country. We can't turn our back on Ukraine and the world, and we cannot expect that the consequences of that decision will not reach our shores. The American way of life is reliant on our global reputation and interconnectivity. President Trump is doing his very best to tear that all down. President Trump must reverse his dangerous position. He must stop this gamesmanship, and he must recommit to our longstanding alliances instead of realigning ourselves, the United States, with dictators. I yield now to my esteemed colleague from the great State of Ohio, the very honorable Marcy Kaptur.

Ms. HOULAHAN. The gentlewoman is very welcome. It is my privilege. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Vindman).

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case).