Chrissy Houlahan

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I thank Representative Sherrill for yielding me time. Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition to this harmful and dangerous amendment, a back door to a national ban on abortion. I also rise saddened and frustrated that we find ourselves here in this legislative body deciding whether or not we trust our women in uniform and our military families to make healthcare decisions for themselves. Let me say loud and clear, as someone who has worn the uniform, who had a child as an Active-Duty member, and who has a uterus, unlike many who are opining on this subject, I trust women to make the best decisions that they are able to for their own health and their families' health. It is insulting that we have to stand here and ask our colleagues to acknowledge our servicemembers' and military family members' bodily autonomy. I grew up in a military family, moving dozens of times. When I graduated and when the time came, I also raised my right hand. Today, that same woman stands before you perplexed. Why would any woman want to enlist when her fundamental freedoms and those of her family are no longer her own? The percentage of Active-Duty servicemembers who have no or severely restricted access to abortion is now 46 percent. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. Instead of debating the very many pressing national security issues that our country faces, my Republican colleagues are, unfortunately, using this amendment and many others to continue their needless crusade against the LGBTQ+ community. It goes without saying that regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, the servicemembers and civilian employees who work at the Department of Defense provide a great sacrifice and great service to our great Nation. With this amendment, my Republican colleagues are once again attempting to erase and censor the LGBTQ+ community in our Armed Forces and in those workplaces. For 17 years, Don't Ask, Don't Tell prohibited servicemembers from being openly themselves without the threat of being discharged. I served during this time. Since its repeal, our country has made significant strides to acceptance in our Armed Forces and in the DOD. With this amendment, anti-equality lawmakers are attempting to take us backward by prohibiting servicemembers and DOD employees from displaying the Pride flag, a symbol of strength and acceptance of the LGBT community, individuals, and the many ongoing challenges that continue to be faced by that community. Regardless of whether you are a servicemember serving overseas or a civilian employee working at the Pentagon, all of our servicemembers and defense employees should have the opportunity to celebrate their identity and their truth, and this amendment would take that away. With the enactment of the Respect for Marriage Act, we saw possibilities for progress when both Democrats and Republicans came together in support of the LGBTQ community, yet instead of embracing this bipartisanship and progress, with this amendment, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are espousing an anti-equality and anti- trans agenda. At a time when the LGBTQ+ community is facing a deluge of attacks in States across our Nation, now more than ever, we must come together in support of that community, their heroes, and those who honorably serve our country. Once again, I stand here as a veteran, the mother of a gay daughter, an ally to LGBTQ servicemembers and DOD employees, and in strong opposition to this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. We agree that we should not be spending our time and wasting our time on this issue. We agree that flags have purpose and flags have meaning. We agree that we should be flying properly approved flags. However, what we don't agree on is that we should be taking our Nation back. This is all of our Nation, not just for some. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this harmful and very misguided amendment; and let's do start with the facts. This amendment, dare I say, is a naked attempt at discrimination, an attempt to ban books such as those who depict families with two moms or two dads. To block those stories is to block the story of my own daughter and her wife, as an example. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to say that they are for individual rights and freedom, but it is perhaps more accurate to say that some of them want the individual right to deny other people and other families their rights and freedoms, as well. The Federal Government does not and should not get to choose what my children or my daughter's children read. As a parent myself, I also have children, and a former teacher, I believe that the beauty of books is in its ability to expose us to worlds and ideas that are outside of our own. Our schools should be focused on creating environments that support every student, all students, and not censoring their individual experiences. Here is where we clearly do agree. Parents across the country want their children to learn in safe and affirming environments, which is why I am also in vehement opposition and, frankly, quite disgusted by some nonstop attempts that seem to be coming from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to label content that they don't like as pornography, as a shield that, frankly, in my opinion is hiding blatant bigotry. So I rise on behalf of my daughter and the LGBTQ+ people whose experiences must be told. This bill, this amendment doesn't stop with LGBTQ+ people or servicemembers. This amendment also yields other harmful consequences. How the text is currently written would allow for further draconian and out-of-touch interpretations that could ban books simply like Judy Blume's, one that we have probably all read, those of us of a certain age and gender, ``Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.'' or other stories that teach young people about puberty, their bodies, or contain information about health and sexual education. America is a country of freedom of speech and freedom of ideas, and yet my colleagues across the aisle want to ban books that enable the next generation to thrive. So today I rise, dare I say, to allow people to be able to choose what they read to their children, or what their children read. As a child in DoDEA schools, I actually got to be exposed to this exact situation where I had the opportunity to read a lot when I was growing up in Defense Department schools, and I can't imagine a world where my parents didn't have the ability or the authority to decide what it was that I was going to be able to read. I urge my colleagues to vote against this very harmful amendment and against all efforts that politicize military and hurt military readiness and national security. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes), my colleague.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I would just urge my colleagues please to vote against this harmful amendment and other amendments that are similarly working very much to destroy and distract from what I think is really important, which is the national security of our Nation. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, today I rise in support of my amendment which would simply require Congress to approve by vote any regulation with an economic impact over $1 billion rather than $100 million as the current underlying bill is written. Congress does have a responsibility to ensure that Federal dollars are spent appropriately with congressional intent and oversight in mind. Yet all of us in this Chamber know just how challenging it can be to come to a consensus despite all of our best efforts, let alone to find the time and the space on the calendar to do so. Requiring a vote in both the House and the Senate on any regulation with a price tag of $100 million will put in jeopardy consumer protection, healthcare access, and environmental safety. We simply cannot afford in good faith to have this threshold this low. The American people cannot afford for the implementation of these items to be stalled. The rulemaking process is designed to implement laws that have already passed Congress. However, the laws that we write and the dollars we spend do, of course, have tangible impacts, which is why my amendment would ensure that only the rules that are over $1 billion would see a vote. As a point of reference, during the Trump administration only 26 out of 1,327 rules had a price tag of over $1 billion. Again, less than 2 percent of the Trump administration's 1,300 rules would, therefore, require a vote under the new threshold. To drill down on the math, that would mean less than 30 votes rather than 1,321 votes. A little bit of back-of-the-envelope math for us: we here in the House are in session between 27 and 30 weeks a year. I would say we do 20 votes a week which is generously around 600 votes a year; not nearly close to the 1,321 votes that we would have had to have taken during the Trump administration. Again, I cannot stress enough that regulations do have an impact on real people and American lives. They do ensure aircraft safety and food quality, and they do prevent hazardous material from entering our air and water. As a consequence and because of that, we cannot take unnecessary risks by delaying these quantity of votes. So, Madam Chair, for all of these reasons, I do urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to please vote ``yes'' on this, my commonsense amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I cannot stress enough that regulations do, of course, have an impact on real American people and real American lives. Once again, I will emphasize that they ensure aircraft safety and food quality and prevent hazardous materials from entering our air and our water. We cannot take unnecessary risks. If there is one thing the last several months have taught us about this body and the way that we move, is that we cannot move with expedience and that we definitely take an enormous amount of time to vote on any one piece of legislation. The idea that we would be standing here week after week month after month voting on thousands of bills in this way is really a demonstration of the fact that we don't simply understand how this body works. So for that reason, I very much urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this commonsense amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, over 13,000 people in the United States have died from gun violence this year alone. Let me repeat that: Over 13,000 people in the United States have died from gun violence this year alone, and it is only April. This means that over 100 people are dying by gunshot every single day. We have to take action to stop this epidemic. We have to address the scourge of gun violence and the multiple reasons that we find ourselves here almost every single day having the same conversation. People should be able to ring the wrong doorbell accidentally or drive into the wrong driveway without the fear of being shot. We cannot continue to glorify guns while vilifying and frightening our fellow Americans. More guns are not the answer. Improving public safety and supporting our law enforcement will make us safer and can help change public sentiment so that people will stop seeing guns as solutions and our neighbors and each other as threats. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please work together on finding our common ground with actual solutions to gun violence. The American people are asking us to do this. We must work together. We must move forward rather than pushing each other apart.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, last week, tragedy struck my community when an explosion rocked the R.M. Palmer chocolate factory in West Reading, claiming the lives of seven people and injuring many others. Most people know Palmer chocolate for their Easter bunnies and other holiday treats, but we know them as an important part of our community. Since the tragedy, our first responders have been heroes. Our neighbors, nonprofits, and local businesses have set up programs to help and, in some cases, literally have given the shirts off their backs for those who were impacted. Similarly, and also not surprisingly in our community, government leaders at the local, State, and Federal levels are also on the ground, collaborating together to support our community and recovery. I speak today full of grief for the families and friends of those whom we have lost, and I speak today full of gratitude for the strength and dedication of so many in our community who are doing so much. We see you, and we honor you. We are very proud to stand with you.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Chairman, while there is a great deal of divisive and partisan debate on the energy bill that is being considered this week, I rise to offer a bipartisan, commonsense, and straightforward amendment to protect U.S. national security in times of energy crisis. The amendment closes a dangerous loophole that has existed since 2015 which allows our foreign adversaries to purchase our strategic oil supply. As the law is currently written, oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve is sold by the Department of Energy to the highest bidder with few exceptions on what countries can purchase from the U.S. supply. That means that our fiercest adversaries, like China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea and other sanctioned governments, can purchase and export our strategic oil. In fact, companies owned by and affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party have won purchase contracts during the past two Presidential administrations. Simply put, this loophole threatens our national security, and it poses serious harm to American families. The American people need Congress to act and to act quickly. That is why I reached across the aisle to introduce the Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act with my colleague, Representative Don Bacon. My amendment includes the straightforward and commonsense solution put forward by our bill. It prohibits the export or sale of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and any country currently under U.S. sanctions. In January, my colleagues and I voted to pass a bill through the House of Representatives that would prohibit the sale of our strategic reserve to China, but that legislation does not go far enough. Do we want North Korea buying American oil? How about Iran or Russia? As a veteran and one of the most bipartisan Members of this body, my position remains clear. We must make sure that we put national security over party politics. We must ensure that our foreign adversaries are not allowed to profit at the expense of American safety and security. My amendment reflects the fact that Congress has more work to do on this to close this dangerous loophole, not just for China but for any foreign adversary that poses a threat to our Nation. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats alike, to support this amendment and to include the bipartisan Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act in this legislation. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Madam Speaker, I stand before you today to honor the AmeriCorps, to honor AmeriCorps week, and the AmeriCorps members who have dedicated their lives or part of their lives to serving others. I have experienced firsthand the unifying power and impact of national service, during both my own service first in the Air Force and then later as a chemistry teacher through the AmeriCorps, Teach for America. It was life changing, I hope not just for me. I was honored this week to be able to visit with AmeriCorps senior volunteers who work in our schools as foster grandparents to see that service is still indeed alive and thriving in the hearts of so many Americans. In fact, since 1994, 57,000 residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have volunteered over 79 million hours of time. Service is a critical component in addressing many of the challenges we face as a Nation today, including how divided we feel from one another. Please join me in expressing our gratitude to the AmeriCorps members, both past and present, who commit themselves to serving others. Let's embrace national service and challenge ourselves and one another to serve whenever and wherever we are able.

Ms. HOULAHAN

Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that noncitizens should have the ability to vote. Full stop. I think a regular review of criminal code is a good idea and a good exercise for any State or local government. Full stop. I also believe that States and local governments and municipalities have the right to self-determination on these very issues. Today, I voted on two curious proposals that my colleagues in the majority felt as though we should be spending our time, limited precious time, voting on. I do not believe it is my place to vote to overturn or disapprove of choices made by the people of Washington, D.C., nor do I think this is a sincere use of Congress' focus and time. These early weeks of the 118th Congress have been focused on voting on headline grabbing, divisive, meaningless, and unserious legislation. The American people want us here in Washington working on our most pressing challenges, issues like addressing our debt, our economy's recovery, the safety of our planet and communities, and bettering the lives of our citizens. I look forward to working on these real issues. Let's finish the job.