Ann Kirkpatrick

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, this is a very emotional day for me. This is the day, 9 years ago, that Gabby Giffords was shot and wounded in Tucson, and Federal Judge John Roll was killed. Gabby had been my mentor in the State legislature. She was somebody I looked up to and admired. She had gone to Scripps College, and I was so happy when my daughter Ashley got accepted at Scripps, because that is where Gabby had gone. She is just outstanding in every single way and remains so, and thank heaven for that. I was a law clerk for Judge John Roll, another outstanding man. I have to tell you, this is so personal for me. I grew up hunting in rural Arizona, and I was a very strong advocate for the Second Amendment--still am--but we have to do something about gun violence in this country. I thank my colleagues for standing here with me: Speaker Pelosi, the Senators, and all of the Arizona delegation. We stand united today in wanting to honor Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Federal Judge John Rolls. I ask all to please rise for a moment of silence.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, if I may, I want to mention the other people who were killed that morning and wounded, and I yield to my colleague Ruben Gallego to read the names.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I thank the Congresswoman for yielding. I want to echo what I hear from my constituents: Do I put gas in my car, or do I buy my medication? Do I put food on the table for my family, or do I pay for my prescription drugs? Do I buy a generic drug here in the United States that costs $900, or do I drive to Mexico where I can buy it for $9? These are real, lifesaving, life-or-death issues that we are dealing with. I want you to know this is personal to me because, when I was a 19- year-old waitress, I came home one night to my family, and my parents weren't home. They said, ``Your mom took your dad to the hospital,'' and I drove to the hospital. I said: ``Okay, I will go check on him.'' As I was walking in the door, the doctor walked out, and he said: ``Your dad is dead.'' That was due to a lack of healthcare, including prescription drugs. He had an undiagnosed heart disease that could have been treated, and in this day and age it would not have been an issue. So I fully support H.R. 3. This is something that is critical to American families and they are dealing with every day. A mother shouldn't have to decide if she is going to drive to Mexico, where she is not exactly sure if the drug she is purchasing for her child has the same standards and quality that she would get here in the United States. So, Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3. This is life or death.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1373, the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act. I have lived in Arizona my entire life, born and raised there. I remember frequently visiting the canyon as a child, marveling at its magnificence and its beauty. I have hiked down the Grand Canyon with my family, camped on the banks of the Colorado River. It is not a place where we should have uranium mining. There are many Native American Tribes who live in that area and who consider that a sacred site. For hundreds of years, their ancestors visited the Grand Canyon. They continue to worship there and have ceremonial sites in the Grand Canyon. We just cannot allow this kind of contamination to continue. The problem with uranium mining is that the retroactive disposal of uranium is very, very difficult to clear from the land.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, one more point. When it rains in that watershed, rain carries that uranium contamination to our stock tanks and ponds, and then that contamination goes into our cattle. Madam Chair, this is a very serious issue. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1373.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, the President cut 127 military projects, worth $3.6 billion, to construct 175 miles of wall on our southern border. The halted projects affect every branch of the military here and abroad. Fort Huachuca, in my district, will lose $30 million in funding designated for the reconstruction of an overdue transportation equipment building. Fort Huachuca is a vital asset to our local economy and our entire national security. Not only does this action defy Congress' role in appropriating funds, I believe it is disrespectful to our Armed Forces and the American taxpayers. The President has made it very clear he is more willing to protect his own political campaign over protecting and delivering for our military. Ultimately, this type of decisionmaking puts us all at risk. Mr. President, fund our military, not your wall.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I have a responsibility as a Congresswoman, former prosecutor, and American citizen to stand up for the rule of law. After countless conversations with my constituents, after speaking with legal scholars and experts, after reviewing the Mueller report, and after seeing administration officials defy congressional subpoenas, I have come to the conclusion that the House of Representatives must open an impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump. Following Mueller's alarming report, it is our job as a Congress to conduct oversight and deliver answers to the American people. Unfortunately, the President has called upon his administration to break the law and ignore our congressional subpoenas. Now we have no choice but to open an impeachment inquiry. This should not be a partisan fight or a debate about election strategy; it is about the rule of law. I know impeachment is risky, but allowing this President to defy the law is even more risky. If we don't act now, our democracy may be threatened for years to come.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, imagine fleeing your home, journeying through the desert in search of refuge. Imagine having your child ripped away from you. Imagine learning that your kids are hungry, unbathed, cold, screaming from cages, wrapped in foil blankets. Yesterday, news broke of children being sexually assaulted at a Yuma detention facility. What I have described is a reality here, and it is un-American. I represent a border district in southern Arizona. I have met with Border Patrol, migrant advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, and city leaders. I have been proud to see our community work together in powerful ways. Our Tucson community has shown more humane leadership than Federal departments led by the Trump administration. We must be vigilant and protect humanitarian rights, and we must remind our neighbors that humanitarian aid is not a crime. I stand with Scott Warren. I stand with all the organizations helping migrant families. I will continue to ask tough questions and fight to hold this administration accountable.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Chair, I was absent today due to a family medical emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted: yea on rollcall No. 396; yea on rollcall No. 397; and yea on rollcall No. 398.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I was absent today due to a family medical emergency. Had I been present I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 368; NAY on Roll Call No. 369; YEA on Roll Call No. 370; NAY on Roll Call No. 371; NAY on Roll Call No. 372; YEA on Roll Call No. 373; YEA on Roll Call No. 374; NAY on Roll Call No. 375; YEA on Roll Call No. 376; YEA on Roll Call No. 377; YEA on Roll Call No. 378; YEA on Roll Call No. 379; YEA on Roll Call No. 380; NAY on Roll Call No. 381; YEA on Roll Call No. 382; NAY on Roll Call No. 383; NAY on Roll Call No. 384; NAY on Roll Call No. 385; NAY on Roll Call No. 386; NAY on Roll Call No. 387; NAY on Roll Call No. 388; NAY on Roll Call No. 389; NAY on Roll Call No. 390; YEA on Roll Call No. 391; YEA on Roll Call No. 392; YEA on Roll Call No. 393; YEA on Roll Call No. 394; and YEA on Roll Call No. 395.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, no woman or person I have ever known has appreciated the right to vote quite like Jerry Emmett. She was born at a time when being a woman meant being silenced. She was raised at a time when women had to fight to be heard and worked 10 times as hard to be taken seriously. She aged to see women become prominent and powerful, and she passed away the same year that we had the most women elected to Congress. I remember well the first time I met Jerry Emmett. She was very close friends with the late Carolyn Warner, our former superintendent of schools. Jerry was always the teacher. I was a newly elected State legislator at a political event, and Jerry and Carolyn were there. Carolyn Warner said: Do you have a card? I said: Oh, I don't have them with me right now. Jerry Emmett said: Always keep your cards in your pocket. So, Jerry, this is for you.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I am standing here today to recognize my southern Arizona community. While in Tucson for the work period, I saw goodness in action. The city of Tucson, the county, Catholic Community Services, and other local churches and nonprofits came together with open arms and hearts to welcome and care for the hundreds of families seeking asylum across our southern border. With limited resources and fleeting time, southern Arizonans stepped up to provide shelter, transportation, food, clothing, and childcare. City volunteers ran with little children who hadn't played in weeks and weeks. The families fleeing their birthplace journeyed to the United States for a safer and better life for their children. Their stories are gut- wrenching, and the response I have seen and heard from the Tucson community has been unparalleled. No walls or cages, I saw goodness in action. We must come together like Tucson to find humane and proactive solutions to help these families.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the National Alliance on Mental Illness and to show support for my community and the millions of Americans living with a mental illness. This weekend, I marched in the NAMI Walk to help raise awareness. I was inspired to hear the brave stories of so many survivors who have not given up on their mental wellness. Before the Affordable Care Act was enacted, mental health coverage was lacking or missing altogether from most health plans. Medicaid expansion, a cornerstone of the ACA, has dramatically expanded access to treatment in many States, including Arizona. But the Trump administration is again trying to eliminate the ACA and remove protections for people with mental illness and preexisting conditions. Republicans have no health plan other than fighting to take away America's healthcare. We must raise our voices and reject this again. We must fight for our healthcare and the coverage that treats our most vulnerable communities.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize two special individuals, Mr. Richard Fimbres and Mrs. Mary Fimbres, for their three decades of work and commitment to bettering the lives of local youth. In response to their concerns about the state of education in their community, Richard and Mary Fimbres helped to found the LULAC Youth Leadership Conference, a program that promotes and develops leadership in middle and high school students. With the cooperation and involvement of local public, private, and charter schools, as well as institutions of higher learning, the LULAC Youth Leadership Conference has become a nationally recognized program that assists students with resources, mentoring, and leadership skills, thereby equipping them with the necessary tools to help them remain in school, graduate, and further their education. For 29 years, Richard and Mary Fimbres have worked to build and grow the conference, and to date, it has hosted over 118,000 participants. Over the years, these participants have gained invaluable experience thanks to the conference, including attending a Resource Fair where they can discover high-paying careers that will enable them to make a difference by creating the social and technological advancements that will define the future of our world. The fair also gives them access to health, educational, and life resources and features a strong public safety component with law enforcement, fire, and medical emergency professionals who display the latest vehicles, technologies and equipment in their fields. Additionally, the fair offers 30 interactive workshops that focus on leadership, health, culture, issues affecting teens, student resources, and technology. Professionals from various fields are present to provide information about community resources and ways to access them, as well as offering information about their career paths. It should also be noted that, thanks to Richard and Mary Fimbres and local school systems, students are provided secure transportation to and from the conference. The LULAC Youth Leadership Conference has been nationally recognized by former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton, as well as Louis Caldera, former Secretary of the Army, and Lauro Cavazos, former Secretary of Education. In tandem with the Youth Leadership Conference, Richard and Mary Fimbres also formed the LULAC Educator's Awards and Scholarship Banquet, which honors educators, community leaders, and elected officials for their work on improving the lives of youth and the community, as well as raises funds to go toward educational scholarships. Mr. and Mrs. Fimbres' standing as community leaders is evident in their commitment and countless hours of work throughout the community over the past three decades. Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing these outstanding citizens and exemplary leaders for their work and dedication to improving the lives of our young people.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, Kerry from Tucson, Arizona, has a daughter in middle school who has type 1 diabetes. The countless doctor visits, the fights with insurers and providers and doctors and back again, and the ache of watching her child struggle to be a normal kid on the playground is hard, but, as Kerry said, the fear of not being able to afford her daughter's treatment is a lot harder. The Affordable Care Act saved Kerry's family. Before the ACA, there were no legal protections for those with preexisting conditions, and the cost of coverage was simply unaffordable. President Trump continues his war on healthcare. I ask my colleagues: When can our working families and mothers like Kerry feel safe from the fear of losing their healthcare? When can these families come up for air from the medical bills that drown them? Arizonans and all Americans deserve a country that is there for them without question or condition. I will continue to defend the Affordable Care Act, its protections, and lowering healthcare costs for all families.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, the Department of Defense published a report revealing the dire impacts of the President's unlawful emergency declaration. It threatens to steal nearly $150 million of urgently needed Arizona military construction funds critical to the security of our Nation and the well-being of our men and women in uniform and military families. Both military bases within my district, Fort Huachuca and Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, are on the list that could be directly affected by these cuts, and I am here today to say, no way. I represent a border district in southern Arizona, and we don't want the expensive, ineffective wall. We want our military bases funded. Madam Speaker, 59 percent of Americans reject this emergency declaration. I will continue to take action to block this brutal decision and fight to protect Arizonans from the drastic consequences of this dangerous, unlawful declaration.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am here to represent the residents of Arizona's Second Congressional District. I work for them. Our constituents sent us here to practice good government and to fight for their values and interests, so I am upset with the President's recent budget request. A budget is an expression of our values, and this budget further proves how out of touch Donald Trump is with real American families. This budget ransacks Medicaid, Medicare, and affordable healthcare. It makes it harder for Americans to have access to quality healthcare. This budget abandons hungry families who are struggling to make ends meet. It fails farmers and rural communities. It pushes affordable college further out of reach, making it harder for students to attend college. And this budget demands billions for a wasteful, ineffective wall. We need to have a budget that prioritizes working families and not large corporations. We need to invest more in our education system and invest more in our young people, not less. What the President has laid out does not accomplish the goals or values of American families, and I reject this budget.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I strongly support H.R. 1, and I commend Congressman John Sarbanes for his persistent work on this legislation. We have an opportunity here to reduce the role of dark money in politics and make it easier for Americans to participate in our democracy. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American democracy issue, and H.R. 1 is the best solution to cleaning up corruption in Washington. I am proud of my colleagues for working on this historic and necessary package. You see, Madam Chair, I ran as a publicly funded candidate in Arizona under our public financing law called Clean Elections when I first ran for the legislature. This meant I had to go out and get a certain number of $5 contributions from constituents in my district, which I then turned in to get my public financing. It was the same for everyone who was running as a Clean Election candidate, regardless of party. It equalized everything. One of my favorite stories is that I was walking from my law office down to the post office to check my mail, and this cowboy pulled up in his pickup truck at a stoplight and rolled down the window, and he said, ``Hey, Ann. You don't know me, but I gave you $5.'' So he felt empowered in my election. I walked over, and we had a conversation in the middle of the street. That is the way it should be. This puts power in the pocket of the people, not special interests, and that is the way it should be. It is the For the People Act, and that empowers people, and that makes our democracy work. I offer my amendment because it creates transparency in the process. This amendment was actually suggested by a Republican colleague. It requires the disclosure of credit card verification value and billing address information for purchases of online advertising. The credit card verification value is an antifraud security technology designed to protect us and to reduce fraudulent activity. We know that there are bad actors and foreign nationals out there that have an interest in influencing our American elections through online advertising. Haven't we seen that very, very well in the last couple of years. We have loopholes that allow them to do so, but we can fix that. Not only can we fix it, we must fix it. This amendment is a commonsense solution to help protect the integrity of our elections and prevent bad players from compromising our outcomes. This amendment is focused on protecting our democracy through transparency in the digital age. Madam Chair, I urge you and all my colleagues to support my amendment and the entire H.R. 1 package to clean up Washington and put the American people first. Remember that cowboy who stopped me in the middle of the road who felt like he was empowered in his election and in his selection of his representative. That is the way it should be. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, while I have the utmost respect and admiration for my colleague across the aisle--in fact, he is one of my favorite Members of Congress--I strongly disagree with his characterization of H.R. 1. No one knows more than I about dark money, secret money being spent in elections. I have had tens of millions of dollars spent to defeat me, yet I prevail because I have the power of the people. That is what this bill does. It empowers people just like that cowboy who stopped me with his pickup and contributed $5 to my legislative election. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this election. There is nothing more important than elections in our democracy and empowering the people to participate, nothing. That is the cornerstone of our democracy. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), my esteemed colleague.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, our constituents sent us here to represent them, to be a voice for their families, to fight for their values, to vote in their best interest. I am here for the residents of Arizona's Second Congressional District. I am here to work for them. We must reject the culture of corruption here and put the power back in the hands of the people we represent. Our government works best when it is focused on people and American families, not some special interest group or large corporation. We can clean up the muddy swamp behaviors by passing H.R. 1. We need to reduce the role of dark special interest money and to make it easier to vote. We need to have some accountability here. I will be voting for H.R. 1 so that our constituents become the top priority for all of us, not special interest groups.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Grant Thompson, a 14 year-old in my district who found a glitch in Apple's FaceTime software that allowed iPhones to be turned into spying devices. He is a Freshman at Catalina Foothills High School whose interest in technology put him in a position to discover this critical flaw. The flaw Grant discovered allowed a user to be eavesdropped on before they actually accepted a call. Before his discovery, I'm sure millions of Americans used the app completely unaware of this very serious security and privacy violation. But Grant, his sister, and his mom took initiative to ensure this vulnerability was addressed, and for that, we should all be grateful. Grant is a lot like other freshmen--he spends time on Instagram, he plays Fortnite, and obviously, he enjoys FaceTiming with his friends. He is a humble young man who told me that he and his sister Lauren simply stumbled across the flaw. His mother, Michele Thompson, supported her son and reached out to Apple so that the flaw could be fixed, which Apple promptly did. Michele is rightfully proud of her son, and I am too. Grant's future is bright. I hear he dreams of one day being involved in a STEM-related industry, and I have no doubt that with hard work and his natural technology skills his dreams will one day become a reality. I thank Grant, Lauren, and Michele for protecting the privacy of people around the world. I also want to thank Apple for listening to the Thompson family and for rewarding Grant's work with an investment in his future. Arizona's 2nd Congressional District is excited to watch Grant grow and thrive.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, the President has set a dangerous precedent by crying wolf in the name of national emergency. I represent parts of the southern Arizona border. My community knows the border. We know the further away from the border you live, the more fictional the border narrative. Border crossings are down to one-fifth of what they were in 2000, and apprehensions are at their lowest level in more than four decades. Those are facts. Instead of protecting our national security, the President's declaration makes America less safe. The President is stealing billions from high-priority military construction projects that ensure our troops have the essential training and resources they need to keep the American people safe. We will not sit by when the President abuses his power. I am confident that my Republican colleagues will regret supporting this false national emergency when there is a Democrat in the White House.

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I held a Congress on Your Corner in Tucson, Arizona. I met face-to-face with my constituents at a supermarket. They shared their grave concerns over the President's words and actions. One woman had never attended an event like this, but she stopped by to tell me she was terrified of losing her health insurance. Another woman was concerned about how inaction on climate change would impact her children. No one President can solve every issue, but we need a President that unifies and fights for America's future, not divides us by party, economic status, or the country we were born in. President Trump's address on Tuesday was more of the same. He doubled down on his divisive and destructive agenda with blatant lies. Time and again, he has failed the middle class and misinformed the public from the power pulpit. The President didn't even utter a word about climate change, and he mischaracterized activity at the border. But I am listening, and I am here to work. I am focused on investing in hardworking families and fighting for people, not corporations. We will have votes on the floor this week that prove our investment in and care for these issues.