Ro Khanna

Mr. KHANNA

Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill which will set forth the repeal of ObamaCare. But I also am concerned that the bill doesn't have a basic amendment which would allow for the importation of drugs from Canada. Senator Sanders courageously, on Wednesday night, went on the floor and introduced an amendment to allow for the importation of drugs from Canada that the overwhelming number of Republicans and Democrats support. It was appalling that 13 Senate Democrats voted against the Sanders amendment, and they did so because the pharmaceutical industry is a cancer on this body; the pharmaceutical companies' contributions are a cancer. We need to allow for the importation of drugs, we need that to be an amendment to this bill, and we need to take it up as a body.

Mr. KHANNA

Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I want to say what an honor it is to be on this Committee with Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith and their leadership. When I joined, I was told this was one of the only bipartisan committees in the House. While we had a disagreement--and I associate myself with Ranking Member Smith's remarks--I will say that, to me, the debate seemed civil. It seemed genuine on philosophical and constitutional principles. I am hopeful that, after this debate, we will be able to work in a bipartisan way. I know General Mattis was out in Silicon Valley. He has tremendous respect in the Valley for dealing with issues of cybersecurity and the future of the military. I think some of those ideas can help our troops. I look forward to working on the Committee to support those initiatives.

Mr. KHANNA

Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I have the great privilege and honor of representing Silicon Valley in the United States Congress. We are living through revolutionary times. If 100 years ago we had the industrial revolution, today we have the software revolution, and the forces of automation and globalization are fundamentally changing our economy. We first must thank the hardworking Americans who helped build this economy--the steelworkers and the coal miners and those who were machinists who built the economy that made us an exceptional Nation-- that were the foundation of everything that Silicon Valley does today. We need to thank them for the extraordinary hard work and grit that they showed. We also need to recognize that our economy is changing, and not everyone has participated in the technology revolution. Some folks have benefited, and they are creating jobs and wealth, and others have been left behind. We have an obligation to make sure that every American and their daughters and their sons get to participate in this technology revolution and have technology jobs. Enrico Moretti, an economist at Berkeley, has shown for every one technology job, it creates four to five other jobs in communities, from the barista to a lawyer, to a construction worker. Tech jobs have a larger multiplier today than manufacturing jobs had in previous eras. My commitment, my vision is to see how Silicon Valley can help create technology jobs not just in my district, but across America. There is no reason that Des Moines, Iowa, and Wichita, Kansas, and Dayton, Ohio, cannot become centers for technology innovation and have extraordinary technology jobs. I look forward to working across the aisle with my Republican colleagues and Democratic colleagues to figure out how we create tech jobs across this Nation.

Mr. KHANNA

Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I am the son of immigrants, born in Philadelphia as the Nation celebrated our bicentennial. I ran for Congress because we have lost sight of our founding ideals. In Federalist 10, James Madison warned that factions, with their own special interests, may undermine the public good. Today, Congress is crippled by these factions: powerful PACs and lobbyists. This must change. I am proud to be one of six Members who refuse all contributions from PACs, and we need a bipartisan caucus to eradicate their influence. We also cannot let congressional seats become feudal estates. The turnover rate here in the people's House is less than European monarchies. Congress desperately needs a 12-year term limit like there is in the California legislature. Mr. Speaker, banning PAC money and instituting term limits are necessary steps to restore our democracy.

Mr. KHANNA

Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for peace in the Middle East and between Israel and the Palestinians. That is why I am for a two-state solution and the end to new Israeli settlements. However, the one-sided UN Security Council Resolution 2334 issued last month would declare the Western Wall and some Jewish holy sites, where many Jews live and pray, illegally occupied territory. I am voting for H.Res. 11 today because the United States should veto any UN resolution that would require Israel to give away the Western Wall or the Jewish Quarters of Jerusalem. What the United States should encourage is an end to new settlements, a two-state solution and direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. That is the only framework that can lead to a just and lasting peace.