Teresa Leger Fernandez

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, six Americans are dead, and bombs are falling on our consulates and bases and allies because Trump has started what he has now said could be a, in his words, forever war. This is the same President who said: ``I am not going to start wars. I am going to end them.'' This is a President who has said America First means no more wars. This is a President who has betrayed--he has betrayed those people who voted for him expecting him to keep us out of wars. He started this war as a matter of choice because he wanted to. We have heard over and over again that there was no imminent threat, which is the legal criteria. There was no congressional authorization. Trump betrayed his own commitments, his own voters. Trump betrayed them and betrayed those Republicans who thought he was going to keep us out of war, so you would think that Republicans who control this House would bring us back into a session so we could address this war, so we could discuss: Is it legitimate? What can we do? How do we exercise our Article I power? Why don't you all want to exercise the power that was given to you by your voters? That is not what we are doing today. Instead, we are here on a rule that has one bill, and that bill is so important. That is the only thing we are going to cover. But guess what. We already did it. This is a rerun of a bad movie. It is a rerun because there is nothing in this bill that is not already in the bill that, as the gentleman pointed out, was already passed. The only thing that has changed from when we last passed this very same bill a few weeks ago was that ICE and CBP have killed, arrested, detained, and terrorized more American citizens. When we last passed this bill, Alex Pretti was alive. Alex Pretti had not been killed. Alex Pretti's Second Amendment rights were still being honored. That is what has changed. What has changed is more people have died in ICE custody. What has changed is it has gotten only worse. We have seen ICE officials have to walk back their lies about their encounters with citizens who they have shot and beat up and arrested. That is the only thing we have seen since this bill was last passed. The reality is that the only way to get DHS funded all together in a single bill is for the White House, Senate, and House to come to an agreement. They are in negotiations to do that, but this is the kind of thing where even though negotiations are going on, the House just wants to do the same thing over and over again. Do you know what, do you remember that quote of when you do the same thing over and over again with the same results, it is actually a little bit of madness? I put up this letter because, while House Republicans kind of don't understand where Americans are, this 7-year-old named Connor does. Connor sent me this letter where he says: ICE, no money. He put a whole bunch of zeros after it. He doesn't realize they get a lot more than the $1 billion that he set out here. As my colleagues noted, they are already fully funded. They have all that money from H.R. 1. What Democrats have suggested is, since they already acknowledge--he said it on the floor--that they are fully funded, why don't we just pass a bill that funds FEMA, that funds Coast Guard, that funds these critical agencies over which there is no debate, no controversy, and no need for negotiations? They rejected that amendment last night because if they really cared about funding these critical agencies, they would say let's fund them, and let's take up the issues of how we make sure that ICE and CBP protect Americans. Not only is Connor worried, but a parent told me when I was back home that her child asked her two questions as they drove home from school one day. One question was: Mom, are elves real? The second question was: Mom, what do I do if ICE comes for me? What do I do if ICE comes for you? This is a little Latina student, a citizen, somebody whose family has been in this country for generations, but they are terrified because if you look Latino, you are at risk. They are unwilling to put any protections in to protect our families. They are unwilling to put any protections in to say: Don't go into our schools. Don't go into our hospitals. Don't go into our churches. Preserve the places where people should be able to go to feel safe. For example, in Clovis, New Mexico, ICE broke a car window at a health clinic, a health clinic, and dragged the father away. The mother had to run into the health clinic to make sure that there were no glass shards on the baby's skin because that window had been shattered. This is the kind of activity that they are condoning. That baby was lucky because we know that there are babies like 2-month-old Juan Nicholas in Texas who was sick in detention with bronchitis and almost near death and who was deported across the border without any money, without any people who he would know. Thank heavens the goodness of the American people helped that baby out. I could tell story after story that should make anybody who has a heart, conscience, or moral values based on any of our faith traditions cry and say: This is not an America we believe in. At least 3,800 children under age 18, including 20 infants, were held in detention under the Trump administration in 2025 alone. The cruelty continues far beyond those thousands of kids, and it is not just that they killed--they killed--citizen Alex Pretti and citizen Renee Good. This is a pattern and practice of ICE hurting our communities and violating the Constitution. Americans who believe in law and order, respect for constitutional rights, and who don't want government overreach should be and are, indeed, outraged. However, today, Republicans are, once again, demanding more money for the Department of Homeland Security's ICE and CBP which they acknowledge has already been fully funded. In fact, we know that $150 billion of the money that we already sent to DHS remains available to them. However, now, as we heard, they are trying to justify funding DHS by pointing to a war that this President started without a clear strategy and without the support of the American people. Trump's chaos is everywhere. Trump's chaos comes with a price. It is Americans who pay that price. There is chaos abroad, chaos Congress did not authorize, and chaos at home. Let's be clear about what is happening. While families are worried about rising costs and while servicemembers' lives are at risk, Republicans want to write another blank check to an agency that is already operating with historic, unprecedented funding. How much is this chaos costing us? That is the question we should be asking. We know just one piece of this war: The three F-15 aircraft shot down cost $300 million. Mr. Speaker, do you know what that $300 million could do? It could fund 23 years of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, 3 years of childhood cancer and birth defects for just those three F-15s that they put at risk. It would fund the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 1 year to connect Americans with lifesaving services and a compassionate counselor. Three of those planes would pay for another year of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a fund that Trump wanted to zero out. He wanted to zero out this fund. Think about it, Mr. Speaker. What do those CDFIs mean? They are your credit unions, the places where you get your loans for your cars and for your appliances or to help with your home. That is what he is willing to do because everything comes at a cost, and they are willing to pay money for this war of choice. That money could be better spent at home bringing down the cost of living for Americans. We know that 60 percent of Americans support redirecting ICE funding to Medicaid because people want healthcare and stability, not raids, abuse, and chaos. Republicans keep burning money. They keep burning money. They have that $4 trillion debt from their big, beautiful bill. We know the last time a Republican took us into war in the Middle East it cost trillions in our deficit. They are doing it again. There they go. They are at it again. What Democrats are asking for before we send more ICE funding is what all law enforcement uses: mandatory body cameras and judicial warrants before you break down somebody's door. Every law enforcement in America does that. Why can't they? Democrats ask for no masks. What law enforcement officers go around in masks except for theirs? Democrats want no targeting of schools, hospitals, houses of worship, or polling places. These are sensible, community-driven policies. We are also asking that ICE follow the same constitutional principles that every other law enforcement agency follows. Mr. Speaker, you can't just beat up, shoot, and kill people. It is not just Democrats saying this. Catholic bishops from border States and beyond are pleading with Congress to restore protections at places of worship, schools, and healthcare facilities so families can seek care, learn, and pray without fear. If Republicans truly cared about security, then they would support these kinds of reforms. Mr. Speaker, why don't you want to let people pray without fear, I ask? Trump wanted the Department of War so he could wage war. Now he wants a reckless ICE to have dangerous amounts of money. However, Americans don't have to choose between national security and safety and constitutional protections. We can have all three. It just takes courage. It takes courage over chaos, not blank checks and not endless wars. It is time to restore accountability before we write another blank check with a lot more zeros than poor Connor can even imagine. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Now that we are on the point of thank-yous, my colleague suggested that I get up and thank them for bringing this bill again. I do think it is a waste of House resources doing the same thing over again. However, I do thank the gentleman because we are able to make the point again to the American people about how bad ICE is. The American people agree with us that what ICE is doing is not American. It is not American to kill us point-blank--murders--for doing nothing more than using a phone to video what they are doing. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 7481, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, a bill which fully funds law-abiding agencies under the Department of Homeland Security and not the unlawful actions of ICE and CBP. That is because we agree that we need to fund FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard. There is no reason to have these important agencies tied to the funding for Trump's ICE cruelty agenda. Indeed, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro introduced a bill to fund FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard. Last night, at Rules, I tried to make her bill in order so the House could vote on it, so the House could say, yes, we believe in these agencies, and we want to fund them. Every single Republican in the committee voted against it. Let's be honest about who is voting against funding for the Coast Guard, for TSA, and for these agencies. It is Republicans. Republicans voted against it last night, but we are going to ask Republicans once again: Will they vote to fund the Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA? We will ask whether they will vote for that because we are going to give them another opportunity to do that. We are going to do that. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and the sponsor of this bill, to discuss our proposal further.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we can get DHS open if Republicans would vote to return this bill so that we could, indeed, fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the other agencies. Let's talk a little bit about FEMA because what we are seeing this President do is use this moment to make life more miserable for Americans. FEMA has $4 billion in Disaster Relief Fund. Even though it has that money, DHS is shutting down assistance to victims. It is doing that even though it has the money. This is just like what Trump did last time where he had the money for nutrition assistance to fund SNAP and he said no. I would prefer that children go hungry, even though I have the money in the bank. This shouldn't be surprising given Secretary Noem's record. She has put roadblock after roadblock to actually let FEMA do work. She says anything over $100,000 has to come to my office. That didn't stop her from giving away several millions of dollars in ad funding to somebody related to her because this is, indeed, a corrupt administration. There is corruption at the highest level, and we see that over and over again. When we talk about U.S. citizens harmed, let's talk about U.S. citizens harmed by our own agency. Marimar Martinez was a teaching assistant. She was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October. She was in a car. That agent said, bragging: ``I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes.'' He had to recant their allegations that she had done anything wrong. George Retes, a former Army infantryman and disabled veteran, pulled out of his car telling ICE: I am a veteran. I am a citizen. He then spent time in detention. He came to the House and was a guest for the State of the Union Address. We got to meet him. Peter Yazzie, a Navajo Nation, our first Americans, and Laguna Pueblo member, was detained by ICE members. He told them: I am a Native American. I have my Certificate of Indian Blood. He was detained, arrested, abused in that moment. Jose Roberto ``Beto'' Ramirez, 20-year-old member of the Ojibwe Nation, was yanked from the passenger's seat of his aunt's car, slammed on the hood, handcuffed, and held in custody. Aliya Rahman is a disabled social activist. She had her windows broken, pulled out by force, and experienced shooting pain. These are citizens. These are citizens, and they don't seem to care. It is something when you can't control the horrible actions. We condemn the terrorism. We condemn the Ayatollah. We condemn all of that. We don't control them, but we sure should control our own agents and our own agencies. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) to discuss more about this bill and what all this means. He has led and inspired us in so many different times, and I look forward to listening to him.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record this MSN article titled: ``Kash Patel's latest firings ousted agents with expertise in Iran.''

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we also know the Trump administration, in addition to getting rid of those with expertise in Iran, also appointed a 22-year- old to head DHS' counterterrorism office. When we talk about making America less safe, it is the Trump administration that is making America less safe. It is the Trump administration, by going to war in Iran after promising he would not do that, that is making America less safe. We can also talk about how he is also betraying not just his promise of no foreign intervention and wars, but he is betraying his promise to lower costs because now we are seeing gas prices surge. Americans know this. It is this administration. It is the Trump administration that is making their gas prices go up. It is his tariffs that are making their gas prices go up. He is costing Americans money, and he is making their world less safe. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to include in the Record the February 2026 PBS News article titled: ``Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say ICE has gone too far in immigration crackdown.''

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, we just heard from another Republican saying that ICE is already fully funded. So what they should do is take up the Democratic proposal to fund the other agencies. They have acknowledged it over and over again today. All that we need to do to fund the TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA is to take up our proposal. They are refusing to do so. When they refuse to do so, they are causing the shutdown because I must say it again: What Democrats are asking is simply that ICE follow the Constitution. Not only are Republicans inflicting harm on FEMA, TSA, and others, but they are refusing to follow the Constitution. They are refusing to have their law enforcement comply with law enforcement everywhere. That is why Democrats are saying ``no.'' We are with Americans when we say that this terror that ICE has inflicted on Americans has to stop. We are also saying that Congress should do its job and step in and say that we insist that they not violate our Constitution. We should step in and do our job of saying that we insist that Congress discuss and decide whether we should enter into a costly war in the Middle East, which is what they are allowing to go forward. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this bill, vote against the rule, and vote for the Democratic proposal to fund FEMA and the Coast Guard. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, Black History is New Mexico History. From Estevanico, an enslaved man who was the first, that we know of, non-Indigenous person to step foot in New Mexico after an adventure through the Americas that should be legend, to the Buffalo Soldiers who stood watch across this territory, and to the families who built Blackdom out of dust and determination. While the Black community in New Mexico may be small in number, it has never been small in impact. Our state's story cannot be told without them. Before statehood, before the railroads, and before the border crossed us, Black history here has been a story of people who kept showing up. They showed up when there were only 22 Black residents counted in the territory. They showed up when hotels were segregated and yearbooks placed Black students in the back pages. They showed up when banks would not lend and schools would not welcome them. Now, we are all showing up together. There are forces right now that want to erase this history, to whitewash it and ban it from schools, and to call conversations about race ``divisive.'' They have even posted racist videos attacking the Black excellence of a former President and First Lady. They attack Black culture, immigrant culture, and Native culture--as if the richness of our heritage is something to be feared. It may feel like they are winning. But in New Mexico, we know our cultures are not threats. They are treasures. We will not stand by while anyone tries to diminish them. As John Lewis reminded us: ``The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society.'' He also reminded us that ``democracy is not a state. It is an act.'' We believe democracy works best when everyone participates. We come from builders. They built culture. Culture is power. Culture is how people survive what was meant to break them. Black culture will survive this. We will organize. When they try to intimidate voters, we will mobilize. When they try to erase history, we will teach it louder. When they try to tear down our cultures, we will build them up.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing from the other side that we need to mine in America, and we just heard the ranking member talk about how if we are going to mine in America, if we are going to mine anywhere, we should make sure that it is done free of corruption. He didn't use that word, but that is the word that we are worried about. What I am going to talk about today is that we should make sure where those minerals are going if we are mining in America. That is the question I keep asking: Where are they going? The reality is, because they keep refusing amendments that I bring up, those minerals are going overseas, and those minerals are going to China. Under our outdated mining laws, a foreign corporation can set up a shell company to stake a claim. Guess what. They get U.S. minerals for free, zero royalty. The Critical Mineral Dominance Act--these titles they have are always the opposite of what they do--this act that they are trying to sell the American people today, is yet another handout to multinational mining companies that will do nothing to stop our adversaries from shipping our publicly owned critical minerals overseas. Mr. Speaker, 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 amendment to prevent Federal agencies from fast-tracking and approving mining projects if they are at least 10 percent owned or controlled by a foreign adversary like China. In a hearing last year, I described legislation similar to what I am proposing to Trump's Secretary of the Interior Burgum. His response: ``I don't think we should be allowing foreign adversaries to mine critical minerals in our country.'' Sadly, Republicans must disagree with Secretary Burgum because they keep opposing every one of my amendments to protect American minerals from foreign adversaries. With every rejection, they are telling the American people that they care more about big international mining corporations than they care about you, about your clean water, about your working conditions. This bill would allow our adversaries to fast-track permitting, and the people who pay for that are United States citizens who those regulations are meant to protect. It doesn't make any sense, except, as I mentioned earlier, that Republican bill titles are always the opposite of what the text says. This bill doesn't give the United States dominance. It opens the door for foreign ownership of our critical minerals. Republicans always seem to stand with the richest corporations instead of Americans. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the motion to recommit.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, if my Republican colleagues really cared about stopping China's dominance, they would vote for the motion to recommit.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor to offer an amendment so that we could prevent our foreign adversaries from mining American resources for free and taking them across the ocean to their lands. When we let our foreign adversaries take our resources away for free, it doesn't do any good for American dominance or for American taxpayers. My opponents in this argument have decided to attack New Mexico's oil and gas and mining interests. Let me remind the gentleman that in New Mexico--and I am pleased that in New Mexico we have a lot of oil and gas production, including in my district--we have wind and solar production, including in my district; we have mining, including in my district, but we do it with sensible regulation so that our clean water and air and the economic interest of our citizens are protected. What I am suggesting to him is that the environmental protections that we have in New Mexico apply across the country because there was a time when it wasn't like that. That is because there was a time when it wasn't like that. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that in my backyard, where I played, where I drank water, and where we fished as children, those waters were destroyed by mining. That was because there wasn't enough regulation. Guess who had to clean up that mining? It was taxpayers, taxpayers in the State, and not so much the Federal Government. What we are trying to do is protect the taxpayers from these mining companies that will put profit above planet and will put profit above the interests of the communities that live there. It is because when they mined irresponsibly, they destroyed water and destroyed jobs.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. They destroyed things I care about. They destroyed fishing, and they destroyed farming. I am downstream. I own land. I own farmland that is downstream from those mining companies' destruction. I am trying to protect that. I am trying to protect everybody who relies on clean water, who is downstream from mining companies. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you, there are 50 million gallons a day of contaminated water that is put into our groundwater and our streams from mines that didn't have regulation. That is what we are trying to do, to avoid an increase in that 50 million gallons a day of dirty water. We cannot afford to destroy our water. We cannot afford to fast-track mining companies that aren't going to do the right thing by the American people. We cannot afford to send our resources overseas to China.

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

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

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak up against Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security. Speaking up is what we must do when we see that the Constitution is violated and the moral fabric of our Nation is brutalized the same way that they are brutalizing our communities and killing our citizens. Whether it is in New Mexico or Minnesota, fear has become a policy for ICE and CBP, and cruelty has become their strategy. They take money that is taxpayer money that could be used for affordable housing, healthcare, and bringing down the cost of living, and they are spending it to terrorize our communities. Following the Constitution, respecting the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments should not be optional. It should never be up for negotiation. We should make it a requirement and make sure that they do not have immunity because then they act with impunity. We should not give another penny to the Department of Homeland Security until we get accountability. Mr. Speaker, I urge that we vote against this rule.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision that allowed women to make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies without the interference of politicians. It allowed women to make those decisions in consultation with their own faith, their own doctor, and the people they love. Roe v. Wade proved that when women have that freedom to make our own healthcare decisions, we live healthier and fuller lives. Sadly, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, 22 States implemented full or partial abortion bans. We have seen women bleed to death or become infertile after the onset of sepsis because they couldn't get care for miscarriages or other pregnancy-related complications. House Republicans today are joining the effort to limit women's access to full reproductive healthcare and information. Instead of acting to lower healthcare costs, we are in a healthcare crisis. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis, they are trying to pass laws to siphon funds away from needy families and offer a skewed vision of what a pregnant student should hear from her university. Republicans are using this moment to remind us just how little they respect women's lives or our choices. As chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, I know that pregnancy can be joyful. As a woman who almost died on an operating table when I was pregnant, I also know how complicated pregnancies can be. That is why I am so mad about these bills. Republicans' so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act pretends to help pregnant students. It provides no childcare, no diapers, no formula, no housing, nothing pregnant students actually need. What it does do is it controls. Republicans seem to be always about controlling women, controlling people in their doctor's offices. It is about control. It requires schools to tell students about carrying a pregnancy to term but not about what resources might be available for miscarriage, not about abortion, and not about the full range of medical care that they might need to access. If a doctor only tells a person about one treatment option which might not be the best for them, that would be malpractice. Here on the House floor, it is called Republicans' priorities. Then we get the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which is another nice name but another ugly attack on women. This bill allows red States to siphon cash assistance meant for food, rent, and childcare into unregulated crisis pregnancy centers, places that masquerade as medical clinics. They spread misinformation, delay care, and shame women who may choose to have an abortion.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, what is worse is their bill blocks the Federal Government from monitoring States' use of TANF dollars for those anti-abortion clinics. They don't want accountability on those clinics. I would tell my Republican colleagues not to lecture us about waste, fraud, and abuse when they refuse to monitor anti-abortion clinics and when they stay silent when Trump pardons over 44 people convicted of fraud. That is a conviction of fraud, not just a suggestion. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Roberto Mondragon, a Lieutenant Governor and musician. Roberto Mondragon was a beloved cultural figure in New Mexico whose voice, music, and lifelong work helped keep our traditions alive. He brought his resonant tenor to the cultural renaissance that made sure Nuevo Mexico did not lose its culture, its songs, its language, or its poetry. At a time when the Spanish language, music, and tradition were being pushed aside, he lifted them up, insisting that they belong not only in memory, but in classrooms, on the radio, and in the halls of power. He showed generations of young people, including my own high school choir that I sang in, the West Side Singers, that tradition is not behind us, but within us. Roberto will be remembered every time we sing ``That's New Mexico''; ``Asi Es Nuevo Mexico,'' our State song. ``That is New Mexico, the Black, the Hispanic, the Anglo, the indigenous, all your children, all equal''; ``Asi es Nuevo Mexico. El negro, el hispano, el anglo, el indio. Todos son tus hijos, todos por igual.''