Zoe Lofgren

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Kathy Ott, the Director of the Congressional Relations Office of the Library of Congress. Kathy is retiring after serving more than 11 years under two Librarians of Congress, Dr. James H. Billington, and Dr. Carla D. Hayden. During her time at the Library, through three Presidential administrations, seven Congresses, and five chairs of the House Administration Committee, Kathy has worked in building bipartisan support that recognizes the essential contribution that the Library makes to our national life, and to the work of Congress. In 2009 she helped put together the Library of Congress Caucus. In a ``Dear Colleague'' letter inviting Members to join, former Representative Ray LaHood (R-IL) and Representative Earl Blumenhauer (D-OR) wrote that ``the purpose of establishing a Library of Congress Congressional Caucus is to draw members' attention to the nation's library and its unparalleled collections and knowledgeable curators and to encourage further use of these extraordinary resources.'' Kathy was instrumental in starting the Congressional Dialogue Dinner Series, which recently held its 45th dinner, and has helped coordinate, during her tenure, Congressional participation in the awarding of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. I thank Kathy for her service as Director of the Congressional Relations Office and for her work to serve Congress and to strengthen the relationship between the Legislative Branch and its library.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, Ranking Member Rodney Davis and I wish to recognize today a special group of dedicated and exceptional employees of the Officers (Clerk of the House, Sergeant at Arms, and Chief Administrative Officer) and of the Inspector General of the U.S. House of Representatives, and congratulate those who have reached the milestone of 25 years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the recipients of the House Employee Excellence Award and the Officers' and Inspector General's Team Player Award. The House's most important asset is its remarkable and steadfast employees, whose work is essential to keeping the operations and services of the House running efficiently and effectively. The employees we acknowledge today are distinguished by their hard work, dedication, professionalism, and teamwork; support of House Members, their staffs and constituents, and for their daily contributions to the overall operations of the House. These employees, whose work is often performed behind the scenes, possess an extensive range of responsibilities and skills that support the legislative process, ensure the security of this great institution, maintain our technology and service infrastructure, and contribute to more efficient and productive House support operations. These devoted employees have accomplished many important things across a diverse range of activities, and the House of Representatives, its Members, staff, and the American public is better served because of them. We recognize and honor the individuals named below for 25 years of loyal service to the House. Collectively, the employees listed below represent 200 years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives. Teresa Austin, Office of the Clerk; Donald Berger, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Susan Cole, Office of the Clerk; Andrew Elias, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Joe Novotny, Office of the Clerk; Melissia Oulahyane, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Michael Thames, Office of the Sergeant at Arms; Kenneth Wenzel, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. We also recognize and congratulate the House employees receiving the House Employee Excellence Award. This is a merit-based award, given to one employee from each of the House Officers' and Inspector General's organizations. Selected employees exhibited outstanding overall job performance and displayed a willingness to go above and beyond the requirements of their job for their organization throughout the last year. We honor the individuals named below for receiving this prestigious award. Jyothi Katikanani, Office of the Clerk; Susan Kozubski, Office of Inspector General; Ryan Moran, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Brandon Spriggs, Office of the Sergeant at Arms. And finally, we recognize and congratulate the House employees being presented the Team Player Award. This award recognizes the value the House Officers and Inspector General place on working collaboratively across all House organizations to strengthen and protect the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives. On a rotating basis, the Officers and Inspector General take turns nominating a member of another organization's staff who has exhibited the characteristics of a Team Player. These awardees have demonstrated a collaborative attitude, commitment to achieving team objectives, respect and support of their teammates, and dedication to the betterment of House operations. We honor the individuals named below for receiving this distinguished award. Omar Awan, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Kevin McCumber, Office of the Clerk; Saad Patel, Office of Inspector General; Emily Scanlon, Office of the Sergeant at Arms. On behalf of the entire House community, I want to once again congratulate, acknowledge, and thank these employees for their professionalism and commitment to the U.S. House of Representatives as a whole, and in particular to their respective House Officer, the Inspector General, and collaboratively across these organizations. Their long hours, hard work, diverse skills, and team spirit are invaluable, and their years of unwavering service and dedication to the House set an example for their colleagues and raises the bar for the employees who will follow in their footsteps. I applaud all our honorees, and I am proud to stand before you and our great nation on their behalf to recognize the importance of their public service.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, twenty years ago, in July of 1999, it was widely reported that the Chinese government began the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Reports of the Chinese government's human rights abuses against this group have continued during the last two decades. Human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, should be universal. Members of Congress must work to promote tolerance and basic human freedoms worldwide.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on H.R. 549.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Shalala).

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I am still waiting.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I would note that, without a word of complaint, the Colombians have accommodated 4 million Venezuelans who have left Venezuela and gone into Colombia. There has not been a big turmoil in Colombia about accepting those refugees while this disaster is going on. Surely, the estimated 300,000 Venezuelans who are in the U.S. today would not pose a burden. They are able to support themselves, and we should not be sending them back to a terrible fate. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LOFGREN. Will the gentleman yield?

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this should not be a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans in both Houses of Congress support temporary protected status for Venezuelans. And, yet, when the Venezuelan TPS Act of 2019 was brought up on a suspension vote on Tuesday, it did not pass because most Republicans voted against it. President Trump has repeatedly expressed alarm about the situation in Venezuela and support for the people, but he refuses to exercise his authority to designate Venezuela for TPS. Today, we vote again on this to protect Venezuelans who are already in the United States, and I do hope my Republican colleagues will vote in support of it. TPS is designed to provide a safe haven to people who are in the United States and unable to return to their home country. Venezuela, once one of Latin America's most prosperous countries, but currently bankrupt, is in the throes of a political crisis, and it is deserving of TPS designation. Four million Venezuelans are outside their home country due to violence, hunger, and fear. Seven million people inside the country need humanitarian assistance to stay alive, and one in five Venezuelans have no access to clean water. This is exactly the type of humanitarian crisis that TPS was designed to address. For this reason alone, we should stand in support of Venezuela TPS. Just 2 weeks ago, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, informed Senator Dick Durbin by letter that the administration was ``continuing to monitor the situation'' instead of designating Venezuela for TPS. Even more surprising, the United States is still deporting Venezuelans, and in late 2018, DHS deported more Venezuelans than were resettled over the previous 5 years. In other words, the Trump administration's Venezuela policy is incoherent at best, but as Members of Congress, we can act consistently with our concerns for the people of Venezuela by supporting this bill. This bill provides us with the mechanism to offer temporary refuge to Venezuelans who are already in the U.S. Designating Venezuela for TPS will not only ensure the safety and security of thousands of Venezuelans, it will also demonstrate our bipartisan support of a legitimate, Democratic transition in Venezuela. I commend my colleagues, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Darren Soto, for their work and their commitment to the Venezuelan people, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto), the sponsor of the bill.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would hope that everyone will vote for this bill. It is, unfortunately, the case that the United States has deported Venezuelans in late 2018. More Venezuelans were deported than were resettled. It is important that, while this country, Venezuela, is really in meltdown, we don't take vulnerable people and send them back there. That is what TPS is all about. This bill is simple. I thank Mr. Soto, Ms. Shalala, Ms. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Ms. Mucarsel-Powell for their efforts, along with those of many others. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 519, I call up the bill (H.R. 549) to designate Venezuela under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Venezuela to be eligible for temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes just to make a couple of additional comments. First, Venezuela, which was a perfectly happy country, has been trashed by their government. They are now experiencing a 10 million percent annual increase in inflation, and 85 percent of the medicines needed for the major causes of morbidity in the country are unavailable in the pharmacies. They are in terrible shape. I had occasion to go to the Colombian-Venezuelan border a short time ago, and I would like to tell you what I saw. I saw, first, the skinniest refugees I have ever seen, people who were coming over for the day to get something to eat. The Catholic Church had organized food for people who have no food and who came across the river just to get a meal with their children. It was a tragic situation. To think that we would send someone who is temporarily here back to that catastrophe is really unthinkable. As Mr. Soto has mentioned, TPS was devised precisely for this type of situation where we have chaos in the native country of someone who is here temporarily, and it is unconscionable to send them back. So we do know that the ultimate answer in Venezuela is not TPS. It is for the Venezuelan people to gain control of their government, to have a functioning democracy, to get rid of the socialist policies that have trashed the country. But, meanwhile, we do need to have this protection for the Venezuelans who are here.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).

Ms. LOFGREN. No, and I think given the time and the other bills behind us, why doesn't the gentleman close. I will close, and we will go to a vote.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I have one additional speaker on the way.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 53, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 420, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ms. LOFGREN

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 3239, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act, a bill that will address an important piece of the humanitarian crisis at the border, ensuring the delivery of basic standards of care for individuals who are detained in CBP custody. Many of us, including myself, have traveled to our southern border over the past couple of months and witnessed firsthand the effects of the situation that continues to unfold. No one who has made that journey has not been deeply moved by the severe overcrowding and inhumane conditions at some CBP facilities. If you have not observed these conditions in person, you have undoubtedly seen pictures or read the latest DHS inspector general report and know how serious this situation is: Families, children, and single adults housed outside or in severely overcrowded cells; Lack of access to showers, functioning toilets, and basic personal hygiene products; Flu outbreaks, lice infestations, and other conditions that threaten the health and safety of everyone who is exposed to them. Mr. Chairman, I will include in the Record a copy of the report submitted by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security on the situation at the border. The situation is so dire that no less than three children and seven other individuals have died in CBP custody so far this fiscal year. By comparison, not a single child died in CBP custody in the previous decade. Although the administration asserts that these conditions are the inevitable result of the increase in the number of people seeking protection at our border, it is not just the numbers that are the problem. It is the administration's mission to deter migration through heavy-handed enforcement and its steadfast refusal to address the crisis competently that has gotten us where we are today. H.R. 3239 will literally save lives by restoring order and basic standards in the processing of immigrants at the border. H.R. 3239 requires CBP to ensure that all individuals arriving at our border receive a basic health screening, and the bill also requires other emergency care professionals to be available at least by phone so that, if a life-threatening situation arises, it can be addressed quickly instead of hours later when it is too late. H.R. 3239 would also prohibit overcrowding and requires migrants to have access to showers, basic hygiene products, and clean clothing so they are not forced to sit in clothing soiled from dirt and sweat for weeks and days at a time. Detainees would have access to water and standard age-appropriate diets comprised of food that follows applicable safety standards. My colleagues across the aisle have claimed that H.R. 3239 is unworkable because CBP lacks the funding to implement it, but just a few weeks ago Congress passed a $4.6 billion spending measure to send emergency funding to the border. The Trump administration has yet to prove that it can put this money to good use and treat arriving migrants competently. H.R. 3239 would do just that. I would like to commend our colleague, Representative and Dr. Raul Ruiz, for his efforts in moving this bill forward and for his commitment to ensuring the dignity and safety of those seeking protection in our country. I urge all of my colleagues to support the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in CBP Custody Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I just would note that we went through this in committee during the markup. All of the specialty positions listed need not be available at the site, as is mentioned on line 23. As we mentioned, if you took a picture of a rash on a child, you could text that picture to a pediatrician, say, ``Is this a communicable disease or is this a small rash?'' and that would meet the requirements of this. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia).

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California.

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).

Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), my colleague.