Ted Lieu

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I agree Iran is a malign influence in the Middle East, but that doesn't mean the administration gets to bypass Congress in selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, this issue has bipartisan support, and I request an ``aye'' vote on the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, the President ran for office on a promise of draining the swamp. He, in fact, personally has done exactly the opposite. My amendment is very simple. It simply prevents the President from profiting off of his own trips to his own properties. As you can imagine, when the President travels, he brings a large staff with him--for security, for press, for logistics, for other reasons--and then the American taxpayer ends up paying for the meals and lodging expenses of everyone associated with that trip. Up to this date, President Trump has spent 270 days at properties that he owns. Every time he does that, he or his family profits. That includes 99 days at Mar-a-Lago, 21 days at Trump International Hotel in D.C., 74 at Trump National Hotel Bedminster, and 59 days at Trump National Hotel Potomac. The General Accounting Office reports that the President spends an average of 3.4 million in taxpayer dollars every time he travels just to Mar-a-Lago. Not content to profit from the American taxpayer, the President has also, in fact, raised prices at his properties, at Mar-a-Lago and at Trump International Hotel in D.C. So, now, taxpayers are paying even more for lodging expenses associated with his staff. My amendment limits the use of Department of Defense funds at Trump- owned properties, and it also includes a waiver where the President can still stay at these properties; he just has to reimburse the Treasury for the amount that the taxpayer is paying for his staff to stay there. Mr. Chair, with that, I respectfully request an ``aye'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, the gentleman across the aisle has mischaracterized this amendment. All of his staff can still travel with him. The President just has to reimburse the cost if it is at his own property, or he can choose to stay at a Ritz Carlton or a Holiday Inn or any other commercial property that he does not own. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I yield the gentleman from Maryland an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, Department of Defense employees should not be staying at high-priced hotels. I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the softball team from the University of California, Los Angeles, which took home the 2019 NCAA championship on the 4th of June against the University of Oklahoma. This year's championship is the program's 13th national championship and 118th overall NCAA championship earned by a UCLA Bruins team in any sport. With 12 NCAA Division I titles, UCLA softball has the most championships of any school since softball became an NCAA sport in 1982 and one of the most successful teams on campus. Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and the team should be proud of their accomplishments, winning a Pac-12 championship along the way and losing only six out of 62 games this season. Bringing a national title back to Easton Stadium is a fitting end for the collegiate careers for the seven graduating seniors on this year's team. I would also like to commend pitcher Rachel Garcia for being named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and receiving the Honda Cup on June 24. I would like to sincerely congratulate the UCLA softball team once again on winning the national championship and wish them best of luck next season.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to give you some facts about healthcare. Right now, the Trump administration is suing to eliminate the law that guarantees preexisting conditions healthcare coverage for Americans. You might wonder what constitutes a preexisting condition. Well, I am going to give you some examples. Cancer, which affects over 22 million people is a preexisting condition. Depression, which affects over 16 million people has been deemed a preexisting condition. Alzheimer's, which affects over 5 million people has been deemed a preexisting condition. Epilepsy, which affects over 3.4 million people has been deemed a preexisting condition. If you, or a family member, or a friend have a preexisting condition, you are in deep trouble if the Trump administration succeeds in their lawsuit.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the career of Mr. Douglas Prichard, the City Manager of Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles County. Douglas is retiring after 34 years of service to the city. Douglas was born on December 28, 1957 in Newport Beach, California to John Prichard and Eleanor Farmer Prichard. He earned his Bachelor's in Social Ecology in 1980 and Masters in Business and Public Administration from the University of California, Irvine in 1981. Douglas' first job in civil service was as an administrative assistant for the City of Bellflower, where he eventually rose to Assistant to the City Administrator. In 1985, Douglas moved to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to become the Assistant City Manager for Rolling Hills Estates. He was promoted to City Manager in 1990, where he oversaw the day to day municipal functions of the city and its $9 million budget. Douglas maintained a balanced budget, even through the Great Recession, with little to no deterioration in services for residents. Under Douglas' remarkable administration, Rolling Hills Estates saw an expansion of the city's green space, with careful partnerships crucial to the creation of Highridge Park and the Chandler Preserve. Douglas also aided in the development of the old Chandler Quarry, construction of the western portion of Palos Verdes Drive North and the Peter Weber Equestrian Center Stables, and establishment of the Peninsula Holiday Parade of Lights, an annual community-wide celebration of the holiday season. I wish Douglas a happy retirement full of surfing and music, as well as quality time with his wife, Kathy, and his children, John and Michael. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his dedication to improving city services and programs for the residents of Rolling Hills Estates.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, Bella Hirigoyen was an immigrant who lived the American dream. Born in Israel to two Holocaust survivors, her family was sponsored by U.S. Steel. Her father, George Weibel, was a part of the design and build teams at Hughes Aircraft Company for the Surveyor spacecraft which hung in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for decades. Bella arrived in America at the age of five, learned English, and became very successful in school. She graduated from Fairfax High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Interior Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2020. In 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement established the Wildlife Detector Dog Program as part of a national effort to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. Certified canines and wildlife inspector handlers go through a 13-week training course at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Detector Dog Training Center in Newman, Georgia, and they are trained for real work environments such as mail facilities, ocean containers, and air cargo warehouses. Since the program's inception, USFWS has added more wildlife detectors. There are now six detector dogs deployed at USFWS designated ports of entry: Dutton in Houston, Texas; Beans in Chicago, Illinois; Viper in Miami, Florida; Samm in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Dock in Anchorage, Alaska; and Lockett near my Congressional District in Los Angeles, California. These highly intelligent canines, paired with highly trained handlers, are able to detect many wildlife scents, such as elephant ivory, sea turtle skin, dried seahorse, python skin, and rhino horn. USFWS has reported that the use of these dogs is far more efficient than deploying human inspectors. For every 1,000 packages sniffed by dogs, 10 packages are properly inspected by humans. The Wildlife Detector Dog Program strengthens and expands USFWS' inspection capabilities on illegal wildlife products. With more than 18 major ports of entry across the country, I would like to take this opportunity to urge more attention and resources be dedicated to the growth and expansion of this program. My amendment will designate $200,000 of Department of Interior appropriations for the Wildlife Detector Dog Program, which is the estimated cost of adding an additional K-9 unit to the program. I thank Chairwoman McCollum for her support on this amendment and I urge my colleagues to join us in passing it.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On May 24, the Trump administration notified Congress that it was declaring a so-called emergency to bypass congressional review of 22 arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. I am offering this amendment because there is no emergency, just a conflict in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians with U.S.-made weapons and a Congress that is tired of being complicit. That is why we voted last month to pass bipartisan, bicameral resolutions to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Despite that clear signal from Congress, the administration decided to use an emergency power to go around us and push through an unpopular arms package that would likely be used in that conflict. That package includes an unprecedented proposal to move production of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, essentially outsourcing jobs to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Simply put, this is an egregious abuse of the emergency authority we gave the executive and a direct affront to our institution. To add insult to injury, the arms in question aren't even available to be exported. As Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper testified last week, most of these weapons systems will not be ready for months, if not potentially years. Our arm sales process was designed to include congressional review specifically to ensure that each case serves U.S. interests. If the administration believes that these sales can stand on the merits, they should make their case to Congress. Until they do, we must use the power of the purse and every other avenue to block them. I also want to thank Chairman Visclosky for his leadership and support as well. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Chair, I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from California. I simply note that the issue here is not whether we should sell arms to our allies, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The issue is whether Congress should have a role or we are going to be completely bypassed by this administration. That is all this amendment seeks to do, to have Congress take a role in the way we have always taken a role in arms sales. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, the issue today is very simple. It is simply about the right of the American people and Congress to get information. That is it. All this resolution does is allow us to enforce congressional subpoenas. These are documents and witnesses we want, and it allows us to go to Federal court to enforce it. That is all this resolution does. Why are Republicans so scared of this resolution? Because they know we are going to win in court. We have won three times against the Trump administration. But why do we even have to go to court to do this? Because the Trump administration is engaging in unprecedented obstruction. And it is not just about the Mueller report; it is about all areas. So, for example, right now, the Trump administration is suing to eliminate healthcare coverage for people with preexisting conditions. We want to know more about that. We can't get it. We want to know about a lot of areas that we cannot get, so we want to go to Federal court to get this enforced. What are Republicans doing? They are making stuff up. They are saying somehow we are asking the Attorney General to do things that will make him violate the law. That is wrong, wrong, wrong. I am just going to end with this simple example. The Attorney General of the United States gave the Republican ranking member of the Judiciary Committee the right to see their unredacted Mueller report. Was that illegal? No. But I can't see it. That is wrong. There is no basis for that. We are simply going to go to Federal court. We are going to litigate it, and we are going to win. All this resolution does is it allows us to enforce congressional subpoenas in Federal court. It is about not allowing the Trump administration to cover things up.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Arnie Wishnick--a beloved husband, and Los Angeles community leader--who passed away on April 27, 2019 at the age of 76. Arnie was born on September 7, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois to Ruth and Ben Wishnick, who immigrated to the United States from Poland. His career began in high school as a repairman for the Schick Razor Company. After college, he moved out west to join the emerging banking industry in Beverly Hills, eventually settling in Pacific Palisades. In 1993, Arnie assumed the role of executive director of Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, a position he held for 25 years. During those years, his extraordinary love and commitment to the community was evident from his dedicated organization of annual events like the Palisades Teen Contest, the Classic Auto Show and the Holiday Ho Ho Ho. Arnie especially enjoyed coordinating celebrity appearances each year for the Fourth of July Palisades Americanism Parade. He also convinced stars such as Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Steve Guttenberg to be Honorary Mayors of Pacific Palisades. He was deeply involved in every aspect of the community. He was president of the Optimist Club of Pacific Palisades and an active member of both the Village Green Committee and PRIDE, two organizations designed to improve and enhance the aesthetics of Pacific Palisades. He was an honorary Rotarian and was recognized time and again for his service to the community, including with the Citizen of the Year, Sparkplug, and Pride of the Palisades awards. Arnie loved the arts--he produced four musicals at Theatre Palisades and was a member of the Just Off Via Dance Troupe that performed at various community events. For a time, he even wrote movie reviews for the local newspaper. Arnie is survived by his wife, Jackie; step children, Wendy and Daniel; their child, Bella; and his sister, Audrey. Arnie was always smiling, eager to chat and willing to help in any way he could. May Arnie's memory be a blessing to us all.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA's excellence is clear. With 13 Nobel laureates, 13 MacArthur Fellows, 9 National Medal of Science winners, 3 Pulitzer Prize winners, a Fields Medal, an A.M. Turing Award, UCLA's academic credentials are rivaled by few. And the UCLA Bruins have enjoyed 117 NCAA team championships and 261 Olympic medals over their 100-year history. Alumni have gone on to make incredible strides in fields like rocket science, film, and politics. It has been an incredible century for UCLA. In honor of UCLA's centennial, I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to Chancellor Block, UC President Janet Napolitano, and UCLA students, faculty, and alumni. I also want to recognize all the people in UCLA's history that ensured the university could light the way for the next 100 years to come. Go Bruins.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of California, Los Angeles. What was once the largest teacher training school in the state was rechristened the Southern Branch of the University of California, developing into the full-fledged university, nestled in the hills of Westwood, with the global reputation it enjoys today. With 14 Nobel Laureates, 13 MacArthur Fellows, nine National Medal of Science Winners, three Pulitzer Prize winners, a Fields Medal, and an A.M. Turing Award, UCLA's academic credentials are rivaled by few. And, with 117 NCAA team championships and 261 Olympic Medals, the UCLA Bruins are in the highest echelon of collegiate sports, with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Michelle Kwan, and Troy Aikman wearing the Blue and Gold. Along the way to such a historic milestone, each successive class of students and their professors, doctors and researchers have lit new paths, bringing new discoveries to the fore and making groundbreaking accomplishments in almost every field. The first node on the Internet in Leonard Kleinrock's laboratory in Boelter Hall; Coach John Wooden's almost uninterrupted streak of 10 NCAA men's basketball championships and his Pyramid of Success-- building blocks in the pursuit of excellence; the first diagnosis of AIDS in the United States; and the first confirmation of the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milkey Way Galaxy by Andrea Ghez--UCLA has played an important role in shaping the course of history, advancing our understanding of the natural and man-made worlds, and setting standards time and time again for academic and athletic excellence. Not only is the UCLA community proud of the accomplishments of its students and athletes while they attended this important institution, but also of the achievements of alumni as they pursue careers in every field. UCLA has contributed many of this country's most dedicated public servants, including my predecessor, Congressman Henry Waxman, whose 40- year record in the U.S. House of Representatives saw passage of numerous consumer and patient protections; Ralph Bunche, who helped negotiate an end to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War; and Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of Los Angeles. Legendary actress and comedienne Carol Burnett, Academy Award-winning director Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins, film composer John Williams, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jim Morrison are only a few of the Bruins who have left their mark on the entertainment industry and the collective consciousness of American culture for the past century. Given all that has happened in the first 100 years of UCLA's existence, I eagerly look forward to what UCLA will accomplish in its next hundred. With the launch of the UCLA Grand Challenges Initiatives in 2013, UCLA has set admirable goals aimed at increasing sustainability and tackling depressive disorders. The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge focuses on transitioning Los Angeles to rely on 100 percent renewable energy and 100 percent locally sourced water by 2050, enhancing the health of the local ecosystem and making the region a model for the world. The Depression Grand Challenge aims to understand, prevent, and treat depression, ultimately cutting the burden in half by 2050 and eliminating it by the end of the century. UCLA's accomplishments would only be possible with the support and resources of the Bruin family. I would like to commend Chancellor Gene Block on his successful stewardship of the Centennial Campaign, which raised $4.7 billion in total from more than 205,000 donors to fund programs for students and faculty in every comer of campus. On the eve of UCLA's centennial, I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to Chancellor Block, UC President Janet Napolitano, and the rest of the UCLA community as they prepare for a year of celebration. I would also like to recognize all the people in UCLA's history that worked to make sure the university could light the way for the past century and the next 100 years to come. Go Bruins.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Doug Jeffe. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Doug was both a prominent figure in California politics and an invaluable member of our community. It was an honor for me to have known Mr. Jeffe, and I am incredibly sad he is no longer with us. For over two decades, Doug was the aide and protege of California State Assembly Speaker Jesse M. Unruh. He later put this experience to work as a campaign manager, policy advocate, and writer. In 1995, Doug founded Issues Management Network, a firm that specializes in message engineering and ballot measure campaigns. Doug used his policy experience and campaign skills to promote measures that would help others: for example, in 2002, Doug led a successful ballot measure campaign that secured funds to save and support trauma centers in Los Angeles County. No matter what he was working on, Doug's colleagues always noted his unflagging good humor and genial nature, an attitude that garnered him many friends over the years. In addition to his work as a political professional, Doug was also the president of the Board of Directors of L.A. Theatre Works and served on the board of the Venice Family Clinic, two important community institutions in our region. He also contributed to the political blog Fox & Hounds Daily and lectured on political communications at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. Doug is survived by his beloved wife, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, with whom he spent over 50 years traveling the world. Doug is also missed by his rescue pit bull, Kennedy, and his innumerable friends and colleagues. He will forever be remembered for his selflessness and work to make a positive meaningful impact on his community.

Mr. TED LIEU of California

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, in the last 24 hours, we have discovered that Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr saying that the Attorney General mischaracterized the Mueller report. That is an extraordinary letter. I am now going to read into the House Congressional Record the relevant portions of that letter, which is dated March 27, 2019, from Robert Mueller to Bill Barr. He writes: ``The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this Office's work and conclusions. We communicated that concern to the Department on the morning of March 25. There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.'' Bill Barr is supposed to be the attorney for all Americans. He is supposed to be the people's attorney, not Donald Trump's personal attorney. He does not understand that. He needs to resign.