Summer Lee

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Lebanon War Powers Resolution introduced by my friend Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The United States is actively participating in Israel's illegal invasion and bombing of Lebanon and its mass displacement of the Lebanese people. This participation was not authorized by Congress, and it supports strikes that are illegal under U.S. and international law. This resolution is urgently needed to stop using our tax dollars to fund Israeli war crimes. There has been confusion about what support looks like, so I would like to be specific about what the United States' support looks like here. In southern Lebanon, homes are being leveled with U.S.-supplied bulldozers. Israel is engaging in chemical warfare with U.S.-supplied white phosphorus. The U.S. is providing targeting intelligence for Israeli strikes. There are even credible reports that President Trump personally green-lit specific Israeli military operations in Lebanon. These examples demonstrate the depth of U.S. involvement and the urgency for Congress to act. This is exactly the kind of military involvement that Congress intended the War Powers Resolution to cover. I urge my colleagues to consider that by supplying Israel with weapons and logistical support, we are giving Netanyahu the means to continue bombing and displacing thousands and thousands of people. Trump can yell at Netanyahu all he wants, but we can't have it both ways. We can't supply weapons and then be surprised when they get used. We can't supply diplomatic cover for previous violations and then be surprised when Netanyahu threatens to do it again. The American people overwhelmingly oppose Trump's cruel, wasteful, and illegal war in Iran. If Trump is serious about ending this war, then we must prevent Israeli escalation in Lebanon. Ending our participation in that escalation is a necessary place to start. As recently as this week's floor votes, Republicans are still out here inventing reasons why we can't help families here in America get food, support students trying to afford college, or fund childcare for working parents here. Meanwhile, they are trying to give $1.5 trillion to the Pentagon, some of which will fund the kinds of U.S. weapons and systems for Israel that are being used to undermine a peace deal with Iran. My constituents have been clear about this. I suspect many of all of ours have been, as well. They want lower gas prices, better schools, reliable healthcare, dignified work, and affordable homes. They do not want the U.S. and their taxpayer dollars to be complicit in morally abhorrent, wasteful, and counterproductive foreign invasions. Today, we have an opportunity to weigh in directly and say whether we want to end U.S. participation in an invasion. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important resolution.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on May 12, 2026, Oversight Committee Democrats convened the first-ever hearing to solicit testimony from survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. The hearing, ``Survivors Fight for Justice: Exposing Epstein's Crimes in Palm Beach and Across the World,'' marked a critical step forward in the fight for justice and accountability. On behalf of all the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, I rise to include in the Record the testimony offered by Ms. Dani Bensky: Hello, my name is Dani Bensky, I was abused by Jeffrey Epstein in 2004-05. That was 8 years after the FBI was first alerted. Although my abuse is nowhere near ``easy'' to discuss and I live with diagnosed PTSD from that experience, my story is one of the safest to tell. The key abuser who caused me physical harm is dead. It's imperative to understand that the stories that you are hearing today are a tiny fraction of the whole. I am one of more than 1,200 girls and women, and each story is unique. I don't face the same level of threats of defamation lawsuits and serious risks to my health and physical safety as some of my survivor sisters do. The main perpetrator in my story is no longer in a position of power. While there are co-conspirators who need to be held accountable for the parts they played in the operation of my abuse, I was trafficked only to Epstein, which was unfortunately not the case for so many others. I'm here to tell you my story, which happens to fall in the middle of the 30 years of the Epstein timeline. I was groomed prior to meeting Jeffrey Epstein. I grew up in the dance world. Perfectionism and body image issues ran rampant in a world built on hierarchy and at times, secrecy. Older teachers, artistic directors, and company members had unique access to young dancers. I was accustomed to private lessons with a ballet mistress that I was not allowed to tell anyone about. The secrecy was because she hand selected dancers to develop. I would go to her apartment, strip off my sweatpants to my leotard and tights and have my body be criticized, critiqued, and manipulated, not so different from what I initially experienced with Jeffrey. I was trafficked to Jeffrey. It happened in broad daylight on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I had two recruiters, one was a late teen, the other was only 15 years old and just trying to escape her own abuse and make it for herself. There was a process of systematic manipulation. Jeffrey weaponized my aspirations and dreams by speaking the language of dance, making false promises, and continuing to prey on my body image issues. My mom had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. I had seen the name ``Epstein'' listed on a donor wall and believed that his wealth and power had come from the medical profession. I brought him her scans. I was hoping to understand her diagnosis. He told me that he could help ensure the best doctors and care, or he could have it taken away. He held my mother's brain scans over me, giving me an ultimatum: either recruit more girls or do more for him. I didn't recruit anyone and instead endured the abuse. In May of 2005 my mother had a successful operation at Mount Sinai to remove the tumor. Jeffrey was not in charge of her care, nor did he provide financial support for her surgery. Once my mother was rehabilitated, and I knew she would live, I finally extricated myself from Jeffrey Epstein and his web. The Epstein case demonstrates that institutional systems have failed survivors time and time again. I was first subpoenaed in 2008 for an interview. I was truly terrified entering the FBI. I was just 20 years old and without a victim's rights advocate or a lawyer; I didn't know I was entitled to those protections. No one told me I was safe, and many parts of the interview felt like an interrogation. Jeffrey had already threatened my friend, and he had told me that I would be charged with prostitution if I ever interacted with law enforcement. That thought was pervasive, it sat deep in me, haunting me. Shame cloaked in fear prevented me from speaking out. To say that I feared for my safety is an understatement. He made it clear that he held the cards. If authorities had listened to Maria Farmer in 1996, when she first reported Jeffrey to the FBI, hundreds of girls, including myself, might have had a completely different life trajectory. Yet, time and time again, these systems have failed survivors. The systemic failures of survivors extend beyond the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell, as documented by the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Survivors from across the nation contacted their congressional leaders and fueled this fight. Survivors, advocates, and constituents across the country wanted to see change. Yet, despite the Act's passage, a moment in which survivors hoped and believed that we might see some reckoning, we were met with yet another harsh disappointment. Prior to the Transparency Act passing, we met with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle where we made two things abundantly clear. 1. We are not political, we are human. 2. Protections for survivors are imperative, no redactions for perpetrators. Out of an abundance of caution, my lawyer then teamed up with another law firm representing survivors, and together they submitted 350 victims' names to the DOJ as names that needed to be redacted prior to the deadline on December 19th. In that first round of documents, I saw my name in two places. Then in the January dump, there were more and the redactions were far worse. Seeing my information exposed in those documents triggers intense PTSD. There's a feeling that shoots through my body like a hot flash on a bullet and a nausea that lives in the deepest parts of my being. With every exposure survivors are revictimized. I am just one of hundreds of the survivors exposed. These files displayed my name, phone number, old address, where I worked at the time, where I was studying, and other identifying information. What's important to understand is that these documents weren't somehow just overlooked and not redacted at all, on one document my nickname is redacted, while Danielle Hannah Bensky is left completely unredacted. A few weeks ago, a legal analyst reached out to share that yet again, my name appeared in a 3rd batch of only 20 documents. After my lawyer continued to contact the DOJ on multiple occasions for protection my name and information remained attached. These documents hold disturbing, yet incomplete accounts of my abuse, and they were viewable not only by the entire world, but also by my child, my students, my students' parents, my friends, my employers, my colleagues, and my family. I'm public, however in my FBI 302, a Jane Doe who has never wanted to be revealed was exposed. She is someone I have tried to protect. This outing of survivor names does real irrevocable damage. The passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act was meant to be a moment when survivors could regain their power and finally obtain the truth, transparency, and justice they deserve. It was a time for our institutions, created to protect the American people, to, for once, side with survivors. As survivors we have said time and time again this is not political. This requires coming together and not prioritizing political showmanship. I recently had the opportunity to return to Jeffrey's mansion on the Upper East Side. Normally, when you're a child, everything feels massive, and when you revisit those same places as an adult, they seem smaller. That was certainly not the case here. Jeffrey's mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan still felt immense, the doors towering and the architecture looming, designed in a way to make you feel small. This reflects something deeper. Our entrenched systemic failures have allowed powerful people like Jeffrey to make others feel small. When institutions prioritize protecting the powerful and their enablers over protecting victims, individuals like Jeffrey become normalized. If we continue down this path, the question isn't whether the abuse will happen again, but who? Who is the next Jeffrey Epstein? What will be the next mansion used to exploit privilege and enable the abuse of young girls? I'm always asked ``what does accountability look like?'' Getting perpetrators out of positions of power, seeing arrests be made, and a complete culture shift to not only believe our most vulnerable populations, but protect them. This moment is critical. It is time to reform our system to protect our survivors, not perpetrators, and to ensure the truth can come to light.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, we have a childcare crisis in this country. In my home State of Pennsylvania, infant and toddler care costs on average $14,000 per year. That is almost one-half of the average annual salary of the childcare workers in my district. Childcare, if folks can even find it, is pushing families into poverty as they are forced to make impossible choices between paying the rent or paying for care, between staying employed or staying home. Republicans are doing everything in their power to undermine investments in childcare, including with this bill, which will allow employers to exclude childcare benefits from overtime pay. Employees working overtime are the ones who need childcare the most and the bill undermines workers' ability to pay for that care. For this reason, 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 important amendment to this bill. My amendment would replace the text of this bill with the Child Care for Working Families Act. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the text of this amendment immediately prior to the motion to recommit.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, my legislation with Ranking Member Bobby Scott would make sure families actually have access to childcare slots, that no family spends more than 7 percent of their income on childcare, and that all early childhood educators make a livable wage. If Republicans actually care about children and families, then I encourage them to pass the Child Care for Working Families Act. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and spiritual leader of more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, to Washington, D.C. This week, His All-Holiness is visiting our Nation's Capital to receive the Templeton Prize, the most prestigious international award in religion and science. With this honor, he joins the ranks of Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the Dalai Lama. The recognition reflects not only his scholarship and spiritual leadership but his unwavering witness for peace, human dignity, and care for creation. For more than three decades as Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness has been a global voice for reconciliation among peoples of different faiths and traditions. He has also been one of the first religious leaders to insist that harming the environment is not simply a failure of policy but a moral failing. His leadership reminds us that stewardship of our planet is inseparable from justice for our communities. His leadership has been honored across the world. In 1997, he received the Congressional Gold Medal here in the United States, and he has been recognized internationally as one of the most influential figures of our time. Yet the true measure of his ministry lies not in awards, but in his call for peace over division, compassion over violence, and responsibility over indifference. As he has said, ``We have it in our power either to increase the hurt inflicted on our world or to contribute toward its healing. The choice is ours.'' His life's work reminds us that building a better world depends on moral courage, the same courage we need to meet our own fights for justice at home. The people of Pennsylvania's 12th District, including the faithful of the Presentation of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in East Pittsburgh and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh, are proud to share in this welcome. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the extraordinary ministry of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and in congratulating him on this well-deserved honor.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of H.J. Res. 111.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the amendment at the desk that protects against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill to designate the new Department of Veterans Affairs community- based outpatient clinic in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the Henry Parham VA Clinic. Private First Class Henry Parham, who at the time of his passing on July 4, 2021, was believed to be the last surviving Black combat veteran of D-day. He passed away at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center at the age of 99, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of courage, resilience, and service. Drafted into the Army at just 21 years old, Mr. Parham joined the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only Black combat unit to land on D-day. Unable to swim on that day, Mr. Parham waded through neck-high water onto Omaha Beach, carrying his equipment under the chaos of enemy fire, praying for survival. For 2 months, he and his battalion stood watch, aiding the flow of supplies and reinforcements to sustain Allied forces in turning the tide of the war. When asked about his service, Mr. Parham said simply: I did my duty. I did what I was supposed to do as an American. That sense of responsibility defined him. After the war, Mr. Parham, like so many Black veterans, returned to a country that denied him the very freedoms he had fought to protect. He endured, devoting his life to service, spending decades volunteering at the Pittsburgh VA medical center and his local American Legion alongside his wife of 54 years, Ethel. His dedication earned his recognition in his later year, including the French Legion of Honor. In September 2023, the VA opened the Monroeville community-based outpatient clinic to improve veterans' access to primary and specialty outpatient services in our region. Naming this facility after Henry Parham will serve as both a tribute to his legacy and acknowledgment of the immense sacrifices made by veterans like him, those who fought for freedom abroad while enduring injustice at home. It is a testament to their courage and their unyielding belief in this Nation's promise, even when that promise was denied them. In honoring Mr. Parham, let us continue to honor all veterans by ensuring they receive the highest quality of care and support they deserve. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Reschenthaler for co-leading this effort with me, Senators Fetterman and Casey for their leadership in the Senate, and the entire Pennsylvania delegation for their support, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to S. 2228, the Building Chips in America Act. I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it is that we are here considering a bill that hasn't had a single hearing or the slightest bit of real scrutiny, but here we are because Speaker Johnson thinks it is a priority. Now we need to set the record straight for the sake of our communities' health and safety and basic common sense. Let's talk about the history of semiconductor manufacturing for a second. In 1947, Silicon Valley was the birthplace of the modern semiconductor, the backbone of our tech industry, but that birth left behind some pretty deep scars. Semiconductor manufacturing has never been clean. It has left behind pollution, toxic waste, and even poisoned workers. Silicon Valley still holds the record for the most Superfund sites in the country. We are talking miscarriages, cancer, and entire communities still dealing with the fallout today. It is serious. As we work to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S., we must do it right this time. We cannot afford to repeat the devastating mistakes of the past, and we don't need to. What does this bill want us to do? It intends to throw all those lessons out the window and bring back the same toxic mess we saw in Silicon Valley, only bigger. Are we really going to let this disaster play out again in places like Palm Bay, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Clay, New York; or St. Peters, Missouri? These are the communities on the line, all home to semiconductor plants getting funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. Polluting our communities and putting families in harm's way is a policy choice. We have cleaned up a lot of the mess in Silicon Valley, and we have proven that semiconductor manufacturing can be done without hurting workers or the environment. Democrats worked to pass the CHIPS and Science Act to ensure that when we invest in America's future, we do it the right way. We made sure these investments benefit all Americans, not just a select few, and we have Secretary Raimondo and the Biden-Harris administration making sure that taxpayer dollars being spent on this are stewarded with care. So far, those investments are already showing results across the country, and it is just the beginning, but this bill wants to scrap all that progress. It would wipe out environmental reviews and public input under the National Environmental Policy Act for semiconductor facilities. That means no guarantees, no checks to make sure companies aren't using our money to harm the very people paying those taxes. Let me tell you something else: The rush is fake. Republicans keep saying that environmental red tape is slowing down progress, but that is just not true. Secretary Raimondo has testified that things are moving along just fine. We even made sure the agency got enough funding to handle the workload. What we are looking at is a dangerous, pointless bill that doesn't solve any real problems. In fact, it creates new ones, ones that could put the health and safety of countless Americans at risk. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with me in opposing this bill so we can do it the right way. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on S. 2228, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage. Gaza has been decimated by the Israeli military using weapons provided by the United States. Over 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, and more are being killed every day. Most homes, most infrastructure destroyed. Yet, what do we do? We welcome Netanyahu, the person responsible for this, to address Congress with open arms. As a student of history and as a Black woman in this country, I am keenly aware of the role that this very body has played in the marginalizing of Black and Brown folks domestically and abroad. This is why I refuse to remain silent. When Putin commits war crimes, we condemn him. When Netanyahu commits war crimes, we give him excuses and bombs. This hypocrisy is not lost on the world. Americans are less safe, and our standing in the world is greatly diminished because of our inability to remain morally consistent. Years from now, this body will be ashamed of its actions. The large majority of our constituents are ashamed today. It is well past time that we stop this moral inconsistency and start working toward a just and lasting peace for all in this region.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, when we say that the right to vote is under attack, we are not talking about hypotheticals. It is under attack right now and right here with this very bill. Republicans want to throw up barriers because when people vote, they lose. Let me be clear: They don't want you to vote. They don't want to hear Black voices, Brown voices, LBGTQIA+ voices, or young voices. Our fundamental access to our democracy is being politicized, and this xenophobic attack that we are debating today will make it harder for Americans to vote. My Republican colleagues will claim that requiring IDs is a small ask, but nearly 30 million people lack a valid driver's license, and 15 to 18 million of those adults don't have access to documents proving their birth or citizenship. Americans don't need more obstacles to vote. It is already hard enough. That is why I am proud to have introduced the Right to Vote Act with my colleagues, Assistant Leader Neguse and Senator Ossoff. This bill would enshrine people's right to vote and prohibit governments on all levels from restricting that right with bills like this one. This bill is part of the Democrats' Freedom to Vote Act.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this bill is part of the Democrats' Freedom to Vote Act. Along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, these are the types of bills we should be bringing to the floor, not this nonsense. Every day that we let rightwing Republicans pass laws like this that restrict ballot access, reduce polling stations in Black neighborhoods, or drown out our voices with big money campaigns, we fail the American people. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose this harmful legislation.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act. The bill amends the carbon storage provisions of the bipartisan Energy Act of 2020 to support research and development on ways to sequester carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and forestry. Recent academic research has found that agricultural approaches that enhance the carbon uptake of soils have many potential benefits, including increased productivity and improvements in the stability of yields. Mr. Speaker, this bill will help us better understand the potential short-term or long-term behavior of sequestered carbon and help identify any scientific barriers to the widespread deployment of these technologies. This is not to mention the added benefit of removing carbon from the atmosphere, making this one of many solutions we need to advance if we are to slow down or even reverse the effects of climate change. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4824, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4824, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that I am proud to see passed on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, the bipartisan Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act. Across the country, there are around 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells in urgent need of remediation or plugging. In Pennsylvania, there are well over 350,000 abandoned wells, but only 27,000 of these have been identified and documented in order to be plugged. These abandoned wells not only contribute to the climate crisis by leaking methane, but they also expose our families to cancer-causing toxins like benzene, leave our homes vulnerable to explosive gases, and lower property values making it tougher for families to maintain and sell their homes. Our region's health and economy suffer while we allow these wells to pollute our communities without accountability or plans to plug them. Last month, I visited the home of Pamela and Ivan Schrank, a couple in Murrysville, who recently discovered a leaky, abandoned well on their property in Westmoreland County. During my visit, Pamela described how she got dizzy and almost fainted while gardening in her backyard after being exposed to the pungent odor she recognized as gas. Fortunately, she and her husband, Ivan, caught the leakage in time to reach out to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to begin the process of plugging the well and preventing permanent harm to their family's health and the value of their property. However, until Congress takes action to invest in the identification and remediation of abandoned wells starting with the passage of this bill, tens of thousands of people in my district and across Pennsylvania will continue to suffer the consequences. Pennsylvania has more abandoned wells than any other State except Texas. Many of these wells that pollute our communities were drilled in the mid-1800s, decades before regulations existed to properly track and document them. My district already suffers from some of the worst air quality in the Nation and serious rates of exposure to toxins in our water. These communities also suffer from high rates of asthma or COPD and exposure to lead in our water. We can't leave leaky oil and gas wells from the 1800s to continue poisoning and endangering our communities. We also can't afford inaction. We must invest significant resources to research and develop solutions to this crisis by passing our bipartisan bill because, until we do, it will remain nearly impossible to track every orphaned and abandoned well and too expensive to plug or remediate them. This bipartisan bill we have introduced builds on the $23 million worth of Federal investments to plug abandoned wells we have already delivered to western Pennsylvania from the infrastructure act by authorizing a new research, development, and demonstration program at the Department of Energy to locate, identify, and address the problems associated with abandoned oil and gas wells. This program will enhance our ability to locate these wells and direct research toward improving remediation, plugging, and understanding what causes some of these wells to become super emitters, posing the most harm to our health and our climate. It will also fuel the development of new uses for these wells, such as evaluating whether they are suitable for conversion to geothermal power production. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren for supporting this legislation, as well as Representative Bice for joining me in championing this issue for bringing this important bipartisan bill to the floor. Today, the Science Committee has now twice unanimously approved this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4877, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6093. Sadly, this year is expected to set yet another record for global temperatures according to the World Meteorological Organization. Last year, the U.S. experienced 28 separate extreme weather and climate disasters costing more than $1 billion each, surpassing the previous record set in 2020. Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of severe storms. Just 2 weeks ago, Pittsburgh was inundated by a severe storm that flooded many parts of the area. Daily rainfall records for the Pittsburgh area were shattered, and there were numerous road closures and water rescues across Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which I represent. The science is clear. The need to act cannot be ignored. As we adapt to this unfortunate new norm of severe weather events, our forecasting capabilities and preparedness must substantially improve. H.R. 6093 will build upon the bipartisan 2017 Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act that led to critical research and advancements in weather and climate forecasting. This bill before us today will support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in continuing to improve research, development, dissemination, and communication of environmental forecasts, warnings, and information. We must ensure that NOAA has access to every tool to improve the accuracy and timeliness of weather and climate information to effectively meet its mission in protecting people, property, and the economy. Specifically, this bill modifies and extends key weather and climate research programs for hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, drought, and harmful algal blooms. It also establishes and codifies new forecasting improvement programs for precipitation, atmospheric rivers, and coastal flooding, including storm surges. Additionally, the bill authorizes NOAA to expand its partnership with private industry in gathering more data while solidifying its own role as the driver of the enterprise and leverages the use of artificial intelligence to meet its mission. Necessary improvements in data assimilation will be made so that our weather models continue to be the gold standard. While the improvement of all severe weather-related research programs is necessary, the communication of the information is also a key element to an effective forecast. Under-observed, underserved, and highly vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by severe weather and climate events. To better serve these communities, we must determine how to best communicate important weather and climate information. Understanding how the public receives, interprets, responds to, and values severe weather information is necessary to produce better forecasts and warnings. This bill aims to accomplish this by expanding NOAA's social, behavioral, and economic science research program to simplify and improve the communication of hazardous weather. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren for their diligent work and cooperation on this important legislation, and also many of my colleagues who made significant contributions to this excellent piece of legislation. I strongly support this sensible, bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Frost).

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene).

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jackson).