Kelly Morrison

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss H.R. 2987, the CEASE Act, which would place a statutory moratorium on the number of Small Business Lending Company licenses that can be issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration. What does this bill do? It will cap the number of SBA 7(a) nonbank lenders who can give loans to America's small businesses, a reasonable endeavor that could have generated bipartisan support had there been any effort by the majority to engage in a thoughtful discussion with us. Since there was no such engagement, this bill does nothing to protect the hugely successful Community Advantage program. Community Advantage Small Business Lending Companies provide loans to small businesses located in underserved and rural communities, to new businesses, and to veteran-owned small businesses. For far too long, far too many people in our country have not been able to access capital and participate in the American Dream of starting a business, creating jobs, and growing our economy. The Small Business Administration plays a critical role in providing capital to our small businesses. The Community Advantage program has a demonstrated track record of helping entrepreneurs who face higher barriers to accessing capital grow and scale their businesses. This is exactly what we should be doing: opening more doors for more Americans to start a business, create jobs in their community, and strengthen their local economy. My question to my Republican colleagues is: Without providing protections for Community Advantage Small Business Lending Companies in the text of this bill, are you suggesting we eliminate this crucial program? Why would you threaten to remove a way for veteran-owned small businesses to access capital? What is your message to American entrepreneurs looking to access that first loan that could help turn their best ideas into a new small business? Mr. Speaker, let's just take a step back here. Right now, small businesses across the country are ringing the alarm bells saying that the tariff wars are going to put them out of business in a matter of weeks or months. Just this past week, we heard from Minnesota's Small Business Person of the Year, given the award by the Trump administration, who said she has 6 weeks until she goes out of business. These are successful small businesses, small businesses that were thriving, growing, expanding until President Trump started this completely unnecessary, completely chaotic trade war by setting exorbitant tariffs as high as 145 percent, changing policies haphazardly, at times literally by the hour. No one can run a business with that level of uncertainty, and our small businesses are getting hit the hardest. They can't plan for the future. They don't have the luxury of time. The threat is here right now. They certainly don't have the resources to personally lobby the President like the massive tech companies who got exemptions did. President Trump's so-called tariff policy is literally killing our small businesses. Mr. Speaker, Congress has the power to stop it. Article I of the Constitution says Congress has the power to levy tariffs, but what is the Republican majority doing? They are ceding all their power to this President and completely disregarding their constitutional duty and the outcries from small business owners who are warning us they will have to close their doors in a matter of weeks if this tariff war doesn't end. Mr. Speaker, the three bills the Republicans are choosing to bring to the floor this week have nothing to do with the existential threat that these tariffs are posing to our Nation's small businesses. The lack of courage to stand up for our Nation's small businesses, and to stand by and watch their downfall, is shameful. We should be passing legislation to end this tariff war and save our small businesses.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Chief Brian Tholen for his distinguished career in law enforcement and his lifelong commitment to serving the people of Minnesota through education, volunteerism, and public safety advocacy. For over 25 years, Chief Tholen served with dedication and integrity as a police officer for the City of Edina. He then continued his service as Chief of Police for the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department for three and a half years, leading with courage and professionalism. A graduate of the University of St. Thomas and the 275th class of the FBI National Academy, Chief Tholen exemplified Minnesotan excellence throughout his law enforcement career. His tenure included a decade in the patrol division, where he served as a field training officer, a defensive tactics instructor, and a member of the Southwest Metro SWAT Team Consortium. In the past 12 years, Chief Tholen has worked to train officers, paramedics, firefighters, and civilians across the metro area in active shooter response protocol. Through this work, he has emphasized the importance of awareness, prevention, and survival, equipping individuals and businesses with life-saving tools and strategies. Chief Tholen's service-oriented mindset was shaped early in life. Raised in a family-owned plumbing business, he learned the values of hard work and responsibility by going on service calls with his father as a teenager. He carried that ethic into every aspect of his public service career. Chief Tholen has retired to Shorewood with his wife of 23 years, Lauren. He is an active member of the Excelsior Morning Rotary and enjoys boating, hunting, traveling, and spending time outdoors with Lauren and their Border Collie, Ike. On behalf of myself and the Minnesotans who have benefited from his decades of leadership and service, I offer my sincere gratitude to Chief Brian Tholen--and I wish him many more good hikes with Lauren and Ike.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in opposition to a provision tucked away in the Republican's budget proposal that will open up the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to toxic sulfide-ore copper mining. My husband and I take our kids camping and paddling in the Boundary Waters every year, and we are not alone. The Boundary Waters is the most visited wilderness area in the country. There is literally no other place like it on Earth. It is a major driver of the nearly $13.5 billion outdoor recreation economy in Minnesota. All that is at risk if sulfide-ore copper mining is allowed in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. It is known as the most toxic industry in America, and it has never been done in Minnesota before. The Republican majority is prioritizing the interests of an international Chilean mining conglomerate that has no interest or stake in the economy or well-being of Minnesotans. They will extract our resources. They will pollute our air, land, and water. They will permanently damage our pristine Boundary Waters and leave Minnesotans to foot the bill for the cleanup. Mr. Speaker, we should protect Minnesota's crown jewel and not destroy it.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of Minnesota families who will lose access to healthcare if the Republican budget passes. I want to tell you about Alicia and her daughter, one of them. Alicia's oldest daughter is 11 years old. She is a happy, active, and confident fifth grader. She has also faced a lifetime of medical challenges including an immune disorder, a blood disorder, and a spinal condition. Alicia and her family didn't ask for this. Nothing they did caused this. They work hard. They pay their taxes. They love their daughter fiercely. They simply cannot afford the care that she needs without Medicaid. Medicaid is what allows Alicia's daughter to go to school, to regain her motor skills, and to run a 5K with her classmates, something unthinkable before her treatment. It is the reason she is not just surviving but she is thriving. Republicans are going to gut the program that she and half of all American children get their healthcare coverage through. This isn't about politics. It is about our values. It is about protecting the health and future of our children. We must protect Medicaid. Our kids are watching, and they are counting on us.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Schrier for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues in the Democratic Doctors Caucus and as the first and only pro-choice OB/GYN here in Congress to speak out against the Republicans' disastrous budget proposal and to fight for our women, children, and families. For more than 20 years, I have had the honor and privilege of taking care of OB/GYN. One of the great joys of my job is caring for my patients during their pregnancies and helping them grow their families. I carry my patients and their stories with me, and they inform my work here in Congress. I think about them and all of the challenges that new parents face during pregnancy and then after they head home with their new baby: recovering from the delivery, adjusting to life with a little one, accessing the care they and their family need, balancing caregiving and work, making ends meet, and the cost of raising children in the United States. It is a lot. I think about all of the babies I have delivered whose moms got their healthcare through Medicaid and how critical that was to help them get off to the best possible start. It is because of those patients and patients all across the country that I stand here today both incredulous and outraged that the Republican majority in Congress is shoving a budget through that will gut Medicaid, the very health insurance program that covers 40 percent of all births and insures almost half of all children in our country. As an OB/GYN, as a mother, as a Member of Congress, and as an American, this is unconscionable to me. We already have a maternal health crisis in our country. Let's look at the facts about that maternal healthcare crisis that we face now and remember that this is before we gut Medicaid. In more than half of our country, women do not have a place to go to get obstetric care. Among our peer nations, the United States has the highest rate of both maternal and infant deaths. In 2022, there were more than double and sometimes triple the rate of maternal deaths in the United States compared to most other high-income countries, and unacceptable disparities exist. Black, American-Indian, and Alaska-Native women are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause compared to White women. Most of these deaths, more than 80 percent, are preventable. What is the Republican majority doing to address this unacceptable crisis? Instead of working to find ways to improve women's health and to help moms and babies, they are shoving a budget through that will devastate our Nation's maternal healthcare and decimate many of our hospitals and clinics. It will unequivocally make our Nation's maternal health crisis worse. Why in the world are they doing this? Why are they choosing to harm women and children? They are doing it to pay for tax cuts for the ultrawealthiest among us. That is literally why. To make the math work to cut taxes for billionaires, they are choosing to sell out the health of women, moms, new babies, and the future of our country to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, choosing to take healthcare away from moms and their babies. Let's be clear. This won't just be devastating to the moms and new babies who get their healthcare coverage through Medicaid. It will be devastating for maternal healthcare across the country. All of this is coming from the party that calls itself pro-life and profamily. It is hard to imagine a more antifamily policy. Instead of wasting time musing around ridiculous ways to persuade women to have more children, like giving medals for having six or more babies, I would remind my Republican colleagues that they could start with something real, meaningful, and impactful right now by not gutting the health insurance program that covers almost half of all births and half of all children in our country. The Republican majority needs to make their profamily rhetoric match their policy, put America's moms and babies first, and stop these proposed cuts to Medicaid.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Sue Abderholden for her decades of tireless service and steadfast commitment to Minnesotans living with disabilities and mental illnesses. For the past 24 years, Ms. Abderholden has served as Executive Director of the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Under her leadership, our state has become more compassionate, more informed, and more responsive to the needs of those facing mental health challenges. She played a central role in passing over two dozen laws that expanded access to care and improved how we support people with mental illnesses. Ms. Abderholden's advocacy brought mental health training into our schools, ensured screenings for individuals entering the justice system, and reformed civil commitment laws to emphasize voluntary treatment. She expanded crisis and early intervention services, championed a more diverse mental health workforce, and worked to strengthen housing and community-based support services. Her compassion extended to her home where Ms. Abderholden and her family fostered children with disabilities and youth aging out of foster care, offering stability and care when it was most needed. On behalf of myself and countless Minnesotans, I offer my gratitude to Ms. Abderholden for her decades of hard work and service.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of the 800,000 children who will lose access to early childhood care, healthcare, and education because of the Trump administration's budget. Their budget proposes to eliminate Head Start, the nationwide program that provides essential care to nearly 1 million children across our country. Meanwhile, the White House is assessing ways to ``persuade women to have more children.'' I am an OB/GYN. It has been my life's work to help women have children. Let me tell you, eliminating early childhood care and education, making our Nation's childcare crisis even worse and taking away parents' ability to go to work and provide for their families, is not how you persuade women to have more children. On top of that, gutting Medicaid, the health insurance program that covers half of all children and 40 percent of all births, is not how you persuade women to have more children. It is hard to imagine a more antifamily agenda. The Republican plan pressures women to have more children then abandons them, gutting the healthcare, education, and support they need to be healthy and to thrive.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Paige Bueckers for her accomplishments in women's basketball and for leading the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to victory in the NCAA championship. Paige Bueckers graduated from Hopkins High School in 2020. From an early age, she was known across Minnesota for her stellar basketball skills and her outstanding character. Paige's excellence led her to the University of Connecticut where she was a dominant force in NCAA Division I basketball. Over her career, she amassed many prestigious awards including the ESPY's Best Female College Athlete and was selected as a first team All-American three times. Winning the NCAA championship with UConn is a testament to her talent, resilience, and leadership on and off the court. Paige's teammates and coaches have praised her for her mentality of putting her team first and for her dedication to their sport. Paige serves as an inspiration and role model for athletes across the country. Along with the entire State of Minnesota, I am incredibly proud of her and her accomplishments. We will cheer her on as she enters the 2025 WNBA draft, and we can't wait to see what is next for the remarkable Paige Bueckers.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize several constituents in Minnesota's Third Congressional District. Their dedication to promoting democracy is to be commended. I recognize Sharon Billings, Caitlin Cahill, Keith Engel, Aditi Ginuga, Anne Leland, Cathy Olson, Dave Olson, Paula Ramaley, Cole Roepke, Adaline Shinkle, Brad Shinkle, Diane Sjolander, and Anita Smithson. The people of Minnesota's Third Congressional District are fortunate to have them as neighbors, friends, and community members.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with a letter. This is a letter from Republican State legislators from my home State of Minnesota, addressed to President Trump and Republicans in Congress. Please listen carefully. Dear Mr. President, Congressman Emmer, Congressman Finstad, Congresswoman Fischbach, Congressman Stauber, and Ms. Carlton, Minnesota has been a leader in providing access to care and containing costs and now stands vulnerable to unworkable funding reductions with some of what is being proposed in the Federal budget. A move to a per capita cap or block grant program will be workable if the reduction is modest, manageable, and accompanied by extreme flexibility. Too deep of a cut is unmanageable in any instance. Innovation is occurring in Minnesota within the current financing and waiver structure. We are moving people with disabilities into greater independence. Massive Medicaid reductions could punish Minnesota for being such a strong leader in greater efficiencies and better outcomes. It would devastate the already lean areas of service we have been working to make more efficient for many years As Republican leaders in Minnesota, we have been partners for designing a State Health and Human Services system that meets the needs of our great State. Just to emphasize what you already know, Medicaid includes services and care for the seniors and those with disabilities, not just healthcare for the poor. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of all Medicaid enrollees are children. Given some of the large numbers coming out of Washington, we are concerned that there is no practical way to accommodate some of the proposed massive reductions and still provide the kind of care these vulnerable people require. Drastic reductions to Medicaid funding have the potential to impact the 1.4 million people we serve and place incredible pressure on our overall State budget. There are no other sources to make up the lost Federal share beyond severely impacting the seniors and those with disabilities who we serve. This is contrary to how we Republicans respect the aged and the vulnerable. Deep reductions beyond what we can absorb will also put a major strain on the State's ability to support our county- based infrastructure. In our county-based service model, via the property tax, counties already pay very significant shares of human services costs, including child protection, waiver management, chemical dependency, mental health, and State facility stays, and have little capacity to absorb any significant additional cost. The only choices available are being forced to raise local property taxes drastically or close services. Finally, healthcare is a major employer in rural Minnesota. Reductions in already-too-low reimbursement rates would not only limit access but would also reduce pay and services, hugely impacting rural economies and the rapidly growing aging population in greater Minnesota. Please remind our good leaders in Washington that simply cutting the budget is not going to take away our responsibilities to the aged, those with disabilities and mental health needs, children, and the poor. You can make a difference in this debate. Please, please do. Respectfully. The letter was signed by more than one dozen Republican State legislators. Mr. Speaker, this is from Republican legislators to the Republican President and the Republican majority in Congress. Their plea is clear. The threat is real. The facts are undeniable. Republicans in State legislatures do not want to gut Medicaid. Minnesotans do not want to gut Medicaid. Americans do not want to gut Medicaid. So why in the world are congressional Republicans teeing up these massive cuts to Medicaid in their budget? It is because they are singularly focused on giving massive tax breaks to their wealthy donors, to billionaires like Elon Musk, and to huge corporations. They are willing to do that by selling out healthcare coverage for 80 million Americans. That is it. It is really that simple. I say to my Republican colleagues that you cannot hide from your own party raising the alarm not to do this. You cannot hide from the fact that you are choosing to rip healthcare away from millions of Americans. You cannot hide from the fact that you are choosing to decimate State budgets in order to serve your donors and your billionaire elites. You cannot hide from the fact that your State counterparts and surely your constituents do not want you to do this. As we consider the budget this week, we need House Republicans in the House of Representatives to finally stand with Democrats against this disastrous budget.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of all of the families who are being hurt by this administration's reckless trade wars. Last week, I met with Minnesota families and childcare providers to talk about how expensive it is to raise a family and care for young children. I met Nana Renee. She is a mother and a grandmother from Brooklyn Park who loves her family more than anything in the world. She, like so many families, is struggling to make ends meet. As a country, we should be doing everything we can to support our young families and make raising kids more affordable. These policies are doing the exact opposite. With this administration's sweeping tariffs, families will be forced to pay even more for the products they need to care for their children such as high chairs, cribs, strollers, and car seats. Car seats are not an optional purchase. They are required by law. That is why today my Democratic colleagues and I are calling on the administration to exempt essential childcare products from these tariffs. I challenge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand up for families and join us in this call. Families should not have to foot the bill for these reckless trade wars.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I did not vote on Roll Call No. 77. Had I been present, I would have voted ``NAY'' on Roll Call No. 77.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to voice a concern from my constituents, Jeff and Bev. Last week, Trump's billionaire Commerce Secretary was speaking with another billionaire about how only fraudsters would complain about missing a Social Security check. Trump's billionaire Commerce Secretary said that if Social Security didn't send out checks for a month, his mother-in-law simply would not call to complain. At the very same time, I held a townhall with my constituents where Jeff and Bev, from Bloomington, asked this question: If or when Trump ends Social Security, Bev and I will be unable to pay our mortgage. We will become homeless at age 70. What can we do? What should we do? There are tens of millions of Americans across the country like Jeff and Bev who depend on that check coming every month. On their behalf, I ask my Republican colleagues who have majority rule of this Chamber, what are they going to do to stand up for American families and stop the billionaires who are dismantling Social Security?

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, as we recognize Women's History Month, I rise, as an OB/GYN, in fierce defense of our Nation's moms and babies. Right now, the Republican majority in Congress is launching a full attack on America's families. Let's start first with where we are in our country. We are facing a serious and worsening maternal healthcare crisis. Just look at this map. In more than half of our country, women do not have a place to go that provides obstetric care. Among peer nations, we have both the highest rate of maternal deaths and the highest rate of infant deaths--in the United States of America. This is a crisis. It is an unacceptable crisis, and it demands immediate action from our Nation's legislators. Yet, the Republican majority is shoving a budget through that would gut Medicaid, which is the single largest payer of maternity care in our country, in order to give tax cuts to billionaires. As an OB/GYN who has spent my life caring for women and delivering babies, let me tell you: It is unconscionable to threaten the care women receive before, during, and after pregnancy, but that is exactly what the Republican majority is doing with their budget. Republicans are choosing to shut down more hospitals and clinics across the country. Republicans are choosing to make even more of our country into maternal care deserts. Republicans are choosing to take healthcare away from moms and babies. It does not have to be this way. As we celebrate Women's History Month, I implore the Republican majority to make their policy match their profamily rhetoric and choose to put America's moms and babies first.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Bob Christianson, a resident of a local nursing home in Bloomington, Minnesota. Bob is 85 years old. He bravely served our country in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He, like millions of seniors across the country, gets his nursing home coverage through Medicaid. When I met Bob, he said he would not be here today were it not for Medicaid. Now, congressional Republicans are proposing to gut Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, which would mean less access to services, less access to care, and worse quality of life for seniors everywhere. Bob told me he is fighting this proposed budget with all the effort he can muster, calling his representatives, joining local organizations, and going to protests, all at 85 years old. It shouldn't be this way. Bob should not have to be spending his days protesting just to get the healthcare and nursing home coverage he needs. Remember, 62 percent of all nursing home residents in the United States are covered by Medicaid. We cannot put our seniors' care on the chopping block to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. I implore my Republican colleagues to work with us on a budget that will give our seniors the care they need and deserve.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise, as a doctor of more than 20 years, in opposition to H.J. Res. 61, an egregious and completely unnecessary assault on our public health. This resolution put forward by congressional Republicans would rip away protections that keep Americans safe from some of the most dangerous and cancer-causing air toxins in the world, such as arsenic and lead. As an OB/GYN, I am extremely concerned because these toxins are known to cause reproductive harm and birth defects. Just last night, in this Chamber, President Trump claimed: ``Our goal is to get toxins out of our environment.'' President Trump also highlighted the concerning increase in rates of childhood cancer and claimed: ``Reversing this trend is one of the top priorities.'' Yet, less than 24 hours later, the Republican majority is choosing to increase toxins in our environment, expose more Americans to some of the most dangerous pollutants, and likely increase the rates of cancer. Let's be clear: This cost-effective rule presents minimal cost to industry in order to protect public health. What are we doing here? Why are we selling out the health of Americans? The consequences of this would be devastating to our children, moms and new babies, and families across the country. It is completely preventable. To my Republican colleagues who hold the majority rule in this Chamber, please, for the sake of the health and well-being of the American people, vote ``no'' on this resolution.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of the nearly 80 million Americans across the country who get their health insurance through Medicaid. I rise as a physician who has cared for patients for more than 20 years, and I implore my colleagues to recognize that health insurance is not just a throwaway line item that you can scratch out in a budget. It is the difference between being able to receive the lifesaving healthcare people need or not. Medicaid is the single largest source of healthcare coverage in the United States. Medicaid covers nearly half of all children, and it is the largest insurer of kids with disabilities. Medicaid is a vital source of prenatal and postpartum care for women, and it covers more than 40 percent of births in our country. The Republicans' dangerous proposal today is selling out the health and wellness of kids, families, seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities. Why? To make room for tax breaks for millionaires? This is wrong. We cannot stand for this. We need our colleagues across the aisle to stand up for our children and families.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 788, the DOE and SBA Research Act. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains, I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation with the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Thanedar). This bill would require the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into a memorandum of understanding that would improve collaboration between these two agencies. This joint agency effort would expand opportunities for small businesses to participate in research and development opportunities at DOE and its national laboratories. It is in our economic and national security interests for the United States to remain a leader in R&D and technological advancement. In order to maximize our impact, we must tap into talent wherever we can find it. Too often, small businesses are overlooked when it comes to research and development opportunities. Small businesses are not only the backbone of our economy, but they also drive forward American innovation and ingenuity. The DOE and SBA Research Act will help ensure that small business owners continue to play a central role in the United States' leadership in these areas. I thank my colleagues for their collaboration on this critical legislation. I thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their support. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 804, the Rural Small Business Resilience Act. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains, I am pleased to put forward this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will ensure rural small businesses can operate on a level playing field. This bill requires the Small Business Administration to ensure that small businesses located in rural areas have full access to SBA disaster assistance in the wake of a natural disaster. The SBA's disaster loan program serves as a lifeline for small business owners in need of capital to repair, rebuild, and recover from of the physical and economic losses of a natural disaster. Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office recently found that rural communities face unique barriers that inhibit recovery from severe weather events like hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. A lack of reliable broadband, cellular service, or physical infrastructure can make it more difficult for small business owners in these communities to learn about and apply for disaster assistance. We also know that natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more severe. In my home State of Minnesota, natural disasters have caused about $20 billion in damage and economic loss over the last 5 years alone. Small businesses are among the most vulnerable to injury. FEMA has reported that more than 40 percent of small businesses do not reopen after a natural disaster. We can all agree that every small business owner in this country should have fair access to disaster assistance, regardless of where they live. The Rural Small Business Resilience Act will address this disparity by requiring the SBA to conduct targeted outreach to small business owners in rural communities. I will close by thanking the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing), the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean) for their partnership on this important, bipartisan legislation. I also thank Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Ms. MORRISON

Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise not only as the Congresswoman from Minnesota's Third District but as an OB/GYN who has had the honor and privilege of caring for patients for more than 20 years. As I have said many times throughout those years, being an obstetrician is the greatest job in the world. Being present and helping people during one of the most joyful moments of their lives is an incredible privilege. It is also a serious responsibility. On most days it is the best job in the world, but sometimes it can be absolutely tragic and heartbreaking. Sometimes medical complications can prevent a patient's dreams of building her family from coming true. The moment when a patient and her family learn about a lethal fetal medical condition that is incompatible with life is devastating. The pain and the grief in that moment is unfathomable. You can never unhear the mother's cries of despair. Meeting each patient where they are and making a care plan that meets their needs is essential. Knowing that their baby will not survive, some want to plan a delivery that enables them to meet and hold and care for their baby for the precious little time they have together, the time and the space to say good-bye. This shameful legislation would insert the government into this tragic situation and deny families the care they want for their baby. Instead of allowing parents to hold their dying baby, this bill would require doctors to forcibly take the dying baby from their parents and, even though there is no chance of survival, place the baby directly on a medical table under bright lights and perform interventions that will not work. Sometimes it is chest compressions, intubation, when a breathing tube is placed in the baby's trachea, and IV lines. If those measures were not taken, the doctor could be charged with murder. This bill is cruel. It singles out patients who are facing the worst days of their lives. This bill does not solve a problem. Doctors are already both honored and obligated to provide appropriate care for their patients. It is illegal to kill a newborn infant in all 50 States. This bill is designed to confuse, to frighten, and to misinform people and criminalize medical providers. It would inflict further and unnecessary tragedy and trauma on patients and their families. We should do everything we can to support pregnant women, mothers, families, and their care providers, not attack them. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you as an obstetrician on behalf of patients and providers across the country, who should never be subjected to this cruel and harmful mandate. I implore my colleagues to reject this legislation.