Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1726, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023, introduced by my colleague from Hawaii, Representative Jill Tokuda. This vital legislation addresses the urgent need to combat rapid ohia death, or ROD, which has already led to the loss of over 1 million native ohia lehua trees in Hawaii since its discovery in 2014. The significance of these trees cannot be overstated. They are Hawaii's most abundant native trees and play a crucial role in preserving the State's unique biodiversity and protecting its ecosystems. It is essential that we take immediate action to prevent further devastation and ensure the survival of this iconic species. This bill emphasizes the need for research and aid to enhance our understanding of this deadly fungus and explore innovative solutions to combat its impact. Furthermore, the bill fosters collaboration between Federal agencies, the State of Hawaii, and local stakeholders. The comprehensive approach will help mitigate the threat of ROD and protect Hawaii's native forests and ecosystems, so that we can safeguard Hawaii's ohia trees for future generations and preserve the unique ecosystems and rich biodiversity that make our Nation so exceptional. I commend my colleague, Representative Tokuda, for championing this important legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda), the sponsor of the bill.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 7422, the Geothermal Cost Recovery Authority Act of 2024. As colleagues on both sides of the aisle can agree, geothermal energy is an extremely promising and growing source of renewable energy. Since the 1960s, geothermal energy has been used as a sustainable and reliable source of electricity, but even though it has grown significantly since then, it still only makes up less than half of one percent of our energy generation mix. Fortunately, new breakthroughs in technology are massively expanding where geothermal energy can be developed. This is particularly exciting because of some of the unique benefits of geothermal energy for the clean energy transition. Geothermal provides consistent baseload power, which is available 24/ 7 with minimal emissions. This complements the mix of solar, wind, and storage needed to build a clean grid and is crucial for maintaining stability in our energy systems, replacing dirty baseload energy like coal. Many of the skills needed for geothermal development are directly transferrable from industries like oil and gas. As geothermal technologies advance, we will be able to site those power plants at places like retired coal plants where fossil fuel workers can find jobs. Better yet, many of these fossil trades are already organized and unionized. Everyone from the laborers to the workers in the power plant control rooms, to the steamfitters, pipefitters, and operating engineers can find work in geothermal. Geothermal shows truly exciting promise to help union workers transition to a clean energy economy. As all this growth occurs, the Federal Government will also have an important role to play. The Department of Energy is supporting pilot projects and advancements in technology. Within the jurisdiction of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, where I serve as ranking member, the Department of the Interior is often in charge of permitting. In fact, the first renewable energy project sited on U.S. public lands back in 1978 was geothermal energy. Right now, nearly 70 percent of geothermal energy capacity is on federally managed Bureau of Land Management lands. With the technological advancements we are seeing now, the Bureau of Land Management needs to be ready to scale up the deployment of this clean energy while remaining diligent about permitting responsibly, considering public input and respecting indigenous knowledge and Tribal consultation. We have heard from geothermal developers that there can be challenges when it comes to permitting new geothermal plants. Much of that stems from capacity constraints, the need for more expertise or more staff in the right locations. My bill, the Geothermal Cost Recovery Authority Act of 2024, will allow BLM the flexibility to charge companies cost recovery for things like inspections and monitoring, and my bill will enable BLM to hire third-party experts to help review permit applications. This flexibility will improve permitting capacity and timelines without sacrificing any of the important steps for environmental review and community input. At a time when permitting is a contentious word in Washington, this bill shows both parties can come together around commonsense approaches to advance commonsense solutions. I greatly appreciate my colleagues across the aisle who worked with us on the language in my bill, and I am excited to see it moving forward today, along with other positive bills for geothermal energy, like Congressman Curtis' GEO Act. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2950, the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee ranking member. This bill would provide statutory authority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program, including authorizing nearly $17 million each year from fiscal year 2024 through 2028. The Coastal Program is one of the Fish and Wildlife Service's most effective voluntary programs for restoring and protecting the habitat. It has helped coastal communities and their partners conserve and restore coastal ecosystems since 1985. These partnerships have benefited people, habitats, and wildlife in 24 priority coastal areas, including the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. The program works to create resilient coastal ecosystems, support habitat connectivity, recover Federal trust in priority species, and promote community stewardship of fish and wildlife resources. It does so by providing both technical and financial assistance to States, Tribes, coastal communities, and conservation organizations for public and private lands. This successful program has completed nearly 5,000 projects and collaborated with over 6,400 partners, with the outcome of protecting more than 2.3 million acres of habitat and improving land and water for the people and wildlife that live there. Our country and our planet are facing a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis, so efforts like these are essential. Authorizing the Coastal Program through H.R. 2950 will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue identifying threats to coastal landscapes, providing coastal habitat planning and assessments, ensuring restoration and protection for resilient coastlines, and developing capacity building between private and public partnerships. I strongly support the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act and urge my colleagues to pass this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), the sponsor of this bill.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my colleague Representative Porter's bill, the Electronic Permitting Modernization Act. This legislation would codify parts of a Biden executive order that improves the navigability of the Federal Government's permitting process, and the bill would require the Department of the Interior to design and deliver a modernized electronic permitting system. Permitting reform has been a popular topic this Congress in the Committee on Natural Resources, and on this topic, it is rare that we can achieve a bipartisan win, but we can all be for bringing the Federal permitting system into the 21st century. That is why this bill would require the Department of the Interior to provide a centralized online repository on its website for public access to its electronic permitting system. It would also make easily available the contact information of the appropriate Department of the Interior employees who can assist State, Tribal, and local governments with permit applications. These changes will make the lives of our constituents easier by simplifying the process of applying for a permit. We know that we can make permitting more efficient. We can speed up processing times, and we can improve transparency for everyone involved, all without sacrificing community engagement or environmental protections. From my district in the Bronx and Queens to across the American West, Americans are all too familiar with the legacy of sacrifice zones. Having online options for DOI permits is a commonsense solution to a part of an important issue that we all care about. This bill also requires the Department of the Interior to provide periodic updates to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which will allow us to continue to monitor and upgrade our permitting processes. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Representative Porter's Electronic Permitting Modernization Act, and I urge the House to approve it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter), the sponsor of the bill.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4596, the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act. This bill would reauthorize two fish recovery programs in the Colorado River Basin: the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, and the San Juan River Basin Implementation Program. The Colorado River is known as the hardest working river in the West, supporting a multitude of uses, including irrigation, municipal water use, recreation, and sustaining numerous fish and wildlife species. Established in the late eighties and early nineties, these two fish recovery programs allowed the Bureau of Reclamation to partner with other Federal agencies, States, Tribes, and hydropower customers, water users, and conservation groups to work collaboratively on species recovery and ensure water-related projects are in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Without this reauthorization, these two programs will expire, and we risk the long history of collaboration and successful recovery of four native fish species. We need to get this done as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to comment on H.R. 6474, Representative Steel's bill, which aims to expedite geothermal exploration and development in previously studied or developed areas. I thank my colleague for her attention to this important issue. I strongly support deploying geothermal energy on Federal lands. We have heard from geothermal developers that there can be challenges when it comes to permitting new geothermal plants. That is exactly why several of the bills we are discussing here today are designed to address those very challenges. Now, what H.R. 6474 would do is legislate the creation of a new categorical exclusion for certain geothermal-related activities. Categorical exclusions are used when there is a class of actions that Federal agencies have determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the human environment, and therefore, do not require either an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Currently, the oil and gas industries have a relatively narrow categorical exclusion for minor disturbances in already developed oil fields; that is, oil fields that have recently been analyzed under NEPA. This bill attempts to put geothermal on a level playing field by taking that existing categorical exclusion and applying it basically as is to geothermal. At the legislative hearing on this bill, the Bureau of Land Management testified that it is skeptical that this policy will provide significant benefits for geothermal because the existing categorical exclusion was designed for oil and gas, and there are considerable differences between those types of energy and geothermal. Fortunately, the Bureau of Land Management already has the authority to establish new categorical exclusions administratively without the need for legislation. Using that authority, the Bureau has recently finalized new categorical exclusions for geothermal energy that were adopted from other agencies and are better tailored to this unique type of energy. The Bureau is currently working on establishing more categorical exclusions to ensure that geothermal can be deployed responsibly and efficiently on Federal land. While I have some concerns about the expansion of existing categorical exclusions for oil and gas, I strongly support the Bureau of Land Management's work on geothermal, and again, I am grateful for my colleague's attention to this important issue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 612, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act introduced by my colleague from Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is a bicameral, bipartisan effort to continue the tremendous work being completed in California and Nevada for a variety of landscape restoration and resiliency projects. The waters of Lake Tahoe are among some of the clearest in the world, and the basin is home to wetlands, swamps, deepwater habitat, aspen stands, forests, and meadows that support more than 1,300 species of plants and animals. Tahoe is a natural phenomenon. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act passed in 2000 in a community effort to preserve and protect the landscape and economy of the basin. With it came an authorization of $300 million for 10 years and eventually $415 million after reauthorization in 2016. Investments made by the Federal Government have leveraged $500 million in State, local, Tribal, and private matching funds. It also supports an average of 1,700 jobs a year. Now it is time for us to continue that commitment to protecting the alpine lake landscape. The work being completed throughout the Lake Tahoe basin exemplifies the value of both targeted Federal investments and community collaboration in forest and landscape management. In the 1990s, leaders in the basin came together to form a collaborative cross-boundary program known as the Environmental Improvement Program. The EIP has become a model for collaborative conservation. Overall, ecosystem restoration and management in the Lake Tahoe basin demonstrate how collaboration, partnerships, and dedicated funding for shared goals can yield measurable results. In the Federal Lands Subcommittee last week, Ms. Regan, the executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, said that the Tahoe model works because it is able to bring together the Federal and private funding and community consent in a mosaic of governance. This legislation will continue that important work. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I missed a vote. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 344.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce Articles of Impeachment against Associate Justices of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas and Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. Against Justice Thomas, the resolution includes three total articles: one count of failure to disclose financial income, gifts and reimbursements, property interests, liabilities, and transactions, among other information, and two counts of refusal to recuse from matters concerning his spouse's legal and financial interests before the Court. The second resolution includes the following Articles of Impeachment against Justice Alito: one count of refusal to recuse from cases in which he had a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party before the Court, and one count of failure to disclose financial income, gifts and reimbursements, property interests, among other information. Mr. Speaker, nomination and appointment to the Supreme Court is one of the highest privileges and most consequential responsibilities of our Nation. Such an appointment is uniquely insulated in its power. Confirmation to the Court is a lifetime appointment whereby Justices are entrusted with decisions that powerfully shape the Nation as well as the lives of every American. For this reason and others, the Constitution rightfully and explicitly holds Justices to even higher standards than Members of Congress or even the President. Section 1 of Article III of the Constitution commands Federal Justices to ``hold their offices during good behavior,'' in addition to its clauses barring treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. Congress has exercised its power to reinforce this higher standard of the judiciary before. This body has impeached and removed eight Federal judges for transgressions ranging from evading income tax and perjury to intoxication on the bench and abandoning the office to join the Confederacy. Perhaps most critical to the legitimacy of the institution, these judicial standards require Justices to recuse themselves in any proceeding where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. In other words, if a person could reasonably believe that the legitimacy of a Justice's judgment could be, or be perceived to be, compromised due to their personal involvement in the case or its parties, the standard is clear: The Justice must recuse. They are required to recuse. That stringent and sacred standard exists for the good of the ruling, the judiciary, and the country. Mr. Speaker, I believe that everyday Americans, independent of party or ideology, can reasonably conclude that Justices Thomas and Alito's yearslong pattern of misconduct and failure to recuse in cases bearing their clear personal and financial involvement represents an abuse of power and threat to our democracy fundamentally incompatible with continued service on our Nation's highest court. For the good of the institution and the Nation, absent resignation, they must be removed. The proof is undeniable, and here I will lay it out. Justice Clarence Thomas for decades now has carried on a close, financially entangled personal relationship with real estate billionaire Harlan Crow. It is of material importance to the American people to note that Justice Thomas' relationship to the billionaire only began after Thomas' powerful appointment to our Nation's highest court. The cash, goods, and services Justice Thomas received over the years include large loan balance cancellations, tuition payments for family, and vacations in private jets and yachts worth up to half a million dollars alone. In total, Justice Thomas appears to have received $1.5 million worth in goods, cash equivalents, and services from Mr. Crow. That is just what we know of. Truthfully, we won't ever really know the total sum of contributions Justice Thomas received from Mr. Crow. Justice Thomas not only accepted these contributions while Mr. Crow had business in front of the Court, but he accepted them in secret, failing for years and years to report them. Yet, Thomas did report smaller gifts during this time, demonstrating a clear understanding of his legal obligation to report. Would a reasonable American question that receiving lavish gifts from Mr. Crow might lead Justice Thomas to have a bias toward his ``friend'' with business before the Court? Without a doubt, yes. But did Justice Thomas recuse? No. Now, take Justice Samuel Alito, who has no shortage of billionaire associates of his own. After billionaire Paul Singer gave Justice Alito a luxury fishing trip via private jet, a contribution that was also hidden from the public and the Court, Justice Alito not only refused to recuse but changed his mind regarding his gracious host's case. Just a short time after accepting the lavish undisclosed trip from Mr. Singer, Alito joined the Court in reversing its previous position and took up Mr. Singer's case. He did not recuse. Justice Alito also refused to recuse in the case itself, ultimately leading to a ruling that netted Mr. Singer $2.4 billion. That ruling did not just enrich Mr. Singer. It also structurally tilted the playing field further away from working people and toward the vulture funds siphoning money away from the communities that need them most. Could a reasonable American question whether or not Justice Alito could have acted impartially in this case given his personal relationship with Mr. Singer? Absolutely. In January 2021, after the former President of the United States incited an insurrection on the Capitol in this Chamber to interfere with the results of the U.S. election, Justice Samuel Alito and his wife flew an upside-down American flag, a symbol of solidarity with their attack, outside their home. Two years later, they publicly displayed outside their home yet another incendiary symbol: a flag associated with extreme rightwing Christian nationalism. Justice Alito maintains that his wife Martha-Ann Alito is the only one responsible for the flags, but common sense maintains that such a close and incendiary revelation requires recusal by the Justice from January 6-related cases. Despite the overwhelming appearance of a conflict of interest, Justice Alito refused to recuse himself from cases surrounding the 2020 election and questions of the former President's legal immunity in the attack. Would a reasonable person question that Justice Alito's conduct exhibits and demonstrates reasonable concern for bias in these cases? Absolutely and without question. Finally, Justice Thomas, who is married to Virginia Thomas, a financially and personally involved operative in the stop the steal movement and Capitol attack, also joined opinions in these cases, even as clear evidence mounted that not only was his wife fully committed to overthrowing the results of a fair election, but she was actively lobbying members of the Trump administration attempting to do just that. The questions before the Court had unquestionable implications for Thomas' wife and consequently Thomas himself making his refusal to recuse one of the most shocking examples of conflict of interest in the Court's history. Crucially, it was both Justices Thomas and Alito who cast critical votes in the ruling. It now follows that because of Alito's and Thomas' refusals to recuse, everyday Americans cannot, should not, and will not believe that these Justices, and consequently the Court they serve, are working to uphold the Constitution and put the country ahead of their own individual self-interest. Americans will not believe that the Court interpreted the law independent of profit for themselves and their newly termed friends. Without action against these blatant violations, reasonable Americans have and will continue to lose faith in the Court itself. Reasonable Americans will and do believe that Justices Thomas and Alito are prone and subject to corruption, that the institution failing to punish them is broken, and that consequently their impeachment is a constitutional imperative and our congressional duty. The abuses of power committed by Justice Thomas and Justice Alito are precisely the types of corruption that the Framers understood was an existential threat to our democracy. Instances like these, and with conduct like that of Alito and Thomas, are precisely why the Framers gave us the tool of impeachment. Corruption without consequence infects all it touches. That is why this body, Congress, has a constitutional and moral obligation to hold these Justices accountable, to maintain the integrity of our courts, and to uphold the standards of our judiciary for the integrity our institutions. Lastly, we cannot ignore the most important, material consequences of this Court's unchecked corruption and its resulting influence, the suffering of the American people. We cannot ignore and pretend that this corruption is wholly unrelated to the millions of pregnant Americans now suffering and bleeding out in emergency rooms under the Court's unleashing of extreme abortion bans across the United States, which was a key political priority of the undisclosed benefactors and shadow organizations surrounding Alito's and Thomas' misconduct. Nor can we ignore the millions of Americans who now are suffering hours-long wait times in the hot sun, often without water, just to cast a ballot, also a direct result of this corrupt Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, allowing the closing of polling sites across the country. Mr. Speaker, neither of these Justices nor their shadowy benefactors have to answer to the parents of developmentally delayed children about their decision to gut the power of the EPA and the entire administrative state with it, but they do have to answer to us, the Congress, whom these people have elected and entrusted to protect them and to serve them and to defend the well-being of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I am here today presenting these Articles of Impeachment not because I am a Democrat and not because I am blind to its odds in a Republican-led Chamber. I present them because it is the right thing to do. While our Framers perhaps may not have envisioned someone like me in this seat, they absolutely did envision the necessity and value of the impeachment action which I seek to advance today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Rear Admiral and SUNY Maritime College President Michael A. Alfultis for his years of service and to celebrate his retirement. Presidential Alfultis has served for 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, eventually rising from captain to rear admiral. After retiring from service, Admiral Alfultis began teaching at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and then went on to become the director and chief administrative officer at the University of Connecticut. His consecutive years of academic and professional leadership culminated in his tenure as the 11th president of SUNY Maritime College. President Alfultis' leadership has transformed SUNY Maritime and shaped the future of the maritime workforce. His tenure has been marked by significant achievements, including a $100 million investment in institutional organizations such as the Institute for Community Resiliency and Climate Adaptation and the establishment of the Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy. I was proud to have supported the Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy with an $800,000 appropriation to support its curriculum development for New Yorkers. As his time as president of SUNY Maritime College ends later this month, I would like to thank President Alfultis personally and on behalf of our community for his years of service to our country, academic institutions, and the people of New York. We wish President Alfultis fair winds and following seas.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I know a man, a decent man, who said that preventing genocide is an achievable goal, a goal that requires a level of government organization and engagement that matches in its intensity the brutality and efficiency required to carry out mass killing. Too often, these efforts have come too late, after the best and least costly opportunities to prevent them have been missed. The man who said that was then-Vice President and now-President Joseph Biden, and he was right. Mr. Speaker, I rise to say that such a time is now. As we speak, in this moment, 1.1 million innocents in Gaza are at famine's door, a famine that is being intentionally precipitated through the blocking of food and global humanitarian assistance by leaders in the Israeli Government. This is a mass starvation of people, engineered and orchestrated, following the killing of another 30,000, 70 percent of whom were women and children. There is hardly a single hospital left. Much of this was accomplished with U.S. resources and weapons. If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes. It looks like the forced famine of 1.1 million innocents. It looks like thousands of children eating grass as their bodies consume themselves while trucks of food are slowed and halted just miles away. It looks like good and decent people who do nothing or do too little, too late. It is against United States law to provide weapons to forces who block United States humanitarian assistance. That is exactly what is happening right now, so much so that the President himself stated during the State of the Union that the United States must and will be building its own port to let aid through. It will be too late. The time is now to force compliance with U.S. law and the standards of humanity and fulfill our obligations to the American people to suspend the transfer of U.S. weapons to the Israeli Government in order to stop and prevent further atrocity. Honoring our alliances does not mean facilitating mass killing. We cannot hide from our responsibility any longer. Blocking assistance from one's closest allies to starve a million people is not unintentional. We have a responsibility to prove the value of global democracy, enshrined in the upholding of civil society, rule of law, and commitment to human and civil rights. This is not just about Israel or Gaza. This is about us. The world will never be the same and we will never be the same, and we must write our story in this moment of what it means and who we are as Americans. Our story must be not that we were good men who did nothing, but that we were a committed democracy that did something, and we must prove that now. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the life and legacy of beloved Queens community leader, Cecilia Gentili. Cecilia was a beacon of hope for so many communities in my district. She was only 26 when she fled Argentina to seek asylum in the United States. She arrived in New York City in 2003 and lived her truth as a trans woman. She was finally granted asylum in 2012, as well, and she devoted much of her life to uplifting our trans and undocumented community in Queens. Most recently, Cecilia shined in her artistic pursuits as an author, playwright, and actress. Cecilia was a leader in the fight for HIV/AIDS healthcare and founded a free healthcare clinic in New York City. At the State level, she championed the Gender Expression Non- Discrimination Act, GENDA, which was signed into law in 2019. Today, Cecilia would have also wanted to continue to uplift her advocacy against dangerous proposals like KOSA that would allow States to cut off access to lifesaving online resources for isolated trans youth, like healthcare information. Our community will continue to remember Cecilia as an unwavering leader in the fight for equality.

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed on October 7 and 136 remain hostage. In response, 27,478 Palestinians have been killed, 70 percent of whom are women and children, and most Gazans today cannot reach a fully functioning hospital. This is not war; this is slaughter. And yet, after all this destruction and devastation, the Netanyahu government is still nowhere close to their stated objective of destroying Hamas. Moreover, the United States has our own requirements outlawing the transfer of weapons to forces engaged in gross human rights violations. We have a responsibility to honor those laws, to facilitate a bilateral cease-fire, to move to end this campaign of mass casualty and loss of life that risk bringing the entire region closer to a wider, deadlier conflict. This bill contains $17 billion on top of the billions we already transfer every year with no conditions and no humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable. Everyday Americans should not tolerate this squandering of our resources without oversight on such an inhumane and ineffective operation, especially when we are living paycheck to paycheck, and they cannot see their Congress address their most basic material concerns.