Ilhan Omar

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished 16- year career of Minnesota Senator Patricia Torres Ray. Throughout her five terms of dedicated service to our community, Senator Torres Ray has always served her constituents with the kindness, compassion, and representation they deserve. Beyond her exceptional constituent service, she has had a transformative impact on the Minnesota legislature and the lives of Minnesotans alike. She came to the Senate in with keen values-driven policymaking experience that she has utilized to raise up the voices of those who are too often unheard. A shining example of this is her hard-fought victory to enshrine the Minnesota Homeowner's Bill of Rights, which she authored, into Minnesota law in 2013. Patricia has been--and always will be--a trailblazer. In 2006, she became the first Latina ever elected to the Minnesota Senate. Never shying away from leadership positions, she has been Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Parks and Trails Legacy Committee, New Immigration Policy Commission, People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, and was Majority Whip in her first term. Ever since she pushed through the door of the Minnesota legislature, she has been steadfast in her efforts to keep it open for future generations of leaders--especially other women of color who have been historically excluded from the representational opportunities afforded to others. I am one of those leaders. Her legacy is a testament to what is possible when someone like Patricia's diverse, bold leadership shatters glass ceilings. During her tenure, has encouraged countless women of color to embrace their power, their stories, and their voices to influence the political process as both advocates and as elected representatives. Her passion for increasing diverse representation has been continually recognized throughout her career; just last month she was a receipient of the CLUES 2022 Latino Trailblazer Leadership Award for her years of outstanding leadership, and her advocacy for access and opportunities for the Latino community. This recognition extends far beyond Minnesota, including as Chair of the Latinas Lead Initiative of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. I have been honored to call Senator Torres Ray an inspiration, colleague, and friend. I wish her the very best for her retirement and look forward to seeing her impact unfold for generations to come. The Minnesota legislature is a better place because of her efforts and I know her fellow colleagues will cherish their memories of serving with her, as do I. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and thanking Senator Patricia Torres Ray for her hard work as a Senator, and to wish her well for her well-deserved retirement.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a member of the International Parliamentary Inquiry into the global response to the crisis in Myanmar. Therefore, I include in the Record the executive summary of our final report. ``Time is Not on Our Side'': The Failed International Response to the Myanmar Coup (Executive Summary) Since the Myanmar military staged a coup on 1 February 2021, the situation in the country has steadily deteriorated. The military junta, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has waged a brutal war of attrition against its own people, committing countless atrocities and ruining the country's economy. Military forces have killed at least 2,371 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons in the country to over 1.3 million. The junta has also jailed more than 15,000 political prisoners and made routine use of torture against those arrested, all while launching a far-reaching crackdown on freedoms of expression and association, including an intense repression of independent media and civil society. Nevertheless, the people of Myanmar have resisted. The massive peaceful demonstrations in the coup's immediate aftermath, as well as the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) that saw hundreds of thousands join a general strike, including throughout the bureaucracy, demonstrated the population's overwhelming rejection of a return to military rule. The coup has also inspired an unprecedented level of unity among those opposed to the military, including across ethnic lines. In April 2021, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar was formed, bringing together parliamentarians ousted in the coup, ethnic minority representatives and civil society actors. The NUG rightly claims a mandate as the legitimate representative of the Myanmar people. It enjoys widespread popular legitimacy and support, especially in the country's heartland, and represents the most inclusive government in Myanmar's history. The NUG has expressed a commitment to establishing a new constitution and a genuine federal democracy in Myanmar, which would represent a major step toward fulfilling the aspirations for autonomy of the country's ethnic minorities. The junta's attempts to subdue the resistance with extreme violence failed dramatically, and only served to exacerbate existing tensions and drive some anti-junta activists to turn to armed struggle to defend themselves. Anti-military militia groups known as people's defense forces (PDFs)--some under the command of the NUG--have been established across the country, including in areas that had been relatively peaceful before. The coup has also triggered a new wave of violence between the military and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), which have been fighting for autonomy for decades in the country's borderlands. Some of these EAOs, such as the armed wings of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), have allied themselves with the NUG. Not all EAOs have formally joined the anti-military struggle, as Myanmar's political landscape remains extremely complex and fractured. The escalating violence has precipitated the near collapse of the economy and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Myanmar's GDP has dropped 13 percent since 2019, and 40 percent of the country's population now lives below the national poverty line. Despite the increased needs, humanitarian actors have struggled to reach vulnerable and remote populations, as the military has placed severe limitations on humanitarian access. The international community has proven largely unable to respond effectively to the crisis. The junta's international allies--most prominently Russia and China--have emerged as steadfast and uncritical supporters, supplying both weapons and legitimacy to an otherwise isolated regime. Foreign governments that profess support for democracy have not backed up their rhetoric with the same force of action, however. While a number of countries have imposed sanctions targeting junta leaders and their personal assets, these efforts remain uncoordinated and have failed to successfully target key revenue-generating entities, such as the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). The United Nations has been particularly hampered by internal divisions and has proved to be unable to project influence. The NUG has attracted supporters globally and continues to occupy Myanmar's seat at the UN, but most governments have been hesitant to formally recognize it, despite calls from parliaments and advocates to do so. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, has been similarly plagued by internal divisions and unable to respond effectively. The bloc's ``Five-Point Consensus,'' signed in April 2021 and aimed at addressing the crisis, has utterly failed, hampered by a lack of will on the part of all ASEAN member-states to enforce it, and a military leadership in Myanmar that did not show any intention of implementing it from the beginning. While some member-states, such as Malaysia, have called for a new approach, including direct engagement with the NUG and other pro-democracy forces, others, including Thailand or Cambodia, have persisted as junta enablers. As Myanmar slides into civil war, the possibility for a negotiated solution to the conflict has all but closed completely. The dialogue prescribed in ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus is impossible under the current conditions. Responsibility lies with the junta, which has shown no willingness to engage with those who oppose it and has instead relied exclusively on brute force in its attempt to stamp out any opposition. The execution of four political prisoners in July 2022, the country's first judicial execution since 1988, highlighted both the military's brutality and its complete disinterest in negotiations. The coup brought the previous power-sharing arrangement with the civilian leadership to an unceremonious end. Now the vast majority of the Myanmar people have expressed a clear desire not to return to the status quo ante. Nineteen months after the coup, the military junta has been unable to consolidate its power. Wide swaths of Myanmar's territory are contested between the military and forces associated with the NUG or EAOs, and it can be stated that the coup has failed. In areas along the Thai border, EAOs like the KNU and the Karenni National Progressive Patty (KNPP) are working together, providing basic services to the population, and showing what a future Myanmar, in which different groups cooperate rather than fight amongst themselves, could look like if the country is able to shake off the tyranny of the military. As Myanmar's future hangs in the balance, external pressure on the military and support for the resistance may well be the deciding factor in the course of the conflict. The international community can, and should, do more to help the Myanmar people to send the military to the barracks and establish a federal democracy. It should start with substantially increasing its efforts to address the worsening humanitarian crisis, intensifying its pressure on the illegal junta through coordinated sanctions and arms embargoes, and recognizing the NUG as the legitimate authority in Myanmar. The NUG, as well as aligned EAOs, should be provided with funding and capacity building programs on governance and federalism. But action should be taken urgently. As Khin Ohmar, Myanmar activist and Chair of Progressive Voice said during one of the IPI oral hearings, ``time is not our side''.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the situation in Burma. It has been my honor this year to be a member of the International Parliamentary Inquiry on Myanmar. Our group of lawmakers representing Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America released our final report earlier this month, which I will submit as an extension of my remarks. The tragedy of the Burmese military coup is immense, but the resilience of the Burmese people and their movement for democracy is deeply inspiring. The United States must recognize the National Unity Government as the legitimate government of Burma and never give legitimacy to the coup leaders. But we should also be clear that the National Unity Government must include Rohingya representation to be legitimate. The international community has not done nearly enough to support the democratic aspirations of the Burmese people. We must lead by example while we still have time.

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I want to start out by thanking my community for reelecting me to serve Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District. Our State continues to have the highest voter turnout in the Nation. It is one of the easiest States to vote in and should be a model for States across the country. In my district, we increased our voter share by 10 percentage points from 2020, and we got more votes than any other House candidate in Minnesota. Beyond that, Minnesotans voted to flip the Minnesota Senate, creating a Democratic trifecta for the first time in nearly a decade. We also voted for incredible new leaders throughout our State that have many firsts behind their names. Bobby Joe Champion will be the first Black president of the Minnesota Senate. Zaynab Mohamed will be the first African-born Somali woman and Gen Z member to be elected to the Minnesota Senate. Along with Zaynab, Clare Oumou Verbeten and Erin Maye Quade will be among the first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate. Samantha Sencer-Mura will be the first Japanese-American member of the Minnesota House. Leigh Finke will be the first trans member of the Minnesota House. Mary Moriarty will be the first openly gay woman elected to be the Hennepin County attorney. Representation matters. We know none of these candidates ran to be the ``first.'' They ran to make a difference for their communities. When I was first elected to the Minnesota House, I was the first and only Somali-American legislator. Now there will be 11 Somali-American legislators across the country. It is often said, you can't be what you can't see. I am incredibly proud that we, along with so many others, have been able to inspire countless people to run for office. So now many more people will finally see themselves reflected in various places and positions of power. I also want to take a moment to honor two of my mentors, Representative Jim Davnie and Senator Patricia Torres Ray, who are retiring from the Minnesota State House and Senate. I thank them for representing our communities so well over the years. I can't wait to see the work they continue to do to make sure our State thrives. As we get ready to welcome in new leaders throughout our State, this is our time to deliver meaningful changes for Minnesotans. Now is the time to deliver affordable childcare, lower healthcare costs, invest in K-12 and higher education, combat the climate crisis, and legalize marijuana. Minnesota nice is leading with compassion and getting things done. Let's get to work. International Parliamentary Inquiry on Myanmar

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Minnesota State Representative Connie Bernardy for her hard work, accomplishments, and service as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Within her eight terms at the legislature, Rep. Bernardy has been a champion for her constituents and especially on the issues of Higher Education and Transportation. I had the great pleasure in serving alongside Representative Bernardy in 2017 and 2018. Rep. Bernardy was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2000. She served until 2006 when she decided to switch roles and work for Education Minnesota as a government-relations specialist. She later returned to the House when she was reelected in 2012. Within her District 41A, she currently represents neighborhoods in Fridley, New Brighton, and Spring Lake Park. Rep. Bernardy is the current Chair of the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee, where she made significant progress on making higher education more affordable for students in Minnesota. During her fight for students, she has been a strong advocate on hunger free campuses, improving access through tuition and textbook affordability, dedicated funding for higher ed students of color training to become teachers. As a transportation leader, Rep. Bernardy has pushed for long-term sustainable multi-modal transportation funding. Focused on ensuring safe access to active transportation for Minnesotans who walk, bike, or have a disability. Having grown-up in the area, Rep. Bernardy truly knows her community and has fought for well-deserved changes. Key legislation that I want to recognize is her work on the Springbrook Wetland Restoration Project, the first urban wetland restoration of its kind in the nation; securing funding to establish the upcoming bus rapid transit F-Line; replacing the Railroad Bridge in New Brighton; enacting an Aquatic Invasive Species Emergency Response Plan for Long Lake; and spearheading the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Citizen Advisory Committee. Although her time in the legislature is coming to an end, the work put towards her community and its legacy will never end. Representative Bernardy will truly be missed in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Phoua Thao Hang. She leaves behind a large and loving family in Minnesota, and a legacy that will continue to inspire our community for years to come. Phoua was born in 1952 in Sa Luong, Laos. She grounded her life in service to community, sharing cultural wisdom with younger generations of Hmong Minnesotans who did not get to experience the same life she did--being carried on her father's back from village to village, planting rice seedlings, and gathering water for her family before the sun rose. Phoua's family noted that over the course of her life, she worked as ``an assembly operator, a waitress, a certified seamstress, a wreath- maker, and a farmer.'' Phoua became a distinguished member of the Twin Cities' Hmong community and contributed to countless efforts to build political, social, and economic capital. She was known as a mainstay of the St. Paul Farmers Market, where she sold her family's fruits and vegetables for two decades. She was a founding member of the Hmong American Farmers Association where she ``led the charge to lease a 155- acre farm, helped launch a marketing cooperative and food hub, spearheaded a micro-lending program, and tested key modules in a national training program,'' as remarked by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Phoua instilled in her children and grandchildren that sense of service, and our community will continue to be blessed by their thoughtful and impactful contributions in government, non-profits, and business. Phoua was killed senselessly on July 17, 2022, in a hit-and- run accident that has forever changed countless lives. I hold Phoua, her family, and our community in my heart as we honor her incredible legacy.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Forgotten Star Brewing Company for winning multiple awards at the 2022 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Forgotten Star received two gold medals and two silver medals and was recognized as one of America's Top Ten Breweries earlier this month. Every year, hundreds of breweries around the country compete across 150 categories of beer. A panel of experts judge these submissions and names the country's best beers. Forgotten Star won gold medals for their Bonspiel Bock and Nut N' Honey Nut Ale, and they won silver medals for their Schwarzbier and Northstar Cream Ale. By winning these medals, they were also selected as one of the ten best breweries nationwide. Forgotten Star Brewing Company was founded in November 2019 by Matt Asay and Andy Risvold, and Mr. Asay serves as Head Brewer. The brewery is located in the historic Northern Pump Company factory, which produced Navy ship guns during World War II. That company was one of only eight nationwide that received superior recognition from the U.S. federal government for ``Excellence in Production.'' Forgotten Star is proud to carry on their legacy of excellence. Although I do not drink myself, I have deep appreciation for Forgotten Star's craft and artistry. My constituents tell me these awards are well-deserved, and I join them in celebrating Forgotten Star's success at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Honoring our PACT Act. I thank Chairman Takano for yielding and for his incredible leadership on this bill. We ask young men and women to serve our country in uniform. We should not also be asking them to be exposing their bodies to toxins and to live with the consequences of those toxins for the rest of their lives. Whether it is Agent Orange in Vietnam or burn pits or other toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan, this has been part of our military's history. This bill helps us correct the historic injustices for veterans and communities like the ones in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I am proud today that we will pass the most comprehensive legislation in decades to address the severe health problems that so many of our veterans are facing and to make it easier for them to get the relief and the care they need. Mr. Speaker, thousands of my constituents will benefit from what we are doing here today, and it is my great honor to support this bill.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on this legislation and for working tirelessly to negotiate a solution. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Keep Kids Fed Act. As food costs continue to soar, this critical legislation is a lifeline for millions of American families struggling to make ends meet. In my home State of Minnesota, one in nine children are food insecure. This bipartisan legislation builds on my bill, the MEALS Act, to ensure children continue to receive school meals this summer. I am proud to have been part of this fight. While I wish this agreement could have provided a permanent solution, this is a vital step to prevent millions of children from going hungry throughout the next few months. In the meantime, I will continue to fight for the passage of my bill, the Universal School Meals Program Act, to ensure that no child in the richest country in the world goes hungry.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, we are on the brink of a hunger crisis, both here in the United States and around the globe. Right now, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, are food insecure in the United States. Food prices are expected to rise up to 7.5 percent this year, stretching already tight family budgets. In my home State of Minnesota, dozens of hunger relief organizations are warning of the hungriest summer on record if the State doesn't convene a special session to combat hunger. At the beginning of the pandemic, I passed the MEALS Act to let districts provide universal meals in the hope of preventing a massive hunger crisis. It worked. Over 30 million kids are now estimated to receive school meals. In August 2020, when the waivers were on the verge of expiring, Representative Pingree and I joined 119 of our colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture urging him to extend the school meal waivers. Throughout the pandemic, I sent three letters and worked tirelessly to ensure every child can eat. Though we were able to secure these critical waiver extensions, the uncertainty cost millions of families and school administrators to panic and stress. Now, we find ourselves in a familiar place where at the end of this month--in just 15 days--millions of children are again at risk of going hungry as the school meal waivers are set to expire. Let me be clear: We cannot let these lifesaving waivers lapse as the pandemic rages on. I am working with the Education and Labor Committee and leadership to ensure that our children are continuing to be fed. But we can't stop there. We need permanent solutions. As a former community nutrition educator, childhood hunger is an issue I know all too well. That is why one of the first bills I introduced after I was sworn in was the Universal School Meals Program Act with Senators Sanders and Gillibrand. My bill would provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student and eliminate school meal debt. No child in the wealthiest country in the world should experience food insecurity. We here in the United States must lead to end child hunger here at home and we must continue to lead to stop this global hunger crisis. Every night up to 811 million people around the globe go to bed hungry. Of the 811 million, 276 million people are facing acute food insecurity and about 50 million people are facing what the U.N. World Food Programme describes as ``emergency levels of hunger.'' While the United States has provided $2.6 billion to help other countries with food shortages, we need other countries to step up and do their part. With 49 million people around the world on the verge of famine, we need to rally all leaders to increase the supply of food and fertilizers; support basic safety nets for those without food; and fund humanitarian operations to reduce famine and hunger. We have to remember what got us to this point: Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine has disrupted exports from two of the world's biggest wheat producers making wheat unaffordable and unattainable for millions. Right now, India, Argentina, Australia, and Canada collectively have the power to make up for most of the wheat lost due to the war or the restrictions that are being created by some other countries. That is why we need countries around the world to step up and do their part to combat the wheat shortage, which is especially being felt in the Horn of Africa. The U.N. has warned about the imminent ``explosion of child deaths'' due to food insecurity and malnutrition in the Horn of Africa. In Somalia, 29 percent of children are experiencing acute malnutrition. About 7 million livestock in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have died since last fall due to widespread drought. This food crisis in the Horn of Africa and all parts of the globe will only get worse unless we take steps to stop this catastrophe from taking hold. We have to act to address the nexus of inflation, war, and climate change. Now is the time to act. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), who also chairs the Caucus on Hunger.

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his remarks. The chairman is right that when we invest in our children, who are assets to our future, it pays dividends. It is important that we recognize that it shouldn't be a partisan issue to want to feed the bellies of our children before we try to feed their brains. We know from study after study that kids do better in school when they are fed. When they have adequate nutrition, they show up to school much more ready to learn, and their behavior in itself is much different. Example after example, we found, as we looked into this, schoolwide free meals improve math performance in districts where relatively few students qualify under the income-based programs Brookings found. A study found that students in schools with universal school meals fare better on tests than their peers without these meals. That is according to Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The nutrition quality of school meals has improved. Students with universal school meal programs are being offered more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. That means that they are getting the nutrients that will help with their development. New York City, where there have been universal school meals, a study found that regardless of poverty status, the universal school meals program improved students' perception of bullying, fighting, and safety at their schools. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bowman).

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Pressley for her remarks. Madam Speaker, I want for us to zoom out a little bit when we think about the kind of poverty that exists in our country. There are 37.2 million Americans who live in poverty. As I have stated earlier, we have 38 million people, including 12 million children, who are food insecure. One in 25 households in the U.S. experience very low food security, where families regularly skip meals because they can't afford more food. One in 15 U.S. seniors faces hunger. That is 5.2 million seniors who are food insecure. Madam Speaker, 2.1 million households living in rural communities face hunger. Americans living in rural communities face hunger at higher rates than those in urban areas, and BIPOC communities are especially hard-hit by hunger. Rural communities make up to 63 percent of the counties in the U.S. and 91 percent of counties with the highest rates of overall food insecurity. In 2019, SNAP and school meals lifted 3.2 million people out of poverty. If we just look at Minnesota alone, 432,000 people are facing hunger, and of them, 147,000 are children. That is 1 in 13 people and 1 in 9 children who face hunger in Minnesota. In April 2022, Minnesotans made 463,000 visits to their food shelves. That is a 70 percent increase compared to April 2021. Since January 2022, food shelf visits statewide have increased by 39 percent. Madam Speaker, 2021 was the first year since 2014 that Minnesota didn't see an annual increase in food shelf visits. The reason for that, Madam Speaker, is because of the pandemic relief programs. We heard from so many people from across Minnesota and across the country, and I would just like to share some of their stories on how some of these pandemic relief programs have helped them. Eric from Willmar, Minnesota, recently shared how he struggles to provide for himself and his siblings. Right before the pandemic, his mother passed away, and he became the legal guardian of his younger siblings. Concerned about providing enough food to eat, he was grateful for the meals his siblings could get at school because of the MEALS Act. Amber, a mother from Duluth, Minnesota, shared how putting four kids through school has been a financial struggle. Both she and her husband work, making just above the threshold to qualify for the traditional free lunches. When my bill was passed out of the House, the MEALS Act allowed schools to provide school meals to all students, including Amber's four children, and she called it ``godsent and a blessing.'' Yesterday, we got an email from a school food service director for a group of 16 school districts in upstate central New York. She wrote: ``It has been an incredibly difficult few years for school food service with supply chain issues, rising costs of food, virtue, hybrid schedules, different serving models, labor shortages . . . but it has been a joy and privilege to see the direct impact of serving breakfast and lunch for free to all students. ``Our program has grown from serving about 1,500 breakfasts and 5,600 lunches prepandemic to 3,500 breakfasts and 7,500 lunches per day this school year. The stigma of free meals is gone since we are serving all students on a truly even playing field.'' She went on to say: ``The end of the child nutrition waivers, most significantly the one that allows free meals for all students, will be a crushing blow to our program, our students, and our communities.'' ``Families have come to appreciate and rely on the free meals,'' she says. ``We anticipate spending the next year having to have hard conversations with upset parents who are struggling to pay their account balances. ``The argument that students who really need it can apply for free and reduced meals just doesn't cut it. There is a huge gap between the income guidelines and truly being able to cover all of life's expenses, including school meals. ``Our school nutrition program, students, and community thrived with universal free meals. Without them, the future looks dim.'' That is why we are urgently asking Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to not allow for these waivers to lapse. It is detrimental for us not to act and do the right thing. We also heard from a registered dietitian and the food service director for a small rural school district. She wrote: ``Our enrollment pre-K-12 is only 660 students, but well over half of them live in food- insecure homes. Prior to the waivers, in February of 2020, only 20 percent of our youngest students in pre-K-6 ate breakfast with us. ``They would come in from the buses separate from their peers, singled out as `free breakfast kids' while the others waited to start their day. . . . The last 2\1/2\ years has seen a sea change for our tiny school district. ``Due to free meals for all, we are able to transition our students starting in September 2020 to a Breakfast in the Classroom Program. Every day, they have a choice of the hot, nutritious meal of the day or cereal, both options served with fruit and ice-cold milk. ``Students take menus home at the beginning of the month, decide on which days they would like what meals. Teachers work collaboratively with the food service department to preorder breakfast daily. . . . Our breakfast participation has skyrocketed from 20 percent in February 2020 to 85 percent as of Friday of last week. Our numbers continue to grow. And even better? Eating breakfast together as a school community has become part of the woven fabric of our little district. . . . What will September look like without these waivers?'' she asks. ``It will be heartbreaking. . . . With the inflation we have seen reflected in grocery store prices, some of these students may well come to school with empty bellies. We will lose the sense of community, solidarity, and unity we have built over these past 2\1/2\ years. The stigma of `needing help' will be stamped upon the kids who are lucky enough to qualify while many others slip through the cracks, unlucky to have adults in their households who make enough to disqualify them from receiving benefits but poor enough to struggle as they balance $5 per gallon gasoline, food, and increased rent. ``We are literally begging all of you in Congress to please help us keep our kids fed. So many of them depend upon us. As we know, it is so hard to learn on an empty stomach.'' I will end with where I started. This is a crisis. As I have always said, as someone who has lived in a war-engulfed country, who has lived in a refugee camp, who has experienced what severe hunger can look like for a child who doesn't have access to food, it is baffling to me that we see some of these stories coming out of communities here in the United States, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. If we truly care about our children, and if we truly care about building a future generation that is ready to lead in our country, we have to care about getting them educated and ready. You cannot feed the brains of children if their bellies are not fed. We must act, and we must act now. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, it has been 23 years since Columbine. It has been 15 years since Virginia Tech, 10 years since Sandy Hook, 4 years since Parkland. We have offered prayer and thoughts for years with no real action. It has been 15 days since the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children were massacred. One of the students, a 10-year-old girl, survived because she covered herself in the blood of her dead classmate. We have trained kids to hide under their tables. We have trained teachers to barricade their doors. We have trained schools to lock down their campuses. Now, are we going to train kids to cover themselves with their friend's blood in order to survive? When are we going to understand the common denominator here is not just criminals but making it easy for criminals to access deadly weapons? Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada all dealt with mass shootings, but there was a national outcry, and they put in place restrictions to stop mass carnage from happening again. We don't have mental health issues more than any other country. What we do have here are politicians who lack the moral courage to stand up to the NRA. We have a society that is not willing to stand up to protect its citizens, especially its most vulnerable, which is our beautiful children. We have to be better than that. We also must remember, Madam Speaker, it is not just mass shootings. It is white supremacists in Buffalo who massacre elders. It is gangs who carnage our neighborhoods, who allow for a 3-year-old in my district to get mowed down by gunfire. The problem is guns. The problem is our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We have to have the courage to stand up to them and to stand up for our country. Protecting Individual Freedoms

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, Roe v. Wade is fundamentally about privacy. Fifty, 60, 70 years ago, in order for women to access abortion care, they had to go to back-alley clinics and use wire hangers. In 1973, it was decided that women have a right to make their own decisions about their bodies. We have to be a country that refuses to go back. We have to be a country that refuses to have women in my generation and the generation before enjoy more freedoms than my daughter's generation and the next. Republicans will say they are the party of freedom and liberty, but they are the party that doesn't believe in liberty and freedom for women. Democrats are the party that is protecting your freedom and expanding liberty, which is why we introduced and passed the Women's Health Protection Act because codifying Roe v. Wade into law is essentially about protecting the freedoms for individuals to make their own private decisions about their healthcare. If you stand for freedom, if you stand for liberty, join us and reject an extremist, fascist, misogynistic, backward party that wants to take us back to the stone age where men dictated what women do with their bodies. Help us exist in a country where our values of uplifting and advancing the rights of individuals still stand. Rampant Food Insecurity

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, one in six children in the United States doesn't have enough food to eat. It is unconscionable that we allow 16 percent of our children here in this country to go hungry. Right now, Mitch McConnell and Republicans are blocking funding to continue the school waivers that allow for children to continue to eat in schools. Our inability to get these waivers and feed millions of children who are food insecure is inexcusable. Globally, there are 276 million people facing food insecurity around the world, with countries in the Horn of Africa teetering on the edge of famine. We have an opportunity to get people on board and rally around those who are in need and starving.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Owamni, its visionary founder Sean Sherman, the Sioux Chef, and co-owner Dana Thompson. Through years of extensive studies and direct engagement with Tribal communities, Mr. Sherman and Ms. Thompson have become two of the nation's foremost Indigenous food scholars. Their tireless drive to learn and share our region's culinary history has breathed new life into indigenous cooking--a history that had been stolen through generations of oppression and forced assimilation. Their unparalleled scholarship and advocacy in the food sovereignty movement has led their inaugural restaurant, Owamni, to be nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. I am so proud to represent Owamni--and the mission it represents--in Congress. Owamni's decolonized dining experience is more than just spectacular food--it is a reclaiming of who and what Minnesota was for thousands of years before it was given this Anglicized name. It is a deeply thoughtful remembrance of Mni Sota down to the name Owamni, which derives from the Dakota name for the swirling waters at the base of what European settlers named St. Anthony Falls. Owamni is a celebration of what is native to this home: the plants, the animals, and culture that is our beloved State in the deepest sense. As we reexamine the story settlers have told about Minnesota, Owamni serves as an example of what we gain by telling the truth about this land and its people, both past and present. I am grateful that the James Beard Foundation has named Owamni one of the country's Best New Restaurants, and I look forward to the continued success of Mr. Sherman, Ms. Thompson, and Owamni.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a special young man, a brilliant one, so brilliant that he started attending college at the age of 9 and is one of the youngest college graduates in American history, and the youngest in the state of Minnesota to earn a bachelor's degree. Elliott Tanner is the name of this brilliant young man who, at the age of 13, recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and minor in mathmatics from the University of Minnesota. Later this fall, Elliott will be pursuing his Doctorate at the University of Minnesota's PhD program for physics where he is on path to becoming their youngest PhD candidate ever. Elliott one day hopes to teach at his alma mater but before that, he has the ambitions of becoming a high energy theoretical physicist with a main interest in neutrino physics or subatomic particles with no electric charge. It is with great pleasure that I get to recognize Elliott for his achievement at such a young age. I would also like to recognize his mother and father, Michelle and Patrik Tanner for their hard work and sacrifices. I congratulate Elliott on graduating. I wish him the best of luck during his PhD program and look forward to the difference he will make in this world.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I join my colleagues in thanking her for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to speak against the cruel and unconstitutional leaked Supreme Court decision overturning settled law of the land, Roe v. Wade. To be clear, controlling decisions about our bodies is a basic human right. The government has no right to regulate what we can do with our bodies. Overturning Roe v. Wade is about control. It is about religious supremacy. It is about harming women. It would fly in the face of decades of precedent and the overwhelming majority of public opinion if this decision is to hold. We know this decision will fall hardest on the most vulnerable in this country: women who have been abused, women who are the victims of incest, and those who have been raped. But its consequences will be even more far-reaching than we can imagine. This will be a blow to everyone who believes in the 14th Amendment, to anyone who believes there is a limit to how much the government can control the decisions we make in our private lives. We will be leaving our children and the next generation in a world with less freedom than we have enjoyed ourselves. It is shocking to me that all of this is being championed by and is coming from a party that believes in small government, a party that talks about freedom, liberty. This is the party now that wants to do everything that they can to tell women what decisions they can make about their reproductive rights. They want somebody like Senator Ted Cruz regulating your uterus. They want Senator Chuck Grassley having authority over your body. We have to say no. We have to stand up, and we have to fight back. If you care about women's rights, you should be outraged by this decision. If you care about a woman's right to choose, you should be outraged. If you care about women having access to healthcare, you should be outraged by this decision. If you care about economic justice, you should be outraged by this decision. If you care about our basic freedoms, you should be outraged by this decision. It is heartbreaking to hear some of the stories shared by my colleagues, to hear about some of the stories shared by my constituents. But it will be even more heartbreaking to hear about the stories that will be shared if we do not protect a woman's right to choose. I think about many countries that I visited where women are locked up, serving 20 years in jail for having an abortion, where we hear about stories of women who die in back alleys because their families forced them to have that baby. We hear about the stories where rape victims are forced to carry their babies to full term. This is shocking, and it is shocking because those stories are about to become the stories of young women in the United States of America, a country that is supposed to be a symbol of freedom, a country that believes and exports what it means for women to be celebrated as an equal, a country that talks about how glorious its Constitution is in guaranteeing the rights of its citizens. Now, this is about to become a country where women are crying out in pain because their freedoms are being impeded by Republicans, who only say they believe in freedom but do not want to guarantee freedoms to women in this country. As an immigrant, I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be a woman living in this country. I am proud to be a mother of four children and to have given birth to three of them. I am proud to have been given the ability to make choices for myself that I might not have been allowed in the country that I was born in. But it pains me today to know that those who believe in religious superiority, those who don't believe in the fundamental rights for people to choose as they please in this country, might have the last laugh, and we might not be able to do anything about it. Not only do we have a narrow window of enshrining and codifying Roe v. Wade into law, but we also have only a couple of more months to make sure that this body and the Senate are not lost to religious extremists and that our country will be in their hands as they govern us to the gutter.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are facing a cruel and inhumane war of aggression from a tyrant, Vladimir Putin. I also stand in solidarity with my Ukrainian-American constituents whose friends and families are in harm's way. We must address this war with courage, foresight, and humility. I am appalled by the extraordinary cruelty of Putin's war. I am also moved by the courage of the Ukrainians and also by the courage of the antiwar protesters in Russia, risking 15 years in prison for speaking out against Putin's aggression. We must stand unified with the Ukrainian people. But even as we stand with the Ukrainian people, we must avoid the knee-jerk calls to make this conflict even worse. One thing we should have learned throughout our history is that policy decisions we make simply based on fear or rage rarely end well. Increasingly, we are hearing voices calling for the United States and NATO to enter into war with Russia. For the most part, they are not saying this directly. They are using euphemisms like no-fly zone. A no-fly zone is not simply declared. It must be militarily enforced. As the President said, a no-fly zone would mean the United States entering the war. It would mean the beginning of World War III. We must reject this completely. The stakes are incredibly high. There has never been, on this Earth, a war between two or more nuclear powers. There is a reason for this. Even in the madness of the Cold War, leaders around the world understood that nuclear war would mean the annihilation of humanity. There are voices now that are shockingly casual about the risk of nuclear war. I am asking the American people to not believe them. Do not believe them when they tell you that it is going to be limited. Do not believe them when they tell you nuclear winter isn't real, or it isn't that bad. They don't know that. They can't know that. Aside from the very real risk of nuclear escalation, we have placed the strictest sanctions in history on Russia with no clear off-ramps or criteria for lifting them. What is clear is that broad-based sanctions will be devastating for civilians. What is less clear is that Putin or his inner circle will be hurt or deterred by them. As Secretary Albright told me in a committee in 2019: ``We have learned that comprehensive sanctions . . . hurt the people.'' Collective punishment is a moral evil, especially when it is authorized with no end in sight. The embargo in Cuba has been in place for over 60 years. It has caused incredible human suffering. It has not produced its intended outcome. Maximum pressure sanctions on Iran and Venezuela have made it hard for people living in those countries to buy food and medicine, but it has done nothing to weaken their governments. We also know that there are a number of countries who depend on Russia and Ukraine for their food supplies. Russia and Ukraine produce one-third of the world's wheat. Already, there are reports their countries are refusing to export their own food supplies for fear of a shrinking supply. There is a very real chance that this war and our sanctions could lead to famine in places like Sudan, which imports half of its wheat from Russia. The Russian people did not choose this war, and the Sudanese people certainly did not. Our policies should not punish them. I don't support broad-based sanctions on any country, adversary, or ally. They are economic warfare, and we should all oppose them like we oppose military actions. Madam Speaker, this war was sparked by greed, imperialism, and dehumanization. We must lead with humanity. Let us stand with not just the people of Ukraine who are giving their lives fighting off a cruel war of conquest, but also the brave Russian dissidents who are risking their own lives to stand up to Putin. Let's stand for a world where the rule of law is respected, human rights abusers face justice, and we see each other first and foremost as fellow humans. Madam Speaker, I pray for wisdom. I pray for justice. Above all, I pray for peace.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 42+ year career of Hennepin County Civil Servant Jeffrey Strand. Public service is a noble and tireless pursuit aimed at improving the lives of your neighbors and community. Jeff is a testament to that pursuit. Jeff is retiring after 42+ years of dedicated service to our shared constituents of Hennepin County. His admirable public service will leave a legacy of vast knowledge, leadership, and kindness for the County's employees and constituents alike. We can only hope that our local, county, state, and federal governments fill their ranks with such dedicated servants like Jeff. Jeff should be proud of the service he has provided to Hennepin County and I wish him the very best for the next phase of his life. Hennepin County is a better place because of his efforts and I know his fellow Hennepin County colleagues will cherish the memories of serving with him. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and thanking Jeffrey Strand for his hard work on behalf of Hennepin County, and to wish him well for his well-deserved retirement.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary work of U.S. Air Force Captain Saleha Jabeen. Captain Jabeen is the only woman Imam in the United States Air Force, and she has been working diligently as a cultural advisor and chaplain as part of Operation Allies Welcome at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Brigadier General Dan Gabrielli of the Minnesota National Guard has been the commanding officer at Holloman since August of last year, and I had the enormous privilege of being briefed by General Gabrielli, his leadership team, and Captain Jabeen on the incredible effort they've been engaged in to ensure that we live up to our promise to the Afghan refugees under their care. Madam Speaker, Captain Jabeen represents the very best of the generous spirit of the American people. Her infectious charisma, boundless energy, deep cultural understanding, and tireless dedication to helping Afghan refugees acclimate to their new home have made her indispensable to Operation Allies Welcome. We are all fortunate to have had her in this position, ensuring that we have lived up to our cherished values of hospitality and providing safe haven to those in need. As a refugee myself, I am intensely aware of the importance of creating a sense of community during the disorienting process of resettlement. Captain Jabeen has been essential in creating that sense of community at Holloman. I want to express my deep admiration and profound gratitude for her dedication to public service, for the support she has given to the Guardsmen and women from my district who have also been dedicating themselves to this crucial mission, and, most importantly, for the many lives she has changed permanently for the better.