Nancy Pelosi

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his leadership in so many ways in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Malinowski and Mr. Raskin for bringing this important resolution to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I come to this floor prayerfully. It is really very sad. It was interesting to me--and I spoke out about this--that on Sunday in Catholic Masses, and I don't know beyond that, that the gospel of the day was the gospel of the Good Samaritan. A person asked Jesus, ``What do I have to do to enter the kingdom of Heaven?'' And Christ replied, ``Love thy neighbor as thyself. Show mercy.'' That very same day he went on to talk and then he said, ``Well, how do I do this?'' And Jesus gave him the example of the Good Samaritan. Everyone is familiar with how a stranger helped another stranger, a foreigner helped another foreigner, the Good Samaritan. Love thy neighbor as thyself, show mercy. On that very same day, coincidentally, ironically, sadly, whatever adverb you want to use, the President was instituting raids into the homes of families. I went to Spanish mass this weekend and saw the dignity of those families, the beauty of the children, and the fear that the President had struck in their hearts, as we were listening to the Gospel of the Good Samaritan to show mercy and love thy neighbor as thyself. That very same day, unfortunately, there were those who were not informed by that Gospel. So here we are later in that day, it was stunning to hear the words that were used, go home, to some of our colleagues, the same words that were used to so many people in our country whether because they weren't born here or because they didn't look like some others here: Go home. As annoyed and as insulted as we all should be about the President saying that about our colleagues, it is also not showing mercy for him to say that about so many people in our country, as he wants to split up families. So, Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Malinowski and Mr. Raskin for the opportunity to speak to the statements that the President made later in the day of the Gospel of the Good Samaritan: Mr. Malinowski, who was born abroad; Mr. Raskin for his firm leadership in advancing this important resolution. The House hopefully has come together standing as one to denounce the White House's xenophobic attacks on our Members, on our people, and to defend the values of America. And what is America? America is many things: the land of a great Constitution, which is under threat; a beautiful land that God has given us, which is being degraded; values that we share that are being undermined. But America is also a Nation largely, but not totally, largely of immigrants. As this resolution so beautifully states, `` . . . the Founders conceived America as a haven for refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution, and Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison all emphasized that the Nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and livelihood for their families.'' The resolution quotes our most iconic Presidents, who all recognized that immigrants are the constant reinvigoration of America, of hope, determination, optimism, and courage to make the future better. Those are American values. Those are American traits: hope, optimism, courage. Many of these immigrants, when they come here with those values and those traits, make America more American. Franklin Roosevelt said: ``Remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants.'' President John F. Kennedy wrote that: ``The contribution of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life.'' President Ronald Reagan so beautifully in his last speech as President of the United States, which is quoted in this resolution, said: ``If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.'' Yet, the President's comments about our colleagues this weekend showed that he does not share those American values. These comments from the White House are disgraceful and disgusting, and the comments are racist. How shameful to hear him continue to defend those offensive words, words that we have all heard him repeat not only about our Members, but about countless others. Our caucus will continue to forcefully respond to those attacks on our Members, which reflect a fundamental disrespect for the beautiful diversity of America. There is no place anywhere for the President's words, which are not only divisive, but dangerous, and have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color. It is so sad, because you would think that there would be a given that we would universally in this body just say, of course. And there is no excuse for any response to those words but a swift and strong, unified condemnation. Every single Member of this institution, Democratic and Republican, should join us in condemning the President's racist tweets. To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office.

Ms. PELOSI. To protect the American people, I urge a unanimous vote.

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I cleared my remarks with the Parliamentarian before I read them. Point of Order

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his kind remarks and for his tremendous leadership. From the first minutes of the assault on our country, Chairman Nadler was there to meet the needs of our country as we protected, but also to meet the needs of those who rushed in to save lives. I want to also salute Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who has worn a firefighters jacket through the heat of the summer now, but all spring, until this bill was brought up on the floor. I thank the gentlewoman for not only wearing the jacket, but for her relentless, persistent advocacy on behalf of our 9/11 heroes. I am so proud that this time this bill is bipartisan, and I thank the distinguished gentleman, Mr. King from New York, for his leadership, for his recognition of the bipartisan nature of what we are doing, what we did then and what we are doing now. I thank the gentleman, Mr. King, for his leadership as well. H.R. 1327 is the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act--a big name, a tall order, and long overdue. When we talk about 9/11, we tread on sacred ground. On that dark day, our Nation suffered loss we could never have imagined, and we witnessed heroism that we will never forget. Because of our heroes, 9/11 is etched in our Nation's history not only as a day of profound loss and tragedy but also a day of powerful unity and resilience. On September 11 and in its aftermath, our brave first responders were there for us. We must always be there for them. The Never Forget the Heroes Act takes long-overdue action to provide the financial security and support that 9/11 heroes, survivors, and families deserve. Today, we are honored to take this action to ensure that all people suffering from illnesses related to 9/11 or by the debris removal and cleanup efforts in their aftermath and their families get the full awards they have been promised. It is critically important that we restore the compensation to those hit by drastic, unfair cuts and ensure that their claims will be fully paid in the future. One of the reasons that we have to have this additional legislation is because there are so many more diagnoses of cancer and the rest that followed. This bill honors the heroes after which it is named, James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez. Those heroes showed courage beyond measure not only by running toward danger that day but by giving their last days to fight for all harmed on 9/11. We are blessed by the presence of members of their families and other advocates, including first responders suffering from 9/11-related illnesses, here in the Capitol today. They have done the outside organizing as we did the inside maneuvering. They have made the complete difference. I thank Jon Stewart for raising the profile of this issue so that when we pass the bill here today, it will be received positively by the United States Senate. Two weeks ago, as we all know, America lost Luis Alvarez, an NYPD detective and advocate who died from 9/11-related cancer. It was a holy moment for us when he testified before Congress last month before he was scheduled to receive his 69th round of chemotherapy. He said then to Congress: ``You all said you would never forget. Well, I'm here to make sure that you don't.'' With this bill, we honor the sacrifice of Luis and many other heroes and say: We will never forget. Madam Speaker, I urge a strong, overwhelming, bipartisan vote for this bill for our responders, survivors, and their families and do so with eternal gratitude to them for what they have done. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding and commend her for her extraordinary leadership in having a purpose and a mission to our national security. Her leadership on having an authorization for the use of military force has been unsurpassed in the Congress, and I thank her. I know she will have amendments to that effect this legislation, as well. Mr. Chair, I want to salute so many members of the Armed Services Committee, starting with Chairman Smith, for his relentless efforts to advance this strong bipartisan defense authorization legislation which honors the values of our country, strengthens our security, and advances America's leadership in the world. One week after our Nation celebrated the birth of our democracy, the Democratic House is proudly honoring that oath, the oath we take to support and defend the Constitution and to protect the American people. The Democratic majority is bringing forth responsible budgeting needed for safe, strong, and smart defense. This legislation keeps America strong with vital action to improve the economic security and well-being of our servicemembers and families, including a much-needed pay raise. It keeps America safe with critical steps to promote collaboration with our allies, harden our defenses against hostile foreign powers, and meet the challenges of the future, including the climate crisis, which is a national security issue. And it keeps America smart by reaffirming Congress' constitutional oversight responsibility over the President's military actions, including by prohibiting funding for the deployment a new low-yield nuclear missile warheads. We applaud Representative Ro Khanna and the many bipartisan cosponsors for their amendment to prohibit Federal funds from being used for any military force against Iran without congressional authorization. As I rise to support the bill, I also rise to support Mr. Khanna's amendment. The bill--getting back to the bill--also is about family. It is about survivor benefits. It protects children at the border who are facing an appalling situation that is beyond the pale of civilized behavior. I always say the same thing when people ask me what are the three most important issues facing the Congress. I say the same thing: the children, the children, the children. This legislation prohibits Department of Defense funds from being used to House unaccompanied children forcibly separated from their parents or legal guardian by Customs and Border Protection near the border or a port of entry. And it creates oversight, requiring DOD to submit a certification that any housing provided to unaccompanied children meets Department of Homeland Security standards, including those provided in the Flores settlement. We must take every action we can at every opportunity we find to end this situation of the children and improve the health, safety, and well-being of the children in custody. In coming weeks, we will advance Congresswoman Escobar's legislation to bring more accountability to the Department of Homeland Security and medical care standard legislation, led by Congressman Ruiz, to ensure the health and safety of children and/or adults in custody. We support our Members who have led visits to the Border Patrol stations to find the facts and who are leading the battle cry of action on behalf of America's values about what we stand for. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important legislation. Keep America strong. It is about a pay raise for our troops, survivor benefits, about protecting our children, in addition to, again, helping us honor our oath of office to protect and defend. I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this bill to uphold our values and strengthen America. Mr. Chair, I again thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, the chair of the House Administration Committee, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, of whom we are very proud in California. I thank her for leading us on this path of patriotism and respecting the oath of office we take. Madam Speaker, it is just a joy to be having this opportunity to speak out for the sacred oath to vote, the sacred blessing, the right to vote as we leave to go on the Fourth of July break. Madam Speaker, I thank the members of the House Administration Committee: Mr. Butterfield, whom we heard from yesterday; Mr. Raskin; Mr. Aguilar; Congresswoman Susan Davis, who presented to us earlier; and to all of you. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Sarbanes. He has been the face of the future. He has been speaking out against the misrepresentations that have happened, the propagandizing that has happened by foreign governments in our election. Yes, we won the election. We won the election because the American people were sick and tired of what the Republicans were putting forth. We won the election in the most gerrymandered, voter suppressed political arena you could imagine, and yet the American people came forward. One the biggest messages we had in the campaign was H.R. 1, to reduce the role of dark, special-interest money in politics, to stop the systemic intentional voter suppression by the Republicans across the country, to stop political gerrymandering on all sides. Let's do it in a nonpartisan way. Let the chips fall where they may, and to do so in a way that we are taking a piece of it today to talk about protecting our electoral system. In a short while, we will take up the Voting Rights Act that is also part of H.R. 1. So this H.R. 1 was very supported by the Democrats, very publicized to the American people, and part of our For the People agenda: lower healthcare costs by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and protecting the preexisting conditions benefit; bigger paychecks by building the infrastructure of America in a green way; cleaner government by passing H.R. 1--one of the component parts of what we are coming together around today. As we approach the Fourth of July, we must remember the oath that we take to support and defend the Constitution and to protect the American people, which demands that this House of Representatives take urgent action. We must legislate, we must investigate, and we must litigate to protect our national security, defend our democracy for the people. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed an all-out attack on our elections by the Russians, concluding that they ``interfered in the 2016 Presidential election in sweeping and systemic fashion.'' Top intelligence and security officials have made clear that these attacks continue. They are happening, and they are happening now. This spring, FBI Director Chris Wray warned of a ``365-day-a-year threat'' from the Russians, explaining that their attacks in our elections were simply ``a dress rehearsal for the big show in 2020.'' This House has a patriotic duty to protect our democracy from these attacks. This is a matter of national security. That is why the Democrats first act in the majority was to advance, as I mentioned, H.R. 1, For the People Act, to secure our elections. Today we are building on that progress with the Securing America's Federal Elections Act, which takes urgently needed action to further strengthen America's defenses. This bill closes dangerous gaps in our election systems and brings our security into the 21st century. I know that other Members have spoken about the provisions of the bill, but I just would really like to know from my Republican friends what is wrong with replacing outdated, vulnerable voting equipment? What is wrong with requiring paper ballot voting systems to ensure the integrity of our elections? What is wrong with enacting strong cybersecurity requirements for elections technology vendors and voting systems? We must be relentless in the defense of our democracy, fighting on all fronts to keep America safe. There is a reason why the Russians are interfering in our elections, and other countries may be too, but we can document with full confidence from the intelligence community that the Russians are. It is because they want to affect the outcome of the elections, so they can affect the policy. I think it was really sad, I was sad to hear, and, hopefully, it will be retracted, that the President gave a green light to the Russians to do it again. Really? Really? This week, we are advancing appropriations legislation that provides $600 million for election security grants to States, and increases funding for the Election Assistance Commission, which has been starved for funding for years, a couple of dollars for every person in our country to honor the vision of our Founders of a democracy where everyone who is eligible to vote can vote and everyone's vote is counted as cast. Next month, we will advance further legislation to protect our national security and prevent foreign interference in our elections. Madam Speaker, I commend the distinguished chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Bennie Thompson, for the great work that he has been doing with his task force and his committee and other members who are working with him as we go forward. We are pleased that the administration has agreed to provide an all- Member briefing on election security that will happen in July, so we can get the facts. We have been trying to get the facts. Some people around here may think that it is okay to just make policy without the facts. We are evidence-based, scientifically oriented, truth-and-knowledge based on how we go forward, and we look forward to that briefing. We also look forward to July 17, when Special Counsel Robert Mueller will come forward and give testimony. Our national security is being threatened, and the American people need answers. This is not to be fearmongering. This is to be smart and to anticipate a known challenge that exists and to do something about it. We can't just talk about the Mueller report and saying what it says about the Russian interference in our elections, unless we are ready to do something about it. Today we are, thanks to our distinguished chair, Chairwoman Lofgren. There is a need for bipartisan support for our critical commonsense action to secure our elections. Unfortunately, Senator McConnell, a self-described crepehanger, has vowed to kill our bills in the Senate, while the President openly declares that he sees no problem with foreign interference in our elections. The GOP Senate and the White House are giving foreign countries the green light to attack our country, but the House will do our patriotic duty to protect America. Madam Speaker, as we approach the Fourth of July holiday, I urge my colleagues to remember the oath we took and the democracy we defend, and to join me in a strong bipartisan vote to defend America's security. This isn't about politics. It is about patriotism. As our Founders said at the beginning of the Constitution in its preamble, we do this for the people.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding and admire her for her distinguished and hard work to bring a solution to the floor. This is not the one that we had hoped for, but it is one that we will be voting on today. Mr. Speaker, I thank Nita Lowey, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and all of the appropriators for their relentless good faith work on a strong bill that we had hoped would completely protect vulnerable children, keep America safe, and honor our values. Today, sadly, and almost with a broken heart, those values are being undermined by failed policies which have intensified a situation of heartbreak and horror on the border, all of which challenges the conscience of America. I will be brief in just saying, right now, children need their families. Right now, little children are enduring trauma and terror; many are living in squalor at the border station, patrol station; some are sleeping on the cold ground without warm blankets or hot meals. Kids as young as 7 and 8 years old are watching over infants because no one else is there to care for them. As one little girl caring for two infants said: I need comfort, too. I am bigger than they are, but I am a child, too. Mr. Speaker, we could have done so much better--so much better--than what we are faced with today. It is my belief, my colleagues, that our country is at a moment of truth in acting upon our values as we develop policies. I am proud of the work that our appropriators in the House have done in passing a bill that received overwhelming Democratic support on Tuesday. It was even bipartisan. The current situation on the border is shameful and does not reflect America's values. We don't need anyone--especially the United States Senate--to tell us what the needs are on the border and that we have to act expeditiously. Our Members are very well versed and excellent representatives of the regions they represent and that are affected, but we want to find a path to improve the conditions under which we are addressing and ministering to the needs of children and families there. We are gravely disappointed in the actions taken by the Senate in opposing the regular order of the Congress of the United States. We will continue to fight for our values and priorities in our legislation and beyond. Our strongest ally in getting a better policy than that which was passed by the Republican Senate is public opinion. And people and institutions of good faith in our country, our faith-based institutions who minister to the needs of our immigrants, know that this is not the best way to go. So as we go forward, we will continue to fight for our values with public opinion and faith-based organizations on our side. The American people are constantly asking the question: Why aren't we doing a better job to respect the dignity and worth of our children? The dignity and worth of our children. The dignity and worth of our children. That might amuse you, but it is not amusing to the children who are affected. The children come first. At the end of the day, we have to make sure that the resources needed to protect the children are available. Therefore, we will not engage in the same disrespectful behavior that the Senate did in ignoring the House priorities. In order to get resources to the children fastest, we will reluctantly put the Senate bill on the floor. As the Senate bill passes--when it does, if it does--it will not be the end of this debate. It will be the battle cry. It will be the battle cry as to how we go forward to protect children in a way that truly honors their dignity and worth, their spark of divinity that they are all children of God. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar), our colleague, for the beautiful moment of silence that she held earlier. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their leadership to protect values, honor our values, keep America safe. As always, with every vote, it is a vote of conscience. The situation at the border is a challenge to the conscience of America. It should be a challenge to the conscience of each and every one of us. As always, you must vote your conscience.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, let me first salute Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and all of the appropriators--also the ranking member--for their relentless good-faith work on a strong bill that protects vulnerable children, keeps America safe, and honors our values. Madam Speaker, when people ask me, what are the three most important issues facing the Congress? I always say the same thing: children, children, children. Today, we have the opportunity to help the children. We are ensuring that children have food, clothing, sanitary items, shelter, and medical care. We are providing access to legal assistance. And we are protecting families because families belong together. Right now, children need their families. Right now, little children are enduring trauma and terror. Many are living in squalor at Border Patrol stations. Some are sleeping on the cold ground without warm blankets or hot meals. Kids as young as 7 and 8 years old are watching over infants because there is no one else there to care for them. As one little girl caring for two infants said, I need comfort, too. I am bigger than they are, but I am a child, too. Today, we found out that the administration is sending children back to a station in Clint, Texas, from where, just days earlier, those children had been removed after enduring weeks without a shower or a change of clothes. When visiting these children, one lawyer reported, the children are locked in their cells. They said they can't bring themselves to play because they are trying to stay alive in there. And yet, last week, the Trump Department of Justice argued in court that the government should not have to provide children in custody with soap, toothbrushes, or beds. This situation is child abuse. It is an atrocity that violates every value we have, not only as Americans, but as moral beings. Today, sadly, our values are being undermined by the President's failed policies which has intensified the situation of heartbreak and horror on the border, which challenges the conscience of America. Today, our legislation is a vote against the cruel attitude toward children of this administration. This bill does not fund the administration's failed mass detention policy. Instead, it funds effective, humane alternatives to detention that have a proven record of success. This legislation secures limits on how the money is spent and how the administration treats children. And it creates strong oversight by Congress so that we can protect children and ensure this crisis never occurs again. This legislation also helps address the root causes of this situation. It reverses the administration's senseless decision to block the humanitarian funding that Congress had already appropriated for the Northern Triangle countries, where many of these refugees are coming from. And it ensures that the funding is used by these countries to curb migration, improve border security, and prevent human smuggling and drug trafficking, in addition to combating corruption, reducing poverty, and promoting growth. That is what the agenda is about. A recent trip by some of our colleagues, led by Chairman Eliot Engel, Chairman Jerry Nadler, and other Members to the Northern Triangle, saw the effective use of those funds. And while they were there, exercising oversight and seeing the effective use of those funds, at that very moment, the President reversed the policy. We are launching a $200 million pilot initiative to improve the Customs and Border Protection's processing system, based on a proposal from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The evangelical community, Madam Speaker, a while back when there was another Muslim ban, we were not in the majority, but we did have a hearing where many people came. National security experts, diplomats, everyone came. People of faith-based organizations came to object to the President's Muslim ban. And, at that time, representatives of the evangelical community of America--this is not an individual, but a representative of the evangelicals in America--stated that America's refugee resettlement program is the crown jewel of America's humanitarianism. We must protect and strengthen this pillar of our immigration system and our democracy. Families belong together. And as we face the challenges presented by the President's policy, we must help immigrants know their rights. Immigrants must know their rights. Families belong together. Every Member of this body has a sacred moral obligation to protect the human rights and the lives of vulnerable families, no matter who they are and from where they came. They all are God's children. They have a spark of divinity within them that we must respect. And we must remember our own spark of divinity as we view these children and our responsibilities to them. Madam Speaker, I urge a strong, bipartisan vote for the children, the children, the children.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, since 1983, the U.S. Congress House and Senate and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat have conducted an annual exchange program for staff members from both countries. The program gives professional staff the opportunity to observe and learn about each other's political institutions and interact on issues of mutual interest. A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress will be selected to visit Germany from Friday, November 1 to Sunday, November 10, 2019. During this exchange, the delegation will attend meetings with Bundestag/ Bundesrat party staff members, and representatives of numerous political, business, academic and media agencies. A comparable delegation of German staff members will visit the United States from Saturday, September 14 to Sunday, September 22, 2019. They will attend similar meetings in Washington. The Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Exchange is highly regarded in Germany and the United States and is one of several exchange programs sponsored by public and private institutions in the United States and Germany to foster better understanding of the politics and policies of both countries. This exchange is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The U.S. delegation should consist of experienced and accomplished Hill staff who can contribute to the success of the exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bundestag reciprocates by sending senior staff professionals to the United States. Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in events in Europe. Applicants need not be working in the field of foreign affairs, although such a background can be helpful. The composite U.S. delegation should exhibit a range of expertise in issues of mutual concern to the United States and Germany such as, but not limited to, trade, security, the environment, economic development, health care, and other social policy issues. This year's delegation should be familiar with transatlantic relations within the context of recent world events. Please note that the U.S. participants are expected to plan and implement the meetings and programs for the Bundestag/Bundesrat staff members when they visit the United States. Participants are selected by a bipartisan committee. Members of the House and Senate who would like a member of their staff to apply for participation in this year's program should direct them to submit a resume and cover letter in which they state their qualifications, the contributions they can make to a successful program and some assurances of their ability to participate during the time stated. Applications should be sent to the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, HC-4, the Capitol, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2019.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleague Congresswoman Betty McCollum to honor the life of a dedicated public servant, Congressman Donald Fraser. A lifelong Minnesotan, Congressman Fraser devoted his life to fighting for the people of Minneapolis and all Americans. Whether serving in the Navy during WWII, in the Minnesota State Senate, in the U.S. Congress or as the longest-serving mayor in Minneapolis's history, Congressman Fraser was a patriot who never wavered in his commitment to lifting up hard-working families and building a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. Congressman Fraser was a true champion for good. Together with his beloved wife of 68 years, Arvonne, a deeply respected women's rights advocate, he fiercely promoted human rights and championed progressive values. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Fraser earned the respect of all his colleagues on both sides of the aisle as a skilled and thoughtful legislator. He was a man of quiet dignity, who allowed the power of his ideas build coalitions for progress. He believed deeply in the importance of ensuring that our nation's foreign policy upheld our bedrock principles of liberty, justice and human rights. Congressman Fraser lived his values through action, introducing legislation to ensure that American humanitarian aid never enriched tyrants or enabled oppression and persecution. He was persistent in his work to deepen America's commitment to democracy, not only abroad but at home: introducing the Home Rule Act of 1973 to allow the citizens of our nation's capital the right to self-governance and have their voices heard. Congressman Fraser was also a dedicated conservationist who helped protect many of Minnesota's and America's most beautiful natural places. As the father of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act, he helped guarantee that this beautiful landscape would be preserved and enjoyed by generations of Americans for years to come. We all saw how much joy Congressman Fraser took in being mayor of Minneapolis. During his 14 years in office, he brought transformational change to the city he called home. He prided himself on his ability to listen to the needs of his constituents and never assumed to know the answers, but worked to bring people together to address the most pressing problems facing their community. He distinguished himself as a champion of early childhood education, recognizing that a free, quality public education was the key to success for America's young people and the most effective tool for fulfilling our founding promise of equality and opportunity for all. Congressman Fraser has left an enduring legacy of progress for the people of Minneapolis, communities throughout Minnesota and for all Americans. May it be a comfort to Thomas, Mary, John, Jean and the entire Fraser family that Don is now reunited with the love of his life, Arvonne, and with his beloved Anne and Lois. May it be a comfort that so many people across the country mourn with and pray for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for giving us this opportunity to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, which is our oath of office. Let me salute the chairs of the committees of jurisdiction who have led us down this path of great respect for law, precedent, and the oath we take: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congressman Cummings, Congressman Nadler, Congressman Richard Neal, and Congressman Eliot Engel, all of whom have been fighting the fight and gathering the facts to protect and defend our Constitution. The oath of office that we take is why we are on the floor today, to hold Attorney General of the United States Barr and former White House Counsel McGahn in civil contempt for their refusal to comply with Congress' subpoenas. We must follow the facts and uncover the truth for the American people. At the birth of our democracy, amid war and revolution, Thomas Paine said the times have found us. We are here today because the times have found us. While we do not place ourselves in the same category of greatness as our Founders, we do recognize the urgency of the threat to our Nation that we face today. This body has a solemn duty, Mr. Speaker, to protect and defend our democracy, honoring the oath we take and the Constitution that is the foundation of our freedom. That Constitution begins with our beautiful preamble, ``We the People.'' Immediately following those words of the preamble is Article I, establishing a Congress in which ``all legislative Powers herein granted are vested.'' The Founders conferred upon the first branch responsibilities that are sweeping in scope. We set an agenda. We hold the power of the purse. We write the laws that all of us are bound by, including the President of the United States and those who surround him. Fundamental to those responsibilities is oversight of the executive branch and all the areas essential to the well-being of the American people. Oversight is our institutional duty, to ensure against the abuse of power, protect the rule of law, and expose the truth for the people who are ``the only legitimate fountain of power,'' in the words of James Madison. To conduct that oversight, the Congress is both constitutionally obligated and legally entitled to access and review materials from the executive branch, which it can subpoena. Yet, the President and the administration have shown an unprecedented and unjustifiable refusal to furnish Congress with that information. President Trump himself has said, ``We're fighting all the subpoenas,'' and, ``I don't want people testifying,'' and, ``No do-overs.'' His administration has employed every tool it can find to obstruct legitimate committee oversight, everything from witness intimidation to blanket stonewalling to spurious claims of executive privilege, absolute immunity, and lack of legislative purpose. This obstruction violates decades of established legal precedent. Throughout our history, the courts have made absolutely clear that the House has the authority to follow the facts to uncover the truth for the American people and that ``the power of the Congress to conduct investigations is inherent in the legislative process.'' Our oversight responsibility continues to be resoundingly affirmed in the courts again and again. Last month, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in the Mazars court decision that ``there can be little doubt that Congress' interest in the accuracy of the President's financial disclosures falls within the legislative sphere.'' That same week, the judge ruled in the Deutsche Bank case that Congress' ``subpoenas are all in service of facially legitimate investigative purposes.'' The administration's obstruction not only violates long-established precedent, but it also endangers our very democracy. We need answers on the many questions left unanswered by the Mueller report, which made clear that the Russians waged an all-out attack on our democracy, and the Mueller report documented 11 instances of obstruction from the White House itself. This is a grave threat to our democracy, but the President calls it a ``hoax'' and refuses to protect our democracy. Why is that? We take an oath to protect our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. What the White House and the administration are doing is a danger and a threat to our democracy. At the same time, the administration's campaign of stonewalling extends far beyond the Mueller report. The administration is obscuring the truth behind its disastrous policy decisions, from attacking Affordable Care Act coverage for millions of Americans, including those with preexisting conditions, taking it to court to overturn it while saying to the American people that it supports preexisting conditions coverage; to tearing apart vulnerable immigrant families at the border; to stealing military funds for an ineffective, wasteful border wall; to rolling back key civil rights protections for women, LGBTQ Americans, and people of color. The list goes on and on. In court, they also tried to defend their abuse of power when it comes to the Census, which the Constitution is very clear about, that every 10 years the people of the country will be enumerated. They want to put a citizenship phrase in there to put a chilling effect on our getting an accurate count. The well-being of the American people and the integrity of our democracy are imperiled by this brazen behavior. Senator McConnell declares ``case closed,'' enabling this campaign of blanket, unprecedented obstruction. We see the obstruction in this House to trying to uphold our proceedings, but we have the votes to proceed. The United States Senate has a responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution, but they are ignoring that. As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to honor our oath of office and strengthen the institution in which we serve for the people. We have a responsibility under the vision of our Founders and the text of the Constitution to ensure that the truth is known. No one is above the law. Everyone will be held accountable, including the President of the United States. The people's House will continue to fight to make the truth known for the American people and will defend Congress' role under Article I. I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this resolution to hold Attorney General Barr and former White House Counsel McGahn in civil contempt for their refusal to comply with Congress' subpoenas and to honor the oath of office that they take. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his lifelong commitment to promoting human rights throughout the world. I thank him, also, for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor today. Madam Speaker, I also thank Mr. McCaul, Mr. Engel, and Mr. McGovern for their leadership, and Chris Smith, who has been working on this issue for decades. Madam Speaker, I rise in remembrance of the horror perpetrated by the Chinese Government 30 years ago today and of the heroism of those who died demanding human rights and human dignity. Again, I salute Chairman McGovern, Chairman Engel, Chris Smith, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Malinowski, and so many others for bringing this resolution forward, which ensures that we do not merely remember that dark chapter of history, but that we record it in the official proceedings of the United States Congress. Madam Speaker, 30 years ago, 1 million students, workers and citizens--men and women full of passion, idealism, and courage-- peacefully marched for a better future. They raised their Goddess of Democracy in the image of our own Statue of Liberty. They quoted our Founders. They dared to dream of the democracy we cherish here in the United States--not necessarily the same kind of democracy, but for democratic freedoms. They stood up for freedom, only to be cut down by a hail of bullets and a line of tanks. Earlier this year, the Tiananmen Mothers, who lost loved ones in the massacre, wrote to the Chinese leaders. Those mothers said: ``30 years later, while the criminal evidence has been covered up . . . the hard facts of the massacre are etched into history. ``No one can erase it; no power, however mighty, can alter it; and no words or tongues, however clever, can deny it.'' Today, and on all days, we reassure these mothers that we remember and that the heroism of their children will continue to be etched in our history. It falls on us to remember, because China still, shamefully, tries to hide and deny these heroes' legacy. As the writer Lu Xun wrote: ``Lies written in ink cannot disguise by facts written in blood.'' The memory and the spirit of the Tiananmen protestors live on in the hearts of all those who strive for freedom in China today: In the hearts of the Uighur communities facing unabated abuse and repression at the hands of the Chinese Government; In the hearts of the people living in Hong Kong, where China continues to make a mockery of the ``one country, two systems'' pledge; In the hearts of the Tibetan people, who, for decades, have faced a brutal campaign to erase their religion, their culture, and their language; and In the hearts of journalists, human rights lawyers, Christians, and democracy activists unjustly imprisoned. They always say--speaking of those in prison--that one great form of torture of the Chinese officials is to tell the prisoners that no one remembers them, nobody knows why they are there, they are forgotten. Well, we are here in the House of Representatives today to tell those prisoners they are not forgotten: We know many of their names; we convey them to Chinese officials every chance we get; and we carry them in our hearts. As Liu Xiaobo wrote in his final statement, ``I Have No Enemies'': ``Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity and the mother of truth.'' As we support those fighting for freedom from China's oppression, we do so in the name of human rights, humanity, and truth. If we do not speak out for human rights in China because of economic concerns, then we lose all moral authority to talk about human rights in any other place in the world. In their March letter, the Tiananmen Mothers also quoted the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace laureate Elie Wiesel, who once said: ``If we forget the dead, the dead will be killed a second time.'' With this resolution, the Congress pledges to the Tiananmen generation that we will never forget. With the spirit of the Tiananmen protestors in our hearts, we pledge to continue to work toward our shared dream, a dream of the day when the world's most populous nation can be called the largest democracy. And, again, China is a very important country. The U.S.-China relationship is a very important relationship. At the time when this oppression took place, China was abusing not only the rights of their own people; they were not allowing U.S. products into China. They were abusing our trade relationship, and they were selling technologies of mass destruction and missile delivery systems to rogue countries. We thought at the time if we highlighted what happened at Tiananmen Square, where the trade deficit at the time was $5 billion a year--it was $5 billion a year, Chairman McCaul--we thought that gave us great leverage to free the prisoners, open their markets to our products, stop their violations of our intellectual property rights, as well as stop their transfer of technologies that were unsafe--$5 billion. With corporate America, who hoped to benefit from the trade relationship--not your everyday small- to moderate-sized businesses. They knew the abuse of China and the trade relationship. But corporate America weighed in with Democratic and Republican Presidents and said: We cannot use that trade relationship, that $5 billion as leverage to free the prisoners and make other changes. If we just proceed as we do, everything will work out. Well, now the trade deficit with China isn't $5 billion a year. It is more than $5 billion a week--a week. We rode the dragon, and the dragon will decide when we get off. But as a tribute to corporate America, our policy was to ignore the violations, whether it was trade violations, human rights violations, or violations of trading missiles and other technologies to rogue countries--and now over $5 billion a week. It was a serious, serious mistake. But as we made that mistake, we also betrayed our values, our values of respecting the dignity and worth of every person and respecting their aspirations for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom of belief in this great country of China. So with respect to our prospects for our relationship with China, I would hope that in our trade talks with them now, that we are also bringing up the important subject of our values as well as the dollars that are involved in the relationship. Again, I salute those who have been so important in this discussion. I called Mr. McGovern our spiritual leader as we traveled to China and within China, to Tibet, and Hong Kong, and the rest, for his incredible leadership as not only the chair of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, but the chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Madam Speaker, I urge our colleagues to give this a big strong vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren for yielding and for her extraordinary leadership. Congresswoman Lofgren has been an immigration lawyer. She has taught immigration law, and she has served now as chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. She was masterful in bringing elements together to make today possible. I commend our distinguished chairman, Mr. Nadler, for his leadership, and Congresswoman Jayapal for making this success possible. But also, I commend Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. When we passed this bill on the floor a long time ago, it was her legislation. She is the godmother--they are young godmothers--she is the godmother of this legislation. And I commend Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who was the chair of the Hispanic Caucus when we passed the bill the first time; Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who has been a champion on this issue; Congresswoman Judy Chu, the chair of her caucus; Congresswoman Karen Bass of her caucus; and Congressman Joaquin Castro of the Hispanic Caucus--inside maneuvering, but the outside mobilization is what made today possible. The stories of the Dreamers elevated this issue, their stories told with such dignity and patriotism for our country, the mobilization that they evoked from their stories for other people to take up their cause and their case, because it is so important to America. And today, we are not only honoring and rewarding our Dreamers, but we are also addressing the temporary protected status and DED recipients so that they feel much safer. A year ago, I stood on the floor of this House--yes, in 4-inch heels, for 8 hours, if you want any more statistics--and told many stories of our Dreamers. I couldn't yield because then I would give up my time, so I told the stories of Dreamers. These Dreamers are the constant reinvigoration of America. Dreamers such as Fernando, who lives in my district, came to the U.S. when he was just 9 years old. He had an excellent education, which I will submit for the Record. He now works at UCSF--that would be the University of California, San Francisco--Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he is working hard to provide new insights into deadly diseases and disorders. There are other stories to tell. To our businesses and economy, Javier came from Mexico City when he was 5 and now employs hundreds of Americans as CEO of an investment firm. To technology and innovation, Saba came from Pakistan and is now a Ph.D. candidate studying cancer and other deadly genetic diseases. And to our security, Andrea came from Peru and is hoping to follow in her father's footsteps as a member of the Air Force. The list goes on and on. My colleague from California, Mike Thompson, is always bragging that, in California, 5,000 of our teachers are DACA, are Dreamers. We want to give back to them. The courage, patriotism, and determination to succeed of those young people strengthens our Nation and they must be allowed to stay. There is nothing partisan or political about protecting Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients. If the Dream Act had been brought to the floor in the last Congress under the Republican majority and leadership, I do believe that it would have passed under a Republican majority by strong, bipartisan support. Every President in recent memory--Democrat and Republican--has understood the value of immigration to our Nation. In his last speech as President of the United States, President Ronald Reagan said he had an important message to communicate to the country he loves, and he went on to say: ``Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation.'' President Reagan went on to say: ``If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.'' Today, our new Democratic House majority is advancing that leadership in the world, in a bipartisan way, hopefully, with the American Dream and Promise Act. We are pleased that this legislation opens a door of opportunity to TPS and DED recipients, who are American in every way: raising families, starting businesses, contributing to our communities, and fighting in our wars over decades. Once we pass this bill--we want it to pass the Senate and be signed by the President. We want it to be a bridge to understand why we need comprehensive immigration reform for an immigration system that embraces the contributions of our newcomers. Protecting Dreamers and TPS and DED Americans is about honoring the respect for family that is at the heart of our faith and at the heart of who we are as Americans. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong, bipartisan vote to pass this legislation, and to safeguard every person's right to pursue his or her American Dream. And to my colleagues, today, on the floor of this House, we have the opportunity to be part of history, to be on the right side of history, but, more importantly, to be on the right side of the future by voting and recognizing the value of Dreamers to that future. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Chair, I am pleased to rise to join our distinguished Republican leader, Mr. McCarthy, to honor the dedicated, distinguished service of an outstanding public servant, United States Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa. Madam Chair, throughout 34 years in law enforcement, Police Chief Verderosa has proven himself as a leader of the highest patriotism and professionalism and has proudly carried forth the Capitol Police's nearly two-century history of storied service. Chief Verderosa has held seemingly every consequential job in the Capitol Police, from the fields of emergency response, to dignitary protection, to the highest ranks of leadership. Through it all, he has distinguished himself for his strong, steady leadership, particularly during some of the most challenging times for the Capitol Police force and the Congress. That outstanding leadership was on display after the 2017 congressional baseball shooting, 2 years ago next month. Chief Verderosa responded to that attack with courage, vision, and grace, bringing help and healing to those affected and to our entire congressional community. In every day of his tenure, he has led with those same qualities, navigating everything from mass protests, to the more than 11 million annual visitors to the Capitol Grounds, to multiple Lying in State and Lying in Honor ceremonies. Chief Verderosa has earned the respect of all: the rank-and-file officers of the Capitol Police, Members of Congress, foreign dignitaries, and the American people. On a personal note, as someone who benefits from the protection of the Capitol Police every day and everywhere I go, I want to express my gratitude to Chief Verderosa for his hard work and commitment to the safety of all Members. In his retirement statement, Chief Verderosa said: ``The mission of the department is simple. We protect the legislative process.'' Chief Verderosa, thank you for your relentless dedication to protecting the legislative process and this legislative body, ensuring that the people's House can do the people's work. We are profoundly grateful. We wish you well in your well-earned retirement. Madam Chair, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), who is the Republican leader of the House.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am so proud that the gentleman is in the Chair, as well as others who will preside in the course of this historic debate today, Angie Craig being one of them. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee for giving us this opportunity today to expand freedom in America. I commend Congressman Cicilline for his extraordinary leadership, his courage, and his persistence in introducing this legislation that is so important to our country, and doing so with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus. To see him standing there with the rest of us, honored to join Congressman John Lewis on the day of announcement a while back, a year and a half, 2 years ago, and now in the majority for us to have the privilege to bring this legislation to the floor, I thank Congressman Cicilline for being a champion of equality in our country. Again, I salute the Congressional Black Caucus, John Lewis, and so many others, including Mr. Cleaver, who will speak later today. It is a deeply powerful moment to be on this floor to talk about this important legislation. What I would like to do is take the opportunity in the time that I will use to salute the countless activists, advocates, outside organizers, and mobilizers who have courageously demanded the full fairness and justice that are the rights of all Americans. On this floor, many of us, including Mr. Hoyer, we all go way back when we sparred for funding for HIV and AIDS. We were successful not only because of our inside maneuvering but because of the outside mobilization. We were successful in passing fully inclusive hate crime legislation. Barney Frank led the way for us inside, but the outside groups were mobilizing, mobilizing, mobilizing. Under the leadership of President Barack Obama--and we salute him for it--we were able in the Congress in the majority to pass the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, to put that into the dustbin of history. It was successful because of the activism of our outside groups and advocates. Then, of course, the horrible Defense of Marriage Act, I don't know what marriages they were defending, but the Defense of Marriage Act that was proposed by some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the Supreme Court gave us that answer about justice in our country. Then there was the ending of the hateful ban on transgender military service. For this Congress, this has been the scene where we have fought the fight on legislation, fought the fight to present the case in the court of public opinion and to bolster the case in the Supreme Court. On this monumental day, my thoughts are with Phyllis Lyon and the late Del Martin, who shared their lives together for decades. They were mentors for civic engagement to many of us in San Francisco for decades. Some of that civic engagement related to LGBTQ rights. They were an inspiration, as I say, to many of us. People say to me, ``It is easy for you to be for some of these things because you are from San Francisco. People are so tolerant there.'' I say, ``Tolerant? That is a condescending word to me. This is not about tolerance. This is about respect of the LGBTQ community. This is about taking pride.'' That is what we do today. For Phyllis and Del and other older LGBTQ couples, LGBTQ workers striving to provide for their families, for the young people, the LGBTQ youth, this is a transformative moment. Fifty years after LGBTQ Americans took to the streets outside of New York's Stonewall Inn to fight against harassment and hate, we take pride in the progress we have forged together. Our Founders, in their great wisdom, wrote in our beautiful preamble of the blessings of liberty, which were to be the birthright of all Americans. To bring our Nation closer to the founding promise of liberty and justice for all, we today pass the Equality Act and finally fully end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans. LGBTQ people deserve full civil rights protection in the workforce and in every place, in education, housing, credit, jury duty service, and public accommodations. No one should be forced to lose his or her job, their home, or to live in fear because of who they are and whom they love. This is personal. It is not just about policy. It is about people. Earlier this year I received a letter from a trans woman living in San Francisco who has faced threats, stalking, and harassment because of who she is. She says in her communication: The fear is very much there. All I want to do is live my life like anyone else. Please keep seeing me. Today and for all days, we say to all of our friends: We see you, we support you, and we stand with you with pride. We look forward to a swift, strong, successful, and, hopefully, strongly bipartisan bill today for equality. This is not just an act of Congress that we are taking for the LGBTQ progress to the community. This is progress for America. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of a giant of humanitarianism and a leader of conscience, who made lasting, life-saving contributions to the cause of eradicating violent conflict and eliminating human suffering: Dr. David Alan Hamburg. Trained as a physician and psychiatrist, Dr. Hamburg led a career of incredible scope and immense impact, beginning with sweeping contributions made to the field of medicine from distinguished posts at hospitals, universities, research laboratories, and scientific and public policy organizations. ``Ounce of prevention, ton of cure'' was his favorite motto, and would guide him through all his work, from disease prevention to conflict resolution. Dr. Hamburg followed his pioneering scholarship on disease prevention with studies of human behavior, specializing in the evolution of human violence. As a recognized authority on the study of aggression, stress and conflict, he revolutionized the worlds' conception of civil conflict and warfare, led by his deep faith in the need to ``mobilize human ingenuity'' for peace. Much of his game-changing research was conducted alongside his beloved wife, the trailblazing and renowned Dr. Beatrix Hamburg. At the helm of the prestigious Carnegie Corporation for fifteen years, Dr. Hamburg would use his belief in the power of prevention to create prosperity, as he launched initiatives for the advancement of civilization of a startling scale, from early childhood education to youth health to conflict resolution. He was a powerful and early force for the study of terrorism, violence and genocide, warning that for too long, scholars had treated these global priorities as ``almost a nonsubject.'' His leadership was critical in conflict prevention and mitigation efforts, including through initiatives such as the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, co-chaired with former Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance, which studied ethnic and regional conflicts in Africa and the Balkans, and which was cited as one of the United Nation's ``major reference points'' for peace efforts by Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon. He was a respected voice among our colleagues in the Congress on nuclear nonproliferation, which is a pillar of America's national security. His work to develop and pass the vital Nunn-Lugar. Amendment has helped keep America and our allies strong and safe. I had the privilege of learning from Dr. Hamburg when we served on the Board of the Leakey Foundation for the Study of Human Origins. Once again he would demonstrate his leadership when he courageously obtained the release of the Stanford students who were kidnapped while doing primate research at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Dr. Hamburg often said that he ``grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust,'' and was motivated in his work by his grandfather's experience fleeing anti-Semitic pogroms in Latvia and later bringing an estimated 50 relatives to America to escape the Nazi regime. This ``firsthand knowledge [on] how brutal people could be'' would be a powerful beacon for him, as he sought to bring resolution, cooperation and healing to the world. His enduring contributions to turn that painful legacy into a more peaceful future for others will be a lasting blessing for all. May it be a comfort to Dr. Hamburg's children, Eric and Margaret, his three grandchildren, David, Rachel and Evan, and all their loved ones that David has been reunited with the love of his life, Betty. May it also be a comfort that so many grieve with them and pray for them during this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chair, congratulations. What a joy to see the gentleman in the chair. I thank Chairman Pallone for his extraordinary leadership as chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, chair of the Health Subcommittee. I thank them so much for all their hard work to bring us to this series of bills today, in addition to the bills of last week. I commend our colleague who just spoke, Ann Kuster, for her important legislation to preserve the benefit of preexisting conditions not being a barrier to access to care and insurance, and also to Lisa Blunt Rochester for her leadership on the legislation before us today to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Mr. Chairman and colleagues, on Sunday we marked Mother's Day, a special tribute to our mothers and also a somber reminder of the days when being a mother--when being a woman--was a preexisting medical condition. As a mother of five, I can speak from some experience as to what an obstacle that could be to access to insurance. Last week, we took action to block the administration's cynical efforts to drag our country back to the dark days of discrimination in healthcare coverage by passing the Protecting Americans With Preexisting Conditions Act. Again, I salute Congresswoman Kuster for her leadership on this, and also our chairman. This is not a fight about legislation that we are gathered about here today. This is about a fight for our lives, the lives of many people affected. I want to take the opportunity to salute a hero, a hero who testified last week on healthcare at the Rules Committee, Mr. Ady Barkan. Ady Barkan is a hero to us. He is a man who suffers from ALS, but, in speaking out for better healthcare, with courage, he testified before the committee 2 weeks ago. Ady said: I was healthy a year ago. I was running on the beach. I am 33 years old. I have an 18-month-old son, Carl. And, out of nowhere, I was diagnosed with ALS, which, as you know, has a life expectancy of 3 to 4 years. No treatment, no cure. Like so many others, Rachael--that is his wife--and I have had to fight with our insurers, which has issued outrageous denials instead of covering the benefits we paid for. We have so little time left together, yet our system forces us to waste it dealing with bills and bureaucracy. That is why I am here today urging you to build a more rational, fair, efficient, and effective system. That was Ady testifying 2 weeks ago. Since then, Ady lost his grandmother, Dina Abramov, and our sympathy goes out to him. Our congratulations to her for having such a magnificent and courageous grandson. But Ady has been here so many times with our Little Lobbyists who have preexisting conditions, with many of the communities that represent people with diagnoses that need prescription drugs and cannot afford them. So, in the coming weeks and months, Democrats will continue our action to strengthen health protections for people like Ady, the Little Lobbyists, and others, because this is life or death. It certainly is quality of life. And now, our Democratic House, today, is proud to pass the Strengthening Healthcare and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, with Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. With this legislation, we are further reducing the price of prescription drugs by promoting competition with generics and reversing the Republican sabotage that we have seen. Mr. Chair, when we passed the Affordable Care Act, it was absolutely necessary that we do so. Even if everyone in our country approved and loved their insurer and was happy with their healthcare--which was not the case, but even if they did--it was essential that we pass the Affordable Care Act because we could not sustain the costs of healthcare in our country at the time: the cost to an individual; to a family; to a small business; to corporate America, who was paying a big part of the bill; and to the public sector, was a tremendous burden. With the Affordable Care Act, we were able to lower the rate of increase of healthcare costs in our country. But one sector, one segment of the healthcare arena that we did not conquer was the cost of prescription drugs, which continues to contribute to the increase of healthcare costs in our country. That is the main reason healthcare costs rise: the cost of prescription drugs. So, I salute the chairman and the committee and Anna Eshoo, chair of the subcommittee, and our distinguished chairman of the full committee for his legislation today which helps to lower the cost of prescription drugs to people, to individuals, to families, to everyone who has a part in funding the good health of the American people. This is really essential. And it is a fight. And it is a fight, but we are taking it one piece at a time. The reason it had to be combined with other bills is so that it could be paid for. Our Republicans salute the first part of the bill where we encourage competition among generics and this, that, and the other, but want to walk away from the part of the bill that is essential for paying for the legislation. So, we want to be very, very responsible in all of this. One of our colleagues on the floor earlier said that this bill was going to go die in hell or someplace. I don't know where. Actually, the distinguished--well, not so in this case, but the Republican leader of the Senate has said that he is the grim reaper and all these bills will die, designating the Senate a graveyard for legislation that would help the good health of the American people, lower costs for them, improve their lives. But he talked about everything that we passed here. I have some news for the distinguished leader in the Senate, the Republican leader, Mr. McConnell. The support for this legislation, these bills, is alive and well among the American people, and he will be hearing from them, because this legislation, these bills, are a matter of life and death and, certainly, quality of life for America's working families. So we will never limit the aspirations and meeting the needs of the American people to what might be legislatively acceptable in the mind of a person in the United States Senate, but we will recognize our responsibility to not only pass the boldest common denominator, but to do so in a way that honors what President Lincoln told us: Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, you can pass almost anything; without it, practically nothing. But, in order for the public sentiment to weigh in, the public has to know. And passing legislation of this kind is a strong message. And our advocates, whether it is the Little Lobbyists; whether it is those who are affected by so many aspects that the Republican leadership is out to sabotage, that the Trump administration is out to sabotage, whether in the Congress or in the courts--well, we will take it to the court, as we are in the Supreme Court. We will fight them in the Supreme Court, but we will also fight them in the court of public opinion. This is very, very important to, not only the health, but also the financial well-being of America's working families. So, I salute the chairman for this legislation, and I urge everyone to vote for it. And I know that there is bipartisan support for some parts of the bill. I hope that will apply to all of it so that it really can work.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank her for the constructive amendment and for her exceptional leadership as a leading Member of an outstanding freshman class. I also thank Congressman Pallone, chairman of the full committee, for giving us the opportunity to bring to the floor historic legislation that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of the American people. Today, with the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, Democrats are honoring their promises to the American people. Madam Chair, our Democratic majority ran on the promise to protect American families' quality, affordable healthcare. We have now voted three times to oppose the GOP healthcare lawsuit, but every time, with every vote, House Republicans reveal their inconsistency and complicity with the administration's assault on people with preexisting conditions and every American's healthcare. It was interesting to listen to the distinguished ranking member of the committee express his views when the fact is that, 2 years ago, House Republicans voted to gut protections for people with preexisting conditions and take away millions of families' healthcare, and they then threw a party to celebrate. They went down to the White House and celebrated: We have taken away the preexisting conditions benefit. The American people resoundingly rejected the Republicans' attack on their healthcare and their financial security, yet the GOP is plowing full steam ahead with their monstrous campaign to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and take away healthcare. Just last week, the administration doubled down on its demands that the courts throw out every protection and benefit provided by the Affordable Care Act. Again, over and over, we have had bills on the floor to invite the Republicans to join us in rejecting that Republican attack. Overwhelmingly, they have rejected that. Today, again, we can celebrate that we are protecting Americans with preexisting conditions and honoring that promise we made to the American people, as I said. The bill reverses a dangerous part of the Trump administration's reckless sabotage campaign, blocking cynical guidance to States. Here is what they do: dismantle protections for people with preexisting conditions and push families into junk plans that discriminate against people with preexisting conditions and do not cover essential benefits. In fact, you are paying for nothing. The Trump guidance puts lives on the line, not only sabotaging the healthcare law but the health of millions of Americans who rely on it. Nearly 30 national groups representing people with preexisting conditions have spoken out, including the American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Susan G. Komen, and many more. They write, ``This dangerous action could take us back to the days when people with preexisting conditions were openly discriminated against and blatantly denied access to lifesaving care.'' These organizations, I want Ranking Member Walden to hear because he seemed to have been distracted, all these organizations for cancer, diabetes, heart, lung, mental health, all of that, they write, ``This dangerous action could take us back to the days when people with preexisting conditions were openly discriminated against and blatantly denied access to lifesaving care.'' We thank all the groups and families--including the sick little children, the Little Lobbyists--for their courage to speak out and show that this is a fight not just about legislation but about lives. Nothing is more eloquent than the stories that they tell, and many have told their stories here. They had 10,000 events around the country to stop the Republicans' sabotage on healthcare, much of it from people with preexisting conditions, especially children born with preexisting conditions. This bill that we have today is just the beginning. In the coming weeks, House Democrats will bring forth more bold legislation to reduce the price of prescription drugs, to empower States to build better exchanges, and to block junk plans and reverse the GOP's enrollment sabotage. Senator McConnell said that he is the grim reaper. He wears that as a badge of honor. He is the grim reaper. He is going to kill any House legislation for the people, saying that he will bury our bills in the Senate graveyard, effectively. That is really not a very hopeful political agenda, the grim reaper. I have news for him. Legislation to protect the preexisting condition benefit and many of the other pieces of this agenda are alive and well among the American people, and they will make their voices heard. The American people want action, and the special interest GOP Senate needs to stop standing in their way, Leader McConnell. I urge a strong vote for this legislation for the people. I commend the gentlewoman for her very important amendment. She said being a mom was a preexisting condition. As the mother of five, it is 6 years to the day when I talked to the insurance company about my bad back. They said: Why would we even insure you? You are a poor risk, having had children. I said: That is funny you say that. I thought it was a show of strength on my part to have five children. Are you calling that something that would be a barrier to my getting insurance? I want to emphasize, as we approach Mother's Day, how important this particular amendment is to help moms and their families. Madam Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on Congresswoman Porter's important Mother's Day amendment.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I commend him for his leadership. This issue of infrastructure resiliency is so important. We are now discussing doing major infrastructure legislation to rebuild America in a way that is making it safer, by promoting commerce and improving the quality of life by decreasing the amount of time people have to spend in their cars. By increasing broadband and all of the things that enable people, whether it is healthcare, education, or commerce, the infrastructure is so central to that. When we talk about infrastructure, we have to talk about resiliency; and when we talk about climate change, we have to talk about infrastructure. So this is a very important amendment, and I rise to support it. I thank the gentleman for sharing his New Jersey experience in terms of the need for resiliency in this very wise amendment. I also want to rise in support of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. I commend Chairwoman Kathy Castor who is the chair of our House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and also the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel, for his leadership on this important issue which is under the jurisdiction of his committee. They bring vision, they bring values, and they bring the voices of Members and the American people to make a difference. We thank our freshman Members, in particular, who have carried the priorities of their communities to Congress to demand climate action now. And I think it is very appropriate that the gentleman in the chair is on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and has been a leader in the private sector, now in the public sector, on this important issue as we go forward. It is time, Mr. Chairman, to end denial about this and start listening to the facts. This is about science, science, science. An overwhelming number, 86 percent, of Americans know that this is a crisis. They know that human behavior has an impact on it, and they want us to act. We all have stories from our communities. One of my constituents wrote: My daughter has developed asthma. It wrenches me to see her used as a canary in a coal mine. We are literally choking on the denial and inaction. Another writes: Green jobs are guaranteed local jobs and will put people to work. Survival is now poised to become a viable economic sector. Let me just say that this is about jobs, jobs, jobs. It is very important for our country to be preeminent in the world on the green technologies, and this legislation is in recognition of that. It is about public health, about clean air and clean water, the air our children breathe and the water they drink, and it is about environmental justice in that regard as well that all children will be able to live in a safe, clean environment in which they can thrive. It is about our national security. Over and over again the national security experts, the generals and the admirals, have come to us and said that this is a global security issue, because of what impact the climate change crisis is doing to the use of water and access to food and how natural disasters affect migration and also how that can lead to initiation of hostilities among people. It is a national security issue in terms of how we use our resources for our national security as well. It is a moral issue. If you believe, as I and some in the evangelical community do, that this planet is God's creation and we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of it, then you would be sure to be a good steward and sign up for climate action now. But even if you don't share that religious belief, we all know that we have a moral responsibility to the next generation to pass this planet on in a better way than we found it in a very responsible way. So it is we must take action. The bill demands action now, by keeping us in the only international agreement dedicated to ending the climate crisis and demanding a plan of action from the administration, and Mr. Kim has put forth that plan to recognize infrastructure resiliency as the administration comes forward. We are sending a signal to the world that the U.S. is in denial about the overwhelming science about climate, but this bill is a step in the right direction. I am very proud of the work the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and other committees of jurisdiction are doing. But it is a task for every committee of the Congress to look at the jurisdiction of the committee and to see how, in terms of jobs, public health, national security, and, again, our moral responsibility to our children and future generations--it is everybody's responsibility in the Congress. It is a Congress-wide responsibility. I do thank the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for the focus that it is placing on all of this. We will be able to accommodate so many entrepreneurial ideas, new thinking on the subject, being current on the data and on the science. So we have a tremendous generational opportunity and responsibility. I thank all who are involved in this for their extraordinary leadership. Anyone who cares about our planet and our children's future is deeply in debt to those who have taken the lead on this. Under President Bush's leadership when he was President and we had our select committee then, we passed the biggest energy bill in history. While everyone was not in agreement on the climate crisis, we all agreed that we had to take action. President Bush signed the bill in a big ceremony, and it was the equivalent of taking tens of millions of cars off the road in how we raised the emissions standards. It was important, and that legislation was the basis for many of the executive actions that President Obama was able to take under the authority of that legislation. So that was very important, and it was bipartisan. Hopefully, we can be bipartisan as we go forward for the next big steps that we have to take. Technology has come a long way since then. Science informs us better. Current events have made it very clear: we have an imperative to have climate action now. Again, Mr. Chairman, I urge our colleagues to vote for Mr. Kim's amendment to H.R. 9.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great sadness to mark the passing of a leader of exceptional courage and firm principles, our colleague and dear friend, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher. The presence of so many members from our California delegation is a beautiful tribute to her beautiful life. Thank you all for being here. Ellen's passing is a great official loss to the people of California and to the Nation and a deep personal loss for all of us who are blessed to call her friend. Our hearts break for her daughter, Katherine. Personally, it was a joy for many of us to see her expect Katherine. Katherine came. Katherine is growing up. She took such delight in being Katherine's mother. Ellen was an extraordinary force for progress who made a difference. Her smart, strategic leadership strengthened our democratic institutions and kept America safe, and her relentless commitment to nuclear nonproliferation beautifully honored the oath we take to support and defend the Constitution and protect the American people. Ellen was a pioneer who made history when she became the youngest ever and one of the very earliest women members of the New York Stock Exchange, where she was a powerful voice for technology, science, and innovation. Ellen's friendship was a gift, and her legacy was one of outstanding leadership marked by deep patriotism and tireless commitment to progress. May it be a comfort to Ellen's beloved daughter, Katherine, and her many, many loved ones that so many share their loss and pray for them at this sad time. Mr. Speaker, I now ask that Members and guests in the gallery rise to observe a moment of silence.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a beautiful life. Ruth Passen was a pioneer of community journalism, a champion for social justice and a strong voice for our American values of equality, fairness and progress. Her passing is a great official loss for our San Francisco community and a deep personal loss for all who were blessed to call her friend. Ruth Passen was a San Franciscan through and through. Born and raised in the city of Saint Francis, she dedicated herself to being an ``instrument of peace'' and spent a lifetime sowing love, hope, light and joy in our community and around the world. Ruth made a difference in so many ways. Together with her dear friend, the late, legendary Enola Maxwell, Ruth helped build the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, known as the Nabe, into a transformative beacon of hope, healing and help for so many in our community. Understanding the unifying power of the arts, Ruth was also an inspired, effective force in bringing her beloved jazz and theater to the Nabe and our wider Bay Area community. Ruth earned the deep respect of all as an innovator and a leader of local journalism. In 1970, she made history as she launched the Potrero View, which has become San Francisco's longest running community newspaper, as well as one of its most respected. Ruth's visionary leadership over four decades has brought local news and community services to countless families in our City, and has helped set the standard for editorial integrity in the field. All San Franciscans can take great pride in the progress that Ruth advanced for equality, fairness and freedom around the world. She worked tirelessly to bring peace and justice to communities in need, first through the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom during the 1960s and 70s, and then through her work with the people of El Salvador in the 1980s. She brought that same persistence and dedication to progress to the labor movement, where along with her late respected and remarkable husband Joe, she was a fearless voice for the rights of working men and women throughout the West Coast, on the waterfront, in the farms and in all workplaces. Through their involvement in Young Democrats, Ruth and Joe also helped bring more progressive voices to Washington, ensuring that the People's House would serve the American people. San Francisco and America have been blessed by the life and leadership of Ruth Passen. May it be a comfort to her son Marc, daughter-in-law Dianne, granddaughters Natalie and Teresa, and all her loved ones that Ruth and her beloved Joe have been reunited. May it also be a comfort that so many mourn with and pray for them during this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the incredible life of a dear friend, Ernest ``Chuck'' Ayala. Chuck Ayala was a visionary leader and entrepreneur who dedicated his life to serving the people of San Francisco and our nation. His passing on April 22, 2019 at the age of 94 is a profound official loss for the countless San Franciscans whose lives he touched and a deep personal loss for his many loving friends and family. Chuck Ayala was a life-long San Franciscan whose deep faith compelled him to honor the words of our patron saint, Saint Francis who said, ``Preach the gospel, sometimes use words.'' Whether serving in the Army during World War II, directing the Catholic Youth Organization's Youth Services or mentoring countless at-risk young people to put them on the path toward a brighter future, Chuck lived his faith through action and always looked for ways of giving back to the community he loved. In 1973, Chuck was inspired by his mother's immigrant experience to create the Centro Latino de San Francisco, a senior center dedicated to feeding our city's seniors and providing the resources they need to thrive. For over 46 years, Centro Latino has helped countless underserved and underrepresented seniors receive a hot meal and find a sense of community. Since Chuck started Centro Latino, it has become a full-service community center for over 2,500 low-income multi-ethnic seniors and families. The center's education initiatives have helped new immigrants learn English, apply for vital services and fulfill their American Dreams by becoming citizens. In short, Centro Latino has done nothing less than give thousands of San Franciscans a sense of dignity and worth. From city hall to the White House, Chuck never failed to make his voice heard. It was an honor to nominate Chuck to the White House Conference on Aging to ensure that our nation's leaders were listening to the grassroots activists who are on the ground caring for our seniors and their families. For Chuck and the love of his life, his late wife, Bernice, their greatest source of joy was family. Over their 56 years together, Chuck and Bernice raised a beautiful family and created a legacy of service and advocacy that will continue to improve the lives of San Franciscans and all Americans for generations to come. May it be a comfort to Chuck's daughter, Darlene, sons, Mike and Joe, grandchildren and the entire Ayala family that Chuck and his beloved Bernice have been reunited. May it also be a comfort that so many mourn with and pray for them during this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding, Mr. Chairman, and I commend him for his extraordinary leadership on this very important subject. To young people in our country and to every person in our country from sea to shining sea and to the future of our country, I join my colleagues in defense of the free and open internet which is a pillar of our democracy. I am pleased to follow Mr. Doyle and his leadership; Mr. Pallone, the chairman of the committee; Ms. Eshoo, a godmother of net neutrality in an earlier time; Mr. Butterfield, for his wonderful statement; and I know we will be hearing from Congresswoman Matsui and other Members, and I am honored to join all of them. Again, I salute Chairman Mike Doyle for his leadership of the Save the Internet Act and for his persistent, dissatisfied leadership to protect net neutrality. I also commend our former colleague in the House, Senator Markey, for his leadership now in the Senate. Let us salute the millions of Americans who have marched, mobilized, and made their voices heard in this fight, the 4 million Americans who wrote to the FCC--that would be the Federal Communications Commission-- to support the 215 Obama-era net neutrality protections; the 10 million Americans who weighed in again this time to oppose the 2017 Trump decision to destroy those protections; the 600,000 Americans who tuned in to watch a livestream of the full committee markup on this legislation, and, Mr. Chairman, it is now 4.8 million and a growing number who have watched the committee proceedings on the House floor today. That is so much enthusiasm in our country, that is the growing extent of the interest. That is unheard of for the work that we do here. Net neutrality is a bipartisan priority for the American people. As Chairman Doyle said, a full 86 percent of Americans oppose the Trump assault on net neutrality, including 82 percent of Republicans outside. Young people, in particular, get it. This is about their jobs and their futures. With the Save the Internet Act, Democrats are honoring the will of the American people. We are restoring protections so that we can stop unjust discriminatory practices by ISPs--that would be internet service providers--that try to throttle consumers' browsing speed, block their internet access, and increase their costs--throttle their speed, block their access, and increase their cost. It would give entrepreneurs and small businesses a level playing field on which to compete and ensure American innovation can continue to be the envy of the world. This legislation also brings the power of the internet to every corner of the country from rural America to cities, as Mr. Butterfield pointed out, because it provides the legal basis for the Connect America Fund. We must close the urban-rural digital divide, although we have challenges in urban areas as well as in rural areas, but in rural areas this is a must do. It will make all the difference in the world guaranteeing better and cheaper internet for everyone, so we can create jobs and unlock the economic potential of every person in every community. This debate is not just about legislation. It is about the quality of people's lives. More than 30,000 San Franciscans in my own district have written my own office about the impact of net neutrality in their lives. They know that American businesses are at risk. One writes: As a small business owner, I depend on free and unfettered communication with my customers and vendors. My business and personal lifestyle are in jeopardy. They know that America's innovation is at risk. As a young student writes: Without net neutrality, we lose our last medium of allowing small and upcoming companies to thrive. They know that our spirit of entrepreneurialism is at risk. As another constituent writes: The internet is a place where anyone, rich or poor, can make a living, become successful, and make themselves known. They know that our very democracy is at risk because as one constituent writes: A world without net neutrality undermines a central priority for a democratic society--the necessity of all citizens to inform themselves and each other. Those are some of the communications from my constituents. I will just tell you about a family discussion I had. I was visiting my brother in Baltimore, Maryland, Thomas D'Alesandro, and we were sitting around the table with his children and grandchildren. We were talking about one thing and another that was going on in the country. I said to his grandson: What do you think about all of this? We were talking about national security, et cetera. He said: My friends and I care about one thing, net neutrality. That was so exciting to hear, and here we are delivering for young people. Supporting this bill means supporting our democracy and showing that our voices--the voices of the public--are heard, that their will is respected, and that the internet remains free and open to all. We call on our Republican colleagues to join us to support our democracy by restoring net neutrality. I hope we have a good, strong bipartisan vote as a tribute to Chairman Doyle. Mr. Chairman, I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership in presenting the important amendment to the Violence Against Women Act. I thank the distinguished chairman of the committee for his leadership in bringing this VAWA reauthorization to the floor. I commend Karen Bass, the author of the legislation, the chair of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, and I want to recognize and acknowledge the work of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee over the years in terms of ending violence against women. Again, we take an oath to protect the American people. Nearly 25 years ago, Congress honored that oath when we enacted the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act. It united our communities and our country in a fight against domestic violence in America. Today, we honor that oath once more by passing strong, bipartisan, long-term VAWA reauthorization that will save lives. Again, I want to salute Karen Bass, a champion for women's safety and security as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and the many champions of VAWA in the Congress who have made today possible. Again, I acknowledge Congresswoman Jackson Lee. We thank all of the survivors, victims, and advocates who have shown the generosity of spirit to tell their stories. Nothing is more eloquent or effective than the stories which show that this is not a legislative fight or an issues fight. It is a personal fight about America's families. I commend Congresswoman Torres Small for this important amendment that recognizes and ensures that all provisions of the bill comply with current immigration law. This isn't a bill about immigration, but I wanted to make that assertion, and I thank the gentlewoman, Congresswoman Torres Small for this amendment. We are pleased that the bill is bipartisan. There should be nothing partisan or political about ending the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault, which one in three women faces today. Madam Chairwoman, with this bill, we are reinforcing what we did 25 years ago, and what we did in 2013. We are making it stronger with the legislation today, with lifesaving updates that reflect the voices of victims and survivors and the input of experts. With this bill, we are empowering law enforcement and making new investments in prevention. We are improving lifesaving services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We are supporting survivors with protections against discrimination in the workplace and supporting their financial security. We are closing dangerous loopholes in our laws that right now allow those who have been convicted of stalking or dating violence to obtain firearms. These are commonsense reforms that will save lives and that no one should object to. We are strengthening protections for Native American women because every woman everywhere has the right to live free from abuse. We thank the Indian Country and the Native American women for their input on this. And aren't we blessed now to have for the first time in American history, two Native American women serving in the Congress of the United States: Congresswoman Sharice Davids from Kansas, and Congresswoman Deb Haaland from New Mexico, and they have already made their presence felt. This bill has historically been bipartisan. We urge all Members to join us in a strong bipartisan vote for this bill, which honors our oath, upholds our values, and saves lives. Again, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, together, Leader McCarthy and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Kimberly Hamm, who is departing the House to become a Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Hamm has served with great integrity and effectiveness in the House's Office of General Counsel for more than four years, as an Assistant and an Associate General Counsel. During her tenure, Ms. Hamm played a critical role in safeguarding the legal interests of the House of Representatives, its Members, Officers and employees, particularly in connection with federal court litigation involving issues of the highest institutional importance. Specifically, Ms. Hamm provided invaluable legal counsel and representation to many of the Committees of the House, greatly assisting them in fulfilling their constitutionally-authorized oversight roles, protecting confidential committee communications with the Executive Branch from disclosure, and defending the House's oversight and investigative prerogatives when challenged in litigation. In addition, Ms. Hamm provided frequent and vital legal advice to the institutional offices of the House, assisting with the development and implementation of numerous internal procedures, improving mechanisms for executing legal requirements and defending long-standing institutional norms, including the right of the House to open each legislative day with a prayer. Ms. Hamm's work on behalf of the House has been of the highest caliber and I am confident that the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission will benefit from her exceptional policy knowledge and legal counsel. On behalf of the entire House community, Leader McCarthy and I thank Ms. Hamm for her dedicated service, and wish for her the very best in all her future endeavors.