Ayanna Pressley

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I support this motion, and I urge my colleagues, including the 218 Members from both sides of the aisle who signed this discharge petition, to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to make a motion to discharge H.R. 1689 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status. This is a commonsense policy that will save lives and benefit the American public. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort and vote ``yes.'' Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY. I do.

Ms. PRESSLEY. I did, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(c) of rule XV, I rise to provide notice of my intent to offer a motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House Resolution 965.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to survivors of sexual violence in my district, across the country, and around the world. As a survivor of sexual violence myself, their stories matter. I am so sorry for what they have been through, the shame they carry that was never theirs to carry. For too long, survivors have suffered in silence while abusers have carried on without consequence. Last week, our sister survivor Dolores Huerta shared her story publicly for the first time. She revealed that she feared if she came forward there would be no justice or accountability, only the vilification of a workers' movement she had dedicated her life to. Imagine the burden, the pain, the silence she carried. Women and mothers far too often experience the brutal violence, only to hide their pain and wake up every day carrying on for their children, for their community, for their family, while they are shattered inside. No survivor should have to suffer in silence. Society tells us our silence will stop the shame and trauma. It does not. While I will always respect and fight for survivors who choose privacy if it is part of their healing journey, I want survivors to know that I believe them. I believe them if their voice shakes. I believe them if it happened decades ago. I believe them if they shared their story in real time or buried it away for years. I believe them. Abusers may think they wield the power through violent acts, but let me tell you, anyone who violates another person in this way is small and broken. They should not be feared. They should be named, shamed, and held accountable for survivors everywhere.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our dedicated TSA workers throughout the country, including in the Massachusetts 7th, who take pride in their essential work and call Boston Logan International Airport their employer. They have gone 40 days without pay for their essential work. The Trump administration does not care about protecting our workers or serving the traveling public. This is all a ploy for power and pushing an inhumane agenda against our immigrant neighbors. Let's go back to Project 2025. I am a cofounder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force here in the House. Project 2025 proposed privatizing TSA screening, shifting airport workers away from the government and its protections and into the hands of private contractors. It called for the deunionizing of TSA workers immediately. What we see unfolding right now, this is not a contingency plan. It was always the plan. To bring in ICE agents who continue to be paid as if they will be able to step in for these highly trained, dedicated, and still unpaid TSA workers is not a solution. Mr. Speaker, these are the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors, who are strained by missing paychecks and an inability to put food on the table. Democrats have put forward multiple proposals to keep key agencies, such as TSA and FEMA, funded while not giving another cent to ICE. Republicans have refused each and every time. The cruelty is truly the point. Sexual Violence Survivors

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember Emmanuel Damas, who was 56 years old, a father, brother, son, valued community member, and neighbor of the Massachusetts 7th. Like so many, Emmanuel came to this country seeking safety from the violence, instability, and crisis in Haiti, only to be abducted by ICE and transferred far from his family. Now, while in custody, Emmanuel pleaded for necessary medical care for a toothache, a basic human right. He was repeatedly denied medical care. That toothache became an infection, an infection that resulted in septic shock, as infection took over Emmanuel's body. I can only imagine the agony he was in. Eventually, Emmanuel fell into a coma, and he died a tragic, preventable, shameful death. Mr. Speaker, this is not an isolated tragedy, but a pattern of cruelty and neglect that is robbing us of lives. Emmanuel was at least the 10th person to die in ICE custody this year, and his death was entirely preventable. While there can never be true justice for Emmanuel--in a just world he would still be alive, at home with his family--there must be accountability. Today, we extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and community, and together we will keep pushing for the accountability, transparency, and healing they deserve. Honoring Our TSA Workers

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the grieving families of the servicemembers killed. I rise on behalf of the little girls in Iran killed by bombs raining down on their schools. Constituents in my district are horrified to see the United States and Israel launch a war with Iran that has already spread to a dozen more countries. Parents are clutching their young sons as they remember stories from their grandparents about the boys sacrificed to the draft. They see the baby girls in Iran, their small bodies decimated, as their own daughters. Mr. Speaker, I implore my colleagues, when a nation loses care and concern for children, all the children, a nation becomes irredeemable. The children of the world are all of ours always. Small men wage endless wars because they are looking to profit. They believe their privilege and connections will shelter their own children from the frontline horrors of war, but our destinies are tied, Mr. Speaker. We rise and fall together. Trump has no plan of how many lives will be sacrificed before it is enough. We will not tolerate his callous disregard for human life. End this war now.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, the state of our Union is traumatizing our children. Today, I refuse to give an audience to a man who breaks promises and steals childhoods, but instead, I rise to address the children directly. Madam Speaker, I rise today for 2-month-old Juan Nicolas. Juan Nicolas, you came into this world mere weeks ago and already America has broken her promise to you. At barely 2 months old, you should know only the comfort of a soft blanket and your mother's voice. Your cries should be met with warm milk and lullabies, but your small body has been detained by the State. You and your mother were imprisoned at Dilley Detention Center, a for- profit prison. Your mother told us you were in pain. I can only imagine the pain she felt, too. Your small body vomited up the formula you drank. The water there is dirty. The stress and trauma of being shackled and locked up in the precious days of postpartum made nursing impossible. You were finally seen by a doctor, returned to the baby prison that is Dilley, and then mere hours later, your entire family, your parents, and your 1-year-old sister, Mia, were forcefully deported and left along the side of the road in Mexico. You, my sweet boy, are precious and deserving of love and safety. No child should endure what you are going through. Journalists, pediatricians, and people of good conscience have rallied around your family to keep you safe. Madam Speaker, I rise today for 2-year-old Daphne from Massachusetts. Daphne, your dad, Fidel, loves you more than anything. Your father has no criminal record. He has done nothing wrong. I know it is hard for you to understand why your father suddenly disappeared. ICE says Fidel was picked up as a collateral during an ICE operation in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Fathers are not collateral. They are someone's whole world. Daphne, your dad missed you every day that you were apart. You are together again, but you never should have been separated. We will do everything we can to keep him home with you where he belongs. Madam Speaker, I rise today for 9-year-old Susej. The world has heard your pleas from behind the walls of the Dilley Detention Center. You have been imprisoned for over 60 days, and I want you to know that so many people are pressing for your freedom. You deserve a joyful life free from fear and a childhood filled with love, but this White House and everyone complicit in their wholesale child abuse and neglect has ignored your cries. Your story, brilliance, and voice belong everywhere, so let me read directly from a letter you wrote. You pleaded: I miss my school and my friends. I feel bad since when I came here to this place because I have been here too long. I have been 2 years and 6 months in the United States, and I was happy with my friends in the school, but now I need to leave. Seeing how people like me, immigrants, are being treated changes my perspective about the U.S. My mom and I came to the U.S. looking for a good job and a safe place to live, and my mom was looking for a good job. You believed in the promise of America. I will not stop fighting until you are free. Madam Speaker, I rise today for siblings from Chelsea in my district. Liam, Ailany, and Ashley. Ailany, you were only 2 weeks old when your father was taken by ICE. In the precious days he spent with you, he cared for you with so much love and devotion. I am heartbroken that as the days drag on you are missing out on his voice soothing you, his arms cradling you back to sleep. There is no doubt he loves you deeply. His absence has nothing to do with you. Instead, it is the work of a cruel and callous government that is causing your family lasting harm and heartbreak. Liam, I know at 3 years old you feel the ache of absence and constantly ask for daddy. Your big sister, Ashley, has lost her advocate. Your dad worked hard to get her the support she needed to navigate school and her autism diagnosis daily. Your mom is a determined woman and working hard to keep you all safe, but the weight of this is something no one should have to endure. Madam Speaker, I say to Ailany, Liam, and Ashley that we will do everything we can to bring your daddy back home. He is a good man who has done nothing wrong, and the courts agreed. While he has been brought back to the United States, he remains in ICE custody, denied precious time with his family and his future hanging in the balance. We will not stop fighting until your family is reunited. Madam Speaker, Juan Nicolas, Susej, Ailany, Liam, Ashley, and Daphne, today, I recognize you as my honorary guests to the state of the Union, not because the man who imprisoned you or denied you your parents' care deserves an audience, but because you belong everywhere. You deserve to live and thrive and to take up space. The Halls of Congress don't belong to a dictator. They belong to you. Childhood should be a birthright, but today in America, it is a privilege afforded to the few and not the many. I will fight for you like you are my own because you deserve that.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2026, I convened a Congressional Field Hearing in my district on Haitian TPS Termination. Senator Markey and Representative Moulton also participated along with community stakeholders. I include in the Record my opening remarks: Thank you to Jubilee--we are so appreciative of their partnership in providing this space for us today. I want to also thank tech. I want to thank security, and everyone else. I think it's very apropos on the wake of the many faith events that we have been at celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to invoke one of my favorite adages, which is, when you pray--and we have been doing a lot of that, and I certainly do that as a woman of faith myself-- move your feet. And so, I will continue to pray and to move my feet, to steward every tool available to me in the work of resistance, the actualization of justice and the furthering of progress--using the power of my congressional letterhead, using the power of my pen as a lawmaker, using the power of my platform, using the power of convening, which is what brings us here today. I also do want to take a moment to acknowledge the indefatigable efforts of my staff that I call the A team who make great personal sacrifices and labor in love on behalf of the Massachusetts Seventh every single day, which includes majority of parts Boston, Cambridge, all of Somerville, Randolph, Everett, Chelsea and Milton, can we please just thank my staff? Then, of course, I wish to thank all of you and a partner in good to the left of me. I thank Senator Markey for his collaborative partnership today in this Congressional field hearing. I proudly serve as the Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus, a caucus that had been dissolved that I worked actively to reassemble, not knowing what was on the horizon. And so it is in that role--as the Congresswoman for the Massachusetts Seventh and as the Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus--that we arrive here today. Reviving the Haiti caucus was a significant priority for me, because my district represents the third largest Haitian diaspora in the country. More than 77,000 Haitians call the Commonwealth their home. Our Haitian neighbors are attorneys, nurses, social workers, chefs, artists, teachers, pastors, and elected officials--and so much more. Their contributions are an integral part of our community, culture and economy. And the island of Haiti, which is only a short distance from Florida, must be recognized as an important ally to the United States' national security interests. On a personal note, I credit the people of Haiti, especially as we are coming off of celebrating independence, for teaching me my earliest lessons in the work of resistance. So today, on the one year anniversary--feels much longer--on the one year anniversary of this cruel and hostile administration, we are doing the work of resistance like we did one year ago today. We are here in community, listening to the people closest to the pain. Today's hearing is an opportunity to examine the necessity of extending TPS for Haiti. For those unaware, Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is an immigration designation in recognition of a country facing conflict, disaster or extraordinary conditions, TPS has received bipartisan support for over 30 years as a program. With this status, Haitians have been able to live and work in the United States, whether they came to the US in 2010 after the catastrophic earthquake, or more recently, following the assassination of the President and the rise in gang violence. Which I must acknowledge the trafficking of guns from the United States contributes to. The people of Haiti are our neighbors, and have helped build our communities into loving, joyful, and safe places where everyone can thrive. Now, Massachusetts (I do think these numbers are important), has about 45,000 Haitian TPS holders. So it is in the interest of the integrity of this Massachusetts Seventh and the Commonwealth and our economy and all that keeps our families and our neighborhoods whole. Everyone who calls the Commonwealth Home, who calls the Massachusetts Seventh home, who calls the city of Boston home, should be invested in this fight. Lives and livelihoods are at risk. If Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant crusade are successful, more than 350,000 Haitian nationals will lose their legal status on February 3rd. I want everyone to know that this Congresswoman is fighting tooth and nail to stop this from happening. Since being elected to Congress, I've stood shoulder to shoulder with our immigrant neighbors. Together, we have helped immigrate new arrivals to the Commonwealth by making sure kids are enrolled in school, adults can find work, and families are healthy. In Washington, DC, I've urged Democratic and Republican Presidents alike--Democrat and Republican Presidents alike-- to support Haiti. To support Haiti and its efforts to build the nation, to support a Democratic transition, one that is led by Haitian civil society. And just this month, I voted to pass legislation to strengthen Haiti trade relations and to support its economy. Despite these efforts, we know there is much more work to do, and I'll not stop fighting, and I'm grateful to all those who are in that fight with me, who have been my teachers in this movement. I look forward to hearing from the esteemed panelists on the importance of protecting TPS status and supporting the people of Haiti. For the full video of the hearing, visit https://pressley.house.gov/ 2026/01/20/video-pressley- markey-holdfield-hearing-on-tps-for-haiti- express-solidarity-with-mass-haitian- community/.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, experts from the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: Testimony of Attorney Mirian Albert of Lawyers for Civil Rights to the Congressional Field Hearing on the Termination of Haitian Temporary Protected Status Lawyers for Civil Rights (``LCR'') advocates for communities of color and immigrants through legal action, education, and economic empowerment. On March 3, 2025, LCR fIled a federal lawsuit to block the termination of Temporary Protected Status (``TPS'') for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of three immigrant advocacy organizations--Haitians Americans United, Inc. (``HAU''), Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts (`` VAM''), UndocuBlack Network (``UBN'')--and four individual TPS holders. Today, LCR urges Congress to act to preserve humane immigration protections like TPS. Without those protections, the consequences will be severe, forcing families into crisis, undermining local economies, and pushing communities into unnecessary instability. TPS for Haiti was first designated in 2010, after a catastrophic earthquake. Extensions continued over many years in recognition of Haiti's ongoing instability and humanitarian needs. The designation was most recently extended through February 3, 2026, under a Biden-era decision, reflecting the reality that the conditions prompting the original designation have not meaningfully improved. In February 2025, the Trump Administration attempted to shorten that designation through a ``partial vacatur,'' purporting to cut the TPS period by six months. A federal court ruled the action unlawful and restored the February 3, 2026 expiration date. Despite this ruling, in late 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would not renew Haiti's TPS designation beyond that date. LCR strongly condemned this decision. Terminating TPS amid Haiti's ongoing crisis--including widespread gang violence, political instability, and economic collapse--ignores conditions that even the U.S. State Department continues to warn make travel unsafe. The consequences of this decision are not abstract or speculative; they are immediate and deeply human. If allowed to proceed, the termination of Haitian TPS on February 3, 2026 would impose immediate and serious harms. First, TPS holders would lose protection from deportation absent another lawful status resulting in the sudden destruction of countless lives and the separation of families. Many Haitian TPS recipients have lived in the United States for over a decade, have U.S. citizen children, contribute to the economy, own homes, and have built stable lives rooted in their communities. Termination would suddenly expose over 300,000 Haitian TPS holders to removal proceedings, upending families and lives. Second, work authorization tied to TPS would expire creating a severe gap in the economy. Haitian TPS holders comprise a large portion of essential work in healthcare, education, and other critical sectors. The loss of their labor would harm not only individual families, but also employers, local economies, and public services that rely on their contributions. In light of these realities, LCR urges Congress to take the following actions: Pursue a Pathway to Permanent Residency for TPS Holders. While politically challenging, abandoning long-term TPS holders to indefInite legal limbo, or forcing them into undocumented status, is neither humane nor rational immigration policy. Invest in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' capacity, access, and fairness. Congress should fund and mandate meaningful improvements at USCIS to reduce adjudication backlogs, expand language access, and ensure TPS holders can realistically pursue alternative forms of relief. Increase Funding for Legal Services and Community-Based Organizations. Congress should increase funding for legal services providers and trusted community-based organizations that assist TPS holders with transition planning, applications for relief, and know-your-rights education. Access to legal counsel is often the difference between stability and removal. Terminating Haitian TPS without a humane and legally sound alternative compounds existing injustices and jeopardizes the well-being of families and communities across the United States. We must choose policies rooted in justice, grounded in law, and reflective of this Nation's fundamental values.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, members of the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: Dear Honorable Senator Markey and Honorable Congresswoman Pressley: In response to the slated termination of Temporary Protected Status (``TPS'') for Haitian nationals on February 3, 2026, Rian Immigrant Center respectfully submits the following remarks. Rian Immigrant Center (``Rian'') is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts and serving immigrant and refugee communities across the Commonwealth, primarily through our Immigration Legal Services program. Rian, formerly the Irish Immigration Center and the Irish International Immigrant Center, was founded in 1989 by an Irish nun, Sister Lena Deevy, and a group of volunteer attorneys, to serve Boston's undocumented Irish community. Over the years, Rian has transformed into a vibrant center serving immigrants and refugees from over 125 countries worldwide, and reflecting the rich diversity of the foreign- born communities of Boston and throughout Massachusetts. In fact, early on in our organizational history, our founder Sister Lena understood the importance of building bridges between Boston's immigrant communities to find common ground and to forge mutual support; she understood that the success of Boston's Irish was inextricably linked to the success of all Boston's immigrant communities. Currently and for the last several years, Rian serves immigrants and refugees from Haiti as its single largest client group. Twenty-three percent (519/2276 individuals) of all clients served by Rian in 2025 were of Haitian origin. Our clients include: Haitians who have held TPS since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that triggered the original Department of State designation, and who have held that status continuously for the past 15 years, forging deep roots in our community. These Haitian neighbors work legally, pay income, sales and other tax, and pay into our Social Security system; More newly-arrived Haitian families escaping recent and ongoing waves of intolerable unrest in Haiti, seeking peaceful lives and an opportunity to provide safety to their children; Haitians who were lawfully paroled into the United States to seek asylum from a tremendously backlogged system, who followed proper entry procedures only to now face termination of their protected status; Haitians with TPS in large family units including U.S. citizen children who have never lived in Haiti and are culturally American; and Haitians with medical complexities receiving life-saving or life-extending treatment in the Boston area, who would be unable to receive comparable care if returned to Haiti. TPS is a life-line for Rim's Haitian client base. It provides protection from removal to a country indisputably in the throes of unrest. It provides access to work authorization, so that protected individuals can lawfully work, support their families, pay taxes to the federal and state government, and contribute to the economy. Most importantly, it is a status authorized by Congress for nationals of countries who cannot safely repatriate. Last year, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Noem announced that she was terminating Haitian TPS because conditions in Haiti no longer supported an ongoing designation. That decision was not based in any honest interpretation of the facts; it is indisputable that Haitian nationals cannot safely repatriate at this time. Rian represents many Haitian-American U.S. citizens petitioning to lawfully bring their spouses and minor children to the U.S. through the established family reunification process. Many of these families have been stuck in limbo and separated for five or more years, as the U.S. embassy remains closed to normal visa operations due to instability and dangerous conditions. The evacuation of consular officers from the U.S. embassy; the suspension of normal consular operations for several years; reports of active gunfire between U.S. Marines guarding the embassy and violent gang members; and Department of State-issued travel warnings for Haiti all point to the inaccurate, if not flagrantly deceptive nature of Secretary Noem's TPS termination announcement. To send Haitian citizens back to these actively unsafe conditions, while lying that the conditions support their safe return, would be a humanitarian travesty, one not rooted in reality and without any productive purpose. TPS, established by Congress, exists exactly to protect individuals from returning to such conditions our Haitian community members fear returning to today. Rian urges Congress to advocate for an extension of TPS based on the indisputable facts on the ground. A country presumably following the rule of law cannot allow decisions on TPS terminations to be made wholly without factual support. Beyond this, we urge Congress to find a permanent solution for Haitian TPS holders who are so clearly at the whim of an anti-immigrant administration. Our Haitian neighbors in Greater Boston are tax-paying, law-abiding and productive community members, caring for our children and our elderly, staffing our reputable hospitals, and raising the next generation of U.S. citizen children ready to positively contribute to our society. We lose nothing, and stand only to gain, by allowing TPS holders a pathway to permanent status, or at least ongoing protection while the emergency conditions in Haiti exist, as Congress intended in establishing TPS in the first place. Respectfully submitted, Jacqueline Kelley, On behalf of Rian Immigrant Center.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, witnesses from the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: To the Honorable Congresswoman Pressley, Senator Markey, and other participating members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, Thank you for receiving this testimony in support of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. I am a primary care physician at the MGB Chelsea Community Health Center in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where I care for adults and children. I also serve as Associate Medical Director for Internal Medicine for the MGH Center for Immigrant Health and as faculty at Harvard Medical School. I write this testimony in my individual capacity and my views do not necessarily reflect those of my employers. Securing the ongoing designation of TPS for Haitians is critical for the health of all people in our Commonwealth. We know that Haitian health care workers make up a huge percentage of our health care workforce, particularly in entry-level jobs like home health aides, certified nursing assistants, and nursing home staff, which have already been facing critical staffing shortages. As the population ages, these shortages will become even more pronounced. Already, nearly half of US nursing homes report they've had to limit admissions because of staffing shortages and only 19% currently meet the minimum staffing levels that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have mandated these facilities achieve by 2029. I myself have encountered challenges with my own patients--some have lingered on inpatient units for extra days waiting for a rehab facility to have a bed available. Others have reported feeling rushed out of the rehab facilities before they were ready-- potentially a result of the high demand and backlog of bed availability. These problems will only get worse with the end of TPS for Haitians. Across the US, approximately 3.9% of immigrant healthcare workers, and 1.7% of all home health aides in the US are from Haiti. The Massachusetts Senior Care Association, which presents nearly 400 nursing and rehab facilities across the Commonwealth, estimates that 2,000 caregivers at their facilities will be affected with the ending of TPS. In our hospital system, many of our colleagues will likely be dismissed once they lose the work permits that have been tied to TPS status. This hurts all of us--our patients, our hospital system, and, of course, our impacted colleagues and their families. In addition to the impact on the healthcare labor force, there are many additional health impacts that are expected to come because of TPS termination for Haitians. Many Haitian TPS-holders express a fear for their lives if they were to return to Haiti. Furthermore, the Haitian health care system, despite the valiant efforts of brave healthcare workers, is in shambles and many facilities have been forced to close. Patients I have cared for with complex medical issues, that rely on daily medication or regular treatments for their well-being, will most likely be forced to forego care. That is, if they survive the tragic violence engulfing the country. For those who evade deportation and are forced to live undocumented in the US, the stress of living with fear of detention and deportation is known to increase risks for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical health symptoms. These health impacts extend to family members and citizen children, and can be exacerbated if families avoid seeking social services and health care for which their children are eligible, out of fear of deportation. I have already been seeing the impact of this fear on Haitian immigrants I care for in the community. The fear can be disabling. Naturally, the impacts on citizen children are even more severe if the child is separated from their caregiver through detention and deportation. Multiple studies demonstrated that children who are experience this type of family separation suffer increased rates of mental health disorders, developmental delays, and long-term health problems. I have witnessed these impacts in my own patients who have had parents deported. Of course, the main reason TPS for Haitians should be extended is because it's simply the right thing to do, given the extreme violence and instability Haiti is experiencing right now (and, not to forget, the US's role in fomenting that instability over the years). Our Haitian neighbors, like all people, deserve to live with dignity, peace, and freedom. That is what allows people to not only be healthy, but to thrive, and to contribute to our Commonwealth in countless ways. In addition, it's important to consider the impacts that ending TPS for Haiti will have on population health, health care workforce, and impacted families and communities in Massachusetts, as I have discussed above. At the very least, if TPS is ultimately revoked this February 3rd, we must think creatively about ways to support impacted families so that their livelihoods, well-being, and health can still be supported within our communities. Sincerely, Juliana E. Morris, MD, EdM

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Congressional Field Hearing on Haitian TPS Termination held in the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, constituents from the community were invited to discuss the importance of extending TPS for Haitian nationals. Therefore, I include in the Record their testimonies: Thank you, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Ed Markey, for holding this public forum to hear directly from TPS holders like myself. My name is Jose Urias, and I am a TPS holder from El Salvador. I am also one of the Co-Coordinators of the Massachusetts TPS Committee and a member of the National TPS Alliance. I have lived in Malden, Massachusetts for over 20 years with my wife and two U.S. citizen children. I work hard every day to provide for my family and to be a productive member of my community in Malden. I am very proud of my two children. My oldest is 19 years old and is in the second year of college. I would love to be able to go to his graduation. My youngest is 13 and is in middle school in the Malden schools. Like nearly 15% of other TPS holders, I've started a business, employing others and generating economic activity for my local community. I run a construction and real estate business that is helping to rebuild and revitalize housing throughout my community. Over the past few years, my company has worked on 56 houses. I'm proud of my team's ability to fix up homes and provide high-quality housing to new homeowners in my community. Across the country, TPS holders like me generate $21 billion for the U.S. economy each year. But it's incredibly hard doing that, especially now with so much uncertainty about our status. Bank financing is very important to my business. I need loans to purchase properties and to help finance the upgrades and repairs I make to those properties. How can I get a loan to finance one of my development projects when I don't know what my legal status will be in a year? If TPS is canceled, I would be forced to close my business. This would not only have a negative impact on my family, it would have a negative impact on my local community. My employees would no longer have work. Most of my vendors are other local businesses, and they would no longer have my business. The closing of my small business would have hundreds of thousands of dollars of negative economic impact on my local community. I have lived in the United States for over 30 years. There is nothing ``temporary'' about the life I have built here. I have set down roots, grown a family, and built a business. Instead of canceling TPS, we need a legislative solution that creates a path to permanent residency for families like mine. Immigrants like myself have been the economic engine of the United States since its founding. Please help me continue to do that by protecting TPS and creating a permanent path to residency in this country. Thank you for your time, Jose Urias Business Owner & Co-Coordinator of the Massachusetts TPS Committee

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in defense of communities across America terrorized by the dangerous, rogue, and violent actions perpetrated by ICE agents. Millions have seen the videos of ICE shooting and killing Renee Good, a poet and mother who was unarmed and trying to drive away. Following her tragic death at the hands of law enforcement, Republicans rushed to deny the truth and smear the victim, a playbook that has been employed frequently, especially against the Black community. Now, the White House is claiming ICE agents have immunity from lawsuits. Enough. That is why I will reintroduce my bill to end qualified immunity to hold Federal agents accountable for breaking the law and killing our neighbors. This bill is for Renee Good and so many others, like Keith Porter, a proud girl dad who was killed by an ICE agent in Los Angeles. This bill is also for Nenko Gantchev from Chicago, who died in ICE custody after living in the United States for 30 years. Mr. Speaker, this bill is for every person in America, citizen or not, to know that when ICE agents break the law, they should be held accountable. For the families of these victims, Congress must end qualified immunity.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and legacy of Alice Wong. Alice was a civil rights and disability justice activist who called the question that changed the conversation. She stoked our consciousness, built community, and saved lives. She was a published author, community organizer, and a beloved friend. Alice was unapologetic in her pursuit of building a more just world and shining a light on issues society hesitated to address. She saw the humanity of everyone and spoke about intersectionality from her hometown to Capitol Hill to Gaza to the border. She affirmed that mutual aid was not a nice to have, but a lifeline. She loved science fiction as it gave her the ability to think of a world where choices weren't limited because of a person's disability. She gave us all permission and fortitude to dream of what is possible. Mr. Speaker, Alice is already deeply missed, and her legacy carries on.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Massachusetts Seventh's very own Super Bowl champions, the Randolph High School Blue Devils. Showcasing electric offense and stifling defense, the Blue Devils shut out West Boylston at Gillette Stadium, capping off an undefeated season with another championship. These student-athletes have made their school and families proud and proven to themselves and the Commonwealth that the town of Randolph has the talent, commitment, and the tenacity to succeed on and off the field. I thank Superintendent Stovell Herndon, Principal Licorish, Head Coach Jon Marshall, the players, and the entire team for putting teamwork on display at the highest level. Congratulations on earning the Division 8 Super Bowl title. Go, Blue Devils. In Memory of Alice Wong

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today carrying the voices and the lives of the people in the Massachusetts Seventh whose survival depends on the Affordable Care Act tax credits: the grandmother skipping meals to pay for her prescriptions; the young mom lying awake at night wondering how she will afford her baby's asthma inhaler if premiums go up; families like Deborah's in Boston, staring down premiums that will double while they care for loved ones, serve their community, and do everything right. These are not abstract numbers. These are real people with real lives and real fears about whether they will be able to see a doctor, fill a prescription, or keep their families healthy. In my district alone, 29,000 people will be forced to pay more for healthcare if Congress fails to act, and up to 35,000 could lose their coverage entirely. This is a shameful policy choice. It is a choice, a choice by my colleagues across the aisle, and it is a violent one at that. Let me tell you more about Deborah. Her family buys insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Right now, for a family of five, they pay just over $1,000 a month. If these ACA tax credits expire, they will pay nearly $2,000 a month for an even worse plan, and that doesn't even include their daughter, who has aged out of the plan, is underpaid in her job, and whose premiums they will have to help cover. Deborah told me they are fortunate they can afford it, but that affordability does come at a cost. Between paying for their premiums, their son's college tuition, and caring for her disabled sister, Deborah's husband, a dedicated public defender, now works weekends just to keep up. As Deborah told me: Even work you love shouldn't require you to give up every day of your life just to survive. Mr. Speaker, Deborah's story is no anomaly. It is the reality for millions of families across this country, and this crisis did not happen by accident. No, this is manufactured, man-made. It was manufactured by an occupant of the Oval Office and a Republican Party that is hell-bent on making families poorer, sicker, hungrier, and less safe. It is the same party that was content to let these lifesaving tax credits expire until Democrats had to force them to vote on a clean 3- year extension. That is the shame and the sham of it all. Dr. King once profoundly said: ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane because it often results in physical death.'' His words still ring true today. Mr. Speaker, healthcare isn't a nice-to-have. It is a fundamental human right. It is a matter of life and death. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do right by the people who sent them here and join us in passing this extension before it is too late. Congratulating Randolph Blue Devils

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, the wealth of our Nation is the health of our people. Yet Republicans are doing everything in their power to make families sicker. They want to deny children food, ban abortion care, and obstruct the extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies. This is dire for folks in my district where, in a 3-mile radius, life expectancy drops by 30 years. For my constituent, Paula, whose husband lost his job and became ill, the ACA has been their lifeline, carrying them through years of uncertainty as she became his caregiver. This is a healthcare crisis that Republicans created, and it is intersectional. Abortion care is healthcare. Once again, the Republicans are using abortion care as a political bargaining chip. The truth: Republicans will send premiums sky high just to stop families from using their own money on a plan that covers abortion. They are not just putting healthcare out of reach for millions; they are further restricting reproductive care. The shame and the sham of it all. Mr. Speaker, we have the votes to extend these subsidies and save healthcare for our constituents. The House must vote on it now.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. Every parent wants to keep their child safe, wants their child to grow without pain, to sleep through the night without fear or suffering. But when our children are growing up, it is inevitable that they will need medical care, from a fall from a bike or a fall on the playground. Parents rush to the doctor's office. They bandage scraped knees. They hold their child's hand and wipe away tears while their pediatrician lays out a plan. In these moments, that urgent question on that parent's mind is: What does my child need to be okay? A broken bone, asthma, gender dysphoria, diabetes, whatever the presenting issue is, a treatment plan takes shape. For some families, what their children need to be okay is access to gender-affirming care. They need care that is safe, evidence-based, and recognized as essential by every major medical association; care, that for some children, is the difference between despair and hope, between isolation and community, between surviving and thriving. Yet today, we are debating a bill that would tell parents on Medicaid that their child's pain is unworthy of care, that their doctor's judgment does not matter, and that politicians know better than parents sitting in exam rooms. Cole, a young person from Massachusetts, wrote to me and said: Transgender people deserve the same chance to thrive and live fulfilling lives as everyone else. Having the freedom to control our bodies and seek the healthcare we need, including gender-affirming care, is an essential right for all people. I agree. To Cole and every person who is trans or nonbinary, let me speak plainly: You belong. You are enough, and you deserve to show up in this world as your full, authentic self. You deserve to grow up. You deserve to grow old. Healthcare is a human right, and parents doing everything they can to make sure their child is okay deserve support, not interference, and certainly not cruelty. I don't know what God y'all pray to, but the one that I know is a loving God, and He does not discriminate. His love does not discriminate. He loves all the children, including the trans children. Healthcare is a human right, and parents doing everything they can to make sure their child is okay deserve support. Shame on this bill. Shame on an agenda that strips healthcare away from vulnerable children, and shame on anyone who votes to deny care to families trying to do right by their kids.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this year's massive $900 billion military spending bill. This legislation gives more money to the so-called Department of War than to our Department of Education, Transportation, and Health and Human Services combined. Mr. Speaker, can you ask my Republican colleagues to get serious about helping the American public? I know you seem to be judged by the content of your character. It is certainly poor character to be not supporting our military servicemembers and their families. This mammoth bill does not support them either. It certainly is poor character to block healthcare coverage for IVF, despite the fact that IVF is critical for helping Active-Duty personnel grow their families. It certainly is poor character to ban initiatives associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion, even though these cuts will undermine military readiness. This mammoth bill expands the administration's power to attack immigrants, including for our Haitian neighbors. The few good things in this legislation do not outweigh the cruelty and the harm that will undoubtedly come if it is signed into law. The public does not support this bill and neither do I. That is why I am a ``no'' vote.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. It would be an honor.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Green for yielding and for his moral clarity and always for his leadership, especially during these deeply consequential times. Mr. Speaker, every parent hopes that no harm, heartbreak, or hardship finds their child. We want our children, especially when they are babies, to know safety, warmth, full bellies, and a peaceful slumber. When they are young, especially during the fall and winter months in the throes of cold and flu season, little ones carry raspy coughs and runny noses home from the playground. Dads tuck their little ones in at night under a warm blanket hoping they will sleep okay. They hold their babies to their chest and listen for the threat of labored breathing, wondering if they will have to make an ER run in the middle of the night. They whisper a prayer every parent of every faith knows: I hope my baby is okay. But for parents in Gaza as the weather turns, heavy rainfall and freezing temperatures present new threats. Palestinian families have endured a genocidal campaign for years. Their homes have been reduced to rubble. Many have no warm jacket to wrap their child in or a dry blanket to tuck them under, and still they whisper the same prayer: I hope my baby is okay. Mr. Speaker, in Gaza, children have been murdered as U.S. bombs deployed by the Israeli Army have rained down on civilians. Children have been murdered by sniper fire and starvation. Every one of those more than 20,000 children murdered was someone's whole world. Since the cease-fire was declared, the media and the world have shifted their gaze, but families in Gaza still live under constant threat: of violence, of the elements, of starvation. Earlier this year, my colleagues, Congresswoman Pettersen and Senator Gallego, and I led over 100 Members of Congress in urging the State Department to immediately surge humanitarian aid and ready-to-feed infant formula to families in Gaza to save lives. In a written response, the State Department expressed concern about the crisis, but words without action are not only empty, they are deadly. We have doubled down on our cause and demand the State Department send Members of Congress a weekly update on exactly how much aid is entering Gaza and reaching desperate families. However, Mr. Speaker, aid alone is not enough, especially not for our children who have suffered injuries, especially not for children with disabilities and complex medical conditions. Medical evacuation is a critical aspect of lifesaving humanitarian work, and right now over 16,500 people are waiting to be medically evacuated from Gaza for essential treatment. I recently heard from a mother named Hadeel. Seven months ago, her 6- year-old son died while awaiting medical evacuation. He suffered from a kidney condition, and the decimated medical system in Gaza could not provide him the care he needed to survive. Now her daughter, Lana, who suffers from the same kidney condition, is on the wait list for medical evacuation. Each day that goes by without adequate treatment, Lana's life is in danger. Hadeel is no different from the parent in Boston who clutches their child in their arms and listens for labored breathing as they ride out the flu. Just like that parent, she would do anything for her baby. Just like that parent, she whispers a prayer: I hope they will be okay. Every child deserves to live and thrive. In the timeless words of James Baldwin: ``The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.'' Mr. Speaker, the United States of America built, bought, and sold the bombs that killed Palestinians throughout this horrific genocidal campaign carried out by the Israeli military. The United States of America once claimed to be a moral and just authority, but today all the globe sees is the blood on the hands of this Nation. It is not too late to appeal to our better angels, to act with urgency to save lives, to support medical evacuations, to surge baby formula and aid, to chart a path forward to save lives. Every child is someone's whole world. Every life is a universe, and our destinies are tied.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mother Viola Ford Fletcher. She was a living monument to truth- telling and righteous resistance, a steward of Black history and cultural preservation. At 111 years old, she carried within her the memories of one of our Nation's darkest chapters, the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, and she bore these memories with unmatched grace and courage. Mother Fletcher refused to let this Nation look away. She traveled the world demanding justice, not just for herself or her family, but for Greenwood, for the generations robbed of life and prosperity. When she testified in this very institution, her voice shook the Halls of Congress and the conscience of our Nation. Mother Fletcher's passing is a profound loss, but her legacy is a call to continue to fight for full reparations. May we honor her transition to ancestor by moving in her spirit with unyielding hope, moral clarity, and faith that justice, though delayed, is not denied.