Katie Porter

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chairman, I agree with my Republican colleagues that we do need bipartisan action on drug pricing. Negotiating drug prices is not partisan to the American people; it is common sense. But let's be clear. The amendment to this bill is not bipartisan. Only Republicans have cosponsored this amendment.

Ms. PORTER. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is correct that there are many provisions in the amendment that do have strong bipartisan support, including, for example, making permanent the medical expense tax deduction. The problem with the amendment is it doesn't tackle the fundamental problem, which is reducing drug prices. This amendment fails to solve the main problem of actually lowering drug prices. This is why Senator Grassley has been a sponsor on the Republican side in the Senate of the kinds of things I have worked on that are included in this bill that would address price gouging, the ability of pharmaceutical companies to raise prices multiple times in a single year. This bill, H.R. 3, would let us capture the taxpayer savings from that. The GAO found that fewer than one in five new drugs are truly innovative. It is true that we need new cures, new cures for Alzheimer's, new cures for ALS, but H.R. 3 makes sure not just that we have new cures by increasing science research, but makes sure that those new cures are going to be affordable and can actually get into the hands of Americans. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, claims that H.R. 3 will devastate research and stop cures are fearmongering. H.R. 3 makes substantial investment in public research to help create new cures and, most importantly, will make sure those cures actually can help people in their lives. It is only fair that the government, elected by the taxpayers, and the administration, appointed by elected officials, should get to negotiate drug prices, and it will not come at the expense of innovation. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time remains.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue to come up with ways to support drug innovation and support the kind of innovation that is happening in Orange County, the area that I represent. But we have to tackle the fundamental problem here, which is that pharmaceutical companies are gouging Americans; they are overcharging them; and they are leaving lifesaving drugs out of the hands of the American people each and every day. This amendment does not tackle that fundamental problem. Today, 9 out of 10 big pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing, sales, and overhead than they do on research. I am proud to support the package of H.R. 3 because it will tackle the fundamental problem of permitting price negotiation and making drugs more affordable for Americans. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I was present but my vote did not register on rollcall No. 668 on December 11, 2019 due to a machine malfunction. I voted by inserting my machine card into the machine with several minutes remaining. The system apparently did not record my ``yea'' vote. I was present on the House floor for the duration of the vote. Had my vote been recorded, it would have been recorded as ``yea.''

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present for votes on December 6, 2019. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 652, NAY on Roll Call No. 653, and YEA on Roll Call No. 654.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Ms. Margie Wakeham for her 30 years of public service to the Orange County community. As the CEO of Families Forward for 26 years, Ms. Wakeham has led the fight for families in need to achieve and maintain self- sufficiency through wraparound services that include career counseling, housing, and an onsite food pantry, among other vital programs. As a young woman, Ms. Wakeham served as a group counselor to incarcerated youth, and later, an investigator for the juvenile court systems in San Diego and Orange Counties. Ever the trailblazer, Ms. Wakeham was an active mother who continued to be involved with local service organizations while raising her children. It was as a mother that she realized the profound need for school improvements, which inspired her candidacy and nearly two decades of service as an Irvine Unified School Board Member. As a champion for Irvine schools, Ms. Wakeham was moved to action when she learned of the serious struggles by families in her community due to food and housing insecurities. Through first-hand insight into the heartbreaking stories of children growing up alongside her own children, Ms. Wakeham knew action was needed. In the early 1990s, Wakeham served as a board member of the previously titled organization, Irvine Temporary Housing, which had been helping shelter families since 1984. In 1993, Ms. Wakeham joined a team of distinguished leaders throughout the City of Irvine to save the nonprofit from closing its doors. Ms. Wakeham transformed the newly minted Families Forward into a major success, housing thousands of families in our community and scoring top ratings from nonprofit watchdogs for fiscal management. In many ways, the renaming of Families Forward resembles a tectonic shift in service delivery for Orange County. Over the last three years, an astounding 95 percent of the families served by Families Forward did not reappear in the homeless services provider system. This stands as a testament to its steady leadership under Ms. Wakeham. When we end homelessness in Orange County, it will be because of the hard work and foundation-laying of community advocates like Ms. Wakeham. Today, we celebrate not only her success as a leader, but also the bright future Families Forward to the community. I am proud to recognize Ms. Margie Wakeham for her commitment to serving the 45th Congressional District of California.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my votes on November 20, 2019 for rollcall 632, rollcall 633, rollcall 634, rollcall 635, and rollcall 636. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall 632, ``yes'' on rollcall 633, ``yes'' on rollcall 634 (H.R. 737--Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act), ``yes'' on rollcall 635 (S. 1838--Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019), and ``yes'' on rollcall 636 (S. 2710--To prohibit the commercial export of covered munitions items to the Hong Kong Police Force). I am proud to support the people of Hong Kong.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I am a single mom. When I ran for Congress last year, I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on childcare. Running for Federal office requires 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100-hour workweeks, and I worked nearly every single day, including every single weekend. I also worked challenging hours, often starting at 5:30 a.m. and ending with campaign events stretching late into the evening. I juggled more than a dozen childcare providers for nearly 2 years, without whom I would have never made it to Congress. I have three children. When I started my campaign, Betsy was 6, Paul was 9, and Luke was 11. Leaving them alone was not an option; and bringing them on the campaign trail was impossible or inappropriate. For the past two centuries, Congress has written many, many laws about what women may or may not do. But until this year, women's representation in Congress was less than 20 percent. With the election of the historic class of 2018, we hit 23.4 percent, 102 women, and that number is still egregiously low. There are even fewer moms in Congress and even fewer moms of young kids and even fewer single moms of young kids, as in just me. A major barrier to women running for elected office is their inability to afford the amount or type of childcare needed in a campaign. That is why I introduced the Help America Run Act, which will explicitly allow candidates for Federal office to use campaign contributions to pay for childcare as well as other types of dependent care, such as eldercare. Right now, candidates can use campaign funds for a whole gamut of expenses, from pizza for exhausted staff to cybersecurity for digital devices. But the law does not make it clear that childcare is among those allowed expenses. Like so many laws, there is an assumption of a female caregiver behind every male elected official. In part because of that, moms who continue to shoulder the majority of childcare responsibilities also struggle to run for Congress. Until women are fully and equally present in Congress, women's perspectives will continue to be underrepresented. The result is a weaker democracy for the people. I am proud that this bill previously passed the House as part of H.R. 1, the For the People Act. Now, with the support of my congressional colleagues on both sides of the aisle, the House is taking this additional step to support women and candidates with families by passing the Help America Run Act. Access to childcare services was a problem I faced like so many other single parents long before I decided to run for office. Every parent, not just those running for Congress, deserves to have access to quality, affordable childcare. The Help America Run Act should be only the beginning. Today isn't just about passing legislation to open up the Halls of Congress for single moms or single dads. It is about creating pathways for every parent and every American, regardless of socioeconomic status, to be able to achieve their goals. We all deserve a Congress that reflects the diversity of families and households in our country. This bill will help America run and, in the process, will help America's Congress run better.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his bipartisanship and his cooperation on this because democracy is not a partisan value. Democracy is about letting every voice in this country be heard. Those voices should reflect the diversity of this country, both socioeconomically and geographically, but also in terms of family status. I think everyone in America should be grateful that my children were well supervised during the campaign, and I am grateful that I was able to piece together the childcare that I needed to run. But this bill is not about any one of us. It is about the benefits that every one of us here and every American will get from having a more diverse Congress, from having voices heard that sometimes are not heard. There are millions and millions and millions of single parents, men and women, in this country, and there is one in the United States Congress. Whether that will change next year or in 10 years, I don't know, but I want every American who wants to serve in this body, who wants to come together to work for the good of the American people, to have the opportunity to make that happen and not to have to choose between being a parent and being a good parent and caring about your kids, and being a good American and being a good Congress Member.

Ms. PORTER. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, the legislation provides an opportunity and a choice for each candidate to decide, in their own campaign and from their own donors, whether or not they want to use these funds for childcare. Many people will choose not to, just like many of us choose as candidates not to seek reimbursement for pizza or not to seek reimbursement for any number of allowable FEC expenses. But this bill is also going to stop the FEC from having to again and again and again--every time a parent of young children wants to run, from having to make that expensive and time-consuming appeal to the FEC and waste its resources when this simply should be a clear, straightforward policy.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mr. Henry S. Barbosa as the recipient of the Legacy Award, which will be presented during the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Orange County Conservation Corps (OCCC). Mr. Barbosa has served for seven years on the Board of OCCC, which is a voluntary work and learn program that provides an opportunity for at- risk and disadvantaged youths, age 18 to 25. Corpsmembers have a chance to earn a living while learning valuable employment skills through job training and attending an on-site charter school. Mr. Barbosa's long and distinguished record of service to his community stretches well beyond his time with OCCC. His legal career began as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County and continued over 27 years in private practice, primarily representing cities and other public agencies throughout California. Mr. Barbosa also acted as Assistant General Counsel to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. In recognition of his community leadership, Mr. Barbosa was designated as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commission's Blue Ribbon Panel to analyze the causes of and response to the Rampart area police corruption scandal. He was an elected public official for 10 years, serving as the President and a Director of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District representing Rowland Heights and as a member of the Board for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Mr. Barbosa was appointed to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee that developed statewide regulations for landfills management. Mr. Barbosa continues to advocate for inclusion in our communities. He has served for 10 years as Vice-Chair of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a nation-wide advocacy group for greater access by minorities in film and broadcast media. I thank Mr. Barbosa for his leadership and commitment to service and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mr. Henry S. Barbosa as the recipient of the Legacy Award, which will be presented during the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Orange County Conservation Corps (OCCC). Mr. Barbosa has served for seven years on the Board of OCCC, which is a voluntary work and learn program that provides an opportunity for at- risk and disadvantaged youths, age 18 to 25. Corpsmembers have a chance to earn a living while learning valuable employment skills through job training and attending an on-site charter school. Mr. Barbosa's long and distinguished record of service to his community stretches well beyond his time with OCCC. His legal career began as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County and continued over 27 years in private practice, primarily representing cities and other public agencies throughout California. Mr. Barbosa also acted as Assistant General Counsel to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. In recognition of his community leadership, Mr. Barbosa was designated as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commission's Blue Ribbon Panel to analyze the causes of and response to the Rampart area police corruption scandal. He was an elected public official for 10 years, serving as the President and a Director of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District representing Rowland Heights and as a member of the Board for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Mr. Barbosa was appointed to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee that developed statewide regulations for landfills management. Mr. Barbosa continues to advocate for inclusion in our communities. He has served for 10 years as Vice-Chair of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a nation-wide advocacy group for greater access by minorities in film and broadcast media. I thank Mr. Barbosa for his leadership and commitment to service and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Georgia for her leadership on this issue and for being here tonight to talk about those defrauded students who are being hurt and suffering around this country and whose voices are not being heard here in Congress. I also rise to talk about the college affordability crisis in our country. Next week, freshmen in college and their families will be faced with their first tuition bill. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost per year is just over $19,000 for a public 4-year university and nearly $40,000 for a private university. The price tag for postsecondary education is spiraling out of control, and the cost of college is increasing at a rate almost eight times faster than wages. Today, nearly 43 million Americans--that is one in six adults--have Federal student loan debt. The Federal student loan portfolio has risen to over $1.5 trillion, more than doubling from just a decade ago. Tomorrow's graduates will face an average debt of $30,000, a crippling amount for any young person to shoulder, before they have even entered the workforce. That amount of debt, that figure, increases every single year, while students' ability to pay off this debt does not. Even with the most generous interest rate--4 percent for Federal direct student loans--borrowers will owe over $300 a month on a standard repayment timeline of 10 years, and they will pay $6,500 in interest alone. In 2017, Young Invincibles released a report on the financial decline of millennials compared to baby boomers. Their findings are unsurprising for those of us familiar with college debt. Despite low unemployment and economic growth, young adults are significantly worse off than those in the generation before them. And for those students who are unable to complete their college degrees, the forecast is even worse. This is where the real problem lies. According to the Department of Education, only 56 percent of borrowers who left before completing their degrees are able to lift themselves out of that debt. In 2012, in my book, ``Broke: How Debt Bankrupts the Middle Class,'' I wrote about the financial risks of attending college, especially for those who are unable to complete their degrees. It is true that the typical worker with a bachelor's degree earns 71 percent more than a worker with only a high school diploma. But those caught in the middle between the high school degree and the bachelor's degree are at the highest risk of financial instability. While the overall level of education in our country has increased, the largest group of people in bankruptcy remains those with some college. And let's be clear: Many of these students who are unable to complete degrees are not uninterested in an education. They enrolled in college and they wanted to earn that degree. And many would still love to finish their degrees. But according to the Department of Education, the majority of those who leave college do so because of job or financial demands. In fact, fewer than 8 percent of student loan debtors in bankruptcy reported that they left college because they did not want to continue their education. Many of these families and students face demands to care for family members or are unable to continue to pay their tuition or meet their living expenses. And those who are most harmed are those who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to begin with. The power of Pell grants and other Federal funding streams has dropped dramatically as the cost of a college education has skyrocketed. And to make matters worse, this administration is rolling back protections for students attending for-profit colleges where some of the worst abuses have occurred. I recently spoke with one of my constituents, a 30-year-old man named Tom who lives in Irvine. Tom's parents didn't earn high school degrees. Not only did he want to finish high school, he wanted to get a college degree. A few years after graduating from high school, after working multiple jobs to make ends meet, Tom started searching for a program that would help him pursue his passion for graphic design. He found The Art Institute of California online and filled out an interest form. A recruiter soon called him, and he was incredibly excited to join the program and work toward a degree. He didn't realize at that time that ``anyone who could find a way to pay'' would likely be accepted. Tom explained to me that the tools and code that they taught were outdated and that his access to his instructors was nearly nonexistent. He graduated with an associate's degree and with more than $50,000 in debt. But he graduated with none of the skills that he needed for success. While working jobs completely unrelated to his field of study, Tom worked to teach himself the skills he actually needed, and today he has managed to become a senior designer for a digital marketing agency. But his student loan debt is a constant weight on his shoulders. He recently got married, and as he considers starting a family, he finds himself wondering if he will be able to financially provide for his children when he, himself, still owes tens of thousands of dollars. I recently joined with my colleagues in introducing the Relief for Defrauded Students Act of 2019, which would help borrowers who were defrauded or misled by their colleges, as the Department of Education Undersecretary Betsy DeVos has failed to follow through with promises made to protect borrowers. But this is not enough. As we have seen all too frequently, the Department of Education and Secretary DeVos cannot be trusted to safeguard the interests of students whom, by law, they are obligated to protect. Because of that, I believe that we should require information sharing between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education and that this information sharing would help make sure that the consumer agency's student loan ombudsman has the data necessary to understand the challenges that borrowers are facing. That is why I introduced the CFPB Student Loan Integrity and Transparency Act. The bill does just what its name suggests. It mandates that the Department of Education and student loan servicers share information and cooperate with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's student loan education ombudsman. That ombudsman is the number one Federal official tasked with advocating for students struggling to repay Federal student loans. The bill also requires that the ombudsman's office be fully staffed at all times so that the office can conduct the level of oversight necessary to protect student borrowers. On the ninth anniversary of the passage of Dodd-Frank, it is time that we take stock of the protections of that landmark legislation that prevents another financial crisis. Many of these protections, the administration and my Republican colleagues have chosen to strip away. Even if piecemeal, we must reanimate those protections established under Dodd-Frank or we will again face the kind of dire consequences that fell on the shoulders of American families in 2008. I wrote my book, ``Broke: How Debt Bankrupts the Middle Class,'' in 2012. That was 7 years ago. The college affordability crisis is not new to this country, and it is not new to this Congress. The crisis has been going on for years. While students are unable to finish their educations because of the financial burdens and lack of student supports, while thousands face bankruptcy because of the high costs of college, Congress has done nothing. In the 7 months that I have been here, Congress has done nothing. How much longer will we wait to address the student loan crisis? Because the students who are buried in debt, many from degrees that they were unable to finish because of financial pressure, cannot keep waiting. Every day that we do nothing, we are failing every single person in this country who pursues a postsecondary education. We are stifling our economy and actively preventing the most vulnerable people from achieving economic stability and success. No one in Congress, Democrat or Republican, should accept this. We are failing our Nation's students. As a mother of three young children, I refuse to stand by and let this happen. That is why I have joined with my colleague, Representative Jahana Hayes, to found the first-ever Congressional College Affordability Caucus. Before being elected to Congress, I was a university professor, and I spent nearly two decades helping consumers who were facing bankruptcy. The mission of the College Affordability Caucus is to convene a diverse group of Congress Members to discuss the main drivers of the increasing cost of higher education and the resulting accessibility barriers to students who are seeking a postsecondary degree or credential. The College Affordability Caucus will highlight solutions to the student loan default crisis, ensure that adequate guardrails are in place to protect every student from predatory actors, and reduce barriers to college completion that subsequently heighten college debt repayment problems for far too many students. As we move forward to a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, I hope that the College Affordability Caucus can work with other congressional leaders for whom this is a priority to make sure that we are protecting our students and ensuring that everyone has access to a high-quality, affordable education. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I was present and attempted to vote ``yea'' by electronic means. My card did not register and I was unable to record my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 434.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill that would increase funding for the court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, and guardian ad litem programs. In 2017, nine out of every 1,000 American children were victims of abuse or neglect. These experiences have a lasting effect, impacting a child's future in ways that are often not apparent in the days, weeks, or months after the trauma of abuse or neglect occurs. Providing support and advocacy for these children can make an enormous difference in their lives, and that is where the CASA program comes in. CASA serves abused, neglected, and abandoned children through the recruitment and training of volunteers who advocate on behalf of children in courtrooms and other settings. Mr. Chair, imagine being a 6-year-old child suffering from parental abuse. Home is not a safe place, and the secret that you, at only 6 years old, carry with you every day prevents you from speaking to your friends and your teachers and keeps you from making friends and building relationships. Now, Mr. Chair, imagine that a neighbor calls the police after overhearing abuse. You are finally removed from a home that is filled with traumatic memories, but you are now looking at a scary and uncertain future in the foster system, and you will have to face your abuser in court. That is where the CASA program comes in. They step in to provide a lifeline, a guide, a friend, and an advocate for the child. Every year, more than 85,000 volunteers advocate on behalf of the 260,000 children who experience abuse and neglect. CASA advocates help these children find their voices or even speak for them as they navigate the child welfare system. CASA of Orange County has worked with more than 7,050 children in the 34 years that the program has served our community, and they have trained nearly 3,500 volunteers. CASA of Orange County used essential funding to support Malena, an 11-year-old Orange County resident diagnosed with autism. In the 2\1/2\ years that she was in foster care, Malena lived in a group home, a foster home, a nurturing relative placement, and then a group home again. Throughout all of those changes, Malena had one consistent person in her life that she knew she could count on, her court- appointed special advocate. That CASA was a steady force in attending countless meetings with her team to support and advocate for her needs. But her relationship with her CASA was so much more, teaching her things that she missed in childhood, such as how to tie her shoes, how to count money, how to write her name, and when her birthday was. At CASA of Orange County and other CASAs across the country, their mantra is ``I am for the child.'' As a mother of three children, I am proud to stand here as an advocate for children in Orange County and across the country who experience abuse and neglect. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill that would increase funding for sexual assault kit backlogs, helping us to test the hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits across the country. I have 5 minutes to speak about my amendment today, and during this time, three people in this country will suffer sexual assault. That works out to every 92 seconds someone is sexually assaulted in our country. Let me repeat that: every 92 seconds. And, in most cases, the perpetrators of these sexual assaults will never be held accountable. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, only 5 out of every 1,000 rapists will end up in prison. We have an opportunity today to support victims of sexual assault by increasing funding to process the backlog of sexual assault kits that are waiting to be tested across the country. Having the data and information that a sexual assault kit can provide is essential to solving sexual assaults and preventing future assaults. In my home State of California, there are 13,615 kits untested. We are failing every single one of those 13,615 victims whose rape kit is sitting and waiting for our attention, and we are failing tens of thousands more across the country, including those who will be sexually assaulted by a perpetrator whose DNA will sit untested for a crime already committed. It costs an average of $1,000 and $1,500 to test a single rape kit. The lack of critical funding needed for these testing kits is the primary factor in the ever-growing backlog of untested kits. In 2016, the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance gave Orange County a nearly $2 million grant to process more than 3,500 unprocessed kits, to investigate and prosecute cases, and to reengage survivors. My amendment, which increases the funding in this legislation by $1 million, could help test approximately another 1,000 rape kits in California and across the country. The amendment would bring the total funding up to $50 million, which will only provide enough Federal funding for the testing of up to 50,000 kits. While that is enough to give answers to the 13,000 sexual assault victims waiting for analysis and help in California, because of a lack of data nationwide, we don't know exactly how many sexual assault kits are waiting in this country. This funding likely isn't enough, and we know that. But Congress must do more to ensure that we are supporting the victims of sexual assault in this country. Increasing funding can play an important role, while it is not alone enough. We need to support our State and local partners in addressing the backlog of rape kits through increased funding, through new policies for kit testing, and through improved training for those in the field. I hope that this increase in funding helps us continue the conversation and raise more awareness about sexual assault and about the kit backlog. I hope that survivors of sexual assault know that Members of Congress are fighting for them, and I hope they hear me and believe that this fight for justice won't end with this amendment. We need to support the victims of sexual assault across this country who deserve to have their kits tested, who deserve justice. We can and must do more. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for their support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Mr. Michael Nguyen, an American citizen and resident of my home district, California's 45th Congressional District. Mr. Nguyen left Vietnam in 1975, 44 years ago. The Vietnamese Government arrested Michael last summer, almost a year ago, while he was traveling and visiting elderly relatives. Michael has now been detained in Vietnam for over 11 months. We still don't know what crime he is alleged to have committed or what, if any, evidence the Vietnamese Government has to justify his detention and his upcoming trial. My office has asked repeatedly for this information, but we have been told that we won't know these basics until Michael is taken to court later this month. His family won't know these basics until then. To make matters worse, for the vast majority of these past 11 months, Michael was being detained without formal charges at all. We now know that Michael is being charged for allegedly violating article 109 of the Vietnamese Criminal Code, activities against the government. This is a charge that Vietnamese officials have used in the past for arbitrary arrests. By all accounts, Michael is a good man. He was an active member of his community and church in Orange County. I have met his family numerous times, and his wife, Helen, was my guest for the State of the Union. He has four beautiful daughters, all school age, who miss their father very much. He is a dad who makes breakfast for his girls in the morning and was their primary caretaker. He was a small business owner, and he is an American citizen with no criminal record here in the United States. He hasn't been able to speak to his family during this entire time, nearly 1 year. Instead, the Vietnamese Government permits only monthly visits by the U.S. State Department. I thank our State Department officials for visiting him, enabling him to hear messages from his loved ones, and working to ensure his health during this long detention. But that isn't enough. His family is suffering. Michael's wife, Helen, has taken on a second job while acting as a single mom to their four young girls. His daughters have trouble sleeping and focusing at school. This entire situation is unjust. Michael was held without formal charges for over 9 months, and we still have been presented with no evidence. That is not how an American citizen should be treated abroad. We expect our partners to show respect for human rights and the rule of law. I am grateful that so many of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, continue to join me in calling on the Vietnamese Government to do what is right. This is not a partisan issue. Respectfully, I demand that the Vietnamese Government provide Michael with a fair resolution to his case and return him safely to the U.S. and to his family as soon as possible. I will continue to work to secure Michael's release until he is reunited with his family and brought home to his country, the United States of America.

Ms. PORTER

Ms. PORTER. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.