Raul Ruiz

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Kent Braithwaite on his retirement after 39 years of service as a teacher, counselor, and role model for the students of Coachella Valley High School. During his tenure, Mr. Braithwaite has left an indelible impression on countless students. As a social studies and English teacher, an advisor, and a mentor, he has helped countless students prepare for and pursue a college education. More importantly, he instilled in his students a lifelong love of learning. Many years ago, I was one of those students in Mr. Braithwaite's English class. I like to think I tried my best in every class--but Mr. Braithwaite was the kind of teacher who not only taught, but inspired his students to work even harder. He challenged my classmates and me every day, pushing us to write clearly, read carefully, and question the beliefs and assumptions we brought to his classroom. In the Coachella Valley--the region I grew up in and have the privilege to represent--there are still far too many young people who drop out of school before they can graduate or pursue a higher education. Teachers like Mr. Braithwaite are helping to show these students that they can achieve their dreams by pursuing their education. During his nearly four decades of teaching, Mr. Braithwaite has served his fellow teachers and the Coachella Valley Unified School District in various leadership positions, and received prestigious recognitions from the California State Assembly, the House of Representatives, and many local advocacy organizations for his excellence in teaching. Most importantly, he has the gratitude of thousands of Coachella Valley High School alumni. Mr. Braithwaite is joining his wife and fellow teacher, Jennifer Braithwaite, for a well-earned retirement. Over her 38-year career, Mrs. Braithwaite invited Holocaust survivors and Vietnam veterans to speak to her classes, gave out scholarships to her students, and helped bring the Advanced Placement program to Coachella Valley High School. Like her husband, Mrs. Braithwaite has always gone above and beyond to serve her students. On behalf of all the students whose lives Mr. and Mrs. Braithwaite have touched, I would like to offer my sincerest thanks and congratulations to them both on their inspiring and meaningful careers.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 5895 to provide $2 million in additional critical funding for Bureau of Reclamation environmental restoration projects that will benefit our public health within a region such as the Salton Sea in my congressional district in southern California. The Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for managing, developing, and restoring our Nation's waters to support the interests of the American people, and there are few interests more important than protecting the public's health. To demonstrate why projects that support the public's health are so important, I want to talk about the Salton Sea, the largest inland body of water in the entire State of California. Located in Riverside and Imperial Counties, the Salton Sea was once the jewel of the southern California desert, drawing thousands of tourists, birdwatchers, and other outdoors and water sports enthusiasts. Having grown up near the Salton Sea, I have wonderful memories of going fishing there with my father and picnicking with my family. However, for decades now, deteriorating water quality and reduced water inflows have made the declining lake bed of the Salton Sea a public health danger to the residents in the surrounding area. If we do not take decisive action now, the sea will harm the public's health in cities all across southern California. You see, as the sea dries and the water level recedes, the exposed lake bed releases windblown contaminants containing selenium, arsenic, and pesticides. These are in small particulate matter small enough to go through your lungs and straight into your bloodstream. Exposure to these contaminants has been shown to increase the number and severity of asthma attacks, decrease the growth and development of lung function in school-age children, and increase the risk of cardiac disease, heart attacks, and mortality in adults. In fact, children in this underserved area already have the highest pediatric asthma hospitalization rate in the entire State of California. So adding this insult and adding this exposure is going to be devastating for the surrounding pediatric population. As an emergency medicine doctor, I care deeply about the health of our communities and have seen firsthand the effects of poor air quality in these underserved communities. So the public health danger to families and children from the Salton Sea is very real and must be addressed at all levels of government--local, State, and Federal--and through public-private partnerships. We are making progress. I also appreciate the committee's strong support of the memorandum of understanding that I helped broker between the Department of the Interior and the State of California to support the State's mitigation plan by including report language in the underlying bill. In addition to the Salton Sea, funding for the Bureau of Reclamation supports restoration projects across the Western United States that protect public health. For example, in Congressman Ken Calvert's district which neighbors my own district, the Bureau of Reclamation helped to mitigate public health concerns and water quality issues at Lake Elsinore. Lake Elsinore, like the Salton Sea, has faced chronic challenges relating to water level, water quality, and associated public health concerns. However, a collaboration between the city of Lake Elsinore, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Riverside County, and the Bureau of Reclamation came together to finally address these challenges. Together they built levees to contain the lake, established a supply of recycled water to help maintain water levels, and installed aerators to prevent fish die-offs by keeping oxygen levels high. So it can work. Lake Elsinore now supports many local businesses and has a flourishing tourism industry. Most importantly, the water is now safer for residents to enjoy all the benefits the lake has to offer, including swimming and water sports. There are countless other examples of Bureau of Reclamation restoration projects helping to protect public health. That is why I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and provide an additional $2 million to these types of projects. That is why, if we know that this can work in other areas with pending public health crises, it can and will work in my district with the Salton Sea if they are so fortunate to receive some grant moneys and work in a collaborative way like Lake Elsinore. The health of the American people must be put above politics. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the chairman for not opposing. I also want to thank the ranking member for yielding me the time and allowing all of this to proceed. On behalf of those children with pediatric asthma, on behalf of our seniors with COPD, chronic bronchitis, and on behalf of the doctors who work in emergency departments, I truly want to bring this awareness to everybody here that this is a pending public health nightmare catastrophe that, if we do nothing, will cost up to $9 billion to address the effects--the public health and the economic effects--that this will do. So putting money in the front end is going to save money in the back end, and it is going to prevent the bad health of our pediatric and our senior populations. Mr. Chairman, I thank the leadership for both listening, understanding, and proceeding with this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 5895 to provide $1 million in additional critical funding for the VA to conduct educational outreach to veterans about the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. Our military uses burn pits to eliminate tons of waste, including chemicals, plastics, medical waste, human waste, computers--you name it--creating giant plumes of black smoke containing carcinogens, particulate matter, and other toxins. For years, the Department of Defense used burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, even while recognizing that exposure to burn pits may pose a health risk to our troops since about the late 1970s. Now veterans all across the country--young veterans in their twenties and thirties-- are developing rare and severe pulmonary diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases despite living healthy lifestyles, being healthy enough to be sent to war, and not having any other risk factors. This may bring up thoughts of Agent Orange that our Vietnam veterans faced. Burn pits exposure and the negative health outcomes are being described by our veterans as our modern-day Agent Orange, and we must learn from our past mistakes and act now. For more than a decade, veterans exposed to burn pits and their families have been given the runaround to get the care they have earned and deserve and to have their concerns taken seriously. My commonsense amendment would provide additional funding for the VA to conduct an educational outreach campaign on the burn pits registry to ensure more veterans register. The purpose of the registry is to collect data from veterans and servicemembers exposed to burn pits to highlight health patterns and create cohorts for research on the health effects of exposure. Mr. Chair, 3.7 million veterans are eligible to enroll in the VA burn pit registry; yet, after 4 years, only 144,000 veterans have enrolled. That is only a dismal less than 4 percent enrollment rate. It is clear that more outreach and education must be done to improve awareness about the registry. These additional funds will also improve health outcomes by raising awareness for our veterans and their physicians so they can be on the lookout for subtle changes in their health, including respiratory issues, early signs of cancer, or even autoimmune diseases. We have a responsibility to protect our men and women in uniform and veterans from the harmful effects of exposure to burn pits. If there is a high enough suspicion of a severe enough consequence, then we need to act now. The four things we need to do are: One, stop our troops' exposure to burn pits out on the battlefield; Two, outreach to doctors and veterans about the illnesses they may face so they can be vigilant and seek and get the appropriate care; Three, give veterans and servicemembers the treatment that they have earned and deserve; and Four, simultaneously do the research that is needed to understand the full scope of the dangers associated with exposure to burn pits. By investing in this educational campaign about the burn pits registry, my amendment will help tackle two of these fronts by improving outreach to veterans and providing the VA with a larger study sample size to help determine the full scope of the negative health effects linked to exposure. I urge my colleagues, on behalf of Jennifer Kepner, a 39-year-old mother of two who died of pancreatic cancer after being exposed to burn pits, with no other risk factors, in Balad Air Force Base, I urge my colleagues, on behalf of all the others who have died of cancer at a young age and left behind families and those who have acquired pulmonary fibrosis and permanent disabilities who are now requiring oxygen, unable to work, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and to take concrete action to help those veterans who have been exposed to burn pits. The health of our veterans must be put above bureaucracy. We must help them get the answers and the healthcare services that they need and deserve now. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the chairman and the ranking member and all those who are in support of this specific amendment, who will put our veterans above this bureaucracy and give them the care that they need by expanding their access to this burn pit registry. I want to, from the bottom of my heart, say thank you. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Mr. Carbajal, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment with my good friend from Santa Barbara, California, Congressman Salud Carbajal, to address an issue impacting veterans that prevents them from accessing healthcare services they have earned and deserve. Right now, veterans calling their community-based outpatient clinics to make an appointment are automatically routed to central, busy call centers at major VA medical centers. This makes no sense. This means that veterans end up waiting sometimes more than an hour, especially in Carbajal's district, to be connected to a scheduler, and that is if they can get through at all. Additionally, some community-based outpatient clinics are not following up with veterans after the initial call at the busy hospital calling center, forcing veterans to find transportation to actually travel to the clinic just to make their appointment. As a result, many veterans get fed up and stop pursuing the care that they need out of frustration and lack of accessibility. Our Nation's veterans deserve timely access to healthcare services. They should be able to make their medical appointments or at least speak to somebody without having to wait an hour on the phone. This amendment directs the Secretary to ensure the VA phone system allows veterans to directly call their local community-based outpatient centers for appointments at those facilities, rather than having all calls be routed to the major busy VA medical centers. In short, it would reduce call wait times for veterans in Congressman Carbajal's district, in my district, in your districts, and districts throughout our Nation. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chairman, wonderful. This is a very easy, commonsense fix to a problem that our veterans face. They wait too long, they get fed up, they are not getting the followup that they need, and all this does is allows them to call the actual place where they need their appointments to schedule an appointment with them. So I would really like to thank Chairman Carter and Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz for not opposing this amendment and for their support and for their support of veterans in the underlying bill. I would also like to recognize and thank Congressman Carbajal and his staff for their work, and his efforts to improve the lives of veterans in his district, in my district, and all of our districts. I also want to thank my staff for their work on this amendment? I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment to help ensure veterans have easy access to healthcare benefits that they have earned and deserve, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, open-air burn pits pose serious health risks to our troops; yet, still to this day, our military uses them to dispose of waste and equipment--like human waste, plastics, computers, and jet fuel--on the battlefield. I am a board certified emergency physician and a public health expert, and in public health and in the medical field, we know that, if there is a high enough suspicion with a severe enough illness, which we have with veterans developing rare and permanently severely disabling pulmonary autoimmune diseases and dying of cancer, then we need to act on that suspicion. We can start to do that by doing these three things: one, stop our troops' exposure to dangerous burn pits out on the battlefield; two, conduct public health education for doctors and veterans to train them to recognize subtle changes in their health, help to catch cancer at an early stage when it can still be treated, and save lives; and third, get our veterans and servicemembers the medical treatment they need quickly and ensure it is covered by the VA or the DOD. My amendment will help accomplish this first step by directing the Department of Defense to conduct a feasibility study on ending the use of dangerous burn pits by using incinerators or other technology. I thank the committee leadership for their support of this amendment and on this emerging health crisis for our veterans. I urge a ``yes'' vote to help save our veterans' and men and women in uniforms' lives.

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the ranking member and the chairman for their support of my efforts to help veterans and servicemembers who have been exposed to burn pits. We have a responsibility to protect the health of our men and women in uniform and veterans from the harmful health effects of exposure to burn pits, and we can start to do so by, first, stopping our troops' exposure to these dangerous burn pits out on the battlefield; second, conducting education and public health outreach to veterans and their doctors; and third, getting our veterans and servicemembers the medical treatment they need quickly and ensuring it is covered by the VA or the DOD. Earlier, we discussed my amendment that will address step one and finally put an end to the use of dangerous burn pits on the battlefield. My second amendment will tackle step two, requiring the Department of Defense to conduct an annual education and outreach campaign to veterans exposed to burn pits and who are qualified to enroll in the burn pits registry. This will improve our understanding of the different health effects of exposure to burn pits and help raise awareness for our veterans to be on the lookout for subtle changes in their health that could be early signs of cancer. Mr. Chair, again, I thank the committee for their support of this amendment.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to speak on the House floor today in recognition of National Police Week and to memorialize the officers lost in the line of duty. For me and for the communities that I represent, it is personal. Just 2 years ago, Officers Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega from the Palm Springs Police Department were shot and killed in the line of duty, responding to what appeared to be a routine domestic disturbance. In the wake of this tragedy, our communities came together to remember Officers Zerebny and Vega and to do more for the entire law enforcement community. Over the past year, I have worked with law enforcement, firefighters, and other local and national public safety officer leaders to draft the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivors Support Act, legislation that honors those who have passed by serving the living. We developed this bill with one central idea in mind: that those who risk their lives for our community deserve the peace of mind to know that if something happened to them their family would be okay--that they would be able to pay off their debt, put their kids through college, and have a fair shot of making it in the world. So we did the math, looking at the existing Public Safety Officer Benefit Program to see if it achieved these principles, and we found that families of fallen first responders, those who gave their all to protect us, are being shortchanged and don't even have enough to pay off their debt and pay for the rising cost of an education. Families of fallen public safety officers are still struggling. My bipartisan bill will correct this and provide needed relief for those who sacrifice so much. It will increase the Public Safety Officer Benefit from $350,000 to $500,000 in order to pay off the calculated national average debt most families have. It will increase the monthly education benefit from $1,024 per month to $2,000 per month to ensure they can afford the actual rising cost of an education. And it will fix a bureaucratic loophole that costs families tens of thousands of dollars for no fault of their own. Right now, our men and women who risk their lives in order to save our lives are being shortchanged. I urge all Members of Congress to do the right thing, to follow words with action and actually do something pragmatic that will improve the lives of fallen first responders' families. I hope that all Members will cosponsor and support my bipartisan Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responder Survivors Support Act, and I urge the Speaker to bring it up for a vote immediately. Let's support this bill and stand up for these families that have sacrificed so much for us. Honoring Christopher's Clubhouse

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to honor an incredible organization in my district that, for more than a decade, has served the community by providing information and resources to help children, the elderly, and vulnerable individuals protect themselves from violent crimes. Christopher's Clubhouse was started in 1996 after Mika Moulton's son, Christopher, was kidnapped and murdered at 10 years old. The family made the brave and selfless choice to turn their grief into something positive. They realized that, while they had done everything right like telling Christopher not to talk to strangers, no one had told them that there was more that they could have done. They realized that they had not taught him what to do if someone had grabbed Christopher. They didn't want any parent to face that same realization and that same grief, so they started Christopher's Clubhouse to provide safety skills and personal defense techniques for children, teens, and the elderly throughout the Coachella Valley. Over the years, Christopher's Clubhouse has served more than 100,000 people through their programs in schools, community events, and churches. There is no doubt that they have made a difference and saved lives, preventing other parents from going through their pain. I thank them and I applaud them for their years of service. While Christopher's Clubhouse may be closing, the legacy of their work will be felt for generations.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, each day law enforcement officers all across our Nation risk their lives to keep our communities safe. Today at the 37th Annual Peace Officers' Memorial, we remembered the 21,541 fallen officers lost in the history of our Nation. It was an honor to sit in solidarity with the families of Officer Gil Vega and Lesley Zerebny, two fallen heroes from my district. I am proud to welcome Officer Vega's wife, Susana; daughters, Andrea and Vanessa; son, Isaac; and grandchildren, Marshal, Raul, and Sophia; and son-in-law, Raul, who are in the House gallery with us today. It is our solemn duty to honor and respect the sacrifice of our law enforcement and their families, and I am humbled to author H.R. 5006, the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gil Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act. This legislation will help ensure that no officer has to worry whether or not their family will be all right if something happens to them in the line of duty. It is an honor to serve in this great House, and we must do what is right for those who serve us and risk their lives in the streets.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, while serving our country, many of our brave men and women were exposed to large plumes of black smoke and cancer- causing toxins from the burning of waste, chemicals, and plastics in burn pits. Now veterans from across the country who have no other risk factors are developing terminal cancer, leaving their families to wonder why, families of heroes like Jenn Kepner's, a 39-year-old Air Force veteran who died of pancreatic cancer late last year. That is why today I am proud to announce the bipartisan Congressional Burn Pits Caucus, to help seek answers for our heroes exposed to burn pits. Representative Brad Wenstrup and I have started this caucus because bureaucratic red tape at the VA and the DOD is denying our veterans the answers they deserve and the care they need. We can't afford to wait. I urge every Democratic and Republican alike to join the Congressional Burn Pits Caucus and start fighting for our veterans to get the care they need and deserve.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, as national Stop the Bleed day approaches on March 31, I encourage my colleagues and friends to get trained on how to control bleeding in a trauma situation to help end preventable deaths. The American College of Surgeons' Stop the Bleed program offers training to the public on how to control bleeding in an emergency using simple techniques that can be learned by almost everyone, such as direct pressure, bandaging, and even tourniquets. In the United States, traumatic injuries cause the death of more than 180,000 people each year. While tragically some traumas result in near instantaneous death, many others occur in the first few hours or days and they are most often caused by uncontrolled bleeding. Traumatic injuries and bleeding can have many root causes including shootings, vehicle crashes, falls, workplace accidents, and natural disasters. As an emergency physician, I have seen these heartbreaking cases time and again. In trauma care we think of the ``Golden Hour,'' the time during which, if prompt medical attention is provided we have the best chance of saving a life. The Stop the Bleed campaign teaches members of the community how to respond to a bleeding emergency, and just as we see with CPR, the earlier the intervention begins, the greater the chance of eliminating preventable death. This is especially important in the moments before the arrival of medical personnel. Please join with me and consider getting trained to Stop the Bleed.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to say happy birthday to my daughters, Sky and Sage. There is no greater love than the love I have for my twin girls, Sky and Sage, and for my wife, Monica. There is no greater role or responsibility I have than to be their father and Monica's husband. There is no greater title more honorable and more meaningful in my life than the title of father and husband. There is no greater joy than to hear my girls sing with happiness, play with vigor, and laugh with gusto. There is no greater medicine for my soul than feeling their bear hugs when I arrive home after being away at work for days. Today, I celebrate their birth, their 3 years of life, and their future with the highest hopes and aspirations any father can have throughout all generations of fatherhood. Today I sing our love story, and I sing Happy Birthday to my Sky Bear and Sage Monkey. Happy birthday. I love you a lot--te amo mucho.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, and the committee for their hard work on this bipartisan bill. This legislation includes my bill, H.R. 5007, the Tribal Broadband Deployment Act, which will direct the FCC to improve broadband access on Tribal lands within 30 months. For the communities in my congressional district, California's 36th District, and throughout our Nation, this will be a game changer. Throughout the Coachella Valley, the San Jacinto Mountain communities, and the Pass regions of California, rural, underdeveloped Tribal lands are spread out among non-Tribal communities, both of which are often lacking broadband internet and both of which will benefit. My bill will bring real resources and opportunities to these areas, improving connectivity and helping to close the digital divide in these historically underserved communities. With expanding access to the internet, families, students, workers, and businesses will be able to harness the power of their ideas and information to achieve their dreams and grow our local economies. I want to thank Chairman Blackburn for honoring her commitment to work with me on this issue. I urge the House to pass this important bipartisan bill.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, today is Valentine's Day. Children will pass around cards and candy at school. Young men and women will gather the courage to speak with their crush, and many couples will get engaged to marry. I sent my first Valentine, my mother, flowers. I will spend this evening telling my wife, Monica, and my girls, Sky and Sage, the many ways that I love and appreciate them over FaceTime. But for many, today is not a joyous day. There are too many victims of domestic abuse who live in homes of broken hearts and who search for love but find violence instead. No form of mental, emotional, sexual, or physical abuse is acceptable no matter who it is from or under any circumstance, period. I thank the many organizations, like Shelter From the Storm, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, and others in my district, for the refuge and support that they provide. To the victims: I want you to know that you are not broken and you are not at fault. You are a survivor and you have the courage. Help is only one phone call away. Happy Valentine's Day.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled to congratulate Officer John Quintero on his well-deserved retirement after 27 years with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Our entire community is grateful for his dedication to keep our roads and highways safe. Today, I would like to recognize his outstanding career and years of service. Day in and day out, we use our vehicles to go to various places such as work, school, or visit our loved ones, and we are able to mobilize safely because of the tireless efforts of individuals like Officer Quintero. He is an esteemed member of our community and a resident of the City of Indio. He is a devoted husband and father of six children. He served as an inspiration for his daughter Jacquelene to follow in his footsteps and become a CHP Officer. His colleagues look up to him as an intelligent, hardworking man. Officer Quintero began his career in traffic law enforcement in South Los Angeles, where he served for six years. During his early years, he demonstrated a passion to protect our citizens and keep our streets safe, which earned him the Governor's Employee Safety Award for his efforts in vehicle theft. Officer Quintero carries that passion in every task he undertakes, making him an exemplary leader. Throughout his career, he has held numerous positions including Field Training Officer, Emergency Medical Technician, Shift Supervisor, Drug Recognition Expert, Child Safety Seat Technician, El Protector Hispanic Outreach Office, and Critical Incident Peer Supporter. Officer Quintero was also a member of a Special Response Team, where he served as protection for last year's Republican National Convention in Cleveland. His commitment to keeping our citizens on the road safe is exemplified by his fast response in saving the lives of two residents who had been shot while driving in the freeway. With the strength they had left, they managed to park their vehicle in front of the Indio CHP Office. Officer Quintero and his daughter rapidly administered medical aid to the male driver and the female passenger, keeping them conscious until the paramedics took them to the hospital. In the process, they collected crucial information about the suspected shooter. After an investigation was conducted, the suspect was arrested. Officer Quintera's outstanding performance and courageous actions are truly commendable. Officer Quintero has dedicated his life working to ensure our community is safe. Every day, he was willing to sacrifice his life in service of others. His valuable contributions and arduous work will be felt for years to come. On behalf of the entire 36th Congressional District, I am honored to recognize Officer John Quintero's achievements and years of service. His arduous work and contributions to our community will be felt for years to come. I commend his public service and extend my best wishes on his retirement.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Palm Springs Police Captain Walter Combs on his retirement after more than 23 years in law enforcement. His dedication to ensuring the residents of Palm Springs are safe is truly commendable. Today, I want to recognize his outstanding accomplishments and years of service. Captain Combs is an exceptional leader in our local community. He began his law enforcement career serving as a patrol officer with the Indio Police Department. After five years, in 1994, Captain Combs started working with the Palm Springs Police Department where he remained until 2017. His commitment to keeping our citizens safe earned him many promotions over the years, going from patrol officer to Captain. During his early years with the Palm Springs Police Department, he served as an undercover Narcotics Task Force Officer, field Training Officer, Police Department Honors Guard, and member of the SWAT Team. In 2005, he was promoted to Sergeant and supervised the Patrol Officers, the Detective Bureau overseeing the Property Crimes Division, the auxiliary Peer Support Group and Honor Guard, and the volunteer unit of citizens on Patrol. His determination and outstanding performance eventually led him to be promoted to Lieutenant in 2012, and ultimately to Captain in 2014. Captain Combs commitment to public service is inspiring. While serving with the Palm Springs Police Department, he was also a devoted member of the Human Rights Commission board and the LGBT Committee. Captain Combs has dedicated his life in service of the residents of Palm Springs. His valuable contributions and arduous work strengthening our community will be felt for years to come. On behalf of the entire 36th Congressional District, I am humbled to honor and recognize Captain Walter Combs. I extend my sincerest congratulations on his accomplishments and years of public service. I wish him all the best on his well-deserved retirement.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, nearly 9 million children across the Nation, more than 55,000 in my district alone, rely on the Children's Health Insurance Program for their healthcare. The deadline to fund CHIP passed and Congress has failed to provide long-term funding for the program, kicking the can down the road and leaving parents worried about whether or not their child will get the healthcare they need, because they are no longer covered, in the middle of a flu season no less. For decades, Republicans and Democrats have come together to fund the bipartisan and noncontroversial CHIP. It is unacceptable that this time around, Republican leaders proposed paying for CHIP by cutting other critical public health programs that CHIP recipient kids rely on, like vaccines. This is unconscionable. Stop using children's healthcare as a partisan weapon. Kids and parents deserve better. We must put our children's needs above partisanship and provide for the health of our children with a bipartisan, long-term funding solution for CHIP.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, right now, my home State of California is ablaze, and the communities of Idyllwild, Anza, and Mountain Center in my district are still bruised from the 2013 wildfires and are on high alert for the next fire. Today, we passed my bill and delivered a win for our firefighters and victims of fires by increasing Federal funding to recover, rebuild, prevent future fires, and keep communities safe. The 2013 Mountain Fire in my district burned over 27,000 acres, destroyed homes, and cost over $25 million. I worked with Cal Fire, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, and Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council to author the bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act, which will deliver tens of millions of dollars to recover, rebuild, prevent future fires, and keep our communities safe. This bill puts people above partisanship and solutions above ideology to improve the lives of the people we serve. It makes government work for the people. Thank you to these incredible local partners for working with me to deliver this pragmatic solution for the district and for the community.

Mr. RUIZ

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the heroic actions of firefighter and paramedic James McDonald. His courage, calm demeanor, quick reflexes, and solution-based approach saved the life of Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy David Solis. On the afternoon of May 25th, 2017, Mr. McDonald and the rest of the members of Fire Station 79 were dispatched across town to assist Deputy Solis who had been shot multiple times during a foot pursuit in the City of Coachella. Mr. McDonald reacted immediately and medically assisted Deputy Solis. He assessed the injuries, directed the medical support, and requested an air ambulance to transport Deputy Solis to the nearest regional trauma center. As an emergency room physician, I am aware that when an individual is severely injured by gunshots, every second is vital to save his or her life. Mr. McDonald remained calmed and focused throughout the operation, and his leadership was essential in saving Deputy Solis's life. His courage and agility of mind is commendable. Throughout his two years working with the Riverside County Fire Department, Mr. McDonald has demonstrated a strong commitment to public safety, earning the respect and admiration of his colleagues. Before becoming a firefighter, Mr. McDonald served our community as a paramedic since 2000. Mr. McDonald was recently recognized by the City of Coachella for his outstanding performance assisting Deputy Solis. On behalf of California's 36th Congressional District, I am grateful for Firefighter and Paramedic James McDonald and commend his valuable contributions and arduous work strengthening our community.