Loretta Sanchez

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, we are on a dangerous path. First, my Republican colleagues pulled two critical appropriation bills from the floor simply because their party cannot come to an agreement on a flag that represents a very dark time in our Nation's history. Second, my colleagues across the aisle, rather than focusing their energy on passing comprehensive immigration reform, passed a poisonous anti-immigrant bill in response to an isolated incident in the city of San Francisco, pulling money away from our law enforcement funding for public safety. Then they refuse to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, which helps ensure that Americans' businesses can compete with their global competitors. And now the House Republicans refuse to come to the table yet again to provide a robust, long-term funding bill for our decaying infrastructure system in America. Why do we continue to refuse and cut services that our communities need? The American people need good-paying jobs, safe and modern infrastructure, and efficient transportation in order to provide a better life for themselves and for their families. We need to end these stopgap extensions. How do we fix a broken bridge or a broken highway? Two months of highway funding will not do that. In my home State of California, 60 percent of our roads are in poor or mediocre condition; and, moreover, almost 30 percent of California's bridges have been recognized by the Department of Transportation as structurally deficient. Just a little bit over a week ago, California residents experienced the real-life consequences of this statistic when the Interstate 10, which connects California and Arizona, collapsed, injuring a resident and shutting down the highway for several days. This highway is critical to our Southwest economy, which is already suffering from deficiencies because of our water infrastructure and the drought that we have going on. With more than 60,000 bridges throughout the United States in need of drastic repairs, failing to provide Americans with a long-term highway bill, we are putting jobs at risk, and we are putting our lives at risk, which is why my fellow House Democrats have come together to provide a 6-year funding bill known as the GROW AMERICA Act. The bill will provide for $178 billion over 6 years, so that States and local municipalities can address critical infrastructure needs. This commonsense legislation would help pay for the investments by ending an unfair tax loophole and limiting corporate inversions, meaning that big corporations, when they are renouncing their United States citizenship, they do that in order to avoid paying taxes. Let's use that money for transportation investments here in America. Investing in local public transportation projects not only helps to improve our traffic flow, but it also helps create good jobs. As we look for ways to put our economy back on track, we must be mindful of the services that we provide to the American people. We need to stop slashing, and we need to start providing. We need to get away from sequestration and patchwork funding mentality to actually fulfill our duty as public servants to the American people. Our families, our roads, and our economy deserve a highway funding bill that will invest in America's future, invest in better infrastructure, and invest in bigger paychecks for our hard-working families who are trying to make it in America.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, last week, thanks to the leadership of the Senate HELP Committee, Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill known as the Every Child Achieves Act that would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This is the law the Federal Government has with respect to kindergarten through twelfth grade education. I applaud my Senate colleagues for reaching across the aisle and working collectively in good faith to expand access to early childhood education to improve programs for English language learners and to ensure accountability in serving our neediest students. It is far from perfect. But in 2002, the reauthorization of the same act, known as No Child Left Behind, was implemented. It gave this principle that we would look at the students who are falling through the cracks. It meant to serve our poor and minority students, students with disabilities, and English learners. After all, let's not forget that the original ESEA, the original one in 1965, had an exact declaration of policy that said ``in recognition of the special education needs of children of low-income families.'' This landmark legislation in 1965 is a civil rights law. It reaffirmed Brown v. Board of Education. It reaffirmed the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster decision, which happened in my own district, which was the precursor to Brown v. Board. It said every child has the right to an equal opportunity for a quality education. Let's be honest. We are in the wake of a civil rights movement in this country. When we see tragedies in Ferguson, to Charleston, to presidential candidates issuing condemnations to immigrant families who come and who contribute to this country, to milestone victories where we see all individuals throughout the States may choose to marry the ones that they love, we can no longer ignore the social and the economic issues our great Nation is currently facing. It all starts in our classrooms, in the quality of the education and the fundamental values that we impart to our children. That is why I am also extremely disappointed in the House version of the ESEA where it limits the opportunity for our neediest students. The Student Success Act--this is the one that the Republicans are putting forward--would take away $3 billion over the next 6 years from the 32 largest school districts and most diverse school districts in our Nation, by the way, many of those students being Black and Latino. While the Senate's Every Child Achieves Act accomplishes tremendous feats in expanding access, the House bill actually does not. So what do we do? We must make sure that the bills that we pass have actions intended in them. The Senate bill, for example, makes actions optional when schools are not meeting goals while eliminating requirements for States to identify schools that are in need of intervention where it is detrimental to the progress of the children. So laws must require timely State action to address the inequities where they persist so that we can provide the Federal resources and the support to the lowest performing schools. Everyone hates talking about accountability. But, without it, we cannot help our low-performing students get back on track. Without clear expectations for reporting inaction, we are doing a disservice to students. These students will fall through the cracks. I look around this room and I am proud to say that I am a public school kid and many of us in this Chamber are. We are products of our Nation's public school systems. Look at us. Our communities have chosen us to be their voice. Our communities have chosen us to be their advocates and to fight for them in the classroom. And I am sure that each of us has had an administrator, a teacher, a principal, who believed in us and put us on the right track so that we might be where we are today. As I continuously reflect on my own experience, the daughter of poor immigrants from Mexico, first generation and low income and a child that the original ESEA was meant to serve, I ask my colleagues, let's work together and pass a bill that really helps our children.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act. Specifically, I missed an amendment by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) (rollcall No. 431), amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) (rollcall No. 432), and Final Passage of H.R. 6 (rollcall No. 433). Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the amendment by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) (rollcall No. 431), ``yea'' on the amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) (rollcall no. 432), and ``yea'' on the Final Passage of H.R. 6 (rollcall No. 433). personal explanation

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 40th anniversary since the end of the Vietnam war and 20 years of normalized relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. This week, our President hosted the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, a political leader but not an official leader. During that meeting, I know that the two leaders discussed more normalization of economic and military issues, and I know that President Obama brought up the issue of human rights; but I am going to say this: after 19 years in this Congress of fighting for human rights around the world, the Vietnamese Communist Government always promises, when economic issues are on the table, to do something better with respect to their human rights record, but they never follow through. In fact, it gets worse. Today, Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, I don't want to focus on what the economic implications are and the trade implications are that are going on with respect to Vietnam, but I want to remind my colleagues about what is happening with respect to human rights in Vietnam. Nguyen Dang Minh Man is currently serving a 9-year prison term after being charged with ``attempting to overthrow the government'' under article 79 of the constitution of that country. Her crime, she was arrested while taking photographs during a protest against Chinese encroachment of the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Ho Duc Hoa, a community organizer and a contributing journalist for Vietnam Redemptorists' News, is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for defending human rights and promoting democracy. He has been charged with ``attempting to overthrow the government.'' He is currently suffering from harsh treatment in prison, including torture and denial to medical care, water, or adequate food. Dang Xuan Dieu, another activist, is currently serving a 13-year sentence under article 79 in response to advocating for education-- imagine this--for education for children living in poverty, for aid to people with disabilities, and for religious freedom in Vietnam. Mr. Dieu is also a victim of mistreatment and torture in the prison system. Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, a human rights activist and entrepreneur, was also arrested for writing blogs that called for political reform and improved human rights in Vietnam. He only peacefully exercised his rights to freedom of expression; yet Thuc was charged of attempting to overthrow the government under article 79. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and 5 years of house arrest. These are just four of the so many people in prison in Vietnam. The government of Vietnam continues to deny its citizens their rights to freedom of speech, to freedom of assembly, to freedom of the press, to freedom of religion. Although Vietnam strives to further its relations with the U.S., it does not grant human rights to its people. I understand that President Obama has agreed to visit Vietnam in the near future, and I strongly urge that not only the President and the administration work on the issues of human rights with respect to the Vietnamese people, but that we in the Congress continue to push because, as we know, as Americans, people around the world look to us as the shining light of upholding democracy and human rights and freedom and liberty and freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I missed recorded votes on H.R. 1190 (Roll Call #376), H.R. 805 (Roll Call #377), and H.R. 2576 (Roll Call #378) on June 23, 2015 due to inclement weather. If I had been present, I would have voted NAY on H.R. 1190, and YEA on H.R. 805 and H.R. 2576.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on H.R. 1191 (Roll Call Vote 118), the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 on May 15, 2015. I would like to reflect that if I had the opportunity to vote on H.R. 1191, I would have voted Aye. I strongly support the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 and I believe we are at a critical point where Congress must be afforded the opportunity to review any deal with Iran. Although I support the ongoing negotiations of the Iran Nuclear Framework, I strongly believe the United States must ensure Iran is denied any opportunities to further pursue its nuclear ambitions. It is critical that the final deal require a comprehensive inspection and verification vehicle, including the right to ``anytime, anywhere'' inspections. Iran must also remove all its enriched uranium and comply with six United Nations Security Council resolutions to reveal the extent of its prior nuclear work. Most importantly, I believe we must exercise extreme caution before lifting any existing sanctions. Iran must demonstrate compliance with the deal before any sanctions are lifted. Furthermore, the United States must have a structure in place to immediately re-impose these sanctions if Iran is found violating any terms of the agreement. Iran's nuclear program remains a threat to the international community. A nuclear-armed Iran would pose enormous challenges to the national security of the United States and our allies including Israel. Signing a final deal will only be the first step--the United States and the international community must continue to work together to provide the necessary oversight in order to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that this week marks the 50-year anniversary of the Head Start program, a momentous achievement in our Nation's fight to break the cycle of poverty and open the windows of opportunity for low-income families and children. Now, I don't want to date myself, actually, but I was in the first class of Head Start, and today I bring with me my original certificate of completion from that program. I am proud to say that, if it were not for Head Start, I wouldn't be here today. You see, as the daughter of poor immigrants from Mexico, not many people would think I would graduate from high school, let alone college, or get my MBA and eventually make my way to the House of Representatives. Head Start has served over 32 million children, and, more importantly, it has helped families know how to navigate the school system. My hat is off to the teachers, to the community volunteers, to the healthcare coordinators, and to so many who helped to implement Head Start programs in their communities. Your work is transforming our Nation. It is giving that head start to our children because they are the future of this Nation. So, Mr. Speaker, I say today, ``Happy birthday, Head Start.''

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on this day I would like to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. On this month 100 years ago, April 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a campaign of forced deportation, starvation, and massacres of over 1.5 million Armenians. This tragic event would later be used as an example for how we define and understand the word genocide. The modern state of Turkey continues to deny the events of the past. Those who deny the Holocaust, the destruction of European Jewry, are met with outrage and disdain, as they should. Equally, the denial of the Armenian Genocide should elicit the same reaction. Denial of this atrocious event disrespects the lives of all those who perished. The Armenian Genocide is not a contested debate. It is not of varying opinion. It is an undisputed historical fact. For decades our Armenian-American communities have urged the American government to rightly recognize the actions of the Ottoman Empire as genocide. President Obama recently characterized the actions of the Ottoman Empire as ``the first mass atrocity of the 20th Century.'' This is an accurate description, but it is truly disappointing that he decided not to use the word genocide. Armenians do not seek retribution for the acts of violence inflicted upon their ancestors. Armenians simply seek closure to a very dark and tragic chapter of their otherwise proud and distinguished history.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. As we seek America's rebalance to Asia, I firmly believe that further cooperation between the U.S., Japan and Korea will play a pivotal role for peace and prosperity throughout the Asia-Pacific region as well as the globe. To this end, we are working hard to promote cooperative efforts through the House Armed Services Committee. Japan is a valued and trusted ally of the U.S. They have been a model world citizen for 70 years and is a leader in global foreign aid distribution. Japan and the U.S. have a bright future together and I welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to address a Joint Session of Congress on April 29th. One thing stands between this day and that bright future and Prime Minister Abe can eliminate that obstacle during his address to the Joint Meeting of Congress: He can make a formal apology to, and say that his government takes legal responsibility for, the more than 200,000 young women and girls from across Asia, but mainly from Korea, who were forced to become sex slaves during World War II by the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan. These are the euphemistically termed ``comfort women.'' The scholarship on this topic and the personal testimonies of the surviving women is voluminous and settled. Everywhere, that is, except in the mind of Prime Minister Abe and his government. Previous Japanese officials and governments have accepted the country's responsibility for creating and maintaining the comfort women system, as well as Japan's colonial and wartime aggression. He has denied that these women were coaxed, coerced and conscripted against their will to serve in ``comfort stations,'' forced into sex slavery. He says they were ordinary prostitutes of the time. He has denied documented evidence of coercion. He has called the personal testimonies of the women ``baseless, slanderous lies.'' He dispatched envoys to the United Nations, to ask it to overturn an exhaustive report affirming the coercion of the comfort women and recommending Japan take responsibility, and to McGraw-Hill Education publishers, to ask them to change textbook language about the comfort women. Thankfully, both bodies refused the Japanese attempts to whitewash the past. Not only do these efforts defame the women, they destabilize the entire East Asia region. And these are not just issues relegated to history. Violence against women in wartime and military sexual assault continues to occur to this day. For these reasons, I hope the Japanese Prime Minister Abe's visit and speech to the Joint Meeting of Congress will lay the foundation for healing and reconciliation, in particular in bringing closure to the pain and suffering endured by the Comfort Women who've waited with their very lives for an unequivocal apology. More specifically, Mr. Abe must seize the opportunity of his Washington visit to reaffirm the 1995 Murayama Statement and 1993 Kono Statement as they were issued, and also uphold the previous Japanese government's positions and views on aggression, colonial rule and coerced sexual slavery by using clear, unequivocal and specific language. This House has given a rare and special honor to the Prime Minister: An opportunity to address a critical ally on a grand stage. I hope Mr. Abe does the right thing.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Alex Michel Odeh. Alex was born on April 4, 1944 in Jifna, Palestine and immigrated to the United States in 1972. He was married to Norma Odeh and settled in Orange County, CA where they had three daughters, Helena, Samya and Susan Odeh. Throughout his professional career, Mr. Odeh dedicated his professional life to teaching and served as a lecturer of Arabic Language and Middle East History at Coastline Community College in Santa Ana, California. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of combatting discrimination both at home and abroad as a civil and human rights activist. He was tireless in working with community and religious organizations to build bridges and foster peace and understanding between diverse groups. Unfortunately, his life was cut short and Alex was assassinated on October 11, 1985, when a bomb exploded as he entered the office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) at 1905 East 17th Street in Santa Ana, California during his service as the Western Regional Director of ADC. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of his murder and the community and his family has yet to gain closure and justice for his death. In June of 2013, I sent the Department of Justice a letter asking for closure in the case of Alex Odeh and we have yet to get a concrete answer from them, even though the FBI has characterized Mr. Odeh's death as a domestic ``terrorist attack.'' I will continue to fight for answers to Alex's death and bring those that killed him to justice, but let us mark his death by remembering what he stood for and what he dedicated his life to: the pursuit to civil and human rights, as well as peace and mutual understanding between our diverse communities.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the recent passing of two Veterans of the Second World War; one a Pearl Harbor Survivor of the U.S. Navy and the other a Reservist in the Coast Guard, a branch of the service which has just celebrated its 74th Anniversary. Gennoro ``Hank'' Mascolo passed away at the age of 92 this January, after battling lung cancer for several months. Hank, the youngest of seven children born to Italian immigrants, began serving our country by enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942. After his service, he opened his own barbershop in 1955 in the City of Orange, where he remained the Town's barber for 60 years. An active Elk and Vice President of the famous Orange International Street Fair for over 20 years rightly earned him the title, ``Mr. Orange.'' Along with his skill with a pair of shears, Mr. Hank Mascolo will be remembered for the friendship he offered and the good advice he gave. He will be deeply missed by the community of the City of Orange. Jack Hammett, a Pearl Harbor survivor, passed on in December last year at 94 years-old. After serving in the Navy for 22 years, Jack served decades on the Costa Mesa City Council, The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the City planning commission, the Costa Mesa Police Reserves, and eventually Mayor of Costa Mesa. Jack lived his whole life in service to his country and community. As a member of the Freedom Committee, Jack was committed to educating youth on the stories of our veterans, giving innumerable presentations on his experiences in the war. His legacy will be felt for many years to come. Both of these men, Hank Mascolo and Jack Hammett, served as role models to all those around them. They showed steadfast and unwavering commitment to their families and their communities. They don't come better than ``Hank'' Mascolo and Jack Hammett.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, last week Speaker Boehner stated that the Republicans were certainly prepared to shut down the Department of Homeland Security--a shutdown that would force thousands of TSA, Customs, Border Patrol, and Secret Service agents to work without pay. Now, Mr. Speaker, I am going to tell you, I come back and forth every week from Orange County, California. I usually go up to Los Angeles, to LAX. I was talking to my TSA guys as I went through the line, taking off my shoes. They said: Really, Ms. Sanchez, are they really going to do that to us? Are they really going to put our security at stake-- America's security at stake? I said: They have done it before, and they are going to do it again. I believe that it is time to pass a clean Homeland Security bill. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would keep the Department open so it can carry out its mission of keeping America and Americans safe.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. I think it is a damaging reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Why are we here? What is the role of the Congress? It is to protect America and to ensure America's future. The best way to ensure America's future is to educate our children. In 1965, when the ESEA was originally developed, the exact declaration of that policy stated that it was ``in recognition of the special education needs of children of low-income families.'' I know a lot about that. I know because I am a Head Start child, a public school kid who went under ESEA. I know that when America makes the right policies to educate its people, we thrive. I know that people can come to America without an education and because of our public school system can believe that their children can grow up to be successful in America. I know that because my parents came without much education and without any money. Oh, by the way, they are the only parents in the history of these United States to send two daughters to this House of Representatives. Let's do the right thing.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the passing last Friday of a truly great Orange County farmer and retailer, military veteran and visionary, philanthropist and patron of the arts. Henry T. Segerstrom's story epitomizes the pioneer spirit that helped to make our country great. The son of Swedish immigrants who found their way to Orange County in 1898, Henry grew up working his family's lima bean fields in Costa Mesa, California. He went to Stanford in 1940 but answered his country's call in World War Two. Severely wounded in combat in Germany, Mr. Segerstrom returned home determined to finish his education graduating with an MBA. At age 25, he joined the family business, C.J. Segerstrom and Sons, and began making Orange County history. The young executive turned the bean fields into real estate gold developing commercial property including brand new office towers. Henry Segerstrom was now positioned for even greater success. He envisioned one of the nation's premier shopping centers along the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa and had the will and the skill to open South Coast Plaza in 1967. The Plaza attracted the finest retail stores in the world and became a shopping destination for customers across the globe. Had he stopped there, his place in Orange County history would have been assured. Instead, Henry Segerstrom reinvented another tract of his holdings in Orange County giving rise in 1986 to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. He served as founding chairman of the new center and remained one of its most generous donors. Mr. Segerstrom followed up this phenomenal success with the opening of a new Concert Hall in 2006 once again changing the cultural landscape of the County for generations to come. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to call Henry T. Segerstrom my friend. He will be sorely missed by his family, his fellow arts patrons and the wider Orange County community which will benefit from his generosity and goodwill for years to come.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a special institution in my district, Santa Ana College, which celebrates its 100th year of being a flagship in higher education. Through innovative teaching methods and a commitment to community involvement, Santa Ana College has proven to be a quality education to the students of Orange County. Santa Ana College was recently chosen as one of fifteen California Community Colleges to offer a four year degree. In addition to hosting regular community fairs aimed at providing resources for veterans, Santa Ana College was also rewarded a $250,000 grant to assist military veterans develop the academic skills needed to succeed in college-level courses. Santa Ana College does not just boast a high involvement among veterans, but is continuously recognized as one of the top associate degree producers for minorities in the nation. I would like to congratulate Santa Ana College for 100 years of overall excellence and service to my district.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments and contributions of Robyn L. Class, the Executive Director of Orange Children & Parents Together. As an alumna of Head Start, I know the impact that early childhood education can have on a child's future. Every day Robyn works to make that impact on as many children as possible. At Orange Children & Parents Together, Robyn ensures that the most vulnerable children and families receive high quality early childhood education programs and family support services. Robyn's work has earned her the well-deserved honor of being named the California Head Start Association's Administrator of the Year. I couldn't be prouder of and thankful for Robyn and Orange Children & Parents Together and I congratulate their exemplary service to the families of Orange County.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement in the Record that the House should vote for bigger paychecks and better infrastructure instead of attacking women's access to health care.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I think they have reached a new low. The Republican majority has decided that they are willing to shut down the agency that detects, deters, and responds to threats in our homeland. With an elevated terror alert status and in light of what just happened in Paris, they must have a good reason; right? Wrong. They are holding essential antiterrorism funding hostage because they want to deport the DREAM kids. They are putting our homeland security and our entire way of life at risk because they want to separate mothers from their children. Mr. Speaker, there is a phrase in Spanish for this: ``no tienen verguenza,'' which means, ``they have no shame.'' Stop playing games with our homeland security and put forward a clean funding bill.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to also echo my thanks to Chairman McKeon. I had the pleasure not only of working with him on this committee, but also the Education Committee when we were on that. You will be missed here in the Congress, Buck, but as a Californian, I hope you will come back and help California even more. An important role of the Armed Services Committee is to conduct aggressive oversight on the hundreds of billions that the Department of Defense spends each year. And while the DOD needs strong funding support from Congress, there are still a lot of areas of wasteful spending, areas that need to be cut, areas where more funding might be needed than requested in the budget, and I am pleased that this final NDAA includes numerous measures to reduce or restrict funding for DOD programs that are behind schedule, not performing, or judged to be of lower priorities. In the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee part of the bill, there are almost $800 million in funding reductions to such programs, and we did that in a bipartisan manner. There is also oversight legislation on several critical programs. The final NDAA provides funding at the President's budget level for most major programs, including more than $8 billion for the 34 F-35 aircraft and also for continued research and development. And finally, the NDAA also includes significant funding in high- priority areas. For example, the Growler aircraft, $450 million; an additional $98 million for additional MQ-9 aircraft; an additional $103 million for UH-60 helicopters for our Army National Guard; an additional $382 million for Army ground vehicles. Also, I am very pleased that my provisions to further integrate women into the military were included in this final bill. I strongly urge the Department of Defense to ensure that there are no delays in expanding opportunities for female servicemembers who are out there on the front lines.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, it has been more than 500 days since the Senate overwhelmingly passed bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. But House Republicans have done nothing. They refused to act. If the Republicans are unwilling to use their power to act, then the President must act. In fact, recently, 117 of my colleagues and I sent a letter to President Obama urging him to act now. Since 1952, every single President, regardless of political party, has used their broad executive authority to shape our Nation's immigration policy. So the President's decision to use executive action is not unprecedented. Neither is it ideal. But, unfortunately, it is necessary. We can no longer stand by while we separate mothers from their children, throw young people out of this country. The only strategy that the Republicans in this House have had has been deport, deport, deport.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, November 15th was a big day for all of us. November 15th marked the beginning of open enrollment for quality, affordable health care for millions of Americans. Because health care should be a right, not a privilege. We need to continue moving our communities from a culture of coping to a culture of coverage. This Saturday, alongside Executive Director of Covered California Mr. Peter Lee, I relaunched my ``Enroll OC'' or ``Inscribete HOY'' initiative to connect Orange County residents with certified, in- person, bilingual health insurance enrollment services. Despite some bumps along the road last year, Orange County surpassed enrollment expectations by almost three-hundred percent, enrolling over 131,000 people, including more then 2,000 folks who were helped by ``Enroll OC.'' And believe me, we will do it again. In fact, we have to do it again. We enrolled one million Californians and cut our uninsured rate in half--the Affordable Care Act is working. It's time to stop repealing and start enrolling and I hope all of my colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, will join our effort. Let's commit to ready, set, enroll.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this amendment. I don't take that lightly. I spent 18 years on the Armed Services Committee and about 12 years on the Homeland Security Committee, and with any decision like this, we have to weigh what we know and what we don't know. We know that, if left unchecked, ISIS would become a direct threat not only to the United States, but possibly to the entire world. That is why we are going after them currently in Iraq with partners that we know we can trust, such as the Kurds. We know that we cannot sit on our hands, close our eyes, and hope that ISIS goes away. That is why we need a good plan. We know that we cannot do this alone, that we need a committed international coalition to stop ISIS. The President says we have a coalition of 40. You know, it is interesting because I remember the Iraq war and the coalition. Some of our coalition members sent one person. I would really like to know who our coalition is and what they are really going to do before I vote for any plan. What don't we know? We don't know how moderate these Syrian rebels really are. In fact, some of my Syrian constituents, Syrian Americans who live in Orange County, have told me that there are no moderates left or, worse, that the moderates, given the choice between losing or Assad or ISIS, want ISIS, and they say people aren't going to fight against ISIS. We don't know if somewhere down the line they will turn our guns right back on us. In fact, that is one of the scarier things that we have to face. We simply don't know who we can trust. In an uncontrolled, war-torn destabilized country, who do we trust? We can look back, for example, at what happened in Central America, how the rebels there, who were armed by the United States, went after innocent civilians. This blood will be on our hands when that happens. We need a winning strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS. Now, we are in an election season. Everybody says this isn't political, but I know, I have been talking to colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and some are wondering what they do 7 weeks away from an election. I have got to tell you, this is not a political vote. The last time people took a political vote in this House, it was on the Iraq war, and many of my colleagues say it was the worst vote they took.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, a man once said: I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and who have lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally. Mr. Speaker, those words were from the great bastion of Republican thinking: President Ronald Reagan. Oh, how his party has changed. In fact, Mr. Speaker, if Ronald Reagan were in office today, he would probably have a primary challenge for being too ``liberal'' thinking. Mr. Speaker, the House today is bringing up their only immigration- related bill, and it has just one message: deport, deport, deport. Deport children seeking refuge from extreme violence. Deport a mother away from her children. Deport a young person who has pledged allegiance only to one flag, and that is our flag. Mr. Speaker, it looks like the bill the Republicans will want to bring is a security only, no to DREAMers supplemental. It does not address our broken immigration system. Have we lost the core message of our country? What happened to, ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free''? What happened to that America? I am sure Ronald Reagan knows, but his party does not.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, we all know that higher education is a key to the ladder of success in the United States. It is one of the most important things that we can invest in. We just recently saw a study that showed that if, in fact, you have a 4-year degree, you are going to make significantly more than if you just graduated from high school. You can imagine that in today's world--at least where I live in California, the innovation State--a master's or a doctorate is really what you need to have. The value of a degree is very, very important, but we also see, of course, the student debt increasing. Students get out with their bachelor's degree, have a mound of debt, and then they are trying to get a master's, a Ph.D., or a profession. It is very, very difficult. One of the most vital programs that we have in the United States is the Pell grant program to help them. But let's face it, it is very difficult to understand all the ins and outs of how to get a Pell grant, how you use it, the purpose, how many units you can take, what you can't take, how long it can take you, et cetera, et cetera. So it is another burden that we are putting on the students and the families when they don't really get the good picture of how to use that program. My amendment would help spell out for students and families how that Pell grant would be used. It would simply require institutions to better counsel transfer students on their maximum Pell grant eligibility and the effect that it may have as a result of credits in courses that don't transfer to another institution. I know that, at least in California, when we look to go to the university, we usually say let's do the first year at the least expensive place to do it, and that would be our community college-- which, by the way, they are the gems of our community. They are doing incredible work. But sometimes when students using the Pell grant get there, they might have, for example, some remedial classes. They might have to brush up on their English or their math. In doing that, the Pell grant is being used up, and then those units don't transfer to that 4-year university they go to. So the student ends up miscalculating what it is really going to cost them to finish off their diploma. This amendment simply looks to make these types of obstacles obvious and transparent to possible transfer students so as to have the clearest view of their degree timelines and the impact on their financial aid. Let's ensure that students have the clearest information, that they get it upfront, and that they understand how they are going to get this done. In fact, a lot of these students are sometimes first-timers in their families who are trying to achieve a diploma from a university. We are still miles away from getting that achievement gap closed in many of our communities. I know we have been working on it for a long time now in Orange County, California, but this will be a little piece of trying to get that. While I am at it, I would like to thank Congressman Guthrie, Congressman Hudson, and Congresswoman Bonamici, who have, in good faith, championed the work on this bill. I still wish we could get to the Higher Education Act, but if we can't do that, this is a good first step. I reserve the balance of my time.