Linda Sánchez

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the tireless work of school counselors across the country and in the 38th District of California, whom I am honored to represent. These public servants guide students through academic, social, and personal development. Dana Zapanta, a counselor at Artesia High School in my district, is exactly the type of champion that students need. Dana, a 12-year counseling veteran, has been instrumental in the development of Artesia's Career Technical Education program. She also coordinates numerous events, including AP Student Night and college fairs. Thanks in part to her unwavering commitment to students, the graduation rate is nearly 99 percent. Despite the important contributions counselors like Dana make every day, counseling positions are not always protected when local budgets are cut. The average student-to-counselor ratio in our Nation's public schools is almost double the ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association. Students deserve to have the support of school counselors like Dana. That is why I am proud to introduce a resolution to designate this week as National School Counseling Week. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring these selfless professionals.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of the cities in my district. On January 28, Pico Rivera, California celebrates its 60th Anniversary. Pico Rivera is a thriving community nestled on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin. With over 120 acres dedicated to recreational space, and 100 acres of local parks, Pico Rivera offers residents a peaceful refuge from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Pico Rivera was officially incorporated in 1958 as the 61st city in Los Angeles County. Before the community evolved into a lively residential area, the historic communities were originally home to agricultural practice. Now, Pico Rivera is home to a vibrant industrial and commercial community, attracting many businesses small and large. Pico Rivera has a rich history, and has continued to invest in the local community through projects such as the Passons Boulevard railroad underpass project, and the new Pico Rivera Library. These types of city projects make Pico Rivera a great place to live, work, and relax. I am honored to represent this city and its residents, and look forward to what the next 60 years have in store.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, yesterday December 18, 2017, on Roll Call Number 685 through 687, The Motion to Fix the Convening Time, H.R. 4375, STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act and H.R. 3979, Keep America's Refuges Operational Act, I was unavoidably detained and missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted: Motion to Fix the Convening Time: No; H.R. 4375: Yes; H.R. 3979: Yes.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask a simple question: What is the rush? Why are we rushing to vote on a $1.7 trillion tax bill that will end up being paid off the backs of working Americans? Don't be fooled. Working Americans will pay for this bill. That is why the National Association of Realtors warned that the typical homeowner in my State could see their home value drop between $37,000 and $57,000. That is why the Joint Committee on Taxation has said the Republican bill would increase costs to college students and their families by $71 billion. We all know whose retirement Republicans will raid when their overly optimistic growth numbers don't materialize. They are going to go after your Medicare and Social Security. The American people deserve better than this Republican tax scam. Instead of rushing to get this done, let's work together to get it done right.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, or better known as the GOP tax scam. This bill provides tax cuts for corporations and multimillionaires at the expense of hardworking middle class families. Massive corporate tax cuts do not guarantee job growth or higher wages. The only thing guaranteed is the $2.3 trillion that this scam adds to the deficit. Democrats are serious about passing comprehensive tax reform that is fair and that puts a little more money in the pockets of working Americans. This fiasco of a bill is not fair. Corporations get a massive 15 percent tax cut, but what do working families get? They get nickeled and dimed. Despite student loan debts surpassing $1 trillion, this bill eliminates the student loan interest deduction, which only allows those earning $80,000 or less to claim it in the first place, squarely hurting middle class Americans who are trying to pay off debt, save for a home, or buy a new car. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct expenses for school supplies that they purchase with their own money for their classrooms, yet corporations are able to deduct the cost of those same supplies that they purchase. Seniors and people with chronic illnesses would no longer be able to deduct some of the cost of their treatment. At a time when many families are feeling the pressures of affording care for their children and their aging parents, this bill takes money right out of their pockets. Under this bill, 29 million households would lose their property tax deduction. Eighty percent of middle class homeowners would lose, compared with just 13 percent of high-income earners. Does that sound fair? Finally, the elimination of the State and local income tax deduction disproportionately impacts middle-income families, especially those in California, whose residents would see an overall net tax increase of $12.1 billion. The Tax Code is a reflection of our values. The Republicans have clearly chosen who they serve--the wealthy and corporations--but I am concerned about the 36 million Americans who will see a tax increase, teachers and their students, and people with preexisting conditions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this disaster of a bill. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two letters in opposition to this bill, one from SEIU and one from the AFL-CIO.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the pivotal role that small businesses in California's 38th district are playing in transporting humanity to new frontiers in our solar system. As a proud member of the NASA Caucus, I know that the extraordinary feats that the United States has made in space exploration and human spaceflight would not be possible without the ingenuity of small businesses and manufacturers across our country. I want to recognize one such manufacturer, AMRO Fabricating Corp., which is celebrating its 40th anniversary next week. In 1977, AMRO was established in South El Monte, California by Michael K. and Thora A. Riley. The company first entered the aerospace industry in 1979, and in 1986, McDonnell Douglas selected AMRO to manufacture Isogrid panels for the Titan IV rocket. Over the past 30 years, AMRO has honed its forming process for Isogrid and Orthogrid designs, which allow metal structures to be both lightweight and durable, and are critical for enabling spacecraft and aircraft to fly efficiently and safely. I am proud of the integral work AMRO is contributing to the development of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft, which will carry U.S. astronauts farther than ever before and eventually to Mars. Just this August, AMRO delivered window panels for the Orion spacecraft that astronauts will use on its first manned mission, Exploration Mission-2, in the early 2020s. AMRO is also working on elements for the SLS's core stage, which will carry the Orion spacecraft beyond Earth's orbit. From 1977 to 2017, AMRO's innovation in spaceflight and aerospace have allowed it to grow from just 6 employees to more than 250, as well as to develop training programs for high school and university students. The U.S. space program has an exciting future ahead of it, in no small part due to the dynamism of America's small businesses. Please join me in congratulating AMRO on its 40th anniversary.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sorrow and anger. Last night, more than 58 people were tragically murdered and over 500 wounded in a senseless act of violence in Las Vegas, Nevada. The murderer was found to have 20 guns, including at least one automatic rifle. No person should be allowed to possess a weapon that makes indiscriminately killing human beings easier. It just baffles me that some of my colleagues don't agree with that basic premise. Not only do they not agree with sensible gun control measures like background checks and no fly, no buy, they won't even allow public research dollars to be used to research gun control and gun violence. Until Congress acts to make it harder for dangerous people to acquire these types of weapons, tragedies like this will continue to happen. How many more people have to die? How much more blood must be shed before Congress decides to act? Moments of silence and sympathy and prayers from Members of this body are not enough anymore. The time has come to act. We must act now.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, while my colleagues on the other side of the aisle press forward with their partisan gimmicks, 800,000 young people are still holding their breath. With time quickly running out, they are wondering what their futures look like without DACA. Will they lose their jobs? Will they have to drop out of college after they have already paid tuition? Will they live in fear that ICE will be waiting for them at any corner? All these fears could be eliminated if Republican leadership allowed a vote on the bicameral, bipartisan Dream Act. Instead of living in fear or losing their job, the Dream Act would allow them to continue working and add $22.7 billion annually to our U.S. GDP. Passing the Dream Act will help our country reach the goal of 3 percent economic growth. The Dream Act would allow them to continue improving themselves and their education. In the process, they would add $728 billion cumulatively to our economy over a decade, due to an ``education bump.'' The Dream Act would allow current teachers, nurses, soldiers, engineers, high school and college students, and hundreds of thousands of others to continue contributing to our economy and our country. I call on my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and, instead, bring the Dream Act forward for a vote. We have the votes, and the urgency of passing the Dream Act is real.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today's bill that is on the floor is nothing more than a harsh measure that seeks to cast a broad net and cast immigrants in general in a poor light by labeling them criminals based on the suspicions but not the actual facts. What is more, this harsh and reckless measure provides virtually no procedural safeguards for people to challenge a police officer's opinion as to whether or not they are involved in a gang. A mere suspicion can mean that somebody can be facing removal. Instead of dealing with such draconian legislation, we should really be talking about the positive contributions that immigrants make to this country and the fact that we have over 800,000 DREAMers in this country who are waiting for this Congress to act. They have been hoping and they have been waiting for years for this Congress to provide a legislative solution to allow them to continue to live in their communities, to contribute to the economy, to pay taxes, and to be a part of a country that they consider their own. Many of these DREAMers were brought to this country as children, and they had no say in the matter. They speak the language here, not even that of their home countries of birth. Many of them have no families or ties there. Many of them are outstanding students who are studying law, medicine, and engineering. They want to put their talents to work for this country, and yet here today we are talking about a bill that would basically seek to condemn all immigrants as gang members and try to deport them as quickly as possible. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in opposition to the bill that we are debating today and in support of allowing DREAMers a legislative path to remain in this country, to continue to serve in the military to fight and die for this country, to put their God-given natural talents to work to pay into the system, and to generate good economic results. Committee on Migration, Migration and Refugee Services,

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, if you look at the class of DREAMers today that contribute to this country, many of them work and go to school. Many of them are breadwinners for their families. They want to stay, and yet we have given them no opportunity to do so. They are patriotic, they are talented, and what they contribute to our country economically is tremendous. If you think about the number of DREAMers who have bank accounts, who have credit cards, and who purchase goods that are produced here in the United States, to simply embark on a path of mass deportations isn't going to help our economy, and it is going to rip apart these families.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Speaker Ryan and House Republicans need to decide whether they will be complicit in the Trump administration's cowardly assault on DREAMers and immigrants or whether they will join the overwhelming majority of Americans in calling on Congress to protect these courageous and patriotic young people from the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please vote ``no'' on the underlying bill and please stop giving lip service to these talented young people. Provide them with a path to hope and a path to be able to contribute to this country.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember my dear friend, and fierce advocate for his fellow veterans, Jose Ramos. I am deeply saddened by his passing, and my thoughts are with his wife, Sylvia, and his family at this very difficult time. Jose was a member of my Veterans Advisory Committee and a well-respected resource for veterans throughout our community. He will always be remembered for his tireless work to gain national recognition for Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Jose Ramos was born in 1948 to Augustine and Herminia Ramos. He attended Garfield High School but chose to enlist in the Army when he was in 10th grade. He worked as an Army Combat Medic, and in 1968 he received the Purple Heart. After returning home, Jose worked at the Los Angeles County USC Medical Center and at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. He retired in 1999. Like his fellow Vietnam veterans, Jose Ramos returned home from an unpopular war only to face hostility and resentment. And like his fellow soldiers, Jose quietly went back to his normal life, built a family and stayed in touch with his veteran friends. He became a powerful advocate for veterans in our community and across the country. It was his personal experiences, and those of his fellow GIs, that motivated him to work toward establishing a national day of recognition. He inspired many, including me, to help give Vietnam veterans their long overdue welcome home. His legacy lives on as several states all across the nation have already adopted Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. It is long past time for our country to officially recognize and commemorate their service. I will continue to introduce and advocate for legislation to establish a national `Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day' on behalf of Jose Ramos and all of our veterans who fought bravely in the Vietnam War.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Nadia, who received a master's degree in public health from UC Davis.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Howard L. Chambers, City Manager for Lakewood, California in my Southern California district who is retiring after over 41 years of public service. Howard is concluding his career as the longest serving city manager with any single city in California, exemplifying his love and dedication towards the City of Lakewood and its people. Howard was born and raised in Lakewood, having attended Lakewood schools and working at the local YMCA and the City of Lakewood's recreation program. As his life progressed Howard never strayed too far from his beloved city, attending college at nearby California State University, Long Beach where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. Howard became Lakewood's top executive in 1976, after receiving a Master of Arts degree in Planning and Administration from Pepperdine University and serving as Executive Assistant to the Lakewood City Manager. During his tenure with the City of Lakewood, Howard always provided strong leadership and knowledgeable direction for major projects. While his accomplishments are far too numerous to name, I want to highlight the building of the Weingart Senior Center, The Centre at Sycamore Plaza, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Vista Lodge, the West San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail, and, most recently, the new Pumpkin Playground at San Martin Park. He also oversaw the renovation of the Veterans Memorial Plaza and Douglas jet plane at Del Valle Park. Over the past decades, Howard has worked tirelessly to ensure Lakewood operates on firm financial footing and never outside its fiscal means. During the recent economic downturn, Lakewood was able to maintain funding for all city services and avoid employee layoffs thanks to Howard's budgetary foresight. Howard has also played an influential role amongst his peers in city management, through his leadership roles in League of California Cities, the California Contract Cities Association, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, and the International City/County Management Association. Howard was recently honored by the League of California Cities with the 2017 Wes McClure Award of Distinction for outstanding career service, leadership, ethics, expertise and innovation as a city manager. I wish to commend Howard Chambers on his many years of outstanding public service and dedication to the City of Lakewood and its residents. I wish him the very best in retirement.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, after more than 6 months of failing to pass any major legislative bills, House Republicans are becoming desperate for a win. So desperate, they decided to sneak in $1.6 billion into a funding bill to start construction on an unworkable wall along our border. While I support real border security, this stunt is a far cry from that. I believe in investing our Federal dollars wisely. Instead of building a medieval solution that will not work, why don't we use those billions of dollars for a big, beautiful jobs package? Or big, beautiful bridges, roads, and infrastructure throughout this country? Or to ensure that our children can access higher education and job training, healthcare, and housing? Instead, my Republican colleagues are attempting to distract us from their failures by passing this bill. You would think that with their back against a wall, they wouldn't be this eager to start building another one.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 332, providing for consideration of H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act I was unavoidably detained and missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' personal explanation

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I can't believe we are here today attempting to pass such a blatantly discriminatory bill. Under the guise of fighting fraud, Republicans are attempting to pass a bill that will put additional barriers to care for all Americans--all this in exchange for one Member's vote for TrumpCare, which guts healthcare for 23 million Americans, and the Republicans barely passed that bill out of the House. This bill fails to recognize the diversity of American families; instead, it forces a single approach for all those who need financial help to get the care that they need. I don't know if everyone on the other side of the aisle knows this, but there are already measures in place to prevent advanced premium tax credits from going to ineligible people. There is already a mechanism in place for Treasury to reconcile tax credits, and any undocumented individual found to have received a subsidy must repay them in full. The other side will also try to make the argument that this measure will help fight fraud in the healthcare system, that there is somehow overwhelming amounts of evidence that immigrants are the main perpetrators of fraud. Beneficiaries struggling to access care are not the perpetrators of fraud. These are good people trying to do right by their families and by their country. Of course, my colleagues over there are going to cite a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs report, written by a Republican majority, that found, ``a half a million illegal immigrants received $750 million in healthcare subsidies.'' Well, I have that report right here in my hand, and nowhere does it say that 500,000 undocumented immigrants received millions of dollars in healthcare subsidies, as Mr. Barletta's press release claims. What the report says is 500,000 individuals, and not 500,000 undocumented individuals or any other term that Republicans like to use to disparage immigrants. There is no evidence to suggest that immigrants without authorization to be here would take the risk of signing on to a government website to fraudulently get healthcare coverage. So what are the unintended consequences of this bill? I hate to break it to my colleagues, but the people most impacted are U.S. citizens who were born abroad or naturalized, not undocumented individuals. This bill is yet another example that the Republican majority will do anything to demonize even the smallest subsection of immigrants in order to gut healthcare for Americans and get their billionaire buddies a big, fat tax break. Whether that means sowing fear in communities by raiding homes in order to hunt people down or denying access to care for legal immigrants who are entitled to care, no excuse is too ridiculous for Republicans to attack the immigrant community. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter signed by 226 organizations in opposition to H.R. 2581. June 12, 2017. Dear Member of Congress: As national, state, and local organizations concerned about immigrant rights or access to affordable health care, we are writing to strongly urge you to VOTE NO on HR 2581, the ``Verify First'' Act. This bill is an attack on people's ability to see a doctor and on immigrants and people of color. It is not the ``common sense'' taxpayer protection bill that its supporters would have you believe. HR 2581 is a dangerous bill that puts up roadblocks for both citizens and immigrants to obtain timely, affordable health insurance. It would strip away provisions that provide for a person to obtain subsidies for enrollment in an Affordable Care Act (or the contemplated American Health Care Act) plan while they work with Department of Health and Human Services to verify their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. The people most impacted are U.S. citizens who were born abroad or naturalized. The bill also affects many immigrants, especially those newly arrived or certain victims of domestic violence and trafficking survivors. The fact is that when individuals are not able to immediately verify their citizenship or immigration status on an Affordable Care Act Marketplace, it begins an often months long, strenuous process of sending in documents that must be physically inspected. Health care assisters routinely say these clients are the hardest cases they work on because the process for verifying citizenship and immigration status is a time-consuming exercise in dealing with inefficient government processes. Rather than protect American taxpayers, HR 2581 would strip from American taxpayers important protections that are needed to overcome deficiencies in federal government databases. Immigrants who are not lawfully present are categorically barred from enrollment in health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, and for the subsidies that make that insurance affordable. Moreover, safeguards protecting taxpayers are already built into the ACA; individuals whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be verified already are required to pay back all of their subsidies when they file their taxes and ``reconcile'' their premium tax credits. Supporters of this bill cite a sloppy Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee report that arrived at a made-up number of supposed ``fraud.'' It's just not true. The committee assumed that every person who lost coverage for failure to verify their citizenship and immigration status was undocumented. In the experience of our organizations and organizations we work with, this is false. These reports describe the first year of the marketplaces, and it is well documented that system outages and understaffing, among other technical problems, contributed to the federal Marketplace's failure to verify consumers' status promptly. The Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General reported in 2014 that a cause of the delay in verification was the agency's lack of prioritization of this issue. Despite huge gains since then, problems still persist. The Social Security database holding many citizens' information may not reflect common changes, such as when a person marries and changes their last name, or when someone naturalizes and gains U.S. citizenship. People lose their coverage because they receive notices in languages they cannot read. Immigrants are required to submit documents multiple times, or wait while the Department of Homeland Security finds paper files, a result of deficiencies in their databases affecting groups like asylum applicants and some survivors of domestic violence. These are among the many issues consumers face. Congress has already deprived undocumented immigrants from the ability to buy coverage, even at full price, so they can see a doctor when they are sick, but this bill would go a step further to delay or put out of reach affordable health insurance for many citizens and lawfully present immigrants. Our organizations firmly believe that this would be detrimental to the people we represent and to all of our communities as a whole. We have seen that when health insurance is unaffordable, people are effectively prevented from obtaining access to the care they need to be healthy. This bill is not just an attack on our health care system, it is also an attack on immigrants and people of color, which our organizations stand firmly against. In his statements when introducing this bill, Rep. Lou Barletta focused the bill as part of his effort to ``stop illegal immigration.'' Rep. Barletta has a long history of anti-immigrant rhetoric, from trying to prevent immigrants from leasing a residence to stating that they should be denied life-saving services in hospital emergency rooms. This bill is simply a vehicle for scapegoating immigrants and people of color and will keep eligible people from accessing health care. We the undersigned organizations urge you to vote NO on HR 2581 and the continued assault on immigrants and the health of our communities. Sincerely, National Advocates for Youth; African American Ministers In Action; American Federation of Teachers (AFT); American Friends Service Committee; American Intercession; American Society on Aging; Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum; Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC; Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence; Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy & Leadership (APPEAL); Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO); Autistic Self Advocacy Network; Black Alliance for Just Immigration; Breast Cancer Action; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.; Child Welfare League of America; Children's Advocacy Institute; Children's Defense Fund; Church World Service (CWS); Coalition on Human Needs; Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces; Conscious Talk Radio; Detention Watch Network; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Dominican Sisters; Dominicans of Sinsinawa; Family Equality Council; Farmworker Justice; First Focus Campaign for Children; Food Research & Action Center; Franciscan Sisters of the Poor IJPC; Friends Committee on National Legislation; Generations Inc.; GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality; Immigrant Legal Resource Center; Indivisible; Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; Interfaith Worker Justice; Irish Apostolate USA; Jobs With Justice; Justice in Aging; Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Commission, Priests of the Sacred Heart, US Province; Lambda Legal; Leadership Team of the Felician Sisters of North America; League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Medical Mission Sisters; Mi Familia Vota; MomsRising; NAACP; NAPAFASA; National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; National Association of County and City Health Officials; National Association of Social Workers; National Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Transgender Equality; National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA); National Council of Churches; National Council of La Raza (NCLR); National Education Association; National Employment Law Project; National Health Law Program; National Hispanic Medical Association; National Immigrant Justice Center; National Immigration Law Center; National Justice for Our Neighbors; National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; National Network of Abortion Funds; National Organization for Women; National Women's Health Network; Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility of United Church of Christ; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; NMAC; OCA--Asian Pacific American Advocates; Our Revolution; Peace and Justice Office of the Congregation of Notre Dame; Physicians for Reproductive Health; PICO National; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign; Prevention Institute; Project Inform; Racine Dominicans; Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need; Refuge Ministries; Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law; Service Employees International Union; Sisters of Charity; Sisters of Charity of Nazareth; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas--Institute Justice Team; Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; United Sikhs; United We Dream; Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province; We Belong Together; API Wellness; State and Local Academy of Medical & Public Health Services; Advocates for Children and Youth; AgeOptions; Almost Home, Inc.; Anti- Hunger & Nutrition Coalition; Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing; Asian Americans Advancing Justice--Los Angeles; Asian Community Alliance--Cincinnati OH; Asian Law Alliance; Asian Services In Action, Inc.; Baltimore Jewish Council; California Health Professional Student Alliance; California Immigrant Policy Center; California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ); California OneCare; California Pan-Ethnic Health Network; California Partnership; California Physicians Alliance; CASA; Center for Southeast Asians; Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition; Child Care Resources of Rockland; Children Now; Children's Defense Fund-CA; Chinatown Service Center; Chinese-American Planning Council; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); Collaborative Center for Justice; Colorado Center on Law and Policy; Colorado Center on Law and Policy; Columbia Legal Services; Community Health Councils; D. C. Hunger Solutions; DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform; Empower Missouri; Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to End Poverty in Contra Costa; Erie Benedictines for Peace; Esperanza Health Centers; EverThrive Illinois; Farmworker Association of Florida; Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC); Give for a Smile; Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness; Having Our Say Coalition; Health Access California; Health Care for All- WA; Health Law Advocates; Healthy House Within A MATCH Coalition; Hmong Ohio of Tomorrow; Hunger Action Los Angeles; IHM Sisters, Immaculata, PA; IL Hunger Coalition; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Indivisible Mountain Home, Idaho; Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity; IRIS--Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services; Islamic Civic Engagement Project; Jewish Family & Children's Service; Kansas Appleseed; Kentucky Equal Justice Center; Korean Community Services of Metropolitan NY; La Fe Policy Research and Education Center; La Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program; Legal Council for Health Justice; Legal Services of Southern Piedmont; Maine Consumers for Affordable Health Care; Make the Road New York; Maryland CASH Campaign; Maryland Hunger Solutions; Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA); Massachusetts Law Reform Institute; Maternal and Child Health Access; Maternity Care Coalition; National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter; National Tongan American Society; Nationalities Service Center; NC Child; New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty; New York Immigration Coalition; New York Legal Assistance Group; NICOS Chinese Health Coalition; NJ State Industrial Union Council; NOELA Community Health Center; Northern NJ Chapter, National Organization for Women; Northwest Health Law Advocates; Northwest Immigrant Rights Project; Office of the Health Care Advocate at Vermont Legal Aid; OneAmerica; Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Pitkin County Human Services; Public Justice Center; Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA); Rainbow Center; Reformed Church of Highland Park; RESULTS-Santa Fe (NM); Salaam Cleveland; Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN); Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston; Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, NY; Sisters of the Most Precious Blood; Social Justice Committee St. Patrick Church; South Asian Network; Southwest Women's Law Center; St. Francis St Vincent de Paul Society; Tennessee Justice Center; Thai Health And Information Service; The Children's Partnership; The Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc.; Turning Points; United Way Bay Area; URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America; Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition; Virginia Poverty Law Center; Voices for Vermont's Children; Voz Hispana Cambio Comunitario; Washington Community Action Network; Washington Healthcare Access Alliance; Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO; West Chester Food Cupboard; West Side Campaign Against Hunger; Westlake Chinese Culture Association; Wisconsin Council of Churches; Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice; Women's Action Movement Washtenaw County MI; Worksite Wellness LA; Xaverian Brothers; Young Women United;

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the majority that the IRS would be able to do their job if they didn't spend the last 8 years demonizing the IRS and cutting their budget year after year. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would just remind my colleagues that under the ACA, there is also a verification process for subsidies. But I would just raise the issue that for newborn children, most of whom don't have a Social Security number when they are newborn--and this includes children of our military members serving overseas--if they have a severe health problem, then delaying verification, which can be up to 6 weeks for them, can mean the difference between life and death. And I am talking about a situation such as that experienced by Jimmy Kimmel, if you take the time to see his response to what happened with his newborn. With that, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), also a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Ms. SANCHEZ. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu), a colleague from the Ways and Means Committee.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased at this time to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon.