Melanie Stansbury

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, Black history is American history, indigenous history is American history, Latino history is American history, and women and LGBTQ+ history is American history. We will not be silenced. No illegal or unconscionable executive orders can erase American history. No firing of generals or Federal workers, no banning of books or threats to schools, no purge of websites or removal of artifacts from the Smithsonian or any other institution, and certainly no change to our national holidays will erase American history because the people of this country will not be silenced. We will not allow this President to turn back the clock to take away American rights. We will keep speaking, we will keep marching, and we will keep fighting to protect our democracy because this is our country, and we are not going back.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I will take a moment today to share a story of why we are fighting and who we are fighting for. Every day this administration claims they are trying to make America healthy again, and yet everything they are doing seems to indicate that they are trying to make us sicker again. They have fired 10,000 HHS health professionals. On this floor this week, the GOP passed a reconciliation package that would cut Medicaid by billions of dollars. Every day my constituents ask how can this cruel agenda continue? Yesterday, I met with Rochelle Tittmann, a mom of four, who was diagnosed with cancer when she was 29 weeks pregnant 8 years ago. By the grace of God, her family, and the medical advancements made possible by the HHS, by the National Institutes of Health, by the CDC, she is here today, and her youngest daughter, Rae, is in the second grade. These are the people we are fighting for. This is why we are fighting back, and this is why we oppose this cruel agenda.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, the amount of gaslighting in this Chamber this afternoon has been absolutely stunning, truly, as I sat here this afternoon. What the GOP is doing is they are introducing a budget resolution that takes the worst of the House and the worst of the Senate and puts it in one big, beautiful bill that is going to blow a hole through the national debt. It will do that by raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, cutting $1.5 trillion in vital programs, giving $7 trillion in permanent tax breaks to billionaires, and raising the debt by $37 trillion over the next 30 years. How are Republicans going to pay for it? On the backs of the American people with cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, housing, school meals, clean energy, and selling your public lands. Mr. Speaker, the craziest thing is the majority said that Republicans wouldn't vote for it if it would raise the debt and the debt ceiling, and here they are. Bravo to my friends. My Republican colleagues are blowing a hole through the debt ceiling, and we will vote ``no.''

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saying welcome back to my friends across the aisle. It is really nice to have them back here in the people's House, especially after last week. Their leadership shut down the United States House of Representatives rather than accommodate new moms voting remotely with a newborn child. Stellar work, my friends. You have simultaneously managed to shut down the House and enrage millions of moms across America. The American people actually want a government that represents them, and that is why they are also outraged by the agenda that Republicans have in this rule and are putting on the House floor this week, including the SAVE Act, which would disenfranchise millions of Americans, including millions of married women. You refuse to take up an amendment that would protect them, so congratulations to my friends. How about the No Rogue Rulings Act that is also being heard this week? It would undermine the courts. There are a couple of bills to roll back consumer protections to keep banks from ripping them off. Is that your agenda? That is it? You are going to rip off American consumers, undermine their voting rights, undermine the judiciary, and insult moms? Cool. Yes, this sounds like a great agenda. Oh, I forgot, you are also going to tank the economy while Donald Trump is playing golf, and you are going to try to pass a budget that literally will cost the American people $37 trillion over the next 30 years while gutting their Medicaid and their food and housing assistance. Now, luckily, the American people are not falling for it, and millions of Americans are speaking out and marching in the streets. It is because of their actions that Elon Musk--thank you very much--is finally leaving the building. Make no mistake, this agenda will continue, as we see here this week. That is why it is vital that the American people continue to speak up and speak out, keep marching, keep showing up, and keep telling these folks that we reject their agenda and its harmful impacts to the American people, and we will not allow it to continue.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, among the daily assaults on our communities, on our economy, and the daily distractions and absurdities that we see from this administration and from my friends across the aisle in this Chamber, it can be easy to lose track of the bigger picture of what is happening across our country right now and the historical inflection point on which we stand. If Members zoom out and look at the bigger picture and the larger movement of this moment, my colleagues can see the ways in which this administration is trying to roll back the clock on American history, to redefine whose histories count, whose languages count, whose cultures count, whose identities count, whose personhood counts, whose very civil rights count, and who belongs in this great country. We see it in this Chamber this week with a GOP that is trying to roll back the voting rights of Americans across the country, and we see it in the insidious rollback of civil rights across the administration, in our workplaces, in our schools, and all across this country, as the administration has armed itself with Project 2025 and has sought to redefine American society and roll back advancements of the civil rights era. We see it in the executive orders that Donald Trump signed in his first days in office, terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion across our Federal agencies, putting thousands of Federal workers on leave, shuttering offices and freezing Federal funds, and scrubbing websites of American history. We see it in the military in the treatment of our veterans, firing one of the highest-ranking generals serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first females in military leadership across multiple armed services divisions, the banning of our trans and LGBTQ+ servicemembers from serving openly, the scrubbing of DOD websites trying to erase the history of our veterans with 26,000 images and web pages of our history to be erased including the Tuskegee Airmen, Jackie Robinson, and the Navajo Code Talkers. Republicans even want to delete a picture of the Enola Gay airplane because it contains the word ``gay'' in it. We have seen the termination of the Commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a memo from the Department of Justice that would investigate, eliminate, and penalize those who engage, both in the private sector and universities, in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for our communities who live with disabilities, claiming that they will unleash the law and criminal proceedings on private companies, unleash the FCC, threatening to block mergers of companies like Disney and ABC. Federal contractors are being told that they cannot have contracts with the Federal Government if their boardrooms engage in diversity and inclusion. They are engaging in trying to stifle and chill the telling of American history by putting the Vice President in charge of a commission, just last week, to erase history from our Smithsonian Institution as well as attacking our schools. Across the United States, there are 98,000 public schools. Last week, the Trump administration issued a letter to those schools saying that they must certify that they will end the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our public schools, or they will have their Federal funding cut. Imagine that in schools across every community. These are schools in your neighborhoods. They are the schools that I attended. They are the schools that your children attend. Their Federal funding will be cut if they teach history, if they teach language, if they teach culture, and if they celebrate the multiple cultures and diversity of this country. The administration is trying to dismantle Tribal schools, which were created because of our trust and treaty responsibilities, trying to turn them into a voucher program and school choice. There are no choices in many of our rural and Tribal communities. The choice is to keep our Tribal schools open, which provide multicultural programs, language, and other programs that are the root of these communities. Mr. Speaker, we cannot give in. We will not allow them to roll back the clock. We must keep fighting for the future of this country. We will not give in to the politics of despair because the time is right to always do right. We must stand up and fight back and we will.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to say to our President and to his administration: Hands off our education, hands off our teachers, hands off our students, and hands off our schools. Last week, the Department of Education sent a letter to thousands of public schools across the country asking them to certify that they would end programs promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility or they would have their Federal funding cut. Let us be clear. This is a direct attack on our communities on whose histories, whose cultures, whose languages, and whose communities count. Last week, we met with the Secretary of Education and hand delivered a letter calling on the administration to end these attacks on our schools, on our communities, on Tribal communities, and our education system. We will continue to fight back because we cannot stand with a country that is attacking our students. Mr. Speaker, I say to our President: Hands off our schools, hands off our students, and hands off our communities.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to ask a question that millions of Americans across this country are asking right now. That question is, ``What is Elon Musk doing with our data?'' because I think that none of us can figure that out. For the last several months, we have watched as Elon Musk, DOGE, and his team of hackers have infiltrated agency after agency and database after database, downloading, accessing, and applying artificial intelligence systems to those data. Yet, when we have tried to bring Mr. Elon Musk in front of the Oversight Committee, or any committee of this body, the GOP has consistently blocked us day after day. Mr. Musk claims to have maximum transparency, yet all he has done has created a B grade Twitter in which he is posting Twitter posts claiming that he is cutting government spending. Meanwhile, he is dropping millions of dollars in Wisconsin today, trying to buy a judicial race. Republicans in this body are readying legislation this week to try to block the judiciary from holding and reining in Donald Trump and Elon Musk from data mining, firing Federal employees, freezing Federal funds, and dismantling Federal agencies. It raises the question: What are they doing inside our Federal agencies? That is why, today, I have introduced legislation and a resolution to get to the bottom of what Elon Musk and DOGE are doing with our data and how they are using artificial intelligence. Last week, Elon Musk did an interview with his DOGE hackers on FOX News, yet he still will not come in front of this body under oath and testify. During that interview, he claimed, as he has many times, that what he is using this data for is to make the government more efficient. Yet, over the course of the last several months, not only has he not made it more efficient, but he has mired the Federal Government in constant litigation and constant dismantling, disruption, and chaos of our agencies. Now, he is telling us that he is going to leave the Federal Government in just a few weeks to expand his data and AI operations, as he announced last week, with his own AI company, of which a number of the executives are actively operating inside the Federal Government with DOGE right now. It raises a lot of questions, doesn't it? That is why every single day, my constituents and Americans across this country are asking us: What are they doing with our data? Why are they inside these systems? Why are they downloading Treasury payment data? Why are they downloading IRS data? Why are they downloading our Social Security data? What are they going to do with it? That is why this resolution will demand answers. This resolution, which has been introduced in the Oversight Committee, will demand that they produce documentation, names, datasets, and information about what they are doing. This is crucial to understanding not only how they are utilizing our private and confidential data as Americans but also the ways in which they are hacking those systems and illicitly using that data for their own policy and political ends and the way in which they are threatening our national security. What they are doing is not legal. They cannot do this. We know that, but without the proper oversight that our Republican colleagues across the aisle are refusing to provide, we must use every tool that we have at our disposal. That is why this resolution of inquiry is necessary to demand an investigation into what DOGE and Elon Musk are doing with our data, how it is impacting American privacy, and how it is impacting our national security. We will not back down until we get those answers. Mr. Speaker, I humbly say to the Members of this House: We demand answers, and we demand answers now.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, as we stand here today on the House floor, Donald Trump's Secretary of Health is announcing that he is firing over 10,000 healthcare professionals across America. These are the doctors, practitioners, experts, and scientists who keep us safe. While we stand here today, Elon Musk is trying to buy an election in Wisconsin. While we stand here, Donald Trump is bragging about tariffs across town while he is saying that he is going to run for President for a third term, which is unconstitutional. What are Republicans trying to run on the House floor this week? The SAVE Act, which would undermine the voting rights of millions of Americans, and the No Rogue Rulings Act, which would undermine the judicial branch and interfere with its rulings. It is trying to run two CRAs that would revoke administrative rules to keep banks from ripping off the American people. Here they are, trying to sneak in a rule today that would take our power away as Representatives here in the House to ensure that our own Members can care for their children as new parents. This is what abuse of power looks like: attacking the judiciary, attacking our elections, and attacking our democratic institutions. We will not stand for it because American democracy is on the line. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up, have a backbone, do what is right, and vote ``no.''

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to address the Members of this Chamber and the American people, especially in the wake of remarks by the President and actions by the GOP here in the House this week which undermine the Constitution and the fundamental rule of law. It is with that in mind that I say tonight that there is no situation in which Donald Trump will serve a third term in these United States of America. It is unlawful, unconscionable, and, yes, unconstitutional. To my colleagues across the aisle who are supporting legislation this week that would weaken and undermine the judicial system and the voting rights of Americans, I say to you that history is watching and will remember this moment. Did you stand with the American people and our democracy or did you stand with the lawless administration who is unleashing chaos on our communities and our democracy and our Nation? I encourage my colleagues to find your backbone. Right your minds and right your hearts because history will remember.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I think ``insanity'' is a good word for what is happening here on the House floor today. Another good word is ``bizarre.'' When I go home and I tell my constituents what happens in these Halls, they are amazed. Today is one of those days where I am wondering what the hell are these folks doing. While our economy is in crisis, while groceries and housing are at an all-time high, while our veterans and our firefighters and our teachers are being illegally fired, while Elon Musk is dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, and while the Secretary of Defense is trying to cover up the most incompetent national security leak I have ever heard of in my life, the Republicans in the House are trying to save the American people from the scourge of walk-in cooler and refrigeration efficiency standards. That is right. We are here wasting precious debate time on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives debating dismantling efficiency standards for walk-in refrigerators. How out of touch are Republicans with the American people? Like literally, I know Republicans are not holding townhalls and meeting with their constituents anymore, but do they think that the American people voted for them to waste our time on refrigeration standards? That is what they think they were elected to do? Literally, how out of touch are Republicans? No American voted, no American--I don't care where you are on the ideological spectrum, you did not vote for this. This is ridiculous. It is preposterous and it is just stupid. Yesterday, it was reported that the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Advisor, and the Vice President leaked war plans to a journalist. This is the same administration that accidentally fired nuclear scientists and engineers who maintain our nuclear stockpile. This is the same administration that is illegally firing Federal employees and dismantling Federal agencies, and they are here running a resolution on refrigerators. Meanwhile, tomorrow, Republicans are going to hold a hearing and haul NPR and PBS in front of Congress to try to undermine the media just like they did here on this floor just a few moments ago as they are kicking the media out of the Pentagon and the White House because they don't believe in the media anymore. Well, maybe this is exactly what the end conclusion of dismantling education and American democracy is because this is ridiculous. I will vote ``no.''

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, sometimes when I am standing in this Chamber, I literally cannot believe my ears, and I have to say that today is one of those days. As we stand here on the floor today, I am hearing Members of the other side of the aisle who said they would never vote for a continuing resolution, that they would never vote to raise the debt, and that they would never vote for a bill that extends the debt ceiling say that we have to pass this bill. I literally cannot believe my ears today because the GOP today is here with a great American bait and switch. Let me explain what exactly is going on. Donald Trump spent the weekend calling our colleagues across the aisle, asking them to keep the government open until the end of the fiscal year so that they can get on with their real agenda. You all know what the real agenda is. The real agenda is that they are dismantling the Federal Government. They are firing tens of thousands of Federal workers, teachers, firefighters, veterans, military, and members of our community who are in crisis right now, and they are illegally impounding funds. Meanwhile, my Republican colleagues who said they would never vote for anything like this are saying that they are going to vote for it because, on the side, Donald Trump is winking at them, and his people are telling them not to worry, if you pass this bill, we are going to continue to do all of that illegal activity. We can get on to the real work, which is dismantling our basic programs that support our communities. They want to take away your Medicaid. This weekend, Elon Musk said he wants to take away your Social Security. They want to dismantle housing programs. They want to dismantle food assistance programs. They are literally bait and switching the American people and abdicating their fundamental responsibility as Representatives of the people. The people have spoken, my friends, and there is no number of townhalls that you can run away from to know that your people in your communities do not support your bait and switch. I say to my GOP colleagues: Do your jobs.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for convening this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the real-world impacts of what is happening right now in our Federal Government. With the dismantling of Federal agencies, the free fall of our economy, and the impacts that Elon Musk and Donald Trump are having on our communities, what is happening right now is not normal. It is impacting our communities in ways that many do not even understand. Right now, real people are hurting. They are scared. They don't know what is going to happen. Today, in my office, I met with members of a Tribal council and leaders from a Tribe in New Mexico who came to visit me. Like others, they shared stories about the people in the community who are frightened about what is happening. Teachers and educators and Tribal schools who have been fired without any explanation, critical Federal funds that are on hold. When they went to meet with the Department of the Interior today, they were told that even those who are in charge of the very programs that they were meeting them about didn't know what was happening. Back home people are frightened. They are scared. They don't know if they are going to lose their Social Security, their Medicaid, or the access to lifesaving care. A few days ago, I met with the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. They distribute food to hundreds of food pantries, churches, homeless shelters, and individual families across the State. They told me that if the cuts to food assistance go through that Republicans are proposing in their budget framework, that the number of families, and especially our children and seniors who are currently facing food insecurity, will double. There is not enough support, resources, and infrastructure in the State of New Mexico to meet the need if these programs are cut. Our food system will do everything that it can to support our communities, but it will be more severe than even during the pandemic. Every day I am hearing from constituents in my district who have lost their jobs. These are real people, real New Mexicans. Thousands of Americans are being fired every single day by this administration for no reason. These are not faceless people, but real members of our communities. A Tribal schoolteacher was told in the middle of the school day that she was being fired for no reason, after she had taught for years, to pack up her things and return home in front of her students. These are students who don't know if they are going to be able to finish the school year and graduate. There were no answers. There was no explanation. There was no follow up for how she is going to support her son and her disabled mother at home. A veteran, who was on medical leave, returned to their job at the VA on a Monday only to find out that they had been locked out of their email, and inside that email was a nameless, faceless dismissal, letting them know that they had been fired for no reason. A dedicated public servant who drove 60 miles to work every single day to the VA hospital to serve their fellow veterans was never even notified as to the reason they were terminated. It was just a mass email sent to thousands of Federal employees across the United States. Just like the other veterans across my district who lost their jobs over the last several days, another veteran who served in the Army Reserves from 2001 to 2010 also received that same nameless, faceless email from Elon Musk. A veteran, who received an Army Achievement Medal, a Combat Action Badge, and other medals and achievements over the course of their service, was fired with devastating impacts to their family not only financially but emotionally. These are the real people being impacted by this administration, an administration that seems to have no regard whatsoever for the thousands of Americans who are literally losing their livelihoods every day as a result. While they take on these actions, while they dismantle these Federal agencies, while they withhold the funds that literally thousands of organizations across the country depend upon to provide vital services across our communities, while they fire these thousands of Federal public servants who have dedicated their life to service, including our veterans and members of the military, they are giving themselves contracts to replace the very programs and create new services that will give them more wealth like Elon Musk at the FAA. They are talking about monetizing HUD programs. That is right. Voucher programs that our lowest income family members and members of our communities depend on, they want to turn it into a monetary program that makes private companies money. They want to turn over mortgage markets to their crypto buddies. Well, that sounds like a good idea, right? They are doing all of this against the backdrop of trade wars that are not only endangering the American economy, but endangering the lives of millions of Americans and making it more expensive. Now the thing I ask myself is: What is the end goal of all of this? Seriously, what is the end goal? Donald Trump campaigned for the last 2 years on lowering costs. He told the American people: If you elect me, I will make it cheaper and easier to live in America. I ask my fellow Americans, is it cheaper than it was 6 weeks ago in America? If you have been grocery shopping over the last several weeks, you are seeing that prices are higher than they have ever been. We are not just talking about the price of eggs and meat. It is everything: the price of housing, the price of groceries, the price of energy. Not only have prices not gone down, they have gone up, and now because of these tariffs and trade wars, we know that everything is going to get exponentially more expensive. The raw materials that fuel American manufacturing and construction will get more expensive. Produce and food will get more expensive. Energy will get more expensive. What are they doing? Why are they doing this? Why are my colleagues enabling this administration to harm the American people, enabling this administration to put harmful policies in place that are making it not only more expensive for Americans but tanking our economy? What is this all about? To what end? I ask my colleagues honestly, Mr. Speaker, to what end is all of this? What is the point of hurting real Americans? These policies are not making life better for real Americans. It is really about stealing from the working people of this country to make the wealthier more wealthy. Mr. Speaker, if you need any more evidence of that, then all you have to do is look at the budget framework that they passed here in this Chamber 2 weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago, when they passed this budget, they pretended like we are just trying to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and that we are going to take those savings and reinvest it into tax breaks to help the American people. As the last couple of weeks have passed, they are not even trying to hide it anymore. Over the weekend, Republicans were on a blitz across the news media, saying that they were going to gut Medicaid. They are talking about it openly now. They are going to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the basic programs that sustain Americans. Over the weekend, Elon Musk talked openly about gutting Social Security. This is their plan. What are they going to do with all of that ``savings''? They are going to use it to give permanent tax breaks to billionaires. That is it. That is what all of this is in service of: taking from the people who have spent their lives serving this country, proudly serving this Nation, proudly working to put food on the table and a roof over their head for their families, and they are going to give that money to billionaires. That is what this is all about. It hurts my heart. My colleagues passed their budget resolution, their budget CR, this afternoon, and the vast majority of them are on planes back to their districts, where they are not going to hold townhalls. Their leadership told them not to because they don't want to hear from the people who are unhappy and being hurt by this harm to our communities. I have to ask my colleagues: Why are they even here? What is this all in service of? Go home and represent the people, and come back here and have a backbone to stand up for the Constitution and the people of this country because real people are being hurt.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. America, continue to be courageous because what is happening right now is not normal: The dismantling of agencies, including today the Department of Education, the firing of teachers, veterans, military, hacking your personal data, cozying up to foreign adversaries. This is not normal. We must continue to fight back, to push back in Congress, in the courts, and in our communities, so here is what you can do. Raise your voice. Push your Members of Congress, push the administration, push your State and local leaders, engage in collective action, and engage in everyday acts of resistance in your own life because, America, this is not normal. We will not go back. I say to you, stay strong, raise your voices, and engage in acts of courage.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, as you know, there are hundreds of sovereign Tribal nations across the United States. Since this great Nation's founding, the United States has signed hundreds of treaties with Tribal nations and passed hundreds of laws reaffirming Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and U.S. commitments to indigenous communities. However, over the last month, we have seen and heard from Tribes all over the country whose Federal funds have been frozen and their programs impacted by mass firings, including at Indian Health Service, BIA and BIE, including in my district at SIPI and at Haskell's College where faculty and students have been devastated by mass firings. That is why yesterday myself, the New Mexico delegation, and 111 Members of Congress sent a letter to the administration calling on them to halt and reverse these harmful cuts to Tribal programs. These programs are vital to Indian Country and part of the United States' solemn Tribal trust and treaty responsibilities. Our sovereign Tribal nations depend on these programs, and we must protect them.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this so-called budget resolution which is one of the greatest heists in American history as they loot the Treasury to give permanent tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of millions of Americans. We are talking about cuts to healthcare, Medicaid, and Medicare. Literally a quarter of a million New Mexicans will be unable to access care. There will be cuts to income and food assistance, billions of dollars that go to families to keep food on the table and a roof over their head and to give tax breaks to billionaires. They are going to cut vital programs that go to our lowest income and most vulnerable families. As a native New Mexican who grew up in a single-parent home in a low- income family, I know exactly what this means. These cuts are cruel. They are unnecessary. They are undemocratic, and they will blow a hole through our deficit spending by $4 trillion. This is not a budget resolution. This is a blueprint for suffering or, as Elon Musk put it over the weekend, the spoils of war. These guys don't care how many people they hurt or how many families are going to suffer. It is about power and greed, and the GOP is enabling them. We will not sit down and do it. We will not support this budget resolution. We will not give them one single vote. I will not be silenced because we will continue to fight.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, Federal employees found themselves targeted yesterday by yet another reckless scare tactic by Elon Musk. As they were asked for five bullet points to demonstrate what they accomplished last week, a failure to comply would result in their termination by resignation according to a tweet by Elon Musk. Hours later, Trump officials in the same administration told their staff not to respond. In solidarity, let me say what my five bullets for the week are: I fought to defend the Constitution and the rule of law. I fought back against these reckless assaults on our people. I heard the heartbreaking stories of how they are impacting New Mexico. I met with Tribal leaders, Federal employees, and hundreds of New Mexicans. I headed back here to D.C. to take back the fight because we will not stop this fight. We will not allow this chaos, this incompetence, and this lawlessness to go unchecked. I want all Americans to hear me: We will fight back.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you tonight to honor and to celebrate Black History Month. Black History Month is not just a celebration, but a reminder of the struggles, achievements, resilience, and contributions of Black Americans throughout our Nation's history. In New Mexico, it is the opportunity to honor and celebrate that Black history is not only American history, it is New Mexico history, especially as so many Black leaders are blazing the way for future generations: Judge Shammara Henderson, the first Black judge to serve in the New Mexico Court of Appeals; Senator Harold Pope, the first Black State senator to serve in the history of the State of New Mexico; Councilor Nichole Rogers, the first Black woman to serve on Albuquerque's City Council; and Representative Pamelya Herndon, who is the first Black State house representative to represent New Mexico State House District 28, which is my State house representative in Albuquerque. These are just a few of the New Mexico leaders who are making history as we stand on this floor tonight, who are leading the way, whose voices are not only needed but necessary and who must be at all the tables where decisions are being made. As we know, these voices are currently being threatened by systemic attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as thousands of Federal employees have been fired and put on leave, funding for programs has been gutted, schools and public institutions have been threatened, and leaders like General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., who have proudly served this great country with the highest levels of distinction, have found themselves targeted and dismissed. We must be real about the moment that we face. These policies and cuts are not just policy decisions. They are about undermining the fundamental justice and equity of the United States, about erasing our history and turning back the clock on the progress of countless generations who have struggled and marched and fought to move this country forward. That is why we must and we will continue to fight back in Congress, in the courts, and in our communities, and to continue that work of bending the arc of the moral universe and this country toward justice because this is the work ahead for all of us and the work we will and must do.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, it is Tuesday afternoon. I am here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and my question is, where are my Republican colleagues? There is not a single one of my Republican colleagues here on the House floor. In fact, I am standing on the Republican side of the aisle and there is not a single one in the Chamber right now. While Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their group of teenage hackers are dismantling the Federal Government, not a single one is to be found here on the House floor this afternoon. Let me say to the American people: This is not normal. What is happening right now in this country is not normal, and Democrats are fighting back. We are fighting to defend the Constitution, the rule of law, the separation of powers, vital funding for our communities, the health and safety of our people, and saving our democracy because what is happening in this country right now is not normal. Over the last 3 weeks since Donald Trump took office, Federal agencies have been dismantled. Thousands of Federal workers have been fired and put on leave and are left in limbo. Millions in Federal funds have been frozen for our communities and your private data has been hacked by a group of teenage software hackers at the Department of the Treasury. Elon Musk and Donald Trump are breaking the law daily inside of these agencies. In fact, not only are they breaking the law, they are violating the Constitution, appropriations law, and statutory law. There are 55 court cases pending right now in front of Federal courts. Federal stays filed by Federal judges to stop Trump and Musk from these illegal activities, and Democrats are here on the House floor fighting. We are fighting in the Halls of Congress. We are working with our allies on the outside to fight in the courts, and, yes, we are fighting in the streets alongside the American people. Where are the Republicans? Have you so abdicated your constitutional responsibility that you can't hold your own party accountable? Just last week in the Oversight Committee, we asked for Elon Musk to come testify, and when we tried to subpoena him, Republicans went out of their way to stop him from appearing in front of the United States House of Representatives' Oversight Committee. If Republicans are so proud of what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing inside of these agencies, then why are they trying so hard to shield them from public scrutiny and appearing in the people's House? What the hell is going on? That is what the American people want to know. Why are they trampling on their fundamental rights as millions of Americans are terrified right now across this country, and we know that thousands of their constituents are calling their offices as we speak. Seniors and elders from our communities are afraid that their Social Security checks aren't going to come. Housing and homeless organizations are afraid they are going to have to shut down and not be able to give out vouchers so that people have housing. Food banks are concerned they are not going to have enough funding to get to the end of the month to make sure that families can eat. Hospitals and clinics are wondering if they are going to have to shut down whole parts of their treatment to the public, universities whose funds have been frozen, and State, local, and Tribal Governments who are continuing to get notifications from the administration that their funding is not coming, even though a court has already ordered Donald Trump more than once that they are violating the law. Where are our Republican colleagues? Why are they pretending like there is nothing to see here? Maybe it is because while we are standing here, they are literally meeting behind closed doors putting together a tax package that has yet to see the light of day, that will literally make permanent the largest tax breaks for billionaires in the history of this country. That is right. That is what they are up to. That is what they are doing. Do you know who those tax breaks are going to go to? They are going to go to people like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and all the billionaires and millionaires who are serving in the Cabinet right now and giving unfettered access to Elon Musk and his software engineers to hack your private data. How are they going to pay for it? They already told us how they are going to pay for it. They are going to steal your Medicaid and your Medicare. They are going to do it by illegally shutting down grants and funding for these agencies and for all of the countless services and programs that we know they are hacking this data to do. We know what they are up to and the Republicans are acting like there is nothing to see here because they are in on it. That is why they are not here on the floor. That is why they are missing. That is why they are letting Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley buddies raid the Federal Treasury. We want you to know, the American people, what is actually going on here. Tomorrow, in the very first hearing of the Oversight Committee's new DOGE Subcommittee, Democrats are ready to fight. We are ready to show the American people what is actually happening and how we are fighting back to defend and to serve our people and to reveal what is actually going on not only in this Chamber but across this town as they try to dismantle our agencies and funding. I say to the American people: Not only are we fighting for you but continue to join us in the fight. We need your voices. We need them loud. We need them clear. Keep calling your Republican Representatives, keep calling us, and let them know not only is this not normal but this is not okay. We are going to continue to fight for our democracy.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I want to be honest. This legislation is literally breaking my heart because I am a New Mexican, born and raised, and there is not a single family in the State of New Mexico who has not been touched by the addiction crisis--the opioid crisis, fentanyl, alcoholism. There is not a single family that I know who has not lost somebody to this crisis, including my own. What I can tell Members about this crisis is that the way that we address it is that we stop the flow of fentanyl coming into our communities, and we make sure that our family members and our friends who are struggling with addiction can get the help that they need. They are not criminals. They are our brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, and children. Do my colleagues know what it is like to have their child disappear to the streets due to addiction? We do not need to incarcerate these people. They need help, and the way that they get help is to actually get with an addiction recovery doctor, peer support, clinic, or somewhere where they can get sober. Mr. Speaker, if my colleagues want to actually solve this crisis, we need to stop fentanyl from coming into the United States, to make sure that our communities can access care, and to save lives and help the members of our families and communities who are trying to reclaim their lives from this crisis. That is how we solve this crisis. That is why I cannot vote for this bill because the way that this bill tries to address the crisis is through the exact same playbook that was used in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the mass incarceration of our families and community members who were struggling with addiction. While Republicans are standing here trying to pass this bill, literally across town the President and an unelected billionaire are gutting funding for our Federal agencies. They are doing a purge of the FBI. Do my colleagues know who stops fentanyl from coming across the border? The FBI. Do Members want to solve the fentanyl crisis? We have to go to the heart of the matter and not mass incarcerate the people who are actually addicted. That is why I introduced the STOP Act. The STOP Act would actually empower the Federal Government to stop fentanyl at the border. It is why I am investing millions of dollars in my State, local, and Tribal law enforcement, to make sure that they can actually stop fentanyl in our communities. It is why I have invested millions of dollars in my community in behavioral health centers and addiction recovery and to help peer support programs so that we can save lives. That is how the fentanyl crisis is stopped. That is how we do it. I can say that the way that we don't do it is by empowering a billionaire, who is not even an elected or a vetted official, to gut our Federal agencies. I want to take a moment to talk about that. Yesterday, in the Oversight Committee, in the guise of trying to promote government efficiency, my colleagues across the aisle called a hearing. When we asked for Elon Musk to come to our hearing and actually answer for what he is doing, they went out of their way to shut it down. What is going on in this country right now? They are gutting our agencies, defunding our agencies, and holding up payments. Last week, as was said by the ranking member, they stopped payment for the very health clinics that will actually help to stop the fentanyl crisis. My colleagues refuse to do their most basic constitutional duty, which is to bring in an unelected and unvetted official who is stealing their personal data and undermining the fundamental fabric of our democracy, our Constitution, and our institutions, to hold them to account. That is why Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and I will be introducing legislation to hold Elon Musk accountable because nobody elected Elon Musk and because we, the taxpayers, are going to be left holding the bag when he gets bored and moves on to his billionaire buddies. We are going to be the ones left in the wake of this crisis. We are the ones who are going to have our communities and families decimated, and we will not stand for it. Respectfully, I will vote against this legislation, and we will continue to hold the majority to account.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak directly to the American people and to our Federal workers, not only across the country but especially in New Mexico. I know that many are feeling frightened, uncertain, and under attack. I want them to know that Democrats have their back and are fighting back using every tool that we have. We are fighting back in the courts, the Congress, and in our communities. We are fighting back against an unqualified, unvetted billionaire who is stealing their data, taking their jobs, dismantling our Federal agencies, and freezing the funds that make our communities run. Mr. Speaker, they have dedicated their careers to ensuring that this great Nation can serve our people. We say to them: Hold the line, because we have their backs.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in respectful opposition to H.R. 471 and to also express my concern and my condolences to all who are suffering in California from the devastating wildfires. Like California, communities in New Mexico that were similarly devastated by a wildfire last summer are still picking up the pieces today. It is very clear that our climate is in crisis, and I rise in opposition to this bill because of the dangerous precedent that this legislation sets for climate and environmental policy as we face a new administration. There is so much that I like about this bill, but I am extremely concerned about provisions in the bill that undermine NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, judicial remedies that are available to communities and to the environmental community, and that it tries to micromanage instead of putting in place comprehensive solutions to address the climate crisis and forestry practices. Mr. Chairman, I greatly respect the chair for his forestry expertise. As I said, there is much in this bill that I like, but I am highly concerned especially about the undermining of NEPA and these other environmental bedrock provisions, especially in the wake of 2 days after Donald Trump has taken office and signed a slew of executive orders undermining the fundamental environmental climate and clean energy legislation that we put in place over the last several years. In these executive orders, he took us out of the Paris climate agreement, opened public lands and offshore for drilling, stopped progress on clean energy projects, revoked spending for the Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure bill, and is clearly trying to undermine the bedrock environmental provisions of NEPA with an executive order that would stop the modernization of that bill. It is in this context that passing new legislation that would give the opportunity for the administration to exploit loopholes in NEPA, as well as the Endangered Species Act and judicial processes, is untenable. It is not true that our country is facing an energy emergency, as was declared by the President. It is, in fact, facing a climate crisis. The hottest year in human history was 2024. The wildfires in California and New Mexico were not started by bureaucracy. They were the result of the climate crisis. We must be clear that if we are going to address the catastrophic and increasing wildfires that are happening across the West, we have to stay the course in our commitment to addressing the climate crisis. We can't stand here and pretend that this bill is actually the result of the deadly wildfires in California. In fact, it is a bill that has been presented in several Congresses, and many of the provisions in it have nothing to do with these wildfires whatsoever. I ask my friends across the aisle to please join us in actually putting forward comprehensive solutions that will address the climate crisis, that will increase pay and benefits for firefighters, and that will address the resilience needs of our communities and help them rebuild. Mr. Chair, I respectfully ask my colleagues to vote against this bill because we must address the climate crisis, and we must protect our bedrock environmental laws.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today with a heavy heart as we remember and honor the life and legacy of my dear friend and mentor, State Representative Eliseo Lee Alcon. Chairman Alcon's legacy and passing leaves a hole in our community, but his legacy will live on. A veteran, a judge, a State representative, a beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Representative Alcon dedicated his life to public service and was rooted in our community. A fierce advocate for the people, the economy, the environment, and our government, all New Mexicans across the State will miss him as we grieve his loss. Our prayers are with his family and everyone who loved and learned from Representative Alcon. We will work to carry his vision forward and continue his fight to lift up our veterans and our military, our children and our elders, and all New Mexicans whom he loved so deeply. Rest in peace, dear friend. We will miss you.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, today I stand to honor and remember the life and the legacy of Dr. Harold Bailey. As president of the NAACP Albuquerque Chapter and a leader across New Mexico, he was a pillar in the community, mentor, a father, someone who mentored countless generations of individuals who have transformed the fabric of our life in New Mexico. His work on civil rights and early education will be remembered for generations. As we remember Dr. Bailey, let us commit ourselves to upholding the values that he championed: equality, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to improving the lives of others. May Dr. Bailey's spirit continue to guide us as we strive for a better future for all Americans and for all New Mexicans.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to know is, what does this bill have to do with lowering costs, the economy, or making our communities safer? The answer is nothing. We are 2 weeks into the 119th Congress, and the GOP is already wasting our time on political messaging bills. This bill is not about protecting women or children. It is the opposite. It is about government overreach, telling parents their kids can't play T-ball or run track and telling our athletic associations that they can't regulate sports. It is about bullying trans kids, who are amongst the most vulnerable in our communities, and subjecting our children to potentially dangerous situations in their schools. We won't stand for it. It has to stop. H.R. 28 is an assault on the safety of the trans community and our children. It puts hate and division over unity, and it undermines equality in this country. It has to stop. Mr. Speaker, that is why I oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Jenna de la Rosa-Galey. Jenna is a member of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, Troop 91, and has exemplified extraordinary leadership, creativity, and demonstrated a commitment to making a lasting impact, by earning the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award. Gold Award Girl Scouts are recognized as trailblazers who are willing to tackle the most pressing challenges facing their communities and the world with measurable, sustainable, and far-reaching results. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, high school-age Girl Scouts must identify and investigate an issue they care about, devise a plan, and then lead a team of experts and community members to implement a project that produces lasting change. Over the course of 1-2 years, Gold Award Girl Scouts demonstrate significant initiative, commitment, and leadership, distinguishing them from their peers. Through their resourcefulness and perseverance, they embody the Girl Scout Law to truly make the world a better place. Jenna's project, ``Rubber Band Bracelets: You CAN Make Them'', in partnership with organizations dedicated to Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) awareness was an excellent endeavor to promote well-being in our community. Jenna took action by developing a creative and therapeutic coping mechanism, teaching children who also live with PWS how to make rubber band bracelets, and filming an instructional video, which will have a positive impact on our community for years to come. On behalf of the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico, congratulations to Jenna de la Rosa-Galey for her efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction in Girl Scouts, the Gold Award. I thank Jenna for all the hard work she has done for our community.