Melanie Stansbury

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 299.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, it rained yesterday in New Mexico--a real rain, a monsoon rain, a rain that we have been waiting for, for months in our communities. My social media was flooded with images of people celebrating, recording out of their windows and doors, dancing, and rejoicing. That is because in New Mexico, in our desert, water is life, water is culture, and water is what sustains us. As New Mexicans, we have been in the grips of a historic drought. The mighty Rio Grande has been dry for a record of over 90 days through our communities this summer. We have had record-low snowpack and the highest number of high-heat days over 90 degrees. In our communities, climate change is not a hypothetical. It is here. Our communities are on the front lines and bearing the brunt. Our farmers have been forced to drill wells and fallow their fields. Our acequias, which are hundreds of years old, have gone dry. Ancient orchards that have sustained our communities have been lost, and a bosque and wildlife have suffered through the consequences. This is not just New Mexico. It is happening all across the planet. Extreme weather is pounding the shores of California and Hawaii right now. Wildfires have left the West Coast and the East Coast covered in smoke for months. In August, globally, it was the hottest year in recorded modern history. The planet is raising the alarm, and our communities are on the front lines. For years, the United States has been a global leader. We helped to lead negotiations that led to global climate accords. We invested in new technologies and clean energy. We aggressively committed to stopping and transitioning pollution to save our economy and our planet. Yet, since the current President took office last January, not only have we seen one of the largest increases in pollution from the United States in modern history, but we have seen our standing as a nation fall in the eyes of the world. He rescinded climate policies on day one and removed us from international agreements, just this week announcing the removal of clean air protections and divestment from technologies that our Nation was at the forefront of, as our adversaries are stepping in to take over global economic dominance. He even invaded a foreign country to steal their oil, even when U.S. oil companies did not have a development plan for it. This has not only led to the highest prices at the pump that we have seen over a Labor Day weekend in the history of the United States, but it has set our country back decades. Why? To give kickbacks to his donors, oil and gas companies that he asked to donate $1 billion to his campaign; corrupt side deals with foreign actors and foreign leaders; his own insider trading, which he posted an AI image of in the Oval Office just this last weekend; and his own efforts to increase prices in order to line the pockets of his own investments and those of his family and friends. We are paying the price in drought, in heat, at the pump, in our food, in our housing, and in air that is too smoky to breathe for our children. Well, we have had enough, Mr. Speaker. That is why myself and a delegation of congressional leaders are headed to Climate Week in New York, to recommit to the United States climate leadership, to recommit to a climate-resilient future, to lay out a plan for a new deal for America, and to invest in the infrastructure, the technology, and global leadership that we need; but, yes, most importantly, to invest in our communities. That is why, Mr. Speaker, I am here on the House floor today to speak up, to speak out, and to demand climate action for our communities now.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand with our farmers and ranchers because in New Mexico, these are not just industries, they are part of our identity, our culture, and our way of life passed down from generation to generation. From our acequias to family farms, they put food on our tables, but right now that way of life is under attack. This administration is flooding our beef supply with foreign beef, failing to protect the safety of our food as Americans face recall after recall, and cutting food programs that keep our children, our seniors, and our people from going hungry. This is not how we protect our people. This is not how we honor the people who feed us, and that is why we are fighting to make sure that New Mexico's producers can make a living, that our families can put food on the table, and that the next generation can continue the traditions that define who we are as a State. That is why I am standing here on the House floor today, to stand with our ranchers and farmers.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, good evening. I thank Mr. Jackson for yielding. He is not only one of my dear friends, but also a mentor, and I believe one of the greatest fighters in this institution. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight on behalf of the people of New Mexico because in New Mexico, the assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just an assault on our communities but on our identities, our histories, and our ways of life. The consequences go far beyond a slogan or some polling that some political firm has done. They reach into our hospitals and our clinics. They reach our veterans. They reach our military bases. They reach our Tribal nations and our Native communities. They reach the LGBTQ+ community, our small businesses, our nonprofits, and our working families. What this administration is doing is nothing short of an assault on our communities, their identities, their histories, and creating something that no person should ever live with which is fear. In New Mexico, healthcare is not an abstract policy debate. It is whether a patient can see a doctor, whether a rural clinic can keep its doors open, and whether a family can afford care. Every day we are watching as the assaults on DEI are affecting the ability of our communities to access care. It affects our veterans who depend on the VA, not as a political favor but as a promise our Nation made to them, is being impacted by cuts to DEI. It affects our military, which is a part of the culture in service of who we are as New Mexicans, generals being denied promotions, and people in our communities wondering if the military still represents them. It affects our Tribal nations impacted and threatened by cuts to Tribal programs and essential services. These are programs that help our elders, our young people--nutrition, family, housing, their healthcare, their jobs, their opportunity, and our Federal Government's fundamental responsibility under treaty obligations. These are legal responsibilities of the Federal Government. In our LGBTQ+ community, the message coming from Washington is increasingly clear, which is that the government is trying to erase the existence of LGBTQ+ people. That is not equality. That is not equity. That is about targeting our communities. Meanwhile, our nonprofits and small businesses that depend on Federal grants and contracts are being forced to ask whether the programs they have operated for years and generations will be considered politically unacceptable for merely serving the Americans who live in our communities. This administration has gone far beyond just eliminating Federal DEI offices. They have slashed Federal programs. They have targeted Federal contractors. They have taken out hundreds of Americans who have given their life to service to this Nation as Federal employees, as members of the military, as leaders, and they have slashed fundamental programs that make it possible for our communities to survive. Mr. Speaker, diversity, equity, and inclusion are not about giving special treatment. They are about making sure that every American has a fair shot--that those who have been left behind have the opportunity to move forward. They are about honoring the cultures and identities of who we are. I invite you, Mr. Speaker, to come to New Mexico, where we live our culture, where we live our identities, where we live our traditions. Walk in our communities, meet our people, shop in our small businesses, hike on our public lands, pay your respects to our Pueblo and Tribal leaders. Come learn our stories directly from our people, directly from our lands. Come learn about the resilience of our people, who have persisted not just for centuries but millennia, because we live our culture. We live our identity, and we learn from our history. We know that no matter what kind of efforts you take in the coming days, months, or years to try to cut programs, to try to erase history, to try to stop our people from speaking loud and clear, we know that our people are strong. They are resilient, and they will continue. As the congresswoman for New Mexico's First Congressional District, I will continue to lift up their stories every single day and continue this fight, because, Mr. Speaker, we are not going back.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, today, the GOP is proposing a constitutional amendment to lock in the current conservative Supreme Court. In fact, it would take away the power of this Congress to reform the Court. The question is why? Who asked them to do this? Where did this proposal come from? Why are Republicans arguing that they have to protect the Court from reform? This is a Court that has, under this conservative majority, undermined democracy, undermined our rights, and undermined the system of checks and balances that make this country great. These reforms would bring equity, fairness, and ethics to the Court. Why are my colleagues across the aisle bringing this constitutional amendment? It is clear in the debate here on the floor itself that they don't even know how many Justices are currently sitting. In fact, my colleague across the aisle just claimed that there are currently 13 Justices sitting on the Court. What is this? Political theater? Is this what you plan to run on because you don't actually have an agenda to run on this election cycle? Because you have decimated the economy, because you have an unending war in the Middle East, and because Americans can't afford their healthcare, their housing, and putting food on the table and a roof over their head, I am a hell no on this resolution, and I will vote ``no.''

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, welcome back. It has been a wild ride this Congress. After 5 weeks of being out for the August district work period, a war is raging in the Middle East; the economy is in shambles; working people of this country cannot afford food, housing, and healthcare; the President is raiding the Venezuelan oil reserves and lining his own pockets; and what are we doing on the House floor after 5 weeks of break? We are hearing bills to basically gut environmental protections, including protections for one of the most endangered species on planet Earth. Just a few years ago before my mother passed away, I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore, and on that day, which was an unusually warm day, we went down to the beach, and there were literally hundreds of right whales right off the shore. Today there are 380 right whales still in existence on planet Earth. Only 70 are considered able to breed. What is before us today is a decision about whether or not to let one of God's great creatures continue to exist on planet Earth. With all of the things that are happening in this world and in this country, this body under this Republican majority is choosing to advance a bill on the first day we come back in the middle of global turmoil and economic chaos to decide whether or not a species that has existed on this planet longer than the United States has even been an idea should be able to continue. It is disgraceful. The American people did not send us here to gut environmental laws. The American people sent us here to save our democracy, to defend our institutions, and to ensure that they can get a fair shake. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this bill, and I will vote it down on the floor today.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished leadership and 50 years of dedicated service of Bishop David Cooper, Senior Pastor of New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico. For half a century, Bishop Cooper has devoted his life to the spiritual, civic, and social wellbeing of our community. As Senior Pastor of New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church, his leadership has enhanced the quality of life for countless individuals and families across our state, region, and Nation. Bishop Cooper's impact reaches far beyond the pulpit. He has provided trusted advisement at the state and national levels, mobilizing faith communities across New Mexico to promote civic engagement. He has worked tirelessly to eradicate social inequities and systemic racism, and has been a steadfast advocate for public health, education, and our common humanity. Throughout his ministry, Bishop Cooper has served as a trusted messenger, carrying and amplifying the voices of the people to key leaders and serving as a collaborator for positive change. He has been a tremendous advocate for building more inclusive, resilient communities, strengthening families and neighborhoods, and expanding economic opportunity throughout the 1st Congressional District. Bishop Cooper has strengthened the Albuquerque community, uplifted the lives of its residents, and left a lasting impact on all who know him. Mr. Speaker, the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico extends its deepest gratitude to Bishop David Cooper for his 50 years of faithful service. He is a source of pride and inspiration for all New Mexicans, and I am honored to recognize his contributions.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished leadership and 50 years of dedicated service of Bishop David Cooper, Senior Pastor of New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico. For half a century, Bishop Cooper has devoted his life to the spiritual, civic, and social wellbeing of our community. As Senior Pastor of New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church, his leadership has enhanced the quality of life for countless individuals and families across our state, region, and Nation. Bishop Cooper's impact reaches far beyond the pulpit. He has provided trusted advisement at the state and national levels, mobilizing faith communities across New Mexico to promote civic engagement. He has worked tirelessly to eradicate social inequities and systemic racism, and has been a steadfast advocate for public health, education, and our common humanity. Throughout his ministry, Bishop Cooper has served as a trusted messenger, carrying and amplifying the voices of the people to key leaders and serving as a collaborator for positive change. He has been a tremendous advocate for building more inclusive, resilient communities, strengthening families and neighborhoods, and expanding economic opportunity throughout the 1st Congressional District. Bishop Cooper has strengthened the Albuquerque community, uplifted the lives of its residents, and left a lasting impact on all who know him. Mr. Speaker, the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico extends its deepest gratitude to Bishop David Cooper for his 50 years of faithful service. He is a source of pride and inspiration for all New Mexicans, and I am honored to recognize his contributions.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, happy Disability Pride Month, which originated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This month and every month, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and leadership of New Mexicans living with disabilities in our State and across the country. They have fought for accessible schools, reliable transportation, inclusive workplaces, and the freedom to live with dignity, self- determination, and joy. I thank our leaders, advocates, and communities for their work. To every New Mexican living with a disability, their voice, their advocacy, and their leadership matter. They belong in every classroom, every workplace, every community, and at every seat at every table. We will continue to fight and celebrate alongside them, not just this month but every month, to build a New Mexico and a world where every person can live with dignity, independence, and pride.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, this week the administration has continued its assault on our public and sacred lands, repealing critical protections for Chaco Canyon and Bears Ears, two of our most sacred cultural landscapes. For New Mexico's Tribes and pueblos, these are not relics of the past. They are living, sacred places where history, culture, religion, and identity endure. They hold thousands of ancestral sites that are central to ceremonies, traditions, the stories, and the people who have cared for these lands since time immemorial. These repeals disregard years of Tribal consultation and open the door to oil, gas, and mining, threatening sacred sites that are irreplaceable. Let me be clear, though. This fight is not over. We will stand with our Tribal Nations, our communities, and everyone fighting on the front lines. We will fight back in the courts, in Congress, and alongside our Tribal Nations and the American people because our sacred sites are not for sale.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, there are so many things to be said about DOGE and the waste of money and lives that happened over the course of the year and a half that it was officially on the books. Mr. Speaker, I also want to take a moment to talk about our country at a crossroads. Do we continue to use American taxpayer dollars to fund the killing of civilians, children, and families abroad, or do we finally say, enough? Today, I took a vote for the children, for peace, and for the future of this country, by voting ``yes'' on an amendment to block $3.3 billion in offensive military aid. This is money that should be used to build roads, to build housing, and to lower the cost of food and childcare for families who are struggling right here in the United States. I did not come to Congress to write blank checks to the military. I did not come to Congress to write blank checks to foreign militaries to bomb civilians, and I did not come here to support an unending and illegal war in the Middle East. That is why I chose today to block offensive military aid. Today, I choose our people over weapons. I choose peace over war. I choose accountability over silence, and I will continue to choose that every single time. Now, Mr. Speaker, as we close out this debate and the broken promises of DOGE and this administration, let us be reminded that when President Trump and Elon Musk first created DOGE, the American people were promised that it would cut waste, fight fraud and abuse, and save the taxpayers $2 trillion across the government. Many of us hoped that was actually true because cutting waste, fraud, and abuse is not a partisan issue. It is just good government. All of us want a government that actually works for the people of this country. Actions speak louder than words. When it comes to the legacy of DOGE and this administration, its actions speak for themselves. Instead of cutting waste, they cut over 100,000 jobs of veterans across the Federal Government, veterans in my district who worked at the VA and across our Federal agencies, who wanted nothing more than to continue their service to this country. They cut workers in charge of maintaining our nuclear stockpile, only to scramble to rehire them. They fired some of our Nation's top scientists, who were responsible for making sure our national security is taken care of. They attacked Social Security. They fired thousands of workers across the Social Security Administration, including in my district where people were struggling just to get access to their basic needs being met. DOGE cut back hours and fired hundreds across New Mexico. It pushed seniors, children, and veterans to the brink. Instead of saving taxpayers money, DOGE cost taxpayers billions of dollars in lost productivity, lost revenue, and the cost to hire essential civil servants they fired. Instead of fighting abuse, DOGE gave the richest man on planet Earth direct influence over government decisionmaking and access to our personal and financial data. We will never know the true damage that DOGE did because the administration won't even release the final information or final report explaining what they did. This is not okay. Let me say this to this administration: You better bet we will be investigating every inch of what you did through DOGE and your behavior in the administration. The American people deserve transparency. The American people deserve a government that works for them. The American people deserve a government and leaders who tell the truth. The American people deserve accountability for their taxpayer dollars. The American people deserve respect, especially those who have served this great Nation. Even though DOGE's disaster is officially over on the books, we already have another agency whose job is to find waste, fraud, and abuse. We will continue to investigate what happened through DOGE. We will continue to do the work of improving our government, and we will continue to investigate what has happened. Our question is: After all that has been said and done, will the Republicans of this body continue to support the lies that this administration has put forward through DOGE? Will they continue to support the dismantling of our Federal agencies, as is happening right now at the Department of Education, as we stand here, and the Education Committee? Will they continue to raid agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and steal money from the taxpayers? Will they continue to allow this administration to steal your taxpayer dollars and give it to the military to bomb civilians overseas? Will they continue to allow an out-of-control President to make billions of dollars in self-dealing while lining his pockets and demolishing the White House or will they actually stand up for the American people? That is the real waste, fraud, and abuse, and that is the real corruption, a President who is wasting our taxpayer dollars on an unending and illegal war, painting a pool filled with algae, a golden ballroom, and trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center, spending millions of dollars, taxpayer dollars litigating over illegal actions he has taken since taking office, all while giving private contracts to his own family members and the very man who started DOGE in the first place. While DOGE may be over, let the lesson be that when we take back the House, we will hold them accountable. We will build a government that works for the American people, that is stronger. We will stop billionaires from coming in and using their money to achieve their own political ends and line their own pockets. We will stop the self-dealing not only in the White House, but that happens in this Chamber. We will work to get big money out of politics, to end Citizens United, and to ensure that we have a system that actually represents the people of this country. We will rebuild better the agencies that were dismantled. We will create a whole new generation of public servants who want to serve this great Nation, and we will bring a new deal for this country that is about results, that is about dignity, that puts people and services ahead of profits and not empty promises. That is why, Mr. Speaker, we are here today to celebrate the end of this dark chapter and bring DOGE to a conclusion. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, we rise tonight to acknowledge that DOGE is, indeed, dead. Mr. Speaker, the scandals, the gossip--when New Mexicans tune in to see what is happening here in Washington, it feels like they are tuning into an episode of a reality TV show rather than another day in the people's House, but the messiest House isn't an overseas villa. It is the White House. The President has a lot of messy friends and a lot of messy breakups, but the biggest breakup of all was the breakup between President Trump and Elon Musk 1 year ago. One day, Elon is sending a love letter of hundreds of millions in campaign donations to the President's campaign, and the next, he is wondering where it all went wrong. After all the insults, all of the public arguing, and a very public divorce, today, we are here to say to Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency: I am so sorry, but you have not been chosen, and you will be dumped from the villa. Now that the season of DOGE is over, it is time to look back and have a reunion episode and answer the question on everyone's mind: Where did it all go wrong? Was it all talk, or did Elon actually deliver on his promises because when DOGE was created and Americans heard what they were up to, there were some very big promises. He said that he could save $2 trillion by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse across the Federal Government. Well, the honeymoon is over, and I think the numbers say it all. He didn't even save a fraction of that amount. In fact, what we know is that due to disruptions in government services and firings and litigation, he may have actually cost the Federal Government more money than he saved. In fact, here is what we know about DOGE's impacts: Large-scale loss of experienced Federal employees. Our agencies lost tens of thousands of employees through layoffs, deferred resignations, early retirements and hiring freezes. They reduced the institutional knowledge of generations across our agencies and made it impossible to do basic functions that our communities needed: Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and our nuclear agencies who protect the nuclear and national security of this country. They disrupted government services. Agencies were unable to process basic functions. They attacked Social Security. They laid off thousands of veterans across our Federal Government who had served this great country and given their sacrifice in service, only to find themselves eliminated by a cheap date in the West Wing. Legal challenges--we don't even know how many lawsuits there have been in the wake of DOGE--personnel actions, agency restructuring, illegal orders, withholding of funds, and many, many more that are still awaiting to be adjudicated by the courts. Let us not forget that they stole your data. That is right. They came in talking a big talk, saying that they were going to digitize our Federal Government and modernize it and help us actually make the government work for the people. It was a front for stealing your personal data--your IRS data, your Social Security data, your bank account data. They not only went into the most private systems of the Federal Government and stole your data, but they exported it and gave it to private companies. This is not just a run-of-the-mill exercise of modernizing the government. They stole your data for a profit, for campaign advancement, and to ensure that they would be able to continue to access your data for power. In addition to that, they broke key aspects of our Federal Government. They disrupted contracts. They gave themselves private contracts. They gave away billions of dollars in Federal taxpayer dollars for defense contracts to their friends, for NASA contracts for their friends, for weather service contracts for their friends. They disbanded decades of scientific research on every single continent across this planet. The reductions in workforce not just impacted the functioning of the Federal Government but disrupted local economies across the country, especially in our rural communities. Let us not forget the most consequential impacts that we know came as a result of Elon Musk's dangerous date with the White House, and that is the dismantling of the USAID. We know that, as a direct result of the dismantling of public health programs that have been in place across the world for decades, that literally thousands of children across the world died as a direct result. Medicine, food--they came in claiming that they were trying to cut waste, and they left food for starving children to sit in warehouses and rot while children did not have anything to eat. They let medicine expire in warehouses and actually threw it away rather than give it to people for whom it would save their lives. What do they have to answer for it as they have come here to testify before Congress? Is there any remorse for the lives that were lost? Is there any remorse for the thousands of children whose lives were taken because they could not access medicine? Is there any remorse for the thousands of nonprofit organizations who serve our communities every day who have been impacted? Is there any remorse for the hundreds of thousands of Federal workers who they fired and whose lives they disrupted? No. There is no remorse. And let me tell you this: This has been one toxic relationship since the very beginning. So here is what we know. DOGE, you are voted off the island, and we do not want to ever see you back here again. The American people want efficiency. The American people want a government that serves them. The American people want to make sure that their leaders care for the communities that they live in and will care for them. The American people do not want toxic billionaires trying to steal their taxpayer dollars and dismantling the basic services that keep them well. So we bid good-bye to DOGE. We say farewell. We won't miss you. We won't miss you as you leave the island and take your big exit. What we will say is that we will continue to fight every single day for the American people. We will continue to actually work to make this government work for the American people, to actually cut real waste and real fraud and real abuse and the real abusers who are sitting in the White House and committing waste, fraud, and abuse on the American people every single day. We will commit that when we take back this House, when we take back the White House, that we will fight for a nation that fights for our people. We will bring a new deal to this country that serves the working people of this country, that invests in housing and healthcare and food, that protects the environment, that fights for climate action, and that cares for the human dignity of our people. That is our promise. We don't want any more toxic relationships. We just say this: The American people deserve better, girl, and we are here for you. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon.

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastian Guerrero, Ruben Ray Martinez, Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and dozens of others are now dead at the hands of ICE, this administration, and detention centers across the country. Fathers, brothers, sons, daughters--dozens who have lost their lives, stolen from them at the hands of our government and the choices of this body, the choices of a House that has enabled a President to spend billions of dollars on funding ICE, choices of this body to not stop a President from breaking the law, and choices of this body for failing to act. Mr. Speaker, it is time to act and for this body to do its job and shut it down.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Happy pride, everyone. Today, we rise to celebrate Pride Month in LGBTQ+ communities all across New Mexico and the country. To every member of the LGBTQ+ community, you are seen, you are loved, and you make this world brighter. We celebrate you not just in June, but all year round because pride is every day. Now, we know it is difficult times: from the relentless attacks on the LGBTQ+ and especially trans communities; from the Trump administration's attacks on our military, veterans, and history itself; to the GOP's relentless and callous attacks on this floor; to the Supreme Court's undermining of the basic civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Our communities are living in fear, uncertain of what comes next. Many have seen this story before: Parents who are scared for their children, elders who lived through the AIDS epidemic, and so many who grew up in places and spaces where their lives were criminalized, where they lived in danger, and where they could not live as their full and authentic selves. In fact, we almost lost an entire generation because of antiLGBTQ+ policies in the 1980s, and I want to be clear that we are not going back. I am here to stand with the community and fight for them every single day, whether that is at the local, the national, or the State level. I want them to know that in the Equality Caucus, we have got their back, and we want them to be able to continue to live their lives out loud as their authentic selves. I am going to continue to push for legislation to protect them, regardless of where they live. I am going to continue to fight to pass the Equality Act. I know that this is a matter of life or death for so many out there, but I also know that we cannot do it alone. What I need is for all of them to continue to show up, to speak out, and to live their lives unapologetically--continue to celebrate, continue to live openly, love openly, build community, and imagine that future, because creating queer spaces and queer joy is an act of resistance. You just being here on this planet and being your bad self is also an act of resistance. Please, continue to show up. Know that your life, your existence matters. Your light matters, and your fight matters. I am here to celebrate them and to wish them happy pride.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, as we sit here in the people's House, millions of children in the Middle East are living in fear, trauma, and danger. That fear has only intensified as the President has waged an illegal war in Iran, with hundreds of schoolchildren killed, thousands of civilians lost, and bombs still dropping in Lebanon as entire communities have been reduced to rubble. The President is seemingly no closer to ending the war he unleashed and, instead, is obsessing about golden ballrooms, grand arches, and algae-infested pools while asking this body for an unprecedented $1.5 billion for more weapons and military spending to wage this war and a State Department and foreign affairs budget that continues devastating cuts to the lifesaving programs of USAID that have directly contributed to the loss of food, medicine, and critical lifesaving aid across the world, with completely preventable deaths for thousands of children. This is a moral moment for America. Will we stand up and say stop this war and reinvest in our humanitarian missions? Will we speak up against injustice and suffering? Will we remain silent? Last night, the Senate finally passed our War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran, sending a clear message that it is time to end this illegal war. Today, I stand here on the floor to offer amendments to the foreign affairs budget to restore funding for critical aid, food, and resources for the children of the Middle East, and particularly for Gaza. They have faced unimaginable suffering over the last several years. Just yesterday, a U.N. commission reported on the deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a deliberate strategy to destroy future Palestinian communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes. We must stand up as the branch of government by the people and for the people. We must be a voice for right and wrong, a moral conscience for this country and for our people. Back home, my constituents are calling my office daily to ask for an end to this conflict and the suffering, and to choose a different path for this country, a path that invests in our people in communities and the children of this planet; a path that ends the violence and the killing in the Middle East, Gaza, and the West Bank; and a path that ends the destruction of communities, schools, hospitals, roads, and water systems that have devastated millions. Mr. Speaker, it has been catastrophic. Whether it is funding in this bill, another military spending bill from the White House, or the NDAA, Congress cannot remain silent. Congress cannot remain complicit. Congress cannot fund this violence, especially when the greatest burden has fallen on children. Children have watched their parents, siblings, and classmates die and are waking up every day, wondering where their next meal will come from and whether they will survive the night. No child should inherit a future defined by violence and despair, and certainly not funded by the taxpayers of the American people. If Americans are serious about building a safer and more stable world, we must invest in the people who have been impacted most by these conflicts abroad. That is why I am offering these amendments to restore humanitarian aid to the children of Gaza, invest in schools and healthcare for moms and children, combat malnutrition, reunite families, and provide shelter for those who have lost their homes. Children should not pay the price for violence and a war they did not start. I urge my colleagues today to stand up in this moral moment to support these amendments and reverse course as a nation; recognize that America's strength comes not from its military might but from our moral leadership; and vote for a future where children have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. Mr. Speaker, I can say that I have made my choice. I choose peace, human dignity, and the children of the world, and I hope my colleagues will join me.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 223.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY.--that are not built for them can succeed.

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, we must celebrate the wins because there is so much that happens here in the House that is not in service of the American people, including, this week, Republican efforts to give a blank check to ICE and to pass an education bill that would gut funding for schools and education institutions. That is why we must celebrate the wins, and why I am so proud today to introduce my bipartisan Postsecondary Student Success Act to ensure that all students from all walks of life can succeed. In New Mexico, we are leading the way as the first State in the country to guarantee early childhood education, free childcare, free college, and free trades schools for all. It was legislation I was proud to cosponsor and lead in the legislature and here in Congress. These are generational investments that will transform the lives of countless New Mexicans. Today, I am introducing my Postsecondary Student Success Act that will make crucial investments to ensure that working parents, first- generation students, veterans, and students with disabilities who face real barriers, financial stress, lack of support, and systems--

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. End the cruel and inhuman policies that are terrorizing our communities.

Ms. STANSBURY. So it is time to end these illegal wars.

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the floor this afternoon because I believe this Nation is losing its moral compass, led by a President who is more interested in ballrooms and bullying reporters than the rights and the dignity of our basic human rights as Americans. This week, this body will consider a $70 billion package of funding for ICE to continue a cruel and inhuman detention system that has robbed countless Americans of their freedom and human dignity; that has fueled a massive for-profit private prison industry with billions of taxpayer dollars on the backs of the suffering of our people; that has torn families apart, incarcerated children, killed dozens in detention, violated human and civil liberties, and left millions of people in this country living in fear every day. Now, the leadership of this body wants to approve another $70 billion on top of the more than $100 billion that they already gave them so that the Trump administration can continue to terrorize our families and communities without any checks. This is not okay. This body has lost its moral compass. It follows after last week as this body passed appropriations bills that cut hundreds of millions of dollars in food assistance to children, not just children here in the United States but abroad. In a time when hunger is higher now in this country today than it was during COVID, they chose to cut food assistance to American children and children across the world. Last week, in their agriculture bill, they cut food, housing, and basic infrastructure for rural communities and food to children. Now, they want another blank check for ICE? What next? The President is asking for $1.5 trillion for more bombs for illegal wars to continue the suffering abroad. That is why I am here today to stand, to fight, to fight back, to reclaim the dignity of this body, the moral compass of this country. Last week, we finally passed a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran. We did not succeed yet in passing a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Lebanon, but we cannot stand by and let this reckless President wage illegal wars in the Middle East and empower an out-of- control foreign leader, who even this weekend further threatened the peace of the Middle East through continued attacks. It must stop. Congress must assert not only our Constitutional authority but reclaim our moral compass. As we stand here in this Chamber, violence continues abroad. Over the weekend, bombs and firefights shelled communities in Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. In Lebanon, more than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 11,000 injured, and more than a million people have been displaced and lost their homes. Families have lost loved ones. Communities have been uprooted. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Across the region, innocent people are paying the price for decisions they did not make and conflicts they did not create. As this violence rages on, it happens against the backdrop of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, ongoing human rights violations in the West Bank, human suffering that has reached unimaginable levels. Children are facing hunger, displacement, and the constant threat of violence. Families are struggling to access food, clean water, medicine, and shelter. In the West Bank, Palestinian families continue to face violence daily. A 7-month-old baby was shot and killed by a soldier just days ago in a car. Entire villages and sacred olive trees have been destroyed. There are restrictions on movement, indignities in everyday life, and unfathomable cruelty. These impacts are not just felt in these communities but in our districts here at home, as their families and friends watch in horror and grief. We have a fundamental, not only constitutional, responsibility as Congress to rein in these immoral and illegal wars but to stop these crimes. Congress cannot stand by and let this continue. These illegal wars are not only violations of our war powers, they are violations of the basic human rights of our people.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Our responsibility is to end this illegal war now.

Ms. STANSBURY. It is time to restore the dignity of the United States, and it is time to restore human rights and the standing of the United States here in this country.

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to support this War Powers Resolution to stop the U.S. Government from being complicit in a war in Lebanon that is devastating the Lebanese people. Millions of innocent civilians in Lebanon and across the region have been trapped by brutal violence and displacement. With fighting that just began only a mere 3 months ago, more than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 11,000 injured, and more than a million displaced in Lebanon alone. We cannot look at Lebanon in a vacuum. We have to recognize the dangerous parallels to Netanyahu's illegal incursions in Gaza and the West Bank that have also caused mass suffering. It was reported that, even this week, Donald Trump himself called Netanyahu crazy and claimed that he would be in prison if it was not for him. What we have witnessed is a devastating pattern: Military force that kills and displaces countless civilians, destroys vital civilian infrastructure and sacred sites, and deepens an endless cycle of violence and trauma. Mr. Speaker, no one on this side of the aisle supports terrorism or terrorist organizations. For our colleagues to claim so is just wrong. Just as operations in the West Bank and Gaza have destabilized prospects for lasting peace, pushing a front into Lebanon will not achieve long-term security for the region. As we saw just this week, further acts of violence in Lebanon certainly won't end the President's illegal war. Families in both Lebanon and Palestine have lost their homes. Children are growing up in fear, and generations have yet to experience a moment of peace. Violent attacks, restrictions on movement, indignities to everyday life, and unfathomable cruelty, these impacts are not just felt in these communities but in our own communities here in the United States, as well. As family and friends are watching in horror and grief, my own office has received countless heartbreaking stories from family members and colleagues living in Palestine and Lebanon: displacement, loss of homes, livelihoods, and entire communities; children living in fear; and people attacked, beaten, or arrested for merely attempting to live their lives and to pray. Congress cannot stand silent for a moment longer. Congress has not authorized any war in the Middle East. Just a few hours ago, this body in this House voted to end the illegal war in Iran. We cannot be complicit in these crimes. It is time to end this war. It is time to reclaim our constitutional power.