Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. In response to the chairman, let me just say that I did say that this bill was a step in the right direction, a step that could be a big leap if we all got behind bigger initiatives and called upon this administration to stop diminishing and diluting the power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The results of protecting military servicemembers and veterans by that particular agency are undisputed, and it became particularly impactful when it was in full force. The philosophy of this administration has been to diminish the authority and reach of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as the Federal Trade Commission, and our veterans are suffering. In spite of this very small step we are taking with this bill, it is insufficient to take on the enormous challenge of fighting fraudsters in this country who will take advantage of those who have laid their lives on the line for all of us. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I intend to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague, Dr. Foster, for yielding, for organizing and hosting this Special Order hour, and for his leadership on nuclear nonproliferation issues. In my many years as a Member of Congress, I have watched many a fiery floor speech filled with overstatement and hyperbole, grandiose pronouncements laced with exaggeration and puffery, but it is entirely right and proper to say that the expiration of the New START treaty will make the world and every inhabitant blessed to live on it less safe. Formally, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, otherwise known as New START, caps U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals and underpins onsite inspections. It is the latest in a series of treaties that have reduced the global nuclear warhead stockpile from a high of 70,000 in the mid-1980s to roughly 12,000 today. Now that is meaningful, serious progress, but instead of building on that progress, we are weeks away from reversing those hard-earned gains. On February 5, New START is slated to expire. That expiration will mean the end to limits or verification of the still-formidable nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia. New START is by no means perfect, but removing these safeguards will create a vacuum, and we all know nature abhors a vacuum. Without these limitations, there are fewer constraints, fewer eyes, and fewer brakes on how Vladimir Putin expands and modernizes Russia's nuclear forces. In this wilderness, we would see a broader breakdown of norms on nuclear weapons. Both the United States and Russia have openly mused about potentially restarting nuclear weapons testing. After we have worked so hard to bring some clarity to nuclear weapons regimes, we risk the steady erosion of the few safeguards against these terrible and awesome weapons, but the U.S. is not without options or agency. If this expiration comes to pass, it is because we have allowed it to happen. Russia has offered to voluntarily maintain the New START limits for 1 year. We should take that deal not because we trust Vladimir Putin but because inspections and limits protect us, not him. Arms control is neither an act of faith nor of naivety. It is an act of cold logic and discipline, a process that reduces the risk of miscalculation, escalation, and catastrophic error. The year will not only keep America and the world safer, but it will also give time to hammer out a new accord. As the U.S. sits across the negotiation table, there should be no illusion. We know that Putin and his cronies in the Kremlin are adversaries of the United States. They would like nothing more for our Nation to falter, but they are also self-interested. Both the United States and Russia benefit from a stable, controlled nuclear regime. That mutual self-interest lies at the heart of why New START was signed in the first place. To throw it all away would be a mistake of immense proportions. While time is short, we can step away from the edge. I add my voice to a host of others calling on, pleading for, demanding action from the Trump administration. I know the threat of nuclear weapons can often seem so large and abstract, so unimaginable that it becomes easier just to ignore it all, but to say nothing is not an option, especially for someone like me. Many of my family, my distant family, were in Hiroshima on the day the atom bomb fell. That memory is not just historical. It is personal for me and my family. Mr. Speaker, the atomic bombs of 1945 caused unimaginable horror. Some died instantly, many over subsequent days and months. Others suffered for the rest of their lives, afflicted with burns, radiation, and cancer. The modern nuclear weapons of today are orders of magnitude more horrifying. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that these weapons are never used again. New START is a concrete step toward ensuring that future. It is one where no person--no man, woman, or child--lives under constant threat from nuclear annihilation.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, this bill is yet another effort to chip away at the protections guaranteed at the Federal level and take money out of the American worker's pocket. The concept of overtime is very simple. If you work more than your traditional 40 hours a week, then you make more money, and you get to take home what you earn. Now, instead of protecting that very basic principle, my Republican colleagues are trying to make it easier for employers to pay their workers less for working more. They want to pay workers less for working more. This bill would exclude child and dependent care from the rate of pay used to calculate a worker's overtime pay. In other words, this bill makes it permissible to pay workers less than their regular rate if they picked up an extra shift. Taking on extra work doesn't mean you don't need someone to watch your kids, and it shouldn't cost you a benefit that you are entitled to. Despite the misleading title, this bill cheapens the value of an employee's overtime labor. The overtime salary threshold is already far too low. When the first Trump administration set the current threshold, 8.2 million Americans saw their overtime protections just vanish, and even those eligible employees earning $36,000 a year were making too much money to qualify for overtime pay. Mr. Speaker, imagine making $36,000 a year and that would disqualify you from being able to get overtime pay. You have no right to it. Childcare and dependent care assistance should be more accessible and far more affordable for working families, but this Republican proposal merely incentivizing employers to provide assistance will not solve that issue and cutting down already low levels of overtime pay will not do that either. Right now, working families are watching their access to basic support services shrink before their eyes. Head Start has seen five of their regional offices across the country abruptly closed. Medicaid could face over $800 billion in cuts over the next 10 years. These lifelines that working families depend on for affordable support services are rapidly diminishing, largely due to this administration and this majority's attack on these lifelines as ``waste.'' The resources that working families need are not waste. The tools for economic survival are not waste. Americans deserve better. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it as well.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again, my Republican colleagues are selling Americans on a bill with a flashy title and hoping that they don't read the fine print. The so-called Tipped Employee Protection Act implies that something in this bill might actually benefit workers who work for tips. In reality, this bill manipulates labor law to decrease employees' earning power and allow employers to skirt minimum wage requirements. Mr. Speaker, I was a high school English teacher, and I taught my students about irony. This bill is more aptly titled the Republican invent new ways to pay workers less bill. Here is a closer look at the bill. For jobs like waiting tables, which regularly generate a large proportion of pay from tips, employers may pay their employees a small portion of the minimum wage, a mere $2.13 an hour, as long as what they normally make in tips makes up the rest. Mr. Speaker, this bill, however, opens the opportunity for employers to manipulate FLSA definitions and classify other workers who receive tips only sometimes to also be paid a subminimum wage. Under this bill, hotel housekeepers, valets, manicurists, and other workers could see their tips used to offset what their employers owe them, rather than serving as an occasional boost in take-home pay for a job well done. In short, it expands the subminimum wage and offers more opportunities to pay workers less. As I said, we should really call this bill the Republican invent new ways to pay workers less bill. No responsible policymaker should be arguing that Americans should be making less. People in this country are feeling serious financial strain as the cost of living soars and wages remain stagnant. Everything is more expensive, and here we are, debating a proposal that would allow employers to pay people less than what they earned so employers can save a few dollars on the hour. Shame on this majority. Once again, this Republican proposal to stimulate the economy relies on Americans in the lowest income brackets getting squeezed the most. Mr. Speaker, we need to eliminate the subminimum wage entirely and make sure that Americans make enough money to live with dignity and not invent new ways to pay Americans less. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, it is always an honor and a pleasure to work with the gentlewoman from Connecticut, a distinguished National Teacher of the Year and an amazing educator who, like myself, went from the classroom to the Halls of Congress to advocate for our students nationally. The promise of a free and quality education is a vital part of the American Dream. The embodiment of that promise came in 1975 when Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to ensure that children with disabilities could receive a free, fair, and equal education. This landmark legislation changed the lives of millions of Americans. The disabled children's right to an education would not only be recognized, but it would be funded and enforced nationwide. Today, 7.5 million students rely on IDEA funding, and that is nearly one in seven students whose specialized education is funded in part by the Department of Education. Every school district in the country has families that have benefited from the IDEA, and its 50 years of enactment have improved public education for all students. That is why the Trump administration's actions to gut staffing at the Department of Education and move the Office of Special Education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services is so devastating. HHS does not have the structure, nor the staff, to administer the $15 billion a year that this office is responsible for. The administration also gutted the Office of Civil Rights, which is responsible for investigating civil rights abuses in schools. The OCR was responsible for ensuring that students with disabilities got the quality education they are entitled to and that cases of neglect and abuse were duly prosecuted. With the Department of Education fragmented, teachers and administrators won't be able to access the resources they need; parents will be unable to get the proper support; and the students will be the ones who pay the price. What is clear is that the Department of Education is the only Department equipped to be charged with the education of all students, including students with disabilities, not HHS, not the Department of Labor, not the Department of Justice. Creating more hoops for schools to jump through and shattering known systems and protocol will, at the end of the day, hurt the students this administration claims they are protecting. Republicans have not allowed IDEA to be fully funded. Republicans are looking to defund public schools, leaving parents with fewer choices and options in educating their children. Republicans' obsession with dismantling the Department of Education appears to be the only education policy they really have. Our students need more. Our teachers deserve more. Our schools require more to fulfill the American promise of a free and quality education for every American child.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my California colleague for yielding to me and thank Congresswoman Rivas for co-hosting, and I thank Congresswoman Emily Randall from Washington for also co-hosting this important Congressional Progressive Caucus Special Order hour. Now, we are here because this heretofore do-nothing Republican Congress has let 22 million Americans get priced out of their healthcare. I learned of a coffeehouse owner in Riverside, a good friend of mine, whose health insurance went from $600 a month to $1,100 a month. We are here because my Republican colleagues think our national budget is too tight to ensure that our seniors and families can afford healthcare, but it is flush enough with enough cash to fund escapades in Venezuela and billions of new spending on ICE and giving billionaires permanent tax cuts. We are here because Democrats are the ones that are keeping healthcare front and center for this body. Republicans wish we would stop talking about this, that we would stop bringing it up, but we will not stop because healthcare is vital. It is essential to every American. It was the Democrats that forced this do-nothing Congress to actually act. Neither Speaker Johnson nor President Trump wanted to make healthcare more affordable, so we took it upon ourselves to pass a 3- year extension of these vital tax credits, 3 years that match with the remaining 3 years of this Presidency. Mr. Speaker, 17 Republicans joined us to actually lower costs and to make health insurance affordable. Now, I am sure the President will have in his mind that he should target for retribution these 17 Republicans for defying him, for defying the orthodoxy of the Republican leadership. He can choose to lead with fear, to be more concerned about Venezuelan oil or how many more people he can deport or how much more he can enrich himself, or he can use his considerable influence and power over Republicans, over Senate Republicans. We saw the reach of his power today as Republicans unanimously voted for water projects for poor people in Colorado and for a Native American Tribe in Florida, reversed themselves and sustained his veto. They voted for these two measures before. That is how immense his influence is. The question is: Will he get seven Republicans to do something right for the American people and lower healthcare costs, and will he use his influence to help Americans lower healthcare costs for all Americans or will he act in retribution? He can lower healthcare costs for all by expanding the pool of insureds. The fight is not over. We still have to get through the Senate, but the key to all this is President Trump. Will he demand that the Senate pass a 3-year extension of this bill, 3-year extension of healthcare tax credits? That is the big question.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this hateful legislation. The so-called Do No Harm in Medicaid Act prohibits Medicaid from spending funds on medically necessary care like puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone treatment for transgender individuals under 18. This is Congress seeking to ban healthcare for the most vulnerable among us. Republicans are working to ban parents from providing their trans children on Medicaid with necessary healthcare. These types of decisions should be made between families and their physicians. Yet, here we are, letting politicians in Washington, D.C., tell parents across America that they know how to raise their trans youth. Transgender people need consistent access to essential and medically necessary care like everyone else. This care makes it possible for transgender people to live safely and authentically as themselves. I have spoken with countless families about the impact of this lifesaving care and what it has done for their children. I have also spoken with doctors that have provided this safe and effective care. The healthcare that trans youth receive is a decision that they should be able to make in consultation with their parents, therapists, and doctors, not by politicians. Medical care for transgender youth is safe and effective and is supported by every major medical association, representing more than 1.3 million U.S. doctors. The hypocrisy of this legislation is staggering. The bill bans Medicaid from covering medical care for transgender youth but allows for the same exact care for nontransgender youth. The proof is here in black and white. Republicans are seeking specifically to target transgender youth, and trans people are less than 1 percent of the population. Republicans are targeting the wrong 1 percent. This is not the 1 percent that is trying to take away the healthcare of all Americans. I call on the Speaker to bring the Affordable Care Act tax credits to the floor now, today, and save healthcare for 22 million Americans.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill. My Republican colleagues have tried and failed to repeal or weaken the Affordable Care Act more than 70 times over the past 15 years. The bill before us does nothing to address the expiring tax credits, and contrary to what my colleague Mr. Kiley has said, the bill that would extend the tax credits is bipartisan. It would pass this House. In the richest country in the world, the country that is the global leader in medical innovation, Americans will die from treatable conditions. Republicans claim that their bill will give consumers more choices. No choice, this is not about choice. People will have the choice to be refused health insurance for preexisting conditions by unregulated junk health insurance plans and be denied reproductive healthcare. Instead of making the ACA tax credits permanent, Republicans have once again proposed a piecemeal, nonsolution that makes health insurance more expensive and strips Americans of their basic healthcare rights. Mr. Speaker, vote against this bill. Bring the bipartisan solution to the floor.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, no President, Democrat or Republican, can declare war without Congress. Congress is the branch of government vested with this solemn responsibility. President Trump has not requested or received any authorization for the use of military force against Venezuela. Yet he continues to escalate the situation by striking speedboats, seizing oil tankers, and establishing blockades, which is an act of war. Congress must be consulted. The President is either trying to distract Americans from the fact that millions of people are going to lose their healthcare, or he believes that he is a king unbound by our laws, unbound by international law, and unbound by our Constitution. We cannot allow him to unilaterally declare war. Congress must be consulted. Vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill. There are not words strong enough to express my disgust. I will respond to the gentlewoman from Georgia. Gender-affirming surgery is never performed on young children. It is extremely rare for older transgender adolescents. This bill would have little impact on surgeries for transgender young people because surgery is already extremely rare for transgender adolescents. Republicans keep bringing up surgeries to shift attention away from how extreme this bill is. This bill hypocritically bans safe and effective medications for an entire group of people just because of who they are, while still allowing them for everyone else. This bill will not lower the cost of your healthcare. It will not protect children. It will not ease the strain on doctors and other healthcare providers. What it will do is interfere with parental choice and open private medical data up to Federal investigation. It threatens to jail doctors who follow evidence-based practice supported by every medical association in the United States. It deprives children of proven lifesaving medical care. My Republican colleagues should be ashamed. I am ashamed of what they are doing. I am ashamed that trans children out there may see this debate in the people's House and watch elected officials lie about them. I am ashamed that the world sees this democracy spending its time wielding the law as a weapon to attack a few rather than use the law as a shield to protect the vulnerable. I am furious that, while millions of families struggle to afford groceries, healthcare, rent, and basic necessities, this is the vindictive, petty garbage that Republicans are using the people's House to put to a vote. Banning healthcare for trans people cannot be justified by science. Using the Federal Government to strip parents of their right to make decisions for their children is a massive violation.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, jailing doctors and, in some cases, parents for following best medical practices is backward, ignorant, and dangerous. My colleagues who support this bill are not vested with the power to say that someone does not deserve medically necessary care. This body has a duty to protect the vulnerable. This bill is a radical perversion of that duty and a disgusting abuse of power.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and Representative, the gentlewoman from Connecticut, Representative Hayes, for yielding time. I also thank her for putting together this Special Order hour. The two of us came to Congress from the classroom. We came from the classroom to the Halls of Congress. The two of us were also locked out of the Department of Education earlier this year when we were demanding answers on when President Trump would illegally try to close the Department. Since then, we have seen Secretary McMahon fire staff from the building who investigate and protect the civil rights of students. We have seen her slash funding for minority-serving institutions. We have seen her move parts of our education infrastructure to unrelated agencies, creating more hoops for administrators and staff to jump through to get the funding they need. Last week, the Department of Education announced they are moving to end the SAVE program which some 7 million student loan borrowers rely on to have affordable repayment plans on their student loans. Grocery prices are up. Utilities are up. Healthcare is about to jump for millions of people, and now some student loan borrowers will have to find money to pay their student loans. The math simply won't work for millions of Americans and for these students who need to pay off their loans. Secretary McMahon has usurped Congress' role by firing staff, holding up grants that Congress has approved, and running a multimillion-dollar experiment by shuttering the Department and making six different Federal agencies do the work of one. Democrats have worked to conduct oversight for our Nation's students, but Republicans couldn't care less if title I schools get the funding they need; if students have their civil rights violated; or if the promise of a free, quality education is for all students. Their agenda is one that seeks to privatize and voucherize the public school system and to make getting degrees and credentials as hard as possible for those who are not well-off or well-connected. Students, no matter how complex their needs, how much money they come from, how much wealth they come from, or the ZIP Code they grew up in, are entitled to a free, quality education. Mr. Speaker, if we want to save public education, a free and quality education for all children, we can't have half of this body ready to give up their power and conduct no oversight while permanent changes are being made at the Department of Education. Secretary McMahon has only appeared before the Education and the Workforce Committee once this year and has since taken the most extreme actions and attacks on public education this country has ever seen. Republicans must join me and my colleagues in conducting oversight for the students in this country. We are living in a time when more and more Americans don't feel like the American Dream is in reach. I am pleading--pleading--with Republicans to join me--to join us--in giving hope to Americans that the promise of a quality education is still alive for every child. We cannot delay or wait until harm is brought to any school district or teacher or student. This must end. The mission of the Department must continue. As far as I am concerned and as far as the Democratic Caucus is concerned, the mission of this Department will continue.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and courage of Ralph Lawrence Carr, the 29th Governor of Colorado, whose birthday we celebrate today. He was in office when Executive Order 9066 was issued, the order that permitted the mass incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including my grandparents and parents during World War II. A staunch Republican, he refused to comply with the order and instead opened the State of Colorado to Japanese Americans fleeing the Federal Government. To a group of farmers concerned with his support of Japanese Americans, Governor Carr said, ``An American citizen of Japanese descent has the same rights as any other citizen. If you harm them, you must first harm me.'' Mr. Speaker, the Governor lost re-election, largely due to his defense of Japanese Americans. Let his courage be a lesson to us today as we, once again, see a dark tide spread across our country.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to recognize Native American Heritage Month. Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to not only honor the rich cultures and history of Indigenous peoples across North America, but to recognize the continued leadership of Native Americans in each of our communities. From the public sector to the business community, to my colleagues on the House floor, Native American leaders are today helping shape the future. I represent Riverside which stands on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Cahuilla Nation; Gabrielino-Tongva People, Payomkawichum/ the Luiseno Indians; and Yuhaaviatam, clan of Maara'yam/the Serrano. Riverside is also home to the Sherman Indian High School. I thank all of the educators and staff who work tirelessly to build an environment that provides a quality education to hundreds of students and helps preserve the rich culture of Native peoples from across North America. I thank them for their work of creating the next generation of Native American leaders.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we are considering S. 2392, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025 today. I rise in strong support of the measure, and I thank Senator Moran for introducing the bill and appreciate Representatives Morgan Luttrell and Morgan McGarvey for leading the House version. We have a uniquely solemn charge on the Veterans' Affairs Committee: to serve those who have served. It is a task I take very seriously as do my colleagues. We continually strive to deliver on the promise to America's servicewomen and -men as they become veterans; that we will take care of you just as you have taken care of us. Because of this, I find it disheartening when I hear conversation gaining speed about veterans not deserving the benefits provided to them or of defrauding the compensation and pension system en masse: Project 2025, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. We have even heard this from some veterans themselves at recent congressional hearings that somehow veterans' benefits make them lazy and reward exaggeration, but I know, as does America, that this is a ridiculous notion. I think Senator Duckworth put it perfectly when she said: ``Portraying disabled veterans as a group of takers who will happily never work again for $3,100 a month is incredibly condescending and disrespectful to these heroic Americans.'' Our veterans have sworn an oath to risk life and limb to protect our Nation. They are honorable and forthright, and they deserve whatever assistance they need post-service to live happy, healthy, productive lives. The sacrifices they make and wounds they take occur not just on the battlefield but in training and on the home front, as well. These veterans don't just serve alone. Military families sacrifice right alongside their servicemember. Many are exposed to the same hazardous environments as those in uniform. They are left to care for that servicemember when their time is done, and they do so willingly and with courage. Mr. Speaker, to denigrate them by suggesting the system of veterans' benefits is overgenerous is grossly insulting to me, and I am sure to Americans, as well. If anything, we know there are still a great deal of toxic exposures, locations, injuries, and illnesses that VA doesn't recognize or cover. Too many veterans and their families are left waiting for help. If anything, we must be more generous, and that is why I am in strong support of this legislation. Raising the compensation owed to our veterans to adjust to the cost of living is a small-in-dollar amount but large-in-significance gesture to demonstrate to veterans and their families that we see them, we understand their plight, and we can and will do what we must to help them. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our veterans and their families by supporting this legislation. On the heels of Veterans Day, when we honor those who have served and sacrificed for us, I urge every American to rededicate themselves to uplifting the veterans in all communities across this country. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kennedy), my good friend who serves on our Economic Opportunity Subcommittee and our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Morrison), my good friend who serves on our Subcommittee on Health and our Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 2392, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Moreno Valley Unified School District for the opening of its new Health and Wellness Center, and to commend the district's leadership for their unwavering commitment to supporting students and families in need. Last week, I had the honor of attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for this Center, which will serve as a vital resource for students and their families who are experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, or foster care. Through the Department of Wellness, Mental Health, and Community Outreach, the Health and Wellness Center provides wraparound support to ensure that students can succeed both in and out of the classroom. The Center offers a wide range of services, including washer and dryer access, showers, preventive dental care, eyeglasses, a food pantry, a clothing closet, tutoring, and more. It also provides emergency short-term housing and works with partners to connect students with youth specialists. These resources restore dignity and stability, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive. I want to especially recognize Superintendent Dr. Alejandro Ruvalcaba for his outstanding leadership in overseeing this project. His dedication, and the dedication of the entire district, has made this Center a reality and reflects Moreno Valley Unifier's belief that education is not just about academics--it is about providing students with the foundation they need to build a brighter future. Mr. Speaker, the opening of the Health and Wellness Center is a potent example of how schools can serve as hubs of hope and opportunity. I commend Moreno Valley Unified School District for their vision and commitment, and I am confident that this Center will have a lasting impact on the lives of many students and families in our community.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I join the global community in celebrating the remarkable achievements of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, which now include the 2025 Templeton Prize. Patriarch Bartholomew has long been a voice of spiritual clarity and moral courage. His leadership in advancing interfaith dialogue, human rights, and especially environmental stewardship, has earned him the nickname ``The Green Patriarch.'' The Templeton Prize recognizes his decades of work urging the world to see care for creation not just as policy, but as a sacred duty. In Riverside, we are blessed with a vibrant Orthodox Christian community. Parishes such as Saint Andrew Orthodox Church remind us of the enduring presence of Eastern Orthodox faith in Southern California. These communities embody the values Patriarch Bartholomew champions-- reverence, beauty, responsibility, and peace. His visit to our Nation's capital is not just a symbolic moment; it is an opportunity for our country to honor a global religious leader who is known for his phrase: ``War in the name of religion is war against religion.'' On behalf of Riverside, I extend congratulations to His All-Holiness. May his work continue to inspire, and may our communities reflect his vision of faith in action.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we are considering H.R. 1107, the Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025, as amended. It will enable VA providers to prescribe substances to veterans through telemedicine without first conducting an in-person exam. This bill will make permanent a flexibility that has been extended to VA and non-VA prescribers alike since the COVID-19 pandemic. The current waiver, which has been extended by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, is set to expire in December of 2025. This legislation will make permanent VA prescribers' authority to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth, if and when DEA and HHS end the temporary authority. Telemedicine has helped VA to greatly increase veterans' access to a variety of types of care, providing a critical lifeline for veterans, especially those who may have difficulty leaving the house or who live in extremely rural areas. We can clearly recognize that after the pandemic, we must be open to changing the way we provide care to everyone, especially veterans, to reflect technological advancements, individual preferences, and the necessity of expanding access to care. In fact, telehealth is the industry standard for many providers and categories of care, including many in the VA's community care network. Veterans should expect nothing less when they receive care from the VA. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1107, which is the Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1107, Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 2334, the Servicemember Residence Protection Act, as amended. However, I still have many concerns that the bill, while well-intentioned, does not live up to the promises made by some supporters. I appreciate the work of the majority to improve this bill during our markup. All of us want to ensure that servicemembers do not return home from serving their country to find trespassers or squatters living in their homes. We also want to ensure that servicemembers who are confronted with this situation have the tools and resources to seek legal relief. However, I want to be clear that neither the original bill nor the amended text that we are considering today will eliminate the possibility that a servicemember will need to seek judicial or other legal relief to evict a trespasser. The ability of Congress to legislate a solution to that particular issue is legally difficult. The text of H.R. 2334, based on my amendment in committee, was drafted so as to avoid creating confusion where courts have already ruled in Servicemembers Civil Relief Act cases involving adverse possession by codifying existing legal interpretations of SCRA tolling provisions. What that means is that many State courts across the country have already found that the SCRA applied to adverse possession and that the period of time while the servicemember was away from their property did not count toward adverse possession. The amended bill simply makes this existing legal interpretation law. Since acquiring title to property through adverse possession is a long and involved process, in practice, this legislation would likely apply to servicemembers in rare circumstances, such as when an adverse possessor was able to satisfy all the elements of adverse possession, including possession for the lengthy statutory period, which is likely longer than the time that most servicemembers are stationed away from home. Mr. Speaker, the other type of trespassing case that a servicemember may encounter is a holdover tenant, such as may happen if a servicemember rents out their property while they are away from home. Now, many of the stories presented to the committee to support this bill were of that type of trespass. A servicemember invited someone to stay at their property while they were gone and then the tenant did not want to leave. It is important to follow good practices when becoming a landlord, such as using a written legal lease agreement, and this legislation does provide instruction for the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with the Department of Justice to provide resources on landlord-tenant practices and securing vacant property. However, nothing in this bill removes the requirement that someone seeking an eviction will need to follow a legal process to do so, which may include seeking assistance from law enforcement or going to local courts. Evicting someone from property requires due process. In addition, the SCRA is not self-enforcing. A servicemember must seek to enforce all of its protections through a legal process. Ultimately, servicemembers will need to seek legal assistance to deal with trespassing cases. We owe it to servicemembers to provide them with the information and resources to navigate that process. This legislation, unfortunately, does not bolster access to legal assistance, but I hope the sponsors of this legislation will join us on those efforts in the future. I will be supporting this legislation today, as it does make some improvements for those servicemembers who find themselves in the rare occurrence of adverse possession. I hope we can do more in the future, but I don't want to give the servicemembers the false impression that this bill will immediately solve the trespassing issues presented to the committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House and the Senate, as well, to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2334, the Servicemember Residence Protection Act, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1860, the Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordination Act, as amended, introduced by my colleague from Texas, Representative Sylvia Garcia. Through VA's Breast and Gynecological Oncology System of Excellence, the VA oncology, surgical, and nursing specialists are already providing world-class care for these types of cancers directly through VA. The System of Excellence also helps connect veterans with care in the community when necessary. A cancer diagnosis is always a difficult and complicated journey, and, unfortunately, all too common for veterans, in particular. The VA's Breast and Gynecological Oncology System of Excellence is well positioned to handle the clinical aspects of coordinating veterans' cancer treatment, both at VA and its specialists in the community. However, regardless of where individuals are receiving care, cancer treatment is often very complex and requires veterans to regularly see many different providers for various treatments, as well as different specialized labs and imaging centers. Veterans may need assistance covering the expenses associated with traveling to receive care at another VA facility or in the community, obtaining medical records from community providers, ensuring that community providers' claims are paid on time, and accessing mental health services to help cope with the emotional aspects of their diagnoses. This can be very difficult for patients to navigate, and our veterans deserve the highest levels of support throughout this time. Representative Garcia's bill will strengthen the System of Excellence by requiring VA to appoint regional breast and gynecologic cancer care coordinators to assist veterans in navigating all of these aspects of their treatment. These trained professionals help ensure that patients can access resources available to them and that their providers are always updated on the patients' latest health updates. Veterans deserve compassionate, well-coordinated care when dealing with their cancer journey, and I am glad to support this legislation to do just that. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1860, the Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordination Act of 2025, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.