Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler for yielding. ``We the people'' is a bold opening statement enshrined in our Constitution. But for far too long, LGBTQ Americans have not been included in that statement. A gay couple can get married in all 50 States. A trans worker has legal protections from discrimination in the workplace. But despite this progress, a lesbian mom can be denied housing in most States because of her sexual orientation. A queer person can be turned away from serving on a jury. In 27 States, there are no laws protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in education, housing, and public accommodation, and this is wrong. No person, no matter where they live in America, should face discrimination. Equality should not depend on the ZIP Code where you live. Now is the time for ``we the people'' to include LGBTQ Americans. My Republican colleagues are desperately trying to derail this legislation by cloaking their bigotry with high-minded arguments about religious freedom and appealing to people's worst instincts with transphobic attacks and grossly exaggerated examples. Their main argument seems to be that America doesn't want a law that will protect the dignity of trans people who get murdered and beat up for being who they are. In reality, trans people are among those in our community who need this protection the most. Republicans want to vilify people who are the most severe victims of injustice. What this law does is simple and just. It guarantees that LGBTQ people in every State cannot be discriminated against because of their identity. We have a moral imperative to get the Equality Act signed into law.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for leading this Special Order hour, and I thank her for the bravery she exhibited by sharing her story. January 6 was unlike any other day I lived through during my time in Congress. I awoke with Georgia on my mind, with hope in my heart, after the runoff victories delivered us a Senate Democratic majority. That morning, it felt like we were turning the page on a dark chapter and entering a chapter of reckoning, progress, and, ultimately, unity. To fully turn that page, Congress needed to count the electoral college votes and certify the historic election of President Biden and Vice President Harris. That was supposed to be a perfunctory, procedural action. But it became, instead, the target of an angry mob incited by the President, who encouraged that very mob to interfere and stop the counting of the ballots. Too many Republican colleagues empowered the lies that Trump told instead of standing up for the truth and for our democracy. Earlier that day, I had followed press reports about a rally being organized by Trump supporters in Washington, and my staff warned me to be careful as I carried out business in and around the Capitol. I got to the Capitol early because I did not want to run into too many crowds, but I never imagined what was coming after Trump encouraged his supporters at a rally to storm the Capitol and disrupt the electoral college count. About midday, shortly before 1 o'clock, I was returning back to my Cannon House Office Building when the Capitol Police told me: Sir, we are closing down Cannon. We are evacuating Cannon. You need to go to either the Longworth House Office Building or Rayburn and take cover. So, I followed the instructions. I made my way back to Longworth, where I took refuge in a colleague's office. Eventually, I made it to a secure location in the Veterans' Affairs Committee offices in the Longworth basement. It was there my phone started to blow up with anxious constituents who asked me if I was okay, and they made me aware of what was going on outside. I turned on the television, and I could not believe what I was seeing. What I saw were Capitol Police being overwhelmed and the violent mob of Trump supporters breaking into the Capitol and bringing the electoral college vote count to a halt. As the violence unfolded, I have to say I was in a secure location, as safe as I could be for that moment. I was fine but shaken, concerned about what this meant for our democracy. I worried about the safety of my colleagues. I worried about the safety of the staff. I wondered when the National Guard would arrive, when reinforcements would arrive, because it was extraordinarily distressing to see our Capitol Police so greatly outnumbered by the crowd. I was safe. I turned out to be fine. I still am fine. But that is not the case for everyone. Unlike my colleagues and me who are here, most of the people who lived through the horrors of that day can't share their experiences on the floor of the House today. I am here to give voice to and acknowledge the experience of hundreds of congressional staffers, Capitol support staff, maintenance workers, and Capitol Police officers who also lived through that deadly insurrection. They experienced and lived the trauma, and it is just as valid and real as the stories that are being shared here today. Staff barricaded themselves in offices. They heard banging on the doors from insurrectionists who could harm them. Staff also evacuated the House Chamber in gas masks. They were alone, gathering any items they could use as weapons in case the insurrectionists broke into the very room they were sheltering in. They were in danger as well. This is their workplace, hundreds of people who answer the phones and keep our buildings running and keep us safe every day. When you run for office, you are confronted with the reality that you may be putting yourself in harm's way. Staff didn't ask for this, they didn't sign up for this, to be put in harm's way. They shouldn't have had to have dealt with an attack like this. They were just doing their jobs. Those who lived through that dangerous day or watched as the Capitol was attacked from home are also experiencing pain and trauma. To them, I say: What you are feeling is valid, and we are here to support you, and don't let anybody gaslight or diminish or belittle what happened on January 6th. It was a serious event. Over the past few weeks, I learned that following the insurrection, the Office of Employee Assistance has been overwhelmed with requests for counseling and support from our staff. After my staff on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and I were made aware of this overwhelming of requests at the Office of Employee Assistance, we worked with the VA to bring Mobile Vet Centers to the Capitol complex to provide mental health services and resources to Capitol Police, the National Guard deployed at the Capitol, congressional staff, journalists, and anyone who needs it. I visited one of the vet centers this morning, and they told me, vaguely, ``Congressman, the numbers are there. The numbers, out of confidentiality, we won't tell you how many, but people are using these centers, and they are asking for help.'' The Mobile Vet Centers can accept walk-in appointments every day, including weekends, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. If someone would like to schedule a next-day appointment, they may call the Washington, D.C. Vet Center at 202-726-5212. I just want to emphasize, if you work at the Capitol, as part of the Capitol workforce, whether you work as a maintenance worker, whether you work as a staffer, this is available to you. I thank my colleagues and the staff who keep our democracy running. The only way to make this right and to help heal our Nation is for the Senate to do the right thing and hold Donald Trump accountable for the insurrection he incited.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am painfully aware of the toll this pandemic has taken on our Nation's veterans. I hear from veterans who are struggling to find work as unemployment numbers rise. I hear from veterans who have had their critical compensation and pension exams postponed, delaying much-needed benefits. Sadly, we have lost over 8,900 veterans and 120 VA staff to the pandemic so far. Across the Nation and at the height of the pandemic, veterans have stepped up to serve their country, a trait not uncommon for the thousands of veterans whose services continue even after they pack away their uniforms. Their service as first responders and healthcare workers battling COVID-19; as essential employees keeping our economy moving, packages delivered, and hospitals sterilized has served as an example of how strong America can be when we act together. Despite all of the setbacks our Nation has faced, it is our duty to be optimistic. Our veterans have shown the way. Mr. Speaker, VA has responded to crises across the country through its Fourth Mission, even landing on the Capitol Grounds yesterday to deploy mobile vet centers to support U.S. Capitol Police, members of the National Guard, and the congressional staff after the insurrection on January 6. Throughout this pandemic, veterans and VA have continued to step up and serve their communities, not just their fellow veterans. The time for decisive action is now. Passing this resolution does not negate the need for bipartisan cooperation. The need now is real, and the pain caused by this pandemic is deep. The best way to provide direct relief to the American people and continue serving all those who have served is to act fast and to do it now. We cannot afford to wait for higher case counts, for additional variants of the virus to emerge, for more Americans to go without work or watch their savings dwindle. We must act fast, and that is why we are here today. I just will say to the gentleman from Missouri that I know that we have billions of dollars that came to the State of California, but I would like to remind the gentleman that California is a net donor State, including money that I am sure has gone to the State of Missouri.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the impeachment of President Donald Trump. The gravity of the moment demands it, and the fate of our Republic depends on it. He committed an impeachable offense by inciting a violent and deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. For this, Congress must hold him accountable to preserve our democracy, our Constitution, and the rule of law. He should serve not 1 minute more and be barred forever from public office. He is toxic to our Republic and toxic to our democracy.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a dear mentor, an honorable public servant, and a stalwart leader in the Japanese-American community, Rose Ochi. Rose was one of my mentors when I was in my twenties and thirties. Her guidance and her wisdom helped me during those formative years. I know that I was not the only person whose life she touched. She blazed a trail for many others in our community besides me. Rose was a justice seeker and served as an Associate Attorney General of the United States under President Clinton, as the criminal justice planning director for Mayor Tom Bradley, and as a fighter for redress for the Japanese-American community who suffered through internment. Her work contributed to making America a more perfect Union. Madam Speaker, we will miss Rose's towering presence and grace, but her legacy will live on.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Levin), my good friend, who is also a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and is the Chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Brindisi), my good friend, who is also a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend who is also a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas and his devotion to Bill Mulder and his memory. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), my good friend, a longtime friend to the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), a champion and a staunch advocate, who is unparalleled in her support for our Nation's 22 million veterans. Under the Speaker's leadership, the House has passed the largest increases in veterans funding in history, including investments in mental health services, Agent Orange disability, healthcare benefits, economic and educational opportunities, as well as job training. She understands we must build up, not tear down, the Department of Veterans Affairs. She has upheld the sacred pledge that, just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind here at home. This Congress, with her support, we have continued to preserve the sacred trust of our men and women in uniform and the 200,000 servicemembers who become veterans each year. Mr. Speaker, I am, of course, referring to the Speaker of this great House from the great State of California, the Honorable Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I am sure Christine Pelosi is going to be tweeting in just a few moments. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), my good friend and member of the Armed Services Committee and senior member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Delgado), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Haaland), my good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 7105) to provide flexibility for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in caring for homeless veterans during a covered public health emergency, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a retraining assistance program for unemployed veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice), my good friend and member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 7105, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just like to take a few moments to say even more words of praise for my colleague, Dr. Phil Roe, my ranking member. We have served on two committees coterminously: the Veterans' Affairs Committee, which you chaired and which I now chair and which we have been both ranking members; and the Education and Labor Committee. It is sort of a fate of coincidence, but it has been an absolute pleasure to be your colleague, sir. I wish you well in this next chapter of your life. I especially want to take note of the example you set by organizing the congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan. I believe it was either my first term or my second term in Congress. What an honor that was to travel with you and a bipartisan delegation to serve turkey dinner during Thanksgiving. I never forgot that lesson. I vowed that if I ever became chairman of the committee, that we would do the same thing, we would continue that tradition of serving our troops who cannot be with their families during the holiday season. That spirit of service carried into the work that you have done and I have done together, with all the Members. We say it is a team effort. It is a special part of the Congress that we have staff that interact with each other, not primarily in an antagonistic mode. There are differences, but we work them out and we work them out bicamerally. I note that Mr. Towers is going to go work on the other side, and I say that with all great affection. Some things will change, some things will stay constant. This behemoth, it is more than 300 pages of legislative text. That is a testament to the spirit of wanting to do right. I want to congratulate my own staff director, Ray Kelley, for that amazing work of both he and Jon and their counterparts in the Senate. This could not be the work of Phil Roe and myself alone. It was the work of incredible leadership at the staff level. I could go on and name every staff person. I have 28--29 staffers, and they all have performed magnificently to produce, I think, this incredible holiday gift to America's veterans and to America. So Phil Roe, thank you for, together, this gift that our teams have created for our country. Thank you for the gift you have been to our country. And my final word to you is, on your next chapter, Godspeed. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2216, Senator Peters' bill, the TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act. This legislation clarifies certain elements of VA's program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers and the general caregiver program. The bill formally recognizes a veteran's primary caregiver in the veteran's medical record and requires standardization in letters determining program eligibility. Additionally, it extends the benefits of the comprehensive program for 90 days after a veteran has been determined to no longer be clinically eligible. This will allow the family caregivers, who have likely forgone or minimized their own careers in order to care for veterans, the means and necessary time to transition back to the workforce without worrying about how to pay the bills. This is an unnecessary stress on those who have already been through so much. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support S. 2216, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on S. 2216.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to bring attention to an important issue facing our nation's veterans. During a hearing held on November 13 of last year, the Committee heard about the risks faced by our nation's veterans when using social media. Based on the results of that hearing, as well as additional research and analysis, my Committee has prepared a report that not only details the risks faced by veterans, but also outlines a series of policy options and other solutions. The executive summary of the report, ``Hijacking Our Heroes: Exploiting Veterans through Disinformation on Social Media,'' is below and the full text of the report is available at: https://veterans.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Hijacking%20Our%20Heroes.pdf. The threat of foreign individuals and organizations influencing United States (U.S.) elections by manipulating social media has been a persistent and growing issue since before the 2016 election year. The threat was a significant concern during the 2020 elections. Recent investigations and analysis document the broad proliferation of online influence campaigns that originate overseas. This includes the use of ``spoofing,'' or the act of disguising an electronic communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source. A subset of these operations target the veteran and military service member communities in order to misappropriate their voices, authority and credibility. The pervasiveness of social media, as well as the nature of the specific threat to our election integrity and the sowing of political discord makes this a critical issue affecting both veterans and those who value veterans' voices. As described by Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mark Takano (D-CA), ``the issue of protecting our elections from foreign influence is one of critical importance to all Americans and preserving the power of veterans' voices should be of equal concern to us all. On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held an investigative hearing to examine the nature and scope of threats posed to the veterans' community through ``internet spoofing.'' Experts testified that stolen, misappropriated, or fraudulently created social media accounts can be used to target veterans for the purposes of disseminating political propaganda and fake news in order to influence elections. The witnesses also described romance scams and commercial fraud being perpetrated using spoofing techniques. Representatives of three major social media platforms--Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter--discussed how they are addressing this threat, particularly considering the 2020 elections, and described best practices for information sharing, protective measures, and law enforcement cooperation. The Committee later held a briefing on January 14, 2020, with representatives from several components of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that handle law enforcement for online crimes. Ranking Member Dr. David P. Roe (R-TN) noted during the hearing, ``The evidence is clear that veterans have their identity misappropriated and that they, like other social media users, could be targets for propaganda or scams.'' Although everyone who uses the internet is subject to online scams, spamming, phishing, identity theft, and other such risks, veterans are particularly susceptible to internet spoofing based on their higher propensity for political engagement (including running for office, volunteering, and sharing political opinions and information). For the purposes of disseminating political propaganda or exerting influence on dividing Americans on sensitive political ``wedge issues,'' veterans are targeted because of their close identification with strong national security policies, patriotism, personal sacrifice, and honor. Chairman Takano stated during the hearing, ``By impersonating veterans, these foreign actors are effectively eroding the hard-earned power and integrity of veterans' voices.'' Veterans are more likely to be engaged in their communities, be perceived as leaders, and can exert influence on political matters (particularly with respect to defense and national security matters). Therefore, a successful spoofing scam that results in a veteran or Veteran Service Organization (VSO) unknowingly distributing or endorsing a piece of disinformation can yield greatly increased, and sometimes even exponential, results due to the added credibility imparted to that disinformation by virtue of its approval by the veteran or VSO. With each successive endorsement or share, the credibility of the disinformation snowballs. The collective association with actual veterans and VSOs makes it increasingly unlikely that the disinformation will be closely scrutinized, questioned, or eventually exposed as fraudulent or misleading. Moreover, scammers also try to spoof veterans to gain leverage over them. Many veterans move into jobs requiring security clearances or within the federal government after they leave the military--those positions can be jeopardized if the veteran is compromised through financial fraud, identity theft, or otherwise becomes susceptible to blackmail. Internet spoofing became a visible problem in the context of the 2016 U.S. election, when foreign disinformation spread widely across social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, among others. However, disinformation on social media and information operations conducted by sophisticated actors have occurred for far longer. In the past few years, foreign information operations have targeted divisive political issues within American society and have sought to manipulate and divide political and social communities. Unfortunately, our military and veterans' communities are no exception. Moreover, the incidents of foreign spoofing increased following the 2016 election, and industry experts project that these numbers will continue to increase through 2020 and beyond. Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian company which has engaged in online influence operations, more commonly known as a ``troll farm,'' dramatically expanded its information operations after the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections, both in terms of volume and intensity. Russia and Iran are the most prominent state actors in this context, but recent work has identified additional state actors, such as China and Saudi Arabia, using information operations to target communities and topics of interests. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence published a five-volume bipartisan report focused on Russia's influence operations. The second volume focused on Russia's use of social media platforms to influence the election, while the third volume focused on the shortcomings of Obama Administration efforts to combat the ongoing attacks. The third volume highlighted the lack of legislative or regulatory action to combat a known threat emanating from Russia and its intelligence services. The Senate Report sheds light on the broader issues of misinformation campaigns and predatory schemes targeting veterans presented in a report prepared by the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). Industry analysts, journalists, and law enforcement agree that the problems of internet spoofing and foreign influence exerted through social media continue to grow at an alarming pace. However, neither the major platforms nor the FBI were able to identify an obvious or comprehensive solution to this ongoing problem. Both continue to devote significant resources towards combatting spoofing. However, the foreign entities who perpetrate much of this illicit activity are becoming more sophisticated in their schemes and are targeting broader swaths of internet users to more quickly and efficiently disseminate their fraudulent messaging before they are identified and deactivated. Facebook and Twitter note that automated systems can struggle to differentiate authentic images and accounts from fraudulent, unauthorized, or duplicated accounts and thereby risk erroneously flagging and removing legitimate accounts. The platforms have chosen to err on the side of minimizing false negatives by relying upon patterns of suspicious activity and certain tactics or techniques, rather than on other identifying data (e.g., duplicative names or images, geolocation information, or ostensible organizational affiliations). Suspicious activity patterns, such as irregular, repetitive, or voluminous posting, triggers additional layers of review, including an examination of the geolocation data in order to assess where the suspicious activity may be originating. The final review and removal decisions sometimes warrant human examination, but often removals are made without any human review. Although these layered review processes may be effective in protecting legitimate users, they undoubtedly also add a significant gap in removal time for fraudulent accounts, which provides a window within which spoofers can continue to operate. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, are constrained in their abilities to efficiently identify and eliminate spoofers because the agencies only have limited access to the data held by the social media platforms. Often these agencies do not receive important information until after the platforms have already removed a spoofed account, at which point law enforcement is unable to actively monitor and trace the account in real time. The ability of spoofers to operate from overseas, anonymously, or by using fraudulent or concealed identities requires law enforcement to rely upon account identification data and detailed activity patterns in order to accurately identify or locate the potential spoofer. However, Title II of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) (18 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 2701-2713), known as the Stored Communications Act, requires a government entity to serve a subpoena on social media platforms to compel the production of certain relevant information. Requiring a time-consuming legal process to obtain identification data hampers the ability of law enforcement to respond quickly or to fully understand the scope of a potential spoofing campaign. Therefore, the law enforcement agencies recommend increasing the amount and level of detail that the platforms can easily provide to the authorities. Past attempts to address this problem have been piecemeal in nature and have proven ineffective to date. This fragmented approach has prevented any wholesale, systemic efforts to tighten rules or law enforcement protocols. Incremental adjustments have been made by individual platforms, which leaves an irregular landscape where motivated, corrupt actors may still be able to exploit weaknesses among the platforms. Based on discussions with representatives of law enforcement, and considering the issues raised by the social media platforms during the hearing, the Committee believes that there are additional measures needed to address the growing threats posed by spoofing. Our recommendations fall into two broad categories. The first category is oriented at users of social media and is defensive in nature, such as teaching users how to be aware of the dangers posed by spoofers on social media and training them how to protect themselves through heightened vigilance, healthy skepticism, and adherence to basic principles of cyber-hygiene. The second category is aimed at putting the social media platforms and law enforcement on the offensive and developing robust mechanisms to more effectively identify and quickly eliminate foreign-based spoofers. While the first category is likely to be less costly and easier to implement, the second category may ultimately prove to be more effective in bringing the threat under control.