Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1578, the Veterans Claims Education Act of 2025, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Ms. Stevens and Mr. Subramanyam, for hosting this Special Order hour. Their leadership is much needed, and I appreciate them. Madam Speaker, I rise today because something is deeply wrong. The Trump administration is gutting our Nation's scientific infrastructure and doing it with purpose. This isn't some misunderstanding or clerical error. It is an attack on research, on truth, and on the people who have dedicated their lives to making our country stronger, smarter, and healthier. Thousands of scientists have been laid off. Grants approved by Congress are being withheld. Whole labs are shutting down. Now, the administration wants to slash funding for the NIH, the CDC, the Department of Energy's labs, and the university partnerships that have built the modern American economy. They call this reform. It is not reform. It is a dagger to the heart of American innovation. Let's be honest about what's going on here. Elon Musk and the so- called Department of Government Efficiency are using the Federal Government to settle scores: cancer trials, nonessential; national science databases, too expensive. That is not policy. It is a crusade against expertise. Last month, I sat down with five undergraduate researchers at UC Riverside. They are doing remarkable work on everything from climate change to biomedical engineering. Their students are bright; their ideas are bold; and their funding is suddenly at risk, not because the science failed but because politics did. While we fire researchers, other countries are sending job offers. France, Germany, Canada, and Australia are rolling out the red carpet for the scientists we are pushing out the door. While we make it harder for international students, researchers, and the greatest minds around the world to come, to bring their talent, other countries are offering funding, housing, and guaranteed lab space. One institute called it a ``once-in-a-century brain gain opportunity,'' a once-in-a-century brain gain opportunity for other countries. This is what it looks like when a country values science. Meanwhile, we are bleeding talent. As ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I need to speak plainly: Our veterans are being hurt, too. In Pennsylvania, doctors at VA hospitals warned that lifesaving cancer trials were being shut down. I was told by the Secretary--I rushed from that hearing--that they really weren't being shut down, but there are a lot of questions around the status of these trials. More than 1,000 veterans are at risk of losing access to treatments for head and neck cancer, kidney disease, and traumatic brain injuries. Some of these trials have not been restarted. In Pittsburgh, a study for veterans struggling with opioid addiction stalled out when a hiring freeze hit. In Los Angeles, all chemotherapy treatments almost stopped entirely before the VA reversed course. These are not just numbers. These are people. These are veterans who stepped up for this country, who are now wondering why the country will not step up for them. We passed the PACT Act to expand care to those exposed to burn pits and other toxins. It was the largest expansion of veterans' care in generations, making good on a promise to help those who served our Nation. Now, it is being broken. While all of this is happening, China is investing billions in biotech, AI, and clean energy. They are not just competing with us; they are outpacing us because they are not undermining their own scientists. While we fire, they fund. While we second-guess researchers, they fast-track them. We are not losing this race because we Americans are not capable. We are losing because we are allowing our government to sabotage them. Today, some of the National Science Foundation scientists who were fired may be watching from the gallery, others--grad students, post- docs, public health experts--are tuning in from their labs and classrooms across the country. To all of them, I say this: We see you. We value you. We are not giving up on you. This is not about science; it is about who we are as a country. Do we invest in the people solving cancer, or do we dismiss them as expendable? Do we stand by our veterans mid-treatment, or do we tell them to wait until the budget looks better? Do we fight to stay at the forefront of discovery and innovation, or do we hand the future to someone else? Madam Speaker, I represent a region full of young people who believe they can cure disease, fight climate change, and explore the stars. What message are we sending them right now? We should be investing in their future, not pulling the rug out from underneath them. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject these cuts, reject this anti-science, anti-veteran agenda. Let us fight for the truth for our researchers, for our vets, and for the country we still have a chance to become.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, we gather on the floor of the House of Representatives to pay tribute to two United States marines who died in service to our Nation. Lance Corporal Albert A. Aguilera of Riverside and Lance Corporal Marcelino M. Gamino of Fresno were both killed in a tragic vehicle accident while on deployment as part of Joint Task Force-Southern Border. Both were combat engineers with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, and both were far too young to be taken from their families, friends, and fellow marines. It is a terrible grief that these families now carry, and it is incumbent on all of us as a Nation to remember the sacrifice of these young men. I ask all my colleagues to join us in a moment of silence in memory of Lance Corporal Aguilera and Lance Corporal Gamino.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Kim A. Wilcox on his tenure as the ninth chancellor of UC Riverside. Since 2013, he has led the university through a remarkable transformation, turning UCR into a national model for student success and social mobility. Dr. Wilcox's vision brought bold expansion in research, enrollment, graduation rates, and campus development. He guided the creation of the Schools of Medicine and Public Policy, grew enrollment by over 25 percent, and championed faculty diversity. His efforts resulted in over 2 million square feet of new academic, residential, and dining space. A passionate advocate for access and equity, Chancellor Wilcox has made UC Riverside a hub of scientific innovation and has brought future innovators to the Inland Empire. Chancellor Wilcox has been a partner and friend to my office during his tenure, and I am proud to have partnered with him to secure grants to further the reach and impact of UC Riverside. We have collaborated to bring grant money from the National Science Foundation, funds from the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act back to UC Riverside. While we will miss his unwavering commitment to academic excellence and thoughtful stewardship, perhaps what many of us will miss most is the sound of his truly infectious laugh echoing throughout the room. It always had a way of brightening even the toughest days. Happy retirement to Chancellor Wilcox and go Highlanders.

Mr. TAKANO

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 include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the House for a Special Order hour with my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues. I do so on the 100th day of the Trump administration, and I note that this is a day when we received the news that our economy has contracted and that we are witnessing confusion, chaos in our markets, and uncertainty about our economic future. We can also mark this day by stating that our country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The administration is disappearing individuals without due process in defiance of court orders. They are ripping people from their homes and communities, putting them on secretive flights, and sending them overseas, including more than 280 individuals sent to the brutal CECOT prison in El Salvador without so much as a hearing. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the administration must facilitate the return of one such man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father, but the executive branch has ignored the highest Court in the land, saying that their own views matter more. Just last night, the President of the United States admitted in a public interview that he could return Mr. Abrego Garcia if he wanted to, but he is choosing not to. He has openly mused about sending American citizens to El Salvador next because it always starts with those without power, the most vulnerable, but it never ends there, and that should terrify every American. I want to take the opportunity to draw attention to another case that has captured the public conscience, that of Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, a 31-year-old gay Venezuelan makeup artist and asylum seeker who was forcibly disappeared without due process. Andry entered the United States legally, fleeing persecution for his sexual orientation and political beliefs. He passed an initial asylum screening and had no criminal record. Yet, without warning or due process, he was forcibly removed to El Salvador and imprisoned in the notorious CECOT facility. What is the evidence against him? A couple of crown tattoos above the names ``Mom'' and ``Dad,'' symbols of his love for his hometown's Three Kings Day celebrations. Andry's case exemplifies the dangers of unchecked executive power and what happens when the rule of law is pushed aside. I call on President Trump to free Andry. There are so many others to talk about: students who have been snatched off the streets, young American citizens kicked out without so much as a hearing, and the list goes on and on. I want to be clear that this is not just about immigrants. This is bigger than that. If the government can violate the Constitution with impunity in these cases, then it can do so anywhere to anyone. To the Americans listening at home, I ask you: How would you feel if masked men grabbed you in broad daylight and refused to show their ID? I know I would be terrified, and I bet you would be, too. Today, we will hear from a number of my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues as we bring a spotlight to these injustices. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Escobar for her comments. I am outraged to hear that Republicans on the Judiciary Committee would not protect citizens from deportation. We are talking about citizens. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ramirez for standing up for the rule of law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter.)

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for his principled remarks about the importance of the rule of law in our country and his enunciating that political dissent in our country is not a crime. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Ansari).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ansari. I want to thank her for traveling with three other of our colleagues to El Salvador last week. I know that she traveled at her own expense. I am very proud that we have members of this caucus who care so deeply about people who have been treated so unjustly. Nobody should be disappeared out of our country without habeas corpus hearings. I also thank Representative Carter for his efforts, along with, I believe, other Members of Congress to visit the graduate students held in a New Orleans jail. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, the sign behind me says ``9-0.'' ``9-0'' is the order of the Supreme Court. They ruled 9-0 that Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be brought back or must be facilitated back into the country. This 9-0 Supreme Court order is being defied by the President. No one in our country, no person, no man, is above the law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Rivas).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Rivas for her comments and bringing to light the tragic stories of children who are citizens with cancer being deported from our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tonko for his comments. I agree with the gentleman. This is a red line that cannot be crossed. We cannot permit a President to defy a 9-0 order of the Supreme Court. No person and no man is above the law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), my tremendous colleague.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Watson Coleman for informing the Nation about what happened earlier today with that family in Oklahoma. It strikes me that we are witnessing this evolution of this administration's policies that began with: We are just going to deport criminals. It then evolved into disappearing people without hearings and claiming that the people they were disappearing were criminals, dangerous criminals, members of the Tren de Aragua gang. They admitted that there were mistakes made, but now we are seeing actual children who are citizens being spirited out of the country. This ought to be concerning to all Americans. It is not about them anymore. It is about us. It is about every single person who is in danger of being treated in such a way that you have no way to say to a judge: I am a citizen. How can you say to a judge that you are a citizen or not a criminal when you are not even allowed to have that hearing? Mr. Speaker, I will now move on and yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle).

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for standing up for the rule of law. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleagues that, in this country, under our Constitution, no one is above the law, not even the President. Our President, at this very moment, is defying a 9-0 Supreme Court decision. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda), my colleague from the Aloha State.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tokuda for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), my fellow colleague from southern California and good friend.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Chu for bringing to light the story of an individual who has contributed much to his community. I am very disappointed, alarmed, and, frankly, terrified by the actions of this administration. Mr. Speaker, I yield time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia), also a fellow Californian, a longtime friend of mine, and somebody who I admire for his courage and initiative in leading a recent delegation of four Members of Congress to the country of El Salvador.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia) for the purpose of a colloquy. Representative Garcia, I had not heard the story about your request to the Ambassador to do a welfare check. This is one picture of Andry Hernandez. I have seen other pictures of him, other photographs. It is hard for, I think, anyone who looks at these photographs to believe that Andry is a dangerous member of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. Here is the other fact that was just mentioned. He has never once been at large in the U.S. territory, any part of the U.S. Government, or the Continental United States. From the very beginning, when he crossed the border, he was in custody. He has never been out of custody. He has never once posed any danger. He arrived with papers that show, from his native Venezuela, that he has no criminal record. My understanding not only was that he was seeking asylum from Venezuela because of his sexual orientation but also because he would not comply with the authoritarian regime there. Is that your understanding, as well?

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Garcia for traveling to El Salvador on his own resources and to our colleagues who spent their own resources because this House of Representatives will not do oversight over the overreach of this administration, will not do oversight over the dereliction of constitutional responsibility of this administration, an administration that was defying a 9-0 Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. There is another compelling case we have before us. The 280 other individuals who are in CECOT prison, the government has kept those names secret. The press and others have had to do a lot of sleuthing to identify individuals who have been sent down there. For all we know, there could be citizens among those folks. We don't know because they have never been able to talk to a judge.

Mr. TAKANO. They have never been able to defend themselves against charges that they are Tren de Aragua criminals or otherwise dangerous criminals. This is a travesty. I think all Americans should be outraged. All Americans should be afraid for themselves. We have now seen, in just recent days, that we have moved from noncitizens to citizens being sent out of this country. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that, over the last hour, the American public has heard directly as Members of Congress came to this hallowed floor to talk plainly about the grave constitutional crisis unfolding in our country. We have heard the names Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Andry Hernandez Romero. We have spoken of students taken off streets, court orders cast aside, and a supermax prison that now holds victims of abuse. These are not isolated incidents. They are evidence of a pattern, a government operating outside the law, outside the Constitution, outside the decision of a Supreme Court that has ruled 9-0 that this administration must facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a government that believes that it can disappear people without charges, ignore the judiciary, and turn the Constitution into a suggestion rather than a safeguard. Mr. Speaker, this body must exert its collective conscience. This is not who we are, and it must not be who we become. The American people are beginning to wake up. They are hungry for accountability from our government and courage from Congress. I promise this. This is not the end of our voices. It is only the beginning. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to serve as the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Today, I rise to recognize one veteran in particular, my great uncle, Manzo Takahashi. Uncle Mon served in the legendary 442nd Infantry Battalion and gave his life in service to our Nation on this very day 80 years ago. He gave the last full measure of devotion while his family, my grandparents and parents, were incarcerated in camps simply because they were Japanese Americans. Uncle Mon's story is just one of nearly 18,000 Japanese-American soldiers who embodied the motto Go for Broke. They risked everything for a country that had denied them so much because they believed in the promise of America. Yet, that promise is fragile. The Trump administration erased the story of the 442nd from the Army's website and now seeks to gut the care that our veterans have earned. We cannot let that happen. To truly honor our veterans, we must defend their legacy, protect their stories, and uphold the Nation that they fought to build. Mr. Speaker, that is the debt we owe them.

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. 983, the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act of 2025. This bill mandates the Department of Veterans Affairs to deny courses that do not charge in-State tuition rates to veterans using certain educational assistance under title 10. The VA already has the authority to disapprove courses at higher education institutions that do not offer in-State tuition rates for other GI Bill beneficiaries. Mandating in-State tuition rates is good policy. It ensures that only schools who prioritize quality education at a fair price participate in the programs. It preserves the GI Bill benefits for student veterans, and it makes the entire GI Bill program more solvent and sustainable so that the GI Bill stays available for veterans for generations into the future. Mr. Speaker, it is also crucial to ensure that selected reservists receive the same benefits as their Active-Duty counterparts by ensuring that in-State tuition is granted regardless of their residency. This bill will expand educational opportunities by providing them with more affordable education options. Their dedication to serving our country deserves nothing less. We passed this bill last Congress, but, unfortunately, the Senate did not consider it in time. I hope we finish this work in this Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, while the House debates various veterans-related legislation today, none are more urgent than the legislation I am introducing to stop thousands of veterans from losing their homes. Last Thursday, Secretary Doug Collins and President Trump announced the abrupt termination of the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program, known as VASP. This program was designed to prevent foreclosures for veterans with VA home loans who had exhausted every other option. With no notice, no replacement, and no plan, the Trump administration decided that these veterans are on their own. The decision came down just hours after the new Trump tariffs sent our economy reeling, plunging the stock market, increasing job insecurity, and deepening financial strain on working families, including veterans. It is hard to imagine a starker representation of their values. At the very moment veterans are needing stability, the administration chose to take it away. They did it while Republicans in Congress are pushing massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. The Republicans are pushing for massive tax cuts for billionaires while forcing veterans into foreclosures. Veterans who served this Nation are now calling our offices, panicked and unsure if they will lose their homes. They don't know what is next, and the truth is neither does VA. Secretary Collins has provided no answers and no alternatives to VASP. Ending this critical support without a clear plan is not just reckless, but it is cruel. That is why I am introducing the Foreclosure Assistance Immediately Reinstated, or FAIR Act, to reinstate the VASP program and make it clear that VA's job is to help veterans stay in their homes, not push them into homelessness. The VA Home Loan Program has been a pillar of the American middle class since the original GI Bill. It helped returning World War II veterans achieve economic security through homeownership. Yet, today's veterans, facing high costs, low wages, and an unstable economy, need that same promise fulfilled. Let me be very clear. This is not a handout. These are earned benefits. Veterans stepped up to defend our country, our Nation, and they deserve more than empty slogans and broken promises in return. VA had the tools, and has the responsibility, to intervene when veterans faced foreclosure. VASP was working. It had already helped over 15,000 veterans keep their homes with tens of thousands more eligible. Ending it based on the false narrative that veterans would game the system is an insult to their service and sacrifices. This decision abandons our values. It punishes the very people who kept their promise to America. Mr. Speaker, it is our turn to keep our promise to them. I urge my colleagues to support the FAIR Act and send a clear message: We don't let veterans fall through the cracks. Not on our watch. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 983, the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.