Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Mrvan), a member of the Appropriations Committee. He just joined us, and I am happy to have him.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a champion of our Nation's veterans.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Frost), my colleague and friend.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chair, I want to add some further information because the Veterans Crisis Line was referenced by the gentleman from Missouri. I want to make it very clear that the Secretary of the VA actually did a YouTube video specifically denying firing anyone from the Veterans Crisis Line when, in reality, he fired 24 people who worked on the Veterans Crisis Line. If there was any improvement to the Veterans Crisis Line in this bill, it is thanks to my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean), who was successful in passing an amendment that added $5 million to funding for the Veterans Crisis Line, and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), who actually added an amendment that prohibits any further cuts from the Veterans Crisis Line. We are certainly appreciative of the bipartisan support for that. However, I want to make it clear that we need to remain united in fighting cuts to the Veterans Crisis Line and ensure that veterans have everything they need and a safety net firmly in place. With all the issues raised during this debate, Mr. Chair, from the blatant push toward privatization of VA medical care to the underfunding of infrastructure and climate resiliency projects and the harmful poison pill riders, I just cannot in good conscience support this bill. It breaks my heart because we do have such a good working relationship across the aisle with Chairman Carter and myself. I look forward to working together to improve this bill. I know it is possible as we move forward, and I am hopeful. I urge my colleagues at this point to vote against it. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. This amendment contains noncontroversial amendments that raise awareness on programs that we all care about. That includes the need to address a variety of medical care issues at the VA, the need to build more childcare development centers, construct more State extended-care facilities, expediting claims processing, and many others. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), a fearless defender of our Nation's veterans.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Goodlander), who is a new Member and a veteran of our Armed Forces.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I do not have any additional speakers, and I also yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, this en bloc contains eight amendments that will make this bill worse than it already is. It includes a funding cut to the Veterans Benefits Administration, further exacerbating the backlogs in processing disability compensation claims, leading to long waits for veterans. The Republican MILCON-VA bill already cuts the NATO Security Investment Program by $188 million. This amendment would further cut it by another $4.1 million. It is shocking that my Republican colleagues would condone this, especially while they are offering amendments encouraging the speedier processes of claims and lamenting the delays in countless Republican speeches. NATO infrastructure investment receives robust funding from our NATO partners, but there is an illegal Russian war going on, so it would seem that we need more investments in NATO infrastructure now more than ever. Yet, this amendment would further cut into it. The amendment also seeks to continue the Republican push to privatize VA medical care. The bill already includes a 67 percent increase to medical community care which is an increase without justification or rationale. We received no backup information from the administration whatsoever as to why they proposed this or why it is necessary because it isn't. It is a simple additional attempt to march the VA toward prioritization and away from what we know veterans want. The amendment promotes untested and dangerous medical treatment for our veterans. It makes a bad bill even worse. Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, this en bloc doesn't do a single thing to improve this bill. In fact, it makes it worse. It cuts the Veterans Benefits Administration. It discriminates against veterans and doubles down on privatization of VA medical care. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise as the designee of the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), and I move to strike the last word.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who is the distinguished ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee and the dean of women of the House of Representatives.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Hernandez).

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the Zeta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) on its 70th Anniversary. Founded on April 16, 1955, the Zeta Rho Omega chapter is the oldest and largest chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in Broward County. The chartering of the Fort Lauderdale chapter began with the vision of Willard Lamar and 14 young women. This aspiring group organized for approximately one year, locating members and completing the necessary requirements to become an established chapter. Charter Members included: Gladys Cohen, Sylvia Epps, Jean Everett, Parthenia Hamm, Virginia Hamm, Hazel Hankerson, Daphne Harrison, Cecelia Hayes, Eula Mosby, Betty Smith, Millicent Sworn, Gloria Talbot, Albertha Latimer, and Willard Lamar, the first chapter president. Zeta Rho Omega Chapter continues to be an active and integral part of the Ft. Lauderdale community and has received many awards and recognitions for its youth leadership programs, health fairs, and volunteer services, voter registration drives, and scholarships. Zeta Rho Omega Chapter will always strive to exhibit excellence in community service by providing ``Service to all Mankind.'' Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is an international service organization founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women, and service and sisterhood have been the cornerstone of AKA since its founding. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than 360,000 initiated members in graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 12 nations and territories including the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Korea, South Africa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Led by International President & CEO Danette Anthony Reed of Dallas, Texas, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, often is hailed as ``America's premier Greek-lettered organization for African American women.''

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this one big, ugly bill. Instead of cutting costs, it imposes the biggest healthcare cut ever, forcing 14 million people to lose coverage. This bill makes the deepest cuts to nutrition assistance in U.S. history, ripping food from the mouths of kids, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. It guts clean energy, hurts farmers, expands abortion bans, and explodes the debt so badly it will trigger $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. Its thousand-plus pages all boil down to this: $1.1 trillion is swiped from SNAP and Medicaid and stuffed right into the pockets of the richest 1 percent. It no longer, thankfully, gives tax breaks to tanning beds, although Republicans tried that in the dead of night, yet strips Affordable Care Act coverage from millions of families and raises deductibles and copays for millions more. This is worse than the haves versus the have-nots. It is just one big giveaway to the have yachts. Just like Trump did to all his businesses, this bill will drive our constituents and our country into bankruptcy. Any Republican with a spine, which they clearly lack, and a conscience, which they also lack, should join me in voting ``hell no.''

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding and for his stalwart and unyielding support for the Jewish community, for his leadership as a member of the Jewish community, and for his decades of work to support Jewish community values. I rise in strong support of my resolution, H. Res. 352, to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and highlight the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to our country. I proudly sponsored this bill when I was a freshman Member of Congress, and it was the first piece of legislation that I passed as a freshman 20 years ago. I thank my co-leads, Representative Troy Carter, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, and Congressman Fitzpatrick, for joining me in co-leading this resolution. It is a resolution that highlights the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to our country. Every May, we come together to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, also known as JAHM, and the generations of Jewish Americans who are integral parts of the rich mosaic of people and the heritages that make up these great United States. While we joyfully celebrate this month, it is the second JAHM that we commemorate under the shadow of Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel. This was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Since that fateful day, the United States has witnessed a historic rise in anti-Semitism, which was already explosive prior to October 7, with an absolute explosion of online hate. In 2024, the ADL tracked 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents across America. That marked a 344 percent increase over the past 5 years, and it was the highest number on record since these instances of hate were first tracked in 1979. It is so disheartening that every year a new record is set of anti- Jewish incidents, but it also demonstrates that we have a lot of work to do together. According to the American Jewish Committee, in 2024, one-third of American Jews had been the personal target of anti-Semitism over the past year, and sadly, one-third of Jewish college students felt uncomfortable or unsafe on campus due to their Jewish identity. While we must take steps to protect Jewish students on college campuses, we cannot allow anti-Semitism to be used as a vehicle to take away the rights of others. Make no mistake, anti-Semitism is a canary in the coal mine. Attacks on Jewish students in any school setting are unacceptable, and there should be serious consequences. By investing in policies that protect Jewish students, like fully funding the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights to fund investigations and hold colleges and universities--and, quite frankly, schools across the country and secondary schools--tolerating anti- Semitism accountable, we can support all students' ability to live and study in places that value and respect their heritage. While there is no simple solution to end this extremist hate, we all can take steps to end this violence. In the Biden administration's national strategy to counter anti- Semitism, the U.S.' first-ever blueprint, it called on all aspects of society to commemorate JAHM and use it as a tool to fight hate. That is because we need Jews and non-Jews alike to learn about all the remarkable Jewish Americans who served in government or the military, or who won Nobel prizes, for example, and how Jewish Americans lead universities and make lifesaving medical discoveries that we all count on today. However, the significant contributions Jewish Americans have made and continue to make toward America's success are not widely known, so today's resolution highlights Jewish American inventors who created services and products that all Americans rely on each and every day. For instance, Mr. Speaker, Irving Naxon invented the slow cooker. He took inspiration from Jewish cooking traditions in Europe to allow Jewish communities to have fresh and hot meals on Shabbat. Sylvan Goldman invented the shopping cart, transforming the ease with which people are able to shop for their families. When Hedy Lamarr, the famous and accomplished actress, was not acting in films, she invented the concept of frequency hopping, which opened the door to a wide range of wireless communications technologies, including WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. There are a whole lot of gamers who would love that Ralph Baer invented the Brown Box, a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. These are just a few of the innovative contributions that American Jews brought to all of our lives. As Jews, we have a longstanding commitment to tikkun olam, a commitment to repair the world. We take great pride regarding the impact we have made on so many generations of Americans. As we celebrate the 20th year of Jewish American Heritage Month, we have made progress toward the goals of JAHM to educate Americans by celebrating Jewish contributions, which promotes understanding and reduces bigotry. Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone on both sides of the aisle for helping shine a light on this important moment in time, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be physically present for votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 113 and NAY on Roll Call No. 114. Personal Explanation

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be physically present for votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 111 and NAY on Roll Call No. 112.