Jennifer Wexton

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late Dale ``Ann'' Moran, a dedicated and selfless advocate for the veterans community across the Commonwealth of Virginia, especially here in Virginia's 10th Congressional District. Ann was an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary, unit 293 of Purcellville, VA for 35 years. Mrs. Moran truly lived the Auxiliary motto, ``Service, Not Self''. Ann demonstrated this commitment through her tremendous leadership over the course of her time with the Auxiliary. Her roles included the Department Historian for the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Virginia, 2-time Northern Zone Vice President, and multiple chairmanships. She served as the 16th District President and held various chairmanships at the district level. In her home office, Unit 293, Ann at one time served in every office, in every chairmanship, and served as a mentor to countless members. She played a major role in the Unit's successes at the Department and National Level, including receiving national awards for her Department Chairman reports. In addition to her various leadership positions, Ann played an important role in directly assisting veterans through her work as a Veteran Service Officer where she worked with veterans in identifying and correcting a need, and helped them obtain the services that they had earned. She also established the ``Blanketing Veterans with Love'' initiative. Through this initiative Ann enlisted the involvement of her family, friends, and community to craft more than 300 blankets for veterans returning from combat. Ann also worked with the Martinsburg Vet Center to bring a satellite vet center to Loudoun County, and was a tireless supporter of Boulder Crest retreat, a local retreat for Military, Veterans, and their families. Ann was also a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Her legacy lives on through her husband, Thomas R., and son Thomas D. Moran, daughter in law Shannon, and two grandchildren. Mrs. Moran was also a 25-year employee of the Loudoun County School system. Madam Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing the outstanding contributions that Mrs. Ann Moran so graciously made to our veterans, our district, the commonwealth, and nation. While we join her family in mourning her loss, we stand today to celebrate her commitment and legacy, on behalf of a grateful nation.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation. Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association conducts an annual Bank Day Scholarship Program throughout the Commonwealth, held on the third Tuesday in March, to provide the opportunity for young Virginians to better understand the vital role of banks and the financial services industry in the Commonwealth; and Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association organizes Bank Day as a means of involving high school students and banks in the Commonwealth in this endeavor to identify potential future career opportunities available in the banking sector; and Whereas, since every citizen benefits from a basic understanding of the economic system and the wide variety of banking industry career opportunities available to students upon graduating, it is appropriate that the industry works closely with the Virginia education community to promote personal finance and economic education; and Whereas, Bank Day allows seniors from Virginia high schools to shadow bankers in their communities for a day to learn about banking operations, financial services and products, potential career opportunities in banking, and the vital role banks play in their community and with their customers; and Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association and Virginia banks have reached more than 2,000 high school students through this program since 2012; and Whereas, participating students write essays on the topic, ``What did you learn on Bank Day that will help you manage your financial future and what did you learn about how banks support their communities,'' to help students consider their own personal financial decision-making; and Whereas, thirteen scholarships totaling $26,000 are awarded annually based on the merits of the essays to assist winners pursue their higher education endeavors; and Whereas, the Virginia Bankers Association, through their Education Foundation, has awarded a total of $137,000 in scholarships to 66 Virginia high school students since 2012, helping to defray the cost of higher education tuition for future leaders continuing their education and career preparation: Now, therefore, be it Resolved That the House of Representatives-- 1) Commends the Virginia Bankers Association for their valuable contribution to the economic education of the youth of the Commonwealth; 2) Honors the Virginia banks that participate in the annual Bank Day Scholarship Program; and 3) Encourages banks to continue to support the Bank Day Scholarship Program and other financial literacy and career awareness opportunities in their communities.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, early this year, I made the decision to hang the transgender flag in front of my office. It was meant to be a small and simple gesture of solidarity. Overnight, my office was flooded with messages of gratitude. The flag outside of my office had gone viral. Folks from all over called, emailed, wrote, and DM'd my office to thank me for doing it. But today, we all have an historic opportunity to support substantive legislation that will be transformative for millions of Americans. The Equality Act is a bipartisan bill that will provide comprehensive, Federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing, credit, education, and much more, because today our LGBTQ brothers and sisters can marry the person they love on Sunday and, for that reason alone, be evicted from their housing or fired from their jobs on Monday. That isn't right, but the Equality Act can fix it. To my colleagues, let's extend the full promise of this Nation to every LGBTQ American. Let's pass the Equality Act.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1414, the FinCEN Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced with my Financial Services Committee colleague and fellow Virginian, Congressman Denver Riggleman. This is a practical bill that will help modernize the duties of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, otherwise known as FinCEN. The mission of FinCEN is to safeguard the financial system from crimes or illicit use, such as terrorist financing; combat money laundering; and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial information and intelligence. H.R. 1414 would do three things to further their important mission. First is in the area of investigation into terror financing. FinCEN is currently authorized to combat international terrorism but fails to mention domestic terror activities. While international terror threats remain present and relevant, the threat landscape has expanded considerably and also includes domestic terror groups that commit crimes to further their agendas. H.R. 1414 will amend the FinCEN authorizing legislation to clarify its role in investigating and combating terror threats, be they foreign or domestic. FinCEN is already doing important work to combat domestic terrorism, but the bill will clarify its role and correct this oversight in the statute. Second, the virtual currency landscape is rapidly evolving and many of these technologies did not exist when previous laws and regulations were written. H.R. 1414 will help FinCEN combat emerging methods of financing illicit activity, including the use of cryptocurrency. Finally, the FinCEN Improvement Act builds on existing relationships with law enforcement partners by ensuring that FinCEN has the authority to work not only with Federal, State, and local law enforcement, but also with Tribal law enforcement across the country. I am proud to cosponsor this bill, Mr. Speaker, and I urge our colleagues to support it.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, our democracy isn't working the way it should for a majority of Americans, but H.R. 1, the For the People Act, can fix that. This legislation will end partisan gerrymandering by creating independent redistricting commissions, letting the voters choose the politicians, not the politicians choosing their voters. H.R. 1 will promote online registration, same day and automatic voter registration, because we should be making it easier, not harder, for people to vote. It also prohibits arbitrary voter roll purges, expands early voting and vote-by-mail options, and ensures the restoration of voting rights for those who have paid their dues to society. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. It is as sacred as the freedom of religion and speech. The American people want clean and fair elections, and H.R. 1 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the faith and function in American democracy.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, several years ago, I had a conversation with one of my constituents that I think about often. She told me about when she sent her 5-year-old son off to his first week of kindergarten in the Loudoun County Public Schools. He came home from school one day, and he told her: Mommy, we had an emergency drill today. My place to hide is behind the backpacks. Like a backpack is going to stop a round from an AR-15. And she decided right then and there that we need to do better for our kids and that she needed to do something. Her way of doing something was to start the Loudoun chapter of Moms Demand Action. Now she and millions more like her have sent us here to do something about gun violence. We may not be able to stop every school shooting, every act of gun violence, but shouldn't we at least try to stop some? Because if we won't do that we shouldn't be here. Today, for the first time in decades, the United States Congress will vote on meaningful gun violence prevention legislation. We will vote on and pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, and I will proudly vote ``yes'' because these checks will save lives.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague, Gerry Connolly, for his strong leadership on this issue. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 790 and in strong support of a long-overdue cost-of-living increase for Federal civil servants. Many will remember the President's callous executive order of December 30, right in the middle of the shutdown, freezing Federal workers' salaries while hundreds of thousands of them were furloughed or, worse, working without pay. Federal employees are not the swamp, as some would have you believe. Federal employees are the people who make sure that Social Security checks are mailed on time each month. They are the scientists researching cures for cancer. They are tour guides in our national parks. They are FBI agents investigating criminal activity. They are the air traffic controllers and TSA agents keeping us safe when we fly. We saw during the shutdown how important every dollar of every paycheck is for Federal employees to pay their bills, to pay their rent, to pay their mortgage, to afford childcare, to pay off their student loans, and, yes, even to feed their families. It is time to give Federal employees the pay raise and the respect they deserve, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 79, which is my resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that government shutdowns are detrimental to the Nation and should not occur. Mr. Speaker, between December 22 and January 25, more than 800,000 Federal workers went without pay because of the Trump shutdown. Saying that shutdowns harm the American people and the economy should not be controversial. These facts are not up for debate, or at least they shouldn't be. But yesterday, members of the Freedom Caucus basically tried to shut down the House of Representatives because they objected to a sentence in the resolution that said the President shut down the government to achieve a legislative end. Now, he did. We all saw him say it on television, and we have seen it many, many times since then. But I am a brand-new legislator, and I am all about getting to ``yes'' and finding consensus, so the offending clause has been removed from this resolution and should not be a problem anymore. For 35 days, our workers were forced to go without a paycheck. That is two pay periods that workers had to make difficult financial decisions for themselves and for their families. Essential services were halted; national parks were shuttered; and our national security was compromised during this time. TSA screeners and air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay. FBI offices had to delay indictments against violent criminals. The CBO estimated the effect of the Trump shutdown to be $11 billion, with more than a quarter of that amount permanently lost. The shutdown also impacted our Federal Government's ability to recruit and retain career public servants, with many Federal workers reconsidering their career choices after this shutdown irreparably harmed them. On December 20, the President announced that he would refuse to sign legislation that had been unanimously passed by the Senate just the day before due to his insistence that Congress provide funding to build a wall along the southern border. This was not a priority before Democrats took over the House of Representatives, but all of a sudden, it was a crisis. This resulted in the longest government shutdown in American history. Mr. Speaker, my resolution highlights the substantial burdens that were placed on the American people from the President of the United States attempting to use a government shutdown to get a policy win. Nobody wins when the government shuts down. My district is home to tens of thousands of Federal workers and government contractors, and the impact of the shutdown was felt in my district almost immediately. I also have heard from people all over the country who were impacted by the shutdown, including an air traffic controller who told me about the stress that going two pay periods without pay added to what is already one of the most stressful jobs in the Nation. I heard from a family who had to give up their Christmas entirely and who asked their children to hold their money, because they needed to make sure they had the funds to buy food during the prolonged shutdown. I heard from the CEO of a small business in my district that relies on Federal contracts with the Federal Government who was worried about how he was going to continue to pay his workers when his invoices from the Federal Government were not being paid. Meanwhile, the guidance from the administration to workers without paychecks was to suggest they take out loans, have a garage sale, babysit, drive for Uber, become a mystery shopper, or ask their landlord for an extension on their rent. On January 24, the Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, made comments on live news expressing confusion about why Federal employees who have been furloughed or are working without pay had to receive assistance at food banks. These unreasonable suggestions from the administration and the comments from Secretary Ross showed just how out of touch the administration is when it comes to our Federal workers, many of whom do live paycheck to paycheck. We have an opportunity to make it clear that shutting down the Government of the United States is not an acceptable strategy to resolve policy differences. Mr. Speaker, after all they have been through, we owe assurances to the millions of Federal civilian workers, including the hundreds of thousands who were furloughed earlier this month, that Congress will ensure continued, uninterrupted operations of the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, my district in Northern Virginia is home to tens of thousands of Federal workers, and even more contractors who work alongside them. I have heard from hundreds of constituents about how the shutdown has turned their lives upside down, like Teresa, who is a furloughed Federal worker. She and her husband recently sold their home and signed a contract to purchase another one in my district. The mortgage financing for their purchase was all set and approved before the shutdown. Their closing date is set for next Monday, the 28th, 4 days from now. But just a couple days ago, they learned that the mortgage company is now denying their mortgage application because she is furloughed. She was told by the lender that they consider her unemployed and too much of a risk to finance. This is a Federal employee who will receive backpay when this shutdown eventually ends, but that isn't enough for the mortgage company. It isn't enough for any of their other creditors, and now she and her family, instead of celebrating moving into their new home, are essentially homeless, all because of the reckless Trump-McConnell shutdown.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, today is payday for Federal workers, but instead of receiving a paycheck, many, including thousands of my constituents, will be going without. I had a visit from a constituent yesterday who is an air traffic controller at Washington Center in Leesburg, Virginia, one of the busiest air traffic control centers in the Nation. She worked 80 hours over the past 2 weeks and received a paycheck for zero dollars. You can't pay your mortgage with zero dollars. You can't buy groceries with zero dollars. You can't pay your medical bills or fill up your gas tank with zero dollars. Madam Speaker, Federal employees want to go back to work. They believe in their mission and want to provide quality services for the American people. They shouldn't have to sell off their belongings or return their children's Christmas presents just to make ends meet. They shouldn't have to wonder how they are going to survive. Our national parks are filling up with trash. Many TSA security screeners can't afford to commute to work. The FDA is not inspecting our food supply. Our hardworking Federal employees are doing their jobs. It is time for President Trump and Senator McConnell to do theirs.

Ms. WEXTON

Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, my district lies just outside of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia, and is home to tens of thousands of Federal workers and contractors. Since I was sworn in on Thursday, I have received hundreds of calls, emails, and social media outreach from my constituents whose lives are upended. I would like to read one of those messages now. I am a Federal employee who used the last of his discretionary funds this week to attend his grandfather's funeral. Now I'm preparing to file for unemployment. My wife has to try to get a job despite her severe and crippling disability, and we've had to return some of the Christmas presents for ourselves, our four-year-old son, and our six- year-old daughter. We've always lived paycheck to paycheck because of the high cost of living in northern Virginia, and we don't have the option to take out loans because we incurred so much debt moving to the area and dealing with our family's medical bills. Right now I am contacting our utilities and mortgage company to see if we can push out the deadlines for bills. I gave up military service to join the civil service and have been so disheartened to see the lack of respect for our Federal employees. Mr. Speaker, we owe our Federal employees better than this. I call on the Senate and the President to do the right thing and end this shutdown now.