and she was elected attorney general. working to approve the lives of floridians, make florida the best date in the nation to live, work and risa family. pam was an incredible partner working to keep florida safe and helped hold the laws of our state, ensuring crime was aggressively pursued by law enforcement and prosecutors. president trump has made clear when of his top priorities is to reverse the rising rates of crime and specifically violent crime that have plagued our communities over the past four years. pam bondi is uniquely equipped to advance his priority as u.s. attorney general. she has a proven track record of success in achieving dramatic reductions in crime and violent crime during her time as forward as attorney general. from 2010, the year before she took office to 2018, the last year she was in office, florida experienced a remarkable -- >> you can continue watching on c-span2 and on the c-span now video app.

as we head to the u.s. house which is gaveling this morning for general speeches. live coverage here on c-span. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. january 15, 2025. i hereby ahint the honorable monica de la cruz to act as speaker pro tempore on this day, signed, mike johnson, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2025, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with with time equally allocated between the parties and each

member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes. but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, last week the house and senate oversaw the certification of the 2024 election. it was a quick, smooth process. there were no riots, no violence. we completed the peaceful transfer of power as the founding fathers envisioned it. now compare last week's election certification with what we witnessed four years ago. thousands attacked the capitol. they shattered windows, smashed down doors, assaulted police officers. it was a violent mob and people died as a result. all in an attempt to stop the

certification of a legitimate election. the insurrectionists and rioters threatened vice president pence and referred to him as quote, dead man walking. if he didn't illegally reject the election results. directly following january 6 leaders on both sides of the aisle spoke out against the anti-democratic acts of the day. former speaker kevin mccarthy said the violence, destruction, and chaos we saw earlier was unacceptable, undemocratic, un-american. it was the saddest day i ever had serving as a member of this institution. former senate minority leader mitch mcconnell was even more clear in his condemnation and assignment of blame. he said, i quote, there's no question, none, that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. it was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of

power. now four years later there is a concerted effort to rewrite history. our incoming president has called january 6 quote, a day of love. and others have claimed it was a legitimate form of protest. well, i was here. i saw the violence with my own eyes and the scenes we witnessed will haunt this institution forever. we need a clear accounting of what happened and a clear accountability to ensure this never happens again. unfortunately this incoming president it appears we will get neither. the president-elect has said he wants to pardon the rioters. these are folks who have been convicted in a court of law. and in a dark twist on accountability, the president-elect is threatening retribution against democrats and republicans who served on the committee that investigated january 6. they should go to jail, he said, of members of congress sought to uncover the truth about january 6.

let's recap. the people who broke into the capitol, injured 147 officers, threatened to kill the vice president should be pardoned. and the elected officials who performed their constitutional duty to investigate the largest mass assault of law enforcement officers and the greatest assault on our democracy should be jailed. this is a perversion of the truth and justice. for those of us here on capitol hill that day who saw the violence, smelled the pepper spray, heard the screams we have an opportunity to remember that day for what it was, a dark stain on our nation's history. and we have an opportunity to commemorate those in uniform who bravely stood up to the rioters. they didn't just protect me, they protected our republic. in 2022 congress commissioned a memorial to be installed on the front of the capitol listing the names of those who defended the capitol on that fateful day. three years later, it has yet to be mounted. we should expect more.

if we can't be honest about what happened on that day, if we can't at a minimum come together to put up a plaque commemorating those who protected us and some who gave their last full measure of devotion, then perhaps we should install a plaque like the one from dante's inferno. abandon all hope ye who enter here. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentleman from missouri, mr. alford, for five minutes. mr. alford: thank you, madam speaker. today i rise to honor our january veteran of the month. michael "mike" tracy. mike entered the air force delayed entry program in 1975 where he reported to basic training, air force leadership school, and security police school at lackland air force base in san antonio, texas.

after graduation he was placed on orders to the 20th security police squadron r.a.f. in england, home to the f-111de nato and new safe nuclear deterrent to the former soviet union when he returned to the u.s. he maintained his service after being discharged in the inactive reserve n1982, mike rejoined the military as a private and the u.s.a.r. in spokane, washington. he attended drill sergeant school and u.s. armor school. he served as a preventive medicine specialist in germany. and participated in operation desert storm. throughout injuries, surgery, and reassignments, he served his country in many different roles. his final assignment brought him to missouri at whiteman air force base in our district. mike, thank you for your dedication. thank you for your service. we appreciate you and we are so glad that your journey brought you to the great state of missouri. we salute you today. thank you, mike.

madam speaker, today i rise to honor our january small business of the month, jeannine's flowers. this fantastic business in camdenton has been serving the lake area with floral artistry through weddings, proms, first dates, and so many other special occasions. jeannine's is a one stop destination for all floor arrangements, special gifts, tuxedos, events supplies, an more. back in september jeannine celebrated their 45th anniversary where the original owner shared captivating stories about the humble beginnings of this business. it's now owned by cassidy dickerson, jeannine's flowers will continue to make special occasions even more special. jeannine was thrilled to pass the torch and knows they will build upon the strong foundation that was established. thank you. thank you for providing missouri's fourth congressional

district with the highest quality floor arrangements and event services. missouri, don't forget about jeannine's valentine's day is coming up. congratulations to jeannine's flowers, our january small business of the month. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from alabama, miss sewell, for five minutes. miss sewell: -- ms. sewell: -- ms. sewell: madam speaker, i rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of brenda love lady spawn. the founder of the love lady center in birmingham, alabama, who passed away on december 18, 2024 at the age of 75. she founded the love lady center in 2004 to rehabilitate women involved in the criminal justice system. beginning with just seven inmates, the program rapidly

grew into what it is now. it was the only state super advised reentry program in alabama and the largest faith-based recovery facility for women and children in the nation. through the work of the love lady certainty, miss brenda has touched the lives of more than 20,000 women and children, helping them to walk forward with the faith driven hope for the few two guided by her abiding faith in god and her steadfast belief in the value of human life, miss brenda made it her mission to spread empowerment, hope, and redemption throughout the women she side throughout her extraordinary life she has received numerous rewards and honors including an hon oor rarery degree in humanitarian studies from tennessee temple university in 2012. on a personal note i am forever grateful for the opportunity i had to partner with with miss brenda on behalf of the women and children of jefferson county, alabama, including the touchdown million investment we secured for the love lady center

in fiscal year 2023 from the federal budget. i will always remember the warm, selfless, and kind harded nature of miss brenda for serving the most vulnerable members of our community. i ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the extraordinary life and legacy of miss brenda love lady spawn. may her legacy live on and the many lifes she touched. madam speaker, i rise today to honor the extraordinary career and achievements of dr. charles still jr. as he celebrates his retirement after 17 years as the president and c.e.o. of the southern christian leadership conference. a true trailblazer, dr. steel has been accomplished career in both public service and civil rights advocacy. a native of tuscaloosa, alabama, he was elected to the city council in 1985.

a position he held for two years before being elected to the alabama state senate in 1994. after serving three terms, dr. steel stepped down in 2004 to take over as the head of the sclc. as the organization's president and c.e.o., dr. steel raised over $10 million and oversaw the groundbreaking of sclc's new headquarters in atlanta, georgia. his reputation has always been one of great purpose and great passion. he is an honorable man guided by an abiding faith in god and love of country. while his retirement will allow him some well earned rest and time with loved ones, i know that his commitment to service will continue for years to come. on behalf of a grateful nation, i ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the retirement of dr. charles steel jr. after 17 years as president and c.e.o. of the southern christian leadership conference. thank you.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. de la cruz, for five minutes. ms. de la cruz: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. de la cruz: i rise today to honor guadeloupe county commissioner greg sidenberger on his well deserved retirement. after a lifetime of extraordinary service to our country and community. greg began his career with with 20 years in the united states air force. serving as a command pilot during the vietnam war. and leading the squadron operating out of seguin exill rarery airfield.

he then served as a pilot for american airlines for 18 years. for the past 12 years greg has dedicated himself to guadeloupe county as commissioner for precinct one. transforming the county and ensuring the foundation for a brighter future. i wish commissioner sidenberger a joyful retirement. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. rivas, for five minutes. ms. rivas: mr. speaker, just five days into my tenure as a member of the house of representatives, several large wildfires broke out across los angeles county. the palisades fire, the eaton

fire, and the hurst fire which broke out on the northern end of my district. i was born and raised in the san fernando valley and consider myself incredibly fortunate to represent it in congress. the valley is a special place to so many people, including my own family, which makes the heartbreak of seeing images of it's danger sting deeper. i flew home last week as soon as i saw the images of footage coming out of los angeles county to be home with my community and helpful in any way that i could. i have immense gratitude for the los angeles fire department, the first responders, and the firefighters who arrived from across the country and from mexico who have been working nonstop to put out these fires. .. i have met with communityleader. because of their bravery,

courage and action in responding to the hurst fire, they were able to minimize danger and keep our neighbors safe. our community thanks them. i also visited one of the evacuation centers at the ritchie valuens recreation center to learn more about how staff and volunteers have been working around the clock to help those who were forced to evacuate. i visited the burn sites of the hurst and eaton fires where i was able to assess the damage firsthand and tried to get a better understanding of what federal resources would be needed to help communities rebuild. throughout the week, i was in contact with the federal government, including the white house, and fema where i was able to advocate for the federal support necessary to keep constituents safe during the emergency. my congressional colleagues and i are focused on making sure our

constituents and our communities have what they need to get through and recover from this emergency without any conditions. this isn't about party or politics and i'm proud to have joined both of our senators and 46 other bipartisan members of california's congressional delegation in urging president biden to sign a major disaster declaration so that the federal government can provide public assistance, individual assistance and direct federal assistance to our communities. we are grateful that president biden quickly signed the declaration and my hope is that president-elect trump will continue to provide resources so our constituents can immediately access the funds and resources that they need to rebuild their lives. these fires are the costliest in california's history and it impacted everyone, regardless of

income or party. lives and livelihoods have been lost and many more continue to be in danger. we want our constituents to know that disaster assistance is available and will be available to them. this assistance may include rental payments for temporary housing for those who lost their homes, grants for home repairs, unemployment payments for workers who have lost their job because of the fires, and crisis counseling for those who have been traumatized by this disaster. additionally, fema disaster assistance may be able to help those who have lost a home, regardless if they were uninsured had, insurance or underinsured. visit disasterassistance.gov to get started. my office is also ready to help those who have been impacted by the fires. if my constituents need assistance, i encourage them to

reach out to my office and we'll be able to start advocating on your behalf. to get the federal resources that you need. the san fernando valley is home and i'm honored to represent my home in congress. that is why i'm committed to working with our local, state and federal officials to make sure our community has the resources that it needs to rebuild stronger. our community is strong and resilient and we will help each other come back from this disaster. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. bean, for five minutes. mr. bean: thank you very much, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to honor the important contributions of a. michael hicox and his retirement as the property appraiser for nassau

county, florida. he's been an amazing public servant, committed to fairness and customer service. let's be honest, madam speaker. being a property appraiser is probably one of the toughest jobs around. but mike has done it well. skillfully. and leaves the office in a much better place. while he was leading, mike also served as the president of the florida association of property appraisers and then served on the boards of the nassau education foundation and the nassau county economic development board. to put it simply, madam speaker, mike has spent his career serving others. mike may not be our property appraiser anymore, but i know he's not done. i can't wait to see what he does next. madam speaker, i ask you and our colleagues to join me in congratulating mike on a job well done. go get 'em, mike. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan, ms. tlaib, for five minutes.

ms. tlaib: madam speaker, i want to take time to honor the incredible life and legacy of virginia williams who unexpectedly passed away. she has left a void in our community and in our hearts. councilwoman williams was a relentless advocate for our families, ensuring that no one in our community lacked basic necessities. her work with organizations like forgotten harvest and her creating her own organization because of her passion for organizing food drives, holiday giveaways and joyful community events embodied who she was. the unwavering love for the city of romulus and our families. she was committed to always lifting up her neighbors, often going above and beyond to bring hope and resources to those in need. her dedication reminds us all that even the smallest acts of kindness can build stronger, more connected communities. her legacy lives on in countless lives she's touched and we are forever grateful for her

service. thank you to her family for allowing -- for sharing her with all of us and allowing us to honor her. my deepest condolences go out to them and all her loved ones during this difficult time. rest in peace, councilwoman williams. i would like to honor the life of former dearborn mayor, jack o'reilly jr. our community lost an extraordinary leader whose dedication to public service shaped the city of dearborn and our communities in michigan forever. mayor o'reilly served as the president of detroit -- dearborn city council for nearly two decades and served 15-year tenure as d dearborn's sixth mayor. i remember my first meeting with him during the time that i was a young law student. mayor o'reilly was so patient in teaching me about how some community programs were successful while others struggled. he was a champion for workforce

development. his patience and his depth of knowledge and willingness to teach me and so many others left a lasting impression, i know on me. i would have never thought that i would have the honor to be able to represent him here in the united states congress. mayor o'reilly's kindness and thoughtful approach to leadership embodied what he truly -- what it truly means to be a public servant. thank you, thank you to mayor o'reilly jr.'s family for sharing him with all of us. i know it wasn't easy. my thoughts are with all of you, all the loved ones and all who were fortunate enough to know him. his legacy will continue to inspire future generations, not only in dearborn, but throughout southeastern michigan and beyond. i want to recognize wayne county commissioner abdul for his more than 40 years of public service to the city of wayne and wayne county and congratulate him on his retirement. he was born in lebanon, as lovingly we call him al, came to the city of wayne five decades ago, and made a name for himself

in the community, as running the community's al's friendly market, with the help of his wife mary, who i love dearly, for 35 years. as first arab american mayor in wayne county, his leadership paved the way for future leaders and was an inspiration to so many of us. in 2014 he was elected to the wayne county commission, for 14 years he served our residents with dedication and resilience, always focusing on bringing people together. thank you, commissioner, for your decades of public service, your legacy will continue to inspire our community in years to come. please join me in recognizing commissioner al as we wish him well in his retirement with that, i yield -- in his retirement. with that, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes.

mr. baird: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor nick bostick, a former pizza delivery man, who saved five sisters from a burning house. just after midnight, july 11, 2022, bostick was driving nearby when he saw the house in flames. bostick entered the home where he found an 18-year-old woman, a toddler, two 13-year-olds outside the upstairs bedroom, and he led them out of the house before running back inside to rescue the 6-year-old girl. for his actions, nick bostick received the carnegie medal, given to the american and canadian citizens who put themselves in extreme danger while saving and attempting to save the lives of others. it is north america's highest honor for civilian heroism. the entire lafayette community is grateful for his courageous actions, to save the lives of these young girls. thank you, and i yield back.

mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the brownsburg high school football team for winning the ihssa6-a state -- ihssa 6-a state championship this year. the bulldogs took on the westfield high school in the state finals in lieu kas oil stadium -- lucas oil stadium and emerged victorious. this is the brownsburg's first state title in nearly 40 years. and i know this win has meant so much to the brownsburg community, and cheering them on to the victory. i want to congratulate this outstanding -- the outstanding student-athletes on becoming state champions. they should be incredibly proud of this hard work and dedication that brought them this victory. i also congratulate the parents, coaches and faculty who gave

their time and talent to this team. they couldn't have done it without you. congratulations, again, to the brownsburg bulldogs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. baird: mr. speaker, today i rise to honor dr. mark russell, who recently retired from his position as a professor the agricultural sciences, education and communications at purdue university. dr. russell joined purdue in 1982 and from august of 2015 to september of 2022, dr. russell served as the head of the agricultural sciences department. dr. russell has truly been a leader in the purdue community and thanks to his expertise, he has judged over 1,100 horse shows for national breeder associations in 14 countries. dr. russell has also established and expanded the multiple exchange programs around the world. growing the university's global presence and relationships.

he has been a stalwart professor at purdue university's ag department and his loss will be felt by the purdue community and beyond. we wish him the very best as he begins this next chapter in his well-earned retirement. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlelady from nevada, ms. lee, for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to honor the life of retired chief officer daniel peterson. a champion for southern nevada's veteran community. chief peterson was a highly decorated army veteran and unrelenting advocate for those around him. after flying helicopters in the army for more than 20 years, he cage home to -- came home to serve as the commander of the henderson chapter of the military order of the purple heart, to be a member of the henderson vietnam veterans of

america, and attend as many unaccompanied veteran burial ceremonies as he could find. he also went to every veteran's treatment court graduation and never hesitated to offer his support to fellow veterans in need. to be clear, it is impossible to sum up chief peterson's decades of service in just one speech on the house floor. that's part of the reason why i have the privilege of working with the library of congress to -- for his story to be part of the veterans history project. but while he has too many medals to name here, i can say this. chief peterson, you were a mentor, a father, a spouse, a leader, a friend, a protector and a servant to both southern nevada and our entire country. i extend my condolences and prayers to dan's wife, eileen, and his four children and step-children, and we all owe

dan a debt of gratitude and we will all miss him. thank you and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. chu, for five minutes. ms. chu: this week, i returned from my district in southern california which has been completely devastated by the eaton fire. in northern pasadena, the fire took our neighbors' lives and destroyed the structures that provided stability to countless families' hopes, dreams and memories. the fire has destroyed over 7,000 structures, left 20,000 people homeless, forced numerous health centers to close, and burnt schools, businesses and

community institutions to the ground. ... this is one of six serious fires across los angeles, including the more than 23,000 acre palisades fire. places that served as safe havens for generations of angelineos and where community was built across the san gabrielle valley are now unrecognizable. the al at that dina community church, the mosque, the jewish temple, armenian school, the al at that dina community church, pop and pop business centers, the country club all burned to the ground. when black americans fled racial segregation in the jim crow south and came to los angeles, many made al at that tina their home because there was noirelining there preventing them from owning homes. it's remained a hub of black culture and civic life in los angeles.

and after being forced into incarceration and camps during world war ii, many japanese americans came to pasadena and built their lives back up. but last week thousands had to flee their homes at a moment's notice, frantically searching for pets and crying out to loved ones. many with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. thousands of people have lost their homes and a lifetime worth of belongings and memories. and tragically first responders have found 16 people who lost their lives and they expect that number to rise. people like anthony mitchell sr., a dedicated father who died alongside his son while waiting for help. just a week before the fires began, anthony told his son that what he treasured most in life was not money or possessions, but his family. and victor shaw, who died outside of his long time family

home with with a garden hose in his hand. he did everything he could to save it. and arlene kelly who bought her home in al at that dina with her late -- al at that dina with her late husband in the late 1960a together they raised two kids, watched their grandchildren and great grandchildren grow and celebrated holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. the los angeles wildfires are on track to become one of the most costly and devastating natural disasters in our country's history. yet scores of republicans led by president-elect trump and speaker johnson are threatening to place conditions on the state of california for disaster assistance to flow to these victims. this is truly unprecedented. never in our history has the

federal government placed conditions on emergency disaster to our own citizens. i invite any republican in congress who's intercontinuing these demands to visit my district, see the devastation for yourself, and look the victims in the eye when you tell them they don't deserve help from their country because you disagree with certain policies passed by their state. this is the united states of america. we help our citizens when they fall victim to a natural disaster regardless of their political party or opinions. and we do it without strings attached like we did just in december, four weeks ago, for victims of the hurricanes milton and helene. i look forward to working with you to secure critical disaster relief funding that's necessary

for this vibrant, beautiful, unique region to recover and to rebuild. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from rhode island, mr. mr. magaziner: mr. speaker, this week prospect medical holdings, which owns our lady of if a time medical certainty in providence filed for bankruptcy is, threatening to undermine rhode island's already stressed health care system. unfortunately, this is a day that many of us feared would come because for years leonard green and partners, the private equity firm that owned prospect medical and executives of the company engaged in outrageous profiteering. buying up hospitals and extracting hundreds of millions of dollars of management fees

and dividends, money that should have been spent on patient care. in the decade that private equity firm leonard green owned prospect medical, they extracted over half a billion dollars from the hospitals they owned. and their partner, prospect c.e.o. sam lee, personally made more than $100 million buying luxury properties for himself at the same time that he shut down emergency rooms. shameful. when i with was state treasurer in 2020, i sent a letter to leonard green expressing my frustration at their unethical practices and the impact they were having on health care in rhode island. in response they put out a statement insisting that all was well. and that the operations at fatima were doing just fine. four years later wouldn't you know it prospect is declaring

bankruptcy facing the health and safety of thousands of rhode islanders who rely on those hospitals and the health care workers who work in those hospitals. the executives at leonard green and prospect who sucked all the money out of those hospitals, are long gone, counting their millions. it's greed. plain and simple. i want to commend senator sheldon whitehouse and the attorney who sounded the alarm about prospect for years. i'm committed to working with state officials and my colleagues in the rhode island congressional delegation to clean up the mess that leonard green left behind and do our best to save fatima and roger williams and stabilize our state's health care system. but mark my words, we will not stop there. the time has come for congress to take a hard look at the consequences of private equity ownership of hospitals. rhode islanders and the american people are counting on us for action. they are going to get it.

mr. speaker, four years ago last week, a violent mob attacked our nation's capitol, assaulted police officers, and threatened to kill elected officials all with the goal of blocking the results of the presidential election and denying the will of the american people. they did it because the losing candidate in that election, president trump, incited them by falsely claiming he had won. on that dark day hundreds of capitol and metropolitan police officers bravely did their duty, putting their lives in harm's way to protect this building, the people in it, and our very democracy. over 140 police officers suffered injuries including broken bones, concussion, and ptsd. they were attacked with baseball bats, axes, and chemicals, among other deadly weapons. in the weeks that followed, five officers died from their injuries. the officers who served that day are all heroes who fought for

our country and deserve our thanks and praise. congress passed and president biden signed into law a -- signed a law to honor the capitol police officers who defended our country during the january 6 riots with a plaque here in the capitol building they fought to defend. shamefully, republicans in congress continue to refuse to hang that plaque. every day my republican colleagues delay is an insult to the brave officers who serve on january 6 and continue to protect us day in and day out. i say to my republican colleagues, no more delays, no more disrespect, hang the plaque now. every pivotal event in america history has heroes and cowards, january 6 is no different. history will always remember the heroic officers who risked their lives to defend our country and will also remember the cowards who refuse to honor them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to refrain from

engaging in personalities toward the president-elect. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new mexico, mr. vasquez, for five minutes. mr. vasquez: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the exceptional service of the marine corps league detachment 478 placed in las cruces, in n. new mexicans have a long history stepping up to serve our nation and these marines continue to honor that commitment. for decades the members of this detachment have provided military funeral honors four our veterans, with several members participating in over 1,000 ceremonies, and winning multiple awards at honor guard conferences. during times when military families are experiencing one of the most difficult moments of their lives, marines step forward with unwavering dedication to ensure our nation's heroes are laid to rest with the dignity they deserve. their service to our community is a profound reminder of the

values instilled in these marines. honor, courage, and commitment. we must continue to support our veterans and their families ensuring they also receive the benefits and the recognition that they have earned. on behalf of all new mexicans i extend my deepest gratitude to the marine corps detachment 478. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. tokuda, for five minutes. ms. tokuda: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. tokuda: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to voice my deep concern and disappointment with the passage of h.r. 28. as a mother of teenagers and public schools, i am appalled instead of addressing urgent challenges like the youth mental health crisis, gun violence in

our schools, and the growing teacher shortage, this legislation diverts our attention to dangerous and divisive policies. h.r. 28, under the guise of protecting fairness in sports and safety in schools, risks undermining the rights and dignity of girls and young women. let me be clear, this bill threatens the very foundation of title ix, the landmark legislation that for over 50 years has protected millions from gender-based discrimination and education. patsy mink, the trailblazing congresswoman who championed title ix, understood the deep injustices women face in education and beyond. as a woman and japanese american, she fought so that her daughter and all fuhr generations -- future generations could pursue their dreams without fear of prejudice or exclusion. they fought this hard fight and for us this bill bestrays -- betrays her legacy and efforts by turning back the clock on these hard-won rights. growing up i experienced

firsthand the pain of being bullied for the way i looked and being judged for not fitting traditional expectations of what a girl should look or act like. i remember vividly being told by school administrator to tuck in your shirt, boy. i was just a middle schooler, tall for my age. wearing my hair short, and pants not dresses. the shock and humiliation of that moment stayed with me. and it steel my resolve no child should ever be made to feel ashamed of who they are. our students already face incredible pressures and challenges. instead of making their lives harder by policing their identities and questioning their worth, we should be supporting them, fostering environments where they can grow, thrive, and succeed as their true auth authenticselves. transgender girls are girls. transgender women are women. and if we truly want to protect girls and women, we must stand for inclusion, dignity, and respect. not division and exclusion.

this isn't just about policy, it's about our values, ensuring every student feels safe and supported. that's how we protect our children. and honor the spirit of title ix. let's move forward with solutions that uplift and unite our schools not tear them apart. thank you. mr. speaker, over the past 10 days our nation has watched with horror and sadness the harrowing scenes coming out of southern california as these fires tore through homes, neighborhoods, and communities. on behalf of my constituents who know the terror and trauma of wildfire all too well, i rise today in solidarity with our california and los angeles oh ohana, and outrage over the callous and heartless remarks that conditions should be applied to their aid. within days of our maui fires, teams from cal fire were by our side. on the ground to help deliver relief and organize the cleanup. in our hour of greatest need they stood by us.

without expectation of any reward. they simply stepped up for their fellow americans. they showed us and hawaii aloha. that is what we need to do as a nation. as one people. we help each other out in our times of need, regardless of where we come from or our beliefs or how we vote. we as members of congress pledge to do this every single day when we convene for business. one nation, unconditionally, under god. now in california's time of greatest need, the president-elect, the speaker, and other colleagues here in the house want to impose policy conditions on federal disaster aid. this will endanger innocent lives and delay the ability of our fellow americans to rebuild and recover from this disaster. never before in our history has the federal government imposed conditions on disaster aids for its own citizens. but this is just more than unprecedented. to deny our fellow americans the help they need after losing loved ones, their homes, their

business, and their darkest hour because of political differences it's not just cruel, it's immoral. it's un-american. it is not who we are as a country. it's an affront to our most basic values, one that transcends any law or policy and lies at the core of our faiths. that we should do to others as we would do to us. that we must love i ask may colleagues to join me in solidarity and fellow americans in delivering the aid that california desperately needs, without political conditions. in doing so, i urge my colleagues to do the right thing and stand up for our values as a nation. let us send the right message to the american people, that their government of the people, by the people and for the people will always stand by them, unconditionally, no matter what. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california,

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. well, here to talk about the endangered species act. indeed, it was designed back in the early 1970's and passed bipartisanly, signed by richard nixon, to protect endangered species. but what we see with its implementation in my home state in california and many other areas around this country, especially in the west, there's been significant misinterpretation of it. indeed, it's been weaponized to stop many things that would be good for people, even for the environment. we're talking forestry, forestry practices that would make our lands safer and less fire-prone. we're talking water supply that would help value farmers, would help urban areas and certainly would be helping the situation in los angeles right now. what i have depicted here is a brush-clearing project that was just above pacific palisades, those other areas in l.a., that

they actually had under way for a while until a national monument was declared above an area called altadina and it stopped the ability to clear brush because you're not allowed to do anything in national monuments because it has to be left pristine and preserved. so this is -- and that ties in with the endangered species as well. so we see the results, instead of clearing this brush, we get results like this. happening right now in southern california. tragically, needlessly. so we're going to continue to see this. i've seen it in my district, i've lost 3 1/2 of my small towns in my district in the last six years, including the paradise fire, which took 58 lives -- 85 lives, 90% of the town. greenville, canyon dam, and a smaller town called doyle on the east side. so, again, endangered species act being manipulated and weapon

weaponized against the work we need to do is partly at fault. for example, when we talk about water in california, let's look at the delta smelt for a moment. ok? so the water supply we should be building in california is impeded because the water has to be shipped out to the pacific ocean, supposedly to help the delta smelt. the water increases have happened since 1992, legislation here increased another 800,000 acre feet per year, and it's built up from there. so hopefully or somehow helped the delta smelt. this is shasta dam in northern california, which we're trying to get filled right now. but is going to be less and less useful for people as more and more of this water is dumped out through the delta. what's that mean for southern california? well, for example, let's lay this one down. let's take a look at this. this is a reservoir which currently is empty. supposedly for rehab and some maintenance. this is what it's supposed to

look like full. that's what it looks like right now. seems people in southern california, they're supposed to be in charge, didn't even know it was empty. so this holds approximately 40 aircraft feet, ok? when it's full -- acre feet, ok? when it's full. 117 million gallons. the shasta dam here, full, holds 4 1/2 million acre feet. so what we've been discussing, a raise of shasta dam, it would be pretty easy to raise it 18 feet, that would cause about 630,000 more acre feet to be available, to be stored in california. so with that, can you imagine 600,000 acre feet, what it could be doing to help -- it could fill this in minutes with the amount of water going out the pacific ocean. but the endangered species act is being used as a weapon against the raise of an existing dam that was building in the 1930's there, that would do that. they'll find a species of the week to do that, in this case i believe it's a sal mannedder. so -- salamander.

so let's go back this time. you probably heard about the tennessee valley authority and a dam. that was a project that was -- the idea came about in the late 1960's, the construction was going to happen pretty soon after that. what they did i think some biologists from i believe the university of tennessee was out on a hike and discovered, he thought, she thought, whoever it was, that there's something called a snail guarder in the risk there are. starting in 19 -- river there. starting in 1973, soon after the e.s.a. was put in place, it was listed in 1975 as endangered under the endangered species act. a legal battle was finally settle or it went to the supreme court and was finally settled by legislation passed in congress in 1979, which exempted the dam from the e.s.a. protections and allowed a giant project that was going to make so much hydroelectric power, store

water, against flood and being able for agriculture and people. they actually got it done. so instead the biologist took this so-called snail guarder and moved populations to other rivers in the area. the species would then reclassify downward from endangered to threatened. finally it was removed from the list but interestingly, when we talk about the weaponization of e.s.a., a just released is it you haddie very veal -- study revealed that the snail isn't an actual distinct species but is just another population of one called the stargazing guarder. so this raises concerns about the species identification when really what is being used for is a weapon. over here, this is what the snail garter actually looks like because it doesn't exist. this is what they're doing in southern california. i just showed you the pictures of the fires. there was a project near pacific

palisades that was going to remove some vulnerable power pole lines that were made of wood and lower hanging wiser and other equipment with some stronger, more fire-resistant ones and they've gotten started on the project but they discovered a species which is grown as a crop in many others, as a cover crop or what have you. but they discovered one they called something. well, we grow cow veg all the time in other areas. and i'll have a picture for you in another speech. when you put them side by side, they're the same picture. so these are weaponized to stop a project that could have been helpful in keeping pacific pal saids from burning due to -- pal sides from burn -- palisades from burning due to downed power lines. downed power lines have the wind or branches knowing into them -- blowing into them has started fires. including the one, the paradise

fire, and the dixie fire which burned a million acres. what we have in northern california frequently is what's called public safety power shutoffs where people just have their power shut off because the wind might blow hard enough to blow branches into power lines somewhere. and so we just sit without power, like a third world country. this all traces back to the inability to do the forestry management where i was talking about with water storage, to have water supply for southern california. so really what it boils down to -- we need leadership like president trump is going to do for us and what gavin newsom's been stopping as far as helping us with water storage and helping the water get to farmers -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lamalfa: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. larson, for five minutes. mr. larson: thank you, speaker rogers. good to see you. that has a nice ring to it. i rise today to address the concern that faces the united

states congress, one that it has avoided and neglected for more than 54 years. richard nixon was the last president to enhance social security. that was in 1971. all of us are concerned, on both sides of the aisle, but concerned is no -- concern is no substitute for action. and it's long overdue that congress takes a vote on behalf of the american people. social security is more than a pension program. and i think the american public knows it and is getting a rouse because, well, there's 70 million americans that are on social security and 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible

for social security. for example, mr. speaker, in your district alone, you have over 175,000 social security resip yebts -- recipients and it's broken down into those who receive pensions, those who get spousal benefits, those who get widow benefits, children, and of course disabilities. more veterans rely on social security disability than they do on the v.a. but here's the other key thing and we don't emphasize this enough. social security is the best economic development program that we have in the country. every district on average gets over $200 million coming in to that district on a monthly -- on a weekly basis.

so imagine -- excuse me, on a monthly basis. and can you imagine, where do they spend that money? nobody gets wealthy on social security. that's for sure. but that money goes right back into the economy. and so it becomes something that congress hasn't adjusted since 1971. now, i think a few things everyone would acknowledge have happened to the economy since 1971. but certainly for congress to neglect its responsibility, and you can point fingers every way, but the bottom line is, congress needs to act. congress needs to vote. president trump has called for tax cuts for people on social security. i applaud him. we've had tax cuts in our proposal for the last decade. but there has been no action on that. but the difference between what we're proposing and what president trump is proposing is

that we pay for ours because if you don't pay for it, what you end up doing is bankrupting the social security fund. still the number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and the number one anti-poverty program for children. but this economic development piece is something, again, that all of us ought to be able to embrace. i provide every member of congress with a card that will demonstrate how many recipients you have and how much money comes into your district on a monthly basis and for us, us meaning the united states congress, it's the only body that can act, president can't do it through executive order, the supreme court isn't going to take it up, only the united states congress can. inaction means the fund will be cut.

unpaid action means the fund will be cut drastically. imagine, mr. speaker, there's more than five million people that get a below poverty level check from social security, having paid in all their lives. that was not the guarantee that they signed up for. and there's close to 35 million people in total, 35 million fellow americans. this is the only benefit they have. again, testing to the great vision and leadership of franklin delano roosevelt, knowing this is the safety net of capitalism. this allows people to take risks because even if people were to fail, there is something there to catch them and help them and their families through this. but congress has not acted since

1971. now, some will say, no, no, no, wait a minute, didn't tip o'neill -- yes, they did. tip o'neill got together, was primarily led by senator bob dole, got together with ronald reagan who was adamantly opposed to social security, but dole convinced him, no, this is the right thing to do. so what they did is they extended the solvency of social security to its current position. not as long as it should have been, but nonetheless, it was an action that went in the right direction. mr. speaker, i know you to be a man of goodwill and integrity and i hope this is something that we can bring up and work to get this done on behalf of the american people. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from connecticut yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. ... mr. meuser: thank you, mr.

speaker. this past week house republicans passed the protection of women and girls in sports act. which ensures that biological men cannot compete in women's and girls sports. makes sense to about 99% of america. the idea that we even need a bill like this is disturbing in itself. think about t we are debating whether boys or men should compete against girls or women in athletics. all athletics. when title ix was enacted back in 1972, mr. speaker, it opened the doors for women and girls to have equal opportunities in sports. when title ix was enacted back in 1972, it opened the doors for women and girls to have equal opportunities in sports. it's worth repeating. before title ix women sports were almost nonexistent. since then, we have seen great progress. women sports have flourished and we have seen amazing accomplishments in basketball, soccer, swimming, and so much

more. athletes like caitlin clark, angel reese, simone biles, lindsey von are now household names. inspiring young girls everywhere. yet we have been faced with a narrow but loud group of activists and media who think it's acceptable for a 6'4" biological male to compete against an average size yet athletic women in sports. let's be clear it's not acceptable. and it's not acceptable to force women to share a locker room with biological men forcing them to shower and change together. this is not an overstatement, mr. speaker. it's happening. it's traumatizing to women and girls to have a man walking around neighboringed in their locker room or vik spike ago volleyball full force into their face. this failed social experiment is disrupting the very fabric of what title ix was designed to protect. one example without mentioning names is a male swimmer who was ranked 554th among male

athletes, but became the top ranked woman -- woman category swimmer in the nation. katein jenner -- caitlin general, we go back to caitlin jenner. as bruce general, competed in the olympics, won the decathlon. as caitlin jenner she stated that if she would have transitioned earlier, she would have won every gold medal. so clearly it's not fair. this does not respect the hard work, dedication, sacrifices made by female athletes. this was a commonsense bill. and there was a right way and wrong way to vote on it. in my view, as stated earlier, 99% of americans agree that men and boys should not be competing in women's and girls sports which is why my republican colleagues and i voted to pass this bill yesterday with with only two democrats voting along

with with us. that's disturbing in itself. our republican congress will continue to stand with women throughout this congress and advocate for the protection of their rights. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until >> you can watch live coverage of the house when members retur we stay on capitol hill to take you live to the senate intelligence