all of these immigrants -- i am a union worker in new york city. all of these immigrants are taking our jobs. the whole city is nonunion. >> the houses coming in momentarily for their morning hours speeches on washington journal. that will do it for the program. we are back at 7:00. we hope you are as well. meanwhile, enjoy the day. they are coming in momentarily.

the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. march 8, 2023. i hereby appoint the honorable marjorie taylor greene to act as spspeaker pro tempore on this d. signed, kevin mccarthy, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 9, 2023, 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 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 gentleman from kansas, mr. mann, for five minutes. mr. mann: madam speaker, i rise to honor the life and legacy of a great kansan, jack, who died at the age of 94 last month, as well as his late wife, donna. jack is was born in salina where he was raised on agriculture and values of faithers hard work, freedom, integrity, and personal responsibility. these are the values that make

our state so special and jack embodied them. he was an assuming and humble servant with a long list of accomplishments. he didn't make his life about himself, he made it about others. jack had a larger than life personality. he didn't want the spotlight. he wanted to make a difference in his community, his alma mater, k-state, and lives of the people around him. jack was a hero of kansas agriculture. he painstakingly operated the k-state ranch in kansas, one of the largest producer of hereford cattle in the united states. national cattle beach association, and archer daniels midland. he was a visionary or kansas state university. most importantly alongside his late wife, he raised his family on faith. his wife, donna, who passed away on may 3, 2020 was larger in life in her own right. she was a hardworking philanthropist that put her

family first. she was a proud k-state supporter who built deep long lasting relationships with athletic directors and students alike. they were servant leaders through and through and they were recognized together as a couple as the kansan humanitarians of the year in 2018. what a legacy this great couple leaves behind for their children and grandchildren to emulate and remember them by and what a blessing for jack to join his life donna to rest with their lord. to mary, marty, john, and their children, and all of jack and donna's family blessed by the love of this great couple, my thoughts and prayers are with you all. madam speaker, i rise today to whooner the life and legacy after great kansan, mark fowler, and mourn his untiming passing at the age of 52 on february 20. he grew up on his family's farm in emporia, kansas. completed a master's degree in

agricultural economics. he began as a flour miller. in those roles he ran flour mills worked on projects in several developing countries. and worked as a technical director of the african division and sea boards overseas group in south after kavment he was the president and c.e.o. of farmer and direct foods, a flour milling company in kansas after which he moved into his role at u.s. wheat where he originally served as vice president of overseas operation. he was said he wanted to advance the u.s. wheat export market development mission because through his work overseas he experienced the global impact of wheat milling. his service helped hungry people all over the world. to his colleagues and friends, his widow, his daughters, his mother, and his sisters you are in my thoughts and prayers as you mourn mark's passing. madam speaker, i rise today to honor the life and legacy after great kansan, andrew, who passed

away on february 12 at his home in burton, kansas, surrounded by his loving family. he was born in 1915 in hutchison kansas after studying at kansas state university. he and his wife started their registered an gus operation which -- angus operation which later back the murray ranch. he and his family built a legacy all their own while carrying on the tradition of their ancestors. he spent a lifetime of pounding posts by hand. chuck wagon bookouts, live -- cookouts, livestock teams. he built a place to raise his family and cattle by the sweat of his brow. his gift was the ability to meet people of all walks of life and getting to know them. his network of friends was nationwide. he pursued another career as pharmacist. he attended the university of kansas school of pharmacy, graduated in 1990, after which

he worked in the kansas area for 30 years retiring on his 70th birthday in 20206789 because of his career changing experience, he was able to come alongside people and find direction in their lives. he encouraged so many. to his wife, his son, his daughter, and all his grandchildren who have many prayers as you gather together to remember his loving impact. his legacy lives on in so many ways, especially in the cattle his family still produces. i know the first bull sale without andy will be tough, but what a way to honor his legacy by continuing on the tradition he loved so much. i'll pray for you tomorrow during the sale your family would have peace, andy would be honored, and the bulls would set new records. with that, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. underwood, for five minutes. miss underwood: -- ms. underwood: last month bribe announced a vision to advance

progress on his unity agreppedda on the year ahead. i encouraged by the focus on reducing veteran suicide which has been one of my highest priorities since coming to congress. i'm encouraged by the focus on expanding outreach to justice and involved veterans. in recent years, we have seen some signs of progress on this issue. from 2018 to 2020 age and sex adjusted veteran suicide rates fell by nearly 10%. however, with nearly 17 veterans still dying by suicide every day, a rate that is more than 50% higher than suicides among none veteran adults, we know we have much more work to do to save lives. part of the administration's agebda -- agenda is an important focus on increasing lethal means safety which is an intentional voluntary practice to reduce suicide risk by limiting access by those in crisis to lethal

means by medications, firearms, and sharp instruments that can be used to inflict self-directed violence. the data on lite at means safety is clear. people who reduce their access to lethal means during times of lightened risk are reducing their risk of dying by suicide. given the robust evidence on the effectiveness of lethal means safety in preventing suicide, the trump administration implemented a requirement for every commission at the veterans health administration to complete a lethal means safety training so that they would be prepared to have conversations with the veterans they care for about this lifesaving practice. thanks to this requirement, nearly 100% of veterans health administration clinicians have completed the training. however, the training remains optional for all other v.a. staff, including at the veterans health administration, veterans benefits administration, vet centers, and vocational rehabilitation facilities this lack of a mandate has

consequences. without a requirement to do so, a mere fraction of 1% of v.a.'s nonclinical employees have completed the department's lethal means training. what this means is that every day we have veterans who could be in crisis interacting with v.a. employees who might be able to identify risk factors and have lifesaving conversations, but these v.a. staff are not trained to do so. we could be losing our veterans because of it. that is unacceptable. and that's why i introduced the lethal means safety training act which would make the defendant's evidence-based train ago requirement for all v.a. staff who regularly interact with veterans and their work, as well as community providers and family caregivers. i'll continue my work to get this passed in congress, but no legislation is needed to expand v.a.'s existing training requirement to other v.a. employees. unfortunately, the administration's announcement last month did not include any plans for the secretary of veterans affairs to use his

existing authority to expand the department's lethal means safety training requirement. the secretary of veterans affairs already has the authority to take this lifesaving action today and i once again call on him to do so immediately. every day that v.a. does not take the simple step as another day that we are leaving valuable tools in our toolbox unused. it's another day that we will lose nearly 17 veterans to suicide. not every single death can be prevented with an expanded lethal means safety training requirement, but at no cost to the department and with no need for additional legislation, there is no reason to further delay on implementing this policy. the secretary has an opportunity to help save the lives of our veterans with the stroke of his pen. i urge him to do so immediately. by expanding the department's lethal means safety training requirement to all staff who regularly interact with veterans and their work. this step would build on the meaningful actions the secretary is already taken and steps

announced by the president last month. 245thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. collins, for five minutes. mr. collins: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to demand accountability. pete buttigieg has shown he is unfit to lead the department of transportation and must resign immediately. from his first day in office he has been more focused on diversity training and identity politics and on building and maintaining america's transportation system. he's abandoned his department's mission of improving safety, technology, and efficiency of our infrastructure in favor of promoting diversity, equity, and inquleution initiatives -- ingleution initiatives. case in point, the train

derailment in east palestine, ohio. he took 10 days to acknowledge the incident and three weeks to show up and support the community. as ohioans fled their homes and worried about their health, the secretary of transportation was on tv whining about too many white people in construction industries. his policies have continuously put the wokes before the folks. we are again seeing the consequences. after seeing another norfolk southern train derailed this weekend, i was reminded of the fact that the company wrote to shareholders stating it is focused on d.e.i. this administration's focus on d.e.i. is forcing private companies to rethink their goals and one has to wonder, was norfolk southern's d.e.i. policies directing resource ass way from the important things like greasing wheel bearings. this insanity must stop. speaking of insanity, it looks like secretary pete buttigieg is spend ago lot of taxpayer money

flying on private jets. he doesn't want the american people to know where he's going or why. i don't know about you, but i have seem to recall a recent health and human services secretary being forced to resign over the same exact thing. why is the d.o.t. refusing to tell the american people how much secretary beauty jij -- buttigieg 23 flights on private jets has cost them? maybe the secretary should come to capitol hill and answer these questions for himself t would be a cheap trip and it wouldn't require airfare. either way it's time for him to resign. that will allow him time to promote wokeness and take private jets on his own dime in his own time. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. kelly, for five minutes. ms. kelly: i rise today to celebrate the women of the divine nine. the historically black so

roarities of the national council. in honor of international women's day i'm proud to honor the organizations that have produced some of our nation's best and brightest leaders. for over 100 years these organization vs. fostered an empowered generations of black women to become leaders in government, business, academia, and so much more. i'm not exaggerating when i say these historically black so roarities have shaped history. i want to salud each one. alpha kappaal if a, their colors are salmon pink and apple green. founded in 1908 at howard university. their mission service to all mankind. theircies verhood proudly boasts vice president kamala harris, also my colleagues, congress women sheila jackson lee, terri sewell, frederica wilson, alma ad dams, and bonnie watson coleman, lauren underwood, amelia psyches, and lisa blunt rochester. i want to salute former congresswoman eddie bernice

johnson. also members of their membership, civil rights leader rosa parks and coretta scott king and their honorable president, da net reed. we have delta sigma founded in 1913 at howard university. delta's motto is intelligence is the torch of wisdom. delta counts as sisters, my esteemed colleagues, yvette clarke, joyce beatty, stacey plaskett, lucy mcbath, jasmine crockett, valley and our newest member jennifer. and i want to thank val demings and our h.u.d. secretary marcia fudge. shirley chisholm was the first african-american woman to be elected. the honorable president is elsie cook holmes. next we have zeta phi beta. colors are blue and white. zeta's founding principles are scholarship, service, sisterhood

and womanhood. and sidney kamlager dove is a member as well as donna edwards and julia carson and they have members anita hill. and their honorable president is stacy grant. last but not least, my sew rote, sigma gamma rho. we were founded in 1922 at butler university, just celebrating our 100th year. my sister and sigma is barbara lee as well as the late congresswoman boggs and karine brown. and the first african-american winner of the academy award, hady mcdaniel, and first african-american journalist to cover the white house, alice donegan. and rasheeda liberty. the women had driven progress everything from woman's suffrage

to civil rights. these organizations were instrumental to the end of the brutal regime of jim crow. alumni have advancements in medicine, entertainment and more. black sororities have contributed to the advancements of black women in history and changed history for the better. the work is far from done. leadership is needed now more than ever. in just the first months of 2023, our country continues to see efforts to turn back the clock on fundamental civil rights. black people are still not safe in their communities. black people have less say in their government and voting rights are being chipped away. and i have so much hope in the new generation of leaders that begin their journey as college students with alpha kappa alpha, alpha phi alpha, zeta phi beta.

the road ahead is long but i am confident that justice and equality will only grow because of the continued strength of women of the divine nine along with our five historically black fraternities. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from nevada, mrs. lee, for five minutes. mrs. lee: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to shed light on a critical dilemma in the fight to address the worst drought facing the american west in 12 centuries. right now water managers are doing everything they can to address and respond to the ongoing western water crisis. but at the same time, they cannot always readily access the

critical data they need to measure water loss, respond effectively, and keep more water in lake meade for nevadans. i've said it before and i'll say it again -- we can't manage what we cannot measure. nevada's plentiful sunshine is one of our state's greatest assets. it makes our state a top destination for outdoor recreation. the solar center of our transition to clean energy. but it's also a key driver in evapo throughout nevada and across the western part of the country. the situation at lake meade and across the west remains dire. we need to take action now. the future of our water supplies depends on us. getting information into the hands into people who are tackling it on the ground every day. that's why i'm introducing the

bipartisan, bicameral act to formally establish to fill the biggest data gap in water management by making critical e.t. data more accessible. it will allow everyone, from water managers and experts like scientists, academics, and advocacy organizations, to farmers and ranchers, to lite literally anyone with internet access, it's that accessible. there's no time to waste in protecting our most precious resource, and it's time to start better measuring, managing, and planning to protect nevada's future. i rise today on international women's day as a woman in congress who's served not one, not two, but three terms in this house, where every single time we have shattered the record for the largest number of women

serving in this body. a woman's place is in this house, and i am honored to serve alongside such strong trailblazers who are setting the stage for the next generation of girls who will undoubtedly continue to shatter this glass ceiling. but we're not there yet. while women make up the largest voting block in the united states of america, we are still a minority here in the people's house. and that's why i tell every little girl i meet crisscrossing southern nevada to dream big and run for something. just over 100 years ago, we didn't have the right to vote in this country, and that's why so many of the laws and flaws of our systems are stacked against us. whether that's equal pay for equal work, affordable childcare, adequate health care coverage for mothers, and equitable access for women of color who continue to face

dis disproportionately high -- dispro disproportionately high birth mortality rates. the supreme court obliterated our rights less than a year ago and overturning 50 years of roe. 50 years of a woman's right tos choo. in states -- to choose. in states across this country, the right to an abortion is under attack. even in cases of rape, incest, and the health of a mother. and in this house, there are extreme proposals set -- that set us all back with a national ban on national abortion. but we will not go back and we will not be intimidated. i am proud to be from the battle-born state, home of the -- of a majority woman delegation in congress, home of a majority woman in the state supreme court, and home of the first woman majority state

legislature. that is worth celebrating today. that is the model for this house, by, for, and of the people. and this is what i hope will inspire that next generation of girls to run, win, and lead our country forward. and with that i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from oregon, ms. hoyle, for five minutes. ms. hoyle: madam speaker, i ask for unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. hoyle: thank you. in my district, the average per capita income is $32,000 a year. that's six counties from lincoln county down the coast of oregon

to curry county and the california border. over 160,000 seniors in my district rely on social security for retirement. my scleegs across the -- my colleagues across the aisle is approaching social security as it's an unearned handout and this is beyond offensive. this is not what it was meant to do. this is not what it was meant to be. people paid into this system for their whole lives. that's the promise of our social security program. right now we only tax income up to $160,000 a year to fund social security. millionaires and billionaires who get their income from investments instead of earning a paycheck through hard work are not paying their fair share into social security at all. and we must change that system. by finally requiring that the wealthiest americans pay into

social security at the same rate as nurses and firefighters across the country, we can expand benefits, not cut them. my bill, the social security expansion act, which i introduced with jan schakowsky and senator bernie sanders, would allow us to increase the social security benefits for everyone by $200 a month and help account for the inflation that has impacted many seniors in my district and across this country. this bill would also extend the solvency of this critical program for the next 75 years. i'm not in congress to protect billionaires. i'm here to make sure those people who have paid into the system for their whole lives, who worked so hard, including our fishermen, electricians, school teachers can retire with dignity. and we can welcome a new generation of the workforce as they retire. it's our responsibility to make sure that social security can be successful into the future, and i'm proud to have a bill that

helps protect that. i yield back the balance of my time. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: madam chair, i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i rise today to celebrate the international day of women and to recognize that there are many faiths in this nation. but in some of our faith, the book of proverbs talks about the virtuous woman. i'd like to emphasize that theme in its broadness. the virtueness of women across the land and around the world. to be able to acknowledge the very unique and specific duties and responsibilities and

vulnerabilities that women have and to celebrate them in every aspect of life. today in america as women get up and work in blue-collar jobs, hourly wages, from waitresses to bus drivers, to working in the building trades, to being on jobs that barely make ends meet, others tough but giving them a better way of life, they have never refused their assignment. they are the caretakers. they're the loving moms that little ones grab their legs and look to them for hope and survival. i pay tribute to those women, the everyday women, ordinary women doing extraordinary things. thank you to america's women. and then i take to this podium to honor those women in conflict. the women protecting their children in ukraine, fighting in the battles in uniform in the

ukrainian military. i honor those women who fell in battle. i honor those women who fell under the vicious bombing and brutality of russia's despot vladimir putin in this horrible war with ukraine. i honor the women in sudan. i honor the women from pakistan to india. i honor the women in syria and turkey in the midst of this horrible earthquake. i honor -- türkiye in the midst of horrible earthquake. i honor the migrant women who are struggling to give their family a better day. and it is important to recognize i honor the civil rights fighters. this weekend, we spent the time honoring bloody sunday that our late colleague, john lewis, reminded us of, the moment of fighting for voting rights. but we know that sister boigton,

coretta scott king, so -- boyington, coretta scott king, so many that fought in the civil rights movement nonviolently and are no longer here with us by loss of life, natural causes, but others who were simply murdered because they believed in civil rights. and i'm here to honor those in my own community. it is important to take note, wi willie belle boone, etta crockett, who is fighting for her life but has been an enormous strength in our community, believing in not only in civil rights but the process of voting and empowerment. i want to honor my grandmother, olive jackson. my grandmother, vannie bennett. my big grandmother, mrs. symms. i want to call -- big mother, of course, my mother, my aunt, valerie bennett, and my other

aunt, cybil. these molded and told us that all things are possible, and so it is important today as we honor the international women suffering, fighting, still, for their freedom and nair dignity -- their dignity, that we honor those who have fallen by way of age or disaster, we honor those in my own community in houston. i honor my former woman mayors, kathy whitmeyer, and anise parker, in houston, texas, and recognize that women are still striving. and on this day i want to make a pronouncement that i want to take a hammer to the scourge of domestic violence and brutality against women with guns and brutality, and i want to stop the scourge of human trafficking where young girls and women are the largest victims. . when we talk about international women's day that has come with

action and iron fist that is strong and n nonviolent. but with a commitment we will stand for things that will draw us to make lives bet forethese women who are there every single day. i want to make sure i pay tribute to those who molded me outside of my home. thank you to the teachers of america. some going unapplauded. some going unappreciated. some going uncompensated. thank you to america's teachers. i could not be where i was or am today without public school education and who was in it was our teachers. madam speaker, let me just say to you -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: international women's day is a day of honor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares