into your country, this is a capitalistic country why can't we charge people money to come into the ahead of people waiting in line to come legally? they are willing to pay. the money they paid to are making between five and $10,000 per head. host: the house lights are on it we will bring you up to capitol hill. our coverage gavel-to-gavel begins down the house of the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the the speaker's rooms,

washington, d.c. march 21, 2024. i hereby appoint the honorable mary e. miller to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, mike johnson, speaker of the use of the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 9, 2024, the chair will now from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recoition 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 arkansas, mr. westerman, for five minutes. mr. westerman: thank you, madam

speaker. i rise tote a significant milestone. the 50th anniversary of western energy alliance. oil and natu and reliable sourcs of energy that drive progress, power industries, and fuel innovation. the alliance is a leader among the oil and gasdk■%ons in understanding the complex federal regulations surrounding production and development in the united states. they have been a strong voice for small and mid-sized companies in navigating washington, d.c., and pulling together allies across the country. it■÷s responsible and innovative policies and importantly they have a demonstrated commitment to the environment. as a heat their homes and power their vehicles. the alliance has been a katjalies for job creation, economic catalyst for job creation and economic growth across the country.

congratulations on 350 years of excellence. here's to many morers progress and partnership. madam speaker, i often say i am blessed to have incredible staff who always exceed expectati■e

godspeed in the race, i know you will all make■y madam arkansas tech university in russellville, arkansas, is not only the alma mater of two of our distinguished colleagues, representative steve womack and kevin hern, but i rise today to recognize the arkansas tech unersi team's outstanding performance at their tournament last month that earned them the distinction as the number one collegiate robotics team in the united states. i'm confident wit talent they he already proven to possess, that they will continue to represent a.t.u. and arkansas' fourth congressional district with distinction on the global stage at the upcoming world championship in texas next month. as admire the dedication and exemplary

skills necessary for those students to attain such accolades their university, and i know the brothership they are gaining through this journey has been all more valuable. again, i congratulate the a.t. robotics team for their incredible achievements thus far and wish each of the team members continued success in all may each of you continue to push the boundaries of innovation and uphold the legacy of excellence that defines arkansas tech university. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia -- maryland, mr. hoyer, for five minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the madam speaker, we have less than 25 hours adjourn for two weeks. we'll go home, see our families,

we'll see our constituents, and nobody on the frontline of ukraine will be going home in 25 hours. that was a privilege that our ukrainian and israeli allies do not hld say those who are at risk in gaza do not have. if the speakere should move forward, that we need to secure the aid that ukraine so despete needs, why hesitate? why put this off? won't in his o conquer ukraine. hamas won't in its mission to destroy israel. we cannot affordel in our defense of freedom and democracy.

mr. speaker, is ticking. may it sound in our ears as loudly as the russian salvoshesn ukraine. and the missiles that slam against iron dome in israel. yen the helpless. madam speaker, the tens o of ukn and abducted by russia don't get to adjourn their neither do the 134 hostages held in captivity in gaza. nor do those who are■[ when russian troops encircled the city of adrikviyk last h, the ukrainian defenders didn't get to pack up and head home for two weeks. no, the city fell so quickly

that hundreds of ukrainian soldiers were trappebe order to withdraw. why? one soldier who may it out explained, quote, itck of ammun. there are 435 of us that sit in this body send that ammunition today or at the latest tomorrow. yet we fail to act. this is not a partisan issue. this is an american issue. the world relies its leader. to bring stability where stability can be accomplished. to bring is achievable. mr. speaker, let us act. let together in that over

300 votes with respectukraine as with respect to israel. that is the american majority that rerepresent. not republicans andemocrats -- that we represent. not republicans and democrats, but america that is willing to stand not only for its own freedom, but for the freedom of others around i was at the elton john concert last night. it was a wonderful concert by a. and he stood and he said to us at the end of that concert, he said, you know, a teen ager, iny 20's, all of my heroes we he was talking about the throughout the world, andic particularly to his home country of england. but america has been the heroes

in coming to europe and other places in the world whose freedom was at risk. and friends, we remain silent in the sense ofl that way 70 members of the united states senate. democrats, all americans, saying we are here. we are coming. and we will stay steadfast. to defend you, your people, and your freedom against the. who would undermine freedom's holy light. we we have a responsibility that no

other nas. it is to be that city on the hill. to be that beacon. to be that torch of and to be that country that will respond in a timely fashion to defend freedom here a the world. let us act before we leave this town. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from arizona, mrs. lesko, for five minutes. mrs. lesko: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to recognize an accomplished woman whose public service to arizona has left a lasting impact on thos. beverley pingerelie began her

career at hen ford bachelors from wayne state university. from there she went on to work in the mecular medicine laboratory at st. joseph's hospital. eventually she moved on to public service where she was ec t1q unified school district governing board from 2015 to 2019. on the boarde chose to continue her public service in the arizona state legislature. arizona legislature district 28, beverley has put a prosperity, t success, and parental rights. she even sponsored legislation toxp parental oversight of public school library books and materials, and co-sponsored legislation to require voter

i.d. and prohibit human smuggling. beverley is truly a force to be reckoned with in the legislature and arizona is lucky to have her representation. thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to who has led ourh strength and helped create one of the most prosperous economies in arizona arizona treasurer kimberly lee yi. kimberly lee was born and raised in arizona and was thest chinese american republican woman to be elected to a major statewide office in the history of the united states. is the first asian american elected to a statewide office in arizona history.

we began her career in public service in 2010 when she was elected to the arizona legislature where she served for eight years between the house and the senate. she was the second woman to serve as senate majority leader since u.s. supreme court o'connn the arizona in that same position. during her time as treasurerrer ofrizona, the permanent land endowment trust fund hit record highs. she also led the effort to pass a state law requiring financial education for high school students prior to education -- graduation. her service to arizona has raised financial literacy rates, improved arizona's economy, and women and girls across the state that anything is possible.

madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. krishnamoorthi, for five minutes. mr. krishnamoorthi: madam speaker, congress needs to fully fund the american connectivity program, also known as a.c.p.. this landmark initiative helps all americans afford home internet access that is essential today to achieve work or education success. in my district, nancy menendez said that the united palatine coalition's beginning computer class relied on the ever home h internet access. more broadly, cook county estimates that more than 250,000

households in county have been helped by the law. i want to congratulate and thank tony and cook county for the successful implementation of the a.c. -- a.c.p.. but if the house doesn't act, those families will lose their home internet access. let's pass the a. krmpt p. -- a.c.p. re-authorization act nowd across the country, america is in the midst of a child care crisis. today parents facd care optionse options available to them are increasingly unaffordable. in addition, child care workers face low wages and a■( lack o■+f benefits that leave them unable to meet their own basic needs. in illinois, nearly 60% ofs livt

enough child care providers. parents and workers are shouldering the cost of care through massive enrollment fees, we workers and a steep decline in the number of licensed child care providers. this untenable and unacceptable. sciu health care is fighting to create living wages and now turn in washington to meet the challenge. we must support the needs of parents and care funding presidt biden's requests to stabilize child care resources now.k madam speaker, partisan gamesmanship over the southern border is causing this house to neglect the needs of thousands

of families for whom hunger and homelessness await. catholic charities now serve fio six times as many people as -- at their pantries compared to 2020. these increases by other food b, religious organizations and not-for-profits nationwide. bridge the gap created by our inaction in washington. the blame game will not feed the we can and must do better now. thank you and i yield recognizen from georgia, mr. carter, for five minutes. mr. carter: madam speaker, i rise today to honor the life of the honorable virgil marcus

peacefully at the age of 60. mr. jones graduated from the brad well institute in liberty county where he played varsity basketll attended morris brown college, as well as georgia state university. taxerved his community as the commissioner's office as a clerk, before becoming the first african-american male to become liberty county's tax commissioner in 200 a leader at. james a.m.e. church where he served as trustee, the finance steward, the youth advisor and member of the gospel choir and male choir. georgia resolutioning h.r. 1302 was adopted to honor virgil's memory as one of georgia's most dist citizens. virgil joness sr. will be remembered by all the lives that he mr. speaker, i rise today to war ii veteranolences to herb

who passed away at the age of 98. born in kirkland, ohio, herb enlisted in the u.s. army to fight in wod ii, proudly serving our country and earning three bronze stars. herb used his skills and expertise he gained while fighting in the pacific theater to cree campbell's erosion control, which dutifully served the people of the first congressional district. herb washio operating engineers, the veterans of foreign wars and christchurch. herb was a father to his 13 children and a grandfather toend great-grandchildren. among many hobbies, he liked to garden, dance and above all, spend time with hisamily. will s the prime example of what it means to serve and put others before yourself. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize fred harpole his hard work and leadership as he

retires from his position as the assistant director for fretsy core -- fretsy core -- fletse core training■) director. harpole is responsible for providing oversight of the firearms division, driver and marine division, enforcement operations division and physical techniques division. additionally, he manages oversight of the new mexico training delivery point.e a meme team in march of 2020 as the deputy assistant director for c.t.o.. shortly after, he was promoted e director. prior to his service, harpole served in multiple operations and training positions for both t.s.a. and federal air marshal service. his background, skills and firsthand insight have made him a valuable source for infoation for public officials. mr. harpole, who began his law enforcement career in 1987 with the milwaukee police department, wille his dedication to

public service and the protection of the american people. madam speaker, i rise today in remembrance of bob coble, a local is a vannian -- sav -- savannah man. born in north carolina, he lived most of his life in long and liberty counties. he served industries and accumulated multiple skills throughout his adult life. before retiring as an electrical engineer, coble was a bailiff for the long county probate and superior courts. he also demonstrated his devotion to his country by serving the u.s. army during which he fought in vietnam. in addition to his other roles, coble served the younger citizens of georgia's first district as he repeatedly served as a helper for santa claus fesg with supporting youth development at the mesonic children's home. hiievement and works of

service for the community and the nation have left a lasting mark that will be remembered far into the future. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, ms. houlahan, for five minutes. ms. houlahan: speaker. i'm really proud to say that in large part, thanks to the leadership of president joe den, that when the u.s. has been called upon to help our allies, we have answered that call. when i was standing with president zelenskyy years ago, we warned attack that was coming his way. we shared intelligence with him, frankly intelligence that he didn't believe. we shared that intelligeeit wel. and we clearly demonstrated the clear and present threat that was coming his way. when ukraine then called us for help in the immediate the russi-

illegal attack on ukraine, we, the united states, answered. when the ukrainian people held off putin's advance and called again for additional resources to sustain their defenses, we, the united states, again answered.ary offensive took back the black sea and asked again for more advanced weaponry for their battle-tested troops, answered. yet now, when the russian military is retreating in some regions, and on the brink of doing so in many morere well, we are not answering ukraine's repeated attempts and calls for help again. when ukraine is now■6 literally running out of bullets, we are not answering their call for help. which is why my pride in our leadership and in the united states has become overcome wh anger, because yet again this chamber is about to recess without having provided aid to yest■y in the house armed services committee, i heard one

of my republican colleagues say not once, not twice, but three times that putin is indeed a war criminal. and i'm here. as we see the attacks from war criminal putin on the democracy of ukraine, we are so concerned by war criminal putin and their allies of iran and china. this question w assessment of china and iran helping war criminal putin? i agree with that member. putin is a war criminal, which is exactly why we must b aid to. the inaction of congress and specifically this house, this body, and specifically speaker of the house, mr. johnson,uttine united states and the world in peril. poland and now ukraine. he was born in 1942. his father, my grandfather, was murdered during the holocaust, along with nearly every member ofis we know what happens when the

united states does not lead, but rather turns a blind eye and turns inward.s bare and hollowed out and is a stark reminder of what happens when we allow tyrants to invade other nations and to wage merciless and illeg wars. my family is not alone. millions of lives were lost because of the united states' reticence to engage in 1939. i'd also like to remind my colleagues that this is not a handout. first, many of these munitions are developed by americans, supporting u.s. businesses. and secon giving ukraine our aging weaponry and purchasing new and advanced technologies for our troops. and finally, we are supporting r american way of life without a single loss of americans. not a single american service member has been deployed to ukraine. but there areme in nearby nato s who will be in harm's way should putin continue his illegal and expressed desire nato on the warpath.

americans should not need a history lesson about what happens to our way of life when europe fails -- falls to the chaos of war.arly some of my colleagues do. so what on earth are we doing here? we are called to d.c. for vote after vote on bill after b stang in the senate. when we should be using this valuable time doing our job and passing ukraine aid. if ukraine aid were brought up today for a vote, it wouldhe ho, supported by scores and scores of republicans and democrats alike. the ones -- like the ones who have called p it actually also has already passed the senate and president biden would sign it into law tomorrow. i love this country. served thin uniform. it is the greatest h honor of my lifetime to serve my community dgress and it is because of this love, the same country that took my father and grandmother as holocaust refugees that i stand here today and express my deep and profound anger in which

speaker johnson is withholding our vote on ukraine. the deja vu of giving these remarks is l nauseating. .it is 1939 again and it is not an exaggeration, this is not about our standing as a lasting peace as a world order. in 24 hours this house will adjourn again and if the democrats held the gavel,ll say. if democrats held the gavel, ukraine would have the support they needed. i do not want to be right. i really don't want ukraine to e on ukraine and defeat putin. with that i yield back and demand a vote. the speaker pro temp expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa, for five minutes.■ mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. many americans a why are food prices so high?

what causes this? why even on occasions in the land of see food shortages of certain types on our shelves?b+ well,t really boils down to several factors. energy independence is one of them. food security and energy independence go hand in hand. it's certainly time for president biden and his administration to take action to renew our economicitality. instead of supporting our farmers and ensuring a stable food supply, it appears agriculture and industry itself have been turned intoo fend for themselves in a really hostile regulatory environment. as we navigate these challenges facing our ag sector, recognize the far-reaching implications of the biden administration's anti-american energy policy. evg convert to electric vehicles,

whether it's our cars orpikups, tractors, tck appliances at home is, going to be indeed very costly and probably not even possible with the energy grid we currently have. especially with the anti-energy■ policies. you really play heck trying to get a new power plant cited, even a nuclear power pla they're tearing down hydroelectric dams in my district right now. which is clean, reliable co-2-free power. so if that's not e at is on ther side of the scale for farmers trying to provide food, they don't allocate the water, especially in my home state, that is due them to their water rights. we had almost record rain and pretty good this year, yet's there's areas of the san joaquin valley that are only going to receive 15% of their normal allocatedat .. ..

i remind you my home state of california grows all these crops here, somewhere between 100% or a little less. the u.s. relies on. otherwise these would berops. so many of them come from my home state of california. yet we can't get the water supply, even though we could store it. we are ocean through the delta for no good reason. army corps of engineers used wap in the reservoirs up to the point where they stop their conservation mode for flood control. i get it. flood control is"wewpm needed. we have 500,000 acre-feet of space still left in orville. 600,000 acre-feet of state in lake shasta. it's not coming up fast enough to meet an april 1 mark or get full by may or june. what does that mean? several hundred,000 acre-feet of

water left on the table that won't grow crops. and people wonder why their food is expensive. energy policy driving up the cost of diesel. it doubled fuel for me in my farm and everybody else a couple years of fertilizer for farmers across the country. all because of bad energy policy. when you when you shut down exploration. when you shut down the ability to make our even energy, this country and have to rely on importing it from a lot ofes adversarial countries, what do you expect will happen to the cost of everything since everything is so energy dependent, energy based in our economy? if we are going to grow this food in california or our own country, we are going to have a much moreecure situation with our food supply and stability across the board. as we know food security is national security. americans feel the cost of high energy. high food costs.

high just about everything. a lot has happened in the last three years. we have had avious administration. covid was weaponized to try and shut down a lot of our country, a lot make people stay home. indeed, that had an effect, we are still feeling, even our kids an overbearing covid policyse that also added trillions to our national dt.ng to do? we are going to have an energy policy that makes sense or rely on china for imported food, imported other products, and middle east for imported oil? i personally think we'll get better product growing these crops in california or elsewhere in the united states than by relying upon others to send it to us. because when the chips are down, america's always there for other people, but they aren't necessarily going to b there for us if we have our own crisis. we are the last beacon, many

times, in the world. so we have our leaders accountable for an energy policy and putting our food policy up-front. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lamalfa: we need to pass a . i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan, ms. tla, for five minutes. ms. tlaib: i love recognizing our community mothers in detroit. amy good, founded alternative for girls, a recognized organization serving at-risk youth women in southeast michigan. for the past 37 yrsy has led alternative for girls with integrity and commitment to organization's mission to ensure a better quality of life women who have survived homelessness, violence, and trauma. with their support, many young girls can to succeed in school, graduate, and become leaders in our communities by

providing shelter, housing, mentorship programs, skills much more. with amy's partnership, i am so proud to announce our office was able to secure $1.1 million for the alternative for girls to construct the dr. maya angelo village tha create many units for permanent housing for at-risk families join me in thanking amy for outstanding service to ourhigan as we wish her well in her next endeavor. congress passed legislation to celebrate the the civil rights movement and a beloved rest can't of our community -- rest can't of our comm our community -- resident of our community. it was a privilege to lead this effort in the house to rename our federal building in downtown at 985 the rosa parks federal building. we honor mother rosa parks today

and every day for herice. the montgomery bus boycott showed the world the power of nonviolent resistance and collective action. her strength resat across our nn inspiring a wave of protest, boycotts, and marches. her protest challenged the pavey for the civil rights act in 1964 to outlaw racial segregation in our nation. as we reflect on her legacy, let us not only remem her incredible courage but recognize the work that still lies before us. let us honor her memory by continue to challengeuality. by speaking out against injustice. and standing up for what is right even in the face of adversity. palestinians are now displaced in rafa, without food, clean water, or medicine. more thannm 13,000 children have already been filled by the israeli government. another child is killed in gaza

every 15 minutes. many have witnessed family membersir eyes. they have witnessed their loved ones buried under the rubble while they were holding each other. the trauma has led to children , saying they would prefer to die. and as if the threat from the bullets and bombs wasn't enough, palestinians are now■■■ of starvation across gaza. at least 27 children and three adults have already starved to death. theyave been forced to eat grass an animal feed just to survive. let's be clear, this isn't a tragic accident. we are witneinwe are witnessing, across the world is the israeli government using starvation as a weapon of war. the starvation is aesult of the total seize on gaza and the local food production and obstruction of aid convoys. pale killed after israeli government forces opened fire on hundredsi.

the israeli government has been intentionally starving the palestinian people, families. these are some of the most horrific crimes against humanity committed in our -- in this century. to target starving people seeking food is beyond belief. now my colleagues are pushing legislation to send more american tax dollars to the apartheid government of israel. and funding unrwa, the major organization that provides desperately needed food and humanitarian assistance to starvi members here, all of you, are now going to be contributing to the starvation of palestinian families. this is boy, only 10 when, he died due to severe malnutrition and lack of proper health care caused by the blockade in gaza. sy originally from the north was displaced several times and wanted to make it to rafah in hopes of finding food

and medicine for him who needed it to survive. there was nothing the c this has to stop. what has happened to our shared humanity? palestinians deserve to live. palestinian children aren't disposable. they deserve to grow old. netanyahu has said he will move forward with an invasion with or without temporary cease-fir he said it. let's be clear. a temporary cease-fire is not enough. there is nothing humanitarian abouing children for six weeks before the bombing and killing resumes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. tlaib: is sears friday is what we need. aasting permanent cease-fire. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. ciscomani, for five minutes. mr. ciscomani: mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the mariana softball team who made it to the lyle league junior softball world series quarterfinals.

this team is the only team from the little league baseball and softball to advance to a world series. it was not an easy road for the team during thegue tournament. they had to win five consecutive elimination games and their final over two hours. yet they still came home with the win. and during the junior league softball world series, the mirana softball team made it all the way to the quarterfinals. the team is coached by sam mills. coach chris beck. the 12 extraordinary players are addison, addison lee, adelaide, aubrey gray. bela. bela sawyer.#7 candice beck, ema winter, kylea laden, melia

mills, and mariah. these young girls havbrhthem. i am excited to see what future holds for all of them. way to represent mirana and arizona in the world series. congratulations. mr.ak i rise today to congratulate misty, the women's basketball coach at coach's college who recently achieved her 300 career win. misty has over two decades of collegiate coaching experience and is in fourth year at cochise college. last week under her coaching, the women'sclinched their seat a national tour. she recently said she would rather impact 300 lives than get 300 wins.s safe to say that she has done both. congratulations, misty, and the apachesco women's

basketball team. you have may cochise county and southern arizona very, very proud. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate kim farr, a teacher of mica mountain high school and an arizona 2023-2024 high school teacher of the year. kim fr throughout her career, she has taught science classes at all levels from biology to a.p. rese classroom, you can find her coaching swimming and traveling the world with students in costa rica, ecuadord parise. con-- belize. congratulations to alt nominees from ser. mark from mariana high school. jordan castle from c.d.o. high school. abigail from mountain view high

school. bridge tiffany newton from andrada. christina marks from seneca high school. sean smith in amfy high school. and michelle from empire high school. i am grateful for all te teachers and everything they do. i am proud to represent you all in congress and thank you for the work that you do for o next■b generation. mr. speaker, with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the virgin islands, ms. plaskett, for five minutes. ms. plaskett: thank you. the time for dawdling,rastinatis disputes has long expired. this body has become consumed such a manufactured divide that we have forgotten that this nation has and must continue tom

and democracy. our failure to fulfill this vital role and turn a blind eye to systemic around the world, particularly in the african continent and the caribbean region, isot only unethical, it's un-american. and it has legal ramifications not just for the people, onbility of those nations, but lethal ramifications for our own safety and national securit the african continent and caribbean region have long suffered from a legacy of slavery and colonialism. symptoms of which have led many of these be volatile and prone to political and economic instability. for haiti had to pay france for its freedom. after winning a revolution, theo

the french government for that freedom. for the lost revenues of slavery, if you can believe that. they have had to pay literally $28 literally. as my 14-year-old would say. literally.40 the nation's econot to debt services. the precarious state has positioned them to be pme targets for foreign influence, and now u.s. adversaries such as china and russia have been proliferating through continenta particularly in the caribbean basin. exploiting those vulnerabilities for profit and to expand strategi intes .. huawei has constructed roughly 70% of africa's infrastructure.

africa's information technology. and continues to make similar investments in the caribbean basin in its belt and road initiative. over 10 nations have signed agreements to open their borders up to chinese influence. ties and influence as well, primarily through mercenary groups such as the wagner group. between 2015 moscow signed 19 military collaboration agreements with african governments. exploiting the insf those nations, russia has established african reliance on military to secure access to exs such as cobalt, gold and uranium from the continent. furthermore, russi and china's involvement undermines the continent's democratic aspirations, driving conflict, spurring growi governments.

nyjer, 2023, mali, 2022, s guinea, 2022, 2023. all coups in the years displacing democratically elected governments with military giuntas.■r years the ws witnessed the republic of haiti face a crisis. the severity of the far surpass -- has far surpassed the usefulness of words. we're operating on borrowed time. ouroach to haiti is an affront to our values. following the president'sn, gand complete control, creating a humanitarian catastrophe. since february, 15,000 displaceo

the 362,000 already internally displaced in the country. e hunger crisis worsens as armed groups block food supply routes. the approval of the state departmentng request to support a kenya-led multinational security support mission to haiti is critical, as it will train and bolster the haitian national police, align with u.s. national security leadership.and showcase decisiva blocking $40 million in aid by g.o.p. leadership, despite the risk of a worsening humanitarian crisisnd potential migration surge, my colleagues, is unacceptable. without the release of those funds, our borders will be overrun and people will die. we must do better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman

a, mr. bacon, for five minutes. mr. bacon: thank you, mr. speaker. 36 years ago thieek, saddam hussein unleashed a nightmare upon the peaceful kurdish town. forever etching it into the annals of crimes against human tip of the the atrocity perpetrated against -- the atrocity perpetrated stands as a stark reminder of the depths ole of. the horrors afflicted by the people on that fateful day as they were mercilessly attacked with mustard gas and nerve agen 8n the instantaneous loss of thousands of innocent lives. yet the truex tent of the devastation -- true extent of th there. for many survivors, the aftermath of the chemical onslaught continues to plague them, manifesting and debilitating health conditions, staggering rates of cancer haunting birth defects. the scars run deep, both physically and emotionally. reverberating through the generations as a painful

testament to the brutality of war. but it was not an isolated incident. it was but o campaign. over the course of two years, more than 180,000 civilians perished. their village■s- razed to the gd and their life shattered beyond recognition. therice paid for silence iner of the face of evil. as we gather today 36 years later to commemorate the victims and the campaign, we must do more than mourn the loss. we must condemn unequivocally the genocide that was perpetrated against the kurds and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the sanctity of human life. let us pledge to never again allow such horrors to unfold unchecked, to stand as guardians ofce and justice in a world too often marred by violence and indifference. in honoring the memory of those who perished, let us also honor the resilience of the survivors

whose spirit remains unbroken, despite the unimaginable sufferings they've endured. may their courage inspire us to redouble o eff■6orts in the pursuit of a future where atrocities like those committed are but a distant memory. never to be repeated again. i also want to take a momenk our friendship and their partnership in the fight against isis, al qaeda in iraq and shi'a militias in iraq. i deployed four times and the kurds were our great allies. and i always will remain gref march 21, the kurdish new year. the rich cultural heritage, resilience and determination of the kurdish people continu i wish to congratulation the kurds around the world -- congratulate the kurds around the world, a happy new year, and may this new year bring you abundanted hope and countless opportunities for growth and success. happy newear. back the

remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. larson, for five minutes. mr. larson: tha ymr speaker. i rise this morning to draw attention to the nation'sr one anti-poverty program for the elderly and the nation's number one anti-poverty program for our children. it's something that everyone is familiar with. it's social security. and this congress and previous congresses have not done anything to enhance social security, mr. than 50 years. richard nixon was the president of the united states the time congress enhanced benefits for what now amount to 70

americans. speaker walberg, in your district alone 176,794 social security recipients haven't received an years. this is also the nation's leading economic your district,- $300 million comes into your district month. where do those d that money? right back in your district, at the local grocery store, pharmacy, at the gas station, to pay off their rent, etc. it's the nation's number reason- anti-poverty program for a reason. because of the genius of franklin delano roosevelt who cm

like ours there needs to be a safety net and balance, for more than 40%, 40% of all americans on social security, it's only pension benefit that they have. temporary speaker miller was in the chair before. 160,000 of her constituents. what congress needs to do is now, my good friend, conserven hern, says that you have a plan on the other side. it's to cut benefits. we see the president has laid out his■g proposal that he would like to cut social security benefits. cutting benefits is not the way to save social security. the president and democrats have a very specific plan. to enhancend extend the solvencf

social security so that all of e benefits they richly deserve. 10,000 baby a day become eligible for social security which not an entitlement. and with all the discussion about the debt and deficit, doesn't contribute a single penny to the debt or deficit, it is a paid-for program. pays half and gets a full tax deduction for it. and individuals pay the other half. know? all they have to do is go to their pay stub and look at the words fica. that stands for federal

insurance contribution wholes contribution -- contribution. whose contribution? theirs. speaker walberg, that's 176,794 people in your district who make these contributions. this is not anyz entitlement. this is benefits that they've earned. and the only body that can address this is the congress. it's long overdue for us to take this up on behalf of our constituents. ifr you think that further study is what's needed, well, put it on the floor and let's have a vote on it. let's demonstrate to the■/ american people, everybody professes how much they love and respect social security. where's the plan? the vote thate can say, yes, this is what my representative stands for, this is what we're going■u to receiv? we don't need to cut benefits

for social security, we need to enhance them. we need to make sure that w.i.p. and g.p. ompt get repealed. we need to make sure people are no longer paying income tax on their social security. we happens now. i thank you, mr. speaker, and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from guam for five minutes. mr. moylan: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize mayor paul mcdonald as he ss last term representing his beloved village. being born and raised, mayor mcdonald has devoted himself to the betterment of his village over the course of eight consecutive terms in office. he has earned the his constituents through his hard

work and commitment to deterring crime and through his beti village. mayor mcdonald serves as a unifying force within the mmunity,■)■z s initiatives, services and events that foster cohesion and progress. his impact extendsond the confines of the area, as evidenced by the 19-year tenure as president of the association of pacific island local government. he attributes his accomplish. s to the -- accomplishments to the enduring influence of his late father, charles%w beyond his civic duties, mayor mcdonald takes great pride in his role as a devoted father a . it is with genuine appreciation that i express my gratitude to mayor mcdonald for his steadfasm

and the beautiful villagee embal term, i extend my sincerest wishes for continued success and blessings. i am confident his legacy will endure as a source of inspiration for generations to come. thank you, mr. speaker. iie6v back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. davis, for five minutes. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i celebg inners of tomorrow -- engineers of tomorrow, coming from our very own frederick douglass elementary sch county. under the guidance of ms. kathryn taylor, the school's media specialist, these talente, building leggo robots, -- lego

robot, and completing challenges using visual arts and telo all the hard work has paid off as they won first place in best robotics design and overall champion in the multicounty first lego league challenge. thank you, ms. taylor, for using technology to preparegeneration. and thank you to the wilson county schools for investing in north carolina's future. .mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the young team of the green county all star basketball program. these promising basketball stars of tomorrow just won the 2024 eastern athletic conference championship in the 10 to 12 age

co-ed group. green county kercut county in a 55-45 vicktory. mr. speaker, recreation sports are an excellent way to expose young ale the fundamentals of the game. these young basketball players experience the wonders of competition, their skills, and tellwork. and came out on top. hats off to the players, coach perishes loveette for a fantastic season. congratulations to our recreation departments across eastern northor making friendly competitions like this a reality. particularly i give a big shout out to the green county recreation to the recreation director for hosting this year's tournament. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chfrom illinois, mrs. ramirez, r

five minutes. speaker.irez: thank i rise today to recognize a latina, music prodigy, a cultural worker, a mother, and a constituent eva diaz. born and raised in humble park to a puerto rican family, she found her calling in life at the age of 5hen she started studying the traditional after purport rican bamba. over her career, people have been educated by her artistry and passion. a trailblazer in so many ways, she is a recipient of the esou 2019 three arts award for her contribution to

the arts. she has gone on to ensure the preservation of bamba by founding an organization where she shares her knowledge of the history, the culture, and music of afro inbeginning us in culture. on behalf of illinois' third congressional district, it's my■ honor to commend her for her work preserving culture and passing the torch to the next generation. thank you. cora mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of diana m powerful latinr community in illinois' throw. the proud daughter of salvadoran immigrant single mother, she demonstrated an early passion for creativity and the arts. yoy participating in the park

district's theater programs and then nurtured her love for theater at school and universitf illinois. in her current leadership role, directing the arts she cure rats culturally impactful art experiences in due page county, including bringingajor g renowned patings from legends like andy warhol. as an active and neighbor, she seeks to proeffect and e-- protect and preserve our community's culture and character through her work with protect glenn allen. foo art as a powerful means of building community, on behalf of illinois' third congressional district, it's my great honor to commend diana martinez for her dedication to service and leadership.s. mr. speaker, i rise today to

recognize the work of a latina trailblazer and champion for working class individuals across my home state of illinois, the one, the only, representative elizabeth lisa hernandez. representative hernandez is the highest ranking and longest serving in the illinois state assembly and she was recently elected the chair of the illinois democratic party where she continues to ensure that latinas are represented and recognized across our state. as the current deputy majority leader in the general assembly, she has been an advocate for quality higher education, accessibility, a leader for reproductive rights and justicel disaster relief, and a defender for health care for all. whether organizing food drives to support local families or

spearheading grant workshops to help small businesses thrive,ves an inspiration for all latinas in illinois. on behalf of illinois' thirdéb y greatest honor to commend mi annika, my colleague, for her commitment to public service, tireless illinois a safe and welcoming state for women, migrants, and everyone h. elizabeth lisa hernandez, it's my honor to congratulate you with this commendation. with that, speer back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. barragan, for five minutes. ms.gan: mr. speaker, in recognition of women's history month i stand here to celebrate a remarkable wo district whose dedication to equity and justice has a

profound impact. margo taylor. margo serves as vice president of strategy and advocacy at planned parenthood los angeles where she continues community se 2009. margo was a driving force for advancingion, access to contraception, and defending the fundamental rights to safe legal abortion. at the university of she witnessed firsthand disparities faced by black and brown communities. motivated by decent justice -- these injustice, she wants to dismantle racism through advocacy and action. her experiences filled her passion to ensure equitable access to health care and community services, especially for marginalized groups. as a leader of planned parenthood's black health initiative, she has championed successful approaches to address

disparities in underserveddedic, margo embodies the spirit of women's history month. a trailbl advancing reproductive rights and health care access for all. mr. speaker, this women's history month it is my honor to spotlight an exceptional woman from myict whose story embodies compassion and determination. dr. gabriellea lopez, a an deed row native, she shattered barriers from the start. born to immigrant parents, she became the first in her family to graduate from college and during her time at ucla, she recognized a critical need for inclusivity in health care, for nonenglish speaking. she led efforts to provide translators for patients at ucla

mattelage barriers did not prevent access to quality care. her actions exemplify empathy and service. eeply involved with our community. as a dance instructor for a local group in stand -- an pedro -- an proceed row -- an pedro, california. she has been■; ucla newsroom. her story serves as a beacon of inspiration for women everywhere. and story reminds us that with determination and heart committed to service women can overcome any obstacle andference lives of others. let us honor dr. lopez and all the trailblazing women continue to shape our world with their courage and compassion not just this month, but every

month. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: t recon from north carolina, mr. jackson, for five minutes. mr. jackson: mr. speaker, today to gratefully announce that our office has secured over $4.5 million to support water and sewer infrastructure in gastonount need these funds to t new jobs and affordable housing as gaston continues to see remarkable growth. the town of randwell is going to double in population this decade. with new families and businesses moving to the county, it strains our utilities and you can't put an apartment or office building on a septic tank. when i have talked to local

leaders, this has been one of thei top priorities. this funding is desperately needed and will go directly to making a place to live and■"er,d to announce that our office secured nearly $1 million to support the gastonia police department. support a project equipping the gastonia police department with technology to reduce crime, allowing officers to act in real time and protect the gaston residents. it is vital we give our law enforcement the tools they need to safely reduce crime and help the people in our. i'm proud to stand with the gastonia police department to help them get the funding and tools they need to keep us safe. mr. speaker, i rise today proud to office has secured $1.5 million to support affordable housing projects in mecklenburg and gaston countiesr too expensive and making it even more difficult for working families to make ends meet.

the funding will support two projects in my district tha hour assistance and improve living conditions for families at risk of homelessness. it will also help of matthews buy land and help with start-up costs for new aff affordable housing developments. having stable housing is the key to growing the middle class in . aim proud to support these efforts in our district. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california,;i mr. garcia, r five minutes. mr. garcia: i ask unanimous consent to address the house.d. mr. garcia: mr. speaker, last week we learned■%■- jared kushner grift continues to grow across the globe. we already know that donald trump put his unqualified son-in-lawmiddle east policy in the white house. we also know that jared intervened negotiated 101 arms

deal arabia and pushed for donald trump's first state visit to be in saudi arabia, a huge change of policy months after jaredthis fore left the white house, the saudi prince went against his own advisors and gave jared's hedge fund. let's not forget during the trump presidency, receipts show at least $7.8 million to donald trump's businesses. now jared is pushing new deals in albania anderbia adingg his white house service. the trump crime family grift never stops. i said it before and i'll say it again, it's time for investigations. this kind of influence peddling harms our national security. instead of wasting time on a shamst president biden, we should be focused on stopping the real corruption that's been committed by the trump family. the american people deserve

better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rulee in recess u has changed. today, a fast reliable