Mark Takano
Representative for California · Democratic · United States
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. This amendment's language opens the door to invasive, degrading, and humiliating physical examinations of children, children who simply want to play softball or join a basketball team. That is creepy.”
“He soon became campus supervisor, followed by assistant principal in charge of discipline, and finished his career as an assistant administrator covering discipline and campus security. Since retiring in 2003, Dell has continued his philanthropic efforts through the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation, alongside his loving wife.”
“He soon became campus supervisor, followed by assistant principal in charge of discipline, and finished his career as an assistant administrator covering discipline and campus security. Since retiring in 2003, Dell has continued his philanthropic efforts through the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation, alongside his loving wife.”
“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. Once again, my Republican colleagues are moving forward with a sweeping ban on necessary healthcare, including mental health care for children. This isn't about cost. This isn't about force readiness. In fact, this amendment will harm our military's force readiness.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E716] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING ADRIAN ``DELL'' ROBERTS ______ HON.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E716] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING ADRIAN ``DELL'' ROBERTS ______ HON.”
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Every one of 176 lines we hold for Mark Takano, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 4.
“For me and for Representative Takano, this strikes painfully close to home. During World War II, the same law was used to imprison over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including our families. My great-grandfather was taken from his home, incarcerated without cause, solely because of his ethnicity. Now, we are seeing the same injustice unfold again. In communities like Kona, Hawaii, a child was taken from his elementary school classroom. Families are taken from their homes, and people live in fear. Children miss school. Parents avoid lifesaving care and their doctors. Faith communities grow quiet, not because of guilt but because of government overreach. Let us be clear. These individuals are our neighbors, workers, students, and friends. They deserve dignity and due process, not detention and deportation.”
“Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda), my colleague from the Aloha State. Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to President Trump's unlawful and unjust deportations to El Salvador. Earlier this year, the administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th century wartime statute, to deport 137 Venezuelan men to a notorious prison abroad. This archaic law is being exploited to bypass our immigration system and deny individuals their most basic legal protections. [[Page H1771]] {time} 1930 These deportations were not based on convictions or due process. They are based on ancestry and suspicions--tattoos misidentified, affiliations assumed, rights ignored. The Supreme Court affirmed, by a 7-2 majority, these people deserve due process under our Constitution.”
“Everyone deserves due process in court with evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. If we don't defend these rights now, who is next: our neighbor, our family, or us? Affording due process is not being soft on crime. It is the very foundation of American justice to ensure that the rights enshrined in our Constitution are guaranteed, as the Founders intended. Standing up for the Constitution is not partisan. It is patriotic. It is our duty, and we need to do it. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for standing up for the rule of law. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleagues that, in this country, under our Constitution, no one is above the law, not even the President. Our President, at this very moment, is defying a 9-0 Supreme Court decision. Mr.”
“citizens in Oklahoma were dragged out of their home while ICE agents, with no warrant for them, took their phones, laptops, and life savings, even though they weren't the suspects in question. One of the most basic rights guaranteed in our Constitution is the right to due process. The Due Process Clause in the Fifth Amendment and 14th Amendment demands that you cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without the due process of law. That means a fair hearing, a chance to be heard, and a chance to defend yourself in court. That is the standard. Mr. Speaker, our immigration system is broken, and I will work with anyone in a bipartisan way to fix it. Yet, that is not what is happening here. Weaponizing fears and frustrations as a justification for interning innocent people in a foreign prison is unacceptable and unconstitutional.”
“How can you say to a judge that you are a citizen or not a criminal when you are not even allowed to have that hearing? Mr. Speaker, I will now move on and yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle). Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, when we took office, we swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. It was a promise to the American people that we would uphold the law, protect their rights, and defend our democracy. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was living legally in the United States, was wrongfully disappeared to a horrific prison in El Salvador because of an administrative error. This week, U.S.”
“Speaker, I thank Representative Watson Coleman for informing the Nation about what happened earlier today with that family in Oklahoma. It strikes me that we are witnessing this evolution of this administration's policies that began with: We are just going to deport criminals. It then evolved into disappearing people without hearings and claiming that the people they were disappearing were criminals, dangerous criminals, members of the Tren de Aragua gang. They admitted that there were mistakes made, but now we are seeing actual children who are citizens being spirited out of the country. This ought to be concerning to all Americans. It is not about them anymore. It is about us. It is about every single person who is in danger of being treated in such a way that you have no way to say to a judge: I am a citizen.”
“She pled with the Trump's deportation police to let her contact her family to arrange care for her son and make sure that he keeps receiving the medical treatment that he desperately needs. Yet, Trump's police said: No. They denied this basic right. They would not let her call her family, nor her lawyer. As a result, her son no longer has access to his lifesaving cancer treatment. It is a confounding degree of evil that we are dealing with in the Trump administration and this Republican-controlled Congress that fails to find its spine and do the right thing for the people of this country. I truly cannot comprehend the heartlessness that is required to do these things like this, and I am praying for all of the victims of this administration's campaign of terror in my country. Mr. TAKANO. Mr.”
“The people who ICE were looking for didn't even live there, but that didn't stop them from traumatizing the current residents, confiscating their life savings, and fleeing the scene without leaving any contact information or instructions for how this innocent family could get their belongings back, including their money. More recently, over the past weekend, we learned that Trump administration's police deported a 4-year-old American citizen who has stage IV cancer, and then they lied about it. On Monday, Trump's deportation czar claimed that the child's mother chose to bring her son with her when she was deported without any kind of due process. Let me be clear. That is another boldface lie. The truth is that this woman did what any mom would do when faced with such a terrifying situation. She tried desperately to protect her child.”
“This is a red line that cannot be crossed. We cannot permit a President to defy a 9-0 order of the Supreme Court. No person and no man is above the law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), my tremendous colleague. Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Takano for holding this Special Order. This is very important. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the Trump administration is carrying out a campaign of reckless cruelty with zero accountability. Last week, the home of a woman from Oklahoma was mistakenly targeted by ICE agents. They broke into her home, forced her and her children outside at gunpoint in their underwear, and proceeded to ransack their home.”
“These are just a few of the hundreds of men who have been sent to a foreign prison with conditions so inhumane that El Salvador's Justice Minister has said that the only way out is in a coffin. These men came to our country, in many cases through approved legal pathways, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. In response, we sent them to another country without any due process to be abused and tortured, and we are paying that government $6 million to do so. These are not deportations, but they are government-enforced disappearances. They are illegal. They are horrific. They are the tactics of a dictatorship, not a democracy. We cannot let them get away with this. This is the red line that they cannot be allowed to cross. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tonko for his comments. I agree with the gentleman.”
“Speaker, I thank Representative Rivas for her comments and bringing to light the tragic stories of children who are citizens with cancer being deported from our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko). Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Takano for bringing us together this evening for a very important discussion. Kilmar, Andry, Jefferson, Kevin: a devoted father married to an American citizen, a makeup artist who faced persecution in his home country because he is gay, a man with a valid work authorization and pending asylum hearing, and a son of a government worker attacked for his opposition to a corrupt regime.”
“Sending them without due process to countries like El Salvador and Honduras is a shameful assault on our human rights and a betrayal of the ideals that our country was founded on. [[Page H1770]] His policies are also unpopular across the country, and the polling proves it. After 100 days, Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any President in at least the past 80 years. The American people see through his cruelty, and they are with us. We need to confront the cruelty from this administration head on and seek justice for all of those who have been unfairly targeted. I stand united with my colleagues in stopping this administration and holding this President accountable for his actions. Mr. TAKANO. Mr.”
“I am fighting so our immigrant communities can, once and for all, live without fear that their livelihoods would be taken away at a moment's notice. I am fighting with my Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus colleagues against this administration's attempts to strip away a person's right to due process. Donald Trump is criminalizing people like Abrego Garcia and denying him his due process. Yet, it is not just Abrego Garcia. This administration is also deporting children. Last week, this administration deported a 2-year-old child and a 4- year-old child who are battling stage IV cancer, both of whom are U.S. citizens. What is happening to Garcia and these children is a travesty, and they need to come home.”
“We would not be the country that inspired our parents, our neighbors, and our grandparents to make a dangerous and brave journey in the hopes that their children will have a better life than they did. Everyone has a story that they can relate. Mine is about my mother, who emigrated from Mexico in the 1960s. She raised me and my sister on her own, taking multiple jobs to make ends meet. It was not until the late 1980s when she finally got her green card. She was so happy, and I remember feeling relieved because she was safe and could live in this country without fear. Today, that fear has returned. Donald Trump is blatantly pushing aside the Constitution and the rule of law to deport anybody at will. I am here because I am fighting for my mother and many like her who came to this country in search of a better life.”
“Speaker, what this visit reaffirmed for me is that any immigration policy rooted in hate and fueled by chaos doesn't make our immigration system more efficient or safe; it overwhelms the system. We don't fix a broken system by breaking people. Most of our origin stories, even as Members of the House in this body, begin as immigration stories. It is past time that all of us remember that. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Rivas). Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Takano for recognizing me and for hosting this important discussion in front of the American people. Our country was founded on the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but who are we as a country if we backtrack on those founding values?”
“This is exactly what this administration wants: to force immigrants into the shadows, to break their spirit, and to disrupt our communities. When you come for immigrants, you come for small businesses. When you come for immigrants, you come for our farmworkers and for our fish processors. When you come for immigrants, you come for nurses, doctors, and caregivers. When you come for immigrants, you come for the very identity of what makes this country America. Last week, I met with immigrants' rights advocates and toured the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. The detainee population has doubled in the last few months. The average time detained has extended. Discretionary releases are now uncommon, even for detainees without violent criminal records. Folks are being detained and disappeared for nothing more than political speech. Mr.”
“My colleagues and I are ready to fight back with everything we have got. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, the sign behind me says ``9-0.'' ``9-0'' is the order of the Supreme Court. They ruled 9-0 that Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be brought back or must be facilitated back into the country. This 9-0 Supreme Court order is being defied by the President. No one in our country, no person, no man, is above the law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall). {time} 1915 Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for leading us in this Special Order hour today. Mr. Speaker, fear, anger, terror, sadness, these are the emotions that just scratch the surface of what my community and our immigrant neighbors are feeling. Why should we expect anything less?”
“Across the country, people are being detained and deported without due process, often based on tenuous and/or unverified allegations. The administration's use of obscure laws, like the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to justify these actions is a blatant abuse of power. We must ask ourselves: If the rights of noncitizens can be so easily disregarded, whose rights will be next? Our Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection under the law to everyone in this country, not just citizens. If the government can silence you, detain you, or deport you while defying court orders, then none of our rights are safe. If we let this slide, we are saying the Constitution is optional. It is not. What we are seeing is authoritarianism creeping in through the backdoor, one ignored ruling at a time.”
“Just weeks ago, the Trump administration defied a unanimous--we didn't think this was possible--but a unanimous Supreme Court order by refusing to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father wrongfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Despite the Court's clear directive, the administration continues to ignore the rule of law, undermining the very foundation of our democracy. In my own district, the situation is equally troubling. A graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by ICE agents without warning. Despite having no involvement in political activism, he was taken from his home, held without immediate explanation, and had his visa retroactively revoked. This action not only disturbed his education but also instilled fear in our academic community. These are not isolated incidents.”
“I will continue to speak out for due process and our constitutional rights. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ansari. I want to thank her for traveling with three other of our colleagues to El Salvador last week. I know that she traveled at her own expense. I am very proud that we have members of this caucus who care so deeply about people who have been treated so unjustly. Nobody should be disappeared out of our country without habeas corpus hearings. I also thank Representative Carter for his efforts, along with, I believe, other Members of Congress to visit the graduate students held in a New Orleans jail. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar). Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I am here today as a Representative of a community that is deeply alarmed by the actions of this administration.”
“Now, the Trump administration is admitting to deporting a 2-year-old U.S. citizen with cancer. It is cruel, it is despicable, and it is totally illegal, no matter what Stephen Miller or Tom Homan may say. These cases are not just about these specific people or children sent on planes to foreign prisons by the U.S. Government. Our entire system of justice hinges on the rights afforded to us by the Constitution, the rights of due process, access to legal representation, and the ability to be heard in a court of law. It is a dark day for our democracy when the Federal Government snatches people off of the streets, flies them out of the country secretly in the dead of night, and sends them to a foreign prison to be detained indefinitely with no legal recourse or chance to prove their case. Who is to say that it couldn't be you or me next?”
“Ambassador and demanded that the Trump administration facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in compliance with the 9-0, unanimous Supreme Court decision of the United States and the lower Federal court judges. Mr. Abrego Garcia and many other wrongfully deported individuals were [[Page H1769]] sent to El Salvador with no due process and no legal recourse just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is outrageous and indefensible that the Trump administration continues to defy a Supreme Court ruling to return this man to his family. In fact, it is a full-blown constitutional crisis. There are other people--including Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, a makeup artist and legal asylum seeker, and Merwil Gutierrez, a teenager who was mistakenly picked up by immigration enforcement--languishing in El Salvador.”
“Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for his principled remarks about the importance of the rule of law in our country and his enunciating that political dissent in our country is not a crime. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Ansari). Ms. ANSARI. Mr. Speaker, last week, I traveled to El Salvador, along with three of my colleagues, to see firsthand the chaos unleashed by the Trump administration through its unconstitutional and illegal deportations of U.S. residents to third-party countries. I represent a beautifully diverse district in which 64 languages are spoken and where families of immigrants like mine thrive. I have heard more about this issue from my constituents than any other during my time in Congress. In El Salvador, we met with the U.S.”
“Will it be your family member, your friend, or a coworker who is taken without cause? I am reminded of a quote from Angela Davis: ``If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you in the night.'' We must all stick together and fight for the rights of our great country, this great Constitution, the First Amendment right of free speech, and the Fifth Amendment right of due process. We must continue speaking up and fighting back against these tyrants and preserve our Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if you found this funny or if you are laughing at a joke that is on your phone, but this is serious business, sir. Mr. TAKANO. Mr.”
“Who and what mother would not say, when asked: Do you want your children to go with you versus being with some strangers would not opt for that first option? Ms. Brito simply said: What are you going to do with my children? They said: Well, they can go with you. As a father, I would have made the same decision, but her lawyer was in the other room begging for an opportunity to stand in, and they would not give him or her an opportunity to do so. Arresting people who are in this country legally--people whose only crimes have been to exercise their right to free speech--is an assault on our civil liberties and our Constitution. An attack on these individuals is an attack on all of us. Who is to say what this ruthless administration will do next or who they will do it to?”
“Mahmoud Khalil is a lawful permanent resident and Columbia graduate student who was detained because of his participation in a peaceful protest. I had an opportunity to sit and visit with him. He said, without fear of contradiction: I am not anti-Semitic. I am not pro- Hamas. I am simply concerned about my homeland and the treatment of the people that are there. Rumeysa Ozturk is a Ph.D. student detained because she wrote an op-ed in her school newspaper. Wendy Brito, a mother of three U.S. citizens, who may one day be U.S. Senators. A U.S. citizen right here on our homeland, was deported without giving her due process. Her lawyer was in the waiting room. They would not let her have access to the lawyer. Then they added insult to injury by saying she signed a waiver.”
“Free speech is free speech. We will not stand by while they violate the principles that form the bedrock of our democracy. Right now, this administration is defying a Supreme Court decision that ordered them to facilitate the return of an individual who was deported without due process. Alongside others, he was sent to an inhumane prison in a different country without a hearing. This happened in the United States, violating his right to due process. There are many individuals whose stories deserve to be told, so today I am going to highlight just a few. Last week, I led a bicameral codel to two ICE detention facilities in Louisiana where Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Wendy Brito are being held.”
“I will close with this: Today, Trump, Noem, and the administration have made the immigrants the enemy. Tomorrow, it will be whoever they deem undesirable. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Ramirez for standing up for the rule of law. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter.) Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great concern regarding our First and Fifth Amendment rights. Our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and right to due process are under attack by the Musk-Trump administration. You don't have to like what someone says philosophically, politically, or otherwise, but free speech is not based on what you like or dislike or choose to hear or not hear; it is based on one's ability to express themselves. It is not conditioned on what you like to hear.”
“No one has been spared from their abusive authoritarian assault, not United States citizens, children with cancer, not pregnant women, not fathers with legal residency, not organ donors, not student activists, not professors, not green card holders, not asylees, not DACA recipients. Trump and Noem have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in their criminal acts from a $200 million anti-immigrant ad campaign to $46 million paid to illegally detain people in offshore prisons to more than $300 million to militarize and end parole and due process at our borders. There is no end to how they will abuse their power, and we have to say: Enough. As I demanded yesterday in the Homeland Security Committee, Noem must step down. We can't give one more dollar to this administration to continue its unconstitutional, anti-immigrant, authoritarian agenda.”
“Speaker, fascism always demands a public enemy. Through lies and scapegoating, the Trump administration has tried to make immigrants the enemy. They have tried to convince us that the problem isn't their abuses of power or the unchecked greed of multinational corporations but it is immigrants. In their 100 days in office, the Trump administration and Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, have abused the power of the Department of Homeland Security to pursue a campaign of persecution, of mass incarceration, and of deportation. Day after day, they have disregarded the authority of Congress, the laws of the land, and the constitutional rights of residents, the courts, due process, and every check and balance that protects us from fascist authoritarians.”
“It is shocking, I know. Here is the thing: We can have strong border security and a fair and humane immigration system that works for our Nation. That is not what Donald Trump is doing. He is acting like a tyrant, and he will keep undermining our democracy, our country, and the rule of law as long as compliant Republicans allow him to. Will there be just four Republicans who will stand with us and their constituents to protect the Constitution, the rule of law, and law and order in this country? I hope so. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Escobar for her comments. I am outraged to hear that Republicans on the Judiciary Committee would not protect citizens from deportation. We are talking about citizens. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez). {time} 1900 Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr.”
“When Donald Trump eliminates due process for immigrants, whether it is [[Page H1768]] for legal immigrants or students who are here with legitimate visas, he is impacting due process for all of us. When Donald Trump ignores an order from the Supreme Court to bring back a wrongfully deported immigrant, he is violating the rule of law, which impacts all of us. Mr. Speaker, when Donald Trump sends immigrants to a gulag in a foreign country, believe him when he tells you that he will be doing this to U.S. citizens next. In fact, he has already begun deporting U.S. citizen children. Just today, in the House Judiciary Committee, as the Judiciary Committee was marking up the reconciliation package, which, unfortunately, many Republicans will just blindly approve, Judiciary Committee Republicans refused to protect U.S. citizens from deportation.”
“Speaker, I thank Mr. Takano for yielding. I am so grateful for his leadership and for bringing us together on the House floor to talk about what is happening here in our country every day. Americans are sounding the alarm about the crisis that our country is in. It is not just an economic crisis, as we see our country sinking very quickly into an economic crisis, which is being reflected in Donald Trump's poll numbers. In fact, his sinking poll numbers are even being reflected in the issue that many consider to be his strong suit with the American people, which is immigration. Americans are now realizing that Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies are targeting everyone in our country, including U.S. citizens.”
“I call on President Trump to free Andry. There are so many others to talk about: students who have been snatched off the streets, young American citizens kicked out without so much as a hearing, and the list goes on and on. I want to be clear that this is not just about immigrants. This is bigger than that. If the government can violate the Constitution with impunity in these cases, then it can do so anywhere to anyone. To the Americans listening at home, I ask you: How would you feel if masked men grabbed you in broad daylight and refused to show their ID? I know I would be terrified, and I bet you would be, too. Today, we will hear from a number of my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues as we bring a spotlight to these injustices. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar). Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr.”
“I want to take the opportunity to draw attention to another case that has captured the public conscience, that of Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, a 31-year-old gay Venezuelan makeup artist and asylum seeker who was forcibly disappeared without due process. Andry entered the United States legally, fleeing persecution for his sexual orientation and political beliefs. He passed an initial asylum screening and had no criminal record. Yet, without warning or due process, he was forcibly removed to El Salvador and imprisoned in the notorious CECOT facility. What is the evidence against him? A couple of crown tattoos above the names ``Mom'' and ``Dad,'' symbols of his love for his hometown's Three Kings Day celebrations. Andry's case exemplifies the dangers of unchecked executive power and what happens when the rule of law is pushed aside.”
“The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the administration must facilitate the return of one such man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father, but the executive branch has ignored the highest Court in the land, saying that their own views matter more. Just last night, the President of the United States admitted in a public interview that he could return Mr. Abrego Garcia if he wanted to, but he is choosing not to. He has openly mused about sending American citizens to El Salvador next because it always starts with those without power, the most vulnerable, but it never ends there, and that should terrify every American.”
“Speaker, I rise to address the House for a Special Order hour with my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues. I do so on the 100th day of the Trump administration, and I note that this is a day when we received the news that our economy has contracted and that we are witnessing confusion, chaos in our markets, and uncertainty about our economic future. We can also mark this day by stating that our country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The administration is disappearing individuals without due process in defiance of court orders. They are ripping people from their homes and communities, putting them on secretive flights, and sending them overseas, including more than 280 individuals sent to the brutal CECOT prison in El Salvador without so much as a hearing.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1767-H1772] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICIES (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Takano of California was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.) General Leave Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. TAKANO. Mr.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 970, the Fairness for Servicemembers and Their Families Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
“Strickland), my good friend and author of this bill. She currently serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Armed Services.”
“To ensure that we are not waiting another decade or more to improve this benefit for our servicemembers and veterans, my good friend Representative Marilyn Strickland has introduced this bill which requires the VA to periodically review coverage amounts every 5 years and report to Congress what the level of benefits would be if adjusted for inflation over that period. This will allow Congress to regularly make a more informed decision about whether or not these maximum coverage amounts should be increased. Mr. Speaker, this is commonsense legislation that allows Congress to better do our job to support servicemembers, veterans, and their families. This legislation passed the House last Congress, and I encourage my colleagues to support it once again. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Washington (Ms.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 970, the Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act of 2025. Mr. Speaker, just a few short years ago we increased the maximum coverage amount under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program and the Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) program from $400,000 to $500,000. Prior to that, however, those maximum coverage amounts had not been increased since 2005, clearly failing to keep pace with inflation.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 877, the Deliver for Veterans Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
“This bill from Representative Moylan builds upon that work by simplifying the process for veterans who require their adaptive vehicle to be shipped. This includes veterans who live in areas such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Again, I support the substance of this bill, but I think we should have a very serious conversation about the majority's choice to perpetuate cutting veterans' pensions. I believe that we should include this item in any negotiations with the Senate before this bill becomes law. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 877, the Deliver for Veterans Act. This bill would make it easier for disabled veterans to obtain the adaptive automobiles they are entitled to through their service-connected disability. If signed into law, this bill could save veterans tens of thousands of dollars on shipping costs of vehicles. Two Congresses ago, we passed the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act, a bill authored by Ranking Member Mike Levin and Representative Lizzie Fletcher, which expanded the adaptive auto benefit for veterans, allowing them to get a new vehicle if 10 years have passed since last using the benefit.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Budzinski), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.”
“Speaker, again, I support the substance of this bill, but I think we should have a very serious conversation about the majority's choice to perpetuate cutting veterans' pensions, and I believe that we should include this item in any negotiations with the Senate before this bill becomes law. Mr. Speaker, with those concerns in mind, I support this legislation and ask my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.”
“However, given that this administration, with the enabling of a feckless Republican-led Congress, has been working overtime to hollow out VA, we must rethink whether or not it is appropriate to continue its use. Aside from the moral failing of cutting one veterans' benefit to pay for another, VA's pension programs are designed specifically to support the poorest and sickest veterans and their survivors. Therefore, this continued reduction in pension payments poses real risks when the other services these veterans might need to fall back on are also being cut. Mr.”
“The bill also sets deadlines for action: The VA must contract with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, or FFRDC, to evaluate these communications within 30 days of the bill's enactment and submit its recommendations within 90 days. This effort aims to streamline the claims process and reduce the stress and confusion many veterans face when dealing with their benefits. Mr. Speaker, in spite of my support for the substance of this measure, I want to raise concern with the majority's choice to offset the cost of this bill by continuing to divert pension payments from the oldest and most sick veterans in VA's system. I understand that this offset has been used in the past and has existed in some form since the 1960s.”
“Under the Biden administration, VA already launched an internal review of these notice letters and had already redrafted many of them to be more direct and easier to understand, but VA could also use some outside help in reviewing the literally thousands of different possible letters they might send to a veteran. H.R. 1039 seeks to provide that assistance. Specifically, it mandates that VA make its notice letters--documents that explain decisions on benefits--shorter, clearer, and easier for veterans and their families to understand. This bill requires the VA to contract with a third party to assess and recommend improvements to these letters, which often contain complex legal language that confuses veterans.”