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Congressional Record—House H9104 H9104 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE November 20, 2019 was inducted into the San Diego Wom- most difficult circumstances. And her throughout the world where such free- en’s Hall of Fame for her work in co- death reminds us that transgender peo- doms do not exist. founding the United Domestic Workers ple are under attack and must have Americans have the right under our of America. equal protection under the law. wonderful system of government to re- With her passing, the State of Cali- f spect and study the Bible or any other fornia and our Nation suffered a tre- system of belief that they so choose or mendous loss. She will be remembered HONORING TOM VASQUEZ even none at all. That is the beauty of for her ‘‘si, se puede’’ attitude and for (Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois asked and the American way, and I believe it goes exemplifying the meaning of her Swa- was given permission to address the all the way back to the Bible. hili given name, Fahari, which means House for 1 minute and to revise and In 1941, President Franklin Delano magnificent, and magnificent she was. extend his remarks.) Roosevelt declared the week of f Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Thanksgiving to be National Bible SUPPORT BIPARTISAN PATH FOR today, I rise to honor the memory of Week. The National Bible Association USMCA my dear friend Tom Vasquez, who and the U.S. Conference of Bishops have designated the specific days of (Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma passed away on July 23. Tom was one of the founders of our progressive move- November 18 to 24 as National Bible asked and was given permission to ad- Week this year. This is the week set dress the House for 1 minute and to re- ment in Chicago, and we were partners in many battles. aside to recognize the Bible as a vise and extend her remarks.) foundational building block of Western Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma. He was born in Matamoros, Mexico, civilization, the Judeo-Christian herit- Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of and eventually found his way to Chi- age, and the legacy that motivated and the continued effort by the U.S. Trade cago, settling in the working-class shaped the founding of the United Representative and the Democratic community of Little Village. In the States. working group to finalize the United early 1980s, Tom was part of a group of In this hour, we will hear from Mem- States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the young people who saw the disparities bers of Congress from all throughout USMCA. and lack of political representation in Oklahoma workers, families, busi- our community and sought to address the United States from various faith nesses, and our Nation benefit from these inequalities. traditions and denominations speak free and fair international trade. Every He stepped up, led the change, and about what the Bible means to them. day, Oklahomans create and export helped create the Independent Political We are here, in keeping with tradition, world-class products, and two of our Organization of the 22nd Ward. He was to recognize National Bible Week. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentle- largest trading partners are our neigh- a precinct captain for many years. He woman from Washington (Mrs. ROD- bors to the north and the south. organized block clubs and he was in- In 2018 alone, Oklahoma exported a volved in schools in the local commu- GERS), who is a good friend and col- total of $5.6 billion in manufactured nity. On election day, he was always league. goods. Nearly half of those went to getting people to the polling places. He Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Mexico and Canada. In the same year, attended many community meetings Speaker, I want to say thank you to Oklahoma agriculture exports to Mex- and mentored many young people in the gentleman from Colorado for bring- ico and Canada totaled $154 million. the community. He did this all while ing us all together tonight for National A stronger trading relationship with holding a full-time job with the Chi- Bible Week. Mexico and Canada means a stronger cago Transit Authority and being a Over the weekend, I finished reading economy for Oklahoma. It is impera- member of a local union. through the Bible in a year, and I can tive that Congress finish negotiating Tom’s passing has left a gap not only testify that it has been the best year of and pass a strong trade agreement to for his family but for the entire com- my life in giving me perspective and restore certainty in our trading rela- munity that benefited from his service quiet confidence for every day, remind- tionship with Canada and Mexico and and commitment to justice. ing me to lead with love. support millions of American jobs in Tom, may you rest in peace. The Bible says to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. the process. f Though finding common ground is The Word of God is the source of love, not easy, it is critical, and I support NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK joy, peace, patience, kindness, good- the USTR and lawmakers’ work to find ness, and self-control. Everything that The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. we long for in life is found in the Word a bipartisan path forward for this im- GREEN of Texas). Under the Speaker’s portant trade agreement. of God, the Bible. announced policy of January 3, 2019, So why haven’t I been more faithful f the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. to read the Bible every day earlier in HONORING TRACY SINGLE ON LAMBORN) is recognized for 60 minutes my life? Because, like a lot of people, I TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEM- as the designee of the minority leader. didn’t always feel like I had enough BRANCE GENERAL LEAVE time, or I struggled to relate to the (Mrs. FLETCHER asked and was Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask language. given permission to address the House unanimous consent that all Members Why read the Bible? Why wake up 15 for 1 minute and to revise and extend may have 5 legislative days in which to minutes early each day? Why go to all her remarks.) revise and extend their remarks and in- that trouble? That was my struggle for Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, clude extraneous materials on the many, many years. today, on Transgender Remembrance topic of my Special Order. The Bible says in Psalm 90:12: ‘‘Teach Day, I rise to remember Tracy Single, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there us to number our days, that we may who was killed in July of this year in objection to the request of the gen- gain a heart of wisdom.’’ my district, the 15th transgender tleman from Colorado? Psalm 103 says that ‘‘our days are few woman of color murdered this year. There was no objection. and brief, like grass, like flowers, A music lover with an eye for fashion Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, it is a blown by the wind and gone forever,’’ and an ear for music, 22-year-old Tracy great honor for me to come to the yet the Word of God endures forever. moved to Houston to pursue her dream House floor tonight to commemorate It is the Bible that provides us an- of becoming a rapper. Tension around National Bible Week. This is an oppor- swers to our questions about life more her gender identity forced her out of tunity to celebrate the tremendous in- than any other book, seminar, or self- her home, and she experienced a very fluence of the Bible on the freedoms we help program. hard time, but she was persistent and enjoy today in America. The Bible also offers words of encour- upbeat, always working to achieve her We are truly blessed to live in a na- agement and hope at a time when de- goals. tion where we are free to worship and spair has come over our country. We Her life reminds us that creative and read the Holy Scriptures without fear have record suicides. A million people vibrant people can thrive even in the of persecution. There are many places in America attempted suicide last VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:38 Nov 21, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20NO7.091 H20NOPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HOUSE November 20, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H9105 year, and 47,000 committed suicide. I ple of the 36th District of Texas right Thanksgiving. Both the Bible and this grieve this loss. here in the House of Representatives. annual holiday provide us with the The deaths of despair are sky- I believe that the Bible is more than time to reflect on what is most impor- rocketing: suicide, drug overdoses, a book of inspiration and comfort or a tant in our lives: our faith, our creator, opioids, alcohol, and drug abuse. Peo- compilation of moral teachings. I be- our family, and our love for one an- ple are giving up on life. lieve that it really is the Holy Word of other. The Bible says in Matthew that not a God that contains the truth and teach- Mr. Speaker, part of my family lin- single sparrow can fall to the ground ings of His love for us and His plan for eage can be traced back to those Pil- without your Father knowing it. And redemption through faith in Jesus grims who set out for the New World in the very hairs on your head are num- Christ, His Son.
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