remembered and talked about for years to come because he lived with
such a passion and dedication and was truly loved and respected by
many, many people.
  One day, as kids in that club do, his girls will research their dad.
They will look him up. They will see the articles about his games and
his stats and the clips of his highlights and read about his
accomplishments. They will see the articles about his career being cut
short. They will see the articles and the news stories covering his
untimely death.
  However, buried in that research, it is my hope that they will find
mention of his name in the Congressional Record, perhaps even see this
speech, and know that their father lived a life that was worthy of
tribute and honor on the House floor of the United States Capitol in
the same room where Presidents speak, where heads of State speak, where
we recently just hosted the King of England, because he deserved that.
  To Mikhail's parents, you raised a hell of a young man. To Jessica
and the girls, our hearts go out to you and know that thousands of
people are here to support you all. To Mikhail, on behalf of a grateful
city and from a fan, I thank him for the example that he set for the
city of Mobile, for representing us well, and being amongst the best
that Mobile has ever had to offer this world. You made us proud, boy.
You really made us proud.

                        CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT

  (Ms. Mejia of New Jersey was recognized to address the House for 5
minutes.)
  Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise with a complaint.
  A few days ago, while my colleagues in the New Jersey delegation and
I attempted to carry out our oversight responsibilities at Delaney
Hall, we found ourselves blocked by ICE and its contractor, GEO Group.
  While we can debate the abhorrent actions of this administration
toward immigrants and Americans alike, what we should not debate is our
right to carry out our duties on behalf of the American people.
  The bottom line is, Members of this governing body have a duty to
oversee all aspects of our government and its entities. We have a duty
to ask hard questions and challenge injustice, even when it is carried
out by our own government.
  I have walked the halls of Delaney and Elizabeth Detention Centers.
My account of medical abuse and neglect have been direct and truthful.
Every American should be concerned about what Members of our delegation
have relayed. They should be concerned of the persecution of one of our
own Members, and they should demand that oversight continues.
  Today, the rights at risk are those on the margins, but ultimately
injustice can and will come for us all.

                   Commitment to Protect Our Freedoms

  Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in a moment in which our Nation both
celebrates its first founding while simultaneously forces within it
attack the essence of its second.
  As we reflect on our Nation's 250th anniversary, I pause to recognize
the democratic values hardwired into the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments, amendments that defined the American freedoms we fight to
preserve and restore today.
  Ratified on July 9, 1868, and debated in this very Chamber, the 14th
Amendment is one of the most transformative amendments in American
history. It fundamentally expanded who counts in American democracy and
established the principle that everyone born in these United States
belongs here and deserves equal protection under the law.
  The word ``transformative,'' in fact, falls short. Because of the
14th Amendment, individuals who walked these hallowed Halls were able
to fight for marriage equality, bodily autonomy, equal access to public
education, public housing, the right to form a union, collectively
bargain, and much, much more.
  To put it simply, for more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has
undergirded much of what we fight to enact and strive to defend in this
Hall.
  Those protections have been under attack since their inception, but
in recent years, these attacks have escalated, stripping some
protections from the hands of our fellow Americans.
  This is why I rise at this moment, to remind my colleagues and fellow
Americans about what is truly at stake. Those privileged and blessed to
represent our fellow Americans have a special charge in this moment. I
take that charge seriously, with a commitment to protect our freedoms
today and for those who will come after us, generations to come.

                              {time}  1115
        CHOOSING PEACE, HUMAN DIGNITY, AND CHILDREN OF THE WORLD

  (Ms. Stansbury of New Mexico was recognized to address the House for
5 minutes.)
  Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, as we sit here in the people's House,
millions of children in the Middle East are living in fear, trauma, and
danger. That fear has only intensified as the President has waged an
illegal war in Iran, with hundreds of schoolchildren killed, thousands
of civilians lost, and bombs still dropping in Lebanon as entire
communities have been reduced to rubble.
  The President is seemingly no closer to ending the war he unleashed
and, instead, is obsessing about golden ballrooms, grand arches, and
algae-infested pools while asking this body for an unprecedented $1.5
billion for more weapons and military spending to wage this war and a
State Department and foreign affairs budget that continues devastating
cuts to the lifesaving programs of USAID that have directly contributed
to the loss of food, medicine, and critical lifesaving aid across the
world, with completely preventable deaths for thousands of children.
  This is a moral moment for America. Will we stand up and say stop
this war and reinvest in our humanitarian missions? Will we speak up
against injustice and suffering? Will we remain silent?
  Last night, the Senate finally passed our War Powers Resolution to
end the war in Iran, sending a clear message that it is time to end
this illegal war.
  Today, I stand here on the floor to offer amendments to the foreign
affairs budget to restore funding for critical aid, food, and resources
for the children of the Middle East, and particularly for Gaza. They
have faced unimaginable suffering over the last several years.
  Just yesterday, a U.N. commission reported on the deliberate
targeting and killing of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank
as part of a deliberate strategy to destroy future Palestinian
communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes.
  We must stand up as the branch of government by the people and for
the people. We must be a voice for right and wrong, a moral conscience
for this country and for our people.
  Back home, my constituents are calling my office daily to ask for an
end to this conflict and the suffering, and to choose a different path
for this country, a path that invests in our people in communities and
the children of this planet; a path that ends the violence and the
killing in the Middle East, Gaza, and the West Bank; and a path that
ends the destruction of communities, schools, hospitals, roads, and
water systems that have devastated millions.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been catastrophic. Whether it is funding in this
bill, another military spending bill from the White House, or the NDAA,
Congress cannot remain silent. Congress cannot remain complicit.
Congress cannot fund this violence, especially when the greatest burden
has fallen on children.
  Children have watched their parents, siblings, and classmates die and
are waking up every day, wondering where their next meal will come from
and whether they will survive the night. No child should inherit a
future defined by violence and despair, and certainly not funded by the
taxpayers of the American people.
  If Americans are serious about building a safer and more stable
world, we must invest in the people who have been impacted most by
these conflicts abroad.
  That is why I am offering these amendments to restore humanitarian
aid to the children of Gaza, invest in schools and healthcare for moms
and