[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THANKING ATTORNEY GENERAL XAVIER BECERRA

  (Mr. SOTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate 
California's new attorney general, my friend, Xavier Becerra.
  As many of you know, former Congressman Becerra was the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus chair from 1997 to 1999. He was our Democratic Caucus 
vice chair from 2009 to 2013, and also our Democratic Caucus chair for 
the 114th Congress.
  We all know that Attorney General Becerra was a staunch defender of 
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and other support for people 
in need. He was also a supporter for our DREAMers, for DACA, and for 
women's rights. He was also a mentor to me. Aspiring new Members who 
came here looked to him for advice, especially in their first couple 
weeks here.
  I want to thank Attorney General Becerra for coming to a roundtable 
in my district over in Polk County to visit with so many of our 
agricultural workers in our community and so many DREAMers. It is so 
critical for agriculture, for our farmers, and for rural America that 
we continue to make sure that agriculture continues to be strong in our 
Nation. As a Californian, he also even starred in Stephen Colbert's 
``Better Know a District.''
  So I just want to thank, once again, Congressman Xavier Becerra for 
being an American Member of Congress, someone who looked out for all of 
us and defended our values.

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