[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Hispanic Heritage Month

  Mr. President, Hispanic Heritage Month. Finally, I would like to wish 
my colleagues and Americans everywhere a happy Hispanic Heritage Month, 
which began on September 15.
  Hispanic Heritage Month crystalizes perfectly why we live in an 
amazing country. You can't tell America's story without talking about 
Hispanic Americans who have left their mark in every corner of life: 
entertainment, the sciences, the arts, food, music, sports, military, 
and government.
  Hispanic Heritage Month is perhaps more important today than it ever 
has been. Some politicians are trying furiously to demonize America's 
diversity, but diversity is what makes America strong. It is what makes 
America wondrous. And that is why I have always fought to defend 
Dreamers and fight for comprehensive immigration reform. It is why I 
have worked with the Biden-Harris administration to lower insulin 
costs, create good-paying jobs, make our communities safer, and help 
Hispanic-owned businesses pick themselves up from COVID.
  I will also fight for housing reform so that Latinos, like all 
Americans, can become homeowners. And finally, I will fight for the 
Latino museum to honor the contributions of Hispanics and Latinos to 
our Nation and so much more. We can get it done. Si, se puede.
  In the Senate, we have confirmed a historic 37 Latino judicial 
nominations, 22 of them women. We appointed the first Latina to serve 
the Federal Reserve in the Board's 109-year history, the first Hispanic 
judge on the 7th Circuit, and the first openly LGBTQ+ judge for 
District of Puerto Rico.
  And speaking of Puerto Rico, there are few causes that mean more to 
me as a Senator than helping Puerto Ricans have greater opportunity and 
a better life. A few months ago, I championed legislation that would 
expand SNAP benefits to Puerto Ricans, who have been unjustly excluded 
from this program for decades. This is one reason why it is crucial we 
make progress on the farm bill because Puerto Ricans deserve the 
justice that has long been denied to them.
  America's strength has always been rooted in our diversity, on our 
immigrant heritage, on being a home to Americans for all walks of life.
  So today, I want to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans 
to the country we call home. Without them, America as we know it would 
not be possible.
  I yield the floor.

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