[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1736-H1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ELECTION INTEGRITY

  (Mr. Subramanyam of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, for years now, we have heard a lot of 
false accusations about rigged elections and voter fraud.
  For instance, despite accusations that noncitizens were casting 
ballots in Virginia, studies found that there were zero instances of 
noncitizens illegally voting over the past 20 years.
  Let's be honest, these accusations erode public trust and threaten 
our democracy.
  Some localities are stepping up to fight those accusations. Two of 
those localities in my district are Prince William County and Fairfax 
County, which recently won the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 
Clearinghouse Awards, or the Clearies.
  Prince William County, in particular, was the first county to publish 
voting result tapes online in Virginia history. They are not only 
saving the results, but they are publishing them.
  Here is the truth: In Prince William County, Fairfax County, and 
counties all across the country, officials are working tirelessly to 
ensure our elections are safe and secure. That is accountability, 
transparency, and democracy in action.
  I congratulate Prince William and Fairfax Counties on their awards, 
and I look forward to working with them and fighting false allegations 
about our elections.


                   Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th anniversary of the 
Fall of Saigon.
  Thousands of Vietnamese families escaped during the war, coming to 
America, and Virginia, in search of safety, opportunity, and a new 
life. There are now over 2.3 million Vietnamese Americans in the U.S.
  Many Vietnamese-American families call Virginia home, and Vietnamese 
Americans have become an integral part of our community, from public 
service and the arts to groundbreaking work in science, business, and 
education.
  I am proud of the work being done to support Vietnamese refugees 
right here in Virginia.
  One example is Boat People SOS, an organization founded to help 
Vietnamese refugees. They have rescued over 25,000 Vietnamese boat 
people. Since then, they have expanded their services to aid 
immigrants, refugees, victims of trafficking, disadvantaged students, 
and survivors of violence in the United States.

  Today, I recognize the strength, courage, and spirit of the 
Vietnamese community in Virginia's 10th District

[[Page H1737]]

and across the country, and I say to our Vietnamese veterans: Welcome 
home.


                         Cuts to CASA Programs

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, we have heard how the recent DOGE cuts 
are impacting Federal employees, seniors, and veterans, but these cuts 
are also impacting our children, particularly vulnerable children.
  Recently, the Department of Justice announced the termination of 
Federal grants to support court-appointed special advocates, known as 
CASA programs.
  CASA programs cultivate trained and appointed volunteers who advocate 
for abused and neglected children in the courtroom and beyond.
  The children they serve often need to be removed from unsafe homes 
and placed in foster care. At a time when they need it most, the 
volunteers provide a voice for these children.
  Fairfax County's CASA program, for instance, has served over 8,500 
kids in our region, including 376 in this fiscal year. They do 
incredible work to help place children in permanent homes and set them 
on a path for a brighter future.
  The funding CASA receives from the Victims of Crime Act is now on the 
chopping block. These cuts will put a strain on already stretched thin 
court-appointed special advocate teams in Virginia and around the 
country. The result? More vulnerable children with less support.
  We must stop these cuts and fight to protect the children that these 
programs serve.


                  Opposing Cuts to Public Media System

  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, finally, I rise today to address the 
administration's efforts to dismantle a cornerstone of American speech, 
our public media system.
  The administration is calling on Congress to rescind appropriations 
for PBS and NPR, two public media institutions that have served 
Americans for nearly 60 years.
  Each month, 36 million people watch their local PBS stations. PBS 
KIDS averages 15.5 million monthly users, including my kids. More 
broadly, PBS and NPR tell the American story through arts, culture, and 
history programs.
  Let's be clear: This is not about budget cuts or making government 
efficient. This is a gutting of an institution that many people, 
especially those living in rural areas, rely on for information and 
trusted programming. In regions with limited or no broadcast access, 
PBS and NPR are among the few sources of media that people have to stay 
informed.
  The administration argues that this move is necessary to prevent 
America's culture from being reengineered. Make no mistake: Cutting 
public media doesn't preserve our culture. It silences local voices, 
weakens civic engagement and education, and strips away the resources 
that help children learn.
  Mr. Speaker, we must oppose these cuts.

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