[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING MIKE LYCZAK

  (Mr. Garcia of Illinois was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of Mike Lyczak.
  Mike grew up in the Little Village community in Chicago. Like many of 
us, his politics were shaped by firsthand experience--fighting 
discrimination, Chicago machine politics and rule, and standing up for 
working people.
  Mike wasn't just a political strategist. He was a founding architect 
of multiethnic, multiracial coalitions and solidarity in Chicago. He 
helped build the 22nd Ward Independent Political Organization, pouring 
his energy into electing Rudy Lozano and Harold Washington and into 
building a movement that could outlast any one campaign.
  Mike's love for history and model-making reflected his meticulous 
mind. His wit brightened every room. He was a beloved husband to the 
late Caroline Downs and a devoted father to Benjamin Lyczak.
  Mike will be deeply missed, but his legacy of courage and solidarity 
will live on in all of us.
  Rest in power, Mike ``Lizard'' Lyczak.


                          Republican Tax Scam

  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak against 
the Republican budget, a cynical plan that gives tax breaks to 
billionaires while ripping away healthcare and food from working 
families like those I represent.
  This Republican tax scam would kick nearly 14 million Americans off 
their healthcare, leaving them without coverage.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. Speaker, in my district, a mother working nights and caring for 
her family by day told us that she doesn't know how they will survive 
if Medicaid is cut.
  Her child relies on it for epilepsy medication. Without it, there is 
no safety net. It is just fear and uncertainty. This budget slashes 
Medicaid and SNAP, taking food from children, from seniors, from 
veterans, and people with disabilities. Even Republican Senators called 
it morally wrong.
  In my district alone, 278,000 people rely on these programs. 
Republicans want to take that away. We can't allow them to continue to 
loot this country dry. America was not built for billionaires to hoard 
wealth while kids go hungry. Tax them fairly and fully now.


                   Opposing Double Tax on Remittances

  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the Trump 
administration's double tax on remittances. This is part of a broader 
war on working-class immigrants that punishes those who contribute the 
most to our national economy.
  When immigrants send money home, they are not just helping loved 
ones. They are keeping entire communities afloat in countries like 
Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines.
  By cutting off vital support to families abroad, this tax deepens 
poverty. It weakens stability. It drives more people to migrate out of 
desperation. Instead of asking the ultrawealthy to pay what they owe, 
they are shifting the burden to the people who can least afford it.
  Undocumented immigrants alone pay $580 billion in Federal, State, and 
local taxes to our country, more than some of the ultrarich who claim 
patriotism but hide under their wealth and abuse the system.
  It is a double standard that undermines our economy and our values. 
This isn't just bad policy. It is an unjust double tax on the very 
people who power our economy and our communities.

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