[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 193 (Monday, November 17, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4692-H4698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to raise a question of the
privileges of the House and offer the resolution that was previously
noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk read the resolution as follows:
H. Res. 878
Whereas, on October 27, 2025, Representative Chuy Garcia of
Illinois filed nominating petitions to be on the Democratic
primary ballot in March 2026;
Whereas, on November 5, 2025, on the last day of filing,
Representative Garcia's Chief of Staff, Patty Garcia,
submitted her own paperwork to enter the Democratic primary;
Whereas, on November 6, after the filing deadline,
Representative Garcia confirmed that he would not be seeking
another term in 2026 and would be withdrawing his nominating
petitions;
Whereas Representative Garcia's Chief of Staff was the only
Democrat who filed to run in the primary at the direction of
Representative Garcia, undermining the process of a free and
fair election; and
Whereas Representative Garcia's actions are beneath the
dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the
United States Constitution: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of
the behavior of the Representative from Illinois Mr. Garcia.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution qualifies.
Motion to Table
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the
desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Ms. Clark of Massachusetts moves to lay the resolution on
the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to table.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
[[Page H4693]]
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 206,
nays 211, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 288]
YEAS--206
Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bynum
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conaway
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Figures
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gillen
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, V.
Goodlander
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy (NY)
Khanna
Krishnamoorthi
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Magaziner
Mannion
Matsui
McBath
McBride
McClain Delaney
McClellan
McCollum
McDonald Rivet
McGarvey
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Morrison
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Nadler
Neguse
Norcross
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pelosi
Peters
Pettersen
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Quigley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Riley (NY)
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Ryan
Salinas
Sanchez
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Simon
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Subramanyam
Suozzi
Swalwell
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Underwood
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Vindman
Walkinshaw
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Whitesides
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
NAYS--211
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Brecheen
Bresnahan
Buchanan
Burchett
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crank
Crenshaw
Davidson
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Fine
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Garbarino
Gill (TX)
Gimenez
Golden (ME)
Goldman (TX)
Gooden
Gosar
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunt
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kean
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (UT)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Langworthy
Latta
Lawler
Lee (FL)
Letlow
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Mackenzie
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Massie
Mast
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Patronis
Perez
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schmidt
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Stutzman
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Timmons
Turner (OH)
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Yakym
Zinke
NOT VOTING--16
Boyle (PA)
Casar
Ciscomani
Crawford
Gonzales, Tony
Graves
Gray
James
Loudermilk
McCaul
Neal
Rulli
Sherrill
Tiffany
Titus
Womack
{time} 1915
So the motion to table was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and missed roll
call votes numbered 286 through 288.
Had I been present, I would have voted:
Yea on Roll Call No. 286, H.R. 1608--The Department of Homeland
Security Vehicular Terrorism Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2025;
Yea on Roll Call No. 287, H.R. 2659--The Strengthening Cyber
Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act; and
Yea on Roll Call No. 288, Table H. Res. 878--Disapproving the
behavior of Representative Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia of Illinois.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I missed a series of votes.
Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 286, YEA
on Roll Call No. 287, and NAY on Roll Call No. 288.
personal explanation
Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent and unable to vote.
Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 286, YEA
on Roll Call No. 287, and NAY on Roll Call No. 288.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yakym). Pursuant to clause 2(a)(2) of
rule IX, the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez) and the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Morelle) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez).
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with humility, fear, and conviction,
conviction that American citizens have a right to choose their elected
Representatives, fear that my convictions will be dismissed as naive,
and humility that I am as liable to deceive myself about my first
duties, where my strength comes from, and to whom I owe my loyalty as
anyone else on this floor today.
It is clear to me that my responsibility as an elected Representative
to my community is to say loudly, consistently, humbly, and with love
that no one has the right to subvert the right of the people to choose
their elected Representatives.
I like Chuy Garcia. I think his reasons for retiring are noble. We
are not here to adjudicate the character of Chuy Garcia. I am asking
the body to consider a set of facts laid before us tonight about how he
chose his successor and deprived Americans the right to choose their
elected Representative.
Moral accusations and bitterness are not going to move this country
in a stronger direction, but we can't keep bringing these same broken
tools to the urgent struggle of preserving our inheritance as a nation.
With humility, I lay out the facts.
One week before the filing deadline, Congressman Chuy Garcia filed
for reelection and submitted the necessary signatures for that
petition, but 3 days before the filing deadline, he also began
collecting signatures for his chief of staff, who shares his last name.
Just hours before the filing deadline, Representative Garcia's chief
of staff submitted the paperwork to run with at least 2,500 signatures
attached to it, and Chuy Garcia's signature was the very first one
listed in the petition. He had at least 3 days of work that he has
publicly acknowledged where he knew that his chief was going to be
running against him, and he did not communicate his intention to
retire.
{time} 1920
He did not communicate his intention to retire. You don't get to have
your cake and eat it, too. If you are not going to run, you don't get
to choose your successor no matter how noble the work you have done
beforehand.
[[Page H4694]]
The day after the filing deadline, once it was clear that there would
be no Democratic alternative to his chief in a D+17 seat, he announced
his retirement.
It is easy to get caught up in the culture of D.C., of political
complacency, or believing that your opponents are so broken that the
ends justify the means, but you cannot win the right to represent
people through subversion. All you do is engender distrust in the
government and apathy in the citizens of this great country.
We don't have to say that a thing is perfect to say that it is worth
fighting for. In fact, we can't truly fight for a thing if we don't
acknowledge its shortcomings.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 878. While I respect the
sponsor of this resolution and appreciate very much her work on behalf
of her constituents in southwest Washington, I cannot support this
measure.
My friend and classmate from the 116th Congress, Representative Chuy
Garcia, embodies the highest ideals of the American Dream.
Born in Mexico, Representative Garcia moved to the Little Village
neighborhood of Chicago in the 1960s and never left. After earning his
citizenship in 1977, Representative Garcia graduated from college and
began his career in public service with a community-based housing
initiative.
Since his time as a member of the Chicago City Council, the Illinois
State Senate, and Cook County Board of Commissioners, Congressman Chuy
Garcia has served his community, the Congress, and our country with
great distinction.
As it relates to the matter under consideration, in nearly every
election he has been a candidate, Representative Garcia has faced
opposition in both primary and general elections. Representative Garcia
has proven himself unafraid to campaign. He has sought other offices
and come up short.
During the filing period in Illinois, any qualified citizen and any
qualified resident of the State could have filed to challenge
Representative Garcia. In fact, Representative Garcia won a competitive
primary just last cycle.
Throughout his career in public service, Chuy Garcia has demonstrated
a broad and deep respect for his constituents. This includes his fierce
advocacy for Chicago's immigrant communities, teachers, public
employees, and the economically striving and struggling among us.
Representative Garcia is a dedicated public servant, and his record
of accomplishment is worthy of celebration.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the
resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are not here to adjudicate the character or quality
of work of what has gone before in the career of Representative Garcia.
That is not the question at hand.
No good work means that you are able to end your career with impunity
in choosing your successor. This is not who we are as a country. People
bled and died for the right to elect their own Representative.
To say that you can, at the last moment, submit at least 2,500
signatures, when your name is at the top of the list--and to the
question of legality, this is not a question of whether or not what he
did was legal. This body does not adjudicate State election law. That
is not what we are trying to do here.
We do not choose the rules in Illinois' elections. We cannot imagine
every illegal thing, every amoral thing, and make it illegal. Legality
is smaller than morality, and the question at hand is: Do we condone a
subversion of an election because it is playing by the rules?
That is not what we are here to do.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I once again remind the Members that any
one of the citizens of this district could have filed petitions. In
fact, Mr. Garcia has faced primaries before and general elections
before.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Garcia), my very good friend.
Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here, believe it or not, with a grateful heart.
Over the last several days, many of my colleagues have reached out with
kindness and understanding. I appreciate their concern for me and their
desire to keep our Caucus united.
I wasn't expecting to stand here to debate my retirement, but before
any of us are Members of Congress, we are husbands, we are
grandfathers, we are sons, we are mothers, and we are sisters. We are
regular people, but life reminds us that our jobs come second to the
people waiting for us at home.
After nearly 40 years of public service, I decided not to seek a
fifth term, and I am proud to have served with integrity and respect.
I turn 70 next spring, and I decided that it was time to dedicate
more of my time to the people who have sacrificed the most so that I
could serve: my wife of almost 50 years, my children, my grandchildren,
and the family that steadied me through victories and through
heartbreak.
When my daughter, Rosa, passed away in 2023 and left us four
beautiful young children, it shook our entire world. Overnight, our
house became a home for those kids. We did what every family does: We
stepped up. We held them close, and we gave them love and stability.
Despite dealing with multiple sclerosis, my wife, Evelyn, carried the
heaviest load as their day-to-day caregiver. Because of my wife, I was
able to keep meeting the responsibilities of my job here and in the
district.
I filed to run for Congress because this work is more important than
ever, and I wanted to deliver for my community and to be part,
hopefully, of a new House majority next year.
I followed the rules of Illinois and its election law. When the
ballot was open for anyone to file--as they had over the past 6 years
and the four times that I stood for election--and contrary to claims
that were made earlier today, I did not circulate any petitions that I
was accused of circulating. I only circulated when I filed on the first
day.
As I looked ahead, I had to be honest about what the next term would
demand and what my family needed. I saw the big picture: supporting my
wife as we manage her illness, taking better care of my own health, and
being present for the grandson that we just adopted 2 weeks ago. It was
a tough decision, but I made that choice as any husband, father, and
grandfather would make at that moment. I stood by my family values, as
we ask others to do.
Every one of us knows the pressures that come with serving here, but
I hope that none of my colleagues ever face the circumstances that my
family has faced in the last 3 years.
Meanwhile, my district and my community are under assault by our own
government, and I ask my colleagues to listen. Members may have seen
the reports, but pictures don't convey the screams of families being
separated, U.S. citizens being arrested without cause, and the
indiscriminate gassing of innocent families, including a 1-year-old
just a week ago.
{time} 1930
Families in my district are living with fear and trauma that no one
should have to endure in our country.
Last week, we returned after 54 days with the House shuttered,
including a 43-day shutdown. We returned hoping for Democratic unity.
Therefore, I was shocked to be called out in a resolution on the House
floor.
I think you would agree with me that voters don't want these
arguments in Congress. The voters want us to be working to help them
afford healthcare, rent, and childcare.
Mr. Speaker, none of us wants to spend the next year trading divisive
disapproval resolutions.
The Speaker pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Our voters do not want this either. We should
not be distracted by political ploys when our constituents want us to
stay focused and to deliver for them.
I am going to finish my term with the same love and commitment that I
brought to my first day of Congress here. When I arrived in this
country as
[[Page H4695]]
a 10-year-old, I never dreamed I would be here. I hope that we can all
agree on this: When a colleague chooses his family, that shouldn't be a
moment for division. It should be a moment for understanding and unity.
One day you might be the one making that choice, and you shouldn't have
to debate it on the House floor.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, true love persists in a confidence, not in your
supremacy in making a choice for your voters, but in your service and
humility that they have the right to choose. When we start making
choices for people without their consent, we have walked away from the
fundamentals of democracy.
I feel deeply for the sacrifice that it has taken him to serve his
community. That does not legitimatize the way in which he left his seat
and choosing a successor and refusing to be forthright with his
constituents.
Mr. Speaker, to the question of primary challenges, in both the 2020
and the 2022 election, as I have seen in reporting, Chuy Garcia carried
100 percent of the primary. That does not sound like a whole lot of a
primary challenge when you are carrying 100 percent of the votes in the
primary. That doesn't mean that he was not chosen in that, but you
can't walk away from a commitment to allowing voters a choice and a
clarity on what you are going to be doing.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), my friend.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, since 2019, I have been proud to call the
gentleman from Illinois both a colleague and a trusted friend.
During the build back better negotiations, we stood shoulder to
shoulder to defend immigrant communities when it mattered the most.
That is who Chuy Garcia is. He leads with conviction, courage, and
integrity, even when he stands alone.
Chuy Garcia came up during the era of the late and great Harold
Washington in Chicago who took down the political machine. It was Chuy
Garcia who stood next to our other colleague, Luis Gutierrez, when his
home was firebombed by two young men. His home was firebombed, and Chuy
Garcia was the person standing next to former Congressman Luis
Gutierrez.
An immigrant from Mexico and the son of a bracero, Chuy Garcia has
spent 45 years as an organizer, public servant, and a coalition builder
who never loses sight of the people he serves. He has been a steadfast
champion for dignity, equity, and justice across Chicago.
He stepped out of this race for one reason and one reason only: his
family. We often hear in these hallowed Halls of Congress the words
``family values,'' and it is often used with hypocrisy. Here we have a
person that is really standing up for his grandchild.
The Speaker pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the
gentleman from New York.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Here we have someone who is standing up for his
grandchild, for his ill wife, for his community. He is standing up for
family values, and yet he has to stand here and defend himself. His
decision to step down is very personal and his decades of service speak
for themselves.
We are grateful for his unwavering commitment to public service. At a
moment where some are working overtime to protect the wealthy and gut
healthcare for working families, we should stand together united to
defend affordable healthcare. That is the issue that we should be
talking about here tonight.
We should be standing together to talk about how we are going to lift
the least among us and make it easier for them. That is what we should
be talking about here tonight.
Nearly 20 million people are at risk of losing coverage and that
should be our priority. Chuy, myself, and Luis Correa, we call
ourselves the three amigos because we have so much in common, although
I am from New York, he is from Illinois, and Luis is from California.
The word ``amigo'' means friend. It has been lost in the journey. The
meaning of that word has been lost, and I may add maybe mutilated, but
I am here to call Chuy tonight ``my great friend''; ``mi gran amigo.''
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Vermont (Ms. Balint).
Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my colleague,
Congressman Chuy Garcia, who is my seatmate on the Judiciary Committee.
Chuy is someone who is always looking out for the working people of
this country. Chuy is always the one in committee who is thinking: How
is this going to affect the people back home in my neighborhood.
For 45 years, this man has worked relentlessly for the communities
that he serves. His steadfast dedication to community has been on full
display this year in the midst of the barbaric assaults that they have
endured in Chicago. As Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has
indiscriminately launched chemical agents in residential neighborhoods
and kidnapped people off the streets, the people of Illinois' Fourth
District have had a strong champion in Chuy Garcia, standing alongside
them every step of the way to demand justice.
That is how he fights for not just everyone in his district but for
people across this country. He is a man of principle and a man of
morals, and it is so disheartening to see his name dragged through the
mud today.
When Federal agents kidnapped staffers of a local elected official
off the streets, Chuy and his team were there demanding their release.
He goes where he needs to go to stand up for his people. Isn't that
what we all want from our elected officials?
{time} 1940
Now, I acknowledge that yes, indeed, our democracy is corrupted and
rigged against working people, but it is not because of Chuy Garcia.
Chuy has fought for working people his entire life, and he has been
fearless in voting to stand up to mega corporations that are screwing
us over and the big banks that don't give a damn about us.
I urge my colleagues to keep all of these things in mind.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Vermont.
Ms. BALINT. I want my colleagues to think about the totality of this
man's life and what he has done in service not just to Illinois but to
the people of this country. I urge my colleagues to keep this in mind.
This is not a game. It is a man's life. Please consider that as we
think about this resolution.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is certainly not a game. This is certainly not a
short strategy. It is long work to remain committed to the primacy of
Americans' right to choose their elected representatives. Nothing
validates the choice to subvert an election, not the trespasses of an
administration, not the long and noble work of a public servant, not
the valid and unknowable bitterness of a family's suffering, not
fidelity to identity politics. Nothing validates subverting an
election.
We are not here to adjudicate, as I have said, the measure of Chuy
Garcia's work or his character. The question is: Do you have the right
to choose your successor?
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 15 minutes
remaining.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove).
Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Chuy
Garcia and against this resolution. I am, in fact, appalled at the
hubris behind all of this.
If this is not a question of legality, if this is not a question of
State law, then what is it a question of?
I was in Chicago with Congressman Chuy Garcia when hearings were held
about the inhumane and barbaric
[[Page H4696]]
treatment of Chicagoans across his district and other districts by this
administration and ICE. I saw his conviction, his commitment, his love
for not just his district but the city in which he was raised and
lives.
This is a man who is a legend. He is a legend to his district, and he
is a legend in this Congress. I don't understand why we are having to
debate him. This is character assassination.
My question is this: Is this the most significant subversion that has
happened this year? We have an administration that is starving poor
children. We have an administration that is involved in unauthorized
strikes in countries around the globe. We are in the midst of fighting
for survivors by getting the Epstein files released. We are in the
fight of our lives to make sure that Americans can afford the
healthcare that they deserve. That is what we should be debating. Those
are issues that are far more pressing and critical to Americans.
I was home in my district this weekend. Not one person asked me about
Chuy Garcia, not one person in my district or in my State. We have to
worry about our own districts. Isn't that what people say, ``What is
happening in your district?'' Worry about your own district.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. I would just ask that we get back to that.
I am going to have to say this Democratic intraparty fighting is not
what any of us want, and it is not what the American people deserve. I
would hope that we would get back to focusing on the issues that are
most critical. If any of us have an issue with what is going on in
somebody else's district, we should have the decency and respect to go
to them and ask them about what is going on in their district before we
do all of this kind of character assassination on this House floor.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, there is a famous saying in Baptist circles: ``If you
don't kill your sin, your sin will kill you.'' Nobody wants to see
anybody get hurt, but there are natural consequences, and the
consequences of subverting an election and choosing your successor are
a slide toward a very ugly future for our country.
There is an argument that has been made that they don't know about it
so it is not wrong. That is not true. That is not true. We know about
it. We know about it, and that can place on us an accountability, not
just when it is politically convenient to condemn someone but when it
is in your own family. That is the point.
That is the point, that when there is a spade, you call it a spade,
whether it hurts or not. You have to have confidence that Americans
will make the choice for themselves. That is the whole point of this
experiment in democracy.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Oregon (Ms. Salinas).
Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my friend and
colleague, Congressman Garcia.
Over the past 3-plus years, I have had the pleasure of working with
Chuy Garcia. I have known him to be a dedicated public servant
committed to serving his community and his country. Day in and day out,
he has shown up for his constituents and for the American people.
I contrast this with Speaker Johnson, who, for the last month and a
half, kept the House out of session, stopped this body from working on
behalf of the people who sent us here, and manufactured a healthcare
crisis.
We just ended the Republicans' government shutdown, and this is our
first order of business? We need to get back to work to address the
issues impacting the American people. We should be united in addressing
the Republicans' looming healthcare crisis and the rising cost of
living.
This debate does nothing to lower costs for people in Oregon or
across this country. This is a debate that should be held by
Congressman Garcia's constituents, not by Members of Congress who do
not represent them.
We have more important work to do than to express displeasure at a
Member of Congress who has spent his entire life serving the people of
Illinois and people across this country.
Now, please, let's get back to the real work on behalf of the
American people. I urge my colleagues to reject this reprimand.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The point is well made that Americans are suffering. A nonpayment of
utility bills, people having their cars repossessed, people losing
their businesses, people going without meals, that is in my community,
and that is real. We do not dutifully serve the long work of building a
self-determining country by turning our constituents into petitioners
who would only demand free things from us, a relief from this pressure
of the consolidation of corporate power. No, we also have to stand
before them with honor, confidence, and respect in their ability to
choose their elected representatives for themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
{time} 1950
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to stand here today to
talk about one of the most important leaders in the city of Chicago for
many, many years, helping person after person, making sure that his
community and our communities have been safe, to stand up and fight for
the people of the city of Chicago, a city that my colleague does not
really understand the kind of faith that they have in Chuy Garcia all
of these years.
For someone who doesn't know about the city of Chicago and the role
that he has played and to find some outside idea that he has somehow
cheated the city of Chicago or the people of the city of Chicago--are
you kidding?
There has not been one single person that has stood up in Chicago and
said that there should be some sort of punishment for our great friend.
I mean, he has been there every day of the year helping people, every
day of the most recent years helping people because we know that people
have been in Chicago trying to take away people's lives, taking them
out of the country, people who are fine, wonderful people in the city
of Chicago.
I say: Shame on you for deciding that this is the issue that you, who
have no idea about the role that Chuy Garcia has played in the city of
Chicago and continues to play in the city of Chicago, will take on.
This should be diminished right now.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their
comments to the Chair.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, there are claims that this is not the work
that we were sent here to do. Then what gives us the right to be here
if not being sent here? There is a premise here. We have to be endowed
with trust, and that has to be reciprocal with our voters.
I would argue that there is a very loud demand, a fervent, clear call
by Americans right now for accountability and transparency, and it is
not just about the Epstein files. It is all of it. They want us to stop
this fight and be honest, deliberate, and respectful, to humbly serve.
That is what real leadership is. It is humility and service, not
choosing for them what would be best for them.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), my good friend.
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong defense
of the great character of a loving friend, father, husband, and
brother, Congressman Chuy Garcia.
My friends, there are moments in the Nation's history when a single
life stands up and declares without arrogance and without apology that
freedom must mean something for everybody or it means nothing at all.
Congressman Chuy Garcia is such a man. He is, in every profound and
dangerous sense, a freedom fighter. Not in the fashion of myth or
marble, but the kind born of neighborhoods where
[[Page H4697]]
dreams have been bruised and people still need to rise. Yet, people
still rise because of a Congressman like Chuy Garcia, the kind who
understands that the struggle for human dignity is never finished and
never optional.
Chuy Garcia's life is stitched together with the same thread that
carried our greatest fighters forward, the belief that one does not
have to accept the world as it is, but he glimpses into what the world
ought to be. That is leadership.
Leadership is not a performance. It is not a posture. It is a way of
standing with the vulnerable, a way of insisting that compassion is not
weakness, that justice is not a luxury, and that democracy is not a
spectator sport but a lifelong calling.
Beside me is a picture that warmed my heart from childhood. This is
Congressman Chuy Garcia then campaigning with the great Harold
Washington, the former Congressman from the First Congressional
District.
Chuy brought the African American and Mexican communities together.
There was a time--before the word Hispanic was created--we knew Chuy as
a Mexican American. Chuy walked hand in hand with us in Chicago. In
1997, while he was the State senator serving alongside then Senator
Barack Obama, Chuy Garcia was the chair of the Black Caucus of the
Illinois State Senate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. He has walked arm in arm with the African-
American community, not as a visitor, not as a distant ally, but as a
brother in the same long struggle for liberation. He understands that
the battles of the South Side echo the battles of Little Village, that
the pain of displacement, disenfranchisement, and dismissal does not
respect ethnic boundaries, and that our triumphs, when we dare to claim
them together, can shake the foundation of this Nation. He has marched
with us, organized with us, fought alongside us because he knows that
our destinies are intertwined.
Today, let us honor the courage of a man who has refused to be cowed,
refused to bow to power, or be silenced by cynicism; a man who reminds
us that to lead is not simply to occupy an office but to carry a
people; a man who teaches us that loyalty to the truth, to the
community, to the least among us is the highest form of patriotism.
Let Chuy Garcia's examples lead us out of our complacency and to a
greater level of integrity and to a higher calling. Let this unyielding
spirit remind us that America becomes America only when ordinary people
dare to demand the extraordinary.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez).
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by clarifying something
that was said on the Record. The sponsor of the resolution is stating
that Chuy Garcia has won his primaries with 100 percent of the vote.
All you have to do is go to the board of elections or BallotReady and
recognize that in 2024, in his last election, his opponent got 30
percent of the vote. I want to make sure that facts matter here, and
when there is misinformation, I wanted to clarify that.
Let me go ahead and say at a moment when so many Members of Congress
have conceded their power to Donald Trump, voting rights are on the
line, super-PACs continue to buy congressional seats, and the
representation of Black and Brown working families is threatened, this
resolution is nothing more than a cheap political stunt pulled from the
playbook of some of my Republican colleagues.
Do you want proof? Some of the ones that have been suppressing the
most votes have been clapping every time she speaks. It is a do-nothing
resolution that targets a leader who has been holding the line in
defense of democracy, someone who is not beholden to super-PACs, like
foreign lobbies or Big Oil, like the American Petroleum Institute. He
is someone who has voted against bills like the SAVE Act, which
endangers the voting rights of women in our country. He is someone who
voted against the Laken Riley Act, which allows the persecution and
racial profiling of Latinos by ICE agents. He is someone who voted
against the recent Republican continuing resolution, which did not
protect affordable healthcare and provided a slush fund for Senators
investigated for their role in the insurrection.
Chuy Garcia has stood his ground for working families and our
democracy in moments when others have not, including the sponsor of
this resolution of disapproval, who has opened the doors to
authoritarianism by the way she votes.
You don't have to agree with how the events of his decision to step
down unfolded to recognize that this resolution is misguided and
disingenuous.
Disapproving of his actions while you allow big money in politics,
outside spending in elections, and rampant corruption to go
unchallenged or uninterrupted is the height of hypocrisy.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 4 minutes
remaining.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Illinois.
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, while we need to hold each other to high
standards--we do--we also need to reform a system that too often makes
it nearly impossible to ensure working people like Chuy Garcia, like
me, and so many others here, are well represented in the face of
moneyed interests set on their destruction.
I invite you today to vote ``no'' on this performative, bad-
intentioned resolution, and join me in getting dark money out of
politics, protecting and expanding voting rights in America, and
fighting for authentic representation of all our communities. Vote
``no.''
{time} 2000
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, while there are many ways to litigate many of
the votes, the question at hand is: What gives my colleague the right
to represent a community? It is the choice of his voters. Nothing gives
him the right to choose his successor.
We cannot walk down this path. When we stand and say that everything
around us is bad, it risks us conforming to that wrongness and
orienting our policy around it.
This is a false choice to say that I can either attack here or I can
attack here. We can pursue wherever we disagree. We also have to call a
spade a spade, and that is what this is about. This is about
accountability.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in the debate, I deeply respect
the sponsor of this resolution. We are fellow appropriators, and I
observe firsthand the energy and commitment she brings to serving the
people of southwest Washington.
This resolution is wrong. It shouldn't be before us. The House has so
much work we need to do. We need to address the affordability crisis in
America, save healthcare, and fight the cost of the actual corruption
happening on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Let's get back to
work.
I commend my dear friend, Representative Garcia, for his long and
distinguished tenure in public life and as a devoted public servant. I
wish him and his family the very best as they begin the next chapter of
their lives.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this ill-conceived
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, we are not called to do anything more than walk with
humility, to love justice, and to work diligently. Chuy has worked
diligently. Nothing in that legitimizes the choice to choose a
successor or to support gathering over 2,500 signatures. It does not
legitimize waiting for days when he knew that he was not going to run
for reelection and ensuring that his chief of staff would be his
successor.
That is not the path our country can stand on. A country that refuses
to acknowledge wrongdoing when it happens has got bad things in store
for it. I humbly ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
[[Page H4698]]
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harrigan). The question is on adoption
of the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________