[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 196 (Thursday, November 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            GENOCIDE IN GAZA

  (Ms. Dexter of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I visited the United 
States Holocaust Memorial Museum with my daughter. I had been before, 
but the timing of this visit was very intentional. I went to reflect on 
the horrific history of dehumanization and ethnic cleansing that 
ultimately led the world to create a new term to describe such an 
unfathomable evil. That word is ``genocide.''
  During the Holocaust, 6 million Jewish people, 60 percent of those 
present in Europe, were brutally targeted, dehumanized, and 
systematically murdered. It is a crime that people, communities, and 
nations were aware of yet did little to nothing to stop the atrocities 
until it was far too late.
  After the Holocaust, the international community made a commitment 
that such evil can never happen again to any people anywhere. ``Never 
again,'' they said.
  That is why I recently signed on to a resolution recognizing Israel's 
actions in Gaza led by the Netanyahu government as a genocide. I joined 
this resolution with a heavy heart. I understand the pain and the 
history of the word, and I signed on with the utmost respect for the 
Jewish people, especially those in my community who may feel abandoned 
or deeply harmed by my action.

  I will also be crystal clear that my criticizing the policies and 
actions of the Netanyahu government does not detract from my steadfast 
opposition to anti-Semitism and my persistent support for our Jewish 
neighbors.
  Many in this body have been reticent to call out the mass suffering, 
ethnic cleansing, and war crimes taking place in Gaza. I will not 
willingly continue to be part of that complicity.
  As a United States Representative, my job is to stand up against the 
power and our resources of this country being used in such ways.
  I am a physician. I am a mother. I believe in the sanctity, the 
universal worth, of human life. That belief does not change based on 
who you are or where you live.
  Each of our lives has innate, incalculable value. Our shared humanity 
must be recognized and preserved, or we run the risk of rationalizing 
and accepting acts of cruelty.
  This principle, that we share an accountability to stand up against 
dehumanization, cruelty, and marginalization across our communities, 
should be universal, but it is not.
  It is my duty as an elected leader in the most powerful country on 
Earth to stand up for those most marginalized if I stand for anything 
at all.
  It is foundational to how I chose to represent my community and how I 
will continue to represent my community in Congress.
  History has and will continue to judge this body, not just for what 
it did but for what it failed to do.
  Our children are watching. As parents, we know this to be true. As 
elected leaders, we cannot look away as they look on. We have an 
implicit accountability to the children of this Nation, to show them 
with our actions that we hold ourselves to a standard worthy of their 
respect.
  I want my children to live in a country where our leaders can be 
relied upon to lead with courage, empathy, and moral clarity.
  I urge every Oregonian watching to hold me accountable in a shared, 
unshakable belief in the sanctity of human life. We are our brother's 
keeper. I will do all I can to protect and defend each person's right 
to freedom, safety, and self-determination.

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