[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 30, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4350-H4353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING PRIDE MONTH

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Takano 
of California was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the 
minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to submit extraneous material into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the conclusion of 
Pride Month.
  Pride is, and always has been, a protest. From the Stonewall Uprising 
to the neighborhood parades, Pride is about both standing up for 
equality and celebrating our authentic selves.
  When we celebrate Pride, we make a demand. We demand the right to 
live and love openly. We demand to be treated equally and fairly under 
the law. We demand dignity. First and foremost, we demand equality.
  This Congress, under Republican control, the House of Representatives 
has taken more than 20 votes to attack the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans 
and particularly the rights of transgender Americans. Even after all 
those votes, not one major anti-LGBTQI+ piece of legislation has become 
law.
  Members of the Congressional Equality Caucus have fought hard to 
fight back against all these attacks. Thanks to our work, we were able 
to remove every new anti-LGBTQI+ rider from the government funding 
bills for fiscal year 2026. House Republicans tried to add dozens of 
these new riders, and we were able to defeat every one. We plan to do 
it again for fiscal year 2027, but the Trump administration's 
relentlessness has still had countless terrible impacts on our 
community.
  Under Donald Trump, transgender Americans' access to healthcare is 
under direct attack. The arms of the Federal Government tasked with 
enforcing America's rights, like the EEOC, are being sabotaged and 
forced to target the rights of the very Americans they are meant to 
protect.
  Transgender servicemembers are being carelessly kicked out of the 
military without regard for their merits and accomplishments or the 
military's operational security. Critical funding and research to 
combat the HIV and AIDS epidemics are being recklessly cut, and so much 
more.
  Mr. Speaker, to the LGBTQI+ people watching right now, know that we 
are still fighting for you. As chair of the Congressional Equality 
Caucus, I assure the American people that my colleagues and I are 
fighting back against these attacks at every turn in Congress.
  We are conducting oversight of Trump administration officials and 
demanding accountability from those who violate LGBTQI+ Americans' 
rights.
  As we close out Pride Month, I stand with our allies across the 
country in reminding LGBTQI+ people that we are fighting for you. We 
will not give up until every person is fully free to be themselves 
without fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence.
  I wish all of you a happy Pride.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. 
Randall), my colleague and co-chair of the Congressional Equality 
Caucus.
  Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Pride Month 
ending today for most of the country, but still ongoing in our great 
State of Washington, where we just can't get enough.
  I am also rising today to honor the resolution that I introduced 
alongside Representative Green, a longtime champion for LGBTQ equality.
  LGBTQ people have been dutifully serving in our military for decades. 
We are your neighbors. We are your elected officials, teachers, 
mentors, and friends. Despite Republicans' unrelenting attempts to 
erase queer and trans people from our history books, from our public 
spaces, and from our military, LGBTQ Americans are standing strong in 
our truth.
  That is the beauty of Pride Month and why I am so proud to introduce 
this resolution today to honor the many contributions of LGBTQ 
Americans to our country, contributions which are outlined in this 
resolution, so that no matter what attacks come on our government 
websites and in agencies across the executive branch, we will still 
have the story of so many brave LGBTQ leaders.
  Who knows when the majority party will be organized enough to move 
the NDAA through the House, but we know when it does come, it will come 
with several anti-LGBTQ amendments that have absolutely no business 
being attached to the overall package.
  Our Republican colleagues talk a lot about protecting our freedoms 
yet spend so much time trying to strip freedoms away from LGBTQ 
Americans, like the freedom to access healthcare by stripping TRICARE 
coverage for medically necessary, lifesaving care for trans people, and 
even taking away mental health coverage from trans kids and the freedom 
to

[[Page H4351]]

serve our country by moving to codify Trump's ban on trans 
servicemembers.
  There are thousands of trans people who are willing to die to protect 
our country, but Trump, Vance, Hegseth, and House Republicans want to 
ban them from serving, or even the freedom for kids to participate in 
sports without being subjected to invasive and traumatizing exams to 
determine their gender before they can put on a jersey.

                              {time}  1820

  I would like to see some of my colleagues experience what a 
transvaginal ultrasound feels like. For a kid who is a survivor of 
sexual assault or trauma, or even one who is not, it is incredibly 
painful and traumatizing.
  These actions are all part of a larger pattern we are seeing at the 
State level, across the country, by this administration, by House and 
Senate GOP leadership, and even by our activist Supreme Court, to 
attack and villainize LGBTQ Americans.
  I want to be clear. The NDAA amendments do absolutely nothing to 
strengthen our military readiness or improve the lives of everyday 
Americans. Like everyone else, LGBTQ people want to afford childcare 
and housing, and have access to healthcare, and be able to contribute 
to an economy that works for all of us.
  I look forward to a day where Members of Congress drop this bizarre 
and personal vendetta against queer and trans people and get back to 
working on real issues: to lower costs, ensure we all have healthcare 
and housing and childcare, and make America the country we know it can 
be.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Wasserman Schultz), vice chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, as we close out Pride Month, I am proud to join my 
Equality Caucus colleagues this evening in standing up for the LGBTQ+ 
community and recognizing their invaluable contributions to our Nation.
  My south Florida district is home to one of the most diverse and 
vibrant LGBTQ+ communities in the entire country. It is a privilege to 
fight for them every single day here in Washington and push back 
against the heinous smear campaign driven by extremist, rightwing, 
culture warriors.
  Unfortunately, Florida is a national staging ground to roll back the 
rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community. From the repulsive ``Don't 
Say Gay'' law, to some of the more vicious trans attacks, Florida is 
ground zero for hate.
  It hasn't stopped. Earlier this year, funding for the AIDS Drug 
Assistance Program, or ADAP, which assists low-income Floridians living 
with HIV and AIDS to afford their medication and insurance premiums, 
was slashed.
  Over 12,000 Floridians braced themselves to be kicked off of this 
lifesaving program.
  I proudly led all of my Florida Democratic colleagues in demanding 
the Governor and the Department of Health and Human Services reverse 
these changes, and many organizations and leaders rallied to restore 
this vital funding as well.
  Thankfully, it brought some relief. The Federal Government 
established a temporary special enrollment period for Florida ADAP 
patients to switch health plans.
  Last month, Florida lawmakers averted these disastrous ADAP cuts in 
its fiscal year 2027 budget.
  Let me be clear. This was an entirely preventable crisis created by 
Governor DeSantis to harm Florida's LGBTQ+ community. It is an utter 
disgrace, and I will always call it out.
  I am proud to be a founding member and vice chair of the Equality 
Caucus and an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, to expand the 
Civil Rights Act, to ban discrimination based on sex, sexual 
orientation, and gender identity.
  These attacks are relentless. As a senior House appropriator, I will 
always lead the charge against hateful, anti-LGBTQ+ policies and riders 
that peddle hate and do nothing to make life more affordable for 
Americans.
  As ranking member of the Appropriations Committee Military 
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I 
was able to end the ban on Pride flags from flying at VA facilities.
  Several weeks ago, Republicans advanced a partisan Labor-H funding 
bill out of the House Appropriations Committee that decimates domestic 
HIV and AIDS research and prevention programs across the Federal 
Government.
  It even eliminates funding for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative 
championed by President Trump himself in his first term.
  This callous indifference shown by my Republican colleagues is 
astonishing, and that is why we must relentlessly fight the never-
ending hate because it has no place in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, thanks to brave freedom fighters, LGBTQ+ rights have 
come a long way. It was only 11 years ago that the Supreme Court upheld 
the constitutional right to marriage equality for same-sex couples. 
Yet, now, almost a decade later, insidious and hateful forces try to 
chip away at this and other landmark gains made by gay, lesbian, and 
transgender individuals, but we won't let them take us back.
  Instead, we will recommit ourselves to building a future and a 
country that is welcoming, inclusive, and treats everyone, regardless 
of sexual orientation or gender identity, with the respect that they 
rightfully deserve.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman from Florida for 
her wonderful remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. 
Moore).
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the last day of Pride 
Month as more than an LGBTQI ally. I am an accomplice. I am an enabler, 
because I want to enable people to be cradled by the e pluribus unum, 
to be embraced by our American values of freedom, liberty, and 
equality. I want to advocate for people to bring their authentic selves 
to our roundtable of a more perfect Union. I want people to stand in 
the glow of our enlightenment after 250 years of this Nation being a 
democracy.
  Despite the sadistic efforts that have been made in this Congress to 
diminish and limit LGBTQI people, every single appropriation bill 
riddled with insults and humiliation, none of them have come to 
fruition. None of them have become law.
  Why is that? That is because this is America, y'all. It is because we 
hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. It 
is a standard that we have lived by throughout this constitutional 
democracy. Let me tell you, after everything we have been through, the 
flag still stands.

  Mr. TAKANO. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, thank you and happy Pride to 
you.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Takano for yielding 
and for bringing us together for this Special Order hour.
  Mr. Speaker, this Pride Month we are at a pivotal moment, a moment 
that demands our attention, outrage, and, yes, action.
  Across the country, we are witnessing a barrage of dangerous 
policies, executive actions, hateful legislation, and vile rhetoric, 
all designed to strip away rights, sow fear, and erase hard-fought 
progress.
  This administration and its supporters have continued a calculated 
and relentless strategy to erase, stigmatize, and endanger LGBTQ+ 
people, especially trans youth.
  Today, the Supreme Court issued an incredibly disappointing ruling, 
upholding discriminatory anti-transgender sports bans in West Virginia 
and Idaho.
  This decision is dehumanizing and has nothing to do with fairness or 
safety in sports. Trans kids deserve to have access to the same 
opportunities as their peers. Trans kids deserve to feel like they 
belong. When recognition of existence is pulled back, people cannot 
love freely, and histories are erased, our country is worse off.
  Kids trying to live safely and authentically are not a threat. 
Transgender servicemembers deserve to serve openly. Families seeking 
care and support are not political pawns. The providers committed to do 
no harm are not extremists.
  I stand with the LGBTQ+ community in my district and across our great 
Nation. I will fight any actions that limit their right to live safely, 
freely, and fully as oneself.
  Pride is more than a celebration. It is a declaration, a declaration 
of resilience and a reminder of the power of

[[Page H4352]]

community. Pride reminds us that joy itself is an act of resistance. 
Pride is about visibility, solidarity, and, yes, the unapologetic truth 
that LGBTQ+ people belong, belong everywhere, always.

                              {time}  1830

  This Pride Month and every day onward, we must recommit to standing 
against these attacks and ensuring that freedom, justice, and equal 
opportunity are guaranteed to all--to all people under the law.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Tonko. Happy pride.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. 
Stansbury), my colleague from the Land of Enchantment.
  Ms. STANSBURY. Happy pride, everyone.
  Today, we rise to celebrate Pride Month in LGBTQ+ communities all 
across New Mexico and the country. To every member of the LGBTQ+ 
community, you are seen, you are loved, and you make this world 
brighter. We celebrate you not just in June, but all year round because 
pride is every day.
  Now, we know it is difficult times: from the relentless attacks on 
the LGBTQ+ and especially trans communities; from the Trump 
administration's attacks on our military, veterans, and history itself; 
to the GOP's relentless and callous attacks on this floor; to the 
Supreme Court's undermining of the basic civil rights of the LGBTQ+ 
community.
  Our communities are living in fear, uncertain of what comes next. 
Many have seen this story before: Parents who are scared for their 
children, elders who lived through the AIDS epidemic, and so many who 
grew up in places and spaces where their lives were criminalized, where 
they lived in danger, and where they could not live as their full and 
authentic selves.
  In fact, we almost lost an entire generation because of antiLGBTQ+ 
policies in the 1980s, and I want to be clear that we are not going 
back. I am here to stand with the community and fight for them every 
single day, whether that is at the local, the national, or the State 
level. I want them to know that in the Equality Caucus, we have got 
their back, and we want them to be able to continue to live their lives 
out loud as their authentic selves.
  I am going to continue to push for legislation to protect them, 
regardless of where they live. I am going to continue to fight to pass 
the Equality Act. I know that this is a matter of life or death for so 
many out there, but I also know that we cannot do it alone. What I need 
is for all of them to continue to show up, to speak out, and to live 
their lives unapologetically--continue to celebrate, continue to live 
openly, love openly, build community, and imagine that future, because 
creating queer spaces and queer joy is an act of resistance. You just 
being here on this planet and being your bad self is also an act of 
resistance.
  Please, continue to show up. Know that your life, your existence 
matters. Your light matters, and your fight matters.
  I am here to celebrate them and to wish them happy pride.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Stansbury. Happy 
pride.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Bell), my 
colleague from the Show Me State and my good friend.
  Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the LGBTQ 
community as we close out a truly special month of celebration and joy.
  This past weekend, I had an amazing time walking in the St. Louis 
Pride Parade. It was hot outside, but the energy and the feeling of 
community was palpable.
  To me, that is what this administration fails to see: A community--a 
community rooted in love, understanding, and acceptance. Instead of 
supporting our fellow LGBTQ Americans, this administration has chosen 
to turn them into targets--targets of hate, targets of bigotry, targets 
of cruel and deliberate policies to erase them and their history.
  I have a promise for my LGBTQ friends and family: I will always stand 
with you. I will always stand for you.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Bell. Happy pride.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank a group of people who have been on 
the front lines of the fight for LGBTQI+ equality: the litigators who 
are challenging this administration's antiLGBTQI+ policies and, more 
broadly, fighting to protect our rights, the rights of all Americans.
  Over the past 1.5 years, these litigators have filed dozens of 
lawsuits to both protect LGBTQI+ rights and block the Trump 
administration's antiequality efforts.
  When President Trump reinstituted the trans military ban, litigators 
jumped into action and fought for our Nation's transgender 
servicemembers.
  When the Department of Health and Human Services wiped critical 
public health data from Federal websites for simply mentioning LGBTQI+ 
people, a lawsuit forced the Department to restore these web pages.
  As the administration has targeted trans people's access to medically 
necessary care, litigators have filed lawsuit after lawsuit responding 
to each attack.
  Litigators are standing up for our community--from local district 
courts to the Supreme Court. Pride is a protest, and there are few 
forms of protest that are more powerful or with more direct impact than 
challenging discriminatory policies in court. Many of these 
organizations leading these efforts are operating with less resources 
than the last Trump administration, yet dealing with an even higher 
volume of attacks.
  Behind every complaint filed and every win, our teams of litigators 
and support staff are working countless hours to defend our rights. I 
must say, when I say, ``our rights,'' I mean our rights as Americans, 
because LGBTQI+ rights are American rights.
  As I stand before this body, I extend my gratitude and the gratitude 
of the entire Congressional Equality Caucus to the teams of litigators 
who are fighting so hard to defend our community in courts across this 
Nation. To all of those litigators and their support staffs, I say to 
them on this final day of Pride Month, happy pride. I thank them for 
their great work.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Grijalva), my 
friend and colleague.
  Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Congressman Takano, 
for hosting this Pride Month Special Order hour.
  For generations, LGBTQ+ people have been at the forefront of a fight 
for a more just inclusive future. This month, we honor the resilience, 
courage, and determination of a community that has never stopped 
organizing, speaking out, and demanding equality.
  As a proud ally and a mom, I know that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is 
connected to so many of the challenges we face today: from reproductive 
freedom, to healthcare access, to housing, education, and the right to 
live openly and authentically.
  Pride reminds us that progress doesn't come from the top down. It 
isn't handed to us by billionaires or corporations. It is one when 
ordinary people come together, build coalitions together, and refuse to 
accept injustice. That work is not over.
  Just this morning, on the last day of pride, the Supreme Court ruled 
to allow States to ban trans kids from playing in school sports. 
Really? I think they are worried about the wrong 0.1 percent in this 
country.
  To the queer youth and trans kids and their families across the 
Nation, I know these are scary times, but you are not alone.
  As Republicans continue to scapegoat queer people, especially 
transgender youth and their families, we must meet this moment with 
courage. We have got to organize, speak truth to power, and keep 
building a movement rooted in justice and equity.
  Let us never forget that pride is a protest, but it is also our 
power, and together we will keep fighting for a future where everyone 
can live with dignity and freedom.
  Happy pride.

                              {time}  1840

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Adelita Grijalva for 
her remarks and wish a happy Pride to her and all the people of the 
great State of Arizona.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to send a message directly to the transgender 
community in America, and here is what I have to say: You are not 
alone.
  I know it is easy to feel like there is no one left in Washington who 
is willing to stand up for you, but that is not

[[Page H4353]]

true. Every day, my colleagues and I in the Congressional Equality 
Caucus, which is over 190 strong, are fighting for you.
  I know it is hard right now, but you are not alone. Even with all the 
antitrans attacks coming from this Chamber, my colleagues in the 
Equality Caucus and I have been successful in blocking the worst of the 
worst from becoming law.
  We successfully blocked every antitransgender rider in the fiscal 
year 2026 government funding bills from becoming law. Not a single bill 
exclusively focused on attacking our rights has made it to the 
President's desk in this Congress.
  We are still fighting for a brighter tomorrow, and I hope you are, 
too.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say that it has been my profound honor to 
celebrate the LGBTQI+ community and honor the conclusion of Pride Month 
with my colleagues here tonight.
  Pride began as a protest, as a demand--a demand for equal dignity, 
equal treatment, and equal justice for LGBTQI+ people. As we continue 
our fight for the rights of LGBTQI+ people here and in the Halls of 
Congress, that spirit is what drives us.
  To every American watching tonight, I want you to know that we will 
never give up. We will never stop fighting for equality.
  To you all, to every American across this country, from Maine to 
Hawaii to the territories, I say happy Pride.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________