[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8367-8368]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CREATING A BETTER NATION FOR MY NEW GRANDCHILD AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cardenas) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, Norma and I became 
grandparents. Our daughter, Vanessa--with our son-in-law, Brian, 
present--delivered a healthy baby boy, full of life and full of 
possibilities. His name is Joaquin Cruz de la Rosa.
  From the moment I first learned I would soon be a grandfather, I was 
excited to welcome our grandson into this great world. I am grateful 
that Joaquin was born in the greatest nation in the history of time, 
these United States of America, a country that strives to live the 
principles of hard work, persistence, and equality. He was born to a 
nation of native Americans and immigrants whose foundation and future 
relies on the grit and determination of millions of people who will 
persist so their family can achieve that American Dream.
  We were elected to the House of Representatives to serve all of our 
constituents and put our country first. Joaquin's arrival has 
encouraged me to reflect on what we do here. He has made me think about 
how Congress' words, actions, and obstructions are affecting the 
livelihood of all Americans.
  I want Joaquin to live in a nation where his right to love whomever 
he chooses and to marry the person he falls in love with, regardless of 
gender, is respected. I am grateful that he was born healthy and in a 
safe, clean hospital full of skilled doctors, nurses, and technicians.
  I am also grateful Vanessa and Joaquin Cruz received top notch health 
care, care that until recently was out of reach for many families. The 
Affordable Care Act has allowed countless pregnant women and newborn 
infants to see a doctor without risking bankruptcy. This sets them on 
the path of a healthy, productive life here in America. Now that 20 
million more Americans have true access to health care, Congress must 
stop the efforts to repeal the healthcare law. Instead, we must come 
together to make sure we expand access, ensure the marketplace is 
working, and keep health care affordable for all Americans in this 
great country.
  Every Member of Congress has a responsibility to the next generation 
and the one after that. We are responsible for their future. We face a 
short 12-week session in this 114th Congress.
  What will we accomplish during this time? Will we vote on partisan 
bills that will go nowhere? Or will we face the challenges affecting 
our Nation and the world? Or will we, once and for all, think of the 
children and ensure future generations inherit a nation that remains 
the global leader, full of opportunities?
  We hold the power to make things better for our kids and grandkids. 
For my grandson, and all grandchildren, I will fight for a future where 
a quality education doesn't put students and families into 6-figure 
debt. Every child deserves a world-class education that provides them 
with the knowledge and skills to achieve their dreams and uphold our 
place as a global leader in innovation.
  For my grandson and grandchildren of his generation, I will continue 
to be a vocal advocate on the need to create a just and equal criminal 
and juvenile justice system that is worthy of our Nation. We spend 
$12,000 to educate a child in America, but we are willing to spend more 
than $150,000 to imprison that child for 1 year. And yet every year 
funding for education ends up on the chopping block.
  How can we justify that?
  My grandson was born into a great country, but sometimes, Mr. 
Speaker, this Congress does not live up to the potential that this 
Nation deserves. A child in the United States is less likely to die 
from a disease than from a gunshot. We are better than that, Mr.

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Speaker. It is our responsibility to address this reality.
  We must work together for my grandson and all the children of his 
generation to make sure our parks are greener, our air is cleaner, to 
cure the sickness that is taking our climate, to make sure that a 
father or mother, no matter what their economic circumstances, does not 
have to worry that their child's bathwater is poisoned. This is our 
job.
  It is our job to be leaders, and I will work with my colleagues every 
day to live up to what our grandchildren deserve. Far too often I hear 
elected officials spew the same line: ``We are mortgaging our 
children's future.'' Our parents and grandparents invested in our 
Nation, and we have reaped those benefits. It is time that we do the 
same for future generations.
  That is what has made us the greatest economy in the world: investing 
in our roads and bridges, investing in schools and hospitals, in 
forward-thinking legislation that will serve others for generations to 
come. Now more than ever, I understand just how important it is that we 
work together and create solutions so that our children will live a 
better life.

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