What Jahana Hayes said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to oppose H.R. 6047. For years, I have worked with Gold Star families to address the overdue need to increase benefits for surviving spouses of servicemembers and veterans who have given their lives in service to the United States of America.”

“Mr. Chair, today we are considering a farm bill that fails to meet the needs of families and farmers across the country. We heard several times in the opening reference that this farm bill meets the needs of rural America, but a farm bill should meet the needs of all Americans.”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which is based on the bipartisan TREES Act. The Forest Service has long supported urban and community forestry, especially since a single tree can reduce energy costs of homes by 8 to 12 percent.”

“Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. USDA technical assistance for rural water systems is key to maintaining their safety and effectiveness. This is a commonsense approach to governance that would ensure that the Circuit Rider program would be available to rural communities that rely on it during government shutdowns.”

“Mr. Chair, while I agree with the premise of this amendment, I am not interested in picking winners and losers. The Hot Foods Act addresses this issue the right way by ensuring that all foods that are hot at the point of sale can be purchased with SNAP benefits, including not just precooked rotisserie chicken, but hot sandwiches, soups, and much more.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Adams for her remarks. As she noted, I was a classroom teacher for over 15 years. I know exactly how important these resources and supports are.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Oregon for her support. To the gentlewoman's point, the IDEA has never been fully funded as the Federal Government promised. In the State of Oregon, they received $162 million in 2025, which is just a fraction of what it costs to educate students with special needs.”

“Mr. Speaker, as our colleague on the committee from Oregon makes her way to the podium, I will just read an excerpt from an email that I got from a parent in my district: As a special needs mom, the current news of the cuts happening in the special education department are frightening to me.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Brown. I think she knows I will always fight for RJ and all the kids like him. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona and the newest member of our committee, Representative Grijalva.”

“Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say as a teacher, when students with disabilities enter public schools, they can't be turned away. You have to figure out what their needs are.”

“Yes. Many employees were RIF'd at the Department of Education. I think even more concerning is the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education, the number of staff who were fired.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks. I will say that I am uniquely positioned to speak about some of the things that were brought up about what happened to children before IDEA was passed.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California and again thank her for cosponsoring that piece of legislation with me. I understand that if a child can't see the board, they can't learn.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Joyce Reid-Coleman, who passed away on December 15 after a courageous battle with cancer. Poochie, as she was affectionately known, was beloved by the community.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, a teacher, and a parent to lead this Special Order hour on the systemic dismantling of the Department of Education.”

“Education does not handle school curriculum, instruction, or instructional materials. Those decisions have been and will remain at the local level. What the Department does is support title I districts and low-income communities that rely on Federal funding.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the ranking member of the full committee, for that history lesson. It is really important to understand what all of this means.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California and comment that the gentleman is exactly right. If this administration or Secretary McMahon have a different vision for the Department of Education, then they need to come before Congress and lay that out.”

“I will. Well, for many school districts, as the student population gets larger and they are dealing with all of the issues that kids come to school with, we have to make sure that kids are on green and ready to learn.”

“In many districts, they are always struggling just to catch up. In title I low-income districts, they are always--they are always at a disadvantage. So the answer is not to disinvest.”

“Well, I just think about my district, and while my State of Connecticut got approximately $170 billion from the Federal Government for special education services for students, there is no way a State can backfill those gaps without support from the Federal Government.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as this Sunday marks the 13th anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. On December 14, 2012, a senseless act of gun violence claimed the lives of 20 innocent children and 6 selfless educators.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today against the Republican reconciliation bill, which would put 42 million Americans at risk of losing their SNAP benefits. These policies are untested, dangerous, and arbitrary.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today against this House Republican reconciliation bill that would put 42 million Americans at risk of losing their SNAP benefits. I would argue that my State of Connecticut that sends more money to the Federal Government than Indiana already has skin in the game.”

“Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. It is very important for people to understand what calls for the closure of the Department of Education would mean to local communities.”

“Department more efficient or more effective that isn't happening here in Congress. That isn't happening in the committees of jurisdiction. I don't understand how my colleagues are giving away all of our congressional authority to make sure that the children in our communities are protected.”

“Mr. Speaker, last week, the President of the United States signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Instead of reaffirming the integrity of the Department of Education or pursuing real plans to explain to parents how services will continue, House Republicans are again fixated on appliances.”

“Mr. Speaker, in recognition of National Nutrition Month, I introduced the Feed Hungry Veterans Act, legislation to permanently remove barriers to SNAP often faced by veterans with work-limiting disabilities.”

“Mr. Speaker, on February 7, Members of the United States House of Representatives were denied access to the Department of Education. In recent weeks, Members have also been denied access to other Federal agencies, including USAID, the Department of the Treasury, and the EPA.”

“Mr. Speaker, in 1993, the VA established the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or DIC, benefits which are paid to the survivors of servicemembers who died in the line of duty or to veterans who died from service-related injuries or conditions.”

“Mr. Speaker, the HALT Fentanyl Act would put us on a pathway to adopting the ill-informed practices of the past. The 1994 crime bill decimated generations by expanding harsh criminal punishment that fell hardest on Black and Brown communities.”