What Maxine Dexter said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a historic milestone in Portland's cultural history: the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood Theatre, an iconic movie house situated in Northeast Portland.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Kathie Eastman Tell, who is retiring after a cumulative twenty years of service in the United States House of Representatives. Her public service stretched from the sandy beaches of Hawaii's 1st Congressional District to the rugged coast of Oregon's 4th Congressional District, to the vibrant urban core of Portland in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.”

“Mr. Speaker, the American people need to know that their government is intentionally suffocating the nation of Cuba. There is no other way to describe what is happening.”

“Mr. Speaker, the decision to have a child is one of the most personal decisions a human can make. As a physician, I have sat with patients during some of the hardest moments of their lives.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Jackson for convening this Special Order hour and for humbling me with such a kind introduction, but mostly for the gentleman's leadership and his steadfast commitment to protecting the Voting Rights Act.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the lives lost in a horrific, senseless act of violence that took place in Sandy, Oregon, on May 31, 2026. This is an ongoing investigation.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the outstanding students of the Constitution Team at Grant High School in Portland, Oregon, for their remarkable achievement in earning third place at the national civics competition--We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the far too short life and legacy of Cayle Tern, a community leader, a fierce advocate for immigrant and refugee families, and a beloved son of east county and of Oregon.”

“Mr. Speaker, inflation just jumped to its highest level in 3 years. Gas prices are at a 4-year high, with Oregonians paying an average of $5.35 a gallon.”

“Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member for yielding. Madam Speaker, at a time when too many Americans are struggling to afford groceries, Congress should be working together to help feed working families.”

“Mr. Speaker, all morning, my team has been sorting through more than 60 privacy release forms I received from people imprisoned at Dilley. I spent most of my oversight visit Saturday hearing from people who, by any measure of fairness or common sense, should not be locked up.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the FIRE Act, a bill that undermines the protections that keeps our air safe to breathe. In 1970, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass the Clean Air Act and put public health at the center of our national policymaking.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong and vehement opposition to these bills, specifically the FENCES Act, that gut the Clean Air Act's core public health protections. Before the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, pollution choked American cities.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you about a second grader named Diana Crespo-Gonzalez. She loves to draw, and she loves school. On January 16, she was sick.”

“Mr. Speaker, I spent 20 years taking care of the sickest members of our community as a critical care and pulmonary physician. I have seen what happens when people aren't able to get the care that they need: Preventable illnesses escalate and become deadly.”

“I call on my colleagues for an immediate end to cruel immigration enforcement against children. Defund and dismantle ICE. Mr. Speaker, I yield again to the gentleman from New York (Mr.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am going to give my colleague just a moment and tell you about a family who are not immigrants with children. They are Americans, four Americans.”

“Mr. Speaker, I again thank all of my colleagues who joined us today and who spoke with such clarity and urgency. What we heard this afternoon makes one thing clear: Immigration enforcement against children is inhumane and unnecessary.”

“For so many children, the harm starts long before detention ever happens. It starts with fear. For months now, every single school group that has come into my office or that I have visited has raised ICE as one of its top concerns.”

“Mr. Speaker, people just want their time in airports to be uneventful. They want to get through security, get to their gate, get to their home and their families, or onto their travels without chaos, delays, or confusion.”

“Mr. Speaker, to the American people watching, I am here to say clearly on the floor of the House of Representatives: You deserve a say in whether our country goes to war.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a remarkable organization from Hood River, Oregon: Crag Rats. Since 1926, the Crag Rats have answered the call when Oregonians and visitors find themselves in danger on our mountains and in our gorges.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a dedicated public servant and a beloved leader in Oregon. I rise to honor the life and legacy of a trailblazer, a mentor, and a fierce champion for justice in Oregon, State Senator Avel Gordly.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the American people exactly what their tax dollars are being used for: imprisoning children, even infants. Last month, DHS agents detained a sick 7-year-old and her parents in an urgent care parking lot while they were trying to get her medical attention.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of an Oregon institution, Portland's Black-owned newspaper, The Skanner, which ceased production on January 30, 2026, after 50 years of journalistic excellence.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with urgency and outrage. The Trump regime, with its lawless and cruel immigration agents, has become a source of nightmares for children. People are living in hiding, fearful, as these agents are kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering people.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, I rise as Federal agents once again descend upon Portland, not to protect, but to terrorize. Over the weekend, during a peaceful labor-led protest, DHS agents deployed tear gas on civilians, including children in the crowd.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for leading this important discussion today and for her leadership in bringing this to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the affordability crisis and the reality the vast majority of American families are facing.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the proposal Republicans voted on to take money from families in need and divert it to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.”

“Mr. Speaker, last week RFK, Jr., upended the childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of universally recommended vaccines without substantive input from relevant medical experts. One of the vaccines RFK, Jr., downgraded was the flu vaccine.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a dedicated public servant and a beloved leader in Oregon. Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall devoted more than two decades of her life to serving her community with integrity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to justice.”

“Mr. Speaker, in my first year in Congress, I made a simple commitment to my district: to listen and to get things done. This week, I am proud to share that I am delivering on that commitment.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to say as clearly as I possibly can: Politicians have no role in the medical exam rooms. As a physician who spent 20 years caring for patients, I know responsible care requires building trust and understanding between a patient, their parent, and their physician.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the GOP higher healthcare costs for worse coverage act. I did not spend 20 years as an ICU doctor saving lives to come to Congress and sit back while Republicans strip healthcare coverage from millions.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for your leadership. I rise today in defense of the people who make our government work, our Federal workers.”

“As a former union member, I understand the critical importance of standing together for workers' rights. I know how unions can be a powerful force for change, ensuring working families have a fair shot at the American Dream.”

“Mr. Speaker, vaccines are one of mankind's greatest inventions. In the last 50 years, the World Health Organization's global vaccine efforts have saved 154 million lives. Every single person alive today owes something to that progress.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a remarkable milestone in American journalism: the 175th anniversary of The Oregonian, the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez), for her incredible leadership and holding us together today. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make one thing clear: Trump's cruel immigration agenda is not about public safety.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share how my office has been hard at work for the people of Oregon's Third Congressional District. Since coming to Congress, our office has helped constituents recover more than one-half million dollars owed to them by the Federal Government through our casework services.”

“Mr. Speaker, I recently held the first meeting of my Youth Advisory Council, a group of two dozen high school students from my district who will help guide my work here in Congress.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this rule and the underlying bill. As a physician who spent 20 years saving lives, I did not come to Congress to let healthcare be decimated by Congress.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary young leader from Oregon's 3rd Congressional District, Samruddha Preuitt, a graduate of David Douglas High School in Portland. Samruddha was recently named a 2025 U.S.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some good news and a step forward in protecting those who protect us. For generations, wildland firefighters have battled infernos with little more than a bandana between them and the clouds of toxic smoke.”

“Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their words of support today for the FAST VETS Act. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of the FAST VETS Act, Focused Assistance and Skills Training for Veterans' Employment and Transition Success, or FAST VETS Act.”

“FAST VETS Act does. I am heartened that my first bill to come to the floor of the House advances our commitment to those who served. The FAST VETS Act is about delivering on our promise to those who have served.”

“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this cruel and callous amendment. Mr. Chair, there are 20 days until the government shuts down. There are 8 legislative days.”

“Mr. Chair, we are wasting valuable time trying to ban the display of Pride flags in any workplace or common area at the Department of Defense. This is time that could be used to fund the government or lower costs for working families.”

“Trump is using the same tired playbook authoritarian regimes have used throughout history. He is dehumanizing our most vulnerable to divide us and distract us from the fact of his failure to meaningfully improve the lives of the people he was elected to serve.”

“Donald Trump is once again threatening to deploy troops against American civilians. We have already seen him abuse Federal power in cities like D.C. and L.A., and now he is targeting Portland.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for her time. Mr. Chair, data centers are sucking up our most precious resource: water. Larger data centers can each drink up to 5 million gallons per day or about 1.8 billion gallons annually, usage equivalent to a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Colorado for his advocacy against this Congressional Review Act resolution. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to these dangerous and unprecedented resolutions.”

“As the gentleman just said, these resolutions don't just undo those protections. Under the Congressional Review Act, once a plan is overturned, the Bureau of Land Management is banned from writing a new one that is even remotely similar.”

“Mr. Speaker, back-to-school season should be a time of excitement, a time when families pick out backpacks, meet teachers, and look ahead to a year of learning and growth.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Diane Lund-Muzikant--a fearless journalist, a tenacious truth-teller, and the founder of The Lund Report, Oregon's pioneering nonprofit dedicated to health care reporting.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a mother, a physician, and a Member of Congress horrified by the ongoing massacre in Gaza. This is not a humanitarian crisis in abstract.”

“In the last decade, more than half of the 120 public health emergency declarations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services were a result of climate-related events: extreme heat, wildfire smoke, hurricanes, floods, and the spread of disease.”

“Mr. Chair, I rise today not just as a Member of this body but as a physician who has spent nearly two decades caring for patients in the intensive care unit, many of them fighting for their lives because of a system that has failed to support them before a crisis hit.”

“Mr. Speaker, Oregon's Crater Lake National Park is a national treasure. As a lifelong hiker and camper, I have a deep affection for it among other national parks.”

“Mr. Speaker, I echo my colleague's thanks to our colleague from Maryland for anchoring this incredibly important hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend food assistance, not just in my district, but for millions of Americans across this country.”

“Mr. Speaker, of all of the titles I hold, the most important is ``mom.'' Like fierce, fighting mothers across this country, we want a better future and a safer future for our children, like Tiffany George.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am again coming to the House floor, the people's Chamber, to say: The emergency isn't coming. It is now. Donald Trump's advisers are threatening to suspend habeas corpus.”

“Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate Marilynn Weber, a remarkable leader whose impact on Kaiser Permanente Northwest and our community cannot be overstated. Marilynn served Kaiser Permanente Northwest for 35 years, including 8 years as the Northwest Permanente chief financial officer.”

“Mr. Speaker, House Republicans' all-out attack on Medicaid is morally indefensible. In my district alone, over 255,000 Oregonians, including 59 percent of our children, rely on Medicaid for lifesaving care.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this ridiculous bill. Let's be honest: This bill, along with the executive order it reinforces, is absurd. It is unserious, ineffective, and beneath the dignity of this institution.”

“Mr. Speaker, the emergency isn't coming. It is here. Donald Trump is abducting American children. He is detaining judges. He is disappearing people into foreign prisons. This is authoritarianism in full view.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to these resolutions that strip away a State's right to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution. As a pulmonologist, a lung doctor, I have spent my career caring for people struggling to breathe--patients with asthma, COPD, and lung cancer.”

“Clean air shouldn't be political. Clean air shouldn't be anything but fundamental. The people of Oregon should know that I see these attacks for what they are. I hear their concerns, and I will not stop fighting to protect them, their children, and their future.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, House Republicans betrayed their mothers, their sisters, their daughters, and every woman in their life. The so-called SAVE Act is an antiwoman, antidemocracy, voter suppression bill cloaked in lies about election integrity.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding and for his actions today. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on one of my eight amendments to the SAVE Act, which will be offered as the previous question today.”

“Mr. Speaker, what happened today is disgraceful. House Republicans have abandoned working Americans. They are taking housing and food from our seniors, children, and families. They have abandoned our veterans, the people who have bled for our country so that we can be free.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 61. As the government hurtles toward a shutdown and millions of Oregonians fear being stripped of their healthcare, House Republicans are wasting time on ridiculous resolutions that do nothing to lower costs for working families and, instead, threaten our public health.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here. I appreciate the opportunity from my colleague from California (Mr. Garamendi). I rise today to join my Democratic colleagues in voicing our unwavering commitment to protecting the vital programs that Americans rely on, prioritizing the working families that I represent over millionaires and billionaires.”

“I am a pulmonologist, meaning I take care of people with lung disease, and a critical care physician, caring for people who are on life support in our intensive care units.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this resolution to roll back a critical component of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. The Oregonians I represent know that climate change poses a real and existential threat.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this rule which allows for consideration of the Republicans' extreme budget that slashes funding for vital programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and Federal housing assistance to bankroll $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this bill because it is abundantly clear it is not a serious effort to address the drug overdose epidemic in this country.”

“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak, and I rise to strongly support this amendment. If we want to save lives, if that is truly what we are all here to do, let's make sure that is the outcome before we move forward.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman from Maryland for this opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud member of the Congressional Labor Caucus in support of our Federal workers today.”

“Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves at a make-or-break moment in America. The people from East and North Portland, Sandy, Gresham, Estacada, and Hood River have spoken with a united voice.”

“Mr. Speaker, as a working-class kid who grew up in sports, the mother of two college athletes, and a physician, I understand how important sports are to our kids' development and their sense of community.”