LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 26, 2026 — sitting of 26 March 2026: transcript & video

04:40 - 04:46

Speaker 1

The house will be in order. The chair lays before the house. A communication from the speaker.

04:49 - 05:02

Speaker 2

The Speaker's Rooms, Washington DC, 03/26/2026. I hereby appoint the honorable Monica de la Cruz to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives.

05:05 - 05:53

Speaker 1

Pursuant to to the order of the house of 01/06/2026, the chair now recognizes members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties with time equally allocated between the parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50AM. The chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois, mister Garcia, for five minutes.

06:04 - 11:09

Speaker 3

Madam speaker, April is Arab American heritage month, and I rise today to celebrate Little Palestine, a vibrant community in the Southwest region of Cook County in my district. In the early twentieth century, families from the small Palestinian town of Bethuneyah immigrated to Chicago. Attracted by the city's prosperity, many found jobs in hotels, restaurants, and factories. Many of their US born children proudly served in the military and served their country. This entrepreneurial community soon began to open up bakeries, restaurants, markets, and specialty fashion stores.

Now, there are more than 200 Arab owned businesses in Little Palestine. Little Palestine also has cultural centers, community service organizations, and mosques, and contributes to making it a close knit community that honors the rich culture, heritage, and the spirit of the Arab American community. I'm proud and grateful for the contributions that the families, businesses, and cultural centers of Little Palestine bring to my district and to Chicagoland. Madam speaker, I rise today to honor Gregorio Gomez Aguayo, a talented writer, poet, producer, and organizer. Gregorio has been nominated for the award of poet laureate of the state of Illinois twice and has been selected as part of Chicago's New City Lit 50, which highlights the city's 50 most influential people in Chicago in the literary scene.

Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Gregorio has been a part of Chicago's artistic and spoken word community for almost forty years. His poetry delves into themes of heritage, identity, and the human experience, and navigates the duality of his Mexican roots and his American upbringing. Last weekend in Chicago, Gregorio presented his most recent poetry collection, Requiem, a journey through a poetic odyssey, and I can't wait to read all of it. Congratulations on your new work, Gregorio. Madam speaker, today I rise to celebrate Southside native, Maeda Del Valle, who has been named Chicago's next poet laureate.

Maeda is a poet, educator, and interdisciplinary artist who will now serve as ambassador for our city's literary and creative communities. Rooted in her Puerto Rican diaspora, her work invites audiences audiences to see themselves reflected on it. She challenges us to remember where we come from and imagine what we can build together. She has been recognized as one of America's young innovators in the arts and sciences. She has performed on stages across the nation, and as a dedicated educator, she has taught poetry in schools, colleges, and youth detention facilities, inspiring the next generation of artists.

Congratulations, Maida, on this extraordinary honor. Madam speaker, I rise today to celebrate the thirty fifth anniversary of Arise Chicago, an organization founded by a coalition of religious leaders on the principle that all workers deserve dignity in the workplace. Its its strategic vision includes effective education and advocacy efforts, and programs to empower workers to take action beyond their workplaces. Thanks to Arise Chicago's efforts, thousands of workers have recovered more than 10,000,000 in stolen wages and compensation and increased their wages by over 6,000,000. In 2026, Arise continues to work to eradicate harassment and discrimination from the workplace, to ensure the fair payment, and to educate immigrant workers about their rights in the midst of anti immigrant environment our country is living in.

I'm grateful for Arise Chicago's work, and I look forward to continuing partnering with them. I yield back.

11:10 - 11:16

Speaker 1

The chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee, mister Gustaf, for five minutes.

11:24 - 14:21

David Kustoff

Thank you, madam speaker. Today, I rise to honor the life of Martha Sundquist. Martha passed away on March, and she served as first lady of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003 alongside governor Don Sundquist, a former member of the House of Representatives. And she used her position to bring people across Tennessee closer together. Though she was born in Illinois, Martha planted her roots in Tennessee.

She often said that she got to Tennessee as quickly as she could, and over time, she and her family lived in each of Tennessee's three grand divisions. Martha's favorite saying was to bloom where you are planted, and she carried that with her wherever life took her. As the first lady of Tennessee, Martha brought a steady, approachable presence and authority to the job. She was deeply involved in communities across the state of Tennessee, and she spent time in schools with parents and teachers and families, making sure people felt seen and leaving a lasting impression. In addition, Martha Sundquist placed a strong emphasis on the next generation.

She brought to Tennessee the Easter egg roll at the governor's Residence, which became one of her most meaningful traditions and it expanded to welcome underserved kindergartners for a morning of games, lunch, and visits from beloved characters that made the day truly feel special. Care for Tennessee's natural beauty was also central to Martha's mission as the first lady. Martha supported efforts to plant wildflowers along the state's highways and help promote products grown and made in the state of Tennessee. Martha's legacy in this area lives on in the state forest in Cock County that bears her name. Martha also understood the importance of preserving the governor's residence and its history.

Martha worked to maintain the governor's residence while ensuring that it remained a place where Tennesseans and visitors felt welcome each and every day. Even before Martha's time as first lady, her commitment to service was clear. It's a real honor. In the late nineteen eighties, she was appointed by president Ronald Reagan to the