Later today, House Republicans will once again vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, marking their 37^th attempt to repeal a law that has already saved the American people over a billion dollars and extended health coverage to millions more. Much like the 36 other times they have done this, Republicans have not proposed a single alternative to fixing the overwhelming problems facing our health system. Because of health reform, 2.5 million additional young adults, including 1.3 million minorities, now have access to care and measure of economic security. Yet, Republicans are hard-pressed to provide an answer on how they would continue to provide this important benefit. Because of health reform, 350 new community health centers are now providing critical health services to more than 50 million Americans in medically underserved areas. Again, Republicans haven’t proposed a single alternative to ensuring that these Americans do not lose their critical health services. Finally, because of health reform, insurance companies have had to return $1.1 billion back to consumers because of rules preventing price gouging. Similarly, Republicans they haven’t provided an alternative to preventing insurance company abuses.

We should be focusing on the issues that the American people elected us into office to solve: jobs, the economy, education, and immigration. Instead, Republicans have spent $52.4 million on an anti-healthcare crusade that has amounted to nothing other than political grandstanding. This money could have been used in so many better ways.

Today I offered an amendment to the House Rules Committee that would allow the U.S. Treasury to automatically raise the debt ceiling unless a supermajority of Congress voted to block the action.  My measure would make permanent a provision first proposed by Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during fiscal negotiations in the summer of 2011.

While we need to control our nation's spending, hijacking the debt ceiling process and holding our entire economy hostage isn't the sensible way to do it.  Even if we do not actually default, the brinksmanship of last summer's debt ceiling debate cost the American taxpayers $1.3 billion, which the Bipartisan Policy Center projects to be $19 billion over ten years.  This amendment is the responsible way to govern because we can't put the full faith and credit of the United States in the hands of extremists who believe compromise and collaboration to be vices.

Under the process outlined in the amendment, the President will notify Congress when the nation is within $100 billion of the debt limit.  Congress will then have 15 days to adopt a resolution of disapproval with a veto-proof majority, but if no Congressional action is taken, the debt ceiling is automatically raised and the risk of default due to partisan gridlock is avoided.  This is the responsible way to handle our nation’s finances.

Earlier today, the House voted on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2013, commonly known as CISPA. The legislation aimed to implement a national response strategy to the dangerous cyber security threat that our country faces on a daily basis. This threat has the potential to be a weapon of mass disruption and must be taken seriously. It is for this reason that I have strongly advocated in Congress for swift action on this issue.

In particular, as the Congressman representing the heart of Silicon Valley and as a member of the Commerce Justice Science Appropriations subcommittee, I know firsthand the serious need for legislation that bolsters cyber security cooperation in our country. Cyber attacks represent a cumulative national security and economic threat unlike any we’ve ever seen and require a similar cooperative response.

Like many things in this new world we live in, however, our nation must decide on where to draw the line when it comes to protecting privacy while enhancing security. In the pursuit of safety and protection, we must be sure to not give up the fundamental rights embodied in our Constitution. Over the past year, I have been working with my colleagues to try to change CISPA so that both privacy and security are respected. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, we were unable to get the legislation to the middle-ground that I think all Americans truly want, in time before the bill was brought up for a vote. I am especially disappointed that the House Republican majority played politics on what should have been a bi-partisan issue, by disallowing several key privacy amendments to be brought to the floor that could have resolved many of the concerns about the bill.

In light of this situation, I joined my fellow Silicon Valley House colleagues, 124 other bi-partisan Members of the House, President Obama, and several technology advocates in opposing the legislation today. This vote was one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make during my time in Congress. On one hand, I recognize the urgency of the threat and the importance of taking action. I understand the unique impact that cyber security plays in Silicon Valley and its importance to our livelihood in the region. On the other hand, however, I believe that our nation must take reasonable steps to protect its individual citizens from having their privacy breached.

My concerns about the bill primarily revolved around three issues:

1. The sharing of personally identifiable information (PII) directly with the government without that information being scrubbed first by the sharing entity;
2. Overly broad definitions on the second-hand use of that information by government agencies. As currently constituted in CISPA, information shared with the government for cyber security purposes can be re-used for other purposes, including a very broad allowance for ‘protecting individuals from danger of death or bodily harm; and
3. The lack of focus on critical infrastructure in the bill

This vote was not the last time that Congress will be considering CISPA, and I aim to continue pushing for improving the bill in these three areas as it moves on to the Senate and to conference with the House. I want to find a way to yes on this legislation because I believe inaction is not an option and will have devastating consequences, but we must be sure to protect the privacy of law abiding Americans.

Yesterday, exercising my oversight authority as a member of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I led a coalition of 43 Members of Congress to press the Office of Management and Budget to exclude the “Tiahrt Amendments” from President Obama’s 2014 budget. I have worked for years to repeal these amendments, which restrict the data available to law enforcement to track guns used in crimes. Now is the time to put common sense reforms in place to stop the flow of illegal guns and end the violence.

The Tiahrt Amendments are riders attached to appropriations bills that do not receive a floor vote or debate. They prohibit the ATF from requiring gun shops to perform inventory checks, require background check data to be destroyed within 24 hours and limit local law enforcements’ access to ATF gun data. These measures hamstring local law enforcement’s ability to fight crime and force the ATF to depend on solely on their own limited resources to track illegal guns.

It is unconscionable to limit law enforcement’s access to the tools they need to fight crime and illegal gun trafficking. While pharmacies and other fields are required to check for inventory, gun stores are not. As a result, the restrictive Tiahrt Amendments have allowed thousands of guns to cross our border or to be purchased illegally without any oversight.

You can read more about the Tiahrt amendments here.

Today, after over five hundred days of stalling, obstructionism, and polarizing partisanship, the Republican Leadership in the House of Representatives finally brought the bi-partisan Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization to the floor. This version of the bill, which passed the Senate in both the 112^th and 113^th Congresses with overwhelming bi-partisan majorities, has been held up by extreme ideologues in the House who have refused to increase protections for vulnerable women. Even today, prior to the final vote on the Senate bill, these extremists forced a vote on a radical version to further delay the process. Fortunately, at the end of proceedings, sensibility and moderation won the day.

The Senate compromise will finally reauthorize programs critical in our national response to the rising problem of domestic violence. Throughout its history, VAWA has instituted programs that train judicial personnel on how to handle sensitive cases, provided shelter and support to victims and their children, strengthened laws against perpetrators, and helped provide protections for those who need it the most. This reauthorization will provide important updates to protections for native Indian women, immigrant women, religious and ethnic minorities, and specialized help for LGBT partners. These changes will provide concurrent tribal jurisdiction over those who assault Indian spouses and dating partners on tribal lands, ensure continued protections on the safety of battered immigrant victims and the ensuring U visa program, and provide specialized support and resources for LGBT, religious and ethnic communities.

I have been an adamant supporter of VAWA since I came to Congress in 2001, recognizing the critical need for these types of programs.  As a senior appropriator on the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, I have led my colleagues in ensuring that these programs receive the proper funding they need. This is why earlier this year, I introduced the Domestic Violence Judicial Support Act, which focuses on improving the court programs within VAWA to ensure that our judicial system is doing all that it can do to help victims and their families.

I am extremely disappointed that politics have delayed consideration of this vitally important piece of legislation, but wasproud to cast my vote in support today as we finally move forward on a bill we can all be proud of.

This OpEd originally appeared in the Feburary 15th edition of India Abroad

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This past week, Secretary of State John Kerry took office at a critical juncture in the relationship between the United States and India. These two of the world’s largest democracies and economies have long been political and economic partners, but the relationship has only recently deepened. Since India transformed its economy in the early 1990s to welcome foreign investment, international trade, and private investment in industry, it has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the most influential economies in the world. This has not gone unnoticed by leaders in both countries; President Obama recently affirmed the relationship with India as “a defining partnership of the 21^st century.” With over $100 billion in bilateral trade expected between the United States and India this year, it is no surprise that our economic and political interests are aligned – both countries strive for a world of increasing prosperity, a world at peace, and a world where prosperity comes from the bottom up. Yet, despite these positive signs, India is still only the United States’ thirteenth largest trading partner, trailing much smaller countries like the Netherlands. This underlines the fact that our nation still has much work left to do to fully leverage its relationship with India.

Over the past decade, India has adopted the knowledge economy, and more recently, is robustly embracing the manufacturing economy. The impact of those economic reforms is evident in Gujarat where there has been vast improvement in infrastructure and the removal of barriers to investment. Over the last decade, Gujarat has enjoyed double digit growth, and per-capita income has tripled. These changes in Gujarat and other reform-minded states in India have enabled Indian-Americans, particularly entrepreneurs and business leaders in Silicon Valley, to invest their intellectual and financial capital to build strong linkages that benefit both countries economically.

Notwithstanding the grand rhetoric surrounding their relationship, there remains serious room for growth. We can continue to grow this partnership by investing in the people that are creating businesses and jobs right here at home. That means encouraging entrepreneurs to build businesses right here in America and improving the education of our students. I have introduced legislation that provides enhanced educational opportunities for students studying any of the STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Moreover, I am working tirelessly to convince my colleagues in Congress to pass President Obama’s proposal to create a startup visa allowing immigrants who start successful startup companies to stay in the United States. If we fully develop our technology workforce and businesses here, it will help us fully leverage the immense market opportunity that India represents. Indian business leaders often state, across the board, that they are eager to buy U.S. technology and know-how; a trend that will only continue.

We should also encourage and protect foreign direct investment  in India. In the last decade, the investment capital from India has grown at an annualized rate of over 50% reaching an estimated $4.9 billion in 2011. This is money that is creating jobs both in the United States and abroad. To further that, we must complete the negotiations begun by former Secretary of State Clinton on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with India. BITs have been shown to exert a significant positive impact on foreign direct investment by providing protections for private investors, promoting U.S. exports, and assisting in the development of market-oriented policies. Since U.S. and India began a Strategic Dialogue three years ago, the bilateral trade between both those countries has increased 40 percent; highlighting the fact that direct engagement can yet yield more fruits.

In a little over twenty years, India has become a powerful partner of the United States , creating a world full of potential. The linkages, however, are much deeper than just mutual economic empowerment. We share with India a strong-exchange of entrepreneurs, executives, students, professors, and scientists that is a model to the rest of the world. This is why I am strongly hopeful that in the next twenty we will realize the enormous potential of what President Obama has called a “defining partnership.”

-Congressman Mike Honda represents Silicon Valley and serves on the Appropriations Committee, as a member of the India Caucus, and as Chairman Emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The American dream is undermined daily as women are denied equal pay for equal work. The most generous estimates find Asian American women making 87 cents on the dollar; African American women making 71 cents; and Hispanic women make only 62 cents. The disparity exists across all levels of education and occupation. 

 
Four years ago today, on January 29, 2009, President Obama signed his first bill into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which overturned the 180-day statute of limitations for women to contest pay discrimination. In his Inaugural Address on January 21, 2013, President Obama stated: “[Our] journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.” This marks just the second time in our nation's history that equal pay has been raised at an inauguration, and sends a strong message that guaranteeing equal pay for equal work will be a key priority during President Obama's second term. 

 
In honor of the four year anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, let us build on this momentum with a call to action: let’s pass a bi-cameral, bi-partisan Paycheck Fairness Act to end pay discrimination once and for all

As the first Hispanic woman to ever lead a Cabinet-level agency, Hilda Solis has been a remarkable symbol of progress in this country. She has long been breaking down barriers at every level of government, and her steadfast guidance at the Department of Labor and extraordinary achievements in the House of Representatives have proven her a foremost leader in her generation. I am proud to call her my friend, and was honored to serve with her in the California Legislature and in the House of Representatives. I thank her for her efforts to help unemployed workers in my Silicon Valley/East Bay district retool for new careers and find new jobs, and her leadership in creating jobs during one of the most difficult economic eras in our nation’s history. I wish her well on the exciting next steps in her historic career.

Earlier today, another horrific gun tragedy struck our nation as innocent men, women, and children were senselessly shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. My prayers are with the victims, their families and friends, and the communities impacted by today’s terrifying events. As an educator for 30 years, I know firsthand the importance of making a school a safe place where children can grow and learn. Having that sense of safety ripped from us, again, is both shocking and jarring. It is difficult to imagine what it feels like to be a parent that has outlived their child or to be part of a family inexplicably left with a gaping hole in their hearts. While exact details still remain unclear, there is no doubt that today is a somber day. A close-knit community, like countless communities all around our country, was violently attacked, and we will continue to feel the shocks of this violence for some time. This event, much like the numerous other shootings earlier this year, will undoubtedly lead to difficult discussions about safety, public policy and emergency preparedness. This self-reflection is natural, and it is my hope that we can finally take action to address the root causes of these horrific tragedies together, as a nation. I have written previously about the need for stronger gun laws in response to the disturbing trend of increased gun violence in our nation. You can read that below.

Today, we recognize the 19^th annual World AIDS Day; remembering the countless friends and family we have lost in the battle to eradicate HIV/AIDS and renewing our commitment to the fight against this terrible disease.

We stand today at a landmark moment: the prospects of achieving an AIDS-free generation in our lifetime have never been brighter. Over the past two decades, our country has made enormous strides, from the lifting the HIV/AIDS travel ban to the approval of the first over-the-counter home use HIV test, in combating this terrible virus. For the first time in a generation, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of new infections within the United States has gone down. Additionally, most countries around the world are reporting stabilizing prevalence rates.