Protecting American Maritime Research

Floor Speech

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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the ANCHOR Act, a bipartisan bill to protect American maritime research and strengthen our national security.

The University of Delaware's research vessel, the Hugh R. Sharp, is a floating lab used by scientists and students to study everything from our ocean health to fisheries and coastal storms.

All of this is happening right off of the coast of Delaware. Right now, these vessels are often running on outdated technology, and that makes them sitting ducks for cyberattacks from hackers and foreign adversaries.

That is why I am proud to cosponsor the ANCHOR Act, which directs the National Science Foundation to develop a plan to upgrade cybersecurity and communications across the U.S. academic research fleet, including the Sharp. This is because a secure country relies on secure labs, even the ones at sea.

Protecting the Sharp and our entire academic research fleet helps Delaware track sea level rise and protect our coastal communities. This is a big deal for the lowest lying State in the Nation.

That is why I have also submitted a $1.5 million funding request to make sure the Sharp gets the upgrades that it needs.

The ANCHOR Act passed out of committee with bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to vote to get it over the finish line. Betraying Our Veterans

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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I joined veterans, families, and care providers to celebrate 75 years of service at the Wilmington VA Medical Center, a facility that provided 338,000 appointments last year alone. That is visits to a primary care doctor, a dentist, and drug and alcohol counseling. Every single one of those visits is fulfilling a sacred promise that the government has made to show up for those who have sacrificed for all of us.

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, we must recognize the responsibility that we have as elected officials, not just on Monday but every day of the year, to honor those who have given their last full measure of devotion by fulfilling our commitment to all of those who have served our country.

Our country has long recognized the value of service by promising our veterans that no matter who sits in the Oval Office or behind this dais, they will be cared for and protected.

However, today, that promise is in jeopardy. Nearly 6,000 veterans have already been summarily fired by the Trump administration, and now they are pushing a plan to lay off 80,000 of the very workers who process benefits and facilitate lifesaving care through the VA. Moreover, if that weren't enough, as I speak, congressional Republicans are continuing to advance a budget that would slash support for veterans, even further undermining healthcare, housing assistance, and food support.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: We don't support veterans by handing them a folded flag with one hand and cutting their lifelines with the other. More than 1.6 million veterans rely on Medicaid for their health coverage.

If House Republicans succeed in their slash-and-burn proposal, it will mean real harm for veterans and their families. My constituents are warning me, and they are right, that cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and VA services will fall hardest on disabled and aging veterans, especially in rural areas and communities of color.

House Republicans have chosen to unilaterally pursue a budget that puts tax cuts for billionaires ahead of care for the people who wore the uniform. That is not just bad budgeting, it is a betrayal of our promise.

Delaware's veterans and veterans across this country don't need slogans. They need support. They need stable housing. They need accessible healthcare. They need us to keep our promise to them. Veterans who fought for our country should not be forced to fight for the coverage and assistance that they earned long ago.

I didn't come to Congress to sanction cruelty. I came to keep our word, to ensure that the veterans I met at the Wilmington VA and the tens of thousands more across Delaware are treated not as political props but as patriots deserving dignity.

This Memorial Day, I urge my colleagues to follow the famous charge of President Lincoln. Any Nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure. No mission is more important or righteous.

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