Supporting Ukraine

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy established July 15 as Statehood Day for Ukraine, but we spend another year on this day wondering when the Ukrainian people will be able to celebrate without threats from Russia.

The length of the war in Ukraine has recently surpassed World War I, and it is an outrage that Ukraine has been forced to incur staggering casualties and defend its territory against a relentless dictator. Families are being torn apart, and fear is a part of everyday life for Ukrainians.

We have a duty to support nations that are aiming to support life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for their citizens. That is why I firmly reassert the need to continue funding Ukraine's defense.

From the floor of the House of Representatives, I extend my regards to our Ukrainian friends and allies. May they soon honor their statehood during a time of peace. Addressing Affordable Housing Crisis

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, in New York and across the country, we are in an affordable housing crisis.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a household in the New York City region making the median income would need to spend 65 percent of their income to afford the average home.

No family should have to spend over one-half of their income on housing. That is why, this week, I introduced the Home Mortgage Interest Credit Act and the Senior Accessible Housing Tax Credit Act. These bills will create new tax credits on mortgage interest and home modifications to help families better afford homeownership and allow seniors to age in place.

As a county executive, I worked to construct affordable housing units and deliver options for families looking to move to my home county of Westchester, but more action is needed. We must work toward a sustained, all-of-government approach through funding, tax policy, and regulatory reform to fully tackle this affordability problem.

The bills I introduced today will deliver relief to young families taking on a mortgage to purchase their first home and to seniors who need to update the bathroom or install a ramp to allow them to age in place.

While the President claims that no one cares about housing, I look forward to moving these commonsense proposals forward with my colleagues to make affordable housing available again. Recognizing New York Blood Center

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize New York Blood Center and all community blood centers across the United States that ensure a stable blood supply for patients in our hospitals.

Blood can only come from generous donors, and patients in need are relying on volunteers to roll up their sleeves and give them the gift of life. But right now, the New York Blood Center is in its second blood emergency of the summer, signaling critically low levels of blood supply that exists for the State.

In the United States, someone needs blood every 2 seconds, and while more than 60 percent are eligible to donate blood, only about 3 percent of Americans do. If just 1 percent more volunteers donated blood, we could alleviate the blood shortages that endanger the blood supply each season.

I thank the millions of Americans who already regularly donate blood and encourage others to join them. Moreover, I commend the work being done at the New York Blood Center, which has been serving the tristate area for more than 60 years and today serves more than 200 hospitals and EMS partners with more than half a million lifesaving blood products.

Together, we can work to ensure that no matter when a person needs it, there will be blood available to them.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source