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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions members such as Melanie Ann Stansbury.
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June 24, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. Stansbury of New Mexico was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, as we sit here in the people's House, millions of children in the Middle East are living in fear, trauma, and danger. That fear has only intensified as the President has waged an illegal war in Iran, with hundreds of schoolchildren killed, thousands of civilians lost, and bombs still dropping in Lebanon as entire communities have been reduced to rubble.
and, instead, is obsessing about golden ballrooms, grand arches, and algae-infested pools while asking this body for an unprecedented $1.5 billion for more weapons and military spending to wage this war and a State Department and foreign affairs budget that continues devastating cuts to the lifesaving programs of USAID that have directly contributed to the loss of food, medicine, and critical lifesaving aid across the world, with completely preventable deaths for thousands of children.
This is a moral moment for America. Will we stand up and say stop this war and reinvest in our humanitarian missions? Will we speak up against injustice and suffering? Will we remain silent?
end the war in Iran, sending a clear message that it is time to end this illegal war.
affairs budget to restore funding for critical aid, food, and resources for the children of the Middle East, and particularly for Gaza. They have faced unimaginable suffering over the last several years.
Just yesterday, a U.N. commission reported on the deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a deliberate strategy to destroy future Palestinian communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes.
the people. We must be a voice for right and wrong, a moral conscience for this country and for our people.
end to this conflict and the suffering, and to choose a different path for this country, a path that invests in our people in communities and the children of this planet; a path that ends the violence and the killing in the Middle East, Gaza, and the West Bank; and a path that ends the destruction of communities, schools, hospitals, roads, and water systems that have devastated millions.
Mr. Speaker, it has been catastrophic. Whether it is funding in this bill, another military spending bill from the White House, or the NDAA, Congress cannot remain silent. Congress cannot remain complicit. Congress cannot fund this violence, especially when the greatest burden has fallen on children.
are waking up every day, wondering where their next meal will come from and whether they will survive the night. No child should inherit a future defined by violence and despair, and certainly not funded by the taxpayers of the American people.
world, we must invest in the people who have been impacted most by these conflicts abroad.
aid to the children of Gaza, invest in schools and healthcare for moms and
for those who have lost their homes. Children should not pay the price for violence and a war they did not start.
support these amendments and reverse course as a nation; recognize that America's strength comes not from its military might but from our moral leadership; and vote for a future where children have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.
Mr. Speaker, I can say that I have made my choice. I choose peace, human dignity, and the children of the world, and I hope my colleagues will join me.