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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026, members such as Teresa Leger Fernandez.
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September 15, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. Leger Fernandez of New Mexico was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide a history lesson. In 1598, New Mexico got its name. In 2026, Donald Trump's Presidency is the most unpopular of any President. His Iran war has pushed diesel prices to record levels, and his tariffs have cost Americans thousands.
How does he address the affordability crisis he created?
It is by slapping a New America label on the State of New Mexico. Let me give Mr. Trump a history lesson. New Mexicans are proud of our name and proudly patriotic. New Mexican soldiers fought in the Revolutionary War. We defeated the Confederacy at Glorieta Pass and stopped slavery's westward march. We fought for civil rights.
Start, New Mexicans have universal childcare, free college, and no child will go hungry in our classrooms.
diversity in a State that is 49 percent Latino, 11 percent Native American, and has some of the best ranchers and dairy farmers anywhere.
Mr. Trump, New Mexico has been New Mexico since before you got to these shores, and we will always be New Mexico.
moment of silence honoring indian boarding school victims
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September 30, 2026, as National Day of Remembrance to honor those who were forced to attend Indian boarding schools and to recognize Indian boarding school victims and survivors.
American children were forced to relinquish their own indigenous heritage and language.
I call upon my colleagues to support H.R. 7325, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, to formally investigate, document, and report on boarding schools, their policies, and the generational effects on Native American peoples.
communities. Many of the children never returned home to their families or their communities.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence for those children who did not survive, and may they never be forgotten.
honoring the life of randy lupe
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Randy Lupe, a wildland firefighter who helped protect New Mexico during the Frijoles fire.
Complex Incident Management Team 8 as the fire threatened rural communities. He spent 10 days supporting the response, carrying with him nearly 30 years of experience.
moments. He prayed with his crew, lifted their spirits, stood up for his fellow firefighters, and lived by a simple creed: Do what is right.
serving our communities. He is one of 61 firefighters we have lost this fire season.
Northern New Mexico mourns Randy and honors his sacrifice. He answered the call when we needed him most. We will remember him as a hero.
honoring catherine garduno
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Catherine Garduno who recently passed away in Penasco, New Mexico, at the age of 96.
Catherine embodied resilience, faith, service, and love of country. The youngest of 12 children born to a sheepherder and a cook, she became her family's first college graduate, earning an education degree from the College of St. Joseph in Albuquerque.
Capital, an experience she shared throughout her 35 years as an elementary schoolteacher. She even taught my district director in third grade.
Widowed, Catherine raised six children with strength and devotion. A devout Catholic, she received the Archbishop of Santa Fe's St. Francis Award for Volunteer of the Year. Her legacy
niece, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva. Her courage, faith, hope, and love shaped generations.