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Floor Speech
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Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a true conservation leader who has dedicated years of her life to ensuring the Tule Springs Fossil Beds in Las Vegas would be declared a permanent national monument.
Jill DeStefano was one of the five founders of the Protectors of Tule Springs, and she worked tirelessly until the beds were officially designated the 405th unit of the National Park Service by President Barack Obama in 2014.
She has served as the board president of the Protectors of Tule Springs as they protect, preserve, support, and promote responsible stewardship of the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument and the Ice Age Fossils State Park.
Jill's passionate advocacy for Tule Springs has ensured they will always be safe and that our children and grandchildren can enjoy them for years to come.
These protected lands tell a story and teach the next generation about our American values for conservation and preservation of our most precious remnants of our national history.
I thank Jill for all of her hard work to protect Southern Nevada's beautiful outdoors. The people of Nevada's Third District are eternally grateful for Jill and all that she has done. I am wishing Jill the best of luck in her next chapter. Azerbaijan's Blockade
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Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the proud Representative of a large Armenian-American community in southern Nevada as we mark 100 days since Azerbaijan began a devastating, heartless blockade of Artsakh, cutting off 120,000 Armenians from a critical humanitarian lifeline and their main artery to the outside world.
For 100 days, Azerbaijan has denied the citizens of Artsakh basic human rights and access to food, fuel, and medicine in freezing conditions on what is on its way to becoming a humanitarian catastrophe.
As if that wasn't enough, we have seen increasingly escalatory and troubling rhetoric from Azerbaijani officials in just the last few days.
It is long overdue that our government acts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its heartless treatment of the innocent Armenian civilians in Artsakh.
That is why I was proud to join my colleagues as an original cosponsor of H. Res. 108 in February condemning Azerbaijan's brutal blockade and calling for an end to this manmade humanitarian crisis.
Mr. Speaker, I continue to urge the administration to take action here and to respond to Azerbaijan's aggression by cutting off U.S. military assistance in line with section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. Particularly, as we enter the thick of the appropriations process, I will also continue to work to ensure that vital humanitarian assistance is delivered to civilians who continue to suffer from the blockade and ongoing fighting.
During these difficult times, I share the serious concerns of my constituents in southern Nevada's Armenian-American community. I will continue to be an advocate for solutions to this manmade crisis.
I will always stand with the Armenian people and to work to secure much-needed relief as they face down continued threats and unjustified aggression from Azerbaijan.
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