Election Integrity

Floor Speech

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, for years now, we have heard a lot of false accusations about rigged elections and voter fraud.

For instance, despite accusations that noncitizens were casting ballots in Virginia, studies found that there were zero instances of noncitizens illegally voting over the past 20 years.

Let's be honest, these accusations erode public trust and threaten our democracy.

Some localities are stepping up to fight those accusations. Two of those localities in my district are Prince William County and Fairfax County, which recently won the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Clearinghouse Awards, or the Clearies.

Prince William County, in particular, was the first county to publish voting result tapes online in Virginia history. They are not only saving the results, but they are publishing them.

Here is the truth: In Prince William County, Fairfax County, and counties all across the country, officials are working tirelessly to ensure our elections are safe and secure. That is accountability, transparency, and democracy in action.

I congratulate Prince William and Fairfax Counties on their awards, and I look forward to working with them and fighting false allegations about our elections. Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.

Thousands of Vietnamese families escaped during the war, coming to America, and Virginia, in search of safety, opportunity, and a new life. There are now over 2.3 million Vietnamese Americans in the U.S.

Many Vietnamese-American families call Virginia home, and Vietnamese Americans have become an integral part of our community, from public service and the arts to groundbreaking work in science, business, and education.

I am proud of the work being done to support Vietnamese refugees right here in Virginia.

One example is Boat People SOS, an organization founded to help Vietnamese refugees. They have rescued over 25,000 Vietnamese boat people. Since then, they have expanded their services to aid immigrants, refugees, victims of trafficking, disadvantaged students, and survivors of violence in the United States.

Today, I recognize the strength, courage, and spirit of the Vietnamese community in Virginia's 10th District and across the country, and I say to our Vietnamese veterans: Welcome home. Cuts to CASA Programs

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, we have heard how the recent DOGE cuts are impacting Federal employees, seniors, and veterans, but these cuts are also impacting our children, particularly vulnerable children.

Recently, the Department of Justice announced the termination of Federal grants to support court-appointed special advocates, known as CASA programs.

CASA programs cultivate trained and appointed volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in the courtroom and beyond.

The children they serve often need to be removed from unsafe homes and placed in foster care. At a time when they need it most, the volunteers provide a voice for these children.

Fairfax County's CASA program, for instance, has served over 8,500 kids in our region, including 376 in this fiscal year. They do incredible work to help place children in permanent homes and set them on a path for a brighter future.

The funding CASA receives from the Victims of Crime Act is now on the chopping block. These cuts will put a strain on already stretched thin court-appointed special advocate teams in Virginia and around the country. The result? More vulnerable children with less support.

We must stop these cuts and fight to protect the children that these programs serve. Opposing Cuts to Public Media System

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, finally, I rise today to address the administration's efforts to dismantle a cornerstone of American speech, our public media system.

The administration is calling on Congress to rescind appropriations for PBS and NPR, two public media institutions that have served Americans for nearly 60 years.

Each month, 36 million people watch their local PBS stations. PBS KIDS averages 15.5 million monthly users, including my kids. More broadly, PBS and NPR tell the American story through arts, culture, and history programs.

Let's be clear: This is not about budget cuts or making government efficient. This is a gutting of an institution that many people, especially those living in rural areas, rely on for information and trusted programming. In regions with limited or no broadcast access, PBS and NPR are among the few sources of media that people have to stay informed.

The administration argues that this move is necessary to prevent America's culture from being reengineered. Make no mistake: Cutting public media doesn't preserve our culture. It silences local voices, weakens civic engagement and education, and strips away the resources that help children learn.

Mr. Speaker, we must oppose these cuts.

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