School Funding Slashed

Floor Speech

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Madam Speaker, in the past few weeks, students returned to school across Virginia and across the country, including my two daughters.

Unfortunately, while students were enjoying their summer breaks, this administration moved to slash funding and resources for public education across the country. Those funds are funds that were needed to ensure that our kids get a great education.

This administration has now illegally withheld billions of dollars in congressionally approved education funding, forcing schools to delay or cancel programs.

In northern Virginia, our schools have been the target of even more funding cuts over culture wars and partisan politics. This has come at a time when Virginia is still dealing with learning loss.

As this administration has continued to make plans to cut even more education funding, including at the Department of Education itself, we need to make sure that we are pushing back and fighting back against these cuts because our kids are worth it.

The big, ugly bill slashed funding for Medicaid and SNAP, which families in our community rely on to keep their kids healthy and fed. If we really want to be profamily, prokids, and proparents, we would be investing in our students, not causing chaos and confusion by cutting resources and making our schools less safe and underfunded.

I will continue to work with my colleagues, and I hope this can be bipartisan, to push back on these cuts to education. Combating the Rise in Hate

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Madam Speaker, hate has no place in our communities, and that is why I condemn the recent hateful attacks on Hindu temples and mandirs all across the country.

From the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Indiana to the Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Utah, sacred spaces for faith communities have been targeted with acts of hate, vandalism, and desecration.

These are not isolated incidents. It is part of a rise in violence. It is a part of a rise in division in our country. It is not just happening to temples. It is happening to all places of worship.

Every American deserves the right to safely practice their faith without fear. That is why we need to continue fighting for increased resources for security at places of worship, like these temples. We must be committed to doing more to combat the rise in hate that we are experiencing in the United States to ensure that our communities are protected.

Madam Speaker, I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do that. Supporting Small Businesses

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Madam Speaker, since May, 33 new small businesses have officially opened in Prince William County.

They include AlSham, a Syrian grocery store and bakery; GN Banquet Center, an event venue; Modern Remodeling, a restoration service; Shotted, a Saudi-style coffee shop; My Haberdasher, a custom suits and tuxedo rental service; Dry Time Restoration, a water damage service; Chocolate, which I guess is not a candy store but an apparel store in Manassas Mall; Doyle Systems, a full-service mechanical contractor; and Ebenezer Roofing.

The growth of these businesses reflects the innovation and entrepreneurship of our communities, especially of the folks in Prince William County. I am looking forward to continuing to support them as they continue to grow their businesses in one of the best places to do business in the country: Northern Virginia. Recognizing Haymarket Gainesville Library

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and thank the Haymarket Gainesville Library for having a new collection of books in Nepali.

This is part of a greater effort in Prince William County to include more books in other languages, including Urdu, as part of their world languages collection. We have a great Nepalese community in our region, and we want to make sure that they are supported.

Nearly 175 Nepali language books and around 250 Urdu language books were received as donations by community members. This is a testament to the value of public libraries as a resource to our communities and the growing diversity of our region, as well.

Public libraries, including where our office hosts our office hours, continue to be an asset for all communities and age groups. I am proud that a library in my district is at the forefront of being that space for constituents of all backgrounds.

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