John Garamendi: “I have got a couple of things I want to do today, and I would like to start with a very special celebration that occurs…”

“I have got a couple of things I want to do today, and I would like to start with a very special celebration that occurs every spring, and this is the Sikh community's annual historic, cultural, and religious celebration of Vaisakhi. It is a celebration in the Punjab region of south Asia. It has been going on for centuries, and today it is also celebrated in communities throughout India, the United States, and, really, around the world. Vaisakhi is an annual festival celebrating the spring season, and it is of great significance to the Sikh religion. It commemorates the creation of Khalsa, a fellowship of devoted Sikhs, and was founded in 1699 by Guru Singh and celebrates the community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead. It is springtime, and so we celebrate this very important event in the Sikh community. I also want to talk about another event of the spring, one that you just heard mentioned a moment ago from our colleague, Mrs. Axne of Iowa, when she talked about the flooding that is occurring. As chairman of the House Subcommittee on Readiness of the Armed Services Committee, the question for the U.S. military is very, very clear: Is the U.S. military ready for climate change? Recent events indicate that there is considerable doubt. Just this last year, Hurricanes Florence and Michael caused billions of dollars of damage to Camp Lejeune and leveled much of Tyndall Air Force Base.…”