On the recordNovember 8, 2017
I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today I must ask a question of this Chamber: What makes America great? Do we measure greatness by the strength of our economy or by the size of our military? Is greatness defined by export prices and profits of corporations? You see, Mr. Speaker, I don't think that is the case. I believe that we are a nation built upon a set of unshakable values. It is our ability to uphold these values, not the rise and fall of the stock market, that will ultimately define our greatness. One of our values is this: if you work hard, set goals, and refuse to give up, you can fulfill your dreams. As Americans, this value is engrained into all of us. We repeat it each and every day, and we tell our kids to follow their dreams, or tell them that they can be anything that they want when they grow up. We say these things, Mr. Speaker, because we believe them. We believe that hard work pays off. We believe that dreams can come true. Yet, on September 5 of this year, President Trump ignored these American beliefs when he ended the DACA program. That decision told nearly 800,000 young people in this country that their hard work didn't matter and that their dreams of pursuing success might not pay off in the end. These young DREAMers, who are as American as any of us, go to school here, they have jobs here, they raise families in our communities, and they serve in our military.…
