Calling for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

The first genocide of the 20th century, the atrocity saw the massacre of more than 1.5 million men, women, and children at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

As a young boy in Fresno, my Armenian friends told me the stories of the horrors that their parents and grandparents witnessed. They never forgot the tragedy, and neither will I.

After decades of inaction, both the House and the Senate passed resolutions in 2019, calling for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. It is my hope that the Biden administration will officially recognize these crimes against humanity.

Just this past year, we witnessed another atrocity against the Armenian people in Artsakh. There is no denying the attacks made by Azerbaijan and Turkey were premeditated and coordinated in an effort to eliminate the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh.

No words on our part can undo the terror and brutality suffered by Armenians, but actions can. We can learn from these atrocities and commit ourselves to ensuring that something like this never happens again, for starters, by requiring that Azerbaijan and Turkey comply with their agreement to release prisoners of war and civilians held captive by Azerbaijan.

It is time the United States reestablish its presence in this part of the world by standing up for human rights. Critical Need for Infrastructure

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address also a critical need for infrastructure in America. It is time that we build new transportation systems and rehabilitate structures to support a modern economy and a way of life in the 21st century. President Biden's American jobs plan is an attempt to do just that with historic investments in improving infrastructure and putting millions of people to work. We need that.

The goals of this plan is to help all Americans. I urge my Republican colleagues to help forge a bipartisan package to invest in America.

When it comes to transportation, California is leading the way by building the Nation's first sustainable, true state-of-the-art high- speed rail project. It will deliver a fast, reliable, and eco-friendly way to connect to Los Angeles, to the bay area, and ultimately 80 percent of the State's population, getting cars off the roads and cleaning our air.

It will spur an investment in the economy that will deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic, creating reliable, good paying jobs; supporting small businesses; and investing in socially disadvantaged communities. In my home of California's San Joaquin Valley, we are already seeing the benefits of high-speed rail.

My legislation, the High Speed Rail Corridor Development Act of 2021, will help fund this forward-thinking project and other rail corridors across the Nation.

Big projects we know are hard. They always have been. So bold action, if we are serious about improving our future, is necessary. Since I first came to Congress, it has been one of my highest priorities to invest in America's infrastructure.

What do I mean by this?

Investing in our Nation's water infrastructure, a 21st century system of transportation, nationwide broadband, and our schools are all investments that the majority of Americans want to see us make.

The debate we are engaged in now is how we define and what we can agree on in terms of infrastructure and how we pay for it because we must.

So let's show the American people that their government can work together and make important investments that are long overdue that will benefit America and regain our lead. Today, we rank 13th in the world in terms of infrastructure. That is not the place America ought to be. We need to make these investments in our people and in our country, which are good investments that will pay dividends for future Americans and future generations to come.

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