Debbie Wasserman Schultz · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Early Act Reauthorization of 2025

2026-07-20

“Cancer is bad. It can kill you. Some people have more chance to get it. We should spend money to detect cancer early. I want this bill to pass. I want the government to spend money on this problem.”

“I want to cheer for my colleague. His brother had cancer. His brother used to work here. I miss his brother. I had breast cancer. It was bad. But I got better. I think the government should spend money on programs for young women with breast cancer. I passed a bill before to spend money on that. I want to pass the bill again. The bill will spend money on programs. The programs will help young women know about cancer. Some women have higher risk of cancer. The programs will help those women too. Doctors sometimes don't think young women get breast cancer. But they do. I want the government to spend money on programs to help young women with cancer. I am happy that other people want to help pass this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. To my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), I was proud to be elected in the same class as his late brother, Mike. He was a good and decent man, someone who always reached across the aisle. I was really fortunate to be able to serve with him and with the current Congressman Fitzpatrick. I thank him for continuing the fight against cancer with us. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, the Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025. First, I thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for their strong support of this legislation, because one in eight American women, as you have heard, will get breast cancer, and 42,000 are expected to lose their life from it this year. The earlier it is caught, the better our chances are to survive and beat it. When breast cancer is caught in its earliest stage, survival rates shoot up to 99 percent. Trust me. I know catching it early saved my life. Almost 18 years ago, when I was just 41 years old, I heard those four harrowing words: ``You have breast cancer.'' I can tell you, I remember feeling like I was being crushed by an anvil. Like many Ashkenazi Jewish women, I found out I carry the BRCA2 gene mutation, making me far more likely to get breast cancer and ovarian cancer during my lifetime, and far more likely for recurrence. After 15 months and many surgeries and tons of support from family and close friends, I was cancer-free. Finding it early saved my life, and now we have generational awareness of this genetic risk in my family. Millions of young women need these same tools, so once I was cancer- free, I passed the original EARLY Act, which became law in 2010. Since it first became law, breast cancer cases have steadily risen by 1.4 percent annually for women under 50, twice the rate of older women, and by as much as 3.5 percent in women between 20 and 29. The law created three CDC programs that helped young and high-risk women focus on breast cancer risks and address the reality of rising breast cancer rates in young women. The Bring Your Brave campaign amplifies stories to raise awareness in young women 18 to 44 about unique risks, signs, and symptoms. The Young Breast Cancer Survivors Program funds grants for nonprofits that provide support services and resources to boost patient survival and their quality of life. It also ensures healthcare providers know the unique challenges that breast cancer poses to young and high-risk women. Unfortunately, too many young women and high-risk women are dismissed by healthcare providers thinking, ``Oh, what you have is just a cyst,'' or, ``Young women don't get breast cancer.'' The bottom line is reauthorizing the EARLY Act saves women's lives, and I am proud to team up with Representatives Miller-Meeks, Castor, Fitzpatrick, Dingell, and Harshbarger, and Senators Klobuchar and Crapo, to make sure those resources are out there for all of us.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

House of Representatives

National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027

2026-07-15

“This bill is bad. I don't like it. It's attached to another bill I don't like. That bill is racist. It suppresses voters. It only helps the President's family. I am voting no. This bill won't help you unless you are related to the President. The other side added the bad bill because they are far-right extremists. They held the House hostage. That's reckless and dangerous.”

“I don't like this bill. It doesn't spend enough money on things I like. Our country is in trouble. The other side is bad and reckless. They caused many deaths. The President is bad too. He only cares about money and power. His decisions make Americans poorer. This bill doesn't protect women and girls. It takes away their rights. Many women will die because of it. I tried to change the bill but the other side stopped me. The bill gives the President too much money. He will waste it. The bill won't help poor children. It's a bad bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chair, the State Department funding bill that we are considering here fails to meet this critical, historic moment. Our Nation is at a dangerous crossroads. We are at war, a war that Congress never voted to authorize, a war so recklessly managed that our allies increasingly see us as a threat rather than a reliable partner. Yet, amid this global chaos, Republicans have abandoned investments to make the world a safer, healthier place. Their callous neglect has caused hundreds of thousands of needless deaths along the way. President Trump has given up our seat at the table. He has put down the torch of liberty and democracy, all so he can glad-hand dictators and stuff his family's pockets. All the while, working Americans get poorer as the direct result of Trump's chaotic decisions on tariffs, immigration, and military action. Instead of addressing real threats to our security, our interests, and our values abroad, this bill doubles down on petty, partisan culture war riders. This Republican bill includes a provision to suppress reproductive freedom abroad by boycotting humanitarian groups that provide lifesaving care to women and girls. Is anyone surprised the same party that rips away Americans' reproductive rights and guts our healthcare is running the same anti- choice playbook worldwide? Experts predict tens of thousands more unsafe abortions and maternal deaths. No part of this is pro-life. When I filed an amendment to strike this expanded global gag rule, Republicans refused to even allow a vote. This bill does nothing to reverse Trump's America-last self-sabotage, his disdain for our neighbors in Haiti and Venezuela, or his racist refugee exclusion policy. Instead of holding him accountable for his corruption, it offers Trump a $1.5 billion slush fund. That is $1.5 billion siphoned from law enforcement, peacekeeping, global health, and, yes, directly from starving children. With the deficit exploding, prices out of control, and Americans crying out for relief, I can't imagine a worse prescription than a blank check for a President out of control. When this bill came out of our committee, I thought it couldn't get any worse.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗