Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Richmond Free Press, an independent, black-owned, weekly newspaper, that recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. The paper was founded by Raymond H. Boone, a former Howard University associate professor and reporter who tirelessly served as editor and publisher until his death in June 2014.

The Richmond Free Press serves as a voice for all people and since its inception has altered the media landscape of Richmond, the former Capital of the Confederacy. Their mission is to, ``provide solid, fair- minded news stories and informed opinion to empower its readers to motivate them to take enlightened action on important issues that touch their lives.''

Positively impacting the community through news stories and editorials, the Richmond Free Press is instrumental in providing honest coverage that has contributed to a gubernatorial pardon on behalf of a man wrongly convicted of a murder charge; and rewriting city code that purged unfair gender references leading to the resignation of a Richmond judge who posted racist comments on the internet.

Through the leadership of Mrs. Jean Patterson Boone, advertising director and wife of the late founder Raymond Boone, the Richmond Free Press is an award-winning publication that has been recognized by the Virginia Press Association, the National Newspaper Publishers Associations, the NAACP and countless other organizations.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that this recognition come during Black History Month, for the Richmond Free Press does not only chronical history, it has made history for the last 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Richmond Free Press, an independent, Black-owned weekly newspaper that recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The newspaper was founded by Raymond H. Boone, a former Howard University associate professor and reporter who tirelessly served as editor and publisher until his death in June of 2014.

The Richmond Free Press serves as a voice for all people and, since its inception, has altered the media landscape of Richmond, the former Capital of the Confederacy. The paper has positively impacted the community through its news stories and its editorials.

Through the leadership of Mrs. Jean Patterson Boone, advertising director and wife of the late founder, Raymond Boone, this is an award- winning publication. Not only has the Richmond Free Press been a source of information for 25 years, but it has been a pillar in our community.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that this recognition come during Black History Month, for the Richmond Free Press does not only chronicle history, it has made history for the last 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, the BLM's Planning 2.0 initiative has made important, overdue updates to our process for drafting resource management plans.

These plans govern our use of more than 175 million acres of public lands. The way in which we use those lands deeply affects the environmental quality, public health, and all Americans' quality of life. It is vitally important that we get our planning right.

This rule promotes transparency and consensus, creating more and earlier opportunities for public involvement in the planning process. It encourages greater use of high-quality scientific information, and it provides for a big-picture, landscape-level response to challenges like wildfire management and invasive species. The effect is to strengthen, streamline, and democratize a process that had previously bred litigation and delay.

Mr. Speaker, I have to wonder: Which of these changes does my friend across the aisle oppose?

Mr. Speaker, in the last week, the House voted to disapprove three other rules that protect public health and environmental quality. I am disturbed by that pattern, and I am disturbed by the haste with which we have moved, especially since all of these rules took years to create and craft.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the majority to think of their children, their grandchildren, and all the generations to come. They deserve to inherit a rich, healthy, and sustainable world. If we continue down this reckless path, I fear they will not.

Mr. Speaker, in our country, political enemies do not disappear in the dark of night or become, mysteriously, fatally ill. In our country, the press is separate from the government, and journalists do not find themselves jailed or out of business for writing articles with which the government disagrees. While the journalists are not made to write accolades about leadership or about whether they agree or not, I stand here in light of the President's words that were aired over the weekend that suggested that our country is comparable to Russia.

In our country, laws and the Constitution are supreme, not just one person. The courts rule on our Constitution, not one leader. In our country, lawyers, advocates, and citizens are free to challenge the government and its leadership without fear of reprisals.

Mr. Speaker, our country has been a beacon of democracy and freedom and hope for people all around the globe. I would suggest to the White House that it stop squandering that reputation with idle comments and dangerous actions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this resolution to overrule the stream protection rule, just as I would oppose any measure that threatened the quality of our drinking water.

Clean drinking water is a fundamental health need, and meeting that need is one of our most basic responsibilities in this Congress. We must not put special interests ahead of the health of our constituents.

The stream protection rule is very simple:

It strengthens and clarifies existing water quality protections with respect to mining.

It requires that affected streams be restored when mining is finished.

It gives communities accurate information about water quality so they can best protect themselves from pollution.

Mr. Speaker, these protections are not onerous, but their benefits are vast.

We have seen in Flint, Michigan, and elsewhere the painful consequences when people lack access to safe drinking water. We must do more to prevent that kind of suffering and damage. Nixing this rule would, instead, mean that we are doing less.

The stream protection rule is the product of a careful year's-long process. Countless stakeholders participated at two dozen public meetings, and regulators received tens of thousands of public comments.

Mr. Speaker, this rule was crafted in the sunshine, but we are about to overrule it in the dead of night. After all of that work, this resolution of disapproval did not even receive a committee hearing.

Mr. Speaker, if this body is seriously going to weaken vital drinking water protections, the American people deserve ample opportunities to inform themselves and to make their voices heard. This rushed-through proposal denies them that opportunity.

I find this measure to be very disturbing, and I find the process concerning. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle not to go down this path.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank the gentleman as well as the gentlewoman for leading tonight's conversation about so many issues that are important to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, the President's baseless executive order on immigration has hurt this country. It has hurt this country to the extent that it has made us less safe, and it has hurt this country to the extent that it goes against our values as a nation. Our Constitution says that we will not favor any religion over another, yet the President has instituted a religious test for entry in this country just 1 week after his inauguration.

Mr. Speaker, this is a travesty. This rule has inconvenienced travel back to America over the weekend for any number of permanent residents and those of all backgrounds who serve our country. I know this because it has actually impacted citizens of the Fourth Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been a permanent resident for 20 years. He had visited his family in Cairo and was on his way back to Virginia when he was turned around. He was actually sent to Qatar, Mr. Speaker, where he has no connections, where he has no business. He was just sent there because he was denied entry back home.

Mr. Speaker, my congressional staff worked around the clock, along with his employer, to get him back home and, thanks be to God, he is, indeed, home. But, Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable, and it cannot go on.

I can't help but think of Leviticus chapter 19, verse 34, where we are reminded, Mr. Speaker, to treat the foreigner in our midst as if he was one of our own.

Mr. Speaker, the President's order does not do this. It is an offense to all Americans. It is an offense to the Judeo-Christian ethic. Mr. Speaker, it cannot be allowed to stand, and I will work every day, along with my colleagues in the CBC and other like-minded individuals in this Congress, to reverse this order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, every one of us in this body was elected to serve and represent the people of our districts. Doing our jobs means fairly and fully considering the legislation that comes before us. If we pass this measure, we will have failed to meet that incredible responsibility.

Our democracy depends, in part, on civilian control of the military. If we are going to appoint a recently retired general as the new Secretary of Defense, that decision calls for careful deliberation and informed debate.

Mr. Speaker, I hear nothing but good things about General Mattis, but the good people of the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia didn't hire me to take someone else's word for it. If we are going to waive this law that has been on the books for oh so many years, Members of this body deserve the opportunity to ask General Mattis questions, to hear his answers, and to weigh his views.

Unlike our colleagues in the Senate, Members of this body did not have the opportunity to have a full committee hearing with General Mattis. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I trespass on the time of the House today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Leno Bradby.

Mr. Bradby was a true leader of our community--a community in the Fourth Congressional District, known as Charles City County. He was an active member of his NAACP chapter, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as being a member of the Charles City County Democratic Committee.

Mr. Bradby dedicated his time to helping folks vote by supporting voter registration and voter education efforts in our district. He regularly volunteered at the polling locations and provided community members with transportation to cast their ballots. I know that his presence was greatly missed in a special election that was held within our district yesterday.

It is sad to see a devout and active member of our community leave us, but his legacy will live on with his fellow community members. This is a great loss to Charles City County.

I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for organizing this hour today.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today because I believe that confirming Jeff Sessions as Attorney General for the United States would jeopardize the progress we have made for equal rights and against discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, it is an affront to common sense to confirm someone who has criticized the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and believes that this landmark law, which provides all Americans with the right to cast a ballot for candidates in our democratic process, is intrusive. It is an affront to common sense, Mr. Speaker, to confirm a nominee who views an old advertisement calling for the death penalty of people who are later exonerated as a mark of conservatism.

Mr. Speaker, it is an affront to common sense to confirm someone who was previously rejected as a choice for a Federal judgeship to lead a Department that, in part, vets future Federal judges. It is an affront to common sense, Mr. Speaker, to confirm someone who does not believe in justice for all to lead the Department of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this nominee would not act in the best interest of all Americans, regardless of color, gender, country of origin, sexual orientation, or economic status. Mr. Speaker, it is my fervent hope that the Senate of the United States will deny the confirmation of this nominee.

Mr. Speaker, it has been my observation that often in this body there are people who would suggest to us that their actions are motivated and guided by an adherence to the Judeo-Christian ethic.

Mr. Speaker, in Jesus' first sermon, He said, among other things, ``The spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor.'' We have done that with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, the notion of taking away the Affordable Care Act by repealing it, I would suggest to this body, is antithetical to those Judeo-Christian values. More than 20 million Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds have benefited from this act.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that reason will prevail and that while we may tweak the Affordable Care Act, it will not be repealed.