Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, let me thank Congresswoman DeGette for her tireless leadership in fighting for women's health, for healthy families in general, and for our children.

I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 43. It is no surprise that, once again, congressional Republicans are trying to undermine women's access to health care and basic family planning services.

This ideological crusade--and that is what it is--will hurt those who need help the most, including low-income women, women of color, and young women. It would also deny thousands of families from choosing their provider of choice--and sometimes the only accessible provider-- under title X.

Not only is this resolution antiwoman, it is also counterproductive. We know that for every dollar spent on title X family planning, we save more than $7 on Medicaid-related costs. But my Republican colleagues are so determined to take family planning options away from low-income women that they are prepared to put ideological perspectives above public health.

As a member of the Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, I, unfortunately, see these attacks on women's health all too well. Last year, Republicans tried to completely eliminate funding for title X.

So don't be fooled. This piece of legislation is not about Planned Parenthood. It is about Members of Congress trying to control women's bodies.

Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Congressman Davis for yielding and for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable everywhere.

I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 42, which is really another baseless attack on the poor, on low-income individuals, and on the unemployed. Drug testing unemployed individuals is downright wrong.

Let me be clear. This resolution is another way for Republicans to stop

workers from claiming their right to unemployment benefits. It also is a scare tactic that flies in the face of facts.

First, there is no evidence that people who receive public assistance use drugs any more frequently than those in the general population. Unemployment compensation, mind you, is not public assistance.

By unnecessarily drug testing jobless workers, we are throwing them out in the cold when they are simply trying to get back on their feet.

Mr. Speaker, workers receive unemployment benefits because they worked hard, they played by the rules, and they were laid off through no fault of their own.

More importantly, working people have earned their right to apply for these benefits. They pay into the program. Their constitutional rights should not be violated.

I also know that people want to work. People don't want to be on unemployment insurance. They want to provide for themselves and their families.

Let me remind you, there is an opioid and heroin drug epidemic in this country, and it not only affects Democrats, this drug crisis is affecting Republicans, Independents--everyone. Yet, once again, you are throwing them out in the cold.

Instead of passing this appalling resolution--and this resolution is appalling--we should be expanding job training, unemployment benefits for all, and provide resources for drug treatment. It is hard to believe that you want to punish people. That is what this resolution really does. It punishes people for working. That is really a shame and disgrace.

So I strongly oppose this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I also urge you to encourage people to work, to provide those job training resources and drug abuse resources for our mental health centers, for our drug counseling centers, and for everyone who needs treatment rather than drug testing to keep them from getting a job.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal) for their tremendous leadership. They have hit the ground running here in Congress in defense of our Nation's immigrants and refugees and for all who just seek to live the American Dream. So thank you very much for your leadership and for calling us together tonight.

Mr. Speaker, in his first week as President, Donald Trump issued an executive order essentially banning immigrants and refugees from the United States on the basis of religion. This action effectively shuts our gates to some of the most vulnerable people in the world fleeing danger and death.

This ban flies in the face of our fundamental values as Americans. It is, yes, morally reprehensible and will only serve to make the United States less safe. This executive order is also a direct threat to our national security. Banning Muslim immigrants and refugees only fuels ISIS propaganda by promoting the false idea that the United States is at war with Islam. This halfway ban is felt in our communities across the Nation.

In my district, one Iranian student at the University of California, Berkeley was not allowed to board the plane to return to the United States. She is now forced to withdraw from the semester. This is a disgrace.

Mr. Speaker, this Nation is and has been and will always be a Nation of immigrants. This ban and this President and his executive orders do not reflect our values. This is not who we are.

As the President's divisive ban was implemented, we witnessed thousands of Americans bring what I call ``street heat.'' Men, women, and children across the country stood up to the President and declared with one voice: Not on our watch.

These protests, the voice of the American people, give me hope. If we stand together and resist, we will prevail.

While the President continues his attack on immigrants, refugees, and Muslims, I vow to stand up for our communities with my colleagues with a clear message saying once again: This is not who we are. This Muslim ban is hateful, it is unconstitutional, and it is downright wrong.

Finally, let me just say that February is Black History Month. As an African American woman, I am reminded of the bans and exclusions of African Americans and my ancestors and the legacy of slavery where my ancestors were brought here in chains, built this country, and continued to fight for freedom and justice. As an African American, there is no way I can tolerate any ban on anyone seeking refuge in this great country.

Finally, and in conclusion, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I just want to say that I am going to fight tooth and nail to prevent funding for these misguided anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban that prevented South Carolina resident and data scientist Nazanin Zinouri from returning to the United States after visiting her mother in Iran.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank Congressman Veasey for yielding and for his tireless work to defend rights and justice. Also to Congresswoman Plaskett, I thank the gentlewoman for continuing to speak out, to organize us, and for her stellar representation of her district.

Mr. Speaker, in his first week as President, Donald Trump advanced dangerous conspiracy theories and enacted a Muslim ban that undermines our Nation's standing in the world. These actions show that President Trump will peddle his alternative facts no matter the consequences.

Now, let me be clear. This approach to governance threatens our democracy and our national security. We must resist it. For starters, we cannot allow President Trump to erode our right to vote. Access to the ballot box is the cornerstone of American democracy, yet he spent his first week in office peddling the baseless myth that 3 to 5 million voted illegally in our election.

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. Both Republicans and Democrats have dismissed this myth as unsubstantiated, but the President continues to insist that millions of fraudulent voters cost him the popular vote.

Let's call this what it is. This is a campaign by our highest elected official to fabricate reasons why he lost the majority of popular votes. He will use these blatant falsehoods to further undermine access to the voting booth.

Mr. Speaker, this investigation that is being proposed really is a sham. The real attack on America's elections come from Republicans who make it harder for people of color, young people, and low-income people to vote.

I include in the Record an editorial from The New York Times, ``The Voter Fraud Fantasy.''

[From The New York Times, Jan. 27, 2017]

The Voter Fraud Fantasy

(By Lilli Carre)

There are varying degrees of absurdity in the fallacies

President Trump peddled during his first week in the Oval

Office. Perhaps the most damaging was his insistence that

millions of Americans voted illegally in the election he

narrowly won.

Mr. Trump first made that false claim in late November,

tweeting that he would have won the popular vote ``if you

deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.'' On

Wednesday, he announced that he intended to launch a ``major

investigation'' into voting fraud and suggested the outcome

may justify tightening voting rules.

What once seemed like another harebrained claim by a

president with little regard for the truth must now be

recognized as a real threat to American democracy. Mr. Trump

is telegraphing his administration's intent to provide cover

for longstanding efforts by Republicans to suppress minority

voters by purging voting rolls, imposing onerous

identification requirements and curtailing early voting.

``This is another attempt to undermine our democracy,''

said Representative Barbara Lee of California, one of the

states where Mr. Trump falsely claimed results were tainted

by large-scale fraud. ``It's about not honoring and

recognizing demographic change.''

The apparent source of Mr. Trump's original claim of mass

voter fraud was Gregg Phillips, a Texas man with a penchant

for making wild allegations about voting fraud. Days before

Mr. Trump's tweet, Mr. Phillips claimed on Twitter that he

had ``verified more than three million votes cast by non-

citizens.'' State election officials across the political

spectrum promptly rejected that assertion, noting that ballot

box fraud in the United States is exceedingly rare.

On Friday, Mr. Trump tweeted that he was looking forward to

seeing the results of an analysis of illegal votes, as

promised by Mr. Phillips. Republican officials know the voter

fraud claim is an indefensible lie. But few are challenging

Mr. Trump or raising alarms about how severely this hurts our

election system.

Voter suppression initiatives have grown increasingly

common since the Supreme

Court invalidated a central provision of the Voting Rights

Act in 2013, making it easier for local authorities to tweak

election rules in a manner that disenfranchises particular

groups of people.

Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department

aggressively fought these efforts. Lawsuits filed by civil

rights advocates and the Justice Department led a federal

appeals court in 2013 to strike down a North Carolina voter

ID law that justices concluded had been designed to target

African-American voters with ``surgical precision.''

Litigation in a similar Texas case is now on hold, pending

guidance from the new attorney general.

If Mr. Trump's attorney general nominee, Senator Jeff

Sessions, is confirmed, the Justice Department will be likely

to all but abandon enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. Mr.

Sessions once called it a ``piece of intrusive legislation.''

That would allow state and national lawmakers to impose even

tighter voting requirements, harming minorities, the young

and the elderly, who tend to vote Democratic.

Republicans may see these measures as a means of staying in

power in the face of demographic changes. They should be

ashamed of undermining the integrity of our system of

government by trying to strip away a right Americans have

fought for and died to secure.

If the President were serious about protecting access to the ballot, he would join members of the Congressional Black Caucus in our call for the restoration of the Voting Rights Act.

Since it was gutted in 2013, millions of minority voters have been prevented from casting their votes. Last year alone, hundreds of thousands of minority voters were disenfranchised before and on election day.

Instead of lodging investigations based on alternative facts, President Trump should be investigating the widespread efforts to disenfranchise voters, including the use of outdated voting machines, the mishandling of provisional ballots, the improper purging of voting rolls, and the widely reporting incidents of intimidation and misinformation at the polls.

These are the truth threats to our democracy. If these threats are not enough to occupy President Trump's attention, he should turn to the widespread evidence of Russian interference in our elections. The facts are available and in need of bipartisan investigation, but President Trump has no interest in evaluating facts. He would rather focus on falsehoods.

But the President's attacks on our democracy aren't restricted to alternative facts. This weekend we witnessed the erosion of another American value: our proud tradition as a refuge for immigrants of every religion. The President issued an executive order banning immigrants and refugees from the United States on the basis of religion.

This outrageous executive order to shut people out from several Muslim nations runs counter to our fundamental values that we cherish as Americans. It is morally reprehensible and will only make the United States less safe. The order has done nothing but create chaos and fear among refugees and immigrants who have been admitted or have been approved to come to the United States.

This Nation is, has been, and always will be a nation of immigrants and refugees. This is who we are. We don't turn our back to those in need. And certainly, we do not do so on the basis of religion.

This is a watershed moment for our country, a moment that brings into question our moral character. Thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest the Muslim ban. Really? This is what the resistance must look like.

Tonight, many of us joined our colleagues on the steps of the Supreme Court to demand a reversal of this hateful policy. We will continue to fight every attempt to erode our values to appease ideology and radical special interests.

Our new bill, Statue of Liberty Values Act, known as the SOLVE Act, will reverse President Trump's Muslim ban executive order and ensure that funds or fees shall not be used to implement the order. I hope everyone signs on to Congresswoman Lofgren's bill. The President's order harms our families, our economy, and our national security.

Once again, this is not who we are as a nation. We are better than. We must wake up and fight because the future of our democracy is at stake.

My district is a district of immigrants. People are very afraid. We are a sanctuary district. What is taking place now is totally un- American.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her tireless work and leadership on behalf of women's health.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 7. This discriminatory bill would undermine a woman's access to abortion care, which is a constitutional right as affirmed by Roe v. Wade, 44 years ago, by making the Hyde amendment permanent. This bill would restrict access to reproductive health care for millions of women and disproportionately harm low-income women and women of color.

As if this isn't enough, H.R. 7 comes on the heels of a dramatic expansion of the global gag rule which denies lifesaving health care to women around the world; not to mention continuous Republican attacks on contraceptive access, comprehensive sex education, and Planned Parenthood.

Madam Speaker, when I was a staffer on Capitol Hill when the Hyde amendment was passed, I remember the days very clearly of back-alley abortions.

Clearly, Republicans are trying to take us back to the days when women died from unsafe abortions in this country.

That is why I offered an amendment that would have recognized that women--not employers or politicians--have the right to make their own reproductive health choices.

Shamefully, the Rules Committee refused to make it in order and allow for a debate.

Madam Speaker, women should be able to make their own decisions about reproductive health care, including abortions, without Members of Congress or employers interfering.

Let me first thank Congresswoman Plaskett for her tireless leadership to protect our progress, but also for her vigilance and hard work on behalf of her district and the territories. I thank her and Congressman Marc Veasey for cosponsoring our Special Order, making sure that the drum is being beat very loudly throughout the country with regard to what is taking place here in Washington, D.C.

For more than 45 years, the Congressional Black Caucus has been the conscience of the Congress. Since its founding, we have fought for robust legislative action to lift our constituents and the African American community, I guess, in a way, to ensure equal justice under the law so that everyone, including African Americans, will be able to live the American Dream.

Now, make no mistake about it: we will continue to fight for justice and equality under President Donald Trump.

The President's inaugural address, quite frankly, was appalling. In my nearly 20 years in the House, I cannot recall a darker, more pessimistic view of our Nation from an incoming President.

The President's inaugural address distorted the truth about our communities. He used dog whistles to paint a frightening picture of our neighborhoods and stoke fear.

Let me be clear: America is not the downtrodden, helpless Nation President Trump described. Yes, we have much more work to do to ensure equal justice under the law and to address the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation. But this means public investments in housing, education, jobs, not budget cuts and corporate tax breaks that just do the opposite and also dismantle the safety net.

Within hours of taking office, the President already began to unravel the progress of the last 8 years. With the stroke of a pen, the President stuck a dagger in the heart of the Affordable Care Act that will take away health care for millions and pull the rug out from under low-income families seeking to buy homes.

These destructive policies are an attack on the most vulnerable in our society. It is clear that these executive orders will disproportionately harm communities of color, the African American community, and the poor.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act is just the tip of the iceberg. We have seen the Trump administration planning a full scale attack on the most marginalized community in our society.

Last year, after continually insulting the African American community, Trump's so-called new deal for Black America really did just add insult to injury. Rather than helping struggling families, this agenda would gut Social Security, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and abolish the safety net. We know that these cuts now will just lead to more poverty. This approach is dead wrong.

Instead of stepping on the most vulnerable to benefit special interests, President Trump should follow the CBC's lead by supporting a national strategy to eliminate poverty and extend economic opportunity to all Americans.

He can start by supporting our Half in Ten Act, which would reduce poverty in half over 10 years. And if the Trump administration really wants a new deal to benefit African Americans, they should look to our assistant leader Jim Clyburn's 10-20-30 antipoverty plan, which would direct at least 10 percent of funds in designated accounts to spent in communities experiencing persistent poverty--those with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent over the last 30 years.

These are just a few of the proposals that we have to address poverty and lift up our communities. What we won't do is allow President Trump to roll back progress or push more families over the edge into poverty.

We should be identifying the root causes of poverty and developing policies to lift Americans up. Instead, President Trump has shown he would rather line the pockets of billionaires and advance those failed trickle-down economics.

In President Trump's new deal for African Americans let me just read you very quickly what he said with regard to illegal immigration. He said: ``We will restore the civil rights of African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans, by ending illegal immigration.''

Our response is that the CBC will not buy into the divisive rhetoric that blames immigration for the social and economic problems in African American communities. Our members support comprehensive immigration reform. President Trump will not roll back the clock on our progress or doom another generation to the crippling effects of poverty.

Let me be clear: this 10-point plan really is a slap in the face to African Americans everywhere. As co-chair of the CBC's Working Group on Poverty and the Economy, along with Congressman Cleaver and chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and Opportunity, we will continue to work to make sure that the vital resources for low-income Americans, African Americans, and those struggling to make ends meet are there.

We will make sure that the country understands that the Congressional Black Caucus continues to fight for a real deal for the African American community, for our entire Nation, and that means lifting people out of poverty, creating good-paying jobs, and moving forward on the progress that has been made.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, if I were present, I would have voted no on roll call number 32 on the motion on ordering the previous question to H. Res. 40.

If I were present, I would have voted no on roll call number 33 to H. Res. 40.

If I were present, I would have voted yes on roll call number 34 to

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party.

Originally called The Black Panther Party for Self Defense, the Party was founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in response to the wide-spread poverty, lack of economic and educational opportunities, and police oppression experienced by the African American community in Oakland, California.

Promoting the idea of ``All Power to the People'', and unwilling to wait for the political and social leaders of the time to address the needs of the African American community, the Panthers took action themselves to force change and bring about liberation from all forms of human exploitation and oppression.

The most immediate need that the Party addressed was the rampant abuse of power by the police, and they soon began undertaking patrols and holding rallies to highlight incidents of police brutality throughout the East Bay. The images of armed Panthers storming the State House in Sacramento in 1967 in opposition to the Mulford Act brought national attention to these efforts, and highlighted the dire circumstances that many African Americans experienced on a daily basis.

Beyond self-defense, the Panthers undertook a wide assortment of social programs to help improve the quality of life for inner-city blacks, organized around the Party's Ten-Point Program. The Panthers started a free breakfast program for children, medical clinics, drug and alcohol rehab programs, free groceries and clothing giveaways, legal aid, education and a housing cooperative, among other initiatives.

As the Panthers numbers and influence grew nationwide, federal authorities saw their work as a threat to national security and undertook operations to monitor, obstruct, and undermine the party's activities. FBI Director Hoover even called the Party the ``greatest threat to the internal security of the country'' in 1968, and directed the covert ``COINTELPRO'' to neutralize the Party and its members.

Despite this opposition by the authorities, throughout the 1960's and 1970's the Panthers became a national force for social

change, empowering a new generation of African Americans to seize political power, partnering with other disenfranchised communities around the country, and demonstrating that the legacy of slavery and racial oppression still prevented so many from experiencing the promise of prosperity and equality that is the foundation of the American dream.

I must also personally thank former Party Chairwoman Elaine Brown for her bold leadership, for being a strong role model for African American women, and for her friendship. Since 1971 I have witnessed her ability to face challenges with ``righteous indignation'' and a deep love for all people who lack power in our country. I was proud to work on her trailblazing campaign for Oakland City Council, and learned from her the importance of focusing on issues that have the ability to improve people's daily lives. For that I am deeply grateful.

As we see so apparently every time another young African American is shot by police, the work of the Panthers is far from done. On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, where the Panthers first came together and where their efforts were headquartered, I extend my sincerest congratulations to the Black Panther Party on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Thank you to all who continue the work to combat racial oppression, and work for a world of true justice, peace, and equality.

Mr. Chairman, I thank our ranking member for yielding and also for his steadfast commitment to protecting the health and well- being of all Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution, which would advance the repeal of the Affordable Care Act without any replacement in sight.

Let me be clear. This resolution would wipe away health care from 30 million Americans and raise premiums for millions more. It would also create chaos through our community and our economy and our Nation. It would put the insurance companies back in charge.

It is not just the Affordable Care Act that is on the chopping block. Republicans also want to cut women's reproductive health care. Once again, they want to defund Planned Parenthood, one of the Nation's leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care for women and families. Women would be denied breast cancer screenings and preventive health care. Community clinics in rural and urban communities would be devastated.

We know that Planned Parenthood is one of the Nation's leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care for women and their families. Denying access to healthcare providers such as Planned Parenthood will hurt women who need these services the most: low-income women and women of color. That is why I offered an amendment to protect these critical services. Shamefully, the Rules Committee refused to make it in order and even allow for a debate on this floor.

I also cosponsored the amendment with Representative Pocan and others within the Congressional Progressive Caucus opposing cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. Republicans refused to allow a debate on this critical issue as well.

The most vulnerable--the poor, seniors, and disabled individuals-- would be left to fend for themselves, and their lives would be shattered through these Republican cuts.

Mr. Chairman, we must stand up for the millions of people who have coverage because the Affordable Care Act really does save lives. It is a disgrace; Republicans continue to raise this war to kill the ACA without replacing it.

Once again, it will hurt the most vulnerable. People will be sicker again.

America will be sick again. This is a matter of life and death.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010. This Thursday marked 7 years since a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, killing Haiti's population center and the seat of its government.

The aftermath of the quake was unimaginable. 316,000 people perished, and 1.3 million were displaced. This tragedy struck a nation already hobbled by grinding poverty, health disparities, and food insecurity. Approximately 147,000 people remain internally displaced in Haiti, with countless others displaced outside IDP camps.

The world and the American people, though, responded to the earthquake with generosity. To date, the United States has contributed billions to recovery efforts, along with donors from around the world.

The Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, which was a bipartisan effort with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and was signed into law 3 years ago, provides us critical oversight to ensure that aid continues in the most effective way possible.

Unfortunately, more work needs to be done. Haiti continues to be struck by natural disasters, including severe drought and devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Mr. Speaker, let me first say how happy I am today to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of two high school football teams in my beautiful congressional district. Until now, Oakland, California, never held a State championship, but now we have two. On December 17, Bishop O'Dowd clinched the CIF State Division 5-AA Championship. They beat Valley View High School 43-24, with former Oakland Raiders running back Coach Napoleon Kaufman leading them to victory. The same day, McClymonds' Warriors claimed the CIF State 5-A Championship with a 20-17 victory, becoming the first Oakland Athletic League team to win a State championship.

McClymonds is a public historic high school in the West Oakland community of my district. Coach Michael Peters has coached McClymonds since 1992 and has shown his commitment over the years to ensuring his athletes succeed both on the field and in the classroom.

Bishop O'Dowd, a Catholic high school, has been an athletic force for years, and I am so proud of their team. They have achieved the historic accomplishment of their championship also.

These young athletes have embodied the spirit, the passion, and the sportsmanship of Oakland and the entire East Bay. Please join me in congratulating them on these championships.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for yielding, but also for her tremendous leadership on so many issues, including as a champion for women and women's health and reproductive health care, and also for this important discussion tonight.

I just want to mention that I serve on the Budget Committee, and you mentioned a nominee, Congressman Tom Price of Georgia, for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Once again, we see President-elect Donald Trump making recommendations of those individuals who want to dismantle the safety net and dismantle health care within the agencies that they are going to run. This is a very, very troubling development in terms of these cabinet appointee nominees.

I note that--and many know--President-elect Trump ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns that we have witnessed in modern history. Since winning the Presidency, he has nominated billionaires to serve in his cabinet, proving that he will govern just as he campaigned. Also, he has nominated individuals who want to dismantle, for the most part, the agencies that they will have jurisdiction over.

Another example is his choice for Secretary of State, which Congresswoman Watson Coleman mentioned, and that is Rex Tillerson. I serve on the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and understand the importance of our diplomatic initiatives, our USAID initiatives, and our efforts to really bring education and health care to the poorest of the poor around the world. Our Secretary of State serves as the Nation's chief diplomat and represents America's interests around the world. I have the opportunity and the privilege to serve on the committee that funds the majority of these efforts.

So the nomination of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson really troubles me. His extensive ties to the Kremlin raises the question: Whose interest will he represent?

Our country cannot afford a Secretary of State who will place private corporate interests over the needs of the American people and our national security interests. His recent confirmation hearing revealed what we have known all along in Republican-controlled Washington, that cabinet officials will cater to special interests, not to American families, based on the nominees that we have seen come forward.

It is not just the Secretary of State we should be concerned about. Here at home, President-elect Trump has nominated cabinet officials that would turn back the clock on progress. His nomination for Secretary of Labor, Andrew Puzder, is another millionaire CEO who benefits from an economy rigged against families struggling to make ends meet. He earns more than $1 million a year, but opposes a raise for low-wage workers earning just $15,000 a year. He says that food assistance programs keep low-wage workers like those he employs at, I believe, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's--he says that if low-wage workers apply for these food assistance programs, then the programs actually discourage work. There are millions of people who are working two jobs being paid minimum wage who need food assistance, who need food stamps, because they can't survive in today's economy.

So the working, poor, low-income individuals, should be very troubled by this appointment as Secretary of Labor, which is supposed to look out for the rights of working men and women. We need a Labor Secretary committed to helping working families and addressing the epidemic of poverty, not one who caters to the most affluent.

Also, by nominating Senator Sessions to lead the Justice Department, President-elect Donald Trump is making it clear that he will abandon our fundamental civil and human rights. Senator Sessions has a long history of opposing civil rights and equality. I am very proud of members of the Congressional Black Caucus for really setting forth his record and his history, such as laying out the fact that he was rejected from serving as a Federal judge due to his blatantly racist comment. He forcefully degraded the LGBT community, opposed the Violence Against Women Act, and violated the Voting Rights Act, calling it an intrusive piece of legislation.

Clearly, someone who has publicly shown prejudice and intolerance is not qualified to serve as the chief law enforcement for our civil rights laws. Once again, you see a nominee who really doesn't believe in the values of liberty and justice for all, a person to head an agency that is supposed to be an agency that ensures the civil and human rights for all. Let me be clear, these nominations are a chilling indication of how a Trump administration intends to govern.

Our Nation has made tremendous progress in the fight to protect, preserve, and expand civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights for all Americans. We will not allow a Trump administration to drag us back into the past.

Finally, let me just say something that is troubling me tremendously at this point in our history. Our Nation prides itself on being a democracy. We actually promote democracy abroad through our democracy programs, which, of course, I have historically opposed. The point I am trying to make and want to make clear is that this new administration, when you look at the majority of cabinet nominees, they are very, very wealthy and do not fundamentally believe in a strong public sector and in many ways do not support the mission of the cabinets they are actually asked to lead.

Privatizing Medicare and other public sector programs that ensure that the most vulnerable have a safety net and an opportunity to live the American Dream by privatizing these agencies is dangerous. It will lead to chaos. Private sector takeover of the government is dangerous and it erodes our public institutions that are required in a democracy.

So, Congresswoman Watson Coleman, I believe this is the dangerous, slippery slope that this administration has embarked upon, and we need to expose every step of the way who these individuals are, their background, and we have to urge that they comply with the ethics requirement and submit their financial disclosure statements and all the required ethics forms so that the public will know who they are. We must be transparent and, of course, we would like for our President- elect to release his income taxes also.

Again, we kind of see what is taking place now. We knew this during the campaign. I thought that we were going to see now more of an effort to unify the country, but, unfortunately, I think these nominees show us which direction, unfortunately, this new administration will take.

Mr. Speaker, if I were present I would have voted YES on roll call number 29 to Velazquez Amendment No. 1.

If I were present I would have voted YES on roll call number 30 to Clay Amendment No. 2.

If I were present I would have voted NO on roll call number 31 to

Let me thank Representative Veasey for hosting this important discussion on President-elect Trump's disturbing nomination and for the gentleman's commitment to defend civil and human rights for all Americans. Now, more than ever, the voices of the CBC's are so important in this fight.

I would also like to recognize our new chair, Cedric Richmond, as he takes the helm of the CBC during these very challenging times; but I know that, under his leadership, our caucus will continue to fight in a very strong and aggressive way for equality and justice.

The President-elect, Mr. Speaker, ran one of the most divisive and racially tinged campaigns we have witnessed in modern history. Since winning the Presidency, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated individuals to serve in his Cabinet, proving that he will govern just as he campaigned. There is no greater example of this disturbing reality than in Senator Jeff Sessions' nomination to serve as our country's Attorney General. The Justice Department is our best tool in protecting civil and human rights and voting rights. By appointing Senator Sessions to lead this department, President-elect Donald Trump is making it clear that he will abandon these fundamental values.

Senator Sessions has a long history of opposing civil rights and equality. He has called the Voting Rights Act a piece of intrusive legislation. He said that the Supreme Court's disastrous decision to gut voting rights was good news for the South. In the 1980s, he was rejected from serving as a Federal judge due to his blatantly racist comments.

Any one of these statements should be disqualifying. In the proposed, bigoted Trump administration, frankly, I am not surprised; but I am appalled that the President-elect would choose such an extreme and divisive figure to serve as Attorney General. Clearly, someone who has publicly displayed prejudice and intolerance is not qualified to serve as our chief law enforcement officer for our civil rights laws.

By that standard alone, one thing is clear: Senator Sessions is wholly unfit to serve as Attorney General. Senator Sessions has forcefully degraded the LGBT community, has voted against the Violence Against Women Act, and has undermined the cornerstone of the civil rights movement and the Voting Rights Act. His nomination really is a chilling indication of how a Trump administration intends to govern. This country has made tremendous progress in the fight to protect, preserve, and expand civil rights for all Americans. We will not allow a Trump administration to drag us back into the past.

As the conscience of the Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus is a voice for the marginalized. Our message to the Trump administration and to President-elect Donald Trump is simple: A vote to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions is a vote against justice. We will fight to protect any rollback on civil or human rights. We will not be silent.

I call on all of my colleagues to oppose Senator Sessions' nomination as the United States Attorney General because his history disqualifies him for this important position.