Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to start with a reflection.

When I was in high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to go into politics. I was good in front of a room. I loved talking about policy. I wanted to make a real difference in the lives of Americans. It was so clear. I knew my path.

I also thought that was just a pipe dream because, first of all, I knew nobody in my family had ever run for office. I didn't know the first thing about doing that, but I also knew at that time in high school, I had no role models for how to serve as an openly gay leader, a politician, so I put that away.

I actually didn't run for office until I was in my forties because I didn't see a way forward. There was just so much homophobia, so much vitriol from within my community, sometimes within my own family.

I want to reflect on the fact it is incredible that I am standing here today in this Chamber, the House of Representatives, as the first woman ever to represent Vermont in Congress, as the first openly LGBTQ person to represent my State in Congress. I never imagined that I would be here. I take it very seriously that I am a leader for all Vermonters, regardless of how they identify.

Pride--which is what this month is about--is about celebrating love. It is about celebrating families of all kinds, including my own. I have a wife and two teenagers. It is about celebrating the joy that comes from living your authentic self and making genuine connections with other people.

Pride is also a reminder that we must remember the history that brought us here today, of the political struggle that secured so many of our rights, and also the path we still must walk in order to get to true equality.

Earlier today, I spoke in the Oversight Committee. I was waived onto that committee to talk about some of the really horrible rhetoric that has become all too commonplace in our committees and on the floor of the House of Representatives.

I know because I feel it, too. I know so many of us are feeling quite down about the state of the world and discouraged about the battles that we have fought. We thought we had that discrimination behind us. We thought the hateful and hurtful rhetoric was something in the past.

I get it. We, as members of marginalized communities, understand the despair. We understand why it is so exhausting to think about having to fight these battles over again, but we do not have the luxury of losing hope or giving in to cynicism. As I say often, cynicism is the voice of the status quo. Cynicism tells you nothing can change, so, therefore, why even try.

I can say that I have been shocked at the constant attacks on my community that I have experienced in the last 1\1/2\ years in Congress, with the public debate and passage of so many dangerous anti- transgender, anti-LGBTQ bills, amendments, and riders. There is this sense that somehow our words don't matter, that they don't have an impact, that it is just an amendment.

I literally had people say to me in the hallway that they don't really believe this stuff, that they don't really hate gay people. That doesn't matter if what they do in the end is vote for those hateful amendments and riders in bills. My colleagues' actions matter.

It is not enough to say to me privately, hey, I know you, know you are a good person, and you know I don't mean you. That doesn't matter if what they do in the end is vote against my rights and freedoms and, more than that, demonize me within my community and, as the Representative from Michigan just said, contribute to the mental health crisis that so many youth in my community suffer from.

We can't allow our elected officials and leaders to continue to demonize and dehumanize other Americans, other Americans who have the rights that all Americans have to live their lives free from discrimination, to go to work and not have to face discrimination at work, to serve on a jury, and to be treated with dignity and respect. That is all we are asking.

We thought that the work was behind us because we are your friends, neighbors, and family members, and we have already fought these battles. The sky didn't fall when we passed civil unions in Vermont. The sky didn't fall when we passed same-sex marriage. The sky didn't fall when we passed antidiscrimination legislation.

All the terrible things that were going to come to pass by treating people with dignity, respect, and love, and affording them the same freedoms as everyone else in this country--the sky did not fall. We are still here. We are still a strong democracy.

The consistent stream of hate is a reminder that whenever you make progress, and my colleague here knows it so well, the backlash comes. We are in the midst of a furious backlash.

We cannot allow the attacks to go unchallenged. We must go toe to toe in committee after committee, debate after debate on the floor. We cannot normalize the dehumanizing rhetoric, the fear-mongering, the hatred.

We must every day call attention to the fact that what is happening in the

most powerful body in this country is that people are using their political platform to demonize and dehumanize and spread hatred and fear of other Americans who are worthy of dignity, respect, and freedom.

I hear from so many young people, both in my State and here on the Hill, people who work in this building, people who come to advocate on behalf of organizations and policies they believe in. They say: Thank you so much, Congresswoman, for being out about who you are and being open about your family because it is still really hard to live a life full of joy and promise in many pockets of this country.

We risk lives when we don't stand up clearly and loudly against discrimination against trans people, against queer people, against people who are just different. We have forgotten that everyone in our community, regardless of gender identity, regardless of background, is worthy of dignity and respect and should be afforded the same freedoms and rights as every other American.

We must be loud, and we must not give an inch. That is why we are here tonight. We are not going back. It doesn't matter how many amendments you bring up, how many riders, or how many bills that are attacking our community. We are not going back.

We are not going back into the closet. We are not going to stop being who we are. We are not going to stop showing up with courage and dignity and love, not just for ourselves, but for all the young people who are watching us, who see their leaders demonizing them, who tune in to C-SPAN and tune in to committee hearings and they say: I can't believe they are spending their time attacking our community again when all we want is to live a life of dignity and freedom. Why are they spending their time on this?

I have to say: I don't know. I don't know.

This month is about loving and living. That is what this is. This is life-affirming. Pride is about saying: We are here. We are your friends. We are your neighbors. We are your family members, and we deserve dignity and respect.

I remind my community out there: You be you. Keep being you. Keep being yourself. When we reach our full potential as humans, it does make the world a better place. It makes our communities more rich.

I tell you this because I know my 11-year-old self needed to hear that. I needed to hear that from the adults in my life and the leaders. My 11-year-old self was worried that just being me, just having my identity would limit what I would be able to do in life, which is why I didn't run for office until my forties.

I knew at 17 that I wanted to serve my community, but I felt limited because of the homophobia and because of the hatred. I worried that my family would not love me. I worried that I would never be accepted in school because those were the messages. I worried and feared that I would lose friends, and I did.

Today, we have to remember where we have come from, and we cannot allow the rhetoric to continue in this body because it isn't just about the bills that we pass or don't pass. It is about the messages that we are sending to people across this country. Are we a Nation that believes that everyone is entitled to dignity and respect and humanity, or are we going to become a Nation that continues to scapegoat those in our communities that, for some reason, we don't understand?

I am here as a Member of Congress. I am here as a parent. I am here as a former teacher. It is the honor of my life to serve my State in the U.S. House of Representatives. I could not be more proud, and I am going to use my voice to stand up for any community that is in danger of having its rights taken away from it.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today because of the Republican Party's unrelenting effort to get Donald Trump back into office, no matter the facts and no matter the law.

For over 1 year, Judiciary Committee Republican colleagues have desperately sought evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. What have they found? They have found nothing. Nothing.

I am sure it was disappointing for my Republican colleagues when Special Counsel Hur cleared the President instead of indicting him, but it is time to move on. We should be on the floor moving gun violence legislation, protecting the right to abortion, and protecting the LBGTQ Americans across the country who are attacked relentlessly by my colleagues on the other side.

This is a colossal waste of time, but more importantly, it is dangerous. What they are doing is dangerous.

When this Congress is over, the only achievements my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will be able to point to will be the things that we, as Democrats, helped them to pass.

Mr. Speaker, it is my job, and it is all of our jobs, to represent constituents. I thought that is what we are all here for. I implore my Republican colleagues to stop putting the interests of only one man above the interests of Americans.

The truth will out, and history will not look kindly on what you have done here.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut, has been a champion on this issue, and I am so glad she has convened us here tonight.

Over 41 million Americans depend on nutrition assistance to feed themselves and their families, and SNAP benefits reach millions of rural Americans every day.

No State, no community, and no Congressional District in our Nation is immune to hunger and food insecurity.

Paradoxically, in rural areas that grow most of our Nation's food, many households face real struggles with hunger. It is not just in metropolitan areas.

We know poverty is the root cause of hunger, and it is often acute in rural communities, like in my home State of Vermont, with 15 percent of households in rural areas facing food insecurity.

Millions of working families, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, and children in rural communities cannot always afford enough food to keep themselves and their families healthy.

Simply put, too many Americans are going hungry every day, but we have a vital program that actually helps to address this problem, the SNAP program. It provides monthly benefits to low-income families and individuals to help them to buy food.

The Republicans' attack, and it is just the latest attack on this essential program, would slash the program by $30 billion over the next decade.

If enacted, the bill would make the largest cuts to SNAP benefits in 30

years at a time when we have gross wealth inequality in this country. Slashing anti-hunger programs that we know work is stupid, it is inhumane, and it is also shortsighted.

Even if you don't think we have a moral responsibility to feed the children of this Nation and make sure they don't go hungry every night, even if you don't think it is a moral imperative, which I do, but if you don't, there are real consequences for individual Americans and for our healthcare system.

When Americans don't have enough food, this greatly impacts the health of those who go hungry. Food insecurity can lead to Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

The gentlewoman from Connecticut and I are both former teachers. We know children who go hungry struggle in school. They have health problems. Americans who are food insecure are more likely to struggle with psychological and behavioral health issues.

This year's farm bill should be providing more benefits to Americans. We should be expanding and protecting SNAP benefits.

Instead, what are we doing? Once again, demonizing the poor. It is time that House Republicans drop their partisan extremism and work alongside Democrats to pass a truly bipartisan farm bill and actually help feed the American people.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, my colleagues and I are here on the floor of the U.S. Congress to talk about the mental health crisis we are seeing across the country in each of our congressional districts.

I know this issue can be incredibly hard for many people to talk about. It is personal. It is complex. Many Americans don't feel comfortable talking about it because they fear the reaction from their friends, their families, or coworkers. But seeking mental health treatment is not a sign of weakness; it means you are human.

The body does not stop at the neck and mental health care is healthcare. Period.

All of us here tonight are fighting for a future in which anyone who wants mental health care gets it when we finally end the unequal treatment of mental health.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).

Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of a nationwide mental health crisis, and it is critically important for all of us in positions of power to do the work of passing legislation and funding programs that will meet the needs of our constituents.

It is also important that we use our positions to help create opportunities for connections in our communities right now because we have a crisis of loneliness and disconnection in our Nation.

It has become such an urgent issue that our U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, has unveiled a new framework and strategy to address this national crisis of loneliness. Murthy has said that social connections must be a top priority in terms of public health. He believes, as I do, that the epidemic of loneliness and isolation has fueled other problems in our society that are making us very sick.

His research shows that about one in every two Americans is experiencing loneliness at any given time. It is shocking. It isn't just emotionally uncomfortable to be lonely; it also has real consequences for our health. It can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, heart disease, stroke, and data indicates that the risk of a premature death due to loneliness is even comparable to the risk associated with being a daily smoker.

This rampant disconnection and loneliness also fuels anger and distrust, and it adds to the disconnection that many Americans experience.

The science is clear and compelling. Research has found that our need for connection may be as fundamental as our need for food and water. Many studies over the past decade have come to the same conclusion: Social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional, and actually physical well-being.

People who feel more connected to others show lower levels of anxiety and depression and greater empathy for others. They also tend to be more cooperative and trusting. Further, a lack of social connection can have a range of negative effects.

One study of 7,000 Americans of different ages, genders, and health found that people who were disconnected from others were roughly three times more likely to die over that 9-year study than people with strong social ties. Surprisingly, regardless of demographics, people who had unhealthy lifestyles, but close social ties lived longer than those with healthy living habits but poor social connections.

Not only are relationships fundamental to our health and happiness, but research shows that they may even shape how our brains work to make decisions. We must craft policy and make investments to address our national mental health crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. DeSaulnier).

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from Members from many different parts of the country, from Vermont to Michigan to California to Hawaii. As I said before, we must prioritize human connection and healthy relationships, and we have to craft policy and make bold investments to address our national mental health crisis.

The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetimes has reached nearly 30 percent. This is almost a 10 percentage point increase since 2015. The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased to almost 18 percent. These rates are the highest recorded by Gallup polling since it began measuring depression using the current form of data collection in 2015.

It is impacting all of us, but I am particularly concerned about the toll it is having on our kids and teens. Thirty years ago, the greatest health threats to teenagers came from binge drinking, drunk driving, teen pregnancy, and smoking. These have all fallen sharply since then, but they have been surpassed by soaring rates of mental health disorders.

In a little over a decade, the number of adolescents reporting depression has increased by 60 percent. Emergency room visits by adolescents are up as parents seek help for their teens who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Suicide rates among adolescents are up sharply, as well.

The public health crisis has intensified since the pandemic, but it didn't cause it. We have seen a steady increase over the past 20 years. Young people now are getting less sleep, less exercise, and less in- person time with friends, all crucial for physical and mental health. Adolescent brains are being exposed to a huge wave of incoming stimulation via social media and technology.

Teens in my district have told me they feel anxious, disconnected, and depressed. Many fear that their constant use of cell phones and social media is impacting their mental health.

We have important work to do, all of us. Every single congressional district is experiencing this. My work on mental health will be a cornerstone of the work that I do in Congress.

I am working toward a future in which anyone who wants mental health care gets it and when we finally end the unequal treatment of mental health and addiction.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to share the story of Amiram Cooper.

Amiram is 85, a husband, a father, a grandfather of nine, a composer, and a poet. His love for the arts and writing inspires everyone around him.

On October 7, he was 1 of more than 240 men, women, children, and elderly who were kidnapped by Hamas.

Amiram was one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the sites of this horrible attack. This tight-knit community was left devastated by the brutality of that day.

Amiram and 135 others are still held captive in Gaza today. Their families continue to live a nightmare--devastated, not knowing what conditions their loved ones are in. It has been 123 days.

We must demand that medical and aid organizations be able to treat the hostages and negotiate on their behalf.

We must continue to do everything in our power to keep these hostages and their families in our hearts and to keep telling their stories.

We must bring every single hostage home and end this violence.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, let me just say may the record show the Vermonter is here. Snow across D.C.; the Vermonter is here.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a voice for rural America. In Vermont's capital city, Montpelier, we do not have a functioning post office. This is completely unacceptable.

The post office is a vital, nonnegotiable part of our communities. It is part of the fabric of rural America. Seniors depend on it, small businesses depend on it, and our downtowns depend on it to keep our communities vibrant and connected.

Vermonters are frustrated, and rightly so, not only because they have been denied reliable, accessible service, but because the USPS has failed to give us any answers as we try to rectify this failure.

Vermonters are not asking much. A fully functional post office in a State's capital city is not a big ask. We must get back to making government work for the people at its most basic functions.

When we ignore this need, we continue to erode faith in the government, and we leave communities behind. I won't stop raising my voice until reliable Postal Service is restored in Montpelier, Vermont, and in other parts of rural America.

Mr. Speaker, here we are in a new year, a new opportunity to actually do something for our people back home.

It is discouraging and frankly embarrassing that this has been the least productive Congress in U.S. history. The chaos and dysfunction in this Congress under Republican leadership has caused legislative paralysis and has prevented us from focusing our attention on the critical needs of our constituents.

More than that, the chaos, the fearmongering, and the dehumanizing rhetoric have dragged us ever closer to a crippling cynicism.

We are sent here to act in service of our communities and our constituents. We can't do that when we demonize each other, when we dehumanize each other, when we dehumanize our fellow Americans. We can't do that when we don't treat ourselves with basic human dignity.

This isn't some naive notion. It is reality. The nihilism and cynicism is threatening our democracy. It is eroding our communities. It is killing us.

Let's get back to being spirited political opponents and move away from being enemies.

Madam Speaker, no one should need permission from a judge or a Governor to make a personal choice for their family and for their health.

This week, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that 31-year-old mother of two, Kate Cox, was not entitled to a medically necessary abortion despite her doctor's concerns for her health. She had to make the decision to leave her State to access the care she needed and deserved, a choice that is not available to everyone.

Ms. Cox is not the first woman to be denied lifesaving care, and she will certainly not be the last.

Women across this country in States like Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Idaho, and others have been stripped of their most basic rights.

It is disturbing. It is dangerous.

We know that these extreme laws are going to cost lives, and they disproportionately impact women of color and low-income women. Republicans are literally denying women the lifesaving care they need.

The Dobbs decision did exactly what it was intended to do: to strip women of their bodily autonomy. It is inhumane, it is cruel, and it is clearly against the will of the American people.

We cannot let them win.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present on December 6, 2023. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 698; NAY on Roll Call No. 699; YEA on Roll Call No. 700; NAY on Roll Call No. 701; YEA on Roll Call No. 702; NAY on Roll Call No. 703; and YEA on Roll Call No. 704.

Mr. Speaker, three young college students went for a walk in Burlington, Vermont, during their Thanksgiving break: Hishem, Kinnaan, and Taahseen spoke Arabic to one another and wore keffiyehs.

They were shot.

Whether or not this meets the legal standard for hate crime, we know this was a hateful act. The recent rise in Islamophobia in this country has led to deadly violence. It is deeply disturbing and frightening.

I want to be clear: Leaders in this very Chamber need to unequivocally denounce the rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia. Words matter.

We need to lead with our values--community and acceptance--rather than hatred and fear.

No one should be targeted because of their ethnicity or their religion. It has no place in Vermont. It has no place anywhere. We all have a part to play. We need to speak up and stand with our Muslim neighbors and friends now.

The eyes of the Nation are on Vermont, and we want to make it absolutely clear to Americans that we will stand against this kind of violence and hate.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the House.

The form of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 610, Censuring Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Whereas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly fanned the flames of racism, anti-Semitism, hate speech against the LGBTQ community, Islamophobia, anti-Asian hate, xenophobia, and other forms of hatred;

Whereas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly debased the memories of thousands of victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, by perpetuating conspiracy theories to shift blame and responsibility for the mass murder;

Whereas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly assaulted the foundation of our democracy by perpetuating conspiracy theories related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol which sought to halt the peaceful transfer of power;

Whereas, Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly called for violence against elected Representatives and their families;

Whereas, Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly espoused anti-Semitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories, including through inflammatory evocations of the Holocaust;

Whereas, on May 20, 2021, Marjorie Taylor Greene said that the mask mandate in the House of Representatives was akin to Jews being ``put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany'';

Whereas, on May 25, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that, ``Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star'';

Whereas, on February 26, 2022, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared at a white nationalist event that was condemned by the Republican Jewish coalition as ``appalling and outrageous that a Member of Congress would share a platform with an individual who has actively spread anti-Semitic bile, mocked the Holocaust, and promoted dangerous anti-Israel conspiracy theories;

Whereas, on September 1, 2022, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a tweet comparing President Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler that said, ``Joe Biden is Hitler. #NaziJoe has to go'';

Whereas, on September 1, 2022, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted another tweet of a doctored video showing President Biden speaking with audio of Hitler, swastikas in the background and a mustache akin to that of Hitler;

Whereas, on July 21, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said

that if she was ``in charge'' she would ``kick out every single Chinese in this country that is loyal to the CCP. They would be gone'';

Whereas, on December 19, 2021, while at a Turning Point USA conference, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to Asian Americans as ``yellow people,'' a slur that has been historically used to malign the Asian-American community in the United States;

Whereas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has a history of perpetuating LGBTQ hate speech, including through her use of offensive posters in the halls of congressional office buildings beginning on February 24, 2021;

Whereas, on November 22, 2022, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that an LGBTQ California State Senator was a ``communist groomer,'' an offensive slur that has been used to stoke fear and incite hatred of LGBTQ Americans;

Whereas, on March 7, 2023, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene again referred to members of the LGBTQ community as ``groomers'' and spouted anti-trans rhetoric on the floor of the House of Representatives;

Whereas, on June 1, 2023, the first day of Pride Month, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted a photo showing an anti- trans poster that she had displayed in the hall outside of her congressional office;

Whereas, on February 22, 2019, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a video on Facebook claiming that the Muslim-American Members of Congress were not ``really official'' because they didn't take the oath of office on the Bible;

Whereas, on June 17, 2020, Politico reported that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly engaged in Islamophobic rhetoric and suggested that Muslim Americans do not belong in the United States Government;

Whereas, on May 10, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene yet again referred to fellow Muslim-American Members of Congress as the ``Jihad Squad'';

Whereas, on June 17, 2020, Politico reported that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to Black Americans as ``slaves to the Democratic Party'' and said that they should be proud to see Confederate monuments;

Whereas, on June 17, 2020, Politico further reported that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stated in a video, ``I know a ton of White people that are as lazy and sorry and probably worse than Black people'';

Whereas, on May 18, 2023, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene compared being called a white supremacist to a person of color being called the ``N-word,'' a vile racial slur;

Whereas, on January 28, 2021, a video of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene resurfaced in which she used a harmful and offensive slur targeting Americans with disabilities, which the National Down Syndrome Society called ``heartbreaking and unacceptable'';

Whereas, on November 1, 2018, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene denied the attacks on September 11 saying there was a ``so-called plane that crashed into the Pentagon'' and that ``It is odd there is never any evidence shown for a plane in the Pentagon'';

Whereas, on November 17, 2018, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene peddled a vile anti-Semitic trope when she claimed that wildfires in California were caused by space lasers operated by members of the Jewish community;

Whereas, on August 17, 2020, a video of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene resurfaced in which she stated that the mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, where 60 people were murdered, was perpetuated in order to pass anti-gun legislation;

Whereas, on January 19, 2021, Media Matters published a screenshot of a Facebook comment from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene where she emphatically agreed that the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 American students and teachers were murdered, was a false flag event;

Whereas, on January 21, 2021, Media Matters published a screenshot of a Facebook comment liked by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene that claimed 9/11 was ``done by our own government'', to which she responded, ``That is all true'';

Whereas, that same comment liked and agreed to by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene further claimed that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary where 26 people, including 20 precious children were murdered, was staged;

Whereas, on September 3, 2020, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an image of herself holding a gun next to images of three Members of Congress with a caption encouraging ``going on offense'' after them;

Whereas, on January 26, 2021, CNN reported on posts, comments, and likes by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from 2018 and 2019 in which Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene liked several posts and comments on Facebook demonstrating her support for the execution of several members of the Democratic Party, including the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama;

Whereas, on January 26, 2021, CNN further reported that Marjorie Taylor Greene liked a Facebook comment on January 2019 that stated, ``a bullet to the head would be quicker'' in reference to the removal of Speaker Nancy Pelosi;

Whereas, on January 26, 2021, CNN also reported that deleted videos showed Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene calling for the execution of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and stating that she was ``a traitor to our country, she is guilty of treason,'' and should ``suffer death or she will be in prison'';

Whereas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has perpetuated the ``big lie'' related to the 2020 Presidential election by espousing conspiracy theories and by threatening and inciting violence;

Whereas, on October 26, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene downplayed the actions of those who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol and said ``if you think about what our Declaration of Independence says, it says to overthrow tyrants'';

Whereas, on November 4, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene went to visit those incarcerated related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol in what she referred to as ``the patriot wing'' of the D.C. Jail;

Whereas, on November 10, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to those who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol as ``political prisoners of war'';

Whereas, on December 10, 2022, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said that if she had organized the January 6 attack on the Capitol, ``we would have won. Not to mention, it would have been armed'';

Whereas, on July 19, 2023, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene displayed graphic pornographic images during an official committee hearing that she claimed depicted a member of President Biden's family;

Whereas, on July 19, 2023, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene sent an official press release and posted to her official congressional website public hearing commentary featuring graphic pornographic images she claimed depicted a member of President Biden's family; and

Whereas, Members of Congress have promised to always have the back of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene no matter the extent of her vile and hateful behavior:

Now, therefore, be it resolved that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene be censured; Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene forthwith present herself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure; and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc amendment, which includes my amendment to support Vermont's recovery from this summer's catastrophic flooding.

Vermont farmers are hurting. With government funding running out on Saturday, the Republicans' Agriculture appropriations bill is too little too late. Vermont's recovery needs are urgent.

My amendment urges USDA to ensure disaster assistance is deployed as quickly as possible.

It has been a rough year in Vermont. Vermont producers have sustained millions and millions of dollars in damages, impacting nearly 30,000 acres of land.

Vermont's farmers are essentially the heart of our communities, the fabric of our State, and I will do everything in my power to make sure they have the resources they need to make sure that they are able to recover and build back better from this horrible flooding.

A government shutdown would be devastating for Vermont and other States like mine that are recovering from disasters this summer. Vermonters need Federal recovery dollars to continue to flow so that towns and households can get back on their feet. We must turn our attention to serious matters.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the public schools. I am a parent. I am a former middle school teacher. I am also the child of a working-class mom and an immigrant dad. I understand so deeply that education is the bedrock of this great democracy.

Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, I am worried about our public schools. I am worried about the news stories about banning books and erasing Black curriculum from schools. These Republican actions are not supportive of our public schools or teachers or parents or our students. This assault on public education does not make us a stronger nation, a kinder nation, or a more thoughtful one.

We don't have any fear about facing the complexity of our Nation's history. Our democracy is stronger than that. It can withstand the ugly details, the inconvenient truths, and the uncomfortable nuance. We have a robust democracy, and we have a republic that can face tough questions about its history.

We need not be afraid of this. Age-appropriate curriculum about our Nation's history must include the hard parts. Our students, our parents, and our teachers can handle it. Let's trust them.

It is concerning to me that in some districts we have movements to prevent students from learning about slavery or the Trail of Tears or Martin Luther King, Jr., or Rosa Parks or Anne Frank.

As the grandchild of an immigrant, a man who was killed in the Holocaust--a grandchild of someone killed in the Holocaust, I know the importance of knowing history. I know the importance of speaking frankly and clearly about what happens when we don't know the details and when we simply demonize a group or dehumanize a group of people.

What we need to do is shine the light of day on complex history. When we use our time here in Congress to fan the flames of culture wars instead of investing in our schools, then we are not doing the job that we were sent here to do and that parents want us to do.

It doesn't matter what your political stripe is, Mr. Speaker, or whether you are not involved in politics at all. Mr. Speaker, what you want for your children and grandchildren is essentially the same. You want a strong education for your kids and grandkids. You want schools where all students feel safe and supported and can be the very best selves.

We know that kids suffer when they don't have the resources that they

need. We should be investing our time and energy into making sure all of our schools regardless of ZIP Code have the resources they need for every single American kid to be successful. That is our job.

Balance is at the core of who we are as Americans. It is not banning Judy Blume or trying to pretend that racism wasn't part of our past and, indeed, in many instances, isn't still a part of our present. We should not be afraid of these details.

To ensure that the next generation of Americans is equipped for adulthood, we have to support well-rounded, holistic education that sets up our children for success.

I have a 13-year-old--almost 13; she will be 13 in a couple of weeks--and a 15-year-old. I will tell you that every time we sit down to dinner at my house, we have robust conversations about the news.

In fact, when I first started in Congress, I used to walk through the door on Friday afternoons and my son would say, ``Mom, let's talk about your votes.''

We have complex conversations about geopolitics. I don't shy away from talking about the hard stuff with my son or my daughter. I trust them to ask questions of me that are age-appropriate.

I wish that we would trust our families across this country to be able to have rich and complex conversations with their students about curriculum that is often complicated.

That is the human experience. That is the American experience. It is not tidy, nor would we want it so. We are a nation of ideas. We wrestle with concepts. This is who we are at our best. We should not be afraid of this happening in our public schools.

I know the impact that quality education can have on our young people and the danger that lies ahead if we use our positions as elected officials to be proscriptive about what should be discussed in our public schools.

The continued attack on our public education, which is often fueled by divisive rhetoric and often, unfortunately, manufactured controversies, is an affront to parents and students everywhere. As I said, they know how to navigate complex issues. Why are we so afraid of this?

Our continued dependency within this building on creating groups of people to demonize and dehumanize for political ends then, unfortunately, gets played out in public schools across this country. How is this possibly helping our democracy?

I want students who ask hard questions. When I was a teacher, I welcomed them. I welcomed people from across the political spectrum and their parents to be able to come into my classroom and have deep conversations about difference.

It is not about indoctrinating people. It is about having a place where we are not afraid to talk about hard things. Isn't that what we want for our schools and for our communities?

I fear that we are so afraid of having hard conversations that we have stopped talking at all. Better to shut down any conversation about something that somebody perceives as controversial than to try to come together with differing opinions, wrestle with ideas, wrestle with complexities.

This is who we are at our best. This is actually what this body was supposed to be and what our public schools can be at their best: a microcosm of the democracy.

As a public schoolteacher, I taught middle school. People often say middle school is great preparation for being in Congress for a whole lot of reasons, that public schoolteachers and the parents that support those teachers and those students are some of the most committed, compassionate members of our communities.

They are invested in their students. They are committed to their communities. Unfortunately, they have become targets of baseless attacks that have come from divisive politics.

I have to say, the attack on public schools, the attack on teachers, is not serving us as a nation. It is not, as I said, making us stronger. It is not making us more thoughtful. It is not making us more equipped to deal with the complicated world of geopolitics that we must confront.

I welcome hard conversations, and I always have in my classroom. This is what teachers across this country are trying to do, to hold space for hard conversations. Why are we so afraid of that?

I also have to say, as a woman who has two kids, and my spouse is another woman, I want my kids to be able to go to a school where their teacher is not going to be reprimanded for acknowledging that my kids have a particular kind of family. I want my kids to feel like they have as much of a right to be in a classroom to get an education as anyone else. Why are we so afraid of difference?

For many years in this country, difference, diversity of experience, diversity of background--we talked about our Nation as a great melting pot.

Sometimes it was called a fruit salad. Sometimes it was called a potpourri of experiences. It used to be that we celebrated that, that we did not see that as a danger to our very democracy.

We are in what I feel like is not just uncharted territory. It is dangerous territory for the Republic.

I know from representing Vermont, which is a rural State with hundreds of communities dotted across our wooded landscape, that the public schools are the heart and soul of our communities. They are where young minds are nurtured, where curiosity is fueled, where community itself is fostered.

Our teachers, in conjunction with the parents in those communities, play an invaluable role in shaping our children's futures. They deserve to be acknowledged for the work that they do, not vilified.

One of the things that I heard as I was campaigning across Vermont to represent my State in Congress--didn't matter what community I was in-- people would come up to me at the end of events and say: I don't want to hate my neighbors. I don't want to feel like the only way forward is to be fearful of other Americans, people within my own community.

I try to live my life here in Congress and as a former teacher as someone who is always thinking about how we bring the community of man back together. How do we move away from a meanness of spirit that is not just corroding our work here but is actually corroding our Nation?

Schools are an important part of people being able to come together and speak honestly about their experiences and histories. It is a way forward for us as a nation. Why are we so afraid of having difficult conversations?

Now, I never imagined that, as the child of an immigrant and a working-class mom, I would be standing here before you. As a gay woman, I never thought that I would be walking in these Halls, but I am here. I have a place here, and I am going to use my voice to continue to ask questions.

What happened to our ability to have tough conversations without demonizing each other, without dehumanizing each other?

We know what happens when norms are upended, when rights are attacked. We have seen this across the globe. We have seen it here in our own country.

Public schools are an important part of building back the strength and vibrancy of our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).

Mr. Speaker, parents and voters across this country understand the biggest challenges facing America's students in our public schools, and it is not about curriculum that includes details about slavery or the Trail of Tears or Anne Frank. That is not what most voters and parents care about.

What do they care about?

Number one, they care about getting students the support they need, and in some instances, that is one-on-one support to meet the needs of their students.

They care deeply about addressing the educator shortages that we see across the country.

They care deeply about ensuring that their students have the mental health services that they need.

They care deeply about the dangers of gun violence in their schools.

They want candidates to address these issues. They want leaders who will address these issues.

I will say the needs of parents are really not that different from the needs and desires of students. I have spent quite a bit of time traveling across Vermont, speaking to predominantly middle school and high school students about what it is that they are concerned about. They talk about the same kinds of things.

They talk about needing mental health support. They talk about how afraid they are to go to school because they are worried about the epidemic of gun violence. They are concerned that they won't be prepared for the future.

They are not clamoring to have curriculum restricted. They want to have those hard conversations. I taught middle school for many years. I run into some of my former students who are now adults, and we talk about the conversations that we had in my classroom that were on hard issues, but they were age appropriate. I trusted them and their families to be engaged in the work that was happening in my classroom.

I fear that where we are headed is a future in which what it is that teachers are allowed to discuss with students will be so restricted that our students will not be prepared for the future outside of their little communities.

History is complicated. It is often ugly, sometimes really distasteful. I studied African-American history and Native-American history when I was earning my master's in history. I studied African- American communities post-Reconstruction, during an era known as racial uplift. I looked at Black women's community organizations and the work that they did post-Reconstruction to have vital supports within their communities. I studied Native-American land claims and the missteps and mistakes and atrocities that happened in history regarding Tribal claims to land.

I am a better person for knowing these things. It did not fundamentally make me a less patriotic American. It did not make me less grateful that my father came here as an immigrant to build a new life.

Every nation has its complex histories, its difficult chapters, its reckonings. No nation is without dark spots in its past.

Where we can rise above as a nation is to say, we will embrace head- on the complexity and the nuance and trust that our students, parents, and teachers can have those conversations, and it will not make them less likely to love their country.

Having taught middle school for a very long time, and community college, I will tell you that students feel betrayed when they are not given age-appropriate curriculum about the hard stuff, and then they find out about it later, and they feel like we have been withholding history from them, that we don't trust them enough to ask the good questions.

I wish so sincerely that we would trust parents more across this country to be able to have a relationship with their local public school and their teachers and together have those meaningful, sometimes difficult conversations.

One of the things that I am also quite concerned about is that we are not investing even in the infrastructure of schools. I am concerned that there are so many aging buildings across this country that in a decade or two they are not going to be structurally sound for our students. It is going to take a big investment of money to make sure that every single student has a safe building to learn inside. However, our priorities often in this building are not around investing in the needs of our children and our families.

I know that bill is going to come due, and there is going to be a time when parents and communities say: Why didn't we make those investments when we should have? Is it not true that our children are truly the most precious resource for the Nation?

Now, the other thing that I have been thinking about is that we, as parents, need to be willing to show up for our schools and our students even when there is no controversy. Take an interest in what is happening, not because you have any kind of agenda but just because you want to know what is happening in the schools.

I can tell you that most of the schools that I know of in Vermont would welcome involvement from the community, whether it is a community garden or helping to lead after-school programs. What the most frustrating thing is when people are not involved in the work of the school or what is happening there, and there is a sense of suspicion about what is happening there. I can tell you, as somebody who volunteered as much as I could at my kids' school when they were little, I knew what was happening in their schools because I was there communicating.

Public schools are not the enemy here. Teachers are not the enemy, nor are trans people and queer people that seem to be on the receiving end right now of a lot of the vitriol around public schools.

I went into teaching for one reason--alleviating suffering. That is the same reason why I ran for State senate, and it is the same reason why I ran for Congress, alleviating suffering in all of its forms. When you are a teacher, you have to do that in real time because kids come into the classroom with whatever they were dealing with that morning at home, and it is the job of the teacher to hold all students where they are and make the classroom environment a place where all feel safe and supported.

It is not an easy job; I can tell you. Oftentimes when you are a teacher, you get to the end of the day and you haven't remembered to eat or use the bathroom or take care of any of your personal needs because there is only one thing that is important to you, which is making sure your students get what they need when they are with you that day.

Can we please stop demonizing teachers? Can we please stop thinking there is some sinister agenda?

People serve in that capacity because they want to make a positive difference in the lives of children, and sometimes it is as simple as sitting with a student who had a rough time on the bus in the morning or someone who is carrying with them a deep insecurity about themselves and that is getting in the way of their learning.

We talk in education about differentiated learning, and we use that to talk about how students come in with different levels of success at a particular topic, particular curriculum, and you try to differentiate, make it possible for them to be successful.

I have often thought when we talk about differentiated learning, we forget that that is what teachers do day in and day out with every single student they have. What does this student need right now? How can I help them get what they need so they can be successful? It is both exhausting and rewarding.

Can we please stop attacking teachers?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

Mr. Speaker, we have important work to do in this country. We need to continue to invest in schools so that we can reduce poverty. We need to alleviate hunger. We need to work together to build better outcomes for kids. We need to give teachers a living wage and create equitable systems that don't leave anyone behind. Your ZIP Code should not determine whether you get a robust, rich education or not.

Students, parents, educators deserve more. They need partners, not partisans. They don't need bullies. What they need is for us to stand up for robust, rich education and not be afraid to talk about the tough stuff.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart. Vermont has experienced so much devastation over the last 2 weeks.

The images have been shocking. Our capital city is completely under water, small businesses across the State destroyed, homes and rental units totally gutted, and thousands and thousands of acres of cropland decimated.

Seeing my State under water makes it clearer than ever that climate change isn't coming. It is here.

Disasters like this bring up so much trauma for many of us who lived through Hurricane Irene. I want Vermonters to know that we, your congressional delegation, will be there as long as it takes to recover, but we have a very long road ahead.

With the support of our friends and neighbors, we will get through this together. That is what I have seen as I have traveled around Vermont visiting communities--Vermonters pitching in and helping one another.

We cannot accept what we have seen in Vermont over the last week as the new normal. We must continue to fight for climate action and climate resiliency to keep Vermont the Green Mountain State that we know and love.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present on July 17, 2023.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 330, and YEA on Roll Call No. 329.