Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Children's Cardiomyopathy Awareness Month and to honor the memory of one of my constituents who lost his life far too early to a truly devastating condition.

Pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic and degenerative disease of the heart muscle, is the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in children. My constituent, Kyle John Rymiszewski, was diagnosed at birth with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which thickens the heart muscle and restricts blood flow around the body. He courageously fought it for years until his heart of gold stopped beating at the young age of fifteen. In memory of their son, Kyle's parents, Ken Rymiszewski and Aimee Cowher, founded the Kyle John Rymiszewski Foundation to increase awareness of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and to fund critically needed research to improve treatment outcomes. Other organizations like the Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation also further this work and help families care for children with cardiomyopathy. I commend these organizations for their tireless work to give our children a better chance at life.

It is important that we recognize Children's Cardiomyopathy Awareness Month and continue to spread awareness about this disease. Over forty percent of children diagnosed with cardiomyopathy will either die or undergo a heart transplant within the first two years of their diagnosis. Despite this, little is known about the causes of this disease and there currently is no cure for it. Although patients with the four different types of cardiomyopathy have varying symptoms, each case poses major challenges and dangers. During this month and beyond, we must commit to spreading information and resources to help identify at-risk children and avoid preventable tragedies.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in spreading awareness of this disease and supporting children like Kyle who suffer from pediatric cardiomyopathy.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise for Rose from Michigan.

In Rose's first pregnancy, which was planned and very wanted, severe brain abnormalities were detected in the 22nd week. She made the decision, she said ``I will take that risk,'' because the doctor said there was a 70 percent chance that the child would be able to function. But at 28 weeks, the doctor made an analysis that said a severe brain condition with a life expectancy under 4 years, with severe seizures and limited development.

We are talking about suffering now. The baby would have problems swallowing, breathing, even smiling. The baby would never be able to communicate or control her body. And today we are talking about suffering.

Rose made the choice between a short, painful life and peace. She chose the latter.

Rose says: ``I believe we made the most compassionate and loving choice we could for our baby, but the grief was initially overwhelming.''

On behalf of Rose, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 36. We must stop the bans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage toward the latest travel ban proposed by the Trump administration again late on September 24. The administration issued a proclamation with new discriminatory travel restrictions on eight countries.

Let me be clear: no matter how many times this administration tries to repackage it and sell it, a Muslim ban is a Muslim ban. It remains hateful, discriminatory, and goes against our American values. We won't be fooled by the inclusion of North Korea and Venezuela.

This Muslim and refugee ban continues to be part of a dangerous and immoral agenda against a religion, people of color, and immigrants.

This administration and this ban is fanning the flames of fear and anger against groups of Americans and immigrants, with policies that clearly undermine the Constitution that I love and our American principles.

Dressed up or dressed down, this ban must not stand.

We must address terrorism, and it is not restricted to the Muslim population. We must address it here on the ground in homegrown terrorism as well.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Ola, a University of Michigan pre-med student who aspires to be a surgical oncologist.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the proposed border wall funding.

Instead of wasting $1.6 billion in taxpayers' dollars on an unnecessary border wall, the DHS should focus its limited resources on more important border security priorities.

This includes upgrading and hiring more personnel for ports of entry, the main path for illegal drugs. This could include better and more technology so that border security agents will have a better idea what is happening along the borders.

The border wall will be dangerous. Violence, poverty, and family ties ensure that migrants will continue attempting the risky journey through the border region's hostile zones.

The border wall will be divisive. We need to do our job, Mr. Speaker, and come together as a Congress for a comprehensive immigration plan; at the least, reform of our immigration policies. Building a wall sends a toxic message to one of our closest neighbors, a country on which we, the United States, depend on.

Mr. Speaker, on July 24, 2017, I was not able to cast my votes during the series. Had I been present, I would have voted: NO on H.R. 3180--Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, as amended, NO on S. 114--A bill to authorize appropriations for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes, as amended, and YES on H.R. 3218--Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the ICE raids that have happened in Michigan.

I was alarmed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have resulted in the detention and possible removal of Iraqi nationals, as well as other members of the Detroit community.

Why am I alarmed?

Mr. Speaker, what we saw happen on Sunday, June 11, was an all out push to just remove Iraqi nationals who have been in this country, some for up to 40 years, who have lived in this country, raised families, have worked, and were subject to raids. Over 100 Iraqi nationals, including Chaldeans and Muslims, were removed from their families and transported to a correctional facility in Youngstown, Ohio.

I have been in touch with community leaders, who are not only distressed by the ongoing situation, but also expressed concern regarding the dangers that await these individuals if they return to an active war zone in Iraq.

Many of the communities characterize these raids as having a deliberate and calculated motive. Understand that these deportations are part of an agreement made between Prime Minister Abadi and President Trump as part of a deal to remove Iraq from the travel ban, an agreement that is not in writing, Mr. Speaker, an agreement that Congress nor the public has access to.

When ISIS reared its ugly head in 2014 in northern Iraq, its main targets for genocide, sexual slavery, and other gross human rights violations included these same people: Iraqi Christians, Muslims, and other ethnic and religious minorities.

In 2014, Congress passed a resolution, unanimously, recognizing Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities as victims of genocide in Iraq and Syria. Since then, both the Obama administration and Trump administration have referred to these acts of violence against Iraqi Chaldeans and others as genocide; yet still we are going to deport these same people back to a country where there will be, surely, a confrontation of death or slavery. Removing these individuals represents what many have described as a ``death sentence'' should they be deported into an active war zone.

The final orders, we are told, of people who were convicted of offenses are based on criminal activities; but we know for a fact, some were for driving without a license and some were for having possession of marijuana 25 years ago.

Furthermore, the removal orders are considered legal, and I support the legal process. They could be decades old. The problem is, Mr. Speaker, they don't reflect the current challenging conditions in the country of origin. Some of those being deported can't even speak Arabic because their entire life has been spent here in the United States.

These raids have really started confusion and fear in the community. It is not in line with the compassion and humanity that we, as the United States, have expressed over the years.

Mr. Speaker, I will also say that now is the time, more than ever, that we in this Congress should have the political courage to establish an immigration plan for America. This jumping up and saying we are going to go over here and we are going to do this is not reflective of a legislative process.

We must have an immigration plan in America so that we can address the correct and humanitarian deportation of those who should not be in our country, but also have a demonstrated and supported pathway to citizenship in these United States of America. It is amazing to me that in these United States of America, which was built from immigrants, we now have this unofficial immigration process in America.

I close, Mr. Speaker, by saying that, as a Member of Congress and representing Michigan with a significant Middle Eastern population, I stand here ready to do the job that I was sent here to do and to get an immigration plan for these United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Connolly.

I rise today coming in saying I would support this bill. Many people know I served 30 years as a Federal employee working in HR, understanding labor relations, safety issues, environmental issues, diversity issues, and knowing clear well that the official time that is allotted to employees to sit down with their representative of the union to talk about if they feel like they are being sexually harassed, if they feel like they are in an environment that is not safe for them, official time is extremely necessary.

What happens in official time? It allows a lot of grievances to be processed and resolved through communication between union and management.

There have been several legislative reform proposals introduced to address the way union representatives are allowed to utilize official time.

Now, I was taken back when my colleague said ``criminal activities.'' Mr. Speaker, criminal activity is something that is in a whole different venue. If you are a Federal employee and you create an illegal activity, you do not need official time to do that. I have never known, in the time that I served in HR, in labor relations, and served in all of the different capacities, have I seen someone doing criminal activity on official time.

It would be a different thing if we were clear that this bill was about reporting the time, which I would not oppose. But when you present this scenario about official time, as it being something that is negative, something that is being used in a criminal capacity, that is totally something I would be opposed to.

Let me tell you some examples of what representatives can use it for: If there is a whistleblower accusation, an employee would go to their union steward and ask for official time.

If it was a grievance on behalf of the employee, they can use it.

Mr. Speaker, union representatives can also assist if it is an OSHA issue, if it is racial discrimination, or sexual harassment.

Instead of allowing employees to complete nonpolitical activities, some of my colleagues seem more interested in preventing employees from doing their jobs by using official time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleague to defeat senseless attacks against Federal employees' official time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as National Foster Care Month.

In Michigan, there are nearly 14,000 children in foster care and more than 400,000 children nationwide all in need of love and support. Studies have shown the majority of children in foster care are affected by mental health issues and often lack access to the help they need. We need to push for access to services to support these vulnerable children to avoid serious risks in the future.

I encourage my colleagues to continue working together in a bipartisan manner to address the needs of our foster care system. I also want to thank Karen Bass for raising awareness on the critical needs facing foster youth through the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. During this month and beyond, let us celebrate foster parents and caregivers and recommit to ensuring every child has a permanent, safe, and loving family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in celebrating the fifth annual National Infrastructure Week and to highlight the urgent need for Congress to pass a comprehensive transportation and infrastructure bill.

Mr. Speaker, in the summer of 2003, a power outage swamped the Eastern United States and Canada, including Detroit, which I represent, and left 50 million people without power for several days.

In 2007, a bridge on I-35 West in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, these are not isolated incidents.

In my home State of Michigan, our cities are home to some of the worst roads in the country. A recent study by a nonprofit ranked Detroit's roads the fourth worst in the country.

Mr. Speaker, Michigan deserves better, and Americans across the country deserve and demand more. I, as an excited member of the Congressional Infrastructure Committee, stand ready to work on future infrastructure bills and to work for the needs of the people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my opposition to this horrible bill, and I include in the Record a letter in opposition from the Children's Hospital Association.

Children's Hospital Association,

Washington, DC, March 15, 2017.

Hon. Orrin Hatch,

Chairman, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Hon. Ron Wyden,

Ranking Member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Greg Walden,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Frank Pallone,

Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairmen Hatch and Walden: On behalf of our nation's

children's hospitals and the patients and families they

serve, we believe the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in its

current form is a setback to child health on a national

level. Over 30 million children receive their health care

coverage through Medicaid. The legislation as written

cuts the budget, coverage, and benefits for the care for

children, many of whom have significant health care needs,

including children with disabilities.

Children's hospitals have identified several provisions in

the AHCA that create serious concerns about the bill as

passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Foremost

among these concerns is that the bill would cut the health

care budget for children by converting the Medicaid program

to a per-capita cap system beginning in 2020. This limits

future funding for the states and risks significant

reductions in the Medicaid budgets providing care for over 30

million children. The current Medicaid entitlement financing

structure allows for greater certainty for children in the

Medicaid program and shifting to a capped environment risks

undermining the current health care available to children.

We are alarmed children's health care financing is not

considered and protected in the AHCA, and that children are

exposed to equal funding risk in the Congressional Budget

Office (CBO) estimates that AHCA will reduce overall Medicaid

funding by $880 billion or 25%. Medicaid is the largest payer

for children's health care in the nation and cuts of this

magnitude will have a severe negative impact on children's

health care. There are also discrete program changes

envisioned in the AHCA posing detrimental effects to

children's access to health care. Eligibility policy changes

in the bill risk reducing or delaying access to Medicaid

coverage. We are concerned by CBO's projections that Medicaid

enrollment will substantially decrease under the AHCA and the

absence of information on the impact on children specifically

suggests that additional examination of these issues is

needed.

We support maintaining Medicaid as an entitlement for

children as well as retaining essential elements of the

program. Every child in America should have access to high

quality health care and Medicaid is critical to this aim.

Research shows providing Medicaid coverage for children is a

smart investment for the nation, resulting in better health

outcomes for children into their adult lives and bringing

long-term returns for the country.

Children's hospitals cannot support any bill that does not

safeguard funding, coverage and benefits for children. With

respect to the AHCA, we call on lawmakers to protect kids and

recommend, at a minimum, the following:

We must not cut funding for children's care under a per

capita cap. Children are already funded at the lowest per

beneficiary levels, and ensuring sufficient funding for

children's health care into the future is absolutely

essential. Accomplishing this under the current proposal

requires clear identification of spending for all children,

including those eligible based on disability, and exempting

funds spent on children from a ``claw back'' on any spending

that exceeds per capita cap target expenditures. We believe

spending on all children should be protected from recoupment

in the following year. This is critical to ensuring states do

not have incentives to restrict children's access to

medically necessary care.

Ensure all funding for children, including blind and

disabled children, is clearly identified. Accurate

information on Medicaid spending is vital to evaluating the

program's effectiveness for children and holding states

accountable for the delivery of services. We believe all

children, including blind and disabled children, should be

included in a single children's 1903A enrollee category and

the per capita cap for children should be adjusted

accordingly to reflect the higher expenses of children with

disabilities. Children are a separate and distinct population

from adults. Funding dedicated to children must be

identifiable, allowing for an accurate picture of the federal

and state investment in kids. This is an important part of

ensuring accountability and the availability of sufficient

resources to address children's health care needs. We believe

it is important to consider protections preventing diversion

of resources specifically intended for children. As we work

with state governments to innovate and improve care delivery,

the nation's pediatric providers are in a better position to

help states achieve their goals if all kids are in a common

eligibility category.

Continue requirements that all children receive pediatric-

specific benefits providing medically necessary care

determined by their physicians. The current Medicaid

structure includes important protections for all children and

ensures they have access to medically-necessary care. It is

essential that Congress includes language guaranteeing

continued access to pediatric-specific services provided

under the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and

Treatment (EPSDT) benefit.

Maintain Medicaid coverage levels for children and protect

them from potential loss of coverage or delays in

eligibility. Changes to eligibility, such as ending

hospitals' ability to make presumptive eligibility

determinations, limiting retroactive coverage, or reducing

children's Medicaid mandatory eligibility levels, directly

risk children's coverage and should not be included.

Remove the provision in the bill eliminating hospital

presumptive eligibility authority. Hospital presumptive

eligibility authority allows hospitals to temporarily enroll

children, pregnant women, and other individuals in Medicaid

until their full enrollment determination can be made. This

means earlier access to needed care for Medicaid eligible

children.

Remove the provision in the bill repealing the ability of

states to provide retroactive eligibility up to three months

prior to the month of application, as allowed under current

law. Ensuring retroactive coverage of benefits under Medicaid

is very important for children, especially children with

complex medical conditions. Without this provision, it will

be challenging for families who incur high levels of expense

prior to their Medicaid-eligible child being enrolled in the

program.

Remove the provision in the bill reducing mandatory

eligibility levels for children age 6-18 from 133 percent of

federal poverty level (FPL) to 100 percent of FPL. All other

children are required to be covered by Medicaid up to 133

percent of the FPL.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide comment on

this legislation. We look forward to working with you in this

Congress to at least maintain the benefits children have

today, and to hopefully strengthen health care for children

into the future.

Very best regards,

Mark Wietecha,

President and CEO,

Children's Hospital Association.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Frankel for her leadership on the Women's Caucus. The Women's Caucus is a bipartisan women's committee. I was honored when I was given the opportunity to serve on this committee because I know for a fact in America, for all of the strides and accomplishments that we have had as women, that we still have so many issues and challenges that we must address.

Whenever there is an issue that disrespects or an issue that is a barrier for a woman, it is incumbent upon us to step up and to speak out because silence or turning our head is condoning the behavior.

Now, we stand here today as women, but there will be men joining us and have joined us because the behavior that we have learned about in the Marines, one of our military branches, is unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the issue of nonconsensual activities in the U.S. military. It has been revealed that nonconsensual nude photos of servicemembers were posted to social media, and it was even enhanced by disturbing comments that were unacceptable and really disrespectful.

This offensive behavior strikes at the very heart of the Marines. The Marines, who we trust and admire and know that they go out and serve this country in so many ways, and we have such honor and respect for them--but this behavior, Mr. Speaker, undermines the trust and the confidence that the marines have in each other. The Marines stand up and, as a team and as a body and as a military, take a code that they will protect each other, and it compromises the respect that the American people have for our military.

Our servicemembers must have the confidence that their brothers and their sisters in uniform always have each other's back. There is simply no room in the military or in our society for behavior that humiliates and degrades women servicemembers. Women who are in the Marines have earned the respect of their brothers and sisters, and they deserve the trust. Many victims, just like in the civilian workforce, are afraid to report the assault. We want to encourage them to file their complaints.

I had, at one time, served my country as an EEO investigator in the private sector. As an equal employment opportunity investigator and having cases of sexual harassment, I would sit in a private counseling session with a victim as she relived it to tell me what happened and how so often they struggle with: Should I tell someone? I am embarrassed. Maybe I should have done more. Or why did I accept it?

And then some will say: I will just quit. I just don't want to go through the humiliation of telling my story. Because when you file a complaint, for it to be processed, it becomes public.

I want to say to every woman that if you really understand how inappropriate, how much you do not deserve to be treated that way, and you want to make sure that no other woman ever is treated that way, I want you to know that we as Congress will stand with you to support your right to report it, to make sure we hold those accountable who did it.

I want to say to everybody that I stand here today as a Member of Congress and as a Member of the Women's Caucus to say that you have support.

In 2015, the latest year for which military assault data is available, more than 6,000 sexual assault cases were reported. Only 10 percent of men report their sexual assaults in the military. Only 40 percent of women do the same.

Sexual assault is wrong, whether it is for a man or a woman. According to the Human Rights Watch report released in 2015, the rate of retaliation for reporting a sexual assault in the military is 12 times higher than the rate of report resulting in a conviction for the predator. We understand the problem, and we want to be a part of the solution.

Mr. Speaker, I will close with this. We stand here today knowing that we have a problem. But I am confident in my belief and trust in our military, and I am confident that the women and men in this Congress will stand together and we will fix this problem so we can continue to have our military brothers and sisters serve together without being attacked by their own.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for being co-chair of the Women's Caucus and for being an amazing mother.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to illustrate the importance of 100 years of women in Congress.

On April 2, 1917, Jeannette Rankin from Montana was sworn in as the first woman ever to serve in Congress. Her life was filled with extraordinary achievements, and she was one of the few suffragists elected to Congress and the only Member of Congress to vote against the U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II.

She has said that ``I may be the first woman,'' but we all know she said ``I won't be the last,'' holding the door open for all of us to follow behind her.

While we have a long way to go for women representing Congress, in 2017, we are in the company of 104 amazing women in Congress. We are 19 percent of the 535 Members who serve. Thirty-eight of the 104 women in Congress are women of color: 18 African Americans, 10 Latinos, nine Asian Pacific Islanders, and one multiracial Member.

In 1951, Ruth Thompson, a longtime lawyer and judge, became the first woman to represent my home State of Michigan in Congress. She was the first woman to serve on the House Judiciary Committee.

Since then, we have had nine more female Members from Michigan, including myself. I am proud to be in the 115th Congress to stand alongside Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Senator Debbie Stabenow. We work together for the Michigan delegation and the Congressional delegation to advance the concerns of women and issues in our great State.

I also want to recognize a woman that truly I stand on her shoulders, and that was the first African-American woman to serve in Congress, Shirley Chisholm.

So we have, in our history of Congress, so many women who paved the way, opened doors, and have been role models not only for us standing here today but for women all over the country.

I will work with my colleagues across the aisle to see that the concerns of women are addressed and to continue increasing our representation in local government.

In the words of Representative Rankin, we are half of the people, and we should be half of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great example of how we work together. I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my unwavering support for Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood is America's most trusted provider of reproductive health care. One in five American women has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care at least one time in her life.

The heart of Planned Parenthood is in our local and rural communities. These healthcare centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care; and the majority is preventive care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers.

In my district, Planned Parenthood was instrumental in providing the following services to over 50,000 constituents in 2016, including:

23,215 pregnancy tests and counseling;

5,798 breast exams; and

5,052 pap smears.

This is the end of Women's History Month. That is why I am here today to stand with Planned Parenthood, and I will continue to fight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month and to show some R-E-S-P-E-C-T to a real Detroiter and Michigan legend, my dear friend and Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Aretha has taught us to be a proud ``Natural Woman.'' She has forced us, not just to ``Think'' about it, but also to act. Once called the voice of Black America, Ms. Franklin has been a champion in the African-American community for decades and in her hometown of Detroit.

With a Hollywood star, 20 R&B number one hits, 18 Grammys, and a Medal of Freedom from President George Bush, she represents the best of Detroit and of our country.

This month and every month, we must stand up to lift women up across this country, ensuring that our laws and policies empower and protect all women.

I am proud to call Aretha Franklin my friend and to wish her a happy birthday, which was March 25, and to stand alongside this great champion for women everywhere this month, Women's History Month, and every day.