Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, Nelson Mandela imparted a lesson to all of us when he said: ``Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.'' This summer, we mark the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant--a program that put postsecondary education in reach for tens of millions of low-income students, a program that gives access to the pursuit of knowledge for those not born into privilege, and a program that allows students to change the world regardless of how much change is in their pockets.

It is an honor and privilege to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the Pell Grant Program. There was no Pell Grant when l went to college. The only way I could attend college was by the grace of receiving an academic scholarship that another student turned down. In 1972, Congress recognized the challenges faced by students like me, and it amended the Higher Education Act to provide direct financial aid to low-income students to afford them the same access to higher education and opportunity for success as their higher-income peers. Originally called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, this program was later named the Pell Grant in honor of its original sponsor, Senator Claiborne Pell, a Democrat from Rhode Island. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the program has maintained bipartisan support for five decades.

Since its creation, the Pell Grant has helped more than 80 million students attend college. Currently, 40 percent of undergraduate students--nearly 7 million students--receive Pell Grants. In Illinois's 7th Congressional District, nearly 33,000 students use over 142 million dollars in Pell Grants to pursue their higher education goals. The Pell Grant is undoubtedly the bedrock of federal financial aid for students. It is especially critical for students of color, with nearly 60 percent of Black students, half of American Indian or Alaska Native students, and nearly half of Latinx students receiving a Pell Grant each year. Without this pivotal program, many students--especially Black students--would be excluded from higher education altogether or have to dig themselves deeper into debt or struggle so much harder by working multiple jobs while attending college.

I am especially proud that, as we mark the 50th anniversary, Congress has restored the Pell Grant to the incarcerated, a policy for which I fought for decades via the REAL Act. Just this week, the Department of Education issued its proposed rule to restore Pell so that incarcerated individuals can complete higher education coursework that improves their reentry, strengthens their economic well-being and that of their families, increases labor force participation, and grows our economy.

The Pell grant has undeniable positive impacts on students across the United States, that much is certain. As policymakers, it is our responsibility to ensure that the future of tomorrow--our youth--are not hindered by the monetary challenges of today. I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting to substantially increase funding of this life- changing program so that it can make college affordable in the face of rising higher-education costs as it was intended.

Madam Speaker, today, I wish to honor The Soul Children of Chicago headed by Dr. Walt Whitman, Jr. This organization, created in 1981, is the Nation's oldest internationally- acclaimed, Grammy-award-winning, youth, gospel choir.

The choir has performed internationally in Sweden, Italy, Holland, Israel, and Switzerland, and across the United States, even performing for nearly 1.7 billion people on the opening day of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as well as at the White House for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. The Soul Children of Chicago has recorded with Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Neil Diamond, Yolanda Adams, and many other notables. The list of accomplishments goes on.

However, The Soul Children of Chicago is much more than the prestigious awards and accolades it has garnered. The organization is a living testament to the promise of Psalm 37:3, ``Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.''

Under the direction and passion-filled guidance of Dr. Walt Whitman, Jr., The Soul Children of Chicago serves as a catalyst for the education, elevation, and illumination of Chicago's youth.

Although it has garnered many awards and international recognitions, these accomplishments have never been the goal. The goal has always focused on utilizing music as the motivator to inspire young people worldwide to have faith in themselves, each other, and God. This dedication to youth uplift is rooted in the principle of ``taking delight in the LORD'' and has marked Dr. Whitman and The Soul Children of Chicago as household names both in the United States and overseas.

Please make no mistake; the journey of The Soul Children of Chicago has been challenging. But it has been worth it.

The Soul Children of Chicago is bigger than rehearsals. Bigger than a choir. Bigger than an organization. It is family. Further, this family has spawned graduates, artists, pastors, business owners, community leaders, professionals, doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs. This family presents students with the tools and accountability to excel in any task they undertake, whether succeeding in school, staying out of gangs and drug culture, or cultivating a spirit of excellence.

The Soul Children of Chicago is a family that takes delight in the LORD, and, for that reason, I believe that He will continue to give them all the desires of their hearts. Dr. Walt Whitman, Jr., the head of this family, began a good work in 1981, and, by the grace of God, he will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I await their continued success an excellence in the years to come.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of En Bloc 3 that includes my Rules amendment number 110 to increase funding for diversity in the aviation field.

Being an aircraft pilot is an in-demand, high-paying profession, with the median annual wage for a commercial pilot being over $99,000. Unfortunately, the aviation industry is impressively homogenous. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 93 percent of aviation pilots and engineers in 2021 were White with only 6.1 percent being Hispanic/Latino, 3.9 percent being Black, and 1.5 percent being Asian. Approximately 95 percent of aviation pilots and engineers are men.

Prior to the pandemic, the pilot pipeline was untenably low, We have heard repeatedly this summer about how the recent travel problems occur in part due to a pilot shortage. The high cost of pilot training is a key barrier to entering the profession, especially for people of color. Pilot training can cost between $80,000 to $100,000.

My amendment gives Congress an opportunity to help individuals enter aviation careers while increasing the diversity of the field. My amendment increases and decreases the Research, Engineering, and Development program by $10 million to highlight the need to double funding for the Aviation Workforce Development Grants. The Aviation Workforce Development Grants program invests in training and diversification of aircraft pilots and aviation maintenance workers. The aircraft pilot program and the aviation maintenance program each is currently authorized at $5 million. My amendment highlights how doubling funding for these grants would help address the immediate need to increase the aviation workforce with a focus on individuals currently underrepresented in the profession.

Further, my amendment focuses on how the Aviation Workforce program could include more students of color by expanding partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and the five Minority Serving Institutions, including: Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; Alaska Native and

Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Hispanic Serving Institutions; Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions; and Predominantly Black Institutions. These institutions have expertise in educating and graduating low income students of color. Collaborating with these institutions is an effective way to target grants to students from racial/ethnic backgrounds with financial need.

In closing, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to bring attention to the need to increase funding for aviation workforce training and diversity.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the Rent Relief Act to create an innovative tax credit to help millions of struggling renters. Thomas Jefferson once said: ``The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.'' Unfortunately, 213 years later, I still witness thousands of people in Chicago struggling to pay rent. I see people pushed into the streets because they simply could not afford their housing. During the pandemic we saw clearly that the tax code can help provide direct financial assistance to struggling Americans to alleviate poverty and improve quality of life. The Rent Relief Act is an example of good government policy that cares for human life.

It is unacceptable that 36 percent of children in Chicago, and 30 percent of children nationwide, wonder if today may be the last day they have a roof over their heads. It is unthinkable that nearly 45 percent of Hispanic and Black children experienced housing insecurity in the midst of a pandemic. Safe housing is at the foundation of social, emotional, and economic well-being, and Congress must do more to meet the profound need of millions of Americans for stable housing.

This is why I am proud to join with Representatives Jimmy Gomez, Scott Peters, and Jimmy Panetta to champion the Rent Relief Act. The bill would create a fully-refundable tax credit that would cover a share of the difference between 30 percent of one's adjusted gross income and the actual cost of rent and utilities, capping the benefit at 100 percent of Small Area Fair Market Rent. Importantly, the bill targets the families in greatest need by limiting the credit to those earning less than $100,000. If you earn less than $25,000, the credit would cover the entire income-to-rent gap, with the credit phasing out as one's income increases.

Direct grant assistance, affordable housing, eviction moratoriums, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit are essential federal tools to increasing housing stability. Unfortunately, only 1 in 4 eligible households receives any help, and some households spend years on waitlists due to inadequate funding. A renter's credit could help every eligible taxpayer afford housing and improve their quality of life, working in concert with other federal programs to help end America's housing crisis.

By enacting the Rent Relief Act, families will not fall into the spiral of missed payment after missed payment because it wasn't their turn on a waiting list. They will be able to get rental help when they need it to pay the bills when they need to.

As a government, it is our duty to care for human life and that begins with making sure that Americans enjoy housing stability so they can live without the fear of eviction or making the horrible choice between a roof over their heads or medicine and food for their children.

Madam Speaker, during this month of June, I would like to take the time to recognize Pride Month. Pride is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions to our families, communities, and society at large. Pride is an opportunity for Americans to take pride in who we are without fear of discrimination and to stand in solidarity for equality and against hate. As we celebrate, it is imperative that we also recognize that, while our nation has made important progress with respect to LGBTQ+ rights, much work remains to be done.

I am proud to have helped advance statutory improvements to support LGBTQ+ rights during this Congress. We enacted the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act that combats hate crimes including crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, the law allocates money and resources to collect data on and to support victims of hate crimes. We also designated the Pulse Nightclub as a National Memorial in remembrance of those who lost their lives during the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2019. Further, I'm proud that the People's House championed equality and opposed hate by passing the Equality Act that would afford LGBTQ+ Americans the critical protections under the Civil Rights Act as well as the Global Respect Act to deny visas to perpetrators of human rights abuses against LGBTQ individuals. The Equality Act is a landmark piece of legislation that eliminates discrimination in every major aspect of life, including education, housing, and federal funding programs that have historically excluded members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Senate should act quickly to pass these important bills to protect LGBTQ individuals in our country and internationally.

As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support with jurisdiction over child welfare, I am committed to protecting foster youth and foster parents from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I worked with my late friend and colleague, John Lewis, to investigate the inappropriate waivers of nondiscrimination rules granted during the Trump Administration that promoted discrimination against foster youth and prospective foster parents. A critical step to protecting foster youth is enacting my legislation--the John Lewis Every Child Deservers a Family Act--that would prohibit any entity that receives federal child welfare funds from discriminating against children, youth, families of origin, kin, or prospective adoptive or foster parents based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system. An estimated one in three foster youth identify as LGBTQ+, and they are more likely to experience poor treatment, discrimination, or violence while in care. This bill helps increase the number of supportive, loving, and permanent homes for foster youth.

I am troubled by the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that threatens the safety, health, and equal rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, policies that restrict access to healthcare

and permit discrimination by public/private institutions and businesses against members of the LGBTQ+ community in various ways. Leaders in my home state of Illinois are working to protect the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, not every state offers protection to everyone. I will continue to support my state's efforts and to advance federal efforts to promote equality and protect the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

I encourage those in my home City of Chicago, my state of Illinois, and across our country to embrace Pride Month, join in advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, and embrace equality. And, if you're in Chicago, I encourage you to celebrate Pride via a number of wonderful events, including Pride Fest, the Chicago Pride Parade, the Pride in the Park music festival, Navy Pier Pride with wonderful family activities, or the Proud to Run 5k/10k or half marathon.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the 340B drug pricing program in this 30th anniversary year of ensuring access to patient care through our Nation's safety net providers.

The 340B program is critical for safety-net providers in my district, including a total of 22 combined hospitals, and medical centers all of which uses its program savings to provide a range of services in response to social determinants of health screening, such as

Food pantries within hospitals;

Emergency food/meal delivery assistance, and pilot programs focused on providing housing and transportation assistance; and

Strengthening the health sciences career pipeline and educational attainment efforts through targeted academic enrichment and youth workforce development for more than 3,000 pre-K thru college students.

On a personal level, there is the case of Erika Aguero who was uninsured when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Erika called many places to try and schedule treatment but because of her insurance status, providers were unable to help her access affordable care. She thought cancer was going to end her life. When Erika called Mount Sinai hospital in Chicago the hospital provided her access to affordable chemotherapy treatment using the hospital's 340B savings. Mount Sinai provided Erika with a 340B-supported discount card that enabled her to receive eight cycles of intravenous chemo and seven cycles of chemo medications. Erika says, ``I felt like I had a new opportunity to carry on and keep fighting.'' Today she is healthy and thankful to Mount Sinai.

340B has been vital for 30 years and will continue to be vital for decades to come. We must protect 340B. It is only fitting that we meet today on the 8th day of Black History Month. I am pleased to represent the historic 7th Congressional District, which has been central throughout the nation to the progress of the poor and underrepresented and underserved people of color, namely African Americans throughout American history:

It is the location in City of Chicago where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. established his northern Freedom Campaign headquarters to demonstrate against racial discrimination and expose the north's quality of life disparities in 1966.

It is the location of the Illinois Black Panther Party headquarters where my colleague Bobby L. Rush risked his life fighting and where Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated while fighting to close quality of life disparities for poor black people in 1969.

Today, it is where there are more hospital beds to care for the sick and the poor than any other district in the Nation.

I believe that the 340B Program stands consistently in kindred spirit with the public policies advocated by President Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Chairman Fred Hampton. I am pleased to stand in this tradition with my continued support of this vital program which addresses the critical health needs of the citizens of the 7th Congressional District and indigent populations throughout the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7910, Protecting Our Kids Act.

You know, I am so tired of hearing about Chicago and other big cities. Local governments do what they can, do what they will. But this is not a local issue. This is a national issue. It is a national problem and it requires a national solution.

And so I urge all of my colleagues, no matter where you are from, make sure that you vote to protect our kids. And the only way to do that is get rid of these assault weapons and seriously reduce the number of guns in our society.

Madam Speaker, I commend and thank my colleague from Virginia for organizing this Special Order.

I am pleased to join with all of my colleagues who have spoken strongly in favor of revitalizing, reenergizing, making sure that the 340B program is implemented in a very serious way.

I welcomed a young intern to my office this afternoon, and he was coming from Tufts University. I shared with him the fact that it was Tufts University in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, that started the first of the federally qualified health centers and that he was in

a good place. I worked with 2 of them personally, and there were only 10 in the country at the time. Now, of course, we have more than 2,000, and they are practically in every State, every community, wherever you are.

I represent a large, urban, low-income community with 23 hospitals, many of which are safety net. I think I may have more hospitals than any single area. A discount for the individuals who use these institutions will be more than helpful to them, so I urge that we continue the program, but I really urge that we enforce and make sure that they do what they were designed to do.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act. I introduced this bill with Senator Durbin and Representative Underwood to ensure veterans receive the rapid retraining benefits they earned.

I thank Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Takano and Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman Levin for their leadership in advancing this bill quickly to meet the urgent need of affected veterans.

I also thank the multiple veterans' advocates for their support for swift passage to assist affected students.

Veterans serving our country with honor have earned their rapid retraining assistance education benefits. The American Rescue Plan established these benefits, known as VRRAP, to help veterans gain new skills to meet the changing workforce demands during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the Veterans Administration lacks the authority to restore benefits to veterans who attended institutions that closed or experienced a disapproval of educational programming.

This legislation emerged from casework in Illinois, where more than 300 Illinois veterans were scammed out of their benefits by an unaccredited for-profit institute.

I am indeed proud to work with Senator Durbin and Representative Underwood to restore these benefits to these Illinois veterans and protect any other veteran in similar circumstances.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I thank the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for bringing it to us so quickly.

Madam Speaker, I am fortunate to represent a District with so many wonderful museums and cultural organizations that help make Chicago such a vibrant city.

One of these is the world-famous Field Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1893 and whose exhibitions, research, education, and conservation programs attract more than one million onsite visitors each year.

The Museum's 1,300,000-square-foot, 1921 landmark building on Chicago's lakefront resides on the ancestral homelands of the Three Fires Confederacy: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. The area was also a site of trade, gathering and healing for more than a dozen other Native tribes. The state of illinois is currently home to more than 100,000 tribal members.

I rise today to congratulate the Field Museum on its groundbreaking new exhibition, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories, which replaces and reimagines its former Native North America Hall and opens to the public on May 20.

Over four years in the making, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories features stories by Native American people of self-determination, resilience, continuity, and the future. It was conceived through extensive collaboration with more than 100 partners and Tribes, including Native American scholars, community leaders, artists, and museum professionals.

Throughout opening weekend, May 20, 21 and 22, 2022, visitors can engage with artists and collaborators through a series of free demonstrations and workshops that celebrate the thriving, modern culture of today's Native communities from across the country. Visitors can learn about basket weaving, see bead making, hear hand drums, listen to poetry, and more.

I commend the Field Museum for undertaking what many are saying is a fresh, dynamic, and more representative depiction of the Native American experience both past and present.

Madam Speaker, I invite you and my esteemed House colleagues to come to Chicago and experience the Field Museum's newest exhibition first hand.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation:

Whereas, the Almighty God has called to his eternal rest our friend and brother Mr. David Ware; and

Whereas, David was a delightful, well-balanced individual, blessed with high intellect, a humanitarian spirit, a great work ethic, a high energy level and love for humanity; and

Whereas, David never forgot his roots and spent a great deal of time in and around the community where he grew up and went to school, especially Farragut, where he, my wife Vera, Heavy Weight Boxing Champion Ernie Terrell, our good friend Frank Lipscomb and Howard Saffold, a founder of the Afro Patrolmen's League were school mates. I always knew David to be a man of principle, he was a good man, creative, always had an idea, a new venture, he contributed to my political campaign efforts, and I am sure to others as well. David was a connector and kept me abreast of his church activities, as a matter of fact it was, he who introduced me to his Pastor and her husband, he took us to lunch, and paid for it. The bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

I am so grateful that the Good Lord blessed me to know the Good Man, David Ware and my family and I extend our heart-felt condolences to this wife, family, and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, and I do so without hesitation or reservation. I do so because there is no way that we could stand idly by and watch the horror that is being heaped upon our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.

Rather than just wringing our hands and talking about how unfortunate it is, we are doing something about it. We are bringing aid and help and assistance.

I am proud to be part of a country that looks out not only for itself but recognizes that we either stand for something or we fall together.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her leadership. I also must thank the country of Poland. I thank Poland for standing up in the face of dire circumstances.

Madam Speaker, Academician, Attorney, businessman, Civic leader and accomplished American, Mr. Richard Theodore Greener, the first African American to graduate from Harvard University. Richard Greener was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 30, 1844. He quit school in his mid-teens to earn money for his family, but one of his employers helped him enroll in a preparatory school at Oberlin College. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1865, and he spent three years at Oberlin College before transferring to Harvard College. His admission to Harvard was an experiment by the administration and paved the way for more Black students to attend Harvard.

Richard Theodore Greener graduated from Harvard College in 1870. In 1875, Richard Greener became the first African American to be elected as a member of the American Philological Association. He graduated from law school at South Carolina university, and practiced law in South Carolina, then Washington, D.C. before joining the Howard University Law School as a professor, and eventually a dean.

In 1875, Richard Greener was chosen by the General Assembly of South Carolina to be a member of a commission to revise the South Carolina School system. In 1880, he became a law clerk of the first comptroller of the United States Treasury; from 1876 to 1879 he represented South Carolina in the Union League of America and was President of the South Carolina Republican Association in 1887. From 1885 to 1892, he served as Secretary of the Grant Association, where he is credited with having led the eventual fundraising effort which brought in donations from 90,000 people worldwide to construct Grant's Tomb, still the largest mausoleum in North America. From 1885 to 1890, he was Chief Examiner of the Civic Service Board for New York City and County; and in the 1896 election, he served as the Head of the Colored Bureau of the National Republican Party in Chicago. In 1875, he was appointed as the United States Commercial Agent in Vladivostok, Russia, and stayed in the foreign service until 1905.

Richard Greener was well recognized for his work. While at Harvard in 1868 and 1870, he earned the Bowdoin Prize. He received two honorary Doctor of Laws degrees, one from Monrovia College in Liberia in 1882 and the second one from Howard University in 1907. In 1902, the Chinese government decorated him with the order of the Double Dragon. Phillips Academy has the Richard T. Greener 1865 Endowed Scholarship. The University of South Carolina's Black Alumni Council Sponsors the Richard T. Greener Endowment Fund, the Central Quadrangle at Phillips Academy was named in his honor in 2018, and the University of South Carolina is honoring his legacy by erecting a statue on campus.

Richard T. Greener eventually settled in Chicago where he worked for an insurance company, practiced law and lectured about his life and times.

Much of this information came from Mr. Greener's Harvard diploma and personal papers discovered in an attic in Chicago.

What a great man, what a great history, what a great American.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. As a type 2 diabetic myself for the last 30 years, I

know firsthand the high cost of this prescription. There is nothing in my district more prevalent as a disease entity than diabetes. I strongly support it. It is an idea whose time not only has come but has passed.

Madam Speaker, I strongly support the Securing a Strong Retirement Act because it will strengthen the retirement coverage and savings of millions of Americans. I applaud the many provisions included to expand retirement coverage and savings, such as automatic enrollment in the retirement plans, modernizing the Saver's Credit, creating new incentives to small businesses to offer retirement plans, and increasing charitable donations permitted through an IRA.

I thank Chairman Neal for including my bill, the Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act, that promotes increased retirement savings through an employer match for employees making student loan payments. By allowing employers to contribute an employer-match into a retirement plan based on an employee's student loan payment, younger workers who currently cannot afford to save for their retirement will begin saving much sooner.

Although over three-quarters of Americans have access to an employment-based retirement savings account, few Americans can make the maximum contribution of $19,500 to their retirement savings. Any contribution to retirement savings is particularly limited for millennials struggling with heavy student loan debt. The average student loan balance for 2019 graduates was $32,731, and only 30 percent of young workers use 401(k) programs to save for retirement. This policy is an important tool for employers to retain their workforce and for workers to improve retirement savings and lower educational debt.

I urge passage of this bill that does so much to expand retirement coverage and savings to improve workers' long-term financial well- being.