Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this vital legislation. This is one of the most important bills we will consider this Congress.

Voting rights are the foundation of our democracy, ensuring that every American gets a fair say in who represents them and who makes the laws governing their lives.

Voting rights have been under attack all across this country. This year alone, 30 new discriminatory voting restriction laws have targeted communities of color, young people, and working people across 18 States. We cannot allow this in America.

This critical legislation will restore voting rights protections and provide the tools necessary to ensure discriminatory voting laws cannot stand. There is nothing more American than protecting the right to vote.

I want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Sewell, for her leadership. I thank Chairman Nadler, Speaker Pelosi, and all the leadership for the important work they are doing to ensure that voting rights are protected for all Americans.

I want to end by taking a moment to recognize and remember the late Congressman John Lewis, our colleague and friend, one of history's greatest fighters for equality and voting rights, after whom this legislation is so appropriately named.

Madam Speaker, during Roll Call Vote number 230 on Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Amendment, I mistakenly recorded my vote as nay when I should have voted aye.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

We know that decades of Federal disinvestment have failed the American

people. Yet, this amendment attempts to gut the seven appropriations bills included in this package that will deliver critical funding and services to the American people.

Coming from a coastal State, Rhode Island's roads and bridges cannot withstand rising sea levels and more violent storms. College students are struggling to afford both textbooks and groceries, and thousands of Americans do not have internet access at home.

These projects will be addressed by the historic investments in working people and families included in this minibus, but the drastic cuts included in this amendment will derail this progress.

This legislation will provide students receiving the maximum Pell grant with an additional $400 next school year, establish a civilian climate corps to promote conservation and fight the climate crisis, and create thousands of well-paying jobs rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure.

Notably, it will address some of the most pressing challenges facing Rhode Islanders by providing over $9 million for nine community projects in the State.

I thank Chairwoman DeLauro and members of the Committee on Appropriations for the extraordinary work they have done. This is the set of appropriations bills we can be very proud of because it is investing in working families.

I just heard one of my Republican colleagues squawk about spending money. This is the same group of people who voted for $1.2 trillion tax cuts for the richest people in this country, the biggest corporations-- unpaid for--and they were all happy with that.

Madam Speaker, this is different. We are investing in working people, in creating jobs for middle-class families, making sure of the investments that are necessary to get people back to work. This is something we should all be proud of. I urge everyone to defeat this amendment and pass this bill without delay.

Madam Speaker, again, I end with deep gratitude to the extraordinary chair of the Committee on Appropriations for putting together appropriations bills that reflect the values of our great country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2668, the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act.

This critical legislation restores the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to hold wrongdoers accountable under section 13(b) of the FTC Act.

Until recently, this statute authorized the Commission to obtain monetary relief when a corporation has harmed consumers or businesses by breaking the law. For more than four decades, the FTC used this critical enforcement tool to secure billions of dollars in relief for consumers that were harmed by anticompetitive conduct or unfair or deceptive practices.

In the past 5 years alone, the FTC has secured $11.2 billion in refunds to consumers through this enforcement tool. As Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter recently testified, these important cases involved combating anticompetitive practices by pharmaceutical companies that contribute to the soaring costs of prescription drugs, abusive scams targeting veterans and older Americans, and numerous other examples of harmful conduct. However, the Supreme Court severely weakened this tool in a recent decision where it narrowed the scope of section 13(b) to cases involving ongoing harms.

H.R. 2668 will reverse this disastrous ruling by reinstating FTC's authority to obtain both injunctive and monetary relief for all violations of the law that it enforces. And what is really interesting when I listened to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, every single speaker said, of course, consumers should get their money back. Of course, the FTC should have this power. And then they express their intention to vote against the bill to do exactly that--restore the power of the FTC to in fact provide that kind of relief.

I thank Congressman Cardenas for sponsoring this bill. I thank Chairman Pallone and Chairwoman Schakowsky for their extraordinary leadership. This bill is about protecting competition across our economy from Big Tech to Big Pharma.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand with consumers and those that have been harmed by deceptive, unfair, anticompetitive practices, and let those consumers and small businesses be made whole.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, our infrastructure is stuck in the 1950s, and it doesn't have to be this way. It is long past time for America to bring our bridges, roads, public transit, and water infrastructure into the 21st century.

The INVEST in America Act provides $715 billion to accomplish this goal through bold investments in modern, sustainable infrastructure. This legislation will create millions of good-paying jobs while combating climate change and investing in the well-being of our cities and towns.

I worked with Chairman DeFazio and the committee to secure nearly $20 million in funding for four high-priority infrastructure projects in Rhode Island.

The quality of roads and bridges is particularly important. That is why I introduced amendment 19, to bring funding for the National Scenic Byways Program in line with historic funding levels, adjusted for inflation. This will allow the Secretary of Transportation to designate new National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads; and allow already designated roads, including the Revolutionary Heritage Byway in Bristol, Rhode Island, to apply for competitive grants.

I urge the House to adopt the en bloc package 4, which includes my amendment No. 19, and to pass the underlying bill without delay.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of ending the cap on State and Local Tax deductions--better known as the SALT deduction.

For more than 100 years, an idea dating back to Abraham Lincoln, the SALT deduction has allowed families to deduct taxes already paid to state and local government from their federal tax returns.

Many middle-class Americans benefit from this commonsense tax policy every year. In past years, almost a third of Rhode Islanders have claimed the SALT deductions, including almost 60 percent of people in my district who make between $75-100,000 per year.

The destructive 2017 Trump tax cuts, however, imposed a $10,000 cap on SALT deductions, meaning that if a family pays more than $10,000 in state and local taxes, the taxes paid in excess of that $10,000 can no longer be deducted from federal returns raising those families' tax liability significantly.

It just doesn't make sense to have Americans, especially middle-class families living in states with high tax rates, pay extra taxes on the taxes they have already paid.

Most middle-class Americans living in high tax areas are there so their children can go to high caliber public schools or receive better programs.

Many of them made 10, 20, and 30-year investments in home ownership in these high tax areas, relying on the SALT deduction that had been in place for more than 100 years when budgeting for this big expense.

Then they had the rug pulled out from under them and were told they were suddenly liable for thousands of dollars more in taxes per year. For many of these people, that extra tax is a significant portion of their annual income.

These Americans are working hard to give their families the best life possible. Putting a secondary tax on the taxes they have already paid will force many middle-class Americans to struggle.

In fact, middle-class Americans have said that the SALT Cap will, quote: ``wipe them out'' by forcing them to pay those extra federal taxes in addition to state and local.

This is why I cosponsored H.R. 613, the SALT Deductibility Act, this Congress.

This bipartisan bill would reverse the 2017 law and allow Americans to use the SALT deductions when paying federal taxes without a $10,000 cap, keeping money in the hands of American working families.

I applaud Congressman Suozzi for introducing this important legislation. It will have a significant impact to help American families, which is especially important after the devastating economic effect of COVID-19 that has left so many middle-class Americans struggling financially, including many Rhode Islanders.

The 2017 law was more than a mistake, it was bad policy, and I hope that this body does the right thing by taking action to correct it.

Mr. Speaker, nearly two decades ago, Congress passed a resolution authorizing military force against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. That resolution--aided in its passage by deeply flawed intelligence that we now know had no basis in fact authorized the use of force for two express purposes: to defend the national security of the United States against the continued threat posed by Iraq and to enforce all relevant UN Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. It has been 18 years since Saddam Hussein was deposed. It has been a decade since the United States declared a formal end of operations in Iraq. The Iraqi government is a regional partner and the UN Security Council resolutions referenced have been fulfilled.

In short, there is no virtue in allowing the 2002 AUMF to lay dormant but active. The only possible outcome is for a future administration to wield it as a legal loophole to bypass the need to confer with Congress before engaging in military operations. Each of us here

understands that the nature of modern warfare has changed--it is murkier, dirtier, and involves a variety of state- and non-state actors.

But that fact should not compel Congress to forfeit its constitutional responsibility to directly authorize the use of force. It should not preclude any administration from receiving direct authorization from the Congress to engage in global conflicts.

Earlier this year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee had a productive hearing where each of the three expert witnesses testified that this AUMF is not necessary. It does not enhance our national security. It does not make Americans any safer. It does not make the mission of our men and women in uniform any easier. To repeal this resolution would not tie the hands of the current administration or any future administration in their responsibility to preserve the national security of the United States--it would instead ensure that it could not be manipulated to take us into a war that Congress did not authorize.

If we fail to act, we run the risk of opportunistic legal interpretations leading to a slippery slope until our country finds itself on a permanent war footing. Congress did not authorize that in 2002. We shouldn't tacitly authorize it by failing to act. Let's do our jobs--we owe it to the American people and to our men and women in uniform.

Mr. Speaker, everyone--regardless of their financial situation--should be able to fully and fairly defend themselves in court.

Unfortunately, however, many defendants who live very far away from the court trying their case cannot afford to get to and from their court appearances to defend themselves. The costs can be simply insurmountable.

This situation often makes poverty the difference between winning and losing a case, regardless of the facts.

That is not justice.

This bill helps make courtroom justice available to everyone by ensuring that travel and lodging costs are covered for low-income defendants.

This will help ensure justice for all defendants, not just those wealthy enough to afford it.

This bill also makes courtrooms more effective. It allows magistrate judges to rule on certain post-judgment issues that they previously could not adjudicate on cases that they handled at the trial level.

This is common sense. If a case has been with a judge through the entirety of the trial, that judge knows the case best and should be able to handle post-conviction issues.

As a former litigator, I believe this bill will help ensure that justice prevails and make our overburdened court system more efficient, and I thank Congressman Jeffries for introducing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, reports estimate that as many as 1 in 10 elders are abused every year, but less than half of these incidents are actually reported, and the COVID pandemic has left seniors isolated and more vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

All over, we are seeing scammers deceive a grandparent that their grandchild is in trouble and needs money.

We see imposters pose as IRS agents to trick an elder into paying money they do not owe.

We see fraudsters offer tech support assistance and collect money for fraudulent services.

We must hold these criminals accountable for taking advantage of and abusing our seniors.

Protecting and caring for our loved ones--who once supported and cared for us--is one of our most honorable responsibilities.

The Elder Abuse and Protection Act promotes justice for vulnerable seniors by making the Elder Justice Initiative a permanent office within the Department of Justice, which works to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud and scams that target our nation's seniors.

I thank Congresswoman Garcia for introducing this important legislation to protect our seniors, and I am proud to be a cosponsor and support it today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, our prison systems are ideally meant to rehabilitate, but all too often, they do exactly the opposite. They are frequently home to widespread, horrible abuse, including physical and sexual violence and unsanitary living conditions.

It is unacceptable to subject any person to such conditions--but, particularly, our youth to this kind of mistreatment. Our system makes it incredibly difficult for young people to

file a legal complaint with huge burdens imposed if they want to file a lawsuit, and major barriers to legal representation.

Mr. Speaker, I was a public defender here in Washington, D.C., at the start of my career, and I am certain that this is no way to treat children that we are trying to rehabilitate and prepare for society and prepare for success in their communities.

These circumstances only make it more difficult for young people and children and, in fact, they keep them in abusive and delinquency cycles.

This legislation, however, will remove some of those barriers for incarcerated juveniles to take their abusers to court and to seek remedies for mistreatment by their correctional institutions. This bill will take us one step closer to desperately needed reform in our criminal justice system and will help to protect our incarcerated youth.

Mr. Speaker, I really thank and applaud Congresswoman Scanlon for this important and bipartisan legislation, and it is my honor to support it today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2571, the Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act, or the AMIGOS Act.

The AMIGOS Act is a bipartisan bill that I introduced along with my colleagues Mr. Costa, Mr. Keating, Mr. Valadao, and Mr. Khanna to encourage greater investment and trade between the United States and Portugal.

H.R. 2571 makes Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant investor visas. Extending visas to Portugal not only gives Portuguese businesses an opportunity to invest in the United States, but it is a mutually beneficial relationship that promotes jobs in both countries and growth in United States businesses and our economy.

The United States has no better friend than the country of Portugal. As one of the first countries to recognize the United States after the Revolutionary War, Portugal is one of our closest economic partners and strongest allies. Today, the United States maintains that longstanding relationship as the fifth-largest export market for Portugal and its largest trading partner outside of the European Union.

I am proud to represent the First District of Rhode Island, home to one of the country's largest and most vibrant Portuguese communities, a community that has made outstanding contributions in the arts, culture, business, and public service in this country for many decades.

The United States is Portugal's largest trading partner outside the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching $6.6 billion in 2019. There are currently over 130 American companies operating in Portugal in a wide range of economic sectors, including pharmaceutical, chemical, technology, banking, and health sectors.

In 2019, the United States' direct investment position in Portugal was $2.3 billion, an increase of 6 percent from 2018. The direct investment position from Portugal in the United States, however, experienced a 1 percent decrease to $1.4 billion from 2018 to 2019.

Portugal is one of only five EU countries whose citizens are not currently eligible for E-1 or E-2 visas. In the absence of a bilateral treaty, which Portugal cannot enter due to the rules of the European Union, Congress has the power to authorize E-1 and E-2 visa benefits to other countries. We have exercised our authority to do so for both Israel in 2012 and New Zealand in 2018.

I am proud to lead this effort to support our ally and friend, Portugal. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2571, the AMIGOS Act, and I again thank Mr. Nadler for bringing the bill to the floor.

Madam Speaker, to Mr. Roy, I look forward to our debate tomorrow and I think a good resolution on a number of important issues before the committee.

Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to honor Pride Month.

I want to begin by saying that we are grateful to the members of the Congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, who continue to be champions for full equality for our community.

Each year, we gather as a community in June to celebrate the progress that our community has made, that is the LGBTQ-plus community, and also to reflect on the work ahead and how much remains to be done. It is an opportunity each year to really celebrate the progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the work that remains. This year is no different.

In 2021, we come together on the floor of this House to celebrate Pride Month with some very great highs and some very deep lows. Our community was deeply impacted by COVID, both because preexisting conditions added to people's vulnerabilities, but also because segments of our population already face isolation, which was made even worse during the pandemic.

Like all communities, we have been shocked at the efforts to undermine our democracy and restrict the right to vote, restrictions that we know will impact our community, particularly people of color, trans people, and those with disabilities.

Of course, this year alone we witnessed a historic number of anti- transgender laws being introduced around the country, many of them passing. Opponents of equality have decided to zero in on the most vulnerable within our community, the community that is subject to the greatest amount of violence and the worst kind of discrimination, and we must stand up in force against this.

But it wouldn't be Pride Month without a celebration, and we have much to celebrate this year.

In the last 6 months, Congress passed the NO HATE Act, which strengthens hate crimes reporting; we passed the Pulse Night Club Memorial bill. Now the Senate has passed it, and it goes to the President's desk for his signature.

In February, I proudly introduced H.R. 5, the Equality Act, with 224 original cosponsors. It passed the House with bipartisan support. President Biden has challenged Congress to do everything in its power to get him the bill, get it to his desk for his signature.

We are rolling up our sleeves to get the bill passed in the Senate. I am particularly proud that the House of Representatives did its part in passing this critical piece of legislation.

No American should be forced to live in fear of legal discrimination simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and they certainly shouldn't have to worry about whether or not the person in the White House or the State legislature will undermine what few protections they do have.

The Equality Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that gets to the core issue of equality by expanding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other existing laws, to ensure that LGBTQ Americans can live their lives free from discrimination.

Equality is a founding principle of this great country, and I hope that by the time I stand before you for Pride Month next year, we will have turned this bill from a hope into a reality.

I am very proud to have the support of so many Members of Congress and so many colleagues. In fact, every single Democrat is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, including, of course, you, Madam Speaker.

So I am proud to be a part of a caucus that understands the fundamental importance of recognizing the dignity and value of every person, and Pride Month is about expressing that and affirming that to all LGBTQ-plus people all across this country and all across the world.

Tonight, I am proud to have one of the co-chairs of the Equality Caucus, Mark Takano, Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, a member of the LGBTQ community, a very close friend, a deeply respected colleague, and a great champion for the equality of our community.

I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) to share his views on the celebration of Pride.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Takano for his powerful words.

Now, Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), who has been a longstanding member of the Equality Caucus and who has always encouraged the celebration of Pride. For the last 8 years, he has led the resolution in the House marking June as LGBTQ Pride Month. I want to thank him again and his office for his efforts, and I thank him for being with us this evening.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his very eloquent words.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams), a tireless advocate for women and historically Black colleges and universities, a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and an original cosponsor of the Equality Act.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for her eloquent words and for being part of our Pride celebration here tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Newman), my new colleague who has been such an extraordinary, relentless advocate for our community. I know she does it on behalf of her child but also for children all across America.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Pride Special Order and for her incredible advocacy on behalf of our community, particularly her heroic work on behalf of the transgender community. It is making a real difference.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss), a new colleague and someone who has been an extraordinary advocate for the LGBT community, a great ally for our caucus. He is a member of the LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, and a really powerful voice in our fight for equality.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for participating in our Special Order and for being such a great ally to our community.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished senior member of the Judiciary Committee, someone who has long been a champion of justice and equality, a great ally to the LGBTQ community, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, and a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her really eloquent words and for being such a good ally for our community for so long.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), an education and voting rights advocate, an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, vice-chair of the Equality Caucus here in the House, and an extraordinary champion for our community.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Special Order hour tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs), a colleague on the Foreign Affairs Committee, someone who has dedicated her work, even before she got to Congress, to ending childhood poverty to the promotion of human rights and equality. She is an original cosponsor of the Equality Act, a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and a great advocate for our community. We are delighted she is with us this evening.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being part of this Special Order hour and for her great support of the LGBTQ-plus community.

Madam Speaker, before I end, I just want to recognize Annise Parker. I also want recognize Barney Frank, Jared Polis, our former colleagues who have served in this House. And now Governor Polis is the Governor of Colorado. Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema in the United States Senate. Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Pocan, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Mark Takano, Chris Pappas, Mondaire Jones, and Ritchie Torres, who are current Members of Congress. There are nine LGBTQ Members in the House and two in the Senate. So 11 Members in total.

And part of the reason we celebrate Pride is to send a message to the entire community, but especially to young people who may be struggling with their sexual orientation or their gender identity. Pride is a moment for us to say: You are valued. We celebrate you. We honor you. You have a right like every other American to be treated with dignity and respect. You are hearing that from the floor of the United States House of Representatives, where nine Members of our community serve openly and honestly, and two Members in the Senate.

Let that be a message to every young person, every family struggling with the issues of sexual orientation or gender identity, that they are heard, they are valued, they are affirmed and respected.

Happy Pride Month.

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

I thank Congresswoman Lee, our Speaker pro tempore, for her longtime advocacy on this very important issue. Her leadership on the fundamental question of the role of Congress in matters of war has been unwavering, and we owe her a debt of gratitude for her commitment to bringing this issue to the forefront.

Nearly two decades ago, Congress passed a resolution authorizing military force against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. That resolution was aided in its passage by deeply flawed intelligence that we now know had no basis in fact.

It has been 18 years since Saddam Hussein was deposed. It has been a decade since the United States declared a formal end to operations in Iraq. The Iraqi Government is a regional partner, and the U.N. Security Council resolutions referenced have been fulfilled.

There is no reason to allow the 2002 AUMF to stand. It does not enhance our national security. It does not make Americans any safer. It does not make the mission of our men and women in uniform any easier.

We must act so that Congress again asserts its responsibility in authorizing war.

I urge my colleagues to adopt the rule and H.R. 256.

Again, I thank Congresswoman Lee for her extraordinary leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the establishment of a national commission to study the events of January 6, 2021. The January 6 insurrection was a violent and bloody attack on our democracy. Domestic terrorists stormed this building. They did so in order to stop the peaceful transition of power and to keep Donald Trump in office, even after he lost the 2020 election fair and square.

We have never seen this type of attack before in this country. I pray we never will again. That is why we need to establish a national commission to understand how this happened, to gather all the facts surrounding these events, and, most importantly, to ensure it never happens again.

I want to thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Katko for working across the aisle to establish this bipartisan commission. The people who took part in this insurrection caused great damage to this building, dozens of people were injured, and five people lost their lives. But despite the horror of that day, our democracy endured.

This commission will allow us to understand how this happened and how we prevent it and gather all the facts. The search for truth matters. Protecting our democracy matters. This should be a bipartisan vote to strongly support the work of this commission.

Madam Speaker, thank you to my colleague, Congresswoman Meng, for her tireless efforts in combating hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic and championing this legislation. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for your extraordinary leadership as well.

In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only been a significant threat to public health; in some instances, it has brought out the worst impulses in people. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a spike in hate crimes and acts of hate against Asian Americans, with thousands of reported hate incidents across this country. Asian Americans have been verbally accosted and frequently told to go back where they came from. Countless Asian Americans have been pushed to the ground, shoved, punched, beaten, and struck with weapons all across our country. We are still mourning the eight victims shot in an Atlanta spa in March, six of whom were of Asian descent.

Asian Americans are being scapegoated for the ongoing health crisis. It is disgraceful, and we must act.

By passing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, we are sending a message that hatred and bigotry have no place in the United States of America.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.