Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, just over a year ago, I stood right there where you are standing today as we took the solemn step of impeaching the President of the United States for pressuring a foreign leader to take unlawful actions to help him in his reelection.

Just 1 week ago, almost to the hour, I laid right there on the floor of the gallery above us. I heard gunshots in the Speaker's lobby. I heard the mob pounding on the door. They were an angry mob, incited by the President, trying to stop certification of a legitimate election.

It is clear the President learned nothing in the last year. Yesterday, the President said again he did nothing wrong.

This man is dangerous. He has defied the Constitution. He has incited sedition. And he must be removed.

We all took a pledge on January 3 to uphold the Constitution. We must honor that oath. We must vote ``yes'' on this Article of Impeachment.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the objection.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield my time to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the dean of the Arizona delegation.

Madam Speaker, on Sunday, every Member in this Chamber took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and there is only one vote tonight for those who took that oath, and that vote is to reject this challenge

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 2047) to provide for a 2-week extension of the Medicaid community mental health services demonstration program, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, along with Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Congressman Doug Lamborn, Congressman Scott Tipton, Congressman Ken Buck, Congressman Jason Crow, and Congressman Joe Neguse, to honor the life of Pat Bowlen, a beloved husband, father and long-time owner of the Denver Broncos.

Pat is a household name for anyone who watches football. For over three decades, Pat made the city of Denver and the state of Colorado proud by demanding excellence in his team.

``I want to be No. 1 in everything'' Pat was famously known for saying. And, having brought home three Superbowl championships for Colorado, it's a motto he certainly lived by.

During his tenure, the Broncos amassed over 300 wins, one of the highest marks for any one NFL team owner during the same amount of time. But his legacy stretches far beyond the field.

Pat and his family often gave back to the community they loved. Pat was especially passionate about supporting the Boys and Girls Club of America--and since 2003, his generosity helped improve the lives of more than 15,000 teens living in the Denver metro area and around the state.

Madam Speaker, Pat Bowlen lived a remarkable life and he will be missed. From ``The Drive'' to ``Tebow-mania'' to the Peyton Manning comeback story, Pat's impact on the Broncos will likely go unrivaled by anyone else.

In 1998, when the Broncos won their first ever Superbowl, Pat turned to hoist the Lombardi trophy and declared, ``This one's for John.''

It was a simple phrase, but his tribute to the quarterback perfectly captured Pat's devotion to his team, and how he consistently lifted up his players and his community.

So today, as members of Colorado's Congressional delegation, we wish to declare that ``this one's for Pat.''

We join with millions of Broncos fans around the country to thank him for the pride he brought to the team, the city of Denver, and our state.

We offer our deepest condolences to the Bowlen family for their loss, and we hope that they find comfort in knowing how many Coloradans are so appreciative for Pat and his life's work.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the en bloc amendment and to offer my environmental justice amendment to H.R. 3055.

This amendment would require that the EPA identify 100 communities across the country that are suffering from especially egregious violations of environmental law and clean them up. It would require the EPA to study what

happens when communities experience multiple sources of pollution and then come up with better ways to protect them going forward. The amendment has one simple goal, to ensure that every American has clean air to breath, safe water to drink, and access to food that is free of toxins.

While the goal may sound simple, the harsh reality is that we as a nation have been failing to provide these staples of life to too many communities for far too long. When we fail to protect our environment, it is often the poorest among us who suffer the most. When we allow pipes to become contaminated or when we allow companies to spew more toxins into the air, it is usually lower income communities and communities of color that get hurt the most. This amendment is for them.

These communities include communities like Elyria Swansea and neighboring Globeville which are neighborhoods in the northern part of my district.

The people in these communities experience a wide range of health problems on a daily basis, like throat irritation and watery eyes, which are likely linked to their constant exposure to a long list of toxins in the air. Whether it is hydrogen cyanide, whether it is other kinds of waste or smog-causing pollutants, these people suffer every day.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the Members to support my amendment and let these communities be remedied.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Denver East High School on its first-place finish in the 2019 national finals of the `We the People' competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education. The students and teachers of the Denver East High School team should feel exceptionally proud of this outstanding achievement.

After winning the Colorado statewide `We the People' competition, Denver East High School traveled here to Washington, D.C. where they prevailed over the competition to bring home first-place. The students of the Denver East High School team demonstrated exceptional skill and character as they worked towards this well-deserved win. I know that the lessons learned, and knowledge gained through this experience will be invaluable to the students throughout their lives and future careers, no matter what path they take.

Each year over 1,200 high school students from across the nation come together to learn about and debate the issues of the day. They participate in simulated congressional hearings, testifying as constitutional experts before panels of judges acting as congressional committees. Students demonstrate their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution as well as a variety of topics connected to our country's historical and political heritage.

Robust civic education is the foundation of our democracy and is key to its future success. Informed citizenship in our youth is a primary factor of this future success. The students who participate in this competition inspire us all to be more informed citizens.

Madam Speaker, I would like to give special recognition to the incredible teachers who led the Denver East High School team. Susan McHugh and Matt Fulford have provided vital mentorship and guidance to these students, and their work with this team is a testament to the quality of teachers we have in the Denver Public school system. The winning team included Sam Anderson, Grant Austin, Kennedy Austin, Jack Beardshear, Max Boubin, Rebecca Chapman, Hayden Christopher, Henry Fox, Jessica Freedberg, Aidan Glennie, Sophie Goldberg, Alexa Goldstein, Ethan Gutterman, Ben Hamik, Anja Hutson, Marco Jimenez, Aiden Kahn, Ballard Kauffman, Madison Moore, Maggie Morrison, Matthew Nekritz, Amelia Nugent, Maddie Parker, Isabella Sanderson, Abby Schuman, Lulu Scully, Ella Snyder, Kacey Tanner, Elena Thoman, and Walker Young. Congratulations to all, and we are all so proud of their wonderful accomplishment. I wish them continued success in all their future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and achievements of Judge Wiley Daniel, the first African American judge appointed to the U.S. District Court for Colorado, who recently passed away on Friday, May 10, 2019.

Judge Daniel was born in 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky and received his undergraduate and law degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He spent six years in private practice in Detroit before moving to Denver in 1977 where he practiced law for 24 years with a specialty in civil litigation.

In 1992, he rose to be the first--and only--African American president of the Colorado Bar Association. Three years later, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Daniel to the U.S. District Court for Colorado, becoming the first African American federal judge in the state. Thirteen years after Judge Daniel took the bench, he became chief judge of the court.

Judge Daniel served admirably both inside and outside of the courtroom. He served as President of the Federal Judges Association, a national organization that supports hundreds of federal judges. He also taught courses in trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he mentored students. Additionally, from 1998 to 2003, Judge Daniel was a Trustee of the American Inns of Court Foundation, an organization which advocates for professionalism, ethics, civility and excellence throughout the legal profession. Until his final days, Judge Daniel was active in his church--Park Hill United Methodist in north Denver--where he served as a Deacon, sang in the choir and mentored young members.

Judge Daniel believed that racial and gender diversity in the judiciary is important. Accordingly, he was active in the Delta Eta Boule fraternity, the nation's first African American professional organization. In fact, one of Daniel's passions was the fraternity's scholarship program, which helps young, bright African American students in the metro Denver area attend college.

Judge Daniel retired in 2013 but continued to hear cases and guide younger lawyers. Not surprisingly, Judge Daniel's distinguished legal career and dedication to the community has been recognized many times with numerous awards and accolades. In 2006, Judge Daniel was honored with the American Inns of Court Foundation Professionalism Award for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2012, he was inducted to the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame due to his pioneering professional achievements. In 2013, Judge Daniel was awarded the King Trimble Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sam Cary Bar Association. In 2015, Judge Daniel was selected as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Center for Legal Inclusiveness in recognition of his lifelong commitment to diversity and inclusiveness within the legal profession. Finally, in 2018, the National Black Prosecutors Association presented Daniel with the Trailblazer Award.

On May 10, 2019, at the age of 72, Judge Wiley Daniel passed away. He was one of the trailblazing Coloradoans whose hands have shaped the United States into the great nation it is today. He was principled, pragmatic, well-respected and beloved. That is why his legacy will live on for many decades to come.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, the Denver law community and all Coloradoans who mourn this terrible loss.

Mr. Speaker, it is a fundamental precept of our beautiful country that we have equality for all. But, sadly, in this Nation, we have not had equality for every person until now.

Two-thirds of the LGBTQ community have faced discrimination, and this is simply wrong, and it is simply un-American.

I thank Mr. Cicilline for bringing this important piece of legislation to the floor.

How ironic that my LGBTQ constituents can get married to each other but still, in 29 States, can be discriminated against in their jobs, in public education, and even in their jury service.

This is wrong; this is un-American; and today's bill, the Equality Act, rights this wrong that has been so long in coming.

I congratulate everybody.

I urge all of my colleagues to send a strong bipartisan statement: This is America; everybody has equal rights in all areas.

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Pallone for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act.

Frankly, if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle were so firm in their commitment to protecting Americans with preexisting conditions, they would support this bill, because all it says is that section 1332 will not stop the protections that we have under current law.

The Trump administration guidance that allows States to undermine the preexisting condition provisions of the ACA is, frankly, in clear violation of congressional intent.

Let's be clear about something. When we say we are going to protect people with preexisting conditions, we actually mean it. That is exactly what this legislation does.

I would welcome support from my friends on the other side of the aisle.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 750,000 people just in my little State of Colorado would be at risk of losing their healthcare coverage if it wasn't for the protections of the ACA.

The administration's repeated attempts to take these protections away from people and deny them their right to obtain healthcare coverage is the difference for many of them between life and death.

We are not going to let this happen. This Congress is going to make sure that the goals of the ACA to give full healthcare coverage to every American, including people with preexisting conditions, is going to be preserved. We have come too far to turn back the clock now.

Mr. Chair, I am glad that we have this bill on the floor now. I thank my colleague, Ms. Kuster, for sponsoring it, and I urge every Member of this body to support it.

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. Another week, another school shooting, this time right outside my district at the STEM Highlands Ranch School.

My heart aches for everybody there, but you know something? That is so far from enough.

People say it is too soon, we can't talk about gun safety, but you know what? Tell that to the survivors of Columbine, only 7 miles away from STEM Highlands, who have been waiting for 20 years for it to be time.

Tell that to the Sandy Hook parents.

Tell that to the thousands of parents around this country who have lost their children in school shootings and just simply shootings on street corners.

The time has come. We need commonsense gun safety legislation, and we need it now. Until then, the blood of these children and all of the other children are on all of our hands.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on the occasion of her 90th birthday, to recognize Susanne Kirtland Dietrich, one of the great women business leaders of her time and a true icon in the fields of fashion, advertising and cosmetics.

Susanne was born on April 26, 1929 in Norfolk, Virginia. After having worked in a variety of retail and fashion positions in New York and Philadelphia, in 1955, Susanne was named a fashion editor at Look Magazine, where she worked with some of the era's top photographers, including Milton Greene, Tony Vaccaro, and Lillian Bassman; and covered some of the most ground-breaking fashion trends of post-war America.

During this time, Susanne covered some of the era's top international icons, including Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe, and Sophia Lauren; and worked closely with some of America's leading designers, such as Geoffrey Bean and Norman Norrell. Despite her many successes, some would still argue that one of the things Susanne is best known for is having challenged designer Rudi Gurnreich to design the first topless bathing suit for women, which he did--and eventually released in 1964.

One day, while at a photo shoot in Milton Greene's studio on the East Side of Manhattan, Susanne met a Danish immigrant and commercial artist by the name of Kurt Dietrich, whom she would later marry. Susanne and Kurt would go on to have three children--two boys, Gregg and Mark, and a daughter, Allison.

In those days, there was no such thing as paid maternity leave--or any maternity leave at all for that matter. A woman would have to save up and use vacation time to give birth to a child. And when they did return to work, these new mothers were often treated as if nothing had ever happened.

Susanne's experience was no different, but it was how well she was able to manage both the constant demands of motherhood, while continuing to pursue her highly-successful career, that made her unique.

After the birth of her third child, Susanne decided to shake things up. She left the publishing business entirely to pursue a new career in advertising as a copywriter at AC&R. While there, Susanne worked on multiple memorable advertising campaigns, from Greek Tourism to the Wool Bureau, before eventually helping to launch Estee Lauder's newest product line, Clinique.

During this time, Susanne, a working mother with three young children, suddenly found herself as one of the trend-setting jet setters of the post-war era. She spent years traveling the globe, frequently visiting far-flung locales, such as London, Greece and the Caribbean--again, all while raising her three kids.

Eventually, Susanne's success with Clinique led to a role at Revlon where she worked closely with the company's founder, Charles Revson, and its president, Paul Woolard, to develop some of the most memorable fragrances and advertisements of the day, including ``Charlie!'' and ``Jontue.'' Not only were these campaigns a success, they empowered women--especially young working women--to throw out the old rules and embrace their womanhood in a new era.

Susanne's success at Revlon eventually caught the eye of Leonard Lauder, who approached her one day and asked her to come work for him in-house at Estee Lauder. She spent the next 24 years working on products and campaigns for Clinique, Prescriptives and Estee Lauder International, before retiring in 2003 at the age of 74.

Susanne's impressive record of achievement is one that any of us would be proud of, but what makes it extra special is how she was able to do it all while raising a family.

Susanne has never considered herself a pioneer of anything, but she was--and she continues to serve as a role model for women around the world who, like her, seek to live their lives to the fullest while successfully balancing the demands of career, family and travel.

Despite her hectic schedule and the constant demands on her time, Susanne and her husband, Kurt, made it all work. They remained married for more than forty years, until Kurt's death in 1999, and together they created a beautiful home for their family in New York.

Susanne, now a grandmother to five beautiful grandchildren, always said the key to her success was never taking life too seriously. In fact, to fully understand the way Susanne embraces life, just look at the lyrics of the original 1973 jingle created for her Charlie campaign: ``kinda young, kinda free, and kinda wow!'' That's Susanne.

Today, at the age of 90, Susanne continues to take that advice to heart, whether she's whipping through the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle, enjoying her occasional martini, or sharing some laughs with the ones she loves the most.

I am honored to pay tribute to Susanne, who continues to inspire us all. And I wish her a very happy 90th birthday.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the victims of the tragic shooting that took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999.

Saturday marks 20 years since that horrific April day when two armed students walked on to campus and opened fire, killing 12 of their fellow classmates and one teacher, and wounding another 20 more.

The images we saw that day will live with us forever. And for those who were at the school that day when these horrific events unfolded, or who lost loved ones as a result, the pain and sadness they feel today is just as real as it was 20 years ago.

As time goes on, the memories of those we lost that day will never be forgotten. They were sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, friends and loved ones.

Each with their own story to tell. Each with their own goals and ambitions. And each with their own group of loved ones who still miss them terribly.

Cassie Bernall, who was 17 years old, was a dedicated member of her church youth group and wanted to eventually be a doctor.

Steven Curnow, at age 14, was a talented soccer player and avid Star Wars fan who had hoped to one day pilot an F-16 fighter jet.

Corey DePooter, age 17, loved fishing, and was working at a local golf course to earn enough money to one day buy his own boat.

Kelly Fleming, age 16, was a skilled writer who loved to read and dreamed of one day recording her own stories for others to read.

Matthew Kechter, age 16, was a straight-A student, who was on his way to becoming a starting linemen on the school's football team.

Daniel Mauser, age 15, was also a straight-A student and a valued member of the school's cross-country and debate teams.

Danny Rohrbough, age 15, would save all the money he earned working at his family's business to buy Christmas presents for his loved ones at the end of the year.

William ``Dave'' Sanders, age 47, was a beloved teacher and coach, who sacrificed his own safety that day to help more than 100 students flee to safety.

Rachel Scott, age 17, was an inspiring writer and actress who had written her diary before the attack about the importance of reaching out to those who are being picked on by others.

Isaiah Shoels, age 18, was a budding keyboardist who had dreamed of following in his father's footsteps by becoming a record producer.

John Tomlin, age 16, loved spending time with his church youth group, and planned on serving in our nation's armed forces after graduation.

Lauren Townsend, age 18, loved animals, and when she wasn't leading the girls varsity volleyball team, you could find her working after school at the local animal shelter.

Kyle Velasquez, age 16, loved ice cream and always wore a big smile. He, too, had hoped to enlist in the military one day, just like his father.

The shooting that took place at Columbine 20 years ago this weekend was, at the time, the deadliest high-school mass shooting in our nation's history; and it would likely have been much worse had it not been for the bravery shown by all those who responded to the scene that day.

The selflessness and courage many of our first responders exhibited that day, in the face of such grave danger, saved countless lives. And, while it may have been 20 years ago, we are still extremely grateful for their efforts.

We're also thankful for all those who helped our community come together in the wake of a tragedy.

People like Columbine's principal, Frank DeAngelis, whose outstanding leadership helped students, teachers and parents, alike, overcome a tragedy.

I'll never forget watching Frank lead hundreds of students back to campus for the first time, just four months after the shooting. They were all wearing t-shirts with the words ``We are Columbine'' written across the front.

We. Are. Columbine. It was just three little words--but the message it sent was as powerful as any I've ever seen.

Sadly, in the 20 years since the tragic events that unfolded at Columbine that day, we have seen similar tragedies play out again and again across this country.

We can and must do more to protect our communities from the threat of gun violence.

As hundreds of friends and neighbors come together in Columbine on Saturday to honor those who were lost as a result of this tragedy, I hope we, as a nation, can also come together and recommit ourselves to enacting the commonsense solutions that we all know are needed to better protect the ones we love.

Because, as those students said 20 years ago: We are Columbine. We are all Columbine.

And we all have a responsibility to act to ensure that another tragic shooting--such as the one we saw at Columbine--never happens again.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. DeSaulnier for yielding to me. I also want to thank him and my colleague, Mr. Cicilline, for sponsoring this important piece of legislation.

This really is a very concerning trend that is taking place in our society as more and more local news organizations in our communities are shutting down or becoming nonexistent. Maintaining a truly free and independent press is vital to our democracy.

I guess he is our favorite Founder tonight, Thomas Jefferson, also said: ``Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.''

We, as a society, rely on members of the press to be our watchdogs, to sound the alarms and hold our government leaders accountable when necessary.

According to a study from the University of North Carolina, over the last 15 years, the newspaper industry has seen over 1,800 mergers or closures of print newspapers.

That is a staggering 20 percent of all newspapers in the country that have now closed since 2004.

In my home State of Colorado, we have three counties--Costilla, Baca, and Cheyenne--that have no daily or weekly papers at all.

And, in my hometown of Denver, where we have seen explosive population growth, we now only have one daily newspaper, The Denver Post. Our other newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, published its last issue in 2009, 2 months shy of what would have been its 150th anniversary.

While it may have outlived the competition and it now serves as our city's only remaining daily paper, The Denver Post, too, has faced its share of hardships in recent years.

In 2013, The Post had over 250 employees, but today the number is less than 100. On April 8, 2018, in response to another round of devastating layoffs at the paper, The Denver Post's own editorial board published an op-ed entitled ``As Vultures Circle, The Denver Post Must Be Saved.''

In that op-ed, the editorial board wrote: ``The smart money is that in a few years The Denver Post will be rotting bones. And a major city in an important political region will find itself without a newspaper.''

These are not my words. These are The Denver Post's own employee's words. The massive decline in the number of reporters covering our local communities is not happening just in Denver. It is happening all over the country, and it is threatening to have real, tangible impacts on our communities.

Now, we heard Congresswoman Lofgren question how we are going to get coverage of local government in our newspapers.

At The Denver Post, one of the layoffs they had was their one employee who covered Congress. So we are not only now not having coverage on local governments, but also of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nationwide, the number of full-time reporters covering our State legislatures is down 35 percent from 2003.

And, while the reporters who remain continue as an invaluable service to our communities, frankly, they can't do it all, and, as a result, certain stories absolutely go unreported.

A joint study by the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois at Chicago found a connection between local newspaper closures and increased interest rates on local bonds. In fact, the study found that the closure of a local newspaper results in local taxpayers paying an extra $650,000 in interest per loan.

That is $650,000 in local taxpayer dollars that could otherwise go to schools, police, firefighters, potholes, or any other of a host of local needs, all lost simply because they didn't have local newspapers watching out on local government.

We often talk in Congress about the fox guarding the henhouse, but in too many small and rural communities there is no one guarding at all.

At the end of the day, for the sake of our democracy, we need local newspapers. We need local reporters. We need our watchdogs doing what they do best. We need to find ways to protect local news outlets and help them thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. DeSaulnier for highlighting this pressing issue affecting our communities and for having us here to discuss this tonight.

Madam Speaker, this week the House is considering H.R. 1,

the For the People Act. This bill takes on one of the biggest issues facing our democracy: campaign finance reform.

The Supreme Court's decision, in Citizens United, was one of the most disastrous decisions of our time. It opened the floodgates to the unlimited amount of unregulated dark money that is now corrupting our democracy.

And Congress not only has the authority to regulate the way our political campaigns are financed, but, I believe, we have the moral responsibility to step up.

This bill would shed light on the billionaires and special interest groups who are really behind some of the candidates running for office, and it would level the playing field by giving the power back to the traditional grass roots donors.

This, without a doubt, is one of the most important issues that we as a Congress will take on this year, and that is why I urge all of my colleagues to get in this fight to get unlimited dark money out of the political system once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity, as well as the wonderful items in this bil that Mrs. Dingell talked about, to make long overdue reforms to the way that the Food and Drug Administration reviews over-the-counter medicines.

Nearly 7 in 10 parents report giving their children an OTC medicine to help treat a sudden medical symptom. Similarly, 81 percent of adults use OTC drugs as a first response to a minor ailment.

Despite the widespread use of these medicines, though, the FDA is forced to use a cumbersome and archaic monograph pathway for review and approval. This antiquated, 40-year review system does not keep pace with recent medical advances and the burgeoning of the OTC market, which now has over 300,000 drugs. As a result, the current monograph fails to respond to OTC safety issues in a timely and effective manner.

During the 2 years between 2004 and 2005, the CDC reported 1,500 cases of children under the age of 2 visiting emergency rooms due to serious side effects of over-the-counter drugs of cough and cold products. Since this finding, the FDA has been trying to revise the cough and cold monograph to warn parents about the risks that these common drugs can cause. But the FDA can't do that because they are hamstrung due to the burdensome process it has to undergo to revise these monographs.

This bill, H.R. 7328, which I worked on with my colleagues, Mr. Latta, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Green, Mr. Burgess, and Mr. Guthrie, is a rare triple win because it helps regulators, consumers, and industry:

It modernizes an outdated FDA process;

It ensures consumers get access to safe and effective over-the- counter drugs;

It provides industry with the certainty to innovate and develop cutting-edge OTC products; and

It gives the FDA the tools and resources to remove dangerous and ineffective products from the market.

Let's pass this bill right now, and let's urge the Senate to get something done and pass this before the Congress ends.