Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, Isabel Wilkerson is one of the most important documentarians of African-American history in the United States.

Ms. Wilkerson devoted fifteen years to researching and writing The Warmth of Other Suns, one of the most important accounts of the Great Migration. From the 1910s to 1970s, millions of African-Americans left the segregated South in search of prosperity elsewhere. Drawing inspiration from the migration of her own parents from the rural South to Washington, D.C., Ms. Wilkerson set out to document stories from six decades of the continuous exodus of African-Americans from the South. By sharing the very important but underreported story of the six million people who were once enslaved and their descendants who fled the South for a better life, Ms Wilkerson has helped our nation better understand the dynamics of our society.

The Warmth of Other Suns is only one of Ms. Wilkerson's great achievements. She has been a trailblazing author for decades. In the 1990s, she was Chicago Bureau Chief for The New York Times. In 1994, she became the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. Her Pulitzer-winning stories centered on the Midwestern flood of 1993 and the reality of life for a ten-year-old boy from the South Side of Chicago. Since then, she has written and taught at the highest levels in the United States.

Today, at Rutgers University in Newark, Ms. Wilkerson is delivering the prestigious Tanner Lecture on Human Values. Her work has enhanced our nation's understanding of human rights and human values. I proudly honor Ms. Wilkerson for her achievements and continued success.

Madam Speaker, Frederick Douglass was born into slavery but laid to rest in power. His legacy touched countless lives in countless communities across this country, including Newark, New Jersey.

Throughout Newark's history, its residents fought for the abolition of slavery and suffrage for Black people. People like the King family, whose house in Newark was part of the Underground Railroad, and people like Thomas Thompson, a black stagecoach driver who helped move people to freedom, were undeterred in the fight for Black freedom. It was leaders like them who arranged, in April of 1849, for Frederick Douglass to visit Newark and speak about Black freedom, justice, and empowerment.

Frederick Douglass' speech at the First African Presbyterian Church on Plane Street was an historic moment in the city's long history of Black self-realization, a history Newark is still writing. Plane Street, now University Avenue, is the heart of Rutgers University-- Newark. It is a fitting tribute that Rutgers--Newark renamed its field on University Avenue the Frederick Douglass Field.

Rutgers--Newark has, for generations, helped empower students from Newark to seek justice and freedom through education. I am proud to represent Rutgers--Newark in Congress and commend them for recognizing Frederick Douglass' legacy in our city.

Madam Speaker, Sally G. Carroll was a trailblazer in law enforcement and past president of the Newark Branch of the NAACP. She dedicated her life to service. Miss Carroll passed away on April 1, 2019.

During her 97 years on this earth, Miss Carroll was a pillar in New Jersey's criminal justice system. She was one of the first African- American women to become an officer in the Newark Police Department. Miss Carroll later transferred to the Essex County Sherriff's Office, where she rose to the rank of detective. Miss Carroll then became the first woman to serve on the New Jersey Parole Board.

Throughout her lifetime of public service, Miss Carroll was active in the Newark Branch of the NAACP, where she served as President from 1967 to 1974. She was an active trustee of the Newark Museum and member of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women. Miss Carroll's active service to Newark, Essex County, and New Jersey reflected her deep devotion to improving people's lives.

I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Sally G. Carroll.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of former Essex County Freeholder Pearl Beatty. Freeholder Beatty passed away on April 2, 2019, leaving behind a trail of success as a community servant.

Freeholder Beatty's interest in politics began in her early twenties, when she worked a voter registration table for the NAACP. It continued through 1960, when she sang at a rally for presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Freeholder Beatty went on to work for the Kennedy campaign in New Jersey, helping put Kennedy over the top in the state. Three years later, Freeholder Beatty attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. She helped Newark residents picket Woolworth's for racial equality. And Freeholder Beatty was a key player in getting Newark's first Black mayor, Kenneth Gibson, elected in 1970.

Over the years, Freeholder Beatty was a constant presence in Essex County politics and communities. She was scheduler for Jimmy Carter's 1976 New Jersey campaign, then ran for Essex County Freeholder in 1977. She served three terms as District 2 Freeholder, always fighting for her constituents. Freeholder Beatty worked tirelessly to get people of color registered to vote.

I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Essex County Freeholder Pearl Beatty.

Mr. Speaker, hallelujah.

Yesterday evening, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned. Good.

Under the Trump administration and Secretary Nielsen, both of whom were empowered by my colleagues across the aisle, the United States of America ripped children away from their parents and put them into tent cities.

Ripping children away from their parents and lying about it to the American people was evil, and it should have ended Secretary Nielsen's career a year ago. Then, in December 2018, two little children died in the custody of the Federal Government while under the care of Secretary Nielsen.

She should have done the honorable thing at that time and resigned. Those children did not deserve to die. That will be Secretary Nielsen's legacy.

Mr. Speaker, the next Secretary of Homeland Security must commit to laying out for the American people a plan of action that ensures our border policy respects human life, promotes safety and dignity, and reins in this administration's horrible policies.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of a great man, a visionary leader, and a trailblazer--Kenneth A. Gibson.

In 1970, voters in Newark, New Jersey, elected Mr. Gibson as our city's first Black mayor. He went on to serve four terms as mayor. Mayor Gibson passed away on March 19 at the age of 86. Mayor Gibson walked into Newark City Hall during a tumultuous time in the city's history. He was steadfast in fighting to ensure that, in his words, ``wherever American cities are going, Newark is going to get there first.'' Mayor Gibson brought home federal funds to help improve public housing. He made improvements to public health services, which led to reductions in infant mortality and tuberculosis. And Mayor Gibson helped start a revitalization of downtown Newark that continues today.

Mayor Gibson's words, vision, and legacy will live on through the work of those who came after him. The modern development of Newark, New Jersey, cannot be separated from the legacy of Kenneth A. Gibson. It was his life and legacy that paved the way for transforming Newark.

I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life of Newark, New Jersey's first Black Mayor, the Honorable Kenneth A. Gibson.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, Alzheimer's is a public health crisis. It is fitting that today, the second day of National Public Health Week, the Alzheimer's Association held their annual Day on the Hill. That is why I am wearing purple, to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's.

Someone new develops Alzheimer's every 65 seconds in the United States. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is around $290 billion a year in the United States. That cost is only going to get higher.

In New Jersey alone, there are 180,000 people over the age of 65 who suffer from Alzheimer's. Each year, nearly 3,000 of them die from Alzheimer's.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me to raise awareness on Alzheimer's. But raising awareness is not enough. We need to increase research funding, commit to a public health response to Alzheimer's, and support Alzheimer's planning and care services under Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Garamendi for once again setting aside time to talk about the issues that affect the lives of people across this country.

I want to start by saying that the contrast between Republicans and Democrats on this issue of healthcare could not be any clearer.

As the gentleman has described in his discussion of the ongoing legal case down south, Republicans and the Trump administration want to make Americans sick again. They want to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions.

Let me just stop there. This Nation was built on a morality that we held very deeply in this country. But, to me, it feels like it has been torn apart, is falling apart, that we do not care about people who find themselves in circumstances that they did not create on their own, that they should alone be left, because of a preexisting condition, not to be afforded healthcare.

That is unconscionable. That is profiteering at its worst. It deeply upsets me that we find ourselves turning our backs on our brothers and our sisters, our mothers and our fathers, and our aunts and our uncles in this country to say, no, because you have an illness, we cannot protect you and give you insurance. It is unconscionable.

They want to take the United States backward, and they are weaponizing the courts to do what they failed to do in Congress: repeal the Affordable Care Act.

I arrived here in 2012, and the Affordable Care Act was already the law of the land. But what I witnessed in my time here was the over 50 times, close to 60 times, that the Republicans attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act but could never do it. They could never do it. With the White House, with the Senate, and with the House, they still could not do it, because it was too popular with a lot of Americans in this country. They did not listen to the people. They did not want the Affordable Care Act repealed.

Now they are trying to go the court and the executive route and do what they could not do in this body, which is the body that determines those matters.

Democrats, on the other hand, want to make America healthy. We want to expand healthcare access. We want to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. We want to make sure that people with preexisting conditions are not denied insurance coverage.

Now the Trump administration is fighting to bring healthcare discrimination back. Well, there is no going back. More than 200,000 people in my State of New Jersey who purchased their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace have preexisting conditions.

President Trump wants to make it easier for insurers to deny coverage. He is playing politics with their lives.

What my constituents want and need is for the Affordable Care Act to be strengthened. The 200,000 New Jerseyans who purchased their insurance through the Affordable Care Act should not have their insurance coverage put to risk because of politics. New Jerseyans and all Americans deserve protection, not discrimination.

Let me be clear: The Trump administration wants to put lives at risk by undermining people's access to healthcare across this country. The Trump administration is sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, and Americans are paying the price.

The Trump administration has made it more difficult to enroll in the Affordable Care Act by increasing website downtime during open enrollment and cutting the budget for healthcare navigators, the people who help Americans determine and figure out what they need in terms of coverage. They cut that.

The Trump administration has stopped finding cost-share reductions, which lower people's out-of-pocket expenses.

The Trump administration has launched a full-scale legal attack on the Affordable Care Act.

In light of those attacks, let me be clear about one thing: Democrats will keep fighting to ensure that all Americans' healthcare is protected. We will fight in the House. We will fight in the Senate. We will fight in the courts.

Once again, I thank the gentleman for his true leadership on the issues that are facing the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, school shootings are dreadful atrocities that are plaguing our Nation. Nearly 20 years have passed since the horrendous shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where 13 people lost their lives, yet schools and universities continue to be soft targets for deadly attacks.

Last year, between the months of January and May 2018, there was the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting that claimed the lives of 17 individuals, but there were also shootings nearly every week at our Nation's schools.

As history has shown us, there is no profile for a school likely to be targeted. This tragedy can happen at any school.

In 2012, after the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the Department of Homeland Security conducted an internal review of actions that its components were taking to help improve school security. Today, I understand that multiple DHS components currently have programs underway to address school security, but the degree to which there is coordination is unclear.

The Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security, or CLASS, Act will establish a standing council within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate school security activities, plans, and policies. The coordinating council would include all the key players in school security at the Department. They include the DHS Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans; the Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection; the FEMA Administrator; the Secret Service Director; and the heads of DHS' Offices of Academic Engagement and Public Affairs.

This legislation was not developed in a vacuum. Inspiration for this legislation came directly from experiences of those impacted by school violence and from the input of New Jerseyans.

Last July, my subcommittee held a school security field hearing in Newark. At the hearing, the subcommittee heard from the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security about the security risks the schools face and how Congress can provide support.

At the hearing and subsequently through our outreach and oversight, we came to understand there needs to be better coordination of school security activities within DHS to bolster coordination and minimize fragmentation.

As a leader in developing school security best practices and policies, it is important for DHS to have a formal school security body so that it can provide an example to those on the State and local levels on how to coordinate the protection of schools.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elder Thyson T. Halley for his advocacy and service on behalf of the deaf community.

At age 2, Elder Halley was diagnosed with spinal meningitis. Doctors said he would never again walk or talk.

Despite losing his hearing, Elder Halley has dedicated his life to helping the deaf community. Elder Halley got his associates degree in deaf studies, then went on to become a certified deaf interpreter.

His career as a deaf interpreter was inspired by a Biblical Scripture that says ``go ye therefore and teach.''

Over the years, Elder Halley has led deaf ministries throughout Newark, Jersey City, and across my district. He is the founder of His Hands Deaf and signing language and interpreter ministry of Chosen Generation Ministry in Newark. Through his ministry, Elder Halley has assisted with taking more than 1,500 underprivileged youth and parents to Disney World.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Elder Thyson T. Halley's service to the people of my district.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it may be in order at any time on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, for the Speaker to declare a recess, subject to the call of the Chair, for the purpose of receiving in joint meeting His Excellency Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a community leader from Essex County, New Jersey, Ms. Florence M. Johnson. Ms. Johnson has been an exceptional leader across Essex County for the past four decades.

In the 1970s, she cofounded a housing development in East Orange, New Jersey, that was designed, built, and managed by African Americans--one of the first of its kind.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she was a trailblazing member of East Orange City Council.

In 2000, she joined the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as an outreach and community engagement leader. At the New Jersey Symphony, Ms. Johnson led outreach to schools, churches, senior centers, and other organizations in order to make sure that the arts benefit everyone in the community.

This evening, she is being honored as a Hidden Figure in East Orange, New Jersey.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Florence M. Johnson for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional dentist, Army Brigadier General Shan K. Bagby.

General Bagby is the first African American Army dentist to be promoted to the rank of general. He is the first-ever African American to serve as chief of the Army Dental Corps.

General Bagby was born in Newark, New Jersey. When he was 8 years old, General Bagby went to the neighborhood health clinic and met an African American dentist. That visit, more than 40 years ago, inspired him to become a dentist himself.

When General Bagby graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, also in my district, he went to Rutgers University to study physics.

Today, General Bagby is a rising star in the U.S. Army. He is an inspiration to young people across the country who dream of becoming a dentist.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Brigadier General Shan K. Bagby for his service to our country.