Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, Congresswoman Plaskett, for hosting tonight's Special Order hour on the Federal Government's response to natural disasters. I believe that Ms. Plaskett and the experience that she has had in her homeland can open our eyes to the devastation that has taken place in the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico as well.

It is unthinkable what these American citizens have been through over the last several weeks and will continue to suffer for months into the future.

Before I begin, I have a message for the families and the friends of the 58 innocent people whose lives were taken and the more than 500 who were injured in Las Vegas overnight: The country's compassion and thoughts go out to you. Our hearts break with yours.

For those injured, know that the American people are praying for your recovery.

To the first responders who put their lives on the line daily: Thank you.

What went down in Las Vegas last night was an act of terrorism. There is no other name for it. A deranged man with a small arsenal of firearms in a hotel room shot into a crowd of people at a concert. For an hour and 12 minutes, people watched the chaos unfold.

All the moments of silence in the world won't change what happened last night in Las Vegas, last year in Orlando, the year before in Charleston, and the list goes on.

Moments of silence used to be for showing honor or respect. There is nothing honorable about keeping silent and doing nothing to prevent gun violence. There is nothing respectful about rejecting every single reasonable gun bill proposed in the past decade.

What kind of Nation are we when we sacrifice human lives on the altar of the gun lobby?

The time to act was yesterday. The Federal Government has a moral duty to protect the welfare of American citizens before tragedy strikes. Yet, when the news moves from one disaster to another, we often suffer a sort of amnesia. We don't seem to remember or learn from our mistakes. We forget to fix the problems our citizens call us about every single day, and the problems inevitably repeat themselves.

One issue we seem to have repeated amnesia about is the high cost our constituents face when evacuating disaster areas, particularly after hurricanes. We read reports that, due to reduced capacity and high demand, flights are full or tickets are prohibitively expensive. Even if the airlines capped flight prices, like they did last week, Federal taxes and fees can increase the price of an evacuation by 20 percent.

Recently, this hit home for me. One of my district staffers had family stuck in Puerto Rico. Because Hurricane Maria knocked out power and the telephone lines, my staffer had no way of knowing whether her loved ones were alive or dead. Many constituents have contacted our offices to let us know the difficulty they were having in trying to find out whether their loved ones were safe or not and how we could help.

She tried to get in touch with her family for 8 long days before hearing that they were okay. Then, when my staffer tried to book a flight for her family to get out of Puerto Rico, the only tickets available were for first class. First class. That is over $700 on a flight full of disaster evacuees.

My D.C. staff did a little digging. Here is what they learned. The American people rely on the goodwill of the airlines to cap the prices of flights from disaster areas. The airlines decide when to start the cap and when to end it.

The airlines decide whether to keep selling first class tickets, and the Federal Government never stops charging taxes on flights from disaster areas.

American citizens deserve better, Mr. Speaker. That is why, starting this week, I will be introducing a series of bills to ease the financial burden Americans face when escaping natural disasters.

The humanitarian flight fairness package will do four things. First, it will allow the Secretary of Transportation to declare an aviation humanitarian crisis at specific airports covered by a Presidential declaration of emergency.

Second, it will allow the Secretary of Transportation to mandate that airlines charge no more than the median fair price of all seats sold on that route in the prior calendar year.

Third, the package would require the FAA to waive the $5.60 passenger facility charge during an aviation humanitarian crisis.

And fourth, the package would require the FAA to waive the U.S. international transportation tax, which is $18 on a flight from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

American citizens, Mr. Speaker. Too often Congress reacts to crisis. It is time for us to be proactive. It is time for us to legislate before another disaster strikes. The humanitarian flight fairness package is a commonsense solution to a problem that directly affects our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I always try to deal in common sense. As a matter of fact, I have a constituent back at home who constantly reminds me of how shallow I am, so I can do nothing but rely on common sense based on this constituent's feelings about me.

I want to thank the congresswoman again for hosting this Special Order hour, and I look forward to continue working with her as she addresses the issues faced by Americans affected by natural disasters, whether it is on the mainland or in the territories. They all are American citizens.

When it benefits this Nation to have Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands be a part of the United States, it does not hesitate. But when these American citizens are in trouble, they deserve the same rights that every American citizen benefits from in this great Nation--and it is great, and we want to continue to make sure that it remains great.

I continue to make the point, Mr. Speaker, that these are American citizens we are talking about. This is not foreign aid. This is not mutual aid. This is aiding American citizens in trouble, in disaster, in peril, no insulin for diabetics, no dialysis for kidney patients in two or three weeks. That is a death sentence, Mr. Speaker, and we cannot allow it to continue.

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Let me just say in terms of your guilt. It is not a guilt. It should not be guilt. It is an obligation for you to be here in the people's House to represent your constituents here, to be their voice. That is why they sent you here to Washington. So do not be guilty about doing the job you have been sent to do.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad President Trump listened to Secretary Clinton and deployed the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort to Puerto Rico, even though it was 7 days after Hurricane Maria destroyed the island. But President Trump must do more and do it now.

Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States has a moral and legal duty to protect the well-being of our citizens. That is why today, right now, the President must order the Department of Defense to deploy all available assets to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to prevent this catastrophe from getting worse.

The thousands of Puerto Ricans and all of the Virgin Islanders I represent deserve to know that our Nation's priority is their well- being, their families', their friends', and their fellow citizens' as well--American citizens.

Madam Speaker, I first want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman Evans, for hosting tonight's Special Order Hour on rooting out racism in the United States. He has a long history of legislative accomplishments back in the Keystone State and has brought his understanding and talents here to the House of Representatives, and we appreciate him being a Member of this body.

Before I begin, I also want to let the Americans in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands know that we stand with them as they rebuild.

Madam Speaker, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees to all people in this country the freedom to speak out against injustice. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem last year, he joined a long list of patriotic athletes who used their fame to do just that.

Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft dodging because he refused to drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while the so-called Negro people in Louisville, Kentucky, were treated like dogs.

Jackie Robinson, the great Baseball Hall of Famer who integrated baseball, admitted in 1972 that he no longer could stand and sing the National Anthem.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution endows all of us with the freedom of speech, the freedom to speak out our own truths. Muhammad Ali would not fight an unjust war; Jackie Robinson would not salute a flag that he believed symbolized his oppression; and Colin Kaepernick took a knee to bring America's attention to the fact that Black Americans are twice as likely as White Americans to be killed by police officers, to bring attention to the fact that 1 in every 10 Black men in his thirties is in prison or in jail on any given day, to bring attention to the statistic that tells us Black people are twice as likely as White people to be in poverty in the wealthiest country on Earth.

It is easy to keep quiet, to do nothing in the face of injustice. But just like the muscles in our bodies, our Constitution will wither if we do not exercise our rights. To speak out against injustice is to exercise the constitutional right of free speech. What is more patriotic than exercising the rights our Nation stands for?

When the President uses his right of free speech in an attempt to silence athletes, he is undermining the freedom for which patriotic Americans have fought during our 241-year history. When the President calls for men and women to be fired from their jobs because they dare use their public platform to combat injustice, he fuels the viciousness he claims that he wants to despise. As Langston Hughes put it: ``Let America be America again--The land that has never been yet--And yet must be--the land where every man is free.''

Madam Speaker, I talk about the Constitution because it talks about all people. There are times where I have been disappointed and let down by this Nation not holding up its creed because, you see, I believe in America, but I am waiting for that day when all men are created equal. I am still waiting for that day.

We are here tonight to bring attention to this matter. We are exercising our right to free speech, the right that has been given every American in this country, supposedly. But if the President of the United States can stand up somewhere in this country and call a section of this country, a certain people in this country, SOBs, then what does that say about where we are? This is the leader of the United States of America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. But is it that for everyone?

We have a ways to go in this country. Yes, we have come a long way, and some people will say: Well, you know, why are you still talking about those old issues? And, you know, things are different now and better for you. And, look, come on, get over it.

And then we see what we have seen over the last several years with African Americans constantly getting shot and there being no ramifications. It tears at your heart, Madam Speaker, to understand why, why, in the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, we still have these situations of such inequity.

So we will continue to raise the issue until one day this country can live up to its creed that all men and women are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights.

With that, Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding to me.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of Ranking Member Lowey, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the proposed amendment. To coin it an earmark is unfortunate. The amendment would strike the language passed out of the Appropriations Committee that supports transportation projects of national significance. The committee voted to appropriate $900

million to rail programs already authorized by Congress in the FAST Act.

For the last 8 weeks, millions of commuters in the New York metropolitan area suffered through a summer of hell after Amtrak announced emergency track work at Penn Station, the busiest in North America, because of three derailments in the span of a few weeks. This was just an inkling of the turmoil that would be wrought if the Federal Government does not live up to its promise to fund much-needed repairs on the Northeast corridor.

I must emphasize, moneys approved by the Appropriations Committee are for programs already authorized by the FAST Act, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote against the Budd amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump's decision to end the DACA program is wrong. Today's announcement impacts over 22,000 New Jerseyans and over 800,000 people across the country. The primary beneficiaries of DACA are young people who were brought here to this country by no decision of their own.

In New Jersey, most DACA recipients are in the group of 18 to 21 years of age. At that age, they should be focused on college, developing trades, and overall sharpening their skills that will ultimately benefit our Nation.

Unfortunately, their future is now at the mercy of Congress. This issue transcends party, Mr. Speaker. Our decisions in the next 6 months will determine the future of hundreds of thousands of young people. We must make the right decision to protect DREAMers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2182, the Plum Island Preservation Act.

Mr. Speaker, since 1954, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York's Long Island has served as the Nation's principal laboratory responsible for research on foreign animal diseases of livestock, such as foot-and-mouth disease and other animal diseases.

At Plum Island, the Department of Homeland Security works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research and develop new vaccines and diagnostic tests for animal disease outbreaks and to defend against international or accidental introduction of animal diseases into the United States.

On September 11, 2005, the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to develop the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF, as a state-of-the-art biocontainment laboratory for the study of diseases that threaten both America's animal agricultural industry and public health.

As envisioned by DHS, the 580,000-square-foot facility would replace the Plum Island laboratory.

Following an extensive selection process, DHS selected a site in Manhattan, Kansas, for the new lab, and the site is slated to be fully operational by December of 2022.

What H.R. 2182 aims to answer is what will happen to Plum Island when DHS vacates the facility.

DHS is currently studying the range of options for disposition of the property, including transferring it to another Federal agency, a State or local government, or a nonprofit organization for the purposes of education, research, or conservation.

In doing so, DHS is expected to assess the full implications of each option, including cost, cleanup, and hazard mitigation.

H.R. 2182 requires the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to assess whether the forthcoming study is satisfactory to support a decision. In the event that the study is lacking in a key area, GAO would be required to conduct its own study.

Importantly, H.R. 2182 ensures that Plum Island cannot be sold by the Federal Government to the highest bidder.

Under this bill, the sale of Plum Island is prohibited until at least 180 days after the required reports in the bill have been submitted to Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2182 has broad support on both sides of the aisle, as we can see. Plum Island has a history dating back to the 1700s and has been owned by the Federal Government since 1899. This bill takes steps to ensure that this culturally and historically important site is not sold until all relevant questions are answered regarding the final disposition of Plum Island and that a satisfactory comprehensive plan has been developed.

I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, who has demonstrated great leadership in leading these CBC Special Order hours. It is not an easy task, but she has done remarkable work in terms of finding topics that are important to our communities and our Nation.

As the gentlewoman stated, Mr. Speaker, this month we marked 6 months of the Trump Presidency and 6 months of congressional Republican inaction.

Republicans made promise after promise to the American people. The President called himself the ultimate dealmaker. I wonder if we are witnessing the first Manchurian President. Instead of the promise of jobs, infrastructure, and a new and improved healthcare plan, we get chaos and seemingly never-ending controversies.

Where is the Republican agenda? Where are their accomplishments? Where are all those wins?

Let's take a look at the numbers. President Trump has a job approval rating of 36 percent, the lowest of any President ever at this point in their Presidency. Republicans can point to zero legislative accomplishments. The President has no plan to lower healthcare costs, no jobs bills, no infrastructure bills, no tax reform, and no clean budget. These simply are the facts.

Instead of doing what is right for the American people, it appears that Republicans are more occupied with taking away healthcare from millions of our constituents to give tax cuts to the wealthy, or defending the administration's most recent controversy.

This week, we will vote on a dishonest security spending package that will force American taxpayers to pay for the President's border wall. Who is going to pay for it? It looks like the American people.

During his campaign and the rhetoric that we heard up until this point, Mexico was going to pay for the wall. Now, here we are, with our Republican colleagues supporting an effort that says that the American people will pay for the wall. Well, we will get the money from Mexico later. Yeah, all right.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am alarmed by President Trump's and the congressional Republicans' determination to further break down our alliances and ignorance of matters related to the security of this Nation.

Instead of funding the border wall, we should focus on building strong transportation and infrastructure systems that will create good- paying jobs and lay a foundation for a strong economy. Instead, we are weakening America. Let's build America with a strong infrastructure bill and adequate training and apprenticeship programs that will benefit our constituents.

Make it in America is something I heard last week, which sounds magnificent, if we could do it. But if you are going to be the leader of this country and make such pronouncements, you have to live by what you are talking about.

Make it in America is to strive to make sure that we do everything in America. We hear of two buildings Trump erected in Chicago that used Chinese steel or steel from outside the United States. If you look at his ties, his shirts, his suits, the soap in his hotels, nothing is made in America. Who are we trying to kid with this? There is nothing.

Maybe his daughter. Well, no, her shoes aren't made in America. Her dresses are not made in America. Who are we kidding? Who are we fooling?

The American people have to open their eyes and see the sham that is going on. How this President says one thing and does absolutely the opposite is an atrocity. Make it in America? He stood up there in front of the American people and said that, with the suit, shirt, and tie that he had on? Absolutely unconscionable.

Where are the jobs? I am going to be the best job creator you have ever seen. When? You are going to win so much, you are going to get tired of winning. When? The American people deserve better.

The American people deserve better than a Congress that cares more about pushing an agenda that puts wealthcare in front of healthcare. The American people deserve better than a Congress that will pass legislation that will harm our environment, contaminate our air, and pollute our waterways.

The American people deserve better than a Congress that continues to ignore important issues that disproportionately affect African-American communities, such as criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, and voting rights.

While this administration and congressional Republicans turn their backs on the American workers, we will continue to demand real action to create jobs, raise wages, and create a brighter future for American families.

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Speaker, to the gentlewoman's point, I believe there was a document that was created to give to the President on those issues, and we are still waiting to hear back from the administration in reference to anything that was in that document.

We don't need photo ops. We don't need to go to the White House and be trucked up there and lollygag and use us for whatever they deem proper for them. We need help for the American people. We need an administration that is going to look at these issues, be serious about them, and continue to move this country forward, as it was in the previous 8 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize this Friday as the 10th annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day.

It is a harsh reality that HIV/AIDS touches every community across the country. Although we made great progress in treating the disease, it is imperative to continue striving for prevention, effective treatments, and a cure.

This is particularly important in my home State of New Jersey. In 2013 alone, over 2,000 adults and adolescents were diagnosed with HIV, making New Jersey the sixth highest in the country of new diagnoses. In ages 13 to 24, diagnoses have increased from 10 to 18 percent, and in the African-American community, rates are above the national average.

We must remain vigilant to combat this epidemic that continues to plague communities across our Nation, especially in light of the continued efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and remove insurance protections for millions. We must be vocal against all efforts to take away the ability to receive adequate care and do our part to fight HIV/AIDS. Encourage your loved ones to get tested.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Masjid Al-Haqq in Newark, New Jersey, on its 25th anniversary.

Founded on June 18, 1992, and headed by Imam Muhammad, Masjid Al-Haqq has dedicated 25 years of service to the community, and I want to thank them for an outstanding job.

Masjid Al-Haqq provides the most reputable Muslim journal newspapers on a weekly basis in the city of Newark, without fake news, and sends a large contingent of Newark Muslims to the Muslim Convention held in Chicago each year during Labor Day weekend.

Every December, the Masjid also holds a ``Time to Reflect'' weekend, where the community gathers for workshops and family activities. The services they provide impact the lives of many around our community.

I once again offer my sincere congratulations for a job well done. Happy 25th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to pay tribute to Martha Rivera Chavis, and the many contributions she made as a dedicated resident of Montclair, New Jersey, and to countries abroad.

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Mrs. Chavis was an astounding woman who loved caring and providing service to people. She completed her studies at San Pedro Apostol Catholic School in the Dominican Republic and received her degree in French Civilization from Sorbonne University in Paris, France in 1987. Following her graduation she served as a French to Portuguese translator for the Republic of Angola's Ambassador to the United Nations. It was during this time she met the love of her life, Rev. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Chavis. The couple married in September, 1988.

Mrs. Chavis was a beloved mother and fierce advocate for freedom, justice, and equality in the United States, Africa, and the Dominican Republic. She was an astounding First Lady of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and First Lady of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Her service, however, far expanded from her First Lady roles. After her husband, Rev. Dr. Chavis, visited Angola, the couple cared for nine Angolans including six children with missing limbs as a result of the civil war in Angola, in their home in Montclair, New Jersey. Due to the Chavises' unwavering care, when the nine Angolans returned to Africa, they were able to go back with prosthetics.

Mr. Speaker, I know my fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives agree that Mrs. Chavis deserves to be recognized for a job well done, and for many years of service to her local and international communities.

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman from Texas for sponsoring this CBC Special Order hour. It is a great responsibility and a responsibility that he has done remarkably well in governing the time and the topics on which we speak. This is a timely topic, Mr. Speaker.

In a single decision, the U.S. Supreme Court set ablaze decades of progress by overturning critical portions of the Voting Rights Act. Four years after Shelby County v. Holder, voter protections that many Americans rely on are again under assault.

Following that decision, we saw an eruption of unjust voting laws. It is an unfortunate historical fact that, in the absence of Federal safeguards, some States will erect prejudicial barriers to voting. States previously under Federal overview were emboldened and, shortly after the ruling issued, blatantly added discriminatory rules that directly affected minority communities.

Sadly, one of the most significant and imminent threats to accessing the polls comes directly from the administration. Since the inauguration, the Trump administration has withdrawn from longstanding legal challenges to discriminatory voter laws and created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity that will investigate the President's wildly unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. These sorts of actions and rhetoric only reassure States that discriminatory voting laws will be tolerated and upheld in this administration.

I urge Congress to take responsibility and restore vital voter protections that have secured the integrity of our democracy for more than 50 years. Although the Shelby decision was one of the most disruptive judicial decisions in recent American history, passing good voting rights legislation will redeem America's promise of a fair vote for everyone of eligible age.

It appears that protecting America's basic right to vote will be a task reborn with every generation. Obstacles to voting are no longer as blatantly obvious as literary tests and poll taxes. Unjust voter ID laws, voter intimidation, and unfair gerrymandering create barriers to the polls for individuals from all skin colors and age groups.

Although these actions appear insurmountable, they are not. Voter suppression is an affront to the Constitution and will not be tolerated. If we continue to resist all attempts to turn back voter protections, we will be successful and once again stand proudly on the right side of history.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that this Nation appears to be going in reverse. Gains that have been made by people who weren't necessarily considered citizens when they first arrived here, but property, have had to look to these rulings and laws being created in order for them to have the rights every other American has.

The hands that built this great building could not vote, were property. But it is a beautiful symbol of this Nation's history. The ancestors of the people that helped build these beautiful buildings here will be rolling over in their graves to learn that equality and rights for all are still under attack.

So, Mr. Speaker, the CBC and, I hope, the whole Congress will be vigilant in this area, making sure that all Americans, regardless of where they come from, where they started, and when they were allowed and even seen as citizens, have the right to vote in this great country.

Mr. Speaker, on July 12, 1967, a fire of rebellion sparked in my hometown and led to 5 days of conflict. Today we acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the Newark riots, or as the citizens called it, the Newark Rebellion and Occupation, and we memorialize the 26 people who lost their lives in those turbulent 5 days:

Rose Abraham,

Elizabeth Artis,

Mary Helen Campbell,

Eloise Spellman,

Eddie Moss,

Captain Michael Moran,

Isaac Harrison,

Frederick Toto,

Robert Martin,

Albert Mersier, Jr.,

Rufus Hawk,

William Furr,

Oscar Hill,

Tedock Bell,

Michael Pugh,

Jessie Mae Jones,

James Rutledge,

Leroy Boyd,

Rebecca Brown,

Hattie Gainer,

Raymond Gilmer,

Cornelius Murray,

Victor Louis Smith,

James Sanders,

Richard Taliaferro, and

Rufus Council.

Mr. Speaker, those were turbulent days in the city's history, but we have not forgotten and we have learned great lessons from that time. May we also never forget these lives that perished in those 5 days.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mrs. Martha Rivera Chavis, who passed away on July 6, 2017, at her home in Montclair, New Jersey.

After receiving her degree in French civilization at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, Mrs. Rivera Chavis served as the French- to-Portuguese translator for Angola's Ambassador to the United Nations. It was there she met Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., a civil rights leader and president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

After marrying in 1988, Mrs. Rivera Chavis and her husband cared for nine Angolans, including six children with missing limbs, at their home in Montclair. Mrs. Rivera Chavis carried that empathy and compassion with her throughout life, including during her tenure as the head of the Women in NAACP committee, where she fought for justice, equality, and freedom for minority communities.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Rivera Chavis will be greatly missed by all who knew her. I send my thoughts and prayers to her husband, Benjamin, and her children and loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, Senate Republicans have negotiated their TrumpCare bill in the dark, and that is just where it should have stayed. And just wait until the CBO score comes out next week.

Knowing that this bill will cause immeasurable harm to millions of American families who will lose their coverage and protections while facing higher costs, I do not understand how anyone could support it.

We constantly hear from our Republican colleagues that TrumpCare keeps their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. So you keep that misguided promise, but at what cost?

We are talking about the lives of real people, millions of real people. Aren't they worth more than just a tax cut for the rich?

Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to scrap this disastrous bill. Let's work together to improve the Affordable Care Act and not destroy it.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is not surprising that the House Republicans haven't put forward a budget, despite passing their deadline more than 2 months ago.

It has been nearly 800 days since the House Republicans agreed to a budget. Hat-tip to the Huffington Post's Matt Fuller for that fun fact.

What we are seeing is an ongoing inability of House Republicans to do their job. Republicans have introduced no jobs bill, given no indication whether they will lift the debt ceiling to avoid default, and offered no responsible spending legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this is dysfunction at its worst. The American people sent us here to deliver results on jobs, on healthcare, on security.

I urge my Republican colleagues to take that responsibility seriously and to work with Democrats to achieve progress. I know we can.