Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great trailblazer from my district, Wynona Lipman.

Mrs. Lipman was the first African-American woman to be elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 1971, and she was the longest serving senator in New Jersey's history when she passed in 1999.

During her 27 years in the New Jersey State Senate, she fought for the rights of children, minorities, and the LGBT+ community.

She was a crucial member of the Governor's Advisory Council on AIDS and Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. Her work earned her the induction into New Jersey's Women's Hall of Fame in 1998. Her legacy lives on throughout my district.

There is the Wynona Lipman Ethnic Studies Center at Kean University. There is the Wynona Lipman Child Advocacy Center for abused children; and there is also the future Wynona Lipman Courthouse in Essex County.

Mrs. Wynona Lipman was an exceptional leader, and I am proud to recognize her on the House floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a great trailblazer from my district, Wynona Lipman, on what would have been her 100th birthday. Born in 1923, Mrs. Lipman was the first African- American woman to be elected to the New Jersey State Senate when she won her seat in 1971. She served the 29th Legislative District for 27 years, the Senate's longest-serving member at the time of her death in 1999.

Before she was a political trailblazer, Mrs. Lipman was a teacher. She taught French at Morehouse College and tutored a famous civil rights advocate, Martin Luther King, Jr. She left that position to pursue a Ph.D. degree at Columbia University. During her time at Columbia, Mrs. Lipman earned a Fulbright fellowship to study at the Sorbonne in Paris for two years. When she returned, Mrs. Lipman finished her Ph.D. degree and eventually moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where she became an associate professor at Essex County College.

In Montclair, Mrs. Lipman became active in local politics. In 1968, she won her first election to become an Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholder, where she became President of the Board in 1971. Then Mrs. Lipman ran for the New Jersey State Senate and defeated Republican Senator Milton Waldor by less than 1,000 votes out of 170,000 cast. During her 27 years in the State Senate, Mrs. Lipman was often the only woman serving there and worked diligently to protect the LGBTQ+ community and children on the Governor's Advisory Council on AIDS and Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Mrs. Lipman's tireless efforts to serve her district earned her induction into the New Jersey's ``Women's Hall of Fame'' in 1998. Today, her legacy is supported throughout the area. There is the Wynona Lipman Ethnic Studies Center at Kean University, the Wynona Lipman Chairholder at the Center for American Women in Politics and Rutgers University, the Wynona Lipman Child Advocacy Center (known as Wynona's House) for abused children in Newark, and the future Wynona Lipman Courthouse in Essex County. Next week, there will be an exhibit titled ``Stronger than Steel: The Wynona Lipman Story'' at the New Jersey Historical Society.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating her life of public service and her legacy in New Jersey politics.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Republican lack of support for their leaders. Two months ago, House Democrats saved the country from a devastating government shutdown, and I thank current Speaker Johnson for working with us to avoid another one. I would not feel very confident if I were the current Speaker.

Republicans have a history of rejecting their leadership. They did it to Newt Gingrich. They did it to Speaker John Boehner. They did it to Speaker Paul Ryan. They did it to Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They could do it to Speaker Mike Johnson.

Democrats support our leadership. We work to increase jobs, support families and veterans, protect women's rights, and fight for all Americans. We work together to avoid government shutdowns.

Mr. Speaker, everyone in Congress should have that same commitment to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the dangers of diabetes for Black Americans.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Today, more than 37 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and that number includes almost 5 million Black Americans. Right now, one of every five Black Americans over 20 years of age has diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. Black Americans are far more likely to develop diabetes than White Americans.

Diabetes is the most expensive chronic health condition in our country. The $35 cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries in the Inflation Reduction Act helps our seniors afford this lifesaving medication. However, we need to pass the bill to make the $35 cap on insulin available to all Americans. If we can cap insulin payments, we can help millions of Black Americans afford this critical medication. No diabetic in this country should have to choose between food or insulin every month.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Illinois and the gentlewoman from Florida for the opportunity to speak. I absolutely thank my colleague from the great State of Ohio for bringing this issue to the forefront and having a press conference this afternoon to discuss this dreaded disease.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the problem of diabetes in Black communities nationwide. It is an honor to do it during National Diabetes Awareness Month.

As a diabetic, daily life is a constant challenge. I will have to get up at 4 clock tomorrow morning to go to dialysis, a treatment that I need three times a week to survive. That means I risk exposure to the coronavirus or any other ailment when I receive treatments in rooms full of other patients. It is a problem that many of America's 37 million diabetics face every day, and that figure includes 5 million Black Americans with diabetes.

In addition, almost 80 million Americans could develop diabetes due to poor diet and health or family history of diabetes. That is one reason that diabetes is the most expensive chronic health condition in our Nation.

These health issues are even worse for Black Americans. We are 60 percent more likely to develop diabetes than our White counterparts, and we are twice as likely to die from it than our White counterparts.

Right now, one in every five Black Americans over the age of 20 has diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes for Black and Hispanic youth has doubled since 2001.

The risks are so high that Black Americans are less likely to donate a kidney because they fear future health issues. That is why Black Americans are twice as likely to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor than a live one. This can lead to health issues that do not happen to patients who receive a kidney from a living donor.

The more prominent issue is the price of insulin in America. The monthly average cost of insulin is almost $650 per month. That is 10 times higher than the price in other countries. Nevertheless, there is hope. There is a $35 cap on insulin in the Inflation Reduction Act for Medicare beneficiaries. It helps our seniors save money on this lifesaving medication, and they do not have to make the choice between food or insulin every month.

Nonetheless, we need to do more. We need to pass bills like the Affordable Insulin Now Act. This bill would cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin to the same $35 for all Americans.

President Biden is working to make that $35 insulin price cap permanent for all Americans in other legislation, as well. If we can cap insulin payments, then we can help millions of Black Americans afford this critical medication.

That is why this Special Order hour is so important. It brings awareness to the fact that minorities are more likely to face diabetes and other kidney-related issues.

In addition, public talks like today's event remind people that diabetes is still a serious medical issue. When we increase awareness, we increase funding for new treatments and cures. Eventually, we will find the new treatments that will make it safer for diabetics.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot wait for those new treatments to happen. That will be the day when I can walk out of the dialysis treatment clinic for the last time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to praise the Democratic Party for putting people over politics. Every day House Democrats fight to better the lives of working Americans.

We are ready to support commonsense legislation to keep the government open and to provide vital services to the American people. We continue to bring down inflation and lower costs for food, medicine, and other necessities. We invest in American families with bills to help them with childcare and home energy costs.

We support our friends overseas with bills to provide aid to innocent Palestinian civilians, Ukraine, and Israel, and we work daily to make our country work for all Americans.

We are committed to voting rights for all Americans. We are committed to reproductive rights for all women, and we want an America with equality for all and prejudice toward none. That is why I am proud to be a Democrat.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to question the Republicans' commitment to the American people.

We are 9 days away from the end of government funding for critical programs nationwide. Republicans should be working with Democrats to continue funding in the best interests of the American people. Instead, they are holding the government funding hostage to demand cuts to programs Americans need every day.

They want to cut Social Security and Medicare and deny food and medicine to seniors and lower income American families. They want to cut funding to efforts to provide clean air and water nationwide and allow polluters to threaten the lives of Americans, especially American children.

They want to cut IRS funding that will force the wealthy, tax- cheating Americans and corporations to pay their fair share and rob our country of $3 trillion in new revenue.

These are not the actions of a party dedicated to the best interests of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank President Biden for his continued commitment to the American people.

Recently, the Biden administration announced billions of dollars in Federal funding for bridges, subways, and road projects in the Northeast Corridor.

The funding included $3.8 billion for a new Hudson River tunnel between New Jersey and New York. The current tunnel is 113 years old, and any service delays could cost the country $100 million in lost economic activity and disrupt service for 200,000 travelers a day.

President Biden understands the importance of the project, and his administration has provided almost $11 billion in Federal funding for it in the last 4 months.

This funding will help millions of future travelers get to their destinations faster and safer, and it is another example of his great work as President.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue.

I rise today to oppose the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2024.

Today is a monumental day for transportation in America. It is the day the Biden administration announced billions of dollars in funding for much-needed transportation projects and the day that the Republicans brought this bill to the floor to cut funding designated to make transportation in this country safer.

The differences are severe. The Biden administration is building and repairing bridges and subway tunnels to make American transportation more efficient. Republicans seem to want to make it more dangerous.

Here are a few of the drastic cuts Republicans want to enact:

They want to cut $7 billion in funding from the Department of Transportation.

They want to eliminate the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program. This program funds projects to improve rail performance and expand it into underserved communities.

They want to cut Amtrak funding by 65 percent and cut it by 92 percent in the most populous Northeast corridor.

In addition, they want to cut funding for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program grants in half. This program funds rail safety technology, eliminates deadly railroad crossings, and installs safety fencing around the Nation's rail network. It will save lives across the country, but Republicans want to cut it anyway.

In the process, they are showing the American people they do not care about their safety nor their transportation system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriation Act and how Republicans continue to put politics over people.

Financial support for Israel after a terrorist attack should be an easy bipartisan bill to pass. Instead, Republicans are hijacking it to prevent the richest 1 percent of Americans from paying their fair share of taxes and preventing lifesaving aid for families caught in the crossfire. So Republicans would rather protect their billionaire tax cheating supporters than protect children.

No one should be surprised about it. If the richest 1 percent paid their fair share, America could gain $3 trillion in the next 10 years according to economists. Even a portion of that funding would allow us to support Israel, help Palestinian families, and aid Ukraine, and it would even reduce the national debt significantly.

Nevertheless, Republicans want to rob the poor to pay the rich, and I hope American voters are paying attention.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great trailblazer in my district, Goldie Burbage.

Ms. Burbage made history in East Orange, New Jersey. She was the first African-American woman to serve as the executive assistant to an East Orange mayor. She served under Mayor James Kelly and the city's first African-American mayor, William Hart.

During her time in Mayor Hart's office, Ms. Burbage created the Offices of Employment and Training, Drug Abuse, and Personnel. Her work earned her a promotion to become the city's first chief personnel officer.

Outside of her career, Ms. Burbage was a well-known and respected social justice advocate. She founded the Historical Society of East Orange and served as vice president of the East Orange Chamber of Commerce. Her community support earned her induction into the East Orange Hall of Fame.

Many residents referred to her as the matriarch of their community, and I am proud to honor her on this day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the new House Speaker, Representative Mike Johnson.

In doing some research, not knowing the gentleman very well, I have come to find out that he is not the moderate unifier that we need right now.

Speaker Johnson was a key player in Trump's plot to overthrow our democracy. He worked to justify the tragic January 6 insurrection, an attack that threatened the lives of my House colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike.

Speaker Johnson wants the government to control a woman's right to her healthcare decisions. He wants the government to control who Americans can marry. He wants the government to ban interracial marriage.

He also wants to slash funding for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and deny critical healthcare to vulnerable seniors.

Americans reject these extreme agenda items, yet Republicans voted for him to lead the people's House. Once again, they are putting politics over the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote for rollcall 528--had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 771.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the presumptive Republican nominee for President.

Today, that presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, was in a New York courtroom to face fraud charges for lying about his wealth. The $250 million lawsuit accuses the Republican leader of inflating the value of his assets. He did it to get better deals on at least $300 million in loans and insurance policies. Loans, I might add, that he refused to pay back.

Trump even claims that his $18 million Mar-a-Lago estate is worth $1.5 billion. The trial could force the Republican leader to pay millions of dollars in fines. I remember when the Republican Party used to fight for fiscal responsibility. Now, they bow to a man who cheats on his taxes, steals from banks, fails to pay subcontractors, and defrauds investors. That does not sound responsible to me, and it is disgraceful behavior from a Presidential candidate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

As a Senator, she served the people of California for 31 years, and she was the longest-serving female Senator in American history.

Senator Feinstein was a true trailblazer. She was the first woman elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She was the first woman elected to serve as San Francisco's mayor. As a Senator, she was the first woman to chair the powerful Senate Rules and Senate Intelligence Committees.

Senator Feinstein leaves a legacy of incredible accomplishment. She wrote the popular assault weapons ban in 1994, a ban that we need to reintroduce today. She helped create the nationwide AMBER Alert system to help communities find abducted children. She helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

She was a strong advocate for women and the betterment of all Americans, and she will truly be missed in the Senate and California.