Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor The Power of Student Voices at Central High School, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Power of Student Voices at Central High School was created in the fall of 2005 to create a more informed citizenry that can actively participate and investigate the unique culture of the American political landscape. In May 2008, Central High School was awarded the AARP Ethel Percy Award for Civic Engagement. Additionally, the students participated in the Presidential inaugural activities in 2009 and 2017 and of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in January 2015. Last year, the students participated in an in-depth study of the 2016 Presidential Election.

Now, Central High School's seniors have the opportunity to explore our nation's capitol as they visit historical landmarks and meet with political actors. This unique experience will give them the opportunity to meet with political professionals, conduct interviews, write news articles and blogs (to be displayed on a student-made website), and explore the historical and political landscape of the political process. Students will develop a direct sense

of political efficacy and interact with key decision-makers to affect the policy making process.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania extends gratitude to The Power of Student Voices at Central High School for their hard work and commitment to civic engagement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an iconic small business, Ricklin's Hardware, an institution in Narberth that is closing after over a century of dedication to the community.

Ricklin's Hardware began before it even had its now familiar storefront to its name in 1913. Founder and namesake Hyman Ricklin started the business going through Narberth, door-to-door, with a pushcart full of tools before settling on the business' iconic location on Haverford Avenue. Ricklin, his wife, ``Ma'' Ricklin, and children operated the store for several years. The store endured two fires and the loss of its original building before it was sold to Ed Riddell and brothers Mario and Kelly Barone in 1960.

Though once amassing five separate hardware stores, Ed Riddell settled on a flock of two fixtures, including Ricklin's Hardware and Suburban Hardware in Byrn Mawr, which closed last year after nine decades of service. Since 1973, Ed's son, Jed, has worked in the store alongside his father. Jed worked at Ricklin's throughout high school, as did his friend and classmate Charlie Waters, and the pair became co- owners of Ricklin's in 1990.

As Ricklin's Hardware has passed hands from one generation to the next, so too have its customers. Riddell and Waters and other longtime employees have personally seen more than three generations pass through its doors. This is a true testament to the loyalty of its customers, the community, and the remarkable care Ricklin's has provided.

After 105 years of service, Ricklin's Hardware has proven that the individual and specialized support characteristics our small businesses provide as an irreplaceable investment to our neighborhoods. As Riddell and Waters plan to close the doors of Ricklin's Hardware on April 28, they should do so with the recognition that through the generations Ricklin's has established ties to the Narberth community that will last long past its closure.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania extends gratitude to Ricklin's Hardware for its dedicated service to Narberth and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an iconic small business, Paul Beale's Florist, a family-owned business on Ogontz

Avenue that has meant so much to our neighborhood and the City of Philadelphia for 47 years.

From a young age, founder Paul Beale always knew he would be a florist and one day own his own flower shop. Committed to his goal Mr. Beale worked his way up and was a manager at Stein's Flower shop for 15 years. In 1970, the Senate passed a bill that increased federal assistance for the financing of small businesses. In 1971, Paul's dream to own his own shop came to fruition when he took out a loan to start a shop of his very own, Paul Beale's Florist.

Paul and his wife, Altermese, worked tirelessly to keep their business up and running. The Beales' hard work has paid off over the years, as Paul Beale's Flowers has become a true fixture on Ogontz Avenue in West Oak Lane. The small business has also become a fixture of the Beale family. Paul's daughter, Paulette Beale Harris, is now the store manager, and four generations of the Beale family work in the shop. Mr. Beale is a true role model in our City as he is a strong believer that what he earns from his shop should be invested back into the neighborhood he is proud to call home.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania extends gratitude to Paul Beale's Flowers for its dedicated service to the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from the great city of Brooklyn, particularly the great part of New York in terms of Brooklyn. She always reminds me that there is not a better place than Brooklyn. And if you haven't been there, I encourage you to go to Brooklyn.

What can I say about my colleague Congresswoman Lawrence from Michigan? As they both lead this effort, I compliment both of them.

I want to thank my colleagues for holding this Special Order hour to talk about our queens, our rocks, and our Black women. I say that because I was raised by a Black woman who was a single head of household, better known as my mom, Jean Evans. She was someone then and now who always was very consistent in her message in terms of stay strong and always look forward.

As we paint a picture of the Black community in 2018, it is clear that we have a lot to lose, because too many of our neighborhoods, unfortunately, are still plagued by rampant poverty, dysfunction, and crime. They are very serious issues.

But as I seek to tie together last week's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order with tonight's theme, it is important to remember that, when the Kerner Commission report was issued, and even today, Black women had to deal with racism and, add to that, sexism. I am comforted by the fact that the excellence of Black women continues to outshine the gloom and doom that some of these problems bring. In fact, the fastest growing category of entrepreneurs are Black women.

Fortunately, I don't have to look too far because of Philadelphia, home of some of the most dynamic women and Black women in America. There is a woman there who is very good, and I have known her an awful long time, City Councilwoman Janine Blackwell, six terms in the council, born and raised in Philadelphia. She is a seasoned advocate for social change and has a 30-year reputation for serving community members and the poor and underprivileged in the city of Philadelphia, making her a leader in our city, Councilwoman Janine Blackwell.

Della Clark, president of The Enterprise Center, has played an integral role in the creative, technical, and professional progress of minority business development over the course of her life.

Estelle Richman, former Secretary of Public Welfare and Chief Operating Officer of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Richman oversaw agency efforts that resulted in an increased percentage of foster children finding permanent homes and a drop in the waiting list for mental retardation services.

Julia Coker Graham is the president and the CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she oversees all of the organization's departments and operational duties.

Prior to being named to the position, she served as the senior vice president of the convention sales and management staff, 25 people. She leads that organization, and she represents the face of Philadelphia.

The late C. Delores Tucker, who was the first African American to serve in the cabinet of a governor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

And last but not least is Sarah Lomax-Reese, president and general manager of WURD, better known as Wurd in the African-American community, a Black-owned radio station.

All of these women I have mentioned have, in one way or another, affected me personally and have played a very key role in my life. So I want to join with my colleagues and talk about these beautiful women-- our queens, our rocks, our great women. I thank both of my colleagues for allowing me to have this opportunity to join this discussion.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of the Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor that I rise today to anchor the CBC Special Order. I would like to thank the CBC chairman, Chairman Richmond, for his leadership in this effort.

For the next 60 minutes, we have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus and the millions of constituents we represent.

Tonight, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak about a topic that has affected this country and plagued us all. Over 50 years ago, in the middle of the Detroit riot, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, commonly known as the Kerner Commission. The goal of that Commission was to identify the underlying causes of the civil unrest in communities across the country.

This was a time of tremendous tension in our great Nation. Many Americans were confused about the root causes of the riots and the unsure path forward.

On February 29, 1968, following several field trips to troubled communities, the Commission released the Kerner Report, a 176-page report that examined cultural institutional racism, from segregated schools and housing discrimination to generational poverty and to limited economic opportunity.

The Commission largely held racism responsible for Black rioting and warned that our Nation is moving to two societies, one Black, one White--separate and unequal. The Commission called for bold policies to counter decades of political failure, such as investment in much-needed social services, housing, and education programs; and incentivizing diversity among law enforcement.

Sadly, President Johnson ignored the Kerner Report and rejected its recommendations. In the midst of that, we had the assassinations of several prominent Americans: President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King.

Fifty years later, America has made some improvements, but African Americans continue to face some of the same issues discussed in the Kerner Report.

Since its release, Black American homeownership has been flat, and unemployment is still twice that of White Americans. The Black prison population has tripled here in America. It used to be two other countries, South Africa during the apartheid years and the former Soviet Union, had more people in prison. Now the United States has more people in prison than any nation in the world.

Black household wealth is less than one-fifth of the national average, and almost 33 percent of Black children are growing up in poverty.

Recently, Fred Harris, the last living member of the Kerner Commission, issued a new report highlighting the persistent issues plaguing the Black community and calling on major investments in education, workforce development, and a living wage. This comes in stark contrast to the severe cuts proposed by President Trump in the fiscal year 2019 budget.

Today, in fact, I attended a meeting for the CEO Council for Growth at Drexel University. The council's mission is to lead our region forward by convening decisionmakers, taking action, and doing the things necessary to strengthen our regional economy.

With poverty at 26 percent in my district, I am committed to working with the CEOs present at today's meeting and others who are using creativity and innovation to help reduce poverty, combat hunger, and spur economic growth.

I also attended a discussion at Temple University in Philadelphia. Although the recently passed budget was by no means perfect, I firmly believe that our leadership and our actions matter.

So it was great to hear firsthand from professors at Temple University today about how the recent jolt in NIH funding will allow them to keep their research on the rise. If we want to continue moving the needle on poverty reduction, we must make it our priority to invest in all of our neighborhoods.

We are in the business of doing no harm. As elected officials, we are here to help move our neighborhoods forward, not backward, and we must continue to urgently press for commonsense economic solutions for Americans most in need.

I stand before you today to tell you just as I have always done before, we must continue to make ideas matter. We must push for commonsense solutions to help move us past the conditions that led to the Kerner Report.

Mr. Speaker, I have my colleague from California (Ms. Lee) here, who is someone whom I have watched and observed. As a matter of fact, she is the chair leading the effort from the Democratic perspective on attacking this issue of poverty. She has been in the forefront of this particular issue, and her voice is heard throughout this entire Nation, the Honorable Barbara Lee from the 13th District.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I heard the gentlewoman say, obviously, 1968, and we are now in 2018. I yield to the gentlewoman to tell me what she thinks, in terms of the conditions in 1968, which were obviously the riots, to where we are in 2018. I know there has been some progress, but in terms of things moving back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman to speak about the panel she is leading on poverty.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison), someone I had the pleasure of spending time with. We have a little running conversation with the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl. He has turned out to be a very good friend in spite of that.

He has traveled this Nation and been very thoughtful in his comments and the things he has said. He wanted to really weigh in on this subject. He has been in the forefront of economic opportunity, poverty reduction, racism, and income equality. He has been in there.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman a question. I hope people heard him. I want to ask a couple things.

The goal of the Commission was to identify the underlying causes of the civil unrest in communities across the country, and obviously a lot has happened in that 50 years. Technology, trade policies, tax policies, education policies, all those types of things have occurred, and it is clear knowing--obviously, in 1968, they didn't know anything about the internet, trade policies, tax policies.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman: Should there be another commission report? Should there be something that, in a sense, tries to update, in 2018, knowing the circumstances that we are in, and especially poverty has even grown more?

Mr. Speaker, I told you, in the district I am in, which has a lot of wealth with major universities, there is 26 percent poverty. In 1968, there was a riot in the city of Philadelphia.

Now, we don't have riots, you know, fortunately, anymore today in communities, but do we have a form of quiet riot that is occurring in these communities, not physically the way they were, but in some way there is still this growing gap? So we know what the goal was.

We know the goal was to identify the underlying causes of the civil unrest.

Mr. Speaker, what I hear Mr. Ellison saying with that 250 years, the first time I ever heard that described that way, I would ask him to talk to us a little bit about here it is 2018, 50 years later, with all these things that have happened.

I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, we have another person, who is a neighbor of mine and has been a very good friend, from the great State of New Jersey. We have got that Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman Bridge connection. He is a very good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), from the 10th District of New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to, if I can, just follow up a little bit on the Voting Rights Act.

Obviously, that is the foundation of a democracy, and it is rather amazing to me that all of us in this Congress are elected by the people. I tell people the greatest title is citizen. It is not Congressman; it is not President; it is citizen.

So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman to speak a little bit about what has that impact been about the Voting Rights Act, as he sees it today, and the fact that, for some reason, this Congress doesn't seem to understand that we still need the Voting Rights Act in 2018.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, what others have heard this evening from the Congressional Black Caucus is sort of like a canary in the mine. The Kerner Report, when President Johnson established it 50 years ago, was an attempt to shine a light and to send a warning that we were two nations, one Black and one White. And for every Member who stood up here and spoke, they all talked about how proud they are, as Americans; and that we all recognize the beauty and the idea of America and what it has meant.

I come from the city of Philadelphia, where it all started. In those conversations, there is no question it started out as a very flawed document, where African Americans and women basically were left out of that discussion.

But as you think about what my good friend from Minnesota said as he laid out the historical aspect to where we are here in 2018 and the opportunity we have--because I do believe we have an opportunity, and I do believe it is not any more words on paper. It is not a report or anything. It is a question of what is in our hearts collectively.

I don't think this is a Democrat or Republican issue. I don't think this is a Black or White issue. I think this is an issue about inclusion and involvement. I think that when you go back to that report that talks about the underlying causes of the civil unrest in these communities across this country, I think that we all have an obligation to try to address those issues.

The issues are very fundamental. May you live in rural America, or urban America, or suburban America, you know, everybody needs quality healthcare. Everyone needs a job opportunity. Everyone needs a good, solid education. And those things we should not take lightly. All of those things, we all need.

So what we, as the Congressional Black Caucus, attempted to do is continue to raise the consciousness and to get people to understand that we still have a lot of work to do. This should not be taken lightly; that we all recognize that though, as Dr. King used to say, we have come over here on different boats, we are in the same boat now; and that boat is America; that boat is we are in a much more competitive world than in 1968. This is 2018. The world has radically changed.

The question is: Are we going to be in the forefront of the change, or are we going to be in the back of change?

I like to believe we should be in the forefront of change. I like to believe that we all understand, as a country, that it is in our collective interests to work together and to make a difference. I am not saying to you it will be easy. And it was not easy in 1968.

As I said, President Johnson was a Democrat, but he did not heed the report the way he should have probably heeded it. But it is no use talking about the past.

The question is: How do we deal with the future, and where do we go?

We should applaud him and others for at least having the discussion. We should not be fearful of discussion. We should all recognize that we have some challenges ahead for us in the 21st century.

Again, I will repeat myself. It will not be easy. It will take a lot of work, and it will take us confronting those issues that we face today. It is not easy, as we have debated the issue about healthcare or the issue about jobs or the issue about education. Everybody wants to work. Everybody wants a quality job and a quality opportunity. No one wants to sit on the sidelines.

So we have a chance today, in my view, to take advantage of the opportunities. I hope we will, Mr. Speaker. I believe that all members of the Congressional Black Caucus strongly feel that way. I thank the chairman of our caucus for initiating these efforts that we have been doing for this last year or so. I really appreciate that opportunity.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the momentous 40th anniversary of Cheyney University's 1978 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship win.

Founded in 1837, Cheyney University has been a true treasure in our Commonwealth for over 180 years. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the proud home of the first Historically Black College (HBCU) in our nation; it is also the only HBCU in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

On March 18th, 2018 Cheyney University will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its notable NCAA Division II Basketball Championship win. The team made history in 1978 when they defeated the University of Wisconsin Green Bay's team with a score of 47-40 in Springfield, Missouri bringing home the University's first national championship victory.

Just as our victorious Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, defied all the odds to prove that underdogs can and will be victorious so too did the No. 4 ranked Cheyney State College Wolves who defeated the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Green Bay team in the 1978 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship game.

We extend congratulations to the entire 1978 Cheyney Wolves Team which included: John Butts, Duane Coleman, All-American Milt Colston, Tournament MVP Andrew Fields, Kenny Hinson, Jeffrey Hutcherson, Roger Leysath, Gerald Mills, Charles Murphy, Gilbert Saunders, Arthur Stone, and John Walter; under the leadership of Naismith Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania is proud to celebrate and recognize Cheyney University on the 40th anniversary of their historic 1978 NCAA Division II championship win.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor the CBC Special Order. I would like to thank CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond for his leadership in this effort. Chairman Richmond has been leading this effort and raising the question about when the President said what do we have to lose. The chairman indicated that we have a lot to lose.

So for the next 60 minutes, we have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus and the millions of constituents we represent. Tonight's Special Order is about gun violence. I thank my colleagues for joining me here today to speak about the national epidemic of gun violence, an important topic to us all.

The Black community is at a critical time because we have a lot to lose because too many of our neighbors, unfortunately, have been subject to gun violence at a consistent rate, a crime which often goes unpunished because of unreliable witnesses.

On February 14, this Nation once again witnessed a horrific tragedy that took place at a high school in Florida. Seventeen lives were taken at the hands of a gunman with way too much firepower. The horror and tragedy that shook the Florida high school should be an unimaginable event in our country. Yet, tragically, our Nation has lost too many loved ones at the hands of gun violence, to the point where we often see the same reaction: hand wringing, blaming going around, but nothing being done to stop the violence.

The city of Philadelphia knows all too well the lives we have lost at the hands of gun violence. In 2017, we saw the city experience its largest homicide epidemic since 2012. There were over 370 homicides in Philadelphia, according to the data from the Philadelphia Police Department.

And with the continuing scourge of gun violence in Philadelphia, last year I hand-delivered a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro outlining our Commonwealth's need to use all resources possible to advocate for commonsense gun reform. Since I handed that letter to the Commonwealth's attorney general, we have had more heartbreaks in America, including the unspeakable tragedy at a church, a place of worship and refuge, in Texas, and the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Mr. Speaker, there is a gentleman who is our leader from our Caucus who will speak to this issue. He knows an awful lot about it. I have watched him in the short period of time I have been here: the Honorable James Clyburn from the Sixth District.

Mr. Speaker, may I ask the gentleman a question.

If the gentleman could just talk a little more about that magic he talked about and how do we get there. Does the gentleman have any sense of how we get there?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, you just heard the gentleman from South Carolina, in my view, lay out a very clear vision of what it should be like from an aspirational standpoint.

Speaking of the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus leading the conscience of this body, the gentleman from the great State of Louisiana, he knows a little bit about that--from my understanding, there is legislation that he has--and that is Chairman Cedric Richmond from the Second District of Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond).

Mr. Speaker, before the gentleman leaves, being that this is the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, I would ask the gentleman, to the point that he raises about the moments of silence, if we look back and look where we are today, are we any closer to addressing these moments of silence, because I hear frustration in his voice?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for laying out that eloquent statement.

Next is someone who is from the great State of Illinois, who, since I have been here, has been relentless on this issue, particularly from an inner-city standpoint, an urban standpoint. I have watched her over and over again constantly stand up and make comments, and I wonder if she thinks anybody is listening, but I am going to give her that opportunity to say a few things here this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the Second District of Illinois (Ms. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask just one question to the gentlewoman from Illinois, who has been speaking to this issue a lot.

Does the gentlewoman have any sense of optimism of people hearing her in any way? Does she see any signs?

I mean, she just ticked off some information. What are her thoughts about change around here?

Mr. Speaker, I have someone who I have had the utmost respect for. He smiles. I told him he could get elected in Pennsylvania. He is from the great State of Mississippi. I don't want to shock the people of Mississippi. He is not leaving Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Second Congressional District of Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman, since I have never seen this thing called an AR-15, can he describe what this gun looks like?

Yes.

Mr. Speaker, I thought the gentleman gave a really clear sense of what the challenge is and what we face today.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, coming behind the gentleman from Mississippi, we have someone who knows a little bit about weaponry. She herself has a background. She was the police chief in Orlando. And since she and I are in the same class, I have learned a lot from her.

And coming behind the gentleman from Mississippi, who laid some things out here, is someone who has run a police department, and she couldn't be a better person for us to have come. I yield to the gentlewoman from the State of Florida (Mrs. Demings), from the 10th District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Florida a question, since she talked about her law enforcement background. And she is correct, Congress is to make laws.

This Presidential administration talks about being law and order. Is he really law and order and on the side of the police if this is happening and running amok? I mean, if you were police chief and you had that responsibility of protecting people--and we in Congress, as was stated by the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, the moments of silence. If you were on the front line again, you were out there, and you still know a lot of the people who are part of the police departments, how do you think the police departments feel when they are outgunned and the challenges that they have? Can you talk a little bit about that?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I have someone who, when I came here, I said I have to meet her. She is a very dynamic person. She is the Honorable Barbara Lee from the 13th Congressional District of California, and I yield to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, I think showing those pictures, if anything, should get our point across. I hope that those pictures will send a message to all of us.

Closing out tonight--and I think all our colleagues really just summed up this gun violence issue--is someone who, again, I have known well and admired, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee from the 18th District of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here representing the Congressional Black Caucus and our chairman, Cedric Richmond, who has initiated this particular Special Order for the Congressional Black Caucus to have this opportunity to speak to the issues specifically connected to the African-American community.

As a result of the chairman's leadership, we have laid out an agenda that we think is very appropriate to lay out. We think it is important that all of our constituents, particularly all Americans, recognize that the Congressional Black Caucus has solutions.

There is a document here that was put together under the leadership of Chairman Richmond. When the President stated sometime in August of 2016: ``What do you have to lose?'' the chairman came up with the idea of a document that we would lay out, ``We Have a Lot to Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century.''

Over this next year or so, we will be talking about solutions relating to African-American communities. We think that African- American communities, like all Americans, should recognize that there are solutions to some of these challenges.

With the President giving his speech last week on the state of the Union, the topic that we will talk about today is economic justice in the Black community. The topic, again, is economic justice in the Black community.

First, I thank my wonderful colleagues for joining me here today to speak about economic justice in the Black community, an important topic to us all.

The Black community has a lot to lose under the current administration. The racial wealth gap is widening. The GOP tax cut bill will not help, especially when the Speaker of the House tweets about a $1.50 increase and actually believes that this is a fair solution to our Nation's problems.

Costco membership for the middle class and others in need, new yachts and Gulfstreams for millionaires and billionaires--that is just not right. We are in the business of doing no harm.

To add to this, the President stands up and brags that the unemployment rate for Blacks is at the lowest, even while the unemployment rate for Black Americans actually went up a whole percent last month according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We did not hear from the President on that.

You can't take credit for the good, but not accept the bad. It is all about accountability and credibility, Mr. Speaker. There is nothing to brag about.

To gain wealth comparison to White high school dropouts, Black people have to complete high school and some college, which is a very sad fact. This means that Black Americans need to invest more resources and time to achieve the same resources as White citizens, to make the same level of investments.

Generally, the typical Black American has little room for error. The demands placed on Black families to generate income while navigating the

problems that always arise are numbing.

Black Americans have levels of net worth that are one-tenth the net worth of White Americans.

Black Americans have only 8 percent of their wealth in businesses. Research shows that Black entrepreneurs have higher wealth levels and higher levels of wealth mobility than the Black nonentrepreneur. The lack of wealth makes it harder to start and maintain a business.

According to data from various reports, including the Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve's survey of small businesses, and the Kauffman Foundation, Black-owned businesses are more reliant on their own investment in their businesses because access to capital from external sources is too difficult to obtain.

To give you some context of what is at stake in our neighborhoods nationwide, I represent a district with a poverty rate of 26 percent. That means 196,000 people in my district are at the poverty level.

We know that one of the best solutions to addressing poverty is quality of jobs.

Let me repeat that, Mr. Speaker. We know that one of the best solutions to addressing poverty is the quality of jobs.

The President and his administration talk a big game about creating jobs and lowering unemployment, but we all know too well that this is not the reality in our neighborhoods nationwide. A 2015 CFPB report found that 15 percent of Black Americans are credit invisible, meaning that they have no or limited credit.

Black Americans have higher levels of student debt, on average. Forty percent of Black Americans between 25 and 55 hold student loan debt. Black Americans have higher levels of those debt loads, holding an average of $43,725.

Let me repeat that. They have an average of $43,725 in student debt, compared to an average of $31,367 for Whites.

Our Historically Black Colleges and Universities must be capable of delivering a world-class education and continuing to attract top-notch students.

Let's talk about the solutions to economic injustice. Let's talk about the solutions.

In this document, we talk about the solutions. For example, don't cut taxes for the superrich while others are struggling to make ends meet. Adopt a fair Tax Code that doesn't pick winners or losers.

Work to implement the Congressional Black Caucus 10-20-30 formula all across all agencies. This bold and innovative idea would require Federal agencies to commit 10 percent of their budget to the 485 counties where 20 percent or more of the population have been living below poverty lines for 30 years.

We should also address food insecurity by providing access to healthy, affordable food. Mr. Speaker, more than 30 million Americans live more than a mile from the nearest grocery store.

Let's be clear: our food policy is our foreign policy. Our food policy is our foreign policy. When America helps with food and development aid around the world, it sends a signal that we are leaders in the global campaign to help end hunger.

In addition, as a member of the Small Business Committee and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access, it is critical that we support and expand small business and entrepreneurship opportunities.

One of the things the President can do is increase the budget of the Minority Business Development Agency instead of slashing its budget, as it did last year. That is one of the solutions that we have in this document.

We can also increase the Small Business Administration's budget, while ensuring the Small Business Development Centers are capable of providing assistance expanding the SBA 7(a) Microloan program, which would give small businesses $50,000 to start or grow their firms, a capital fusion that can help individuals who have ideas and a dream but no cash.

Mr. Speaker, every day, graduates of our fine universities in Pennsylvania go to work but still find themselves behind or just keeping up with their student loans. This is an opportunity to show support for entrepreneurs by forgiving part of the student loan debt in terms of entrepreneurs.

The President should also make new markets tax credits permanent. He should also condition the fintech charters of compliance with truth in lending and equal credit access, using a template similar to that in the Community Reinvestment Act.

He should set up the 21st Century Technology Fund and reauthorize the improvement of the Community Development Block Grant program.

Mr. Speaker, the chairman, whom I will later introduce, presented this document to the President, along with the executive branch.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), someone whom I have known for an awful long time. He knows a lot about economic development. I know that he has led the effort on business development.

Mr. Speaker, I would continue to yield to the gentleman for an answer to a question.

I am going to--since he is from the great State of New Jersey--say that I heard the President in his State of the Union address last week. And this topic is about economic justice in the Black community, and I think Mr. Payne did an excellent job in laying out very specifically on the issue about the need for increase of the minimum wage.

I yield to Mr. Payne so he can speak to that a little bit and talk about how he thinks that would provide economic justice, particularly in the Black community. I was, as a matter of fact, sitting right next to Mr. Payne. I don't think I heard the President speak anything about the minimum wage.

Did I miss something?

I just want to know if I missed something that he was speaking on.

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate Mr. Payne's comments because what I am hearing Mr. Payne say is we should give people a raise.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to Mr. Payne for any additional comments he would like to make.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Payne very much for his comments.

Someone who is from a great State that has done--was a mayor in a State that manufactured and did a huge opportunity in creating wealth, I couldn't think of a better person to speak about this subject: economic justice in the Black community. She knows a lot about this issue. She has been hands-on about it. She has been in the forefront. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the congresswoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), a great colleague from the 14th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to do a colloquy with my colleague on something that really got my attention; what she said about that chain. I would like her to talk about that chain, what that means in real life and what it means when it is not functioning.

What happens when that chain is not strong?

Mr. Speaker, I think the gentlewoman may have heard our colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) talk a little bit about the minimum wage and raising the minimum wage.

How would she see that aspect of raising the minimum wage being a part of strengthening that chain?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. I greatly appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who is really not a stranger to this topic of economic justice in the Black community. He has been leading this caucus for the last year and he has been very consistent about the need to address economic justice. He understands, from his perspective, from the caucus perspective, the importance that the best poverty buster is economic justice.

Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on something that the gentleman said that sort of registers.

He says this April it will be 50 years since Dr. King's assassination. I am interested in the gentleman's perspective

as he looks at that 50 years. And the gentleman and I both have this honor of sitting in this great House and what it means.

But that economic justice aspect, as the gentleman looks back and thinks about--and I am glad he brought up the issue about fighting for the sanitation workers and what Dr. King was doing. So if the gentleman is looking back and looking where we are today, speak to a little bit of where he thinks we are, because just last Tuesday we sat in this House and we heard the President give the State of the Union.

The gentleman heard what the President said in his State of the Union, and we know about Dr. King, that issue about economic justice in the Black community. If the gentleman had to measure it, where are we?

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, if I could ask the gentleman another question, because this issue of economic justice in the Black community is what I view as probably the issue, because we heard our colleagues from Michigan and New Jersey talk about that gap that exists.

There is somebody out there listening to you or listening to us tonight, and if you turn around and you are speaking to them, what sense of hope can you give to them that you see some way of addressing this economic justice? Is there something specifically that you can say to them that gives a little sense of optimism about that growing gap?

I mean, I ride in cabs and all, and they wonder if there is a fundamental difference.

So I ask the gentleman, as the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, all 48, 49 of us, as you think about it and you have been here, what can you say to them about this economic justice issue that we have today?

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I say to the gentleman that I really have enjoyed this topic. I guess it is a topic that, like in his district and my district, it always comes down to about the Benjamins and always comes down to what exactly--I liked his analysis about the rules, that he started out relating to football games or whatever sport it is, there are some rules.

I do think some people really wonder, from an economic justice standpoint, how they fit into this particular situation. I guess the point is does the gentleman have any sense that you think--and you visit with the President--to your knowledge, that: ``You have got a fine document; I strongly support it, the solutions that are addressed.'' Does the gentleman sense from either him or his administration that they are going to take up anything that you see there in terms of discussion?

I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his knowledge and his information, and I hope that it has been very helpful on this subject of economic justice in the Black community.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order, I want to yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the great State of Georgia for introducing me and for this opportunity to talk about an important Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, and the importance of our unions.

Our unions give us much to celebrate in our neighborhoods nationwide.

As we know all too well, this case stands to destabilize collective bargaining rights within the public sector. This is clearly an attack on freedom and liberties of hardworking Americans.

We are in the business of doing no harm. That is what we should be.

All that this case aims to do is take away the rights of the ability of hardworking Americans to have a strong voice in their workplace. That is just not right.

Next month, the Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments in this case to determine whether fair share fees violate the First Amendment rights of workers.

When it comes to this case, a negative decision for our unions nationwide would take us in the wrong direction.

Across the country, more than half of African-American workers and nearly 60 percent of Latino workers are paid less than $15 per hour. Union jobs have historically been, and continue to be, a path to the middle class for people of color, who often face low-wage jobs.

African-American union members today earn 14.7 percent more and Latino workers earn 21.8 percent more than their nonunion counterparts. In some sections, the difference is even greater.

African-American women in unions earn an average of $21.90 an hour, while nonunion workers earn $17.04.

In addition, there are more than 72 percent of women in unions who have health insurance, while less than 50 percent of nonunion African- American women do not.

Our unions are a key road to our growing middle class, especially for women and communities of color. Nationwide, our unions continue to be on the frontline of fighting for higher pay, fair wages, safer working conditions, and better hours to provide for themselves and their families.

I will continue to stand on the frontline of protecting rights for all hardworking Americans. It is up to us to lift up unions in all of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for leading this caucus in this need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an inspirational and dedicated woman from Northwest Philadelphia, Mary Yergan Hughes, a children's librarian and volunteer.

Mrs. Hughes was born in Alice, South Africa to missionary parents. Her father was an advocate for black civil rights in Africa. She later moved to Massachusetts and enrolled in Northfield Mount Hermon, a preparatory school, in which she served as the president of the student council and was one of a few African American students in her school. For college, she was part of the first group of African American women to attend Wellesley College. After her junior year, she contracted tuberculosis and had to leave school in order to recover. After three years of recovery, she finished her undergraduate degree at Columbia University.

She married Dr. Hughes and had two daughters. Mrs. Hughes went back to school and received her master's degree in library science from Drexel University which led her to become a children's librarian in Philadelphia's Northwest Regional Library. She loved reading to the neighborhood children during after-school story hours and inspired so many children to have a love for learning and reading.

Ever since Mrs. Hughes became an adult, she would volunteer. She was a Platinum Alumna member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Links, Inc., a service organization of distinguished women whose goal is to enrich and sustain the culture of African Americans and others of African ancestry. She was also a president during one of its National Assemblies. Some other organizations she was president of include: the Philadelphia chapter of the Circle-Lets, Inc., a social organization for black women, and Boule wives, the women's arm of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

Mrs. Hughes was part of our Philadelphia community in many ways. She was a member of the Germantown Cricket Club where she loved to participate in tournaments. She loved to play tennis. She was also a half-century member and elder at Summit Presbyterian Church in Mount Airy.

Mrs. Hughes devoted her life to engaging and helping her community. The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania extends gratitude to Mrs. Hughes for all that she has done for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 23 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, I appreciate this honor and this opportunity, as well as all the other Members, for giving me this opportunity to kick off the second session of the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hours.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, including any extraneous material, on the subject of this order.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, as I said earlier, for this opportunity. This is truly an opportunity for a young man who comes from the city of Philadelphia, who grew up in the streets of Philadelphia, and who had the opportunity to be a product of the public school system, a product of community college and La Salle University, standing here today in the seat with many of my predecessors, five African Americans from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, starting off with Robert N.C. Nix.

Our theme tonight is the history of the CBC and the legacy of Martin Luther King. Next week we begin the celebration of the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. King was not only a great man but a great patriot, who loved America and the ideas of the underpinning of our democracy.

To kick off our discussion, I want to open up with two Dr. King comments that really capture our current political climate and what is at stake. The first quote is: ``We may have come over here on different ships, but we are all in the same boat now.'' Dr. King.

The second quote is: ``Of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.'' Dr. Martin Luther King.

When we think about this great Nation and our leaders before us like Dr. King, who came together to lay a framework for equal pay, fair wages, healthcare, equality in housing, so much more we are reminded of what is at stake and how much we have to lose in this current political climate. We have a lot to lose under the current administration's destructive policies.

Dr. King would be greatly disappointed at many things going on in this country right now that affects all of our communities.

We are in the business of doing no harm, but we must continue to fight to show results and solutions to help move our neighborhoods forward. Dr. King fought to move our neighborhoods forward when the odds were stacked against him. There are many examples of his life, legacy, and lasting impact in the city of Philadelphia, which is in the Second Congressional District.

Take, for example, the Dr. King memorial and mural at 40th and Lancaster Avenue--he had a rally of 10,000 people when Dr. King was there--and the yearly luncheon that the late C. Delores Tucker sponsored in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.

It is important to recognize his connection to Pennsylvania and the divinity school in Chester in Delaware County.

Dr. King came many times to the city of Philadelphia and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He had a huge influence on a lot of us.

On this April 4, 50 years later, when I was in junior high school, entering high school in 1968, he had a huge affect on me. He was someone who walked with kings and queens. He demonstrated to all of us with that message of peace. He was relentless in terms of standing up for freedom and justice. He showed all of us what it is to be a leader.

You will hear, over the next 60 minutes, a number of my colleagues who have all either directly or indirectly been connected with Dr. Martin Luther King and what he has meant.

We need to conduct this as a large teach-in. That is what this should be. This should be a teach-in so we can share with everybody in this country what Dr. King was about and the importance.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our chairman, and that is why he is our chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, because you just heard him so eloquently express his thoughts and his feelings. He has done a fantastic job as the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I thank him. I always recognize the importance of what he brings to all of us.

The gentleman is correct about the next person. I want to add my voice to what he just said. I was 11 years old when he went across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I recall seeing it on CBS. I did not understand it, but, now, like the chairman, I serve in this body with him. I am a part of this body. And as I watch him and as I listen to him, all of the drive and the energy that he has--and he is always extremely positive. I have not met a person who is more positive and optimistic about the future of this country as he says and talks about walking in his shoes. I remember that he said that.

I remember that opportunity when I was down in Alabama on that Edmund Pettus Bridge--along with him and my good friend and colleague from Alabama, Terri Sewell--that I thought to myself, I said: ``Self, here I am with Congressman Lewis.'' He is someone who is renowned in this body and in this country and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. Speaker, I hope that what we just heard, and to our chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, that we can, either through social media or whatever way, share that that was a learning experience that just took place. To have Congressman Lewis, who was there, who was on the front lines, who is not talking about something he read but something he has demonstrated through his own experience, that all of us--not just the Congressional Black Caucus, but this entire House-- should thank him for his service and for being a patriot and for what he has expressed.

So I personally want to thank the Honorable John Lewis for taking that opportunity just to educate us, because we all need education, and we are never too wise to think we don't need someone to talk to us.

Speaking of education, another good colleague from the great State of Texas--I know a little bit about that State. Everything is big in that State, they tell me. She is in a seat that Congresswoman Jordan used to hold, and Mickey Leland, and she, in her own right, is doing a lot. I have watched her in the period of time I have been here, just a year. She is a fantastic person, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, from the 18th Congressional District of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, the next person I would like to yield to, my colleague from Texas gave a great lead-in for her, from the great State of California, as Dr. King stood up against the Vietnam war. She knows a little bit about standing up.

If you know anything about Honorable Barbara Lee from the 13th Congressional District, you would know she doesn't mind being by herself.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell). I just had the pleasure of really meeting her this year. She has a lot of energy and a lot of drive. She got me to go to Alabama, and I had never been to Alabama before. But after her personality, her drive, and her intellectual curiosity, and between her and John Lewis, what could I say?

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne). Congressman Donald Payne is a neighbor across the Walt Whitman Bridge or the Ben Franklin Bridge. I have known him and his father, and he has done a great job in the Garden State.

Mr. Speaker, we had the gentleman from the East. Now we will go to the West, to someone whom I have watched. She is an educator and is always teaching.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), who is from the Third Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank my colleague for those eloquent words and those comments which were very succinct and provided a lot for us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for allowing me to have this opportunity to speak, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an influential and dedicated woman in Philadelphia, Trudy Haynes (nee Gertrude Daniels), our nation's first female African American weather reporter and a true media pioneer.

Trudy Haynes was born in New York City at Harlem Hospital in 1926 and raised in New York City. She began her broadcasting career in a Detroit suburb at WCHB-AM, which was the first black owned radio station above the Mason Dixon line.

Trudy Haynes made history in 1965 when she became the nation's first female African American reporter for KYW-TV (now CBS-3) in Philadelphia. Trudy Haynes was also the Nation's 1st African-American TV weather reporter, acquiring that position in 1963 when she worked for WXYZ-TV in Detroit, MI. Additionally, Trudy Haynes is also a very proud graduate of Howard University, class of 1947.

Prestigiously, she has a long esteemed history, has conducted many high profile interviews, and holds many awards including two Lifetime Achievement Awards, as well as an Emmy. Trudy Haynes formally retired in 1999, but has stayed active throughout the years. At 91 years old she is officially coming out of retirement for her ``Drop The Mic Tour''.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania extends gratitude to Trudy Haynes who is a true inspiration for future generations and thanks her for her continued dedicated support and service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated, driven and hard-working young man from the Second Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Zachary Goldberg, the winner of this year's Congressional App Challenge in my District.

Zachary Goldberg is a Chestnut Hill resident and a senior at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. For this year's Congressional App Challenge Zachary created an app called the Pennsylvania Legislation Tracker. In his words: ``I developed the Pennsylvania Legislation Tracker to make information about the Pennsylvania General Assembly more readily available, enabling people to keep up to date on which legislation is currently being considered and supported by their state legislators.''

Our students are our next generation of leaders. I was so impressed by Zachary's attention to detail and keen awareness to help our community by developing such a thoughtful app that aims to keep Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians more informed in the political process. It is great to see such a passion for politics and helping others at a young age.

The 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania is very proud of this great accomplishment and extends gratitude to Zachary Goldberg for his efforts to fight for a stronger tomorrow and dedicated support to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about something truly heartbreaking. Three years ago, 20 children and 6 adults were ruthlessly gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Since then, no meaningful gun legislation has been passed in this Congress, in spite of widespread public support for commonsense gun reform.

And guess what. We had another fatal shooting in Las Vegas, where almost 60 people were gunned down. And there was another one in Texas, where churchgoers were shot down while praying.

In the last 4 years, two Members have been shot. Talk about hitting close to home.

According to the CDC, on average, 93 Americans are killed with guns every day in our country. This is simply unacceptable. Our Nation also has the highest homicide by firearm rate among the world's most developed nations.

In October 2017, there were over 232 homicides in Philadelphia, meaning that the homicide rate was 8 percent higher than during the same time last year. The city of Philadelphia knows all too well the lives lost at the hands of gun violence.

Promoting public safety and making our neighborhoods stronger and safer block by block is something I will continue to fight for.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are tired of excuses and inactions. This is truly a matter of life and death. We need to look out for our Nation's future and we need to stop this block by block.