Elijah E. Cummings

Madam Speaker, I rise to condemn the racist statements made by the president of the United States against my colleagues here in Congress.

Our nation is a beacon of hope to the world, a nation where people arrive with the goal of embracing the American dream. They and their children make vital economic, educational, civic, and social contributions to the American fabric--they become business owners, doctors, and even members of Congress. It is clear that the diversity that this country provides is not our problem, it is our promise.

Although the president has indicated that there are ``many people [who] agree with'' his comments, I, and many Americans, were disappointed that the individual who acts as our representative on the world stage would share these racist sentiments. I have confidence that the beliefs reflected in the president's statements are not held by the American people as a whole and do not reflect who we are as a nation.

This country has endured too many obstacles and undergone too many lessons learned to accept these offensive statements. We have endured slavery, forced displacement, Jim Crow laws, and internment camps. We are still working to fight against redlining, voter intimidation, hate crimes, and mass incarceration. Our country deserves better than this. The world deserves better than this.

Americans yearn for a day when we are not fighting each other but are fighting towards a common mission to continually improve our great nation as the United States of America.

This is why my colleagues and I are committed to fulfilling this agenda. We are working to lower drug prices, we are working to restore voting rights for every American, we are working to eliminate the opioid epidemic, and we are committed to ensuring that we find solutions to the problems in our criminal justice system.

Let me be clear, these words should have no place in the dialogue of our United States of America.

That is why I am a proud cosponsor of H. Res. 489, a resolution condemning President

Trump's racist remarks against my colleagues who have dedicated their lives to public service and representing the constituents of their home districts.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution and condemning the president for these incendiary comments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration, of Immigrant Heritage Month and World Refugee Day, which comes at a time when this Administration is undertaking unprecedented and cruel actions against immigrants.

Each June, we recognize the enormous contributions that immigrants have made to our country. Our country is a nation of immigrants and during this month we acknowledge their work in our military, as entrepreneurs, as educators, and activists.

Today is also World Refugee Day.

This year, the United States will only accept up to 30,000 refugees-- a historically low number. In 2016, our country took in almost 85,000 refugees. We must do better.

As Americans of conscience, we must commit ourselves to standing against any treatment of immigrants and refugees that contradicts our values of inclusion and support for human rights.

This Administration has undertaken a shameful immigration blueprint that has attacked and demonized immigrants at every turn. From the discriminatory Muslim Ban to the cruel Family Separation Policy, these actions will forever be a stain on our nation's history.

The immigration policies of this President will also leave lasting scars for countless individuals and families. These include:

Children ripped away from their parents and loved ones;

Veterans deported after bravely serving our country;

Children in government custody who had legal services, classes and recreation canceled;

DREAMers who have had their DACA protections stripped away; and

Immigrants at detention facilities with abhorrent conditions, including private prisons being run by for-profit contractors.

We are better than this.

I am working to improve conditions at immigration detention facilities. Immigrants in U.S. custody should be treated with dignity and respect. That is why I recently introduced the Waiver Accountability and Transparency Act, H.R. 2489.

My legislation will stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's abuse of a waiver system that allows detention facilities to circumvent critical federal standards. Waiving these standards endangers the health and safety of tens of thousands of immigrants.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General released a report showing that ICE had no formal policies to manage the waiver process and it detailed egregious waivers granted by ICE.

For example, ICE signed off on a waiver to allow the for-profit contractor CoreCivic to use CS gas, a chemical agent 10 times more toxic than pepper spray, at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in California.

Furthermore, the Otero County Processing Center in New Mexico was given a waiver by ICE allowing them to commingle low-custody and high- custody detainees. Detention standards prohibit commingling detainees with serious criminal histories with those who are non-violent or have only committed immigration-related infractions.

My bill reforms ICE's out-of-control waiver process through increased transparency, accountability, and oversight. ICE would need to notify Congress and post online whenever a waiver is granted. ICE's leadership would need to sign off on waivers. Waivers would no longer be granted for indefinite amounts of time and would need to be renewed every 90 days. In the most serious cases, a corrective action plan must be in place before a waiver could be granted.

We must do better. Those seeking a better life are not criminals and must be treated with dignity and respect.

As we recognize Immigrant Heritage Month and World Refugee Day, it is vital to not only reflect on and celebrate the contributions of immigrants to our country, but to also act against this Administration's anti-immigrant policies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the Trump administration is engaged in one of the most unprecedented coverups since Watergate, and it is not just about Russia. It is so much broader than that. This coverup spans across numerous investigations, and it extends from the White House to multiple Federal agencies of government to completely separate outside parties.

The administration officials now question the fundamental basis of Congress to conduct oversight. They object to committee rules and precedence that have been in place for decades under both Republican and Democratic leaders, and they make baseless legal arguments to avoid producing documents and testimony. The Trump administration is challenging the very constitutionality of congressional oversight, and it is happening in broad daylight.

Several weeks ago, President Trump vowed, ``We're fighting all the subpoenas.'' Since then, he has refused to work on legislative priorities such as infrastructure until Congress halts oversight and investigations of his administration. He wants us to forgo our responsibility under the Constitution as a condition of passing laws to help our constituents and his constituents.

The President's arguments are baseless. He suggests that all subpoenas that Congress puts out are partisan and somehow related to the Russia probe, but that is simply not correct. In the Oversight and Reform Committee, we have issued eight subpoenas: six of them are bipartisan and none of them are about Russia. They involve issues like the census, immigrant children being locked in cages and separated from their families, and the President's finances.

This entire year, the White House has not produced one document to the Oversight and Reform Committee. Let me say that again: In all of our investigations, the White House has not produced one single shred of paper in response to our requests.

The hurricanes in Puerto Rico, the White House has produced nothing. Security clearance abuses, the White House has produced nothing. Efforts to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, the White House has produced nothing. Hush-money payments, the White House has produced not a thing. Even on issues like spending taxpayer dollars to pay for private jets, the White House has produced absolutely nothing.

Over and over again, it does not matter what the topic is, the tactics are the same. This begs the question: What are we covering up?

Tomorrow, our committee will vote on whether to hold the Attorney General and the Secretary of Commerce in contempt of Congress for refusing to produce documents relating to the Census. Again, these subpoenas are bipartisan, and this issue has nothing to do with Russia. Yet, the Trump administration has delayed, stonewalled, obstructed, and challenged the authority of the Congress on even those questions.

I support today's resolution because it makes clear that in addition to seeking criminal contempt on the House floor, committees may seek authority to enforce their subpoenas directly in civil court actions. Nobody is above the law.

Mr. Speaker, nobody is above the law, not even the President of the United States.

Today's resolution reaffirms that Congress has the independent authority under the Constitution to investigate waste, fraud, abuse, and wrongdoing so that we can pass laws that are effective and efficient on behalf of all of our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.