Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Wayman Louis Parker who recently passed away after a very well lived life. He was taken too soon but will not soon be forgotten. Nor will his impact in Milwaukee and everywhere else where his feet touched the ground and where he touched the hearts of so many.

From the age of nine, Dr. Parker dreamed of becoming a doctor. He more than dreamed. And while there would be many valleys and obstacles on that road, he did not waiver nor did he dither.

In 1966, while going to Wayne State University, he was drafted and found himself a combat soldier in Vietnam. Days after returning home, he was introduced to the woman, Emily, who would become his wife.

After graduating from Wayne State, he was admitted to Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. He graduated in 1974 and completed his residency in ob-gyn in 1978. Dr. Parker then moved to Milwaukee with his family, where he worked with Dr. William Finlayson, another groundbreaking ob-gyn doctor who served Milwaukee.

He would remain in our great city for over 50 years, serving and impacting so many in my community, including my own family.

In a state and country where high black maternal and infant death rates are alarmingly high, he provided the types of compassionate and high-quality care that can mean the difference between life and death. That too many black women often fail to receive.

He delivered all three of my granddaughters. One of my grandbabies was born one pound and two ounces. That was such a difficult and trying time for our family, but Dr. Parker was such a rock. Now, she is thirty-three years old, wife, mother of two, with a Bachelor of Science degree and a career. She is one of his legacies. He has so many legacies that represent how much he meant to the broader community.

He helped cofound the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin--a group of local organizations and individuals working to address the health problems of African Americans--in 1988 with Dr. Patricia McManus and Claude Gilmore. He helped operate a free clinic, The C.H. Mason Clinic, on the campus of Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ.

Medicine was his profession but Dr. Parker's passion was caring for his patients. And during his time in Milwaukee and on this planet that the Good Lord blessed us with his presence, he did just about everything he could, worked with as many partners as he could, to advance that goal.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family.

I sent my prayers to his wife, Emma, daughter, Cortney Washington, Son-in-law, Eric Washington, grandchildren Kyle, Jeffrey, Gabrielle, and Gabriele, great-grandchildren and a host of nephews, nieces, great- nephews, great-nieces, extended family, and cherished friends who continue to honor his memory. He was preceded in death by his son, Jeffrey.

Thank you to the family for sharing this gem with the rest of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Al Labelle, a distinguished advocate, trusted leader, and unwavering voice for veterans. I am grateful for his many years of service, his friendship, and his steadfast work for veterans, including through his work with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). His passing leaves a profound void, felt deeply throughout the veteran community. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friend as we honor a man whose service, spirit, and legacy will continue to guide our commitment to serving our Nation's veterans for years to come.

When it comes to making change on a national level, you need advocacy--and you need people like Al Labelle. For decades, Al stood as one of Wisconsin's most dedicated and effective champions for veterans, a man whose voice carried from the halls of Congress to the State Capitol in Madison, always in service of those who served.

Al's commitment to veterans was rooted in his own service. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves on December 3, 1965, immediately entering active duty aboard the USS Okinawa LPH-3, a helicopter carrier. After a year in the Atlantic Fleet, the Okinawa transferred to the Pacific Fleet, eventually arriving off the coast of Vietnam on April 25, 1967, as part of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha. Over the next seven months, the ship conducted nine amphibious landing operations near the DMZ, flying Marines inland and returning them when operations concluded. During these missions, the Okinawa served as a combat medical hospital--wounded Marines on one side of the hangar deck, the fallen on the other. Al returned to San Diego in December 1967 and was discharged shortly thereafter, carrying with him the memories and sacrifices of those he served beside.

Those experiences shaped the rest of his life. In 1990, Al was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), later recognized as an Agent Orange presumptive condition. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) helped him file his claim, and out of gratitude--and a deepening sense of purpose--he joined the organization. From that moment forward, Al devoted himself to ensuring that every veteran received the care, benefits, and respect they earned.

Within DAV, Al wore many hats. He served as the Benefits Protection Team Leader (BPTL) for DAV Wisconsin and as Chairman of DAV's National Interim Legislation and Veterans Rights Committee, roles he held for more than nine years. At the time of his passing, he continued to serve as chair of this committee, guiding DAV's national legislative strategy with clarity, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Al brought a deep passion to every aspect of his service, from legislative advocacy to outreach and his commitment to finding new, innovative ways to connect DAV with a new generation of veterans. He believed wholeheartedly in the strength of the organization and in the importance of ensuring its mission remained relevant to those who would carry it forward.

His advocacy produced tangible, lasting change. One of his most significant accomplishments was helping reform how the VA receives its funding. Before his efforts, government shutdowns halted VA operations, leaving veterans without access to critical medical care. Al provided valuable insight which led to legislation which ensured that VA health benefits would be funded one year in advance, protecting veterans from political gridlock and safeguarding their access to essential health services.

His influence extended far beyond policy. Al met with congressmen, senators, governors, and community leaders, always with the same message: ``It's not enough to send them there. It's not enough to say thank you for your service. Veterans who are returning or have served need more than that.'' His advocacy was driven by the sacrifices he witnessed in Vietnam and by his unwavering belief that the Nation must honor those sacrifices through action, not symbolism. For nearly twenty years without missing a beat, Al was a welcomed face in my Washington DC office, always bringing a great spirit and devotion to his work on behalf of our veterans. I have no doubt that our community was a better place because of his presence. Beyond his achievements, Al was known for his kindness, humor, and love for the Boston Red Sox. He inspired others to serve, to speak up, and to lead with heart. Even as he approached his eighth decade, he remained driven by a simple mission: ``Let's make sure that veterans who have served get the health care and benefits they earned and are needed.''

Al Labelle dedicated his life to a purpose greater than himself-- ensuring that veterans were heard, respected, and cared for. His legacy is one of courage, compassion, and relentless advocacy, a legacy that will endure in every life he touched, every heavy heart he helped make a little lighter, and every victory he helped secure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the last day of Pride Month as more than an LGBTQI ally. I am an accomplice. I am an enabler, because I want to enable people to be cradled by the e pluribus unum, to be embraced by our American values of freedom, liberty, and equality. I want to advocate for people to bring their authentic selves to our roundtable of a more perfect Union. I want people to stand in the glow of our enlightenment after 250 years of this Nation being a democracy.

Despite the sadistic efforts that have been made in this Congress to diminish and limit LGBTQI people, every single appropriation bill riddled with insults and humiliation, none of them have come to fruition. None of them have become law.

Why is that? That is because this is America, y'all. It is because we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. It is a standard that we have lived by throughout this constitutional democracy. Let me tell you, after everything we have been through, the flag still stands.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize World Refugee Day, which takes place on June 20 of each year, where we recognize the strength and resilience of those who have been displaced from their homes because of war or persecution.

On July 28, 2026, we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the landmark international agreement that defined the term ``refugee'' as an individual who has been forced to flee their home country and is unable to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group and/or political opinion. The Convention also established the principle that nations should not forcibly return people to situations where they face harm.

Today, there are an estimated 117 million displaced people who had been forced from their homes worldwide, including more than 41.6 million refugees (over 30 percent of whom are children) and 9 million asylum seekers. Fewer than 1 percent of refugees are ever resettled.

Sadly, as we celebrate this day, the number of refugees globally is only increasing. It has been estimated that about 2.4 million refugees worldwide will require resettlement in 2027 because they remain at risk in the countries where they currently live and cannot safely return home. I recently had one young woman come into my office who lived 17 years in a refugee camp. She grew up with such uncertainty but now has been resettled in our country and ready to contribute to our society and community.

My home state of Wisconsin has benefitted from refugees. This includes the Hmong who fought as our allies during the Vietnam era and who fled persecution and death to come to the United States as refugees to start a new life after the war. What would have happened to them if our Nation closed its doors?

But it is not just the Hmong. Wisconsin has opened its doors to our neighbors from many other countries. Since 1975, Wisconsin has provided a home to over 50 different groups of refugees who have contributed to our communities in all sorts of ways from cultural to economical. Refugees help Wisconsin's economy by actively participating in the workforce, paying taxes, starting businesses, buying homes, and becoming U.S. citizens.

Yet, as we commemorate World Refugee Day, refugees remain under siege.

The Trump administration is going after refugees and asylum seekers even though refugees are one of the most closely scrutinized and vetted groups that come to our country.

Yet, the Trump Administration has put a needless and harmful pause on the U.S. refugee program. A pause that is nearing two years for many individuals who have already lived decades in limbo. That decision canceled flights oversight for who were hours away from being able to finally rebuild their lives in our Nation. And that is just one of many actions that have effectively closed our Nation's doors to most refugees.

These policies do not make our Nation any safer and put at risk the lives and well-being of refugees fleeing violence and persecution, including Iranians, Afghans, Burmese Rohingya, Sudanese and Somalis, among many others.

Refugees contribute greatly to our communities. Our own laws, such as the Refugee Act of 1980, recognize the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands, including, where appropriate, humanitarian assistance for their care and maintenance, efforts to promote opportunities for resettlement or voluntary repatriation, admission to this country of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States, and transitional assistance to refugees in the United States.

On this World Refugee Day, let us recommit to keep supporting the safety, health, and well being of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution, or torture and welcome them, not turn a blind eye.

The search for protection, peace, hope, and religious and political freedom is what spawned our own Nation whose 250th birthday we will soon be celebrating.

As we celebrate World Refugee Day this year, let us honor the strength of those who have been forced to flee their homes with no safe way back and support a future where everyone is given the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they come from.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding. I want to say to my colleagues, my Republican friends, that I agree with them that the way this program, TANF, was designed, it was a fraudster's dream.

It was designed with so-called flexibility, and the reason I know that is because I was in the Wisconsin State Senate when ``ending welfare as we know it'' was constructed by Tommy G. Thompson, then- Governor of the State of Wisconsin, and it was adopted the following year by Newt Gingrich and President Clinton.

It was designed that way. It was not just since poor Brett Favre, the Wisconsin quarterback, built the volleyball court with TANF dollars, poor thing getting blamed for it.

Before then, States were balancing their budgets with TANF money; cities were building infrastructure projects with TANF dollars; and CEOs who ran the welfare programs in our States were getting bonuses for denying welfare recipients benefits. This didn't just start.

I agree that we should rein in waste, fraud, and abuse with the provisions provided by Dr. Danny Davis and Dr. Judy Chu's bill. This bill doesn't do that at all.

All it does is provide HHS with the power to stop providing support for women and children who need daycare, to be able to do what they did earlier this year, and to freeze $10 billion to blue States. This is all that this does. This does not get at the heart of the problem.

Madam Speaker, I ask our colleagues to vote against this bill, to come together with Dr. Davis and Ms. Chu and the rest of us who want to end the true source of waste, fraud, and abuse, and not abuse our children with this provision.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to mourn the recent passing of Dr. William Edward Finlayson, a dedicated medical advocate, devoted father, and truly revered figure in both our city and our Nation. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his loving family, dear friends, and the countless individuals whose lives were touched by his remarkable spirit.

Dr. Finlayson's life was nothing short of historic. Born on September 1, 1924, in Manatee, Florida, to parents Reverend James Anthony Franklin Finlayson and Alba Eugene Keys Finlayson, he began his extraordinary journey by attending a lecture by George Washington Carver in high school. Shortly thereafter he was admitted to Florida A&M University at just 16 years old. While there he met educator and civil rights icon Mary McCloud Bethune. At 18, he took the first step in a lifetime of service by joining the United States Army, where he served as a First Lieutenant from 1943 to 1946 and later continued his service in the Army Reserves. His military service reflected courage, leadership, and commitment to country that defined his life.

By 1948, Dr. Finlayson earned a Bachelor of Science from Morehouse College before receiving his Doctor of Medicine from Meharry Medical College in 1953. During his time at Morehouse, not only met scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, but he also developed a friendship with his classmate and fraternity brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That friendship later led Dr. King to visit Milwaukee in 1964 to help raise funds for integration, raising approximately $12,000 for the cause.

After completing his residency at the University of Minnesota in 1958, Dr. Finlayson established his own private medical practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This marked the beginning of a lasting legacy that strengthened and transformed our community for generations to come.

In 1971, Dr. Finlayson founded Milwaukee's first Black-owned bank, North Milwaukee State Bank, in response to widespread lending discrimination within the city. The bank became a vital resource for Milwaukee residents and businesses, helping expand access to credit while promoting financial literacy, supporting personal and business growth, and increasing homeownership opportunities throughout the community. Dr. Finlayson served as chairman of the board for 26 years during the bank's more than four decades of operation.

Dr. Finlayson's impact extended far beyond banking. He was the first Black obstetrician and gynecologist at both Mount Sinai Hospital and the former St. Joseph's Hospital, now known as Ascension Southeast Wisconsin Hospital--St. Joseph. Over the course of his four-decade medical career, he welcomed nearly 10,000 babies into the world.

In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Finlayson held numerous leadership positions throughout Milwaukee's medical and civic communities. He served as president of the Cream City Medical Society and the Milwaukee Gynecological Society. He also served as vice president of United Community Services, now known as United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, and a delegate to the Wisconsin Medical Society. He also served on the board of directors of the Southeastern Wisconsin Health System Agency, as a member of the Urban League, and as a lifetime member of the NAACP. Through this remarkable leadership and mentorship, Dr. Finlayson helped shape the fabric of our city and inspired generations of medical professionals.

I would also be remiss if I did not recognize the loving partnership between Dr. Finlayson and his late wife, Edith Finlayson. The two met while he was attending medical school and Edith was completing her training to become a nurse. Their marriage was rooted in a shared commitment to service, compassion, and community leadership. Edith herself was a respected advocate and leader in Milwaukee, and together they set an enduring example of love, faith, and service. The deep love Dr. Finlayson held for his wife and their three children was evident in all he did.

Dr. Finlayson's life was a testament to the power of uplifting others through selfless service. In every chapter of his extraordinary journey, he showed us that true success is measured not by personal achievement, but by the lives we change along the way. His accomplishments broke barriers, strengthened communities, and opened doors for generations to come. Dr. Finlayson was not only a pioneering leader, but also a mentor and inspiration to so many, me included. As I reflect on the incredible life he lived and the enduring legacy he leaves behind, I am both humbled and profoundly grateful for his example of courage, compassion, and service.

Mr. Speaker, it is for all these reasons that I am deeply honored to pay tribute to this American trailblazer, Dr. William Edward Finlayson. The people of the 4th Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin, and the entire United States stand in gratitude for a lifetime of courage and selfless service. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations, and his story will remain forever etched into the conscience of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am so excited to join all of my colleagues on the floor today in support of Fostering the Future Act, the Chafee bill package that is the first modern improvement of the Chafee Act, as my colleagues have indicated, since 1999 when the program was created.

Before I talk specifically about the bill, I lift up Representative Dr. Danny Davis who will be retiring after this term. I thank him for his lifetime career of standing up for youth as a professional social worker and as a county board commissioner in Illinois.

Dr. Davis has been a longstanding leader, serving as both chair and ranking member of the subcommittee that deals with foster youth issues on Ways and Means. He has brought so much wisdom because of his long career to this that we are able to bring these bills to the floor. None of this would be possible without him. He is very humble, but I lift him up and thank him today.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank Chairman Jason Smith from Missouri and Ranking Member Neal. I really appreciate that Chairman Smith has really dug in deep representing these foster kids. I heard him today share with us that he, as a lawyer in Missouri, represented foster kids. I said to myself, aha, there it is. I knew it was something. This is completing a circle, and we appreciate his leadership at this time.

Likewise, Chairman LaHood of our subcommittee and Representative Carey have been great partners on the two bills that we have included in this package naming the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act and the CONNECT Act.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the First Lady of the United States has leaned into supporting our foster youth, how prescient and how purposeful is that. Hopefully, that will enable us to really fund these fantastic ideas that we are authorizing today.

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. We are going to have shadow day on June 10, so I am hoping that everyone will get their foster youth, and you will be surprised as you guide these foster youth through your day, in that you will learn more from them or as much from them as you may have to share with them.

I am so privileged to be able to fight for foster youth, including meeting youth who have lived experience in the foster care system. So often I hear from these youth about their experiences in foster care, and although they are very resilient, the ones we get to talk to, they will tell you that as they age out of foster care, the likelihood of them becoming homeless and feeling abandoned is disproportionately great for this cohort.

Approximately 20,000 youth age out of foster care each year, and of that, approximately 25 percent of them experience homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, many report that they can't achieve permanency with an adoptive, foster, or kinship family. They don't feel like they have a trusted adult in their family to help them navigate the complexities of transitioning to adulthood.

It is difficult enough for a youth to transition into adulthood even when they are privileged, but imagine that you have been a foster youth trying to navigate the great big world all alone.

This package aims to address some of the challenges that we know our foster youth are facing, and I hope we can move forward in the future to help provide the funding again that will be needed.

The two bills in this package, the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act and the CONNECT Act, aim to provide more tools and resources.

Mr. Speaker, the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act, which I co-lead with Chairman LaHood, would exempt housing

supportive services, such as security deposits and utility connection fees, from the 30 percent housing cap under Chafee. This will allow States the opportunity to provide more youth with rental and housing assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I also lift up the bill that I have with Mr. Carey called the CONNECT Act. It amends the statutory purposes of the Chafee program to help youth create meaningful connections with adults and build a lifelong support network as a core purpose of the Chafee program.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for yielding. I do have to note that she comes from the heart of the Confederacy originally, and I was really proud when Virginia voters voted to redistrict to align their votes with the current detriment of votes that the Republican Party seeks.

Ms. McClellan, I was just recently reading the book by Jim Clyburn, our colleague. What that book tells us is this is just not new. People have talked about it. It has been 13 days since the Supreme Court acted in the Callais decision, but it is a long history since the 19th century of trying to disenfranchise formerly enslaved people. This is just another day. This is part of American history to try to deny African Americans not only the vote, but their humanity.

Now, Ms. McClellan, you are from the heart of the Confederacy, but I want you to know that this is not just a southern thing. I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was called the Selma of the North because of the discriminatory practices that our voters face. As a matter of fact, when I was in the State legislature, I fought our then-Governor over seemingly innocent requirements for voter ID because I knew that that was the camel's nose under the tent to disenfranchise people. In fact, when that law went into place in 2016, that is when Donald Trump won the Presidency in Wisconsin.

You have heard from many speakers today, and I won't consume all the time by talking and going on and on. I am just going to say this: I am encouraged. And while I am heartbroken by what the Supreme Court did 13 days ago, this ain't new. We have been here before, and we have the script of how to fix it because we have went through this. We saw the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. We saw Supreme Court decisions. We saw Presidencies. Guess what: Black people and Americans have always risen to the occasion.

We stand on the shoulders of giants like Ezekiel Gillespie from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who sued the State of Wisconsin in 1865 for the right to vote. We stand on the shoulders of giants like John Lewis, John Robert Lewis. We know, Mr. Speaker, that a new day will surface again, and this will not be the end. Why? Because we are undeterred.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to start out by thanking Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Neal for bringing this important bill to the floor for consideration during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

As a survivor of sexual assault, I thank Mr. Smucker for teaming up with me to develop this important legislation that supports victims of sexual abuse who so often have no voice.

Mr. Speaker, at its core, this bill is about fairness, dignity, and justice for survivors.

I really don't have to go into detail about the problem that our Nation and, indeed, even this institution have with sexual abuse and assault.

Currently, settlement payments for sexual assault survivors are made on account of personal physical injuries or physical sickness, and they are excluded from gross Federal income and, therefore, not subject to taxation.

We all know that sexual abuse doesn't just cause physical harm. There is indelible mental harm that is caused by sexual assault. Yet, these survivors face challenges proving that sexual assault resulted in physical injuries because they don't have evidence of so-called ``observable bodily harm'' and have been denied the tax exemption.

Our bill, the Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act, which I am, again, so proud to lead with Representative Lloyd Smucker, addresses this situation by allowing a tax exemption for all harms caused by sexual abuse.

Because the harm is real and lasting, even when it is not visible, we are working to ensure the survivors do not have to be retraumatized by proving so-called observable bodily harm or having to produce deeply personal records or to be abused on a settlement on which they have to pay taxes.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I will start by acknowledging the very passionate words of my cosponsor, Mr. Smucker. I am so pleased that he took this on with such generosity and passion.

Mr. Speaker, we hear all the time about the high-profile civil cases involving sexual abuse. I am thinking about the accounts of trusted gymnast physicians abusing star athletes and the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and many of his associates. We even hear about sexual assault that occurs within our own body, and we have to address that problem.

Let's just take a moment to acknowledge that all sexual abuse does not make the headlines. Every time a survivor comes forward, it takes extraordinary courage in the face of personal risk, scrutiny, and cost.

The Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act takes a belt-and-suspenders approach to ensure that settlement payments, whether arising from a court judgment, private arbitration or mediation, that are made on account of sexual abuse are not subject to taxation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to support this effort to make the tax code better serve all survivors who receive settlements after prevailing against their abusers by not saddling them with a tax bill or having to fight the IRS.

We need to get this fix passed into law. I am so pleased to be standing here in this Chamber and asking for a vote by suspension of the rules. We need to pass this into law to ensure fair treatment of the tax law, dignity in the face of undue administrative burdens, and justice for survivors who prevail against their abusers.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for anchoring this on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I thank her so much for her passionate words and her lived experience. Unfortunately, her story is not a rare story. It is all too common, especially for women of color.

As a mother, grandmother of three women, and great-grandmother of three great-grandbabies, this is really personal to me. I have a real stake in this fight, which is one of the reasons why I really want to implore my colleagues to pass the momnibus.

Mr. Speaker, this crisis demands immediate action. Black women, as you have heard, are three times more likely to die from pregnancy- related causes than White women. Over 80 percent of these deaths are preventable.

These are not just data. There is stuff behind there. This is not done in a vacuum. This is because of the systemic failure of our healthcare system and its structural failures.

The thing is that the part that irks me so much is the fact that I said 80 percent. The gentlewoman said that 87 percent of these deaths are preventable in the wealthiest country in the world.

Mr. Speaker, this is one of the reasons, when I look at our momnibus and think of all the bills that are in the bill, I think of women being served at every single phase of their pregnancy. You could look at one of the initiatives that I have, expanding the perinatal workforce, really wanting to provide doulas and people to help guide vulnerable women with vulnerable pregnancies through their pregnancies.

In our momnibus, we are dealing with things like Mrs. Lucy McBath's Extending WIC for New Moms Act, which would provide WIC support for postpartum and breastfeeding mothers.

We even have initiatives to intervene in pregnancies that occur with incarcerated women.

I have an initiative with Senator Baldwin over in the other Chamber to provide, with no cost-sharing, for women's mental health not only during the 9 months of pregnancy but for 1 year postpartum. We are finding that so many of these deaths are occurring because of poor mental health among Black women without the appropriate interventions and healthcare.

Obviously, Mr. Speaker, we can't cut Medicaid at the tune of $1.2 trillion and propose $1.4 billion cuts in WIC for fruits and vegetables because we know that this is science-backed data that tells us you just really can't starve a woman during pregnancy and expect good health outcomes.

So what is missing? What is missing, Mr. Speaker and Madam Convener of us tonight, is that we just don't have the sense of urgency about taking care of our children.

As a founding member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, we have come up with some commonsense and science- and evidence-based legislation, like the momnibus, that would truly make America healthier.

We have a roadmap. The Congressional Black Caucus and the Black Maternal Health Caucus, we have a roadmap for change. The time for action, Mr. Speaker, is yesterday, and we must pass the momnibus. Black mamas can't wait. We know what the solutions are, and we just have to get to work.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

I will tell you, I have never celebrated tax day until today because I have the distinguished opportunity to comment on the one big, ugly billionaire's bill. It is the gift that keeps on giving because I get to talk about how much this tax bill fails to deliver on its promises.

Most glaringly, Republicans have promised that the average tax refund would increase by over $1,000. Not so much. In fact, refunds are 65 percent less than promised. Refunds are nowhere near enough to cover the additional costs that Americans are facing because of other failed Republican policies.

Even considering the crumbs from the American table that Republicans have tossed to working families, this pales in comparison to the increased costs of healthcare, food, utilities, gasoline, and almost every product.

Then, on top of all of this, Americans are facing the $1.2 trillion cuts in Medicaid. They see their hospitals in urban areas and rural areas closing because of it. Food assistance has been cut by $187 billion.

As we mark tax day this year, one thing is really clear: Republicans have oversold their legislative accomplishment and riddled it with gimmicks for working-class Americans while brandishing massive giveaways to millionaires and billionaires.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans gave millionaires a tax cut that is 390 times the size of what they gave to workers and families making less than $50,000.

What about the no tax on tips and no tax on overtime, they say? Number one, it is a temporary benefit that is going to expire as soon as you reelect them. Secondly, it is a gimmick because it is not a total exemption. It phases out, and there are much smaller redemptions in tax liability than people are expecting.

Let's be clear. The people who benefited most from the Republican tax bill do not get tips. The one big, beautiful bill for billionaires made the benefits for billionaires permanent and made no tax on tips temporary.

Republicans are so well known to be good at messaging, but this time, they can't message their way out of reality. American families are feeling the pain every single day.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I just want to rise today to thank my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this Special Order hour and for honoring the life and legacy of the late, great Reverend Jackson, Sr., a man who truly taught us all how to keep hope alive.

Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., is not only a friend to the Congressional Black Caucus, but he was a friend of all of ours individually and collectively.

He had a very humble birth, born to a single mother, and started his political life by being arrested for protesting around not being admitted to a segregated library and became one of the storied Greenville Eight in that protest.

Of course, you will hear from others tonight about his association with the late, great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. You will hear about his leadership at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his founding of Rainbow PUSH, his negotiating the release of American hostages in various parts of the world, his running for the President of United States, both in 1984 and 1988.

I lived 90 miles from Chicago, and so I know the Reverend Jackson who would just show up at random, unknown people's grandmother's funeral. I knew the Reverend Jackson, who showed up in Milwaukee long before I was elected to anything, as I stand here in Congress today.

As I looked through all of my photographs, I saw pictures of Reverend Jackson in Milwaukee, working with local leadership and the NAACP around open housing in Milwaukee.

As I looked through those photos, I saw pictures of me as a State representative, a newly elected member to the Wisconsin Assembly as our city went through the horror of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial murderer who killed Black men in our community, and Reverend Jackson was there hugging family members of those victims, praying with them and offering them his clergy support.

As I looked through my pictures, I saw photos of Reverend Jackson coming to help us get out the vote, continuously, year after year, in our very purple State. I saw with my own eyes the Reverend Jackson comforting a victim of police brutality, the murder of Dontre Hamilton, and coming there to support us in the protest and to comfort the mother of this victim. An unarmed Black man, lying on a park bench, was found dead at the hands of a policeman.

One of the most remarkable things that I was able to experience was when he went to Kenosha, Wisconsin. Do you all remember Kyle Rittenhouse? Do you all remember how Kyle Rittenhouse was being lifted up as some sort of hero by White vigilantes, even some of those White vigilantes who are here serving as public figures in Washington, D.C.? I won't mention any names, Mr. Speaker.

Reverend Jackson was sitting there, plotting and planning with the clergy in Kenosha, with community-based organizations, to form an alternative activity: to provide COVID tests to people; to organize a festive atmosphere with balloons for the children and food vendors, all in response to the counter-programming that was intended to rile up the Black community.

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., I got a chance to just witness, up close and personal, the behind-the-scenes brilliance. I had seen the upfront brilliance, but this was the behind-the-scenes brilliance that I was able to see.

Reverend Jackson implored us to believe in the mantra that ``I am somebody'' and urged us to keep hope alive.

Let me just say in closing, Mr. Speaker, that Reverend Jackson probably understood better than any of us that the mission is enduring and that no one life could be the be-all.

He has passed the baton now. He is the one who carried it with dignity and strength, with determination and doggedness.

I want to close with the Scripture from the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 4:7. As he saw the end of his life approaching, and carried on by the Holy Spirit, he wrote these words: I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.

Reverend Jackson, Jesse, you have fought the good fight; you finished the race; and you kept the faith.

Mr. Speaker, may we all carry forth this legacy, and may we continue to keep hope alive, not just in word but in action, for the healing of our very troubled but beloved Nation at this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Trump administration's careless and cruel family separation policies.

Experts like the Society for Research and Child Development and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that immigration detention and separation is a deeply traumatic, adverse childhood experience causing post-traumatic stress disorder, and it is never in the best interest of the child.

Yet, day after day, ICE continues to abduct children from their families, subjecting them to prisonlike confinement and conditions and exposing them to lifelong trauma.

Since President Trump took office, the number of children held in ICE detention each day has increased sixfold. By October 2025, at least 3,800 children had entered ICE custody and more than 1,300 of them were detained for over 20 days.

Mr. Speaker, these are not just numbers. These are real children, human beings whose lives have been disrupted and damaged permanently.

DHS facilities often fail to meet the basic standards of care, decent and adequate food, including medical care and mental health care. We just cannot stand by and watch while the administration forcibly separates families, inflicts long-term trauma on our Nation's youth, and strips our youth of safety and dignity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary impact the Peace Corps has made on international communities and American citizens alike. This month, on its 65th anniversary, we honor the Peace Corps and the dedicated volunteers who have served their country and helped better communities around the globe.

On October 14, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy announced in a speech at the University of Michigan an innovative new idea--the establishment of an American organization that would send volunteers abroad to foster mutual understanding, build relationships, and develop educational, economic, and agricultural opportunities in underserved communities. Soon, the Peace Corps was born, and the first group of volunteers left for Ghana on August 28, 1961.

Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has continued to send dedicated and talented Americans across the globe to assist in health, education and economic development as well as partake in other progressive projects to help those in need throughout the world. Peace Corps volunteers represent the best of the United States and the undimmed potential of ``soft power'' initiatives that help make our world a better place. Through emersion in and supportive engagement with host communities, Peace Corps volunteers help to show the world an uplifting side of the United States that values peace, prosperity and progress not just in this country, but throughout the world. I have long been a supporter of this program, including supporting increased funding for it--and I hope, we can provide an increase in FY 2027--as well as cosponsored legislation introduced by my good friend, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Peace Corps volunteers to recognize the dedication and devotion and spirit of public service that has guided their hard work and sacrifice.

Although President Kennedy first established the Peace Corps by Executive Order and is rightly associated with it, there had been earlier proposals for an international service organization. And I want to point out the role that former Wisconsin Congressman Henry S. Reuss played. In fact, before Kennedy's Michigan speech, Representative Reuss created a proposal for what he referred to as a ``Point Four Youth Corps,'' an idea that later evolved into the Peace Corps, and he spearheaded the House legislation to authorize this program.

Since its inception, Peace Corps volunteers have gone above and beyond in fulfilling their mission through community-based development. More than 240,000 volunteers, 6,577 of them Wisconsinites, have devoted themselves to service in six different sectors, including agriculture, economic development, education, environment, health, and youth development.

In the Peace Corps Act, Congress declared it the policy of the United States to ``promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps . . . available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary'' to help ``promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served and a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people''. Sixty-five years later, the Peace Corps is as relevant as ever and probably even more needed.

By living alongside the community they serve, volunteers develop lifelong friendships

and cultural skills that reflect positively on the program, the community, and the United States. Returned volunteers have come back changed and gone on to do great things in their communities here at home, including serving as Members of Congress.

This program has strengthened food security, improved health outcomes, and empowered the next generation in over 140 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands, and I am honored to join in celebrating its 65th anniversary.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of legislation before the House today reauthorizing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative or GLRI.

The Great Lakes form the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes basin and their daily activities directly affect these bodies of water.

One of my top priorities as a member of Congress has been, and remains, ensuring that we protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes face numerous challenges, including the growing threat from invasive species, ongoing development, and pollution of the waters by toxic chemicals.

That is why I have consistently supported programs like the GLRI which address some of the most pressing issues facing the Great Lakes. Created by President Obama, the GLRI has helped focus federal efforts and funds on the threats facing the Great Lakes. Just in my home state of Wisconsin, more than $962 million through the GLRI, has made over 1,300 projects possible throughout the Great Lakes basin.

The GLRI is helping protect our environment while driving our economy. Businesses are opening up again along or near waterways

that have long been neglected. The reduction of beneficial use impairments are allowing fisherman and others to return to areas that for a long time have been off limits.

Among the greatest strengths of this initiative has been its strong bipartisan support. Members of the region from both sides of the aisle have rallied to this program. And it has been effective. For example, since its creation, work around the U.S. Areas of Concerns--or AOC's-- has accelerated. These areas are the focus of comprehensive cleanup and restoration efforts because they have been seriously degraded by pollution and contaminants.

As of October 2025, eight AOCs have been delisted and an additional nine AOCs have completed all management actions necessary for delisting. I know that work is happening at the AOC in my district, the Milwaukee Estuary, which I hope will soon join that list. Industrial activities have caused toxic pollution to accumulate in the sediments at the bottom of over 12 miles of Milwaukee's rivers and the Lake Michigan harbor. The GLRI supported cleanup will improve public health and safety, provide clean water, bring back healthy fish and wildlife, and enhance economic and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.

The GLRI is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026 and it is clear that we can't afford to lose the progress or stop the momentum it has unleashed across the Great Lakes region.

I support the reauthorization of this program through FY 2031.

I am disappointed that this legislation does not, however, include an increase in the authorized funding level to $500 million. Failing to make the necessary investments in restoring and protecting the Great Lakes will cost us much more in the long run. Trust me.

I know that this oversight doesn't signal a lack of resolve on my part to keep fighting for the highest possible funding for this program each year.

I urge support of this legislation.