Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House.

The form of the resolution is as follows:

A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that President Donald Trump shall publicly disclose his tax return information, which would conform with an important tradition connected to occupancy of the White House, as well as uphold his promise to the American people that he would release his tax returns.

Whereas, every President since Gerald Ford has disclosed his tax return information to the American people;

Whereas, in May 2014 Donald Trump stated during a television interview: ``If I decide to run for office I'll produce my tax returns absolutely. I would love to do that'';

Whereas, in February 2015 Donald Trump stated during a radio interview: ``I have no objection to certainly showing tax returns'';

Whereas, in February 2016 Donald Trump stated during a televised Republican Presidential debate: ``I will absolutely give my returns, but I'm being audited now for two or three years, so I can't do it until the audit is finished, obviously'';

Whereas, in May 2016 Donald Trump stated during a television interview: ``I will really gladly give them. When the audit ends, I'll present them. That should be before the election'';

Whereas, the IRS has made clear that any taxpayer, including Donald Trump, may release his tax returns at any time while under audit;

Whereas, the House of Representatives by constitutional design is the institution closest to the American people, and an overwhelming majority of the American people think Donald Trump should release his tax returns immediately;

Whereas, 17 different intelligence agencies in the United States have concluded that Vladimir Putin and his Russian regime interfered with our Presidential election for the purpose of helping Donald Trump;

Whereas, multiple high-level Trump associates were in regular contact with Russian operatives and intelligence agents during the same time that Russia was hacking into our democracy;

Whereas, multiple high-level Trump associates have financial ties to the Russian regime;

Whereas, Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, engineered a pro-Russia change in the Republican Party platform in July 2016 and has received millions of dollars from pro-Russian oligarchs to advance Putin's agenda;

Whereas, Michael Flynn, Donald Trump's first National Security Adviser, resigned in disgrace for misleading to Vice President Mike Pence about potentially unlawful phone calls to the Russian Ambassador and failed to disclose financial compensation received from a Russian propaganda media outlet closely tied to Vladimir Putin;

Whereas, Carter Page, a top foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, has now acknowledged visiting the Kremlin in the midst of the 2016 Presidential election;

Whereas, Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump's Attorney General, misled the Senate under oath by failing to disclose his meetings with the Russian Ambassador that took place in July 2016 at the Republican National Convention and again in September of 2016;

Whereas, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's personal attorney, now acknowledges being in contact with Russian operatives at the same time the attacks on our democracy were taking place;

Whereas, Jared Kushner, a senior White House advisor and Donald Trump's son-in-law, now acknowledges previously undisclosed meetings with the Russian Ambassador;

Whereas, Roger Stone, a self-described political trickster and Donald Trump's long-time consigliere, now acknowledges being in contact with the Russian-aligned hacker Guccifer II and predicted during the campaign that John Podesta's emails would soon be exposed;

Whereas, Ian Fleming, the renowned British author has observed, ``Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action'';

Whereas, Donald Trump has shown an unrestrained willingness to criticize and insult allies of the United States of America;

Whereas, Donald Trump wrongly accused Great Britain, our closest ally, of wiretapping Trump Tower in New York City;

Whereas, Donald Trump declined to shake German Chancellor Angela Merkel's hand while seated together during their recent joint appearance at the White House;

Whereas, Donald Trump stated in a recent C-PAC speech that ``Paris is no longer Paris'';

Whereas, Donald Trump threatened to cancel a refugee transfer agreement with our ally Australia and reportedly hung up on the Prime Minister;

Whereas, Donald Trump told the President of Mexico that America would deploy military personnel to that sovereign nation if our southern neighbor does not deal with its ``bad hombres'';

Whereas, Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized our strategic and military alliance with Western European allies and called NATO ``obsolete'';

Whereas, Donald Trump refuses to say a negative word about Vladimir Putin or his corrupt Russian regime;

Whereas, Bill O'Reilly interviewed Donald Trump on Super Bowl Sunday and asked about Putin's brutal and murderous regime;

Whereas, Donald Trump responded, ``There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent?'', suggesting a moral equivalence between the United States and Russia;

Whereas, Yogi Berra, the great Yankee catcher and philosopher-King, once observed ``that's too coincidental to be a coincidence'';

Whereas, Donald Trump tweeted on January 11: ``I have nothing to do with Russia--no deals, no loans, no nothing''

Whereas, Donald Trump Jr. once stated: ``Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia'';

Whereas, disclosure of Donald Trump's tax returns will help the American people and their elected Representatives in this House better understand Trump's financial ties, if any, to Putin's Russia;

Whereas, the American people have a right to know whether financial conflicts of interest exist between the President of the United States and a hostile foreign power;

Whereas, the chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee, Joint Committee on Taxation, and Senate Finance Committee have the authority to request Donald Trump's tax returns under section 6103 of the Tax Code; and

Whereas, the FBI is conducting a criminal and counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference with the recent Presidential election, including possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin:

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives shall:

One, immediately request tax return information of Donald J. Trump for tax years 2007 through 2016 for review in closed executive session by the Committee on Ways and Means, as provided under section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, and vote to report the information therein to the full House of Representatives; and

Two, postpone consideration of comprehensive tax reform legislation until after the elected Representatives of the American people in this House have been able to review Trump's tax returns and ascertain how any changes to the Tax Code might financially benefit the President of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, the Trump Presidency has been characterized by chaos, crisis, and confusion, and this Republican healthcare debacle has been no different.

The American people clearly understand that TrumpCare will be an unmitigated disaster. Under TrumpCare, working families will pay more and get less. Under TrumpCare, premiums will increase. Under TrumpCare, copays will increase. Under TrumpCare, deductibles will increase. Under TrumpCare, out-of-pocket expenses will increase.

Under TrumpCare, 24 million hardworking Americans will lose their health coverage. Under TrumpCare, individuals between the age of 50 and 64 will pay a regressive age tax.

Health care is a matter of life and death; that is why we take it so seriously. TrumpCare will lead to increased death, disease, and destitution, and that is why we oppose this horrible piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, under the Republican healthcare plan, TrumpCare, hardworking Americans will pay more and get less. Your premiums will increase. Your copays will increase. Your deductibles will increase. Your out-of-pocket costs will increase. But the quality of your health care will go down.

Tens of millions of Americans under TrumpCare will also lose their entire health coverage. And under the Republican healthcare plan, it will impose a draconian age tax on people between 50 and 64, some of whom will be forced to pay approximately $14,000 per year.

Trump has said he is going to do health care in three phases. I have finally figured it out. Phase one, disease. Phase two, disaster. Phase three, destruction. Vote ``no'' against this reckless plan.

Mr. Speaker, this is a monumental week here on Capitol Hill as we will decide the fate of health care in America.

Despite the evidence that the Affordable Care Act has made a positive difference in the lives of everyday Americans, Republicans are set to destroy it. But the Affordable Care Act has improved the quality of life for tens of millions of people all across this country.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, people born with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied health insurance.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, young people can remain on their parents' health insurance all the way through to the age of 26.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, women can no longer be discriminated against with respect to the issuance of insurance simply based on their gender.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, seniors are paying less for lifesaving prescription drug medication.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than 1 million people throughout this country--including in rural America--are able to receive substance abuse treatment because of them being caught up in the opioid addiction epidemic.

The Affordable Care Act has made a positive difference in the lives of everyday Americans, yet this President says it has been a disaster. This is the same President who, for 5 years, perpetrated the racist lie that Barack Obama was not born in the United States of America, who said that he received more votes than Hillary Clinton, who claimed that there were more people at the inauguration than in 2009. This is an individual who still maintains that his predecessor, Barack Obama, committed a felony and ordered a wiretap, despite testimony from the FBI Director to the contrary.

Let's be clear. What will be an unmitigated disaster is TrumpCare, which House Republicans are working to jam down the throats of the American people.

TrumpCare, the Republican healthcare plan, will result in 24 million Americans losing their health care.

TrumpCare, the Republican plan, will gut Medicaid, stripping it of $880 billion, taking dead aim at seniors, the poor, and the afflicted.

TrumpCare will impose an age tax on people between the ages of 50 and 64, causing some in that category who are currently paying approximately $1,700 per year to pay close to $14,000 in age tax--on people between 50 and 64.

That is TrumpCare, the Republican plan, an unmitigated disaster taking dead aim at the American people. It will result in tens of thousands of Americans dying. It is a death sentence. Seniors will die. The poor will die. The chronically ill will die. Rural Americans will die. People between the age of 50 and 64 will die. And the executioner will be the authors and those who support the Republican healthcare plan.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished colleagues in government and the lead Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee for their continued leadership.

My amendment would amend from the underlying bill all actions where whistleblowers allege misconduct or malfeasance in connection with the Federal Government. A whistleblower is defined as one who reveals wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it.

Our country has long recognized the importance of affording legal protections to whistleblowers. Under the protection and umbrella of these laws, whistleblowers have helped expose corruption, government waste, fraud, unconstitutional practices, and abuses of the public trust. They have risked, in many cases, their livelihoods to do what is right for this country and defend our democracy.

It should not be our objective to create barriers that will stop people in good faith from coming forward by subjecting them or their representatives to mandatory sanctions, but that is exactly what this bill is designed to do.

This amendment will ensure that whistleblowers are still protected under current law when they bring an action through our judicial system. The need for this amendment is clear now more than ever.

Donald Trump and his team appear, at times, to be paranoid about the information that comes out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. If the 45th President of the United States chooses to run the White House and the government in the same way that he ran many of his businesses, their fear may be well-founded. He does not have a great track record.

Donald Trump has been sued by the Department of Justice for violating Federal antidiscrimination laws, refusing to rent apartments to people based on their race. I note that that lawsuit in the early 1970s was brought by the Nixon Justice Department.

He was forced to shut down Trump University, an apparent scam that he used to rip off students, swindling them out of tens of thousands of dollars. And he has repeatedly failed to pay his workers and contractors for their services--hardworking Americans.

He created a fake charity, the Trump Foundation, which apparently has been used to pay for a portrait of himself and pay off fines and bills. He has declared bankruptcy four times in his career after losing billions of dollars.

Now, as President, this is the first time that Donald Trump has had to act in the best interest of someone other than himself or his family.

His Cabinet, however, consists of the superwealthy, many of whom are unfamiliar with the programs that their departments oversee and who are inexperienced in handling billions and billions of taxpayer dollars. Many others seem more concerned about helping out interests that are corporate in nature, not the people's interests.

In the words of the legendary Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis:

``Sunlight is the best of disinfectants, electric light the most efficient policeman.''

Putting whistleblower protections at risk puts our democracy at risk, and for that reason, I urge adoption of this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I would add that, in a democracy, the ability to use the Article III Federal court system is incredibly important as it relates to the chance for individual citizens who recognize that wrongdoing is taking place to do something about it and save taxpayers from the waste, fraud, and abuse that so many in this Chamber appear to often be concerned about.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, this is day 49 of the Trump administration, which has been characterized by chaos, crisis, and confusion. Donald Trump promised to bring the jobs back, but the jobs bill must be in the witness protection program because, for the life of me, I can't find it.

Instead, we get TrumpCare, a bill that would destroy health care in America as we know it. TrumpCare will increase premiums on the American people. TrumpCare will increase copays on the American people. TrumpCare will increase deductibles on the American people. TrumpCare will increase the cost of prescription drugs on the American people. TrumpCare will reduce coverage for the American people. TrumpCare will be a disaster. And that is why House Democrats are going to do everything in our power to stop this reckless version of health care for America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

It was all a dream,

I used to read Word Up! magazine.

Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine,

Hangin' pictures on my wall,

Every Saturday Rap Attack,

Mr. Magic, Marley Marl.

Those were the words of the late great Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, Frank White, the King of New York. He died 20 years ago today in a tragedy that occurred in Los Angeles, but his words live on forever.

I have got the privilege of representing the district where Biggie Smalls was raised. We know he went from negative to positive and emerged as one of the world's most important hip-hop stars. His rags- to-riches life story is the classic embodiment of the American Dream.

Biggie Smalls is gone, but he will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Notorious B.I.G.

Where Brooklyn at?

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise today in recognition of the untimely passing of Valeriy ``Larry'' Savinkin, a dedicated and well-respected community leader and my congressional field representative who served the residents of the 8th Congressional District of New York with distinction.

Larry Savinkin was born on October 25, 1955, to Igor and Ada Savinkin. He was brother to Viola, husband to Valentina, father to Galina and Vladimir, father-in-law to Vadim and grandfather to Victor.

Before migrating to Brooklyn with his family from Odessa, Ukraine in 1996, Larry was a hardworking business owner where he operated a door- making company and a chain of merchant stores. Larry's commitment, core values and work ethic allowed him to excel in various positions. He was previously employed as a computer programmer, worked for the United States Census Bureau and served as a Community Liaison for former Congressman Bob Turner. More recently, he was a project manager at the Jewish Association for Serving the Aging (JASA), a local community- based organization that serves older adults of all races, religions and economic backgrounds across New York City.

Larry's success and impact in the neighborhoods of Southern Brooklyn and Queens was not limited to his work with my congressional office. For over 20 years, he was involved in several prominent organizations including the September 11 Family Group, the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District, The Holocaust Memorial Committee, Odessa Community of New York, and Brooklyn's Community Planning Board 13. Larry had a magnetic personality and cared about his community immensely, approached his work with urgency, compassion and had a great sense of humor.

I had the privilege of knowing Larry and working with him throughout the years. I recognize that his integrity was above reproach and his competence was extraordinary. I thank his family and friends for sharing him with us all. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in extending gratitude for Larry Savinkin's public service and his commitment to the people of Brooklyn, he is worthy of the highest praise.

Mr. Speaker, we have a reality show host masquerading as President of the United States of America who came to this Chamber yesterday in a Hollywood-style production and pretended to act Presidential.

But the question that we confront is one that Richard Nixon actually first raised, in November of 1973, when he said that the American people deserve to know whether or not the President is a crook. That was an observation that Richard Nixon made in the context of the Watergate scandal which began as a nickel-and-dime break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the summer of 1972, and, obviously, concluded with impeachment proceedings and the ultimate resignation of a President in disgrace.

Nixon made the observation that the American people deserve to know whether or not the President is a crook, and many people across the country are raising a similar question because 17 different intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians, at the explicit direction of Vladimir Putin, interfered in our election for the purpose of helping Donald Trump. Yet, it is hard to get an independent investigation going in this place because my friends on the other side of the aisle continue to put party ahead of the country.

But that is just the beginning. We know that, as early as December of 2015, at least four different cronies of Donald Trump were in regular communication with Russian intelligence agents at the same time these individuals were hacking into the DNC, the DCCC, and the Clinton campaign, interfering with our democracy. These individuals were Michael Flynn, who came to become Trump's first national security adviser; Carter Page, who was his former foreign policy adviser; Paul Manafort, who was the chairman of the Trump campaign; and Roger Stone, a longtime affiliate.

If they were having these conversations at this time, we know they probably weren't talking about Russian vodka. What were they talking about? The American people deserve to know.

We also are aware that Michael Flynn had an illegal conversation, in December of 2016, with the Russian Ambassador where he discussed sanctions that were imposed on Russia because of their hacking. He then apparently lied about this conversation to the Vice President who then went out and misrepresented facts to the American people, and then Michael Flynn resigned in disgrace. But we still can't get an independent, nonpartisan investigation in this place.

But that is not all. We know that Donald Trump has not been bashful when going after our allies like Mexico or Australia or NATO or the European Union or, this past weekend, France. He is not bashful about being critical, but he can't say a negative word about Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator. It appears that this President is more determined to make the Kremlin great again.

But that is not all. He refuses to release his taxes despite promising the American people that he was going to do so prior to November of last year. What exactly is he hiding in these tax documents? Yet, we still can't get an independent investigation.

We also know that the White House Chief of Staff engaged in potentially unlawful conversations with the FBI, perhaps trying to get them to obstruct justice in the public sphere in the midst of an ongoing investigation.

All we are saying is connect the dots. This should not be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. The American people deserve to know whether or not the President is a crook.

Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump poses the greatest Presidential threat to our democracy since Richard Nixon. It is about the potential crimes and the potential coverup. Seventeen different intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians interfered with the election in order to help Donald Trump. Top Trump cronies like Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn all had regular communications with high-level Russian intelligence agents at the same time they were engaging in hacking.

The National Security Adviser resigned in disgrace because of illegal communication with the Russian Ambassador. The President refuses to denounce Vladimir Putin and continues to try to make Russia great again.

Connect the dots. It is time for House Republicans to do their job and put country ahead of party. Join us in a bipartisan investigation of the White House. What did the President know, and when did he know it?

Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives is a separate and coequal branch of government. And yet, House Republicans refuse to investigate the swamp of corruption that is percolating at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Michael Flynn has resigned in disgrace. And yet, the Trump administration has jeopardized our national security by continuing to play footsie with Vladimir Putin and the Russians. House Republicans have done nothing.

It is impossible to figure out where the Trump family business ends and the White House begins, yet House Republicans have done nothing.

Seventeen different intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians interfered in the election to help Donald Trump, yet House Republicans have done nothing.

It is time for House Republicans to investigate this White House and stop acting like puppets of the Trump administration. The American people deserve answers. What exactly did Donald Trump know, and when did he know it?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for her very kind remarks and for yielding and for the tremendous job that she and my classmate, Marc Veasey, have done in leading this CBC Special Order hour over this 115th Congress during the last few weeks.

We stand here today in the midst of Black History Month where many African Americans throughout the country are asking the question: What do we do now that the unthinkable has occurred?

As a community, as a nation, we have gone from the Presidency-- distinguished and dynamic 8 years--of Barack Obama to the current situation where we have a swamp percolating at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue under the leadership of Donald J. Trump.

He began Black History Month by saying that he was convening folks for what he called his little Black history breakfast. Those of us who actually watched some of the coverage seemed perplexed by his reference to the great Frederick Douglass as if he was still alive. If anyone has any questions about the relevance of Black History Month, we can start by noting that perhaps it is important to make sure that the Nation's Commander in Chief understands the contributions that African Americans have made to the United States of America, going all the way back to the Boston Massacre, where one of its leaders, Crispus Attucks, was the first American killed at the onset of the American Revolution in connection with the Boston Massacre, challenging the unjust taxation policies of the British Empire.

Now, the 45th President of the United States of America asked a question over the last several months: What exactly do Black folks have to lose?

Many of us were perplexed by that question, given his history, and actually think that you have lost your mind if you come to the conclusion that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has any interest in making a positive difference in the lives of people of color generally, African Americans specifically, perhaps because of his own history.

We know that in the early 1970s The Trump Organization, of which he was president, was sued by the Justice Department for racial discrimination in the housing stock that they owned, where they were denying African Americans and people of Puerto Rican ancestry access to apartments, notwithstanding their economic qualifications to be renters or co-op owners.

I would just note parenthetically that it was the Nixon Justice Department--not the Kennedy Justice Department or the Johnson Justice Department or the Carter Justice Department or the Clinton Justice Department or the Obama Justice Department--that concluded that Donald J. Trump and his organization was discriminating on the basis of race.

Those of us from New York understand that the current occupant of the White House was the leader of the high-tech lynch mob designed to try to get the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five sentenced to death, taking out a full-page ad in some of the local periodicals in New York calling for that. It turns out that all five individuals were wrongfully convicted and spent years in jail for a crime they did not commit. Donald J. Trump has never apologized for that reckless and irresponsible action.

Then, of course, for 5 years he perpetrated the racist lie that Barack Obama was not born in the United States of America, all designed to undermine the legitimacy of the 44th President of the United States of America, which is why here in Black History Month it is very interesting to me that some of my friends on the other side of the aisle question whether we, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus, or others are being irresponsible in not giving the current President a chance.

How dare you ask that question. From the beginning of the Presidency of Barack Obama, you declared war on him. You followed a philosophy that may be familiar to those of us who are familiar with the history of the Deep South: obstruction today, obstruction tomorrow, obstruction forever.

Mr. McConnell declared that his top priority was to make Barack Obama a one-term President. And yet, he questions whether Americans, who are part of the growing resistance movement, have failed to give Donald Trump a chance. Let's be clear. He has zero credibility on the issue of lecturing us about Presidential etiquette. We will decide what the rules of engagement are when it comes to this current President. Pipe down as it relates to talking to any of us about how to engage the White House because he has no credibility on the issue. His obstruction took place in the midst of two failed wars in the worst economy since the Great Depression.

So we have got a lot of issues that we have got to sort out with this current President here in Black History Month, both for the African- American community and for the broader community of Americans in blue States, in red States, in urban America, in rural America, in suburban America, in the north, the south, the east, and the west. And I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, and others, to tackle issues like criminal justice reform, to fix the Voting Rights Act that was damaged in such an irresponsible way by the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, and to work to build an economy that works for all Americans, not simply the millionaires and billionaires who dominate the Trump Cabinet.

I thank my distinguished colleague from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts today. I thank my colleague, Marc Veasey, for his continued leadership. And I look forward to hearing my distinguished colleague, Brenda Lawrence, from Motown.

Mr. Chairman, this is a sad day in the history of this country as Republicans begin the process of destroying health care in America.

``Repeal and replace'' is just a slogan. It is not a solution. For more than 6 years, we have been waiting for a credible Republican healthcare plan, and none has been forthcoming. All you have is smoke and mirrors, and the American people are getting ready to get screwed.

Under the so-called Republican plan, seniors will be forced to pay more for their medicine. Under the so-called Republican plan, children with preexisting conditions, like pediatric cancer, will be at risk of being kicked off of their health plans or of being denied health coverage. Under the so-called Republican plan, young people in America will no longer be able to stay on their parents' health insurance through the age of 26. Under the so-called Republican plan, more than a million people who are receiving drug treatment because of opioid addiction will be at risk of being denied that lifesaving care.

Under the so-called Republican plan, premiums will go up, co-pays will go up, deductibles will go up; and the American people will be screwed. People in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio--screwed. Seniors in Florida--screwed. People on the west coast and on the east coast--screwed. People in Appalachia and rural America--screwed.

The only folks who will benefit are the fat cats who are part of the healthcare cartel. The system, indeed, is rigged, and the American people should pay attention as to who is jamming them up.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and classmate, Representative Marc Veasey, for his leadership today; and the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Cedric Richmond, for convening us and for the leadership that he has already shown.

We have a President-elect who, for 5 years, perpetrated the racist lie that Barack Obama was not born in the United States of America, and who ran one of the most divisive campaigns in the Nation's history and then promised that he was going to bring all of us together.

Then you have got his colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have said: Well, Democrats, people in the civil rights community, African Americans, we should give the new President a chance.

This is the same group of people who declared war on Barack Obama on day one of his Presidency and governed themselves under the following approach: Obstruction today, obstruction tomorrow, obstruction forever.

That should sound familiar to folks from Alabama and the Deep South.

Now they want us to give them a chance. You can't lecture us on Presidential etiquette. You have no credibility in that area. We will decide how we want to engage. As it relates to your pick to head the Department of Justice, it is totally unacceptable, unreasonable, unjust, and unconscionable, not because of anything that he may have said 30 years ago, as offensive as that may be, but because of the positions that Senator Jeff Sessions has taken today.

Today, in 2017, based on his recent track record, he supports the Confederate battle flag, not 30 years ago, but today. Today he supports voter suppression efforts that are advanced by his unwillingness to repair section 4 and section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That is not 30 years ago. I don't care that you showed up in Selma, Alabama, for a photo op. Your position on the Voting Rights Act is unacceptable today.

Today you support mass incarceration, the failed drug war, and the prison industrial complex. And because of your position today, reasonable Americans should oppose your ascension to the Department of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, in 16 days, House Republicans are prepared to shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

Once again, you are taking the American people on a reckless and irresponsible legislative joyride that is destined to crash and burn. You are taking the American people on a collision course that will damage the safety and security of the American people at a time when terrorists all across the world are determined to do us harm.

Why would you contemplate shutting down the Department of Homeland Security at this time--or at any time--simply in order to satisfy the extreme rightwing of your party?

The American people want us to focus on bigger paychecks, they want us to focus on good-paying jobs, they want us to focus on strengthening the middle class, but you are determined to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. It is reckless and irresponsible.

Let's get back to doing the business of the American people.