Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and classmate, Chairman Takano, for his tremendous leadership as well as the leadership of the ranking member and all of the distinguished members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2093, the Veterans and Family Information Act, a bipartisan bill that will serve those who have served our Nation with distinction. This commonsense legislation would improve non-English language accessibility for veterans, their families, and caregivers.

The Veterans Benefits Administration provides critical information to all veterans about their benefits that have been hard earned, including service-connected disability benefits, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, employment information, and how to access assistance for trauma.

For veterans of limited English proficiency, there is no guarantee that this critical information is made available in their primary language, thereby creating barriers for them and for their families.

As Chairman Takano indicated, there are over 500,000 foreign-born veterans that live in the United States, and additionally 1.9 million veterans who are the U.S.-born children of foreign-born parents.

Not only are our veterans increasingly diverse in terms of country of origin, but tens of thousands of veterans have self-identified to the VA that they speak English less than well.

In the most recent survey conducted, the VA also found that minorities, people of color, and language minorities comprise approximately 24 percent of the total veteran population in the United States.

Every single veteran deserves consistent, clear, and equal access to any and all information that the VA offers, regardless of their English proficiency. They have all served this country well.

The Veterans and Family Information Act would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to make versions of

all of its fact sheets available in the 10 most commonly spoken languages other than English in the United States, including Spanish and Tagalog.

I would like to thank the lead cosponsor of this bill, Representative Young Kim, for her extraordinary leadership and partnership in this effort, as well as, again, the chair, ranking member, and all of the distinguished members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2093.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for his tremendous leadership.

Mr. Speaker, the January 6 bipartisan commission will explore what happened on that fateful day, why it happened, and how do we prevent another violent insurrection and attack on the Capitol from ever happening again.

In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, America had a bipartisan commission. In the aftermath of the September 11 attack, America had a bipartisan commission. In the aftermath of the attack on this Capitol on January 6, America should have a bipartisan commission.

The violent insurrection was an attack on the Congress, the Constitution, and the Capitol. Lives were lost. More than 140 officers were seriously injured. A violent mob stormed this building to assassinate the Speaker, hang Mike Pence, and hunt down Members of Congress. They urinated, defecated, and desecrated the citadel of our democracy.

It was a violent attack designed to bring about one objective; halt Congress from undertaking our constitutional responsibilities. And yet, a few of my colleagues seem to want to convince America that it was all puppies and rainbows. We will not be hoodwinked. We will not be bamboozled. We will not be led astray.

The January 6 bipartisan commission will find the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And that is the American way.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for his yielding and for his leadership.

The foundational model of this country is e pluribus unum, out of many, one. It doesn't say out of many Europeans, one. It doesn't say out of many Anglo-Saxons, one. It doesn't say out of many Confederate sympathizers, one. It doesn't say out of many Christians, one. It certainly doesn't say out of many nations, except Muslim countries, one.

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. That is what makes America a great country. And no matter what xenophobic behavior is coming out of the halls of power in this country, we are not going to let anyone take that away from us; not now, not ever.

Vote ``yes'' on the NO BAN Act so we can continue our country's long, necessary, and majestic march toward a more perfect Union.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a- century crisis. It requires a once-in-a-century comprehensive, compassionate, and continuing congressional response. That is what the American Rescue Plan is all about.

More than 500,000 Americans have died. Hundreds of thousands of businesses have closed. Almost 30 million Americans have been infected by the coronavirus. Tens of millions of Americans are dealing with unemployment, food insecurity, or are on the brink of homelessness.

So much pain, suffering, and death, and our Republican colleagues want us to do nothing? What is wrong with them?

We are going to act with the fierce urgency of now. We will crush the virus. We will provide direct relief to everyday Americans who are struggling. We will revive the economy. We will send the American Rescue Plan to President Biden's desk. We will build back better for the people. Help is on the way.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the right to bear arms is an important part of the constitutional fabric of this country, but it is

not without limits. And the notion that America has 4 percent of the world's population but 40 percent of the world's guns and a disproportionately high amount of homicides and suicides by guns should shock the conscience of every single person in this Chamber.

Mass shooting after mass shooting after mass shooting, and yet we haven't acted to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the American people.

That is why H.R. 8 is so significant. Universal criminal background check legislation is reasonable under the circumstances given the tragedies that we confront.

House Democrats will not just talk about it. We are about it. That is why we will pass H.R. 8, and now we have a Senate and a President who will ultimately get it over the finish line. Vote ``yes'' on this lifesaving legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we respect every single officer who has died in the line of duty.

The question is: Why don't you respect those Black and Latino individuals who were shot in the back, choked to death, beaten nearly unconscious, or have a knee to the neck, strangling the life out of them for 8 minutes and 46 seconds? Why don't you respect them?

That is what the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is all about.

We respect police officers, those who protect and serve; but we have a challenge with police violence, police brutality. The police abuse of force cannot be denied, video after video after video. Don't believe us, believe your own eyes.

Thirty years ago, Rodney King was beaten on this very day, and we thought it would be different. But 30 years later, nothing has changed in terms of accountability and reining in those officers who cross the line.

It is time to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and do it now.

Madam Speaker, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have spent this debate lecturing us about foundational principles in this country. The foundational document of this great Republic is the Declaration of Independence, with the words: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.''

Those words were eloquent in their articulation and complete in their application. It did not apply to African Americans; it did not apply to women; it did not apply to Native Americans; and it certainly did not apply to members of the LGBTQ community.

Now, we have come a long way in America, but we still have a long way to go. The progress has been made, as the great Barbara Jordan once indicated, through a process of amendment and ratification and court decision and legislation. That is what we are doing today.

If you believe in liberty and justice for all, support the Equality Act. If you believe in equal protection under the law, support the Equality Act. If you believe truly, as my religion teaches me, that we are all God's children, support the Equality Act.

Love does not discriminate; neither should the law.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I

offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman, my good friend from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), for yielding and for her tremendous leadership on so many different criminal justice issues, including with respect to this particular piece of legislation. I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop) for his support as well.

I rise to support H.R. 546, the Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act, a critical bipartisan bill to protect the constitutional right to effective representation. This legislation passed the House last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to pass it once again today.

The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution provides that in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have the assistance of counsel for his or her defense. An attorney must be fully informed about the facts of the case in order to effectively represent a client

and provide the best possible legal advice and guidance. That is why confidential communication between attorneys and their clients is so critical and why the attorney-client privilege must be protected.

In Lanza v. New York, the Supreme Court stated that even in a jail, or perhaps especially there, the relationships which the law has endowed with particularized confidentiality must continue to receive unceasing protection.

There are nearly 124,000 individuals currently in BOP custody, many of whom are in pretrial detention and have not been convicted of a crime. In our system, defendants, American citizens, are innocent until proven guilty. Like any person involved in a criminal proceeding, these individuals who are incarcerated must be able to confidentially communicate with their attorneys.

The bipartisan Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act would enable incarcerated individuals to communicate with their legal representatives privately, safely, and efficiently by prohibiting the Bureau of Prisons from monitoring privileged electronic communications.

While BOP regulations do protect the confidentiality of in-person attorney visits, phone calls, and traditional mail, no such protections exist in the context of email communications sent through the BOP's electronic mail system. This system, known as TRULINCS, has become the easiest, fastest, and most efficient method of communication available to incarcerated individuals and their attorneys.

Let's consider the alternatives. Even a brief client visit can take hours when you factor in travel and wait times. Confidential phone calls are perhaps useful, but they are subject to time limitations and can be difficult to schedule even for urgent legal matters. Postal mail must first be opened and inspected by staff for physical contraband, which can significantly extend the time it takes for the communication to reach an incarcerated individual.

These delays should be unnecessary in a prison system that permits electronic communications and would be available if the attorney-client privilege was consistently applied.

To address this serious problem, H.R. 546 would require the Attorney General to ensure that the BOP email system excludes from monitoring the contents of electronic communications between an incarcerated person and their attorney.

The BOP will be permitted to retain the contents of these messages until the incarcerated person is released, but they would be accessible only under limited circumstances.

The bill is supported by a wide variety of groups, including the American Bar Association, ACLU, Americans for Prosperity, Dream Corps, Due Process Institute, National Action Network, Prison Fellowship, Right on Crime, Faith and Freedom Coalition, FAMM, Federal public and community defenders organizations, and so many others.

I want to thank all the sponsors of this bill, most particularly Representatives Van Taylor, Jerry Nadler, Tom McClintock, Don Bacon, Nancy Mace, and Sheila Jackson Lee, as well as Dan Crenshaw and Dusty Johnson. This has truly been a bipartisan journey.

Our criminal justice system depends on the attorney-client privilege to ensure effective representation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 546.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair of the Budget Committee from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for yielding, as well as for his tremendous leadership in connection with this resolution and the effort to deal with this moment that we find ourselves in this country.

These are challenging times in the United States of America, filled with pain, suffering, and death. More than 425,000 Americans have died. Over 26 million Americans have been infected by the coronavirus. More than 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed. Tens of millions of Americans have been grappling with unemployment or food insecurity. Many are on the brink of homelessness.

These are challenging times in the United States of America, filled with pain, suffering, and death. Now is not the time for obfuscation or moderation. Now is the time to go big and to decisively deal with the problems that everyday Americans are confronting.

COVID-19 is a once-in-a-century pandemic. It requires a once-in-a- century, comprehensive, continuing, and compassionate congressional response. That is what the American Rescue Plan put forth by President Biden is all about.

We must crush the coronavirus through testing, tracing, treatment, and vaccinations for every single American. We must provide direct relief to everyday Americans by increasing survival checks to $2,000 per person. We must lay the foundation to supercharge our economy so we can build back better for the people. That is what the American Rescue Plan is all about. That is what today's vote is all about.

Vote ``yes'' so we can move America forward and put this virus behind us once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I did not come to Congress to impeach Donald Trump, but the constitutional crimes by an out-of-control President inspired by his hatred and the big lie that he told cannot be ignored. Donald Trump is a living, breathing, impeachable offense. It is what it is.

The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was an act of insurrection incited by Donald Trump. He is a clear and present danger to the health, safety, and well-being of the American people. That is why this impeachment is necessary on the House floor for a second time with a bipartisan majority.

Violence will not win. Insurrection will not win. Sedition will not win. Terror will not win. Lawlessness will not win. Mob rule will not win. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

Democracy will prevail.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, our diversity is a strength; it is not a weakness. We are a nation of immigrants, some voluntary, others involuntary, but as Dr. King once observed, ``We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.''

We are a gorgeous mosaic of people from throughout the world. We are White, we are Black, we are Latino, we are Asian, and we are Native American. We are Christian, we are Jewish, we are Muslim, we are Hindu, we are believers, and we are nonbelievers. We are gay, we are straight, we are young, we are older, we are women, and we are men. We are citizens, and we are Dreamers.

Out of many we are one. That is what makes America a great country. No matter what xenophobic behavior is coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we will never let anyone take that away from us--not now, not ever.