Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to welcome to these Chambers and to this well a good friend and a personal, I will say, savior to a multitude of South Carolinians.

Reverend Charles B. Jackson has been serving as pastor of Brookland Baptist Church now for 54 years, having been installed at the age of 18.

I first met him about 2 or 3 years into his pastorate when he was still a student at Benedict College in Columbia. He graduated from the Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta and has served not only as a pastor of their church, but as a great leader in South Carolina.

He serves to make true the words of James when he wrote in his epistle: ``Faith without works is dead.''

His work is a living monument to the people of South Carolina and these United States of America, and I am pleased to welcome him here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a distinguished South Carolinian--a pastor, legislator, artist, and community builder whose influence reached far beyond his beloved Lowcountry.

Reverend Kenneth F. Hodges, a native of Bennetts Point, passed away on April 22, 2025, having left an indelible imprint on the spiritual, cultural, and civic life of South Carolina. His journey was marked by service, creativity, and a deep devotion to both his heritage and his faith.

Born to Benjamin and Lydia Hodges in the Sea Island community of Bennetts Point, Reverend Hodges excelled early in both academics and athletics. A record-setting track star at Walterboro High School, he went on to earn a business degree from Clark College, where he also studied photography under the esteemed Edmond Marshal. His powerful images of African life and culture earned national acclaim and awards. His passion for the arts led him to establish LyBensons Studio and Art Gallery--later expanding into the Gullah Geechee Visitors Center on St. Helena Island.

After earning a Master of Divinity degree from the Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta, Georgia, Reverend Hodges pastored churches in Bennettsville and Beaufort, South Carolina. At Taberbacle Baptist Church, he spearheaded efforts to honor African American icons, including securing recognition for Robert Smalls' gravesite and leading the construction of the Harriet Tubman Monument. His spiritual calling extended abroad as he preached and taught across Africa and the United Kingdom.

Elected to the South Carolina House of representatives in 2006, Reverend Hodges served until 2016. He introduced the bill naming the Combahee River crossing the ``Harriet Tubman Bridge,'' led the creation of the SC Microenterprise Development Act, and chaired multiple legislative subcommittees. His work consistently reflected a commitment to empowerment, equity, and cultural preservation.

Reverend Hodges was a devoted husband to Patricia A. Few and a proud father to three daughters--Kendrea, Kenyatta, and Kenithea. Through faith, public service, and the arts, he uplifted generations and preserved the stories of his people with grace and purpose.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing and honoring the extraordinary life of Reverend Kenneth F. Hodges. He was more than a leader; he was a vessel of faith, a preserver of culture, and a voice for those who too often go unheard, and to me--a personal friend. South Carolina is richer for his service. May his memory inspire us to serve with the same humility, passion, and purpose that defined his life.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor this CBC Special Order along with my distinguished colleague, Representative Jennifer McClellan.

For the next 60 minutes, members of the Congressional Black Caucus will have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on the issue of minority health, an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent, and all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise along with several colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus, who Members will hear from tonight. We are here to discuss the timely issue of health disparities as we approach the end of 2025 Minority Health Month.

There is a long, storied history of poor health outcomes in minority communities. African Americans have lower life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality, increased instances of maternal mortality, higher rates of chronic illnesses, and more frequent cancer diagnoses. Every American deserves to have access to quality, affordable healthcare and lifesaving prescription medications.

This is our first day back after spending time in our congressional districts and conducting face-to-face interactions with our constituents. As is often the case, our just concluded district work period encompassed the sacred observances of Passover and Easter.

For those of us who celebrate the Easter side of that equation, we tend to profess pride in being Matthew 25 Christians. We often express adherence to verse 45, which admonishes: ``Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.''

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of lessons to be found in chapter 25 of Matthew long before one gets down to verse 45. There are lessons on the importance of being prepared, the importance of providing service, and utilizing good judgment.

Ours is a great country, and among the things that make us great is our system of healthcare.

Speaking at a 1966 healthcare conference, Martin Luther King, Jr., observed: ``Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.'' Many of these inequalities are, in part, attributable to the disparities in access to healthcare.

Disparities in health outcomes were starkly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities of color experienced higher rates of fatality and were often at increased risk for the comorbidities that led to more serious illnesses from COVID-19.

My Democratic colleagues and I, in partnership with the previous administration, wrote and passed legislation such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill to expand access to broadband and provide telehealth services to rural and underserved communities.

We also passed legislation to cap the out-of-pocket costs of insulin at $35 for seniors through the Inflation Reduction Act.

We also passed legislation to cap the annual cost of copayments for Medicare recipients to $2,000 per year.

My late wife was a four-shots-a-day diabetic. She battled that chronic disease and its by-products for over 30 years. I know what a serious financial strain essential diabetes medication can be for those families who are fortunate to have insurance. Yet, what about those among us who are less fortunate?

In the last several years, we have made significant progress toward making one of the greatnesses of this country, healthcare, more accessible and affordable for all. Yet, that progress is now in jeopardy and will be dismantled and derailed by the budget being proposed by my Republican colleagues.

Sadly, neither the President, nor my Republican colleagues seem willing to consider the harmful impacts of pausing these programs or the harms that steep cuts to programs like Medicaid will have on both the economic well-being and health outcomes of millions of American families. They are steadily moving forward with their plan to slash these crucial programs by billions of dollars while, at the same time, proposing big tax cuts for those who can afford to pay for quality healthcare and lifesaving medications.

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed into law the Social Security Amendments of 1965. Those amendments established Medicare, a health insurance program for the elderly; and Medicaid, a health insurance program for people with limited incomes.

Today, nearly 80 million Americans receive healthcare through Medicaid, which provides critical care throughout all stages of life. It covers childbirth and nursing home care and everything in between.

In my congressional district, there are 180,678 people on Medicaid. In South Carolina, it is called Healthy Connections. This number includes 105,256 children under the age of 19 and 20,000 seniors over 65, and this is just my district.

Over 1 million South Carolinians are enrolled in Medicaid. In South Carolina, Medicaid covers four out of every nine children, five of every eight nursing home residents, three out of every 10 working-age adults with disabilities, and one out of every six adults ages 19 through 64. These individuals are at risk of losing their healthcare under the Republicans' budget plans.

My Republican colleagues have been directed to cut $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid. Please understand that $880 billion is just the floor. Some of them want to cut more.

The only way they can reach their goal is to gut Medicaid. No matter what they may say to their wavering Members to secure their votes and to their vulnerable constituents to prevent them from objecting, this plan will cut taxes for the rich, bankrupt the middle class, and shortchange the poor.

Earlier, I quoted Scripture taken from the Book of Matthew, but as one might imagine, my favorite book in the Bible is the Book of James, not just because of my given name but because of its lessons. In James' epistle, he writes that when people are hurting and in need, it is not enough to offer platitudes like thoughts and prayers. We have a moral obligation to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and provide shelter for the homeless.

I believe that if James were writing this epistle today, he would decry the shocking injustices in healthcare suffered by our most vulnerable and the friction that suffering often engenders.

My father was a fundamentalist minister who often used secular thoughts to teach life lessons to his three sons. I have thought about one of those lessons at the townhalls I held during our Passover and Easter work period.

The lesson came to us one day when my two brothers and I were accompanying my dad to a--well, let's call

him an automobile mechanic. Back when I was growing up in the little town of Sumter, everybody had a neighborhood mechanic, and everybody knew who that mechanic was because he was the guy with the chinaberry tree with the pulley hanging out of it.

On this particular day, as my dad waited to have his car worked on, Mr. Singleton, the mechanic, hooked the pulley to the front end of that car and began to raise it so he could get under it and get it running for another week. Just as he started to lift the car, my two brothers and I started playing near the car. My dad said to us: ``Sons, I have no idea how strong this chain is. Why don't you all go across the field and play? This chain may pop, and one of you might get hurt.''

Well, we did go across the field to play, and we weren't gone long before we got into a little discussion. Now, some people looking at it might call it a fight, but it was a physical discussion.

We didn't know it, but my dad was watching us. After he thought that discussion had gone on long enough, he called the three of us over to him and stood us in front of him. He had in his hands a piece of cord string.

My dad gave that piece of cord string first to my youngest brother, Charles, and said, ``Charles, I want you to pop this string.'' Charles struggled, and he couldn't pop it.

He then took it and gave it to my brother, John, and he said, ``John, I want you to pop this string. You are 2 years older. You are stronger. You pop it.'' John struggled, and he couldn't pop it.

He then took it back, and he gave it to me. He said, ``Now, James, you are the oldest. You are the strongest. You pop the string.'' I struggled. I couldn't pop it.

He then took it back and placed it in his palm, and he began to rub his hands together. The more he rubbed, the more friction he created. The more friction he created, the more unraveled that cord string became. It was not long before that cord string was in three pieces.

My dad then took those three pieces, gave one to Charles, one to John, and one to me, and he said, ``Now, sons, pop the string.'' With little effort, all three of us popped the strings.

He said, ``Now, sons, I want this to be a lesson to you for as long as you live. Don't you let the little disagreements that crop up among you cause so much friction until it separates you, because if you do, the world will pop you apart and you may never know why.''

I thought about that lesson as I went to these townhall meetings. The actions that are being taken by my Republican colleagues and this administration are providing all kinds of opportunities for friction to be created among us.

Providing tax breaks to the wealthy while cutting billions of dollars of lifesaving healthcare for millions of Americans will cause undue friction in our healthcare system and only serve to divide us.

Mr. Speaker, our healthcare system is by no means perfect. We have a great deal of work to do to improve the system for everyone and to reduce disparities, but we must start by following what we often call the Hippocratic oath to first do no harm. Do no harm to Social Security. Do no harm to Medicare. Do no harm to Medicaid and the other bedrocks of our public health system, like the Affordable Care Act.

Most persons want more than promises. They want results. They want everyone to have access to affordable housing, reliable energy, adequate education, and, yes, quality healthcare, all those things that make this country a great country.

Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield to my distinguished colleague from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan), my co-anchor for this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. It is my pleasure now to yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Figures for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I am going to take just a couple minutes to thank all of my colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus for being here this evening.

To reiterate a little of what we have heard here today, I represent a congressional district in South Carolina that includes ZIP Code 29203. It happens to be the ZIP Code that I live in, Columbia, South Carolina. My house in Columbia is about 5 or 6 minutes from the site of the new medical school of the University of South Carolina. I represent the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The ZIP Code I live in, where that new medical school will be located in, 29203, is the home of the highest percentage of amputations because of the late detection of diabetes. There is a reason for that. There is a reason. We all know what that reason is.

Mr. Speaker, as a Congress and as a country, we must do the things that are necessary to remove these disparities. With people living within the shadow of two medical schools and some of the best hospitals, there is no reason for this. They cannot avail themselves of the services in these buildings that they live in the shadows of because of the socioeconomic conditions.

We have got to make healthcare more accessible and more affordable for all of our citizens. We have a great system. There are people I have traveled with on codels who refuse to go to a doctor or even their dentist in another country. They wait to get back home to avail themselves of this great healthcare system that we have in this country.

The problem is it is not accessible to everybody and not affordable by everybody. We need to do something about that. We have a way to do it. I would hope that over the next several days and weeks we will develop the will that is necessary to do so.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Hartsville, South Carolina. The history of Antioch is profound and deserving of the great celebration that is taking place on Easter Sunday.

The journey that has brought Antioch Church to this moment began in 1888 when the Church was established on the crest of a hill. That year, a group of people with great faith in their hearts and each other, came together for one mission. The Church's early founders--Shade Charles, Joe Coe, William Brunson, Ham Fountain, and the Reverend Jonas Muldrow decided to call their new church ``Antioch.'' These men and women were the first officers of the church with Reverend Jonas Muldrow as their first pastor.

In 1937, the structure of the Church was replaced, and it has gone through several renovations since, with the most recent taking place in 1984, when the church added two Sunday school classrooms and brick veneered the sanctuary.

Since its inception, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and its congregation have served as a beacon of light within the community. The programs and ministries initiated by the church have served as models-- for other churches of various denominations in the area. The strength of spirit and unbridled faith have allowed the church to blossom and thrive through the years. Its congregants diligently serve in several capacities--deacons, ministers, Sunday school teachers, missionaries, choir members, ushers, musicians, and so much more. Churches like Antioch are significant parts of our history and their stories are anchors in the African American faith community.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to pay tribute to this fine congregation for its dedication, endless faith, and the love it has shown to the community. As we learn from Acts 11:26, Barnabas found Paul in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch where they spent a whole year assembling themselves with the church, and teaching and it was there that the disciples were first called Christians.''

I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and wishing its congregation God's blessings in the days ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) tonight in opposition to the Trump administration's attacks on education.

Mr. Speaker, as the gentlewoman just mentioned, our country has a very spotty history when it comes to educating everybody. I know a lot about the history she just mentioned in Alabama and Mississippi and now in Virginia.

Hailing from South Carolina, my own dad was not allowed an education beyond the seventh grade by the State of South Carolina.

Thanks to Black churches. In fact, in my congressional district, there are seven HBCUs. Only two are supported by the State. The other five are church schools: The AME Church at Allen University; the Baptists at Benedict College and Morris College; and Episcopalians at Voorhees. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion, AME Zion, has a school up in Rock Hill outside of my district. I better mention Claflin University in Orangeburg, as well.

Mr. Speaker, as we talk about education and think about the Trump administration's efforts to minimize the importance of focusing on areas that have been left out of the process, I will mention a couple things here tonight that is going to run a little bit contrary to what my staff has researched for me.

The knowledge and skills of our young people and the things that they learn in school should not be limited to people who look like them or only people with similar backgrounds and experiences. We learn from each other when we bring to discussion a plethora of backgrounds and experiences that we can learn from.

I found that out in my own marriage. I was married to the same woman for 58 years. I remember when schools were first integrated and the courts demanded in the case called Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education in Charlotte, North Carolina, that we ought to allow busing to educate children.

Mr. Speaker, I thought there was something wrong with that decision. I didn't like it because I thought it put too much burden on students.

I went out talking about my opposition to that decision.

In fact, I spoke to a TV reporter who held the mike in my face and I waxed what I thought was eloquent until I got home. When I got home, my wife was standing in the middle of the door, tears were streaming down her face. I asked her what was wrong. I thought maybe something had happened to our daughter. We had one child at the time. I rushed toward her, what is wrong? Is something wrong with Mignon? She said no. There is nothing wrong with Mignon. I just saw you on television and there is something wrong with you. Sit down and let me ``splain'' something to you.

Now, it is one thing to get an explanation, but when the Gullah Geechee woman from South Carolina starts ``splaining,'' it is time to sit down, and I did. She told me about her experiences growing up in rural South Carolina when her class, her students did not have schoolbuses. They had to walk 2.5 miles to school every morning and 2.5 miles back home every afternoon. She told me that the White kids had buses. They would ride by them and throw urine-filled balloons as they walked.

She said to me on that day, they were not against busing then and you best not be against busing now.

I learned the difference in our backgrounds. I grew up on a paved street. I walked three blocks to my elementary school, six blocks to my middle school, and I am a graduate of Mather Academy. We called it a boarding school in those days. So I didn't know what it was like to have to walk 2.5 miles to school. Then I reflected on those children in Clarendon County, South Carolina, who walked 9.5 miles to school every day, no bus. The White kids had buses and they had to walk. Why? Because the superintendent of education said that yours don't pay enough taxes for buses. That is what we have been trying to get over in this country. That is why we had Brown v. Board of Education, which started in that little town of Summerton, South Carolina, as Briggs v. Elliott when a Federal

judge, Waties Waring, himself a great-grandson of a Confederate soldier, Waties Waring decided that the time had come for us to put that kind of process behind us, and he wrote the dissenting opinion in Briggs v. Elliott that Earl Warren used to issue the majority opinion in Brown v. Board of Education getting that behind us.

That is what this is all about, bringing people of different backgrounds and experiences together so that we can educate our children properly. When we see young people going to school, becoming educated, and trying to do the things that are necessary to prepare themselves for the future, we would do well as a government, a Federal Government, to reinforce the efforts of our States because when you give total educational responsibility to States, it means that the quality of education will be dependent upon the wealth of the State.

South Carolina is becoming wealthy, but it is not a wealthy State. We have States in our country that will not be able to afford the investment in education that other States can. We should not have an educational system with 50 different kinds of educational levels for our children. We should have a unified process, and that is what we have been trying to do with the Department of Education.

When the President closes the Department of Education and he then sends all of that back to the States, we will have people in one State getting a different quality of education than kids in another State. That is not what building a unified country is all about. E pluribus unum; Out of many, one. We ought to have out of many departments of education one Department of Education that would take on the responsibility of making sure that all of our children get the kind of education they deserve.

I will speak just a little bit to what my colleague just talked about here about DEI. I will say a little bit about DEI here as it relates to education and to the all-important industry that we have in South Carolina.

Now, this picture here is a picture that tells you a little bit about education and DEI. As you can tell, this picture is about the Revolutionary War. Now, a lot of people talk about Massachusetts and Virginia and what they did for the Revolutionary War.

Let me tell you something, if you were really educated properly, you would know that some, if not the most important battles, of the Revolutionary War took place in South Carolina. If you talk to people today about a war in South Carolina, they can only talk about the Civil War.

Yeah, it started there in the Charleston Harbor, but if you go back and look at the Battle of Charleston, that critical battle that we had lost twice, General Gates was not a good general, and then George Washington decided that he would get outside of his comfort zone. George Washington decided that he would not hold Nathanael Greene's background up in Rhode Island against him.

He sent Nathanael Greene down to Charleston and Nathanael Greene took over, won the Battle of Charleston, and changed the direction of the Civil War.

I love this kind of history. That is why way back in 2001, along with Congressman John Spratt, I authored a resolution to do a study of the Revolutionary War sites because I thought it was important for little children in the public schools of South Carolina to know what role our State played in the Revolutionary War. That was important to me because all they could see in their textbooks was what happened in the Civil War and that is all people knew about.

It took me all the way to 2019 to introduce the legislation, and I think it got passed in 2022. Twenty years we worked on this and then we had the big celebration. I am getting to this DEI stuff here.

We had the big celebration there in Camden, South Carolina, where I graduated from high school, this cannon was fired just about six blocks from the school I graduated from. The bill I worked on for 20 years finally became law. We took about 100 pictures that day. Look at this picture. The Congressman from the Fifth District you can see him standing there in the center. The Congressman from the Seventh District standing there in the center. Where is the guy from the Sixth Congressional District whose bill this was? Well, let me show you where he is. If you can see through this guy, you can see me. Why is that? It is called DEI.

They are saying the person who is in charge of taking the picture decided who he wanted to have credit for it. That is what DEI is all about.

I don't know what this gentleman is talking about. We all know what DEI is. We have been having trouble with these lights all day. I hope I am more than a silhouette back to my constituents tonight. We celebrate Thomas Edison as the most prolific inventor of American history. Why? Because we said he invited the lightbulb and that is true. I taught that when I was teaching history that Edison invented the lightbulb. I am proud of that.

However, what was not in those textbooks that I was teaching from, and I had to go to my own book to teach my children properly, because Thomas Edison couldn't get the lightbulb to work properly. It was not until Thomas Edison sat down with Lewis Latimer who had invented a filament.

Lewis Latimer's filament is what made Thomas Edison's lightbulb work. Then I am hearing from this administration that there is something wrong, uncomfortable about children learning about Lewis Latimer. Well, it is not uncomfortable for me to teach about Thomas Edison, why should it be uncomfortable for you to learn about Lewis Latimer because together they made the lightbulb work?

Why should we leave Lewis Latimer out of the textbooks and keep Thomas Edison in? That is what this administration is facilitating. That is why I saw on the front page of The Washington Post--I think it was this morning; it might have been yesterday--it was a big story about Harriet Tubman checking her stuff out of Federal facilities. What is this about? Why is it that it is uncomfortable for people to learn about that?

It is not uncomfortable for me. I was very proud of Albert Sabin. When Albert Sabin finished his professional career at the Medical University of South Carolina because Albert Sabin discovered how that little drop of serum on a lump of sugar would help eradicate polio.

I was proud of that. I know Jonas Salk had one too, but I like Albert Sabin better because Jonas Salk was a shot in the arm. Albert Sabin was a little lump of sugar. Who would rather get a shot in the arm than a lump of sugar?

I was proud of Albert Sabin finishing his career at the Medical University of South Carolina. I don't mind telling people about him. I don't mind teaching about him. What is wrong with teaching about Charles Drew, an African American who discovered the method by which we can refrigerate blood and save it until we would need it. What would we have done without that discovery? That is what the proper education is all about.

I mentioned here last week Charity Adams and Arthur Gregg. Now my colleagues think Arthur Gregg was from Virginia because that is where he retired, but he was from Florence, South Carolina. Charity Adams, Columbia, South Carolina, Fort Gregg-Adams.

Is that DEI because the Army decided that their contributions to the defense of this country were significant enough to name a facility for them? Am I going to see them taking their name off of that fort now?

We have taken Jackie Robinson's picture and resume out of the Department of Defense. I understand they took it back.

Why are you thinking about taking it out in the first place? That is what education is all about. We are in need of bringing our people together.

My number one industry in South Carolina happens to be tourism. When I came to Congress, the two big things in South Carolina were tobacco and textiles. Today, it is transportation and tourism.

Tourism is big for my State. People are going to come to South Carolina because of legislation on that southern campaign of the American Revolution. They will come to South Carolina to visit the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. They will come to visit the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. They will come for those three national parks we have, including the Congaree National Park. They

are going to come visit Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park--six big tourist attractions.

I just read the other day that already tourism and visitations at Myrtle Beach are down over 15 percent already. Why? Because this is the time of year that the Canadians come. They aren't coming this year. Why? Because of this foolishness, this big tax that is coming out. We can call it whatever we want to call it--a tariff. A tariff ain't nothing but a tax at the border. So, the people in Canada are staying north of the border rather than coming.

Charleston's tourism is down. That is going to be the case throughout the South.

We created these opportunities for us to have better economies because when we have better economies, we will have better schools, because we will have our children being able to get the education that they deserve.

I had these prepared comments here, and I apologize to my staff for the work they did over the weekend, but listening to my colleague denigrate the history of this country--that is what he is doing, denigrating the history--we ought to celebrate our history.

All of it wasn't good. My parents lived through a history that I don't want to see my children and grandchildren live through, but if we continue down the road that this administration is taking us, that is what is going to happen.

I am the ninth African American to serve in Congress from South Carolina, eight before me. The problem is there are 95 years between number eight and number nine. Why? Because of a history we ought to be ashamed of and should not ever allow to come back again.

Yet, the policies I am seeing coming out of this administration, the decisions coming from some of the courts in this country, seem to be wanting to take us back to that history that I thought we had gotten beyond.

I am proud to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, but I am also proud to work in this body with people whose backgrounds are different from mine, trying to find common ground and how we can make what this country is all about accessible and affordable for all of its citizens.

I am proud to be a part of what I consider to be a great country. There is no need of being made great. We have to make that greatness accessible to everybody, affordable by everybody. That is what educating everybody is all about.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice objection to the Trump Administration's attacks on our Nation's education system, which I view as part of a wider attack on the fundamental principle that we all benefit when people come together, exchange ideas and opinions and learn from each other in an atmosphere of respect and good will.

At the same time Americans are calling for their leaders to do the things that are necessary to lower everyday costs so that they can better their conditions and plan effectively. Their schools--our greatest laboratories for economic development and individual advancement--are being targeted.

The repercussions of eliminating the Department of Education would perpetuate cycles of economic instability for generations of American families. As a former public schoolteacher, I know very well the value of education as a tool for upward mobility.

The knowledge and skills our young people learn in our schools are crucial to securing a good foundation for vocations and professions-- that provide financial security and family stability for decades to come.

The destruction of the Department of Education is compounded by another serious threat to our economic future: the indiscriminate, non- strategic tariffs the president announced on so called ``Liberation Day'' last week.

With markets tumbling in response to these exorbitant taxes--and that's what tariffs are, taxes--the only thing Americans are ``liberated'' from is their hard-earned retirement savings.

A small group of my Republican colleagues in the other body has moved to vote to reclaim their congressional trade authorities in response to the president's misguided tariff war on our friends in Canada, by introducing legislation to reclaim Congress's authority in the face of the president's recklessness. Mr. Speaker, it is time for this body to act.

At first glance, it may appear that dismantling the Department of Education and imposing slapdash sky-high tariffs have little in common beyond their destructiveness. I believe, however, that they both give us an insight into this Administration's narrow, dark, dangerous mentality.

Public schools and international trade are both fundamentally rooted in bringing people together.

Our public schools, at their best, bring children together from a wide array of backgrounds to learn with and from each other, on a level playing field, forming, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a beloved community that will make our society stronger as generations emerge into adulthood.

International trade, at its best, brings together individuals and corporations from around the globe to do business with each other on a level playing field, each contributing their talents and specialties so that all can be better off.

soybean farmers

You will note, Mr. Speaker, that in these descriptions of public education and international trade, I included the phrases ``at their best'' and ``on a level playing field.'' And it is regrettably true that in recent decades, our public education system and international trading system have not been at their best, and have not brought students, workers, and countries together, as effectively, they could have, to learn and to trade on a level playing field. As a result-- American children have been denied good educations, and American workers have been denied good jobs.

Yet rather than working together to seek constructive solutions, the Trump Administration has used these challenges as a pretext for destruction. And the result will be worse education and a worse economy.

Without the Department of Education providing resources and guidance, our public schools will move further from the unifying, excellent educational institutions that we aspire to have.

It is important to note that the Administration's aim to move the oversight and authority for administrating education completely to the states overlooks the lessons of history.

The Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education was created because of the ongoing discriminatory practices in Southern schools denying education to African American students and students with disabilities.

dad's story

the southern campaign

Federal intervention was required to rectify the situation and ensure that states were complying with the letter and the spirit of Brown v. Board of Education, which ensured that children of different races could learn together.

With trade hobbled by confiscatory tariffs, including on some of our closest allies, American families will lose affordable access to the items they need to sustain and enrich their lives, and American business will lose affordable access to the items they need to make the products that sustain and enrich their employees and their customers.

This trade policy reveals ignorance of history as well, particularly the history of the catastrophic effects of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs during the Great Depression.

The common thread of the Trump Administration's misguided approach to these issues appears to me to be that they do not believe people of diverse backgrounds can come together in a mutually beneficial way-- whether they are coming together to learn or to engage in commerce. To the Trump Administration, the world is zero sum, where if there is a winner there must a loser.

I fundamentally reject that approach, and I believe the American people are rejecting it as well as they begin to suffer its harmful consequences. I believe that when people learn together and work together, all can be made better off.

One area where the Trump Administration's zero-sum worldview is having a harmful impact in my home state of South Carolina is in the tourism industry. Tourism is a clear example of people, interacting with unfamiliar people and places, benefit both the tourists themselves and the communities they visit.

This Administration's divisiveness is turning people off, and South Carolinians are suffering the consequences.

The tourism expected this year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a popular destination for Canadians subjected to the president's demeaning rhetoric and policies, is already down 15%.

Expected rates of tourism in Charleston have declined as well.

The success of a long-anticipated seasonal flight directly from Canada to Charleston airport is now in question as Canadians choose to vacation outside of the United States in response to the president's bluster.

You can see here on this poster a prime example of the tourism that bolsters my state's economy by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds to learn about our shared history: the Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor.

This heritage corridor is one of three in my state along with the Gullah Geechee Cultural

Heritage Corridor and the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. We now have three National Parks, Congaree, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, and the Reconstruction Era National Park. I am also particularly proud of a historic site in my congressional district--part of the African American Civil Rights Network--which commemorates the Briggs v. Elliot case, the first of the five consolidated cases that became Brown v. Board of Education.

I am particularly proud of this because it was a South Carolinian, great grandson of a Confederate soldier, J. Waites Waring, who dissented in Briggs, writing ``They showed beyond a doubt that the evils of segregation and color prejudice come from early training, . . . and that it is an evil that must be eradicated.''

These attractions illuminate examples of how tourism enriches people both financially and educationally by bringing them together with other people, places, events, and ideas they may not have otherwise encountered.

indian burial mound

These mutually beneficial interactions sadly appear to be at odds with this administration's worldview.

It is a sad irony, I have observed over the years, that those with the outlook held by this administration are those who would benefit the most from learning from, and interacting with, those different from them--yet they are the most resistant to doing so and actively seek to prevent American children from learning these lessons.

I want to share a few such lessons I believe all of us would do well to remember and heed.

Over the Christmas holiday's, I held a viewing of the historical drama, The Six Triple Eight. The subject of the film is success of a regiment of Black female soldiers who overcame extra ordinary obstacles to eradicate a backlog in mail correspondence to American soldiers on the front lines of World War II and restore morale by ensuring servicemembers could communicate with their families back home. The leader of that group was Chasity Adams. (Gregg/Adam)

We also remember the all-Black Tuskegee Airmen who went valiantly into battle for the United States in the European theater. They gave a sense of confidence to their fellow airmen, many of whom would not fly unless they had the assurance that the Tuskegee Airmen would join them in the skies.

We also remember the first U.S. mission to orbit the earth and that the astronaut leading the mission, John Glenn, refused to go up into space without the final sign off on the orbital mathematics of the mission by NASA's Katherine Johnson.

These pivotal moments are all instances where the coming together of people of very different backgrounds had immense benefits for themselves and for all of society.

It is these types of events that this Administration's policies will make far less frequent by its dismantling of the Department of Education and of mutually beneficial international trade.

It is sadly no surprise that this administration seeks to prevent the teaching and celebrating of these types of moments in our schools and museums.

I'll close by reiterating the admonition to my Republican colleagues I shared during this hour last week: it is my hope that fairness and dignity will prompt them to speak out and act against this administration's reckless agenda.

If the economic destruction of the last week has a silver lining, it will hopefully be that it is awakening the American people to the destructiveness of the administration's divisive zero-sum agenda and making it clear to my Republican colleagues that the American people prefer an approach that brings people together.

I often refer to this Hall as America's classroom and in the classroom and the marketplace, even on travel and vacation--that we should lift each other up toward a better future for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, and I thank her so much for leading this Special Order hour.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleague from Virginia to express my disagreement with the misplaced priorities of the Republican majority. The American people have made clear that they want their elected leaders to be focused on improving the economy and lowering costs.

In this area, by any measure, the Trump administration and the Republican majorities here in Congress are off to a very poor start. Projected economic growth is down along with Americans' 401(k)'s. Inflation and expectations for inflation in the coming months are up. Last week, discussing the release of higher-than-expected inflation data, one economic analyst observed ``the preliminary signs of stagflation pressures.''

Now, I am old enough to remember the stagflation of the 1970s: low growth combined with high inflation. It was devastating then, and it would be devastating now. Unsurprisingly, consumer sentiment is down substantially.

Much of this economic weakness is the result of the Trump administration's reckless, indiscriminate, and nonstrategic tariffs, which are expected to raise costs for Americans trying to make ends meet.

To take one example, The Washington Post reported that the recently announced tariffs on automobiles are likely to raise prices most significantly for the most affordable cars.

The President, however, when asked over the weekend about automobile price increases replied: ``I couldn't care less.''

The Secretary of the Treasury from my home State of South Carolina was doing quite well financially as a hedge fund manager doesn't think the American people care either. To quote him: ``Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream.''

Clearly, Mr. Trump and Mr. Bessent have never struggled to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck and appear to view those who do with disdain.

With our Nation's economy in such a precarious state and 2 weeks of session left before a 2-week recess, is the Republican majority taking urgent action to bolster Americans' finances, boost growth, and restore confidence? Regrettably, they are not.

Instead, among other ill-advised items, they are tackling the so- called problem of noncitizens voting, which is already illegal. I say so-called problem because the Bipartisan Policy Center's analysis of The Heritage Foundation database--I repeat, a Heritage Foundation database--found just 77 instances of noncitizen voting between 1999 and 2023. That is 77 instances out of hundreds of millions of votes cast over a 25-year period.

The Bipartisan Policy Center goes on to say: ``Illegal voting, including by noncitizens, is routinely investigated and prosecuted by the appropriate authorities, and there is no evidence that noncitizen voting has ever been significant enough to impact an election's outcome.'' That is from The Heritage Foundation.

If my Republican colleagues are truly concerned about the illegal overturning of election outcomes, they should work to prevent a repeat of the current President's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the deadly attack on this building on January 6, 2021. They shouldn't waste the House's time on this legislation.

Worse than a waste of time, the bill being brought to the floor this week would disenfranchise eligible citizens by imposing onerous requirements that many could not meet.

For example, as you just heard, married women who have changed their last names could not use their birth certificates with their maiden names as proof of citizenship. Neither could those born to military parents stationed abroad.

While many of my Republican colleagues may be globetrotting jet- setters, many of my constituents in South Carolina don't have passports. A $100 passport fee is a lot of money for many people in my district--in this case, an exorbitant poll tax.

This bill is only the latest Republican attempt to erect barriers to the ballot box, following recent attempts to make it more difficult to vote by mail or by ballot drop boxes. Just last week, the President signed a sweeping executive order with several onerous provisions that would risk disenfranchising millions of Americans.

Democratic bills, like the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, would stop these attacks on our democracy and ensure every American is able to cast a meaningful vote.

Mr. Speaker, when the American economy is on the precipice, why are my Republican colleagues focused on making it more difficult to vote?

While I possess no special insight into their motivations, I would argue that the two are connected. Republicans don't want to face democratic accountability for their governing failures, so they are trying to curb the electoral power of the struggling Americans who their destructive economic agenda is harming the most.

I am a little bit of a student of history. What we are seeing right now evokes the dark periods of the late 1800s.

During the gilded age, low-income Black and White Americans across the South came together in pursuit of economic justice. The economic power structure responded not by expanding economic opportunities but by restricting the right to vote. The result was Jim Crow 1.0, which deprived generations of African Americans of the right to vote, the right to choose leaders who could ease their economic burdens and expand opportunities for their families.

Mr. Speaker, after these Supreme Court interpretations and these actions by these southern legislatures, let me tell you what happened in South Carolina. When more than 50 percent of the population was African American, they had zero representation here in the Congress. In fact, the last African American left Congress in 1897, and there was not another African American in this body until I took the oath of office 95 years later. That is what happened with Jim Crow 1.0, and what we are seeing happening now is Jim Crow 2.0.

I am very fond of quoting George Santayana's admonition: Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

I worry that we are dangerously close to repeating this democratic decline amidst economic disruption. However, heeding the lessons of history, I believe there is still time to prevent it.

As we fight against Republican attempts to diminish our democracy, like the bill on the floor this week, we must deploy this democracy to demand that they address the issues people actually care about. We must make our voices heard on this floor, at townhalls, over the phone, at peaceful protests, and at the ballot box.

We must make clear that Republicans must stop the Trump agenda of economic destruction. They must take action to lower costs. They must abandon their efforts to take healthcare

away from millions to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

It is early in this fight, but our initial efforts are starting to yield results. Republicans fear for their majority, and they should. It is my hope that this fear will prompt my Republican colleagues to rethink their agenda for purposes of electoral self-preservation. If they fail to do so, the American people, as has happened before, will rightfully rethink who they elect so that we can preserve our economy and our democracy.

I will close, Mr. Speaker, with a little story from the 1950s. I graduated high school in 1957. As I was about to graduate, one of my teachers assigned me an essay to write. The essay was simply to share what I wanted to do after graduation, which was 3 months away.

When I wrote the essay, she came to me several days later and told me that she had read my essay and was very disappointed in what I wrote. I thought she had problems with the style, or maybe I didn't get the subjects and verbs to agree.

When I went into her office, she said to me she was disappointed because I said in my essay that, upon graduating high school, I would be leaving my native South Carolina, and I wrote why. It was because I was a college student, and when my parents got the right to cast an effective vote--both of them college graduates--the Democratic primary in South Carolina was a private club, a White-only private club.

These were the kinds of laws that came out of the Slaughter-House Cases and Plessy v. Ferguson, the same kind of laws that are being signaled now in the Supreme Court in the Shelby v. Holder decision. Just read it and you will see that what Justice Roberts wrote in that decision could have been lifted from those decisions of the 1870s. Jim Crow 2.0 is upon us.

Mr. Speaker, that bill is coming to this floor. If that bill is passed by this body, we will be taking another step toward disenfranchising people going forward.

It is a sin and a shame that this body in this year will initiate the opportunity to turn the clock back to revisit those years that we thought were gone by.

As we face this great threat to our economy and our democracy, I would hope that we will get a spine, that we will exert the authority of this body, and that we will say to anybody, in low places or high places, that we will not turn the clock back.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the extraordinary life of Evelyn Bennett Guile. Mrs. Guile transitioned on March 23, 2025, at the remarkable age of 107 years. Her life is a testament to resilience, dedication, and service to her family, church, and community.

Born on February 11, 1918, in Florence County, South Carolina, Evelyn was the middle child among five brothers and one sister. She grew up between South Carolina and Pennsylvania, attending both integrated and segregated schools before graduating from Wilson High School in 1936. These experiences shaped her lifelong passion for education and equality.

Ms. Bennett Guile was a devoted wife to Earl Ernest Guile for 44 years until his passing in 1980. Together, they raised two children, Georgia Guile Montgomery of Orangeburg, South Carolina, and Dr. Ernest Earl Guile, Jr., of Portland, Oregon. She is the proud matriarch of a large family, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great- great-grandchildren.

A lifelong member of Mount Zion AME Church, Mrs. Guile was active in church organizations, including the Stewardess Board and the Lay Organization. She used her talents as a seamstress to craft altar coverings and refurbished a meeting room dedicated to her late husband, who served as Sunday School superintendent for 30 years.

Evelyn's entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish the first sewing shop in Florence, South Carolina, serving a diverse clientele despite segregation. For over 50 years, she provided dressmaking services before teaching sewing classes. Her artistic talents extended to clothing and hat design, ceramics, painting, and China painting, which she embraced at age 60.

Alongside her husband, then-president of the Florence NAACP, she fought tirelessly for justice and equality. Despite threats, the Guiles opened their home to Civil Rights leaders such as Thurgood Marshall and Benjamin E. Mays, working to dismantle segregation in South Carolina.

Mrs. Bennett Guile remained vibrant and engaged throughout her life, attributing her longevity to exercise, a healthy diet, and mental stimulation. She lived independently until age 103 and continued to embrace lifelong learning. A world traveler, Evelyn visited all seven continents and explored the U.S. in her Airstream camper. One of her most cherished experiences was driving over 6,000 miles across Africa, reconnecting with her ancestral homeland.

Even in her later years, she continued to inspire others with her wisdom and kindness. She often reminded those around her to ``follow your dreams,'' a sentiment that perfectly encapsulates the way she lived her life--with purpose, passion, and a commitment to uplifting others.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in honoring the extraordinary life and legacy of Evelyn Bennett Guile. May her remarkable journey continue to inspire generations to come, and may we carry forward the values she held dear.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a South Carolinian who left an indelible mark on hip-hop, R&B, and soul and was an icon of American music. Angie Stone tragically passed away on March 1, 2025, resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Her career spanned nearly five decades, defined by innovation, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to her craft.

Born on December 18, 1961, in Columbia, South Carolina, Angela Laverne Brown grew up in the Saxon Homes housing project. Immersed in the sounds of gospel music at an early age, Angie sang in the First Nazareth Baptist Church choir as a young woman. It was there that Angie gave her first public solo. That foundation in the Black Church helped her to develop the rich, soulful voice which would later captivate audiences worldwide. Angie attended CA Johnson High School, where she excelled academically and was an athlete and a cheerleader.

In 1979, at just 17 years old, Angie co-founded The Sequence, one of the first all-female hip-hop groups. Their 1979 single Funk You Up became a landmark in hip-hop history, showcasing Angie's ability to blend rap with R&B melodies. After The Sequence disbanded, she joined the R&B trio Vertical Hold in the early 1990s, achieving success with the hit Seems You're Much Too Busy.

Her breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1999 with the release of Black Diamond, an album which showcased her remarkable vocal dexterity and deeply personal songwriting. The lead single, No More Rain (In This Cloud), topped the Adult R&B charts and became an anthem of resilience and renewal. Her follow-up album, Mahogany Soul (2001), featured the timeless hit Wish I Didn't Miss You, a song that resonated with audiences across the world and solidified her place in contemporary soul music. Over her career, she released ten solo albums, collaborating with artists like Prince and Anthony Hamilton. Angie also earned three Grammy nominations and numerous awards, becoming one of the most influential voices of her generation.

Beyond music, Angie Stone made her mark on stage and screen. She starred as Mama Morton in Chicago on Broadway, appeared in films such as The Fighting Temptations and Ride Along, and was a familiar presence on television, including roles in Moesha and Girlfriends, where she also performed the theme song. Her natural charisma and talent transcended genres, making her a beloved figure in entertainment.

Angie's legacy extends beyond her artistry--she was a mentor, a mother, and a trailblazer. She is survived by her daughter, Diamond, her son, Michael, and two grandchildren. Though we lost Angie too soon, her music and influence will continue to inspire generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing the extraordinary life of Angie Stone. She was not just a singer or songwriter. A proud daughter of the Sixth Congressional District of South Carolina, she was a cultural force who broke barriers and uplifted others through her music. As we remember her today, let us honor her spirit, her contributions, and the timeless artistry she shared with the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of an extraordinary public servant, a trailblazing political activist, a cherished matriarch of her community, and a personal friend. Betty Henderson departed this life on February 8, 2025, leaving behind an indelible mark on Orangeburg County, the state of South Carolina, and beyond.

Betty Henderson was born on January 1, 1947, in Branchville, South Carolina, to the late Nuncie and Salte Williams. From an early age, she displayed a deep sense of determination and a passion for service. Educated in the public schools of Orangeburg County and New York City, she pursued further studies at The Citadel and the University of South Carolina, completing IAOO coursework. She also studied business at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. Betty became a licensed real estate appraiser and spent over 15 years as a legal assistant at the Davis Law Firm in Orangeburg.

It was in public service where Betty Henderson's impact was most profoundly felt. For 28 years, she served as the Orangeburg County Tax Assessor, making history as the first African American female assessor in South Carolina. Her tenure was marked by an unwavering commitment to fairness and excellence, and she became the only African American ever inducted into the South Carolina Association of Assessing Officials Hall of Fame.

Betty's dedication to democracy and civic engagement extended far beyond her professional career. For over two decades, she served as Chair of the Orangeburg County Democratic Party, working tirelessly to increase voter participation and strengthen grassroots organizing. Under her leadership, the party secured opportunities for South Carolinians to meet then-Senator Barack Obama, a presidential candidate at the time, at Claflin University. She played a pivotal role in bringing the 2008 presidential debate to South Carolina State University. Betty also founded the party's cook-off fundraiser, which later became the Betty Henderson Elected Official Cook-Off, a testament to her enduring legacy.

In recognition of her outstanding leadership, she was named Chairperson Emeritus of the Orangeburg County Democratic Party after her retirement and was honored as the State County Democratic Chairperson of the Year at a South Carolina State Democratic Convention. Because of her tireless efforts, all county elected officials in Orangeburg today are Democrats.

Betty Henderson was also a pioneer in local government. She was the first African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the Branchville Town Council, where she served for twelve years, including ten years as Mayor Pro Tempore. She was deeply committed to the well- being of her community, serving on numerous boards, including the Orangeburg Family Health Center, the Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale- Bamberg (OCAB) Community Action Agency Board, the Orangeburg County Department of Social Services Board, the Regional Medical Center Board, and the CASA Family Systems Board. She was a proud and active member of the NAACP, White Rose Chapter No. 1, Queen of the National Order of the Eastern Star, and La Charm Club. A skilled organizer and strategist, Betty also managed many local, state, and national political campaigns, playing a vital role in shaping the political landscape of South Carolina.

Her lifelong commitment to service was recognized with numerous accolades, including Who's Who Among Women, the African American Women in Leadership Award, the NAACP Appreciation Award for Community Service, the American Business Women's Association Business Associate Award, the Kappa Alpha Psi Women of the Year Award, the South Carolina State University First Lady Scholarship Award, and the Unsung Hero in Politics Award.

Beyond her public service, Betty was a woman of deep faith. She was a devoted member of Canaan Baptist Church in Branchville, where she served as Budget Chair, Hospital Chair, and Program Committee Chair. Known by her family and friends as a beacon of compassion and generosity, she was always willing to extend a helping hand to those in need. Her life embodied the words she lived by:

If I can help someone as I pass along this way, then my

living will not be in vain.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in honoring the remarkable life of Betty Henderson. Her tireless dedication to public service, political activism, and steadfast commitment to her community have left a lasting legacy. May we carry forward her spirit of service, and may she rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary leader, a dedicated educator, and a tireless advocate for social justice. Dr. Rubye J. Johnson departed this life on January 30, 2025. She leaves behind an indelible mark on the state of South Carolina and beyond.

Dr. Johnson was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, on December 25, 1930. From an early age, she demonstrated a keen intellect and an unwavering commitment to education. She graduated as valedictorian of her class at Lancaster Training School in 1949 before earning her degree in English from Benedict College, where she graduated cum laude in 1953. She later pursued advanced studies at Columbia University's Teachers College. Her academic excellence was later recognized with honorary doctorate degrees from Benedict College and Faith Grant College.

Dr. Johnson's devotion to education was not merely an academic pursuit--it was a lifelong mission. She began her career as an English teacher, shaping young minds in the public schools of Lancaster, Clarendon, and Sumter counties. Her passion for education and advocacy led her to serve as President of the South Carolina Classroom Teachers' Association. Dr. Johnson's impact extended far beyond the classroom. In 1967, she embraced the call to public service, joining the national ``War on Poverty'' movement as Assistant Director of the Sumter County Economic Opportunity Corporation, later known as Wateree Community Actions, Inc. (WCAI).

For 33 years, Dr. Johnson served as Executive Director of WCAT, where she spearheaded transformative programs that improved the lives of thousands. One of her proudest achievements was founding Sumter County's first Summer Head Start Program in 1965 and later expanding it into a year-round initiative for preschoolers across the region. Under her leadership, Head Start services flourished, ensuring that children from low-income families had access to quality early childhood education. Recognizing the broader needs of her community, she also pioneered South Carolina's first rural transit system, ``Operation Bus Stop,'' which laid the foundation for the Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority.

Dr. Johnson's visionary leadership did not go unnoticed. In 2005, she was awarded the Order of the Palmetto--the highest civilian honor one can receive from the State of South Carolina. She co-founded and led numerous organizations, including the Sumter Phillip Rembert Tuskegee Airman, Inc., the South Carolina Employee Health and Welfare Insurance Company, and the South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships. Her service extended into civic engagement as an

active member of the NAACP, the Democratic National Committee, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she celebrated 75 years of membership as a distinguished Diamond member.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Johnson was a woman of deep faith. She was a lifelong member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, serving in various leadership roles at Mount Pisgah AME in Sumter. Her faith was the foundation of her work, guiding her unwavering dedication to justice, education, and service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in celebrating the life of Dr. Rubye J. Johnson. She was a trailblazer who not only broke barriers but built bridges for future generations to cross. Her influence will be felt for years to come through the programs she established, the lives she touched, and the example she set. May her legacy continue to inspire us, and may she rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an award- winning cookbook author, television personality, and culinary pioneer. Nathalie Dupree, known as the ``Queen of Southern Cooking,'' passed away on January 13, 2025, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nathalie leaves behind an indelible legacy, having elevated Southern cuisine to the national stage.

Born in Hamilton, New Jersey, on December 23, 1939, Nathalie spent her formative years in Virginia, where she developed an early interest in politics, becoming the youngest precinct captain for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1960. Her journey into the culinary world began in the kitchen of a college co-op house. Though her first attempt at cooking was far from perfect, Nathalie's determination led her to Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she honed her craft. Her career flourished as she combined French techniques with the flavors of Southern cooking, opening a restaurant in Social Circle, Georgia. Nathalie's recipes were rooted in precision and accessibility. Soon, she was teaching hundreds of students each year as the director of the South's first participation cooking school at Rich's department store in Atlanta.

Nathalie's television debut in 1985 with PBS's New Southern cooking was a watershed moment for Southern food. Her signature humor, relatable teaching style, and occasional on-screen blunders endeared her to viewers Nationwide. The companion cookbook to the series has been reprinted more than 25 times, a testament to its enduring value for home cooks. Over her career, Nathalie authored 15 cookbooks, including Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, which earned her one of three James Beard Foundation Awards.

In the early 2000s, Nathalie and her husband, historian Jack Bass, moved to Charleston, South Carolina. For nearly two decades, their King Street home became a vibrant gathering place for visiting dignitaries, authors, and politicos, who came to enjoy not just Nathalie's cooking but also her warmth and hospitality.

Beyond her culinary creations, Nathalie was a tireless mentor, advocating for women in the culinary arts. She provided internships and guidance to a generation of chefs, lovingly referring to them as her ``chickens.'' Nathalie co-founded the International Association of Culinary Professionals, alongside legends such as Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. She also served as the founding chairperson of the Charleston Wine + Food Festival and as a founding board member of the Southern

Foodways Alliance. In 2010, Nathalie extended her advocacy efforts into politics, running as write-in candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina.

Nathalie's accolades are numerous and well-deserved: the Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance, Grande Dame honors from Les Dames d'Escoffier, the Woman of the Year award from the Maitre Cuisiniers de France, and recognition by the James Beard Foundation as part of its Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America. Yet her contributions went far beyond awards. Nathalie had an extraordinary ability to bring people together--whether around the dinner table, in classrooms, or on television screens-- fostering a spirit of community that will endure for generations.

Nathalie was a devoted wife, mother, sister, and grandmother. She is survived by her loving husband, Jack Bass; their children, Audrey, Ken, David, and Liz; and her grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing the extraordinary life of a good friend, Nathalie Dupree. She was not just a chef or author--she was a mentor, an innovator, and an ambassador for Southern hospitality and cuisine. As we celebrate her life, let us remember her guiding principle: to foster community and uplift one another. May her legacy continue to inspire cooks and creators everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you so much for allowing me to join you in honoring our mutual friend and confidant, Tracie Pough.

Robert Frost, the great writer, once wrote:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I----

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I don't argue with Robert Frost, but I beg to differ a little bit with that notion because I am of the opinion, and from my own experiences, no matter what road one chooses to travel, it is the people with whom you intersect that make the difference.

When I first met Tracie Pough, I don't remember where it was or exactly when it was, but it was more than 20 years. It was not long after I came to Congress. Of course, I am a bit older than both Debbie and Tracie.

We for some reason just kind of hit it off. Our spirits kind of congealed. I don't know exactly how to explain it. We started doing political stuff together, traveling.

She just reminded me of a trip we shared to Louisiana, a part of Louisiana I didn't know existed. I didn't know about all these places. It was this little place we went to work on behalf of a candidate, and we won. Of course, the candidate later switched parties. Then, I think we lost.

The fact still remains I got to know her on that trip. I often wonder what it is about Tracie that makes my chief of staff sometimes have to consult with her before he answers my question.

Be that as it may, I do believe it is because of her background. Early in our relationship, for some reason I went to Jacksonville, Florida. I met her parents, and we began to compare notes. Then it occurred to me. Jacksonville, Florida, is in Geechee country. I was married for 58 years to a Gullah woman.

People tend to separate those two. There isn't a separation. If you are in North Carolina and South Carolina, it is Gullah. If you are in Georgia and Florida, it is Geechee. I think my getting to know the Gullah-Geechee culture is really the background as to why our spirits tend to agree.

If I had met her before the first 2 or 3 years of my marriage, we might not have gotten along because I didn't particularly get along with the Gullah culture. I learned I had to make some adjustments. Those adjustments worked. It was the same thing with Tracie.

I really feel a part of her, getting to know her family, getting to work with her, getting to really consult with her sometimes behind Debbie's back but oftentimes for the benefit of both of us.

I really was a bit surprised when I was told several days ago, maybe several weeks that she was going to retire and leave the Hill. I can say this. Truly. I love this young lady. She has been a part, an extension really of my staff, a part of my life. I have enjoyed every minute of our relationship, and I feel that she is in many instances as close to me as those three daughters that I have.

Tracie, you are going to be missed on this Hill. I want you to know that you won't be far from us because I know how to use this device in my pocket, and I expect you to answer my calls when I call you. I want you to enjoy whatever it is you are doing after you leave this Hill.

I also want you to know that if you ever think that I can be of any assistance in helping you do what you do better, just call. I know how to answer this device, as well. I also know I owe it not just to you but to your lovely family to respond in a positive way.

I often rely upon great writers to make the point. I am now thinking of the great writer, Shakespeare, when he wrote his I think it was his Sonnet 116. Shakespeare wrote:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom:

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

That is the love that I have for you. I thank you so much for being a part of my life. I join Debbie in wishing you great success, and let me know when I need to answer this device.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a trusted leader, a tireless champion for civil rights, and a treasured friend. South Carolina State Senator Kay Patterson transitioned on December 13, 2024. His integrity, courage, and wisdom will leave an indelible mark on the State of South Carolina for years to come.

Mr. Patterson was born in Darlington, South Carolina in 1931 and grew up in our shared hometown of Sumter. After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1949 and attending Claflin University, Kay joined the Marine Corps. After his discharge from the Corps, he returned to Claflin and later Allen University through the GI Bill. As a student at Allen, Kay cleaned offices at the South Carolina Statehouse where Black people were forbidden from entering in any official capacity.

Kay graduated from Allen in 1956 and began a public-school teaching career at W.A. Perry Middle School in Columbia where he taught for 14 years. When Columbia schools were integrated in 1970, Kay joined the South Carolina Education Association, where he worked for 15 years, in 1974, Kay was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from House District 73 representing North Columbia. For the next 32 years, Kay served in the building where he was once forbidden from entering except to clean the offices.

As a Representative, Kay was singularly focused on being a voice for the voiceless. His background as a teacher made him a tireless advocate for public education and South Carolina's children. Eventually, he was selected as a member of the influential House Budget Committee. Kay was excited about this new opportunity, but that excitement vanished when I, among others, urged him to run for the State Senate in 1984. Reluctantly, Kay eventually agreed to my appeal, and he went on to serve in the State Senate for 24 years, becoming just the second Black member to be elected to the chamber since the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras.

In the Senate, Kay became known for his sharp wit and oratory skills. Though Kay didn't speak on the floor of the Senate often, when he did, everyone listened. He wasn't afraid to discuss difficult topics like race and always believed in speaking up for what he believed in. His courage and wisdom made him a natural leader among his colleagues, who elected him to Chair the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and the Richland County Legislative Delegation, and to membership on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees--the first Black man to serve on the board in the modern era.

Kay's proudest legislative achievement was his advocacy for removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse Dome. He introduced his first bill calling for the flag's removal in 1983 and eventually helped negotiate a compromise that saw the flag removed from the top of the dome to the statehouse grounds in 2000. When the flag was fully removed in 2015, it was, in no small part, due to Kay's decades of advocacy.

After his retirement from the South Carolina General Assembly in 2008, Kay continued to serve his community. Kay believed that true leadership involved being an example to those who are destined to follow. Many elected officials in South Carolina have sought his mentorship and many have been inspired to enter public service through his example. A civil rights icon and champion for the poor, Kay was an advocate for all who couldn't advocate for themselves. He was an extraordinary public servant not only for his community, but for the entire state of South Carolina.

I wrote in the Introduction of my Memoirs that, ``All of my experiences have not been pleasant, but I have considered all of them to be blessings.'' I count my experiences with Kay as some of my life's greatest blessings, and he was a blessing to all who knew him. Kay will be sorely missed and may he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in celebrating the life and legacy of Senator Kay Patterson.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great South Carolinian and good friend. Congressman John McKee Spratt, Jr. transitioned to eternal rest on December 14, 2024, in York, South Carolina. His compassion, generosity, and wisdom will be remembered and cherished by all who were fortunate to meet him.

John Spratt was born on November 1, 1942. He grew up in York, South Carolina, a small mill town where his family has roots dating back to the Revolutionary War. John was a precocious child, known for his inquisitiveness and curiosity. After graduating from York High School in 1960, where he served as Student Body President, John attended Davidson College and pursued a degree in history. John's peers at Davidson saw the same intellect in him as his friends did in York, and similarly elected him Student Body President of the university. After graduating, he studied philosophy, politics, and economics on a Marshall Scholarship at Oxford University before attending Yale Law School in 1966. Following law school, he served three years as an Army Captain at the Pentagon, earning a Meritorious Service Medal. In 1971, John returned home to York to practice law at his father's firm and pursue various business interests. Over the next decade, he became a leader in the York community.

John's exposure to politics came at a young age. His father was an influential figure in the York County and South Carolina Democratic Parties, and he encouraged John's participation in the political process. Although John served as a delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention, it wasn't until nearly two decades later, in 1982, that he pursued elected office. When Representative Ken Holland of South Carolina's 5th Congressional District decided not to seek reelection, John won the Democratic primary handily and breezed through the general election to become the 5th District's Representative. He would hold that seat for the next 28 years.

A man of profound decency, extraordinary intelligence, and an unmatched work ethic, John became one of Congress's most effective legislators. He never feared working across the aisle to get things done and perfected the art of finding common ground while standing firm on his principles. His unique ability to find that common ground allowed him to fend off challengers time and again even as the political environment in South Carolina shifted beneath him.

During his service on the House Armed Services Committee, John chaired multiple subcommittees and eventually became the second highest-ranking Democrat. His interest in nuclear issues led him to lead the first foreign delegation to the Soviet Union to tour nuclear weapons plants, and he played a central role in passing the 1992 moratorium on U.S. nuclear testing. John also played a key role in helping the Catawba Tribe gain long-sought federal recognition, bringing together Catawba leaders and local landowners to negotiate a deal that met both sides' approval.

John's proudest accomplishments in Congress came when he assumed the powerful role as the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee in 1997. When President Bill Clinton expressed support for a balanced budget, John and his friend Erskine Bowles, Clinton's Chief of Staff, were tasked with negotiating with Republicans on a bill that preserved critical investments in education, health care, and social programs while cutting government spending. The resulting Balanced Budget Act of 1997 created the first federal budget surplus in 30 years and the budget hasn't been balanced since.

When Democrats regained the House majority in 2006, John became chair of the House Budget Committee. When President Barack Obama made health care reform a

central focus of his first term, it was the House Budget Committee, with John as Chair, that helped shepherd the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act through Congress in 2010. John knew his role in pushing the bill forward would likely cost him his seat in Congress-- and it did--but it was a price he was willing to pay for the good of the country.

John is survived by his childhood sweetheart and wife of 56 years, Jane Stacy Spratt; three daughters, Susan, Sarah, and Catherine; and five grandchildren. When he retired from Congress, John returned to his home community of York and served as a Visiting Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Winthrop University and on the board of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Mr. Speaker, serving in this Body with John Spratt was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. He was a friend and confidant, a colleague and counselor, a mentor and partner. His love of country and respect for humanity were always on display. He was an inconspicuous genius and the most ordinary, extraordinary person I have ever known. I will always remember his wise counsel, quick wit, and endless kindness. John represented the best of America, and America is better off because of him. We will miss John dearly, and may he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a long-time public servant in my hometown of Sumter, South Carolina. Mrs. Mary Witherspoon Blanding is retiring as Clerk to the Sumter County Council after 34 years. Mrs. Blanding was selected as County Clerk in April, 1990 and is the longest serving Clerk in Sumter County Council history.

Mrs. Blanding is the third child of the late Dea. John Ivory Witherspoon and the late Deaconess Dorothy Mae Smith Witherspoon. She grew up in South Sumter and attended Sumter County schools during the days of segregation. After graduating from Sumter High School, she received a Diploma from Palmer Junior College and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Morris College. She later attended Phoenix University, and earned her certification as a Certified Clerk to County and Certification as a Master Clerk to County Council from the Riley Center of the College of Charleston. Mary is also certified as a Dean of Christian Education through the South Carolina Baptist Congress of Christian Education (SCBCCE), where she also earned her teacher Certificate and a Diploma for Christian Education.

Mrs. Blandings public service stems from many years of volunteer services rendered toward grassroots efforts, in schools, and faith- based activities throughout Sumter and Clarendon Counties. She has served as a committee member of the Sumter Chamber of Commerce, the former Secretary and Treasurer of the Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Board of Directors, and a member of the Business and Office Advisory Board for Central Carolina Technical College. During her tenure on the S.C. Clerks to Council Association, she was selected as President and served on the Certification Committee. She is also an active member of the newly established Women Pioneer Luncheon Committee and, in 2020, served as an Honorary Wing Commander at Shaw Air Force Base.

Over her career, Mrs. Blanding has been selected for numerous honors and awards, such as the J. T. McCain Public Service Award, the American Association of Women in Community and Junior Colleges Award, a TWIN Honoree (Tribute to Women In Business and Industry), a Government Honoree for Mt. Zion Baptist Church Black History Month, and the Woman of Excellence Award by the Social Justice Consortium.

Prior to her professional career, Mrs. Blanding became the first student to be honored as Miss Sumter High School in 1970, and the first Black student crowned as Ms. Palmer Junior College in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mrs. Blanding is married to Kenneth Orlando Blanding. They have four children, Jamie (Carl), Kimberly (Eric), Elijah, and Zoie, and two grandsons, Brian and Micah. She is a member of Hopewell Baptist Church where she serves as a Deaconess, Program Committee Chairwoman, Christian Education Director, Church School Teacher, and a member of the Praise and Workshop Ministry, Sanctuary Choir, and Women Ministry.

She loves gardening--especially herbs, peppers, and tomatoes--and traveling and trying new dishes during her travel. Mrs. Blanding has fostered peace and prosperity for the entire Sumter Community throughout her decades of service. One of Mrs. Blanding's life mottos is ``as much as possible within you, live peaceably with all persons.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in recognizing the remarkable career of Mrs. Mary Witherspoon Blanding, and wishing her continued success and many

blessings as she begins the next chapter of her life.