Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 58th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. Despite the goal to ensure equality for women in the workplace, nearly 60 years later, the pay gap still exists.

Women today, on average, make 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man. For women of color, the disparity is worse, with Black women making 63 cents on the dollar, AAPI women making 60 cents, and Latinas making 55 cents.

This disparity is unacceptable, and it is unfair.

Let us come together right now to pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act.

When women get equal pay, our families and our entire economy will do better.

I include in the Record a letter from the United Church of Christ in favor of H.R. 7.

United Church of Christ

Dear Representative: We are writing to ask for your support

in passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7), and to

ensure that passage in the House is done without amendments

that diminish the protections provided by the bill.

There is ample evidence to show that despite equal pay

laws, the gender pay gap exists. These lost earnings add up

to a loss of over $400,000 in a lifetime. The wage gap is

even more significant for women of color

with Black women working full time making only 63 cents for

every dollar paid to men, Native American women only 60

cents, and Latinas only 55 cents, for every dollar paid to

their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts.

As people of faith, we believe that each person deserves to

be treated with dignity and humanity. When women are paid

less for the same work that is a concrete and explicit way of

showing that their work and personhood are valued less.

Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen and

update the Equal Pay Act and provide women with the legal

means to fight the gender pay gap and challenge gender pay

discrimination.

The work done by women, and particularly Black and brown

women, is undervalued and underpaid. Even though much of that

labor is what keeps people fed, clothed, and cared for. The

work of women, so important to how a society functions is

always relegated to less pay and less value. This is a gross

injustice--and part of the systemic racist structures that

undergird the economic system in the United States. God's

vision for our world is one where all are valued, no matter

their gender, race, or credo.

We urge you to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act without

harmful amendments that weaken its critical protections.

The United Church of Christ

Justice and Witness Ministries

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1868 to prevent arbitrary cuts to Medicare and to ensure that the American Rescue Plan is treated in the same way as previous coronavirus bills have been treated, including the CARES Act.

This legislation, as we all know, this fix is needed to avoid painful cuts to our mandatory spending programs. And let's remember--the hypocrisy is overwhelming here--that the Democrats voted with Republicans in 2017 to avoid Medicare cuts as a result of the Republican's tax scam, a $2 trillion tax cut, that went mostly to the wealthy.

Our healthcare workers have been working nonstop for over a year fighting this pandemic. They do not deserve a cut in Medicare payments for taking care of seniors and people with disabilities.

By removing the sequester, we can ensure that providers keep their doors open and they can continue to treat their patients.

Though Republicans voted against the American Rescue Plan, which they shouldn't have, I sincerely hope that today they will join us and vote to protect these programs that enjoy broad bipartisan public support and ensure that our commitment to our Nation's seniors and people with disabilities are met during this public health crisis.

Especially now, we need to be working together, as we did for the Republicans. When the Republicans were giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, we were not going to let Medicare suffer.

Madam Speaker, there is no doubt the American Dream and Promise Act will bring much-needed relief to our Dreamers and our immigrant communities, and I will be voting for the bill.

However, many of my constituents are disappointed that H.R. 6 includes harsh exclusions that will block many of our long-term members of our community from citizenship simply because of misdeeds, mistakes that they made years and years ago. I will continue to advocate for them.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the sacrifices made by American men and women in uniform today and throughout our nation's history. We should each take a moment to recognize the enormous loss of Americans who leave their homes and families to serve their nation, and whose fates are unknown--some captured and listed as prisoners of war, while many others are listed as missing in action. Their families endure tremendous grief and pain, knowing that their loved one's story may never be revealed and that they may never be laid to rest.

Current estimates of American servicemembers who are unaccounted for number over 80,000. The vast majority of these are from conflicts decades ago, and answers continue to elude us. We must continue our efforts to make sure that all American servicemembers listed as POW or MIA are returned and that we continue to remember and venerate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in war.

I want to commend the efforts of Gene Spanos, a constituent of the 9th Congressional District, who has spent a great deal of time and energy contributing to these efforts. His ongoing missions include, but are not limited to, pushing for recognition of American POWs who died in captivity during the Korean War, advocating for greater United Nations support of POW-MIA recognition efforts, ensuring that potential MIA servicemember gravesites are included in the Master Excavation listings country by country. The efforts of Mr. Spanos and so many dedicated individuals around the country are ensuring that we continue to move forward on this critical issue. Madam Speaker, I commend the work of my constituent Gene Spanos and his counterparts who are dedicating their time and passion to these efforts.

Madam Speaker, every single constitution in the world

drafted since 1950 has the equivalent of the equal rights amendment, except the United States of America.

Though some might say otherwise, it is clear that women need the equal rights amendment, and we need it now. We need the ERA to strengthen the movement women have been building to achieve paycheck fairness and paid family leave, to prevent discrimination against women who are pregnant in the workplace, and to fight for comprehensive reproductive health for all women and girls.

Today, I will vote for the equal rights amendment to assure that my granddaughters, that women and girls throughout the world and throughout the country, are not only strong, powerful, and resilient, but also equal here in the United States under the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 88.

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin my remarks about Women's History Month with a little quiz. Who was the first woman of color to serve in this body, in the United States House of Representatives?

I think I hear somebody saying maybe it was Shirley Chisolm. Shirley Chisolm certainly was a groundbreaking leader, but she was not the first woman of color. It was a woman named Patsy Mink.

Patsy Takemoto Mink was born in the territory of Hawaii in 1927. She became a lawyer at the University of Chicago. That is my hometown. Not frequent for women to do that. In fact, she couldn't get a job, so she set up her own practice.

But she got really interested in politics, and she served in the territorial House and Senate. And guess what? She was the first woman ever to be in that body. She was a groundbreaker.

In 1964, 5 years after Hawaii became a State, Patsy ran for the United States Congress, the first woman of color and the first Asian American and the first woman to represent Hawaii.

She championed early childhood education, introduced the first childcare bill in Congress, and she was a groundbreaker by introducing title IX. This was legislation that itself was groundbreaking. An amendment to the Higher Education Act, title IX, ensured that women could not be excluded from participating in school activities or participating in collegiate athletics. Believe me, this was not an easy bill to pass.

That same year, she actually did run for President. That was about 2 years before Shirley Chisolm did. A very short race. She was an anti- Vietnam war candidate. Then she dropped out to run for Senate and lost that race.

But she came back to the United States Congress to serve once again. I have to tell you that I had the pleasure--when I came here in 1999, Patsy Mink was here, a fierce and tiny woman whom you could not resist.

I want to say today that we need to lift the name of Patsy Mink higher. People don't know who she is or who she was or what she accomplished for women. I am determined that we will do something in this House of Representatives to acknowledge and honor the great work of Patsy Mink.

Mr. Speaker, this is a historic day. It is the beginning of the end of the great COVID depression. It also marks the end of a decades-long successful battle by big corporations and the super rich in this country for trickle-down economics, the idea that the rich getting richer will somehow make us all do better. Wrong.

Today, we are putting money in the pockets of ordinary people, of poor people, of the middle class, and they will be the engine that creates a healthy, prosperous future for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank my friend, Ayanna Pressley, the wonderful congresswoman from Massachusetts. I have had the pleasure of knowing Ayanna Pressley well before she was even 16, and she was ready to vote as soon as that.

I want to say that all over the country, and especially in my district, I feel we see young people, young activists, who are working tirelessly to make their voices heard, from battling climate change, battling gun violence, to advocating for racial justice and economic equality.

This is their century, and our national leadership should be accountable to them, to these young people in their generation who will be most impacted by the existential threats that are looming before us today.

This is a serious proposal. Sixteen-year-olds are doing the work of adults, and they should be treated with the respect that they deserve and the participation that they should be able to have.

So I heartily support this amendment and urge my colleagues to consider it carefully and vote for it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to the millions of Americans who peacefully put this bill on the agenda.

It was nowhere last year until we saw 8 minutes and 46 seconds of a man being murdered, a Black man, George Floyd. People--White, Black, all different colors--took to the streets, and they said, ``No more.'' I want to thank those activists and ordinary people who said we don't have to tolerate this.

The bill passed last year, and it is going to pass again because the American people are tired of this racism and the killing and killing and killing of Black people.

Madam Speaker, over half a million Americans have been killed by a merciless virus. That is about the population of New Haven, Connecticut. Now, also picture wiping out Grand Rapids, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; or McAllen, Texas.

Ten million Americans are unemployed right now. Nearly one in four households have experienced hunger this year. These are horrible statistics, but there is good news building on this floor right now.

President Biden promised help is on the way, and here it comes, the American Rescue Plan, a real plan to crush the virus, put money into people's pockets, allow our States and counties and cities to continue to provide the services that are necessary.

No wonder up to 80 percent of Americans want all of us--all of us--to vote ``yes'' tonight. Let's give it to them.

Madam Speaker, I rise as the proud grandmother of a trans young man, and I just want to say that any family would be lucky to have the amazing and loving and smart and funny Isaac in their family.

And I rise today to say thank you to the generations of people who have been arrested and beaten and excluded and sometimes killed for this fight. Let today be the end.

I thank Congressman Cicilline and all of those who have spoken today and are going to vote for freedom. This is a remarkable day, not just for my Isaac, but for all the young people who are frightened today. No more. We are with you.

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud. Only 2 weeks into the new Presidency, we are now moving ahead, right now, boldly, to answer the cry of the American people and to ultimately pass and implement the American Rescue Plan. If you don't hear the cry of your constituents, then you aren't listening.

I want to focus on our communities, our States, our counties, our cities, large and small, that are in a crisis situation right now. They are starving for help to cover the basic costs that they have, and we have an opportunity to give them $350 billion in relief and flexible aid that can be used to make sure that our communities stay strong.

It is not just about budgets, and it is not just about employees. It is about our constituents who will find that if

we aren't able to fund the essence of what our communities need, then we are going to see firefighters lose their jobs; we are going to see paramedics and police and nurses and teachers and sanitation workers not available for our communities; and we will see towns and counties not able to fund their transportation systems.

It is time for us to act. It is past time for us to act. Let's do it.

Madam Speaker, on July 20, 2020 I missed recorded vote No. 142 due to travel delays. Had I been present I would have voted YEA (Passage of H.R. 6395)

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of impeaching the President of the United States of America, Donald, J. Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors.

One week ago, in this Capitol Building, there was an armed insurrection orchestrated and incited by the President of the United States himself.

Think about that for a moment--led and encouraged by the President of the United States. This threat to our democracy can never be overstated; the trauma experienced, and loss of life, can never be erased from our collective memory or minimized in our history books.

Look at this room, look at this building, the scars of bullet holes and mob attack remain. We are working within a crime scene. Many of my friends and colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, were only moments away from being overrun by this mob--that was armed with guns, handcuffs, chemical weapons, and other objects of death and destruction.

The mob violently smashed its way into the Capitol. They sought the Speaker of the House to cause her harm. They sought the Vice President of the United States to cause him harm. Their goal was to overturn the most important element of our electoral democracy--a free and fair election.

Madam Speaker, President Trump has declared war on democracy. He lied to our country for weeks regarding the results of our Presidential election. He charged up the white supremacist mob that attacked this Congress. He did nothing as police were attacked, and killed, and hundreds of Members and staff hid under tables and behind doors to preserve their lives. He is a clear and present danger to this country and our democracy and he must be removed from office.

Were it not for the bravery of law enforcement, I'm afraid of what may have happened one week ago.

What we do today will be studied by our children and grandchildren. Nobody is above the law. A President's primary job requirement is to protect and preserve the Constitution of the United States, and the lives of the American people. He has demonstrably failed at both.

I implore my colleagues to consider this. If we are not going to use the tool of impeachment provided by the U.S. constitution to hold those accountable for violent sedition against the United States, then what should it be used for?

When our time comes to vote in only a matter of moments, I call on all members in this chamber to honor their oaths, an oath we signed only 10 days ago: ``I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I'm about to enter. So help me God.''

History demands that we hold Donald Trump accountable for dangerously failing to abide by this sacred oath.