Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 90.

I am very grateful for this debate today because we need to raise this issue so the world knows that right before our eyes right now ethnic cleansing is happening halfway around the world in Myanmar.

I was privileged to go 2 weeks ago to both Bangladesh and Myanmar to be an on-the-ground witness to what is going on. In my district, I have probably most of the 1,000 or so Rohingya in the Chicago area and even have in my district the Rohingya Cultural Center, which I visited this weekend with Senator Dick Durbin, who was also on this congressional delegation.

We listened to people in Bangladesh and we heard about unspeakable atrocities that, in fact, were spoken, and I recorded some of them.

We talked to a 20-year-old woman who was holding her hijab on her face

as she cried and told about, in front of her eyes, how her husband's throat was slit and he was killed, his brother was killed, and then they grabbed the baby out of her arms and, in front of her, killed that child. It was just one of the stories.

We talked to a grandmother and her granddaughter next to her covered with burns that are now scars from a few months ago. She is so scarred that she cannot speak, and her grandmother wishes only that she would be able to talk.

We met with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Hasina, a woman, who we thanked for allowing 620,000 Rohingya to cross into Bangladesh, but they want them to go home. The Bangladeshis want them to go home. Right now that is impossible because villages have been burned and because the almost complete prejudice against the Rohingya people. They won't even use the name Rohingya in Myanmar, in Burma, to refer to these individuals.

Thousands upon thousands of stories like that are coming out of Rakhine State, where the Rohingya made their home.

We thought we were going to be, but we were not permitted to go to the displaced persons camps, which are really prisons, concentration camps in northern Rakhine, where people have been thrown out of their homes, and their homes and jobs destroyed.

We went to Sittwe, the capital of the Rakhine State. We went to what is essentially a ghetto surrounded by barbed wires, blocked by police, where people cannot get healthcare, they can't go to the stores that they used to have in the village, they can't get education. They are running out of rice right now.

This is happening now in the world. We need to do something about it. I am proud of this Congress for standing up today and saying no more ethnic cleansing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the lady for yielding to me and for her continued advocacy for all consumers, particularly the low- income consumers who are affected by this legislation.

I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1699, a bill that guts consumer protections for buyers of manufactured homes.

For years, the manufactured housing industry has preyed on low-income households, pushing them into high-interest mortgages. Under this bill, buyers of manufactured homes would effectively get less protection than any other home buyers.

On top of that, the bill would encourage higher interest rates on loans for manufactured homes, taking a bigger bite out of families' paychecks.

This manufactured housing bill is actually part of a multiprong attack on safeguards implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. President Trump has placed OMB Director Mick Mulvaney at the CFPB to destroy it from within, while Republicans in Congress are chipping away at consumer protections from the outside.

Americans deserve better. I really urge my colleagues to stand up for consumers and vote ``no.''

You know, it is easy to go after those people who live in these trailer parks who are trying to make their way, who are struggling to make ends meet, and this bill adds another layer of problem for them by allowing for higher interest rates. It is just wrong. We should be voting ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, it is fact: the Republican tax scam is an attack on America's senior citizens. According to the AARP, 5.2 million senior citizens, many on fixed incomes, will see a tax hike under the Republican bill. Meanwhile, over 60 percent of the tax benefits go to the top 1 percent.

Plus, the bill will trigger an automatic cut to Medicare--$25 billion in 2018 alone. In 2019, Americans 50 to 64 years old buying health insurance through the individual market will see their premiums increase $1,500 on average, according to the AARP. For the first time, the bill changes the way Social Security COLA is calculated, reducing Social Security benefits.

Seniors lose in the Republican tax bill, and so does pretty much everybody else. Who wins? Millionaires, billionaires, and the wealthiest corporations. We should say no to the Republican tax scam. Americans deserve a better deal.

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the Republican tax scam gives massive tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires and corporations, and they do it, in part, by increasing healthcare costs for millions of Americans. Over 36 million middle class households will see a tax hike under this bill.

Families with big medical bills will take the hardest hit. That is because Americans will no longer be able to deduct major medical expenses such as cancer treatment or Alzheimer's from their Federal income taxes.

This is a middle class tax hike. Seven in ten households using the medical expense deduction make under $75,000 a year. Repealing the deduction would especially hurt seniors who use it for long-term care expenses.

The bill takes a second swipe at American seniors and people with disabilities. According to the Congressional Budget Office, by not paying for tax cuts for the wealthy, Republicans would trigger automatic cuts to Medicare, slashing $25 billion from Medicare in 2018 alone.

But the $25 billion cut to Medicare is just the beginning. The same Republican budget that cleared the way for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for the superwealthy proposed cutting Medicare and Medicaid by, no coincidence, $1.5 trillion.

Now, Senate Republicans want to pay for additional tax cuts by repealing a key part of the Affordable Care Act. This change would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 13 million and increase premiums by 10 percent.

Middle class families, people with disabilities, and seniors struggling to afford healthcare should not foot the bill for billionaires to get a tax cut. I urge my colleagues to make the healthy choice for Americans and vote against the Republican tax scam.

Mr. Speaker, here is the Republican tax scam: first, cut taxes for the wealthiest corporations and for the superrich. Number two, cut Americans' healthcare.

Don't take my word for it. Just look at the Republican budget. After clearing the way for a $1.5 trillion tax cut, it proposes cutting Medicare and Medicaid--coincidentally, I don't think so--by $1.5 trillion.

It gets worse. Under the Republican tax bill, American families would no longer get to deduct major medical expenses from their taxes. Seven in 10 households using the medical expense deduction make under $75,000 a year, and over half of the Americans who depend on that medical deduction are over 65 years old.

Families struggling to afford cancer treatment or long-term care should not have to pay a health tax so that billionaires can get a huge tax cut.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this scam. Americans deserve a better deal.

Mr. Speaker, once again the Republican majority is offering a bill that would harm working families. It has nothing to do with saving local businesses, small businesses, and has everything to do with limiting workers' rights and taking away workers' wages.

Between 2005 and 2015, 94 percent of net job growth was in alternative work like temporary, contract, and on-call jobs. This isn't our parents' workplace anymore, where one employer sets the rules and pays the wages. Today, a corporation can set workplace rules while a temp agency or subcontractor pays the wages. Today's workers need to be able to bargain with both and to hold each accountable for labor law violations.

Instead, this bill moves us backward. It would prevent working men and women from bargaining for better wages and benefits and safer working conditions with the corporations that have decisionmaking power over their workplace.

It would allow corporations to rob working women and men of their earned wages without giving those workers the right to recover. The annual cost of wage theft is estimated at $50 billion this year.

It would immunize bad corporate actors and put small and big businesses who respect their workers at a competitive disadvantage.

This bill is a bad deal, and workers know it.

I include in the Record a letter from the AFL-CIO and its 12 million members.

If you support better wages and better jobs, vote ``no'' on this bad bill.

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that Republicans are holding the Children's Health Insurance Program, 9 million kids, and the Community Health Center program, 15 million people, hostage to wreak even more havoc on our healthcare system and make children and seniors sicker and undercut Medicare.

Paying for children's health insurance on the backs of seniors is simply a disgrace. This bill would increase Medicare part D and part B income-related premiums, charging higher income seniors the entire cost. This is a structural attack on Medicare, and that is why the AARP, which supports the Children's Health Insurance Program, opposes this bill. Imposing a 100 percent premium is unfair because these seniors already pay more, and it will drive many out of Medicare altogether, undermining its solvency.

To make matters worse, the Republican income threshold is not based on current income, but on a 2-year period. So, for example, seniors' income is volatile, and if you sold your home, you could get a massive premium penalty, even if you used the money you got from selling your home to buy in to assisted living and that money wasn't available.

Income-related premiums are simply unnecessary. There are many other ways to pay for the CHIP program without using Medicare as an ATM. Democrats have offered reasonable alternatives, but Republicans opposed all of them.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Baha'i community as they celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of their founder, Baha'u'llah.

I am proud that Wilmette, Illinois, in my district, is home to the Baha'i House of Worship for North America. This magnificent temple stands as a beautiful testament to the power and strength of Baha'u'llah's teachings.

Two centuries after the birth of Baha'u'llah, millions around the world remain committed to his teachings of peace and the oneness of humanity. In almost every country in the world, members of the Baha'i faith congregate to celebrate the values of unity and equality which are central to their religion. These values are more important than ever today, a time when we all need to come together to oppose those who promote intolerance, division, and bigotry.

Although the Baha'i faith teaches and practices peace, many of its members face persecution and violence around the world. As I congratulate the members of the Baha'i community in my district and around the world while they celebrate this important anniversary, I also reaffirm my commitment to standing with them against threats to freedom of religion.

Mr. Speaker, regardless of what the Republicans say, their budget paves the way for trillions of dollars in tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations.

And who would pay for it?

It would be the middle class families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It would slash Medicaid by $1 trillion, threaten healthcare for one in four Americans. It would slash Medicare by $470 billion. And this budget proposes, yet again, to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Under the Republican tax plan, 1.9 million Illinoisans would no longer be able to claim State and local tax deductions; and nationwide, 47 million people in middle class households making between $50,000 and $150,000 a year would pay more in taxes.

So I ask my colleagues: Did you really come to Congress to take away healthcare and reduce income for middle class families?

If you care about anyone other than millionaires and billionaires, you need to vote ``no.''

Mr. Chairman, who wins in the Republican budget?

Same old same old; millionaires, billionaires, large corporations. The Republican budget paves the way for their plan, which gives 80 percent of its tax cuts to the top 1 percent of Americans, while 30 percent of middle class households making between $50,000 and $150,000 a year would actually see a tax increase. This is according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

It slashes $1.5 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid, even worse than TrumpCare, and it ends the guarantee of Medicare benefits for American seniors.

It attacks women's health by defunding, of course, Planned Parenthood, once again. It slashes SNAP--SNAP, the Food Stamp program-- by $154 billion, taking nutrition assistance away from up to 7 million households.

Did you really come to Congress to take food out of the mouths of hungry children?

Now we are considering the Republican Study Committee budget, which includes even deeper cuts for children and families and seniors while giving tax cuts to the wealthy.

My Democratic colleagues and I offer A Better Deal for America. The United States is the richest country in the world at the richest time in history. We can have quality healthcare, affordable childcare, debt- free college, secure retirement, and world-class infrastructure, but not if we give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations.

So I urge my colleagues to reject the RSC budget, reject the Republican budget, and to support the Democratic alternative. Americans deserve a budget that grows our middle class and invests in our future.

I want to read just one paragraph of a letter from Planned Parenthood that says: ``The House Budget Resolution proposes cuts that would be disastrous for women, men, and young people Planned Parenthood sees every day. It sacrifices access to healthcare, repealing the Affordable Care Act, gutting Medicaid, and proposing even deeper cuts to low- income nondefense discretionary spending. It undermines access to critical reproductive healthcare, including no copay birth control, for millions of women.''

The women of America are watching. This budget is a particular disaster for them, for us.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Madam Speaker, I rise for Tori. This is her story:

Tori and her husband planned her pregnancy carefully to make sure that her maternity leave worked with her graduate studies, and they were thrilled that the plan right for their family came together and they were pregnant.

At 20 weeks, during a routine ultrasound, they were devastated to learn that the fetus carried a rare disorder that resulted either in the death of the infant shortly after delivery, or a very shortened lifespan wrought with profound disability. Their situation was now out of control. It is one decision that no parent ever wants to have to make.

Their decision was agonizing: end the pregnancy after 20 weeks or watch their child die or suffer.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of Tori, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 36. We must stop the bans.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to just pick up on something that Congressman Veasey said, but first let me just thank the gentleman from California for his relentless push to make sure that we have good jobs in America, that that is part of our better deal. We are not just talking about jobs. We are talking about good jobs.

I wanted to just say that when it comes to women, if women want equal pay for equal work now, join a union. There aren't any union contracts that say: Oh, we are going to pay men up here and women over here, not 79 cents on the dollar for a woman in a labor union.

So I encourage my friends--my sisters--to join a union.

Marc Veasey and Brendan Boyle are both the co-chairs of what we call the Blue Collar Caucus. I am part of it. Notice my blue collar today.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud member of that caucus because workers, as we know, are just not getting a fair deal right now in today's economy. The U.S. is the richest country in the world and in the history of the world. We are richer than we have ever been. Now, most people don't actually feel that because the ordinary worker has not seen any wage growth in the last 2, maybe 2\1/2\ or 3 decades. The income gap between top executives and the average worker is bigger than ever. At the same time, corporations are raking in record profits as they ship jobs overseas.

So, obviously, it is time for us to fix the economy that is rigged against America's working families. We can start with our Tax Code or end with our Tax Code or in the middle with our Tax Code. We need to do something about our Tax Code.

So today I am joining with Congressmen Boyle and Veasey to introduce--we introduced just a few minutes ago--the Patriot Employer Act, and that is H.R. 3925. It is a first step toward fixing a broken tax system.

Instead of giving tax breaks to companies that offshore jobs and that pay poverty wages, our bill encourages businesses to create good jobs here at home.

Here is how the bill works. We reward patriot employers with a tax credit for each employee's wages. To qualify for the patriot employers tax credit, a business must fulfill the following checklist:

One, invest in American jobs, no offshoring or tax inversion schemes;

Two, pay living wages;

Three, contribute to workers' retirement security through a defined benefit or defined contribution plan;

Four, provide quality health insurance;

Five, provide paid leave;

Six, and lastly, have practices in place to support employment of our troops, our veterans, and people with disabilities.

There is a companion bill that was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown, and I am sure he will get more cosponsors.

Small businesses, under 50 employees, can qualify for the tax credits by meeting only some of these criteria.

Unlike the Trump-GOP tax giveaway proposal, our bill is responsible. It pays for the new tax credits by closing existing tax loopholes that incentivize corporations to invest overseas. I think most Americans get that there is actually an advantage now for companies who decide to take their jobs out of the United States.

Under the current Tax Code, multinational corporations get to defer taxes on overseas earnings until they bring those profits back to the United States. Through creative accounting, corporations essentially get to avoid taxes in perpetuity. That is forever.

At the same time, those corporations can deduct interest expenses on investments overseas, such as building a new manufacturing plant somewhere. That is totally backward. We are rewarding corporations that are avoiding U.S. taxes and offshoring American jobs.

That is exactly right, Mr. Speaker. If a corporation deducts interest expenses on investments overseas, and that would include building a new manufacturing plant offshore somewhere.

So we don't want to be rewarding corporations that are avoiding U.S. taxes and offshoring American jobs and giving them benefits. So the Patriot Employer Act fixes that. It raises taxes on corporations that offshore and reduces taxes on businesses that invest in good, American jobs.

The President talks about America first. This is exactly the kind of thing that we should be doing. Let's not create incentives to take those jobs away. But still, the Trump-GOP tax plan is a betrayal of American workers. I don't know if he knows that. It does nothing to raise wages. In fact, 80 percent of the plan's tax cuts would go to the top 1 percent of earners.

At the same time, 30 percent of middle class families--$50,000 to $150,000--would actually see a tax increase under the plan.

As for corporate taxes, it doubles down on the problem in the current Tax Code. While our current Tax Code lets multinationals put off paying taxes on offshore profits, the new Republican plan would give permanent tax breaks for offshoring.

The Republican tax plan means less revenue for investments that grow the middle class, like education and infrastructure, which we need so badly, which he said he wanted to do. We want to do it with him. It means more

jobs shipped abroad. For many middle class families, it would mean a smaller paycheck.

So we are offering a different path. The Patriot Employer Act, together with stronger unions and greater public investment, offers a real solution to the growing inequity in our country.

There are responsible businesses in our country. If a business pays fair wages and provides good benefits, we should support that. We shouldn't make them compete with corporations that don't.

In the end, it is a question of whose side are you on: the offshoring corporation or the American worker?

Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to reject tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and multinational corporations, and to invest in American workers and not offshoring.

So I just want to thank the gentleman from California so much for letting me come today and talk about this new bill that was introduced. I think it is totally consistent with our better deal, better wages, better future, and better jobs for America. I thank Congressman Garamendi so much for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to come to the gentleman right now and get his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the month of September as Dystonia Awareness Month. I also want to express my appreciation to the Farber family--Joel, Harriett and Beth--for their tireless work on behalf of those living with dystonia and those who care for them. Their work with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation has made important contributions to our awareness of dystonia and the need for greater research, and I am proud to have them as my constituents.

Today at least 300,000 people in North America suffer from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. Joel and Harriett's daughter Shari--Beth's sister--had dystonia. The Farber family not only advocated for her, they determined that they would advocate on behalf of the entire dystonia community. They reached out to me and so many others to explain what is known about the disease, its impacts, and the need for expanded medical research and support networks. Over the years, they have continued to come to my office and have travelled the country to push for action.

Dystonia affects men, women and children. For most people with dystonia, the cause remains unknown and there is currently no cure. Dystonia is not usually fatal, but it is a chronic disorder producing symptoms that vary in degrees of frequency, intensity, disability, and pain depending on the type of dystonia. The inability to predict or control the movements of the legs, arms, hands, neck, shoulders, face, eyelids, jaw, tongue, or vocal cords has a profound impact on an individual's life.

Dystonia may be inherited or caused by specific factors such as certain medications or traumatic injury, particularly traumatic head/ brain injuries. Our men and women in uniform face a disproportionate risk of developing dystonia as a result of injuries sustained during their military service.

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, which works to raise awareness of dystonia, is a nationwide organization that has served the community for more than 40 years. The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation provides the dystonia community with support, education, advocacy, and the promotion of research into the causes of and care of dystonia.

I call on my colleagues to recognize the goals and ideals Dystonia Awareness Month by supporting federal activities that improve lives of patients impacted by dystonia including research programs at the National Institutes of Health. We need to improve medical research and we need to make sure that those living with dystonia receive the quality health and caregiving services they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with an urgent plea to my Republican colleagues. Not included in this legislation are the Children's Health Insurance Program, Community Health Centers, and Teaching Health Centers, whose authorization expires on September 30, this Saturday, after this House adjourns.

They have known for 2 years about this date, yet, with no time left, the Republicans spent precious hours today debating among themselves a plan to cut taxes for the richest of Americans.

Nine million children rely on CHIP for their healthcare. Twenty-three million Americans rely on Community Health Centers. That is 1 in 15 Americans, and they rely on the doctors that are trained at those centers.

If making sure that every child in America has access to healthcare, if that is not a priority, what is?

This is a real crisis that still can be averted in just a few minutes of time now and not later. Families are waiting anxiously while their health security is hanging in the balance. It is time to vote now before it is too late.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for yielding to me, and I rise in strong support of the Women, Peace, and Security Act.

I first want to thank my Republican colead on this bill, Kristi Noem, for her hard work; and I want to express my gratitude to Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their robust support for this legislation.

I want to thank Senator Shaheen and Senator Capito for their work in the Senate on this, as well as Senators Corker and Cardin.

I want to thank the staff who has put in a lot of hours on this, last session and this session, including my staff, Cassandra Varanka.

Around the world, women are disproportionately affected by conflict and violence. At the same time, women are acting as some of the most effective advocates for peace. Again and again, women have proven their ability to advance peacemaking efforts where others have failed.

Look at Syria. In the town of Zabadani, women have been leading efforts to save their city from violence. Over 470 women signed a public petition, calling for a cease-fire. Their town had been under siege, experiencing daily shelling and barrel bombings. As the formal negotiations between the rebel-controlled local council and the Assad government constantly broke down, the war prevented the town from planting crops.

A group of women peace activists came together to found a group called Damma, and they facilitated negotiations between the local council, the Free Syrian Army, and the Islamic brigades. Where the traditional actors had failed, these women moved through five rounds of negotiations, ultimately achieving a cease-fire. Now, the cease-fire only lasted 40 days, but those 40 days gave the town critical time to plant crops and address its food shortage.

The power of women to advance peace and aid in postconflict reconciliation is not limited to Syria. Women in Liberia played a crucial role in bringing warring parties to the negotiating table, as the chairman said.

When the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a major peace agreement in 2004, women made up 50 percent of the government's negotiating team and 25 percent of the signatories.

In Ireland, women helped ensure that the Good Friday Agreement included social issues, reconciliation measures, and compensation for victims of violence.

Women around the world are actively working to advance peace talks and ensure successful transformation from conflict to peace. Passing the Women, Peace, and Security Act will ensure that the United States actively supports these incredible women as we work toward ending conflict around the world.

When women are involved in the negotiations, peace is more likely to last. In fact, the International Peace Institute found that, with each 5 percent increase in women's participation in the political process, a nation is five times less likely to use violence when faced with international crisis or conflict.

Despite the strong evidence in favor of women's political participation, women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and postconflict peace building efforts around the world. We need to change that.

This legislation establishes women's participation as a critical element of U.S. foreign policy. It would encourage the United States to assist women mediators and negotiators by addressing barriers to their equal and secure participation in peace processes.

It would institute comprehensive training modules on the protection, rights, and specific needs of women in conflict, and require the administration to evaluate the impact of U.S. foreign assistance on women's meaningful participation.

In addition, the Women, Peace, and Security Act would require the administration to report to Congress its strategy to promote women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution.

It would empower Congress to exercise oversight of that strategy's implementation.

As countries around the world are struggling with conflict, the United States should be empowering anyone and everyone who can help achieve lasting peace.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support the Women, Peace, and Security Act.