Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my friend and community champion, Kirk Meyers-Hill, who passed away on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Mr. Meyers-Hill was a true servant leader across the South Dallas community who made it his mission to uplift the needs of others. He'll be remembered for his dedicated service to the LGBTQ+ community and his strides in strengthening our neighborhoods across Dallas. It is the passion and love for people that made him the outstanding leader he was.

In 2005, Mr. Meyers-Hill founded Abounding Prosperity, Inc., an organization that remains a beacon of hope and resource throughout the community. Through AP, he remained diligent in being a tireless advocate for the health and wellness of the Black family, particularly Black LGBTQ+ neighbors in Dallas. Specifically, he and his organization served as a hub for providing much-needed services such as HIV/STI testing & screening, HEP C screening, pREP education, and much more. During the recent Monkeypox outbreak, Mr. Meyers-Hill and his team quickly sprang into action by providing education and serving as one of the main centers for vaccinations.

In addition to his service with Abounding Prosperity, Inc., Mr. Meyers-Hill served as President of Dallas Southern Pride which is an annual celebration and outlet for Black LGBTQ+ neighbors to celebrate who they are. This annual event has only grown under the leadership of Kirk and as a result, has become one of the premier events for Black LGBTQ+ neighbors across the country. Outside of the celebration, Dallas Southern Pride embraces the strong impact our LGBTQ+ neighbors have had on history locally in Dallas, nationally, and internationally.

Mr. Meyers-Hill was not only a great non-profit leader, but unequivocally known as an advocate for our community in every situation. He continuously kept a smile on his face and strived to make a difference in the lives of others. His generous and warm spirit is what I believe will keep us strong as a community, especially for those who had the pleasure of knowing him. I am confident in the fact that our LGBTQ+ community in Dallas is where it is today only because of Kirk Meyers-Hill and his trailblazing work.

These remarks stand as a testament to the life, legacy, and service of Kirk, who so profoundly touched the lives of so many people. My thoughts and prayers are with his husband, Ricky, and his entire family and community of loved ones whom he impacted through his work. The Bible reminds us in Psalms 30:5 that ``weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'' Today, and in the days to come, I pray that God will comfort his family and friends with the peace that passes, knowing that despite our time of sadness, Kirk Meyers-Hill lived a purposeful life of service and changed countless lives for the better.

Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition of H.R. 1, the misleadingly named Lower Energy Costs Act.

I had everything written down of what I was going to say, but then I started hearing some other stuff. I decided that what I wanted to talk about is a few things.

Number one: I need the American people to understand that H.R. 1 means that this is the first bill. This is the bill that the party in power thinks matters most. This is where their priorities lie. When you look at what the Democrats did, they decided that they wanted to stand for democracy after there were those that wanted to try to tear our democracy apart.

I have to rest here for a second, simply because at the time I was a Texas House Representative who had to flee my State because of voting rights. I urged this House to pass H.R. 1, simply because we were trying to make sure that people would not cheat in these elections.

Just because you have control of the House doesn't mean that you didn't take your time and gerrymander these lines because we know that is exactly what happened. That is the only reason that the Democrats are not currently in control. The reason that this margin is so tight is because our policies stand for the people.

Let's talk about this bill. This bill is about putting people over polluters. If we want to talk about what the Republicans do when they are in control and they get to decide about power, let's talk about the State of Texas.

Let's talk about the fact that we have left the State of Texas in the dark over and over. It was interesting to look across the aisle and see a sign that said that the Republicans will keep the lights on. Well, go talk to Texas and find out if the lights have been kept on or if we have been left in the dark.

We are consistently left in the dark because there is this idea that if we just go ahead and get rid of regulations that everything will work out. Unfortunately, it has not worked out. It has not worked out to the tune of us actually losing lives in the State of Texas.

That is why we are here standing before you, making sure that we are fighting for actual lower bills when it comes to our everyday working families that are already squeezed by inflation.

We heard Mr. Speaker talk about the fact that he wanted to make sure there was more money in people's pockets for medicine. When it came down to voting for the Inflation Reduction Act, I don't believe that there were too many Republicans that were voting for that--to make sure we could lower the cost of insulin--just to make sure that the Record is clear--if we want to make sure we are putting more money into their pockets.

House Republicans want to lower energy costs for big polluters, plain and simple. That means somebody foots the bill and somebody pays the price. Once again, go ask my constituents in Texas. We are the ones who are footing the bill for the failures of our grid over and over and over.

My constituents tend to be Black and Brown, mostly, and they tend to be those that are disproportionately living in polluted communities today, that are only able to breathe because of the scant environmental protections we actually have. They are being asked

to not only endure the brunt of pollution, but also endure the bill of pollution. I will not and I cannot stand for it.

When this bill guts Clean Air Act safeguards to let polluters earn profits faster by curtailing the already paltry public comment period, my constituents foot the bill.

Madam Chair, my constituents foot the bill with increased rates of lung disease, healthcare costs, and child mortality. Who foots the bill for these lower energy costs? Not the polluters.

It is the little girl on the playground in my district who is inhaling toxic fumes from the concrete plant right next to her school. That little girl will be scarred for the rest of her life with an increased risk of asthma, bronchitis, and cancer just so polluters can make a quick buck.

You know what makes it crystal clear who the supporters really care about? The Lower Energy Costs Act repeals the home electric rebate program passed last year to reimburse the cost of energy efficient home equipment that would have actually lowered Americans' energy costs.

House Republicans are lowering energy costs for polluters all right and lowering all of our life expectancy right along with it.

Madam Chair, H.R. 1 puts politics over people and puts polluters over people.

Mr. Speaker, as a congresswoman, and a champion of health care initiatives, and as a voice for breast cancer survivors, a disease that affects minority women and all women, I am here today to talk about the pressing need for increased funding for triple-negative breast cancer. Breast cancer is a devastating disease that affects far too many of us. But triple-negative breast cancer, in particular, is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of breast cancer.

Women with triple-negative breast cancer often face a worse prognosis and limited treatment options. This is why we need to increase

funding for research into this disease. We need to find better ways to detect it early and to develop new treatments that will give women with triple-negative breast cancer a fighting chance.

But funding for research is not enough. We also need to ensure equity and access to treatment for all women with breast cancer, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Women from marginalized communities often face barriers to accessing care, and we must work to break down those barriers.

No woman should have to fight breast cancer alone, and no woman should be denied the care she needs because of where she comes from or how much money she makes. We must come together as a community, regardless of political party, to ensure that all women have access to the care and treatment they need.

I urge my fellow lawmakers to join me in supporting increased funding for triple-negative breast cancer research and ensuring equity and access to care for all women with breast cancer. Together, we can make a difference and save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the removal of Congresswoman Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

I begin by asking: What is the crime?

You see, Mr. Speaker, this is a question that many in this country have been asking over the last week: What is the crime?

Now, many were referring to Tyre Nichols, but I am asking this question as it relates to Congresswoman Omar.

Was her so-called crime allegedly committing fraud in Brazil?

Was her so-called crime allegedly breaking campaign finance laws during her election to Congress?

Was her so-called crime stealing from a roommate?

Was her so-called crime defrauding and outright lying to her constituents?

No, it was none of the above. These are crimes that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have no qualms in countenancing when it is politically expedient.

I ask again: What is the crime?

There are those who have been accused of and/or under investigation for participating in attacking our very democracy here on January 6, and they have been seated on committees.

Here we are with our first African-born Member of Congress, who has not been accused of the above crimes or any crime, and we are wasting taxpayer dollars debating her removal from her duly appointed position on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

I ask again, Mr. Speaker: What is her crime?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the removal of Congresswoman Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee and I begin by asking what is the crime?

You see this is a question that many in this country have been asking over the last week. What is the crime? Now many were referring to Tyre Nichols, but I am asking this question as it relates to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

Was her so-called crime allegedly committing fraud in Brazil?

Was her so-called crime allegedly breaking campaign finance laws during her election to Congress?

Was her so-called crime stealing from a roommate?

Was her so-called crime defrauding and outright lying to her constituents?

NO. None of the above.

But these are crimes that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have no qualm in countenancing when it is politically expedient.

So again I ask, what is the crime?

There are those that have been accused of and or under investigation for participating in attacking our very democracy here on January 6th and they have been seated on committees.

So here we are with our first African-born Member of Congress who has not been accused of the above-crimes or any other crimes and we are wasting taxpayer dollars debating her removal from her duly appointed position on Foreign Affairs.

So I ask again--what is the crime?

I certainly hope my colleagues across the aisle will do more than claim the moral high road and actually take the moral high road and acknowledge the hypocrisy and do what is right. The country is tired of the consistent double standards.

Finally, while I am still unclear of what the alleged crime is, I sure hope Rep. Omar's so-called ``crime'' isn't the same asTyre's.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today gravely concerned about the passage of H.R. 21.

Texas' hardworking families sent me to Washington to represent them in good faith, and dozens of them fear the passage of this bill.

My constituents are working every single day to make ends meet and took time out of their day to share their fears of this bill becoming law.

Why?

Because this Republican bill will raise costs on working families across the country.

When Hurricane Gustav hit my home State of Texas, key energy supplies went offline, and we relied on the quick response from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to avoid catastrophe.

The SPR has been used countless times to keep the lights on during emergencies. H.R. 21 will make it impossible for our government to quickly respond to emergencies, leaving Americans abandoned in the dark when they are most in need.

After going a week without electing a Speaker, I think Congress should get its own House in order before trying to claim the powers of the President or interfere with the energy market.