Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on the negative impact that the restrictions on funding for travel to receive abortion services will have on our servicemembers and their families, women of childbearing years.

Unfortunately, in the South, between New Mexico and Virginia, you have a ban on abortion. In some cases total, and in some cases there are exceptions for rape or the life of the mother, but the mother's life has to be on the verge of death. Unfortunately, in these States, they make no distinction between miscarriage management, and they apply to cases, like you heard, where there has been fetal demise and a miscarriage. If you do not remove the fetal tissue, then the mother can go septic and die. If she loses her amniotic fluid and you do not terminate that pregnancy, she can go septic and die.

I represent a State that has over 170,000 Federal employees and 130,000 Active-Duty military personnel. With the Hyde amendment in place, we are already telling pregnant people in that situation: You have to pay for that service yourself. Their insurance won't pay for it. Many hospitals will consider them uninsured and won't let them have those procedures in the hospital, so they have to go find a clinic which, in many cases, is getting harder.

Now, if they are in a State that has banned abortion in that situation, they have got to, on top of that, pay to travel somewhere where they can get, in some cases, lifesaving care. In addition, we have seen that these abortion bans have led to fewer OB/GYNs in those States.

How are we going to recruit women of childbearing years when we say to them: If you get the worst news ever in your life, that you have suffered a miscarriage or you have to choose between your life or continuing a pregnancy, when you are already willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep this country safe, you are on your own. That is what this bill with that amendment will do.

Our servicemen and -women deserve better. In a country that already has an atrocious maternal mortality rate, this will lead to even more maternal deaths. I don't know how we are going to recruit the women that we need.

I don't have enough time to talk about how the anti-DEI amendments will make it harder to recruit a service force that is as fully diverse as the country they serve, but this amendment, in particular, will be dangerous for our military servicewomen or families of our servicemen. That is why I ask that we vote against the rule.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this harmful, ridiculous rule because it pushes partisan provisions and does not address the issues that actually matter to the American people, as I hear in my district.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can bring legislation like H. Res. 178 to the floor for a vote to reaffirm our commitment to protecting Social Security and Medicare.

These vital programs are lifelines for seniors. They provide our seniors with the financial support and health coverage they have earned and rightfully deserve.

In Virginia's Fourth, there are over 150,000 seniors on Social Security and who are eligible for Medicare.

Virginians and Americans across the Nation need Congress to focus on the issues that really matter to them, and I know hundreds of thousands of seniors in my district rely on these programs to keep food on the table and access the healthcare services and prescription drugs they need.

For years, extreme Republicans have sought to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits, privatize these programs, and raise the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare. House Democrats stand united in our efforts to strengthen and preserve these programs to ensure our seniors have the support that they need to live with dignity.

Mr. Speaker, it is past time for House Republicans to stop the partisan messaging bills and get back to work on the challenges that face our constituents.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chair, I rise to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on amendment No. 31, which is an attempt to sanitize the American history taught by the Department of Defense Education Activities.

I rise as the first Black woman elected to this body from Virginia, who grew up listening to my parents and grandparents tell stories of their lives in the Jim Crow South and its impact on their lives, families, and communities.

I rise as someone born and raised in the birthplace of American democracy and the birthplace of American slavery; the home of the father of our country, the first Commander in Chief of the Army, the first President of the United States, who is watching this debate right now on the wall, who owned and enslaved human beings; the home of Thomas Jefferson, who also owned enslaved human beings, but wrote the resounding words of the Declaration of Independence 247 years ago that we celebrated last week: Ideals that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately, he did not mean me.

I am from the home of the architect of the Constitution, which 13 years later, starts with the words: ``We the people.''

It did not include me.

Instead, the Constitution counted my enslaved ancestors as three- fifths of a person and did not grant us American citizenship until ratification of the 14th Amendment.

For nearly 350 years, slavery and Jim Crow created inequity in our communities that still exists today, and the laws that struck down Jim Crow were not a magic wand that erased those impacts.

As more and more people who lived during Jim Crow are dying, we need to tell their stories. We need to teach the good, the bad, and the ugly of our history to show how it shaped us as a nation so that we can heal from it.

This amendment teaches a delusional and irresponsible history.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment. First, let me just say, our diversity is our strength. The diversity of this country is our strength. The diversity of our military is our strength.

I keep hearing the other side of the aisle say that DEI and critical race theory is about assigning characteristics to people based on the color of their skin.

That is not what DEI or critical race theory are. What they are, are a recognition that for 350 years, from the founding of this country in Jamestown through the civil rights movement, that our laws, our social mores assumed different characteristics based on the color of your skin and made Black people second-class citizens.

DEI is designed to address that and to ensure that our military, which kept my uncles from serving in combat because of the color of their skin, to make sure their children and grandchildren want to serve in that military because it is a welcoming and inclusive place.

Mr. Chairman, I want to personalize the remarks alluded to by our ranking member because I was born Black in Virginia, and I was raised there.

I represent the former capital of the Confederacy. My entire family was raised in the former Confederacy. For my entire life I have lived in the shadow of Robert E. Lee and his fellow Confederate generals. He was a looming presence in my hometown of Petersburg where the former Fort Lee sits.

He was a looming presence in my neighborhood. I want to talk about the monument that the gentleman from Virginia alluded to. One of the largest monuments to General Lee stood for 130 years around the corner from my house, which is ironic because General Lee himself did not believe monuments to Confederate generals should be erected because he recognized that countries where there is a civil war, monuments to the losing side help to foster wounds that haven't healed. That is exactly what happened in this country.

That monument, and many others, were put up as part of a backlash for the social, political, and economic gains of formerly enslaved people during Reconstruction. Another wave of monuments were put up as backlash to Brown v. Board of Education and the gains of the civil rights movement.

When that monument came down, I felt a weight off of my shoulders that I didn't know I was carrying. It was the burden of having to drive past a man who fought against the country he swore to serve to keep my ancestors enslaved. He owned people who could have been my ancestors and was documented to be horrifically cruel to them.

We are trying to recruit a diverse armed services. We need to recruit the sons and daughters and granddaughters of the descendants of slaves. Having them walk into a building on a base named for their former oppressors is not going to create a welcoming environment.

Mr. Chairman I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Chair, I think this debate today demonstrates exactly why diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary, not only in the military, but we probably need some training here in this body.

I am going to limit my remarks to the armed services. I want to break down what DEI training actually is because most of the comments I have heard today are not an accurate definition of what DEI is. I am going to take those words one at a time.

Diversity training and diversity efforts recognize that we need to have a military, servicemembers, and an officer corps that reflects the diversity of

the country that they protect. For a wide variety of reasons, it doesn't.

We need to recognize that our diversity is our strength and that our unity is our power, but we can only have unity when we recognize and respect the diversity of this country and the people who serve.

Equity recognizes that despite the fact the first casualty of the Revolutionary War was a Black man, Black men weren't allowed to serve in the military until the Civil War. Until 1948, the service was segregated and Black men like my uncles were not allowed combat duty. My uncles were only allowed to cook when they served during World War

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Perry Miller, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Region Airport Commission, which owns and operates the Richmond International Airport.

Perry is an airport executive with a distinguished career spanning three decades. He graduated from Texas Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Airway Science and a Master of Science degree in Transportation Planning and Management. Perry began his airport career with the Houston Airport System, where he spent 25 years serving in several capacities that are critical to the smooth functioning of our Nation's airports, including airport operations, maintenance, properties management, and business development. His positions there included Airport Manager of Ellington Airport, Airport Manager of William P. Hobby Airport, and Interim Manager of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

In 2015, Perry became the Chief Operating Officer of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2019, Virginia was fortunate to have Perry accept the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Region Airport Commission. In the four years since he has been there, Perry has successfully led the Richmond International Airport through the COVID crisis, has worked to increase the level of air service for the Capital Region, and has undertaken a comprehensive infrastructure program to meet our region's current and growing needs.

In recognition of Perry's distinguished career, his peers in the airport community previously elected him to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Airport Executives, the world's largest professional organization for airport executives. Founded in 1928, AAAE has 9,000 members from more than 800 airports.

Most recently, Perry became the Chair of AAAE, the highest volunteer leadership position within this prestigious national organization. Achieving this senior position is clear testimony to Perry's distinguished career in the airport community, the high regard his fellow airport executives have for him, his high level of professional achievement, and his dedication to public service.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Perry Miller on this significant accomplishment. We are grateful for his many contributions to our Nation's aviation system and look forward to his continued contributions in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside members of the Virginia delegation as we mourn the loss of Shawn Jackson, an 18-year- old high school graduate, and Renzo Smith, his stepfather, an Army veteran.

Just 20 minutes after Shawn received his high school diploma, both were tragically shot and killed when a gunman opened fire at the Huguenot High School graduation in Richmond last week.

We pray for Shawn's mother, Tameeka Jackson-Smith, and his sister, Renya Jackson-Smith, who, at 9 years old, was struck by a car fleeing the scene that night.

We invite all Members of the body to join us in a moment of silence to remember Shawn and Renzo.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition today to H.R. 1640, the so-called Save Our Gas Stoves Act.

After weeks of holding the American economy hostage to their ransom note of devastating cuts and policy changes that would impact American families, State budgets, and our economic recovery, after a temper tantrum that brought this body to gridlock last week, we are now debating a bill that is nothing more than a political stunt to peddle the lie that the Biden administration is attempting to ban gas stoves.

The American people can rest easy knowing that the Department of Energy cannot ban gas stoves, but the Department of Energy is proceeding with a congressionally mandated efficiency standard that will save the American people money, reduce harmful indoor air pollution that disproportionately and adversely impacts the health of low-income communities, communities of color, and our children.

House Republicans are using this bill as a guise to prioritize the fossil fuel industry and raise utility costs for Americans while misrepresenting data from the Department of Energy. Ultimately, H.R. 1640 is nothing more than a desperate attempt to weaken the Department's ability to issue energy efficiency standards.

This is astoundingly disappointing. We should be addressing the issues that matter to my constituents, like reducing the gun violence that killed an 18-year-old 20 minutes after he received his diploma last week, increasing access to affordable healthcare and affordable childcare, addressing the mental health needs of our veterans and our servicemen and -women, the farm bill, and addressing the maternal health crisis instead of this bill.

I find it interesting that the party that thinks it can insert itself into healthcare decisions of pregnant people now is accusing the Biden administration of inserting itself into the decisions of buying appliances.

Instead of dealing with the issues that my constituents sent me here to deal with, we are having to deal with a ridiculous political stunt, delayed votes, and nonsensical bills.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill, and I encourage my Republican colleagues to stop the fear-mongering and infighting so we can get back to governing and solving the problems that our constituents are actually asking us to address.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the students at Huguenot High School in Richmond, Virginia, celebrated their graduation.

Moments after the ceremony ended, as friends and family gathered outside for hugs and selfies, gunshots rang out.

Panic ensued.

When the dust settled, a graduate, Shawn Jackson, was dead. He was 18 years old. Shawn's stepfather, who came to celebrate with him, Renzo Smith, was dead. He was 36 years old.

Five additional people were shot. Others sustained injuries, including Renya Jackson Smith, Shawn's 9-year-old sister, who was hit by a car while fleeing the scene.

Richmond police have a suspect in custody. He is 19 years old. He knew the victim. He and Shawn were in an ongoing dispute.

We should not have to live like this. What should have been the happiest day of those kids' lives turned into every parents' worst nightmare.

Those kids saw their freshman year cut short by COVID. They should have felt the joy yesterday and last night of graduating. Instead, their final memory of high school is marred forever by trauma.

The active shooter drills that they endured throughout their school years did not prepare them for a shooting at their graduation, or in a public park, in a grocery store, at a theater, at their house of worship, at a concert, at a mall, walking down the street, on a highway, in their home.

Where are they safe? My son asks me this every time that there is a shooting on the news.

Three months ago today, when I stood at this very spot to take my oath of office, you saw my son and daughter standing proudly beside me. You saw how excited my son was. You saw his dance moves.

Four days later, one of his classmates shot himself accidentally with a gun he was using as a prop to record a video. He died.

Last night, my husband and I had to tell our children that they are not going to school today and possibly for the rest of the year because of a shooting at a graduation less than a mile from our home.

Every time there is a shooting we go through this same routine. Every time my son is afraid, wondering will he be next. I hug him and I say, I am doing everything within my power to keep you safe.

As a State legislator in Virginia, I was proud to pass several pieces of gun violence prevention measures to do just that, including securing $12 million in funding to invest in our communities to address the root causes of gun violence.

I was excited to see this Congress pass the first piece of substantive gun violence in 30 years in a bipartisan measure. So you can imagine my disgust and my sorrow when, after the Tennessee school shooting, one of our colleagues, one of our Republican colleagues in an interview on television said: We are not going to do anything.

That is unacceptable. We must take action to address the root causes of gun violence, to ban assault weapons, implement universal background checks, gun storage, among other commonsense measures that are popular with an overwhelming majority of voters according to FOX News polling.

I came here to solve problems. I came here to save lives. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. It is past time for action.

Today, I mourn the lives lost in my district, my city, my school division, my neighborhood. Today, I seek to comfort their loved ones and those traumatized by the terror they felt last night.

Today, I recommit to doing everything within my power to make sure that this never happens again. Enough is enough.

Mr. Speaker, I am begging my colleagues in this body: Do something.

Madam Speaker, we are 7 days from a debt default that would spell economic catastrophe for hardworking Americans and Virginians.

As you have heard, we are in a hostage-taking situation where MAGA Republicans don't want to negotiate with the hostage.

It is not House Democrats that are being held hostage. As you have heard from my Democratic colleagues, it is the American people. It is also our State governments.

Last week, Virginia State Senate budget analysts outlined what a default would mean for the Commonwealth of Virginia, which has a very large Federal footprint.

It would be catastrophic. It would have a devastating impact on the State budget and funding for schools, healthcare, roads, public safety, broadband, and affordable housing.

An extended default could cost the Commonwealth nearly 200,000 jobs, slash payrolls by 4.7 percent, and throw the State economy into a recession, as well as the American economy.

A default jeopardizes Medicaid reimbursements to rural hospitals, Federal grants awarded in the Commonwealth, over 4,000 federally funded State employees, and millions of Virginians who receive Social Security, Medicare, and veterans' benefits. It is time to raise the debt ceiling.

Mr. Speaker, our Nation is just 8 days away from a potential debt default, while House Republicans continue to hold the American economy hostage.

As one of less than 7 percent of the Members of Congress who have children under the age of 18, I am particularly concerned about the impact that a default would have on our children, as Federal funding for crucial government programs that impact them runs out.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1 in 12 rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table, and a default would jeopardize those payments, as well as access to free and reduced lunch programs.

Default is not an option, but the Republicans' extreme ransom note is not a viable alternative, either. It would slash funding for our school systems and leave 200,000 children without access to Head Start slots and 100,000 without access to childcare programs.

In the Commonwealth, almost 6,000 children would be impacted. This would severely undermine our children's education and make it more difficult for parents to join the workforce and contribute to our economy.

We must raise the debt ceiling now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose House Republicans' extreme attempt to roll back President Biden's one-time emergency student debt relief initiative.

This bill would undoubtedly jeopardize the financial well-being of millions of Americans. This bill is cruel and would rescind life- changing debt relief of up to $20,000. Ninety percent of Americans who are eligible to receive this relief earn less than $75,000 per year.

The bill would also repeal the student loan payment pause and force borrowers to unexpectedly confront months of accumulated payments and interests. Forty-three million borrowers have benefited from the pause and saved on average $150 per month in

interest. At a time when tuition continues to rise exponentially, countless students and graduates are being crushed by tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

President Biden's cancellation would be transformative for millions of Americans who sought to build intergenerational wealth and improve their economic circumstances through education. While House Republicans try to make it harder for young Americans to survive, my Democratic colleagues and I will continue to fight for much provided relief.

Mr. Speaker, the GOP continues to hold the American economy hostage unless their extreme ransom note is met. However, the June 1 deadline is fast approaching, and progress must be made in negotiations.

The debt ceiling will be reached 10 days from now. If Republicans keep up their brinkmanship and drive us into default, the United States will be unable to pay its bills.

This will have unimaginable consequences for our seniors and people nearing retirement. It will be particularly damaging for retirees who rely on monthly Social Security payments to survive.

Our seniors worked hard, paid into the system all their lives, and they should be able to count on the monthly checks that they have earned.

However, a Republican-forced debt default would jeopardize Social Security payments for 98,000 families in my district.

Default would also wreak havoc on the stock market, threatening retirement savings of over 100,000 of my constituents and eliminating approximately $20,000 from typical retirement portfolios.

We have a responsibility to protect the well-being and financial security of our seniors. We must raise the debt ceiling now. The clock is ticking.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are presenting us with a false choice: default on our debt and cause a recession or pass their default on America act and slash environmental funding and clean energy investments made through the Inflation Reduction Act.

The IRA is the most significant legislation in U.S. history to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen American energy security. Virginians in my district have already seen tangible benefits from the bill through environmental restoration funding for our Tribal communities, climate-resilient infrastructure upgrades, and clean school buses for our children.

It will continue to deliver for our Commonwealth. There are already more than 92,000 Virginians employed in clean energy jobs, and the IRA will create even more opportunity bringing $11.6 billion in funding to our Commonwealth for large-scale clean power generation storage by 2030.

The IRA represents a new chapter for my constituents who are excited to

purchase energy-efficient appliances, make repairs to their homes, and save money on their utility bills.

However, the draconian default on America act will jeopardize many of these provisions. We must reject these extreme cuts and cleanly raise the debt ceiling.

Mr. Speaker, the current debt ceiling showdown is jeopardizing not just the United States' economy but that of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Yesterday, the Virginia Senate Finance Committee presented an analysis of what a debt default would mean to our Commonwealth. In a word, it would be catastrophic.

An extended debt ceiling battle would cost our Commonwealth nearly 200,000 jobs and slash payrolls by 4.7 percent, and it would inevitably throw our economy into a recession.

Even a brief default could cost Virginia an estimated 34,500 jobs and slash payroll by 0.83 percent, not to mention the impact on Federal grant reimbursements, federally funded State employees, and the millions of Virginians who receive monthly payments and depend on Federal healthcare programs.

The United States is not a deadbeat nation. For the sake of hardworking Virginians and Americans across the United States, we must raise the debt ceiling without delay.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate infrastructure week and highlight the incredible projects made possible in Virginia by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The IIJA, or bipartisan infrastructure law, is a once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-a-generation investment to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure, improve public safety and climate resilience, accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies, and reconnect historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities.

Since the IIJA was passed, $4.7 billion in Federal funding is headed to the Commonwealth of Virginia for 192 specific projects. That includes $3.8 billion for transportation infrastructure, like our public transit, roads, rails, ports, airports, and bridges, like the historic Mayo Bridge in my district in Richmond; and approximately $290 million for clean water initiatives in the Commonwealth.

Thanks to IIJA, more than 345,000 households across the Commonwealth are now receiving affordable high-speed internet.

This is just the beginning. As we continue to work to implement the provisions from the bipartisan infrastructure law, Virginians can expect to see billions more in Federal funding.

Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration, we aren't just celebrating infrastructure week, but infrastructure decade.