Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the heaviest of hearts.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be crystal clear that there is not any room in our society for hate. There is no room for violence. Whatever we do and wherever we may stand, we must act in a peaceful, orderly, and nonviolent fashion.

We must understand that we are one people--the American people; we are one family--the American family; and we live in the same house--the American house.

Mr. Speaker, we must teach all of our people to respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. We must be the headlights, not the taillights, in loving and cherishing our brothers and sisters. We are brothers and sisters.

We must understand that our foremothers and our forefathers came to this great Nation in different ships, but we are all in the same boat now.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:

We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters;

if not, we will perish as fools.

Yesterday, was a difficult and dark day. There was so much pain and suffering for so many people--for our fellow Members, for our families, and for our staffs. It shook the Congress and our Nation to its core. I, too, was in shock. My heart and my soul ached for those who were attacked and for those who witnessed the violence.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my love and my feelings for all of our colleagues, our friends, our staffs, the officers, and their families.

In each and every moment, my thoughts and prayers have been with all of the victims and their families as they begin the long road to healing and recovery. They must understand that we are with them.

We are with you. You are not alone. We love you, and we are praying for your safety and recovery.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this bill.

As elected Representatives, we have a mission, an obligation, and a mandate to fight for each and every American.

I ask you, Mr. Speaker: Who will stand for the American people? Who will speak up for those who have been left out and left behind?

Mr. Speaker, I have said it time and time again: Health care is a right. It is not a privilege reserved for a wealthy few, for what does it profit this body to pass this bill and lose our soul?

This bill is a shame. It is a disgrace.

Mr. Speaker, today my heart breaks for the disabled, for women, for seniors, and for working families. My heart aches for those who are living paycheck to paycheck. My heart mourns for innocent little children whose very lives depend on if their families can pay the bills.

This is the right and wrong of it. This is the heart and soul of the matter.

We cannot abandon our principles, Mr. Speaker. We cannot forget our values. I have fought too hard and too long to back down now.

I will fight any bill that turns the clock back to a darker time. I will fight every single attempt to turn a deaf ear, a blind eye, and a cold shoulder to the sick, to our seniors, and to working families.

Mr. Speaker, I will fight every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. I oppose this bill with every breath and every bone in my body. We must not give up. We cannot--I will not--give in, not today, not tomorrow, not never, ever.

On this bill, there is only one option, and that option is to vote ``no.'' We can do better. Mr. Speaker, we must do better. Vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado and the gentleman from Maryland for supporting this legislation.

I am a proud sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act.

First, let me thank each and every member and the staff from the Natural Resources Committee for their hard work and support of this act.

Mr. Speaker, this nonpartisan bill will simply change these historic Atlanta places from being a site to a park. At no additional cost to taxpayers, this bill will create the first national historic park in the State of Georgia. This small change will significantly improve the way the National Park Service preserves, shares, and presents the history of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., site or park.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was our moral compass. He represented the best of America. His mission was to create the beloved community, a community at peace with itself and our neighbors. Throughout his life, Dr. King urged each and every one of us to recognize the dignity and worth of every human being.

Passing this simple piece of legislation will improve how this important history and legacy is shared with visitors from across our country and from around the world.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chair and ranking member for their support of this legislation.

Amendment XIII, section 1:

``Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.''

Section 2:

``Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Howard Calvin Edwards. Mr. Edwards served his country in the United States Army, was respected in his community, and dedicated his life to his family.

Mr. Edwards was born on April 24, 1928, the youngest of John and Cora Edwards' 10 children, and he grew up in Woodland, North Carolina. He loved everything about school and thrived as a student and an athlete. He played basketball and ran track, but he found the most success on the football gridiron.

Mr. Edwards continued his education at Virginia State University and Howard University. A proud soldier, Mr. Edwards served his country in the United States Army and loved the experience of traveling the world. After completing his tour, he relocated to the Washington, DC, area to be near to his older sister, Mabel. It was here that he met his wife, Mary, who was one of his sister's best customers. Their love story was one for the ages. He succeeded in his tireless pursuit to earn her hand in marriage, and their 53 years of marriage produced three children, Kenny, Robert, and Yvette.

Mr. Edwards retired after many years of working as a guard at the National Gallery of Art here in Washington. He also worked for several years in security at the YWCA. He will be remembered within the community as a man of great dignity and generosity to all who had a need. In his signature hat and tie, he stood tall, walked straight, and greeted everyone with a broad smile and the love of God. He passed from this life on February 10, 2015 at age 86.

I offer my sincerest condolences to Mr. Edwards' beloved wife, Mary Edwards; his son, Bobby; three grandchildren; three great- grandchildren; his nieces and nephews; and a host of friends and neighbors. They are all in my thoughts during this very difficult time.

Amendment XIII, section 1:

``Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.''

Section 2:

``Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend of many years for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, here we go again, down the same unnecessary road. This bill is a deliberate and systematic attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act. We are supposed to be here to help people and not to hurt people. So what is this all about?

This bill, call it what you may, would roll back protection for Americans who work at or near 40 hours a week. Before the Affordable Care Act, it was easy to discriminate against the sick, the elderly, and those who had lost their jobs through no fault of their own, but those days are over. We have come too far. We made too much progress to go back, and we will not go back.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no,'' so we can go forward and continue to provide comprehensive health care for all of our citizens. This is the right thing to do. It is the responsible thing to do. It is the fair thing to do.

Just vote ``no.'' Just say ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues tonight to honor my friend, my brother, the longest serving Member of Congress, the Honorable John Dingell.

I had heard of Congressman Dingell long before I came to the House. I knew he had followed in his father's footsteps on his path to public service, that he was one of the youngest Members of Congress at the time. But most important, I heard that he would stand up, speak out, and fight for the issues of civil rights and social justice.

John Dingell is one of the most able and respected Members of this body. Yes, he is the dean of the House of Representatives. He had the capacity and the ability to say we have a right to know what is in the food we eat, what is in the air we breathe, and what is in the water that we drink.

He battled on the front lines for Medicare and Medicaid. He is the only Member of Congress still serving today who voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also helped win passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that John Dingell is the embodiment of a time when legislators did not hesitate to use the power of the Federal Government to do good for all.

John, my friend, my brother, my colleague, thank you for your service. Thank you for all of the good that you have done to make our country and to make our world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and my colleague, Congressman Jeffries, for organizing this Special Order.

Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for speaking up and speaking out. Thank you for finding a way to get in the way.

Mr. Speaker, our march toward a more perfect Union has been long, hard, and tedious, but we must continue to move forward. I know there are forces that want to stop us, slow us down, and take us back, but as a Nation and as a people, we have made too much progress to turn back now. Through hard work, discipline, and with the blessing of the Almighty, we can--and we will--move to redeem the soul of America and create a more perfect Union.

The American people are ready.

They have grown by leaps and bounds to build bridges of understanding between diverse communities. As their Representatives, will we follow their lead? Can we work together in this body as one people, one family, who live in the same house, one house--the American house? We don't have to be mean to each other. We don't have to put each other down.

My work in the movement taught me--my faith has taught me and many others--to respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. There is some good in the worst of us because everything that is was made by our Creator. That is why we must respect the worth and dignity and that spark of the divine in each one of us.

As A. Philip Randolph--a dean of Black leadership, the visionary who planned the historic March on Washington in 1963 and the founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters--once said: ``We may have all come here on different ships, but we're all in the same boat now.''

My colleagues, my brothers and sisters, we must keep the faith. We must press toward the mark of the public good and put our personal ambitions aside.

As Mr. Jeffries did a few moments ago, let me paraphrase the words of a great Republican President who lived

in a more divisive time even than in our own.

He said:

Brave men, both living and dead, have consecrated the

American soil with their tears, their sweat, and their blood.

The world will little note nor long remember what we said

here, but it will never forget what we did here. We must be

dedicated . . . to the great tasks remaining before us . . .

and make sure they did not sacrifice in vain, that this

Nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that

the government of the people, by the people, and for the

people shall not perish from the Earth.

Thank you, Mr. Jeffries.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the National Parents Corps Act of 2014. I am proud to author this legislation which intends to combat youth violence and substance abuse in our country's schools.

The National Parents Corps Act aims to continue the successful National Parents Corps program first initiated in 2003. The bill revitalizes a program which trains parent leaders to collaborate with schools, students, and the community in order to proactively work together in deterring and reducing alcohol and drug abuse, bullying, gang involvement, and other dangerous activities.

The program targets middle school students and creates a collaborative network to recognize and respond to dangerous trends in the most susceptible school-age population--middle school. Professionally-trained parent leaders will build critical networks between students, parents, teachers, administrators, local law enforcement, and the community. They will develop prevention programs, share scientific research, best practices, and create spaces of open dialogue and targeted action.

Mr. Speaker, I have always stood for investing in children and for peaceful communities, which is why I am reintroducing this legislation. No child should live his or her life in fear or marked by drugs and violence. This bill responds to a clear need, with a targeted and effective approach, and I hope all of my colleagues will join this common-sense effort to support healthy, safe, schools.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the National Park Service's continuous effort to protect the legacy of my dear friend and brother, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In particular, the NPS's current effort to re-designate the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site into a National Historic Park is of great significance.

Dr. King helped lead a nonviolent revolution, a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. He inspired an entire generation to find a way to get in the way, to find a way to get in trouble--good trouble, necessary trouble. Through his actions, speeches, and writings, he helped create the climate for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Re-categorizing this site as a park better reflects the truly monumental spirit of the area and its complexity. The area not only includes Dr. King's gravesite and birth home, which the National Park Service preserves, maintains and educates visitors about via tours, but it also stretches to contain the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King, his father and his grandfather served as pastors. It also includes the entire block where Dr. King's birth home is located and contains the first integrated and longest active fire station in Atlanta, which Dr. King frequently visited as a boy. The block also consists of more than 20 historic properties, including Victorian homes, apartments and shotgun houses that were all restored to their 1930 appearances.

Last year, over 700,000 people traveled worldwide to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Re-designating it as a National Historic Park would better reflect the complexity of the area and would have minimal associated costs, only changing signage and printed materials. I applaud the National Park Service for making this a priority, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation to preserve Dr King's life and legacy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with pain in my heart and soul. There is not any room in a civilized society for the abuse of anyone, but especially women and girls. I have seen and known women who are victims and survivors. Mother, sisters, and daughters must know that their pain is our pain.

The thought of another human being living in constant fear breaks my heart. Imagine life day in and day out afraid to come home at night and with no safe place in the day. It hurts my soul.

Throughout my life, I have taken a stand against violence in thoughts, in words, and in action. Violence is not in keeping with the human spirit. We do not come into this world beating and abusing our fellow human beings. We learn it from our environment and from our experiences.

Together, we have a moral obligation to teach our children-- especially our young men--the way of peace, the way of love, and the way of nonviolence. There can be no place for abuse in our society. Madam Speaker, we must break this cycle, and we must do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from New York, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, someplace I read in the Bible, ``Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven''--or it could have read the beloved community or the beloved Nation.

Mr. Speaker, at this moment, at this hour, we have a moral obligation, a mission, and a mandate to do the right thing, the humane thing. Today, hundreds and thousands of our children--innocent little children--need our help. They need our support. They are running away from violence, from rape, from hunger. They are searching for a better life.

The time has arrived, Mr. Speaker. We can wait no longer. We have reached a tipping point, and now, we have a choice, a choice to do what is right, what is just, what is fair. Where are our hearts? Where are our souls? We cannot simply turn our backs on these little children and do nothing.

In the final analysis, we are one people, one family, one House. It doesn't matter whether you are Black, White, Asian American, Native American, or Latino. There is no such thing as an illegal human being.

History will not be kind to us if we fail to do what is right, what is just. We must pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform, and we must pass it now.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from New York for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a waste of time and money. We are sent to Congress to make progress on behalf of the people of this Nation, yet House Republicans spend all of their time and energy fighting this President. Why?

The Republicans need to jump off the bandwagon of political attacks and come together to jump-start the economy. While Americans were unemployed, they did nothing to put them back to work. When people were losing their homes, they did little to protect them from foreclosure. While hunger and poverty are on the rise in this country, they have hardly mentioned the disappearing middle class.

From his first day in office, Republicans in the House, in this House, have never supported this President. Every olive branch he has extended was broken.

But today, Mr. Speaker, they have reached a low, a very low point. This resolution to sue the President just goes a little too far. It is a shame and a disgrace that we are here debating the suing of the President. The American people deserve better. We can do better. We can do much better.

I urge each and every one of my colleagues to have the raw courage--nothing but courage--to oppose this insulting and offensive resolution. It has no place on this floor. Let us get back to the work that we were elected to do.