Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban on families like that of Ghassan Assali, which was en route to Pennsylvania from Syria on approved visas and then turned away and flown back to Qatar.

Section 5:

``The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.''

Amendment XV, section 1:

``The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.''

I thank the gentlewoman.

Madam Chair, this is one of those moments where the best thing you can do is kind of scratch your head and say, What the heck are they thinking?

We have a bipartisan bill, a Homeland Security bill that, as was said before by Mr. Farr, if it was put up for a vote, would pass almost unanimously, if not unanimously.

But no, they couldn't help themselves. They had to take one more shot at the President and a bigger shot at immigrants. And so the bill is weighted down with attacks on immigrants. Mostly Latino immigrants, I would say, would be affected, and that is personal to me.

So what this bill now would say if it gets all these amendments on it--and, by the way, I want to say that I am opposed to the bill with the amendments and not opposed to the bill in its clean fashion, and I think that is the way most Members think.

What this bill now says is that, for instance, if you are in the military, serving our country, your spouse can be deported while you are away. That is really sad and insulting.

We are going to have now new bumper stickers on the other side on their cars that will say, ``Support our troops and deport the spouses.'' It will be sad, and it will be horrible what we are doing.

Now, our opportunity here is to defeat these amendments. Our opportunity here is to understand that if we have a gripe with the President using his constitutional power, deal with that. But don't take it out on every immigrant in the Nation.

Incidentally, nothing that the President did is outside the law. We have a Constitution, and what he did is constitutional. It is within his powers as our Chief Executive in this Nation.

This President waited and waited and waited for the majority party to do something about immigration. It refused to do something. You are upset that he took action on immigration. His action was due to your inaction on immigration. That is why we have this situation.

So these 2 days will probably go down in history as two of the saddest days in this House, and I have been here 25 years, starting this January, because we will go after a group of people, and we will say to the DREAMers, you can't dream anymore, and we will say to the spouses, you are in danger of being deported.

We will say to those who serve our country, we don't respect you anymore. And we will say to the whole world, we are not the Nation of immigrants; we are the Nation that doesn't want any more immigrants.

This is sad. This is it not the way to go, and we should really rethink this before we take a final vote.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Crowley.

This week in 1975, I became a member of the New York State Assembly. This week in 1975, Mario Cuomo became secretary of state. I left to come to Congress in 1990, so I am fortunate to have served in the legislature 16 of the 20 years that he served in the executive branch.

And in 1983, when I became chairman of the Education Committee, I really got to know him and to speak to him and to understand what everyone that has spoken has already said. Above all, this man never forgot, and he understood how important it was for him to be the son of an immigrant family. So he wanted everyone else to have the same opportunity.

Yes, he was eloquent. Yes, he had to be a great human being--after all, he was a minor league baseball player and was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, I believe, to play ball, that alone makes him a great guy. But he was an eloquent man who also remembered his humble beginnings in the grocery store, having to work to get through law school, to be able to understand.

So when I stood in front of him as one who had been born an American citizen--but a lot of people forgot along the way that we were and treated us in a different way--he understood. There was that simpatico that he had with him, where he understood where we came from and what we needed. And I am just so honored to have served all those years with Mario Cuomo and to have considered him a friend.

When I went to his funeral, Matilda was just so gracious because she wrote a book once where she asked people to write about who had influenced them. And I wrote about a certain gentleman in the Bronx who had played major role in my starting my public career. And she remembered that.

And I, once again, offer my condolences to the Cuomo family.

But we should not feel sorry that he is gone. We have been blessed with the fact that he lived among us. And for me, 16 of those 20 years, I learned so much from him, and hopefully I was able to help him along the way at times too.

``. . . to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings; . . .''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate both the women's and men's soccer teams at Monroe College, based on Jerome Avenue in my district in the Bronx.

On November 22nd, the women's soccer team won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Championship in Melbourne, Florida, defeating defending champion Iowa Western. That same weekend, the men's team reached the finals of the men's championship, and fought valiantly before losing in overtime to the Tyler (TX) Community College team.

Monroe College first opened in the Bronx in 1933, and over the years has expanded educational opportunities for thousands of Bronxites. Many of the beneficiaries are from my district, although with a campus in New Rochelle, the College has students from all over the New York metropolitan area.

The time, dedication, and effort of these student-athletes to both their academic and athletic pursuits is truly impressive, and I have no doubt that the values they have gained through this experience will serve them well in the future. I congratulate these young men

and women on their achievements. They have made the Bronx proud.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our ranking member for the time.

First, let me mention a few of the good things in the Financial Services bill. We were able to substantially increase funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission by $150 million above last year's level.

We were also able to increase funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions fund and to authorize the CDFI's fund bond guarantee program for another year.

We also increased robust funding for the SBA to help our Nation's small businesses, and we added additional dollars to the Consumer Products Safety Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. We removed numerous troubling riders that affected the Affordable Care Act, travel to Cuba, and the ability of the SEC to police our markets.

Unfortunately, several problems remain in the bill. The bill would essentially repeal an important provision of Dodd-Frank to prevent banks from engaging in risky swaps activities backed by their depositors and ultimately by the Federal Government.

The protections of Dodd-Frank were put in place to prevent a return to the risky transactions that led to the 2008 meltdown. We should not backtrack on those important reforms.

I am also very concerned about the cuts made to the IRS which will force the agency to operate at levels below that of sequestration. This would cause a serious strain on the agency.

There are several riders attached to the District of Columbia section of the bill, something that happens every year. Republicans have again limited the District's ability to use their own dollars to provide abortion services. This bill also seeks to stop the District from implementing a recent ballot initiative that legalizes recreational use of marijuana.

Thankfully, on this last provision, Republicans have simply missed the mark. The language of the rider only prevents the District from enacting laws, rules, or regulations regarding marijuana legalization, but it does not prevent already enacted efforts like the recent ballot initiative.

The President recently took executive action to end everyday tragedies that occur when families are separated and people are deported; unfortunately, rather than using this as a chance to finally engage in reform, we are now doing something to the DHS by putting them on a CR.

I would like to yield momentarily to the ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to honor Mr. Djounedou Titikpina for his many years of selfless and compassionate public service.

Djounedou Titikpina originally hails from the nation of Togo, but brought his passion for public service and community building with him to the United States. This passion is clearest in Mr. Titikpina's founding of the African People Alliance, Incorporated. This organization, which serves as an umbrella organization for other groups working to develop the African community here in The Bronx, has the unique dual role of providing social services while also working to fortify the work of existing groups throughout the community. The African People Alliance routinely hosts cultural exhibitions, youth and adult soccer programs, and legal assistance to individuals, while providing groups with infrastructural support and development they need to grow. Additionally, the African People Alliance plays a lead role in the annual coordination of the Bronx African United Day Parade and Festival.

Today, he serves as Founder and CEO of Djounedou T.'s African Fashion & Embroidery Design, Corporation, is a member of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition's Immigrant Rights Campaign Board of Directors, and provides services as a family court interpreter at Geneva Worldwide, Incorporated. With the ability to speak more than nine languages, Mr. Titikpina's talent to communicate and understand the needs of the community, and respond to them in meaningful ways comes as no surprise.

Mr. Titikpina is an individual who is clearly committed to ensuring that our community's work in tandem to grow in healthy, respectable ways. He has fostered partnerships among groups and individuals that are all working towards a common goal, and this type of leadership is what keeps our community moving in

the right direction each day. I am grateful to know that someone like Djounedou Titikpina is working in with and for our residents each day, and am proud to call him a fellow public servant.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Djounedou Titikpina for his consistently remarkable dedication to public service.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to honor Ms. Stephanie A. Arthur, MPA for her dedication to advocacy and working to improve access for members of the African community in New York.

Stephanie Arthur is the Founder of the African Leadership Project, which is a civic training organization that provides a leadership pipeline for various professions. The overarching goal of the African Leadership Project is to foster and develop the talent of individuals within African communities, and match these individuals to key leadership opportunities throughout the community.

Ms. Arthur is a very accomplished individual. She is an alumna of the Women's Campaign School at Yale University, The White House Project, Eleanor's Legacy, Coro Leadership Center of New York, and the Center for American Women and Politics. Having gained tremendous experience and knowledge of the political realm over the years, Ms. Arthur has worked on several high-profile elections ranging across all levels of government, and is respected as a grassroots activist across the nation. As a first generation Ghanaian-American and important voice in the African Diaspora, Ms. Arthur has continuously taken her many acquired skills and used them to amplify the voice of the African community at large.

Today, Stephanie Arthur serves as the political strategist and Founder of S. Arthur Group, LLC, which is a boutique public affairs and government relations consultancy. Ms. Arthur continues to be a fierce advocate for immigrant rights, for the advancement of criminal justice policy, for gender equality, and for many other social justice issues that are important to all of our community's residents.

Ms. Arthur's dedication to working with civic organizations, individuals, and figures in public office speaks to her natural ability to build coalition of support for issues that matter to all of us, and it is this dedication and ability to lead that makes her such a valuable asset in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Stephanie Arthur for her consistently remarkable dedication to public service.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to honor Sheikh Moussa Drammeh for his many years of selfless and compassionate service to the African community, and all of our community's residents.

Though Sheikh Drammeh has a varied professional portfolio ranging from entrepreneurial development to ecommerce, his dedication to improving the access and opportunities available for members of the African community can be seen in all of his endeavors. Most notably, Sheikh Drammeh founded HalalFinder.com, which is the first online halal auction market of its kind. This platform was established in order to ensure that providers and consumers alike would have an interactive service market space that would allow

them access to goods that were previously virtually unavailable.

Beyond his dedication to improving access for residents of the African community, it is clear that Sheikh Moussa Drammeh has a passion for fostering peace and understanding throughout our communities. Sheikh Drammeh currently serves as the Principal and Founder for the Islamic Leadership School in the Bronx, which remains as the first, and only, Islamic school in The Bronx. This school is also one of only four schools in New York City that established the ``Interfaith Living Museum,'' where Jewish students and Muslim students participate in a yearly cultural exchange curriculum in efforts to promote a global, long term peaceful co-existence. Sheikh Drammeh has also helped establish the Community Peace Patrol Officers, which are a group of community volunteers who have dedicated themselves to patrolling high crime areas in efforts to make them safer and more livable for all residents. This program not only encourages local residents to take an active role in maintaining the safety of local neighborhoods, but also works to foster better relationships between community members and local law enforcement.

Today, Sheikh Drammeh serves as Executive Producer of the African Union Profile and Public Emergency Management Adherence television programs on Bronxnet Television network, and is the founder of Adopt-A- Friend, which is a non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting peace and dialogue among all individuals for a healthy co-existence.

Each of the aforementioned projects and programs speaks to the complete nature of Sheikh Moussa Drammeh's dedication to improving the quality of life for residents throughout The Bronx, as well as his undying commitment to fostering camaraderie and understanding among residents. I am proud to say we have someone like Sheikh Moussa Drammeh living in our community, and am very grateful for all the work he has done, and continues to do to improve our community.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Sheikh Moussa Drammeh for his consistently remarkable dedication to peace and longstanding commitment to improving our community.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to honor Dr. Bola Omotosho for his many years of compassionate public service and tireless work to improve the health of our community residents.

Dr. Omotosho left Nigeria to relocate to The Bronx in 1995, after an extended career in medicine that culminated in studying anesthesiology through the Nigerian Navy. Bringing his passion for medicine along with him, Dr. Omotosho went on to study the nature of infectious diseases upon his arrival, and currently works with Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, which is one of the largest healthcare providers in the United States. Additionally, Dr. Omotosho remains very closely involved with several other medical missions, both local and international in their scope. Dr. Omotosho recently facilitated the donation of 3 dialysis machines to the Haut-Nkam of New York, who will provide these machines for usage by the Haut-Nkam community in Cameroon. Locally, Dr. Omotosho continues to be our community's champion for kidney donation amongst Africans here in New York City.

Dr. Bola Omotosho is not only a distinguished medical leader, he is also an individual who stands as the model of an active, civically engaged community member. Dr. Omotosho serves as Chairperson of Community Board 5, President of the Harrison Avenue Homeowners Association, and President of the Mount Hope Housing Corporation Board of Directors. He is also the Vice Chair of the Bronx Multi Faith Advisory Group, and an active member of the United Africa Coalition as well as the Black United Leadership group of The Bronx. Each of these groups works tirelessly to improve the quality of the life here in The Bronx, and Dr. Omotosho's commitment to each of them speaks to his longstanding commitment to our community.

Dr. Bola Omotosho is an alumnus of New York Police Citizen Academy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Citizen Academy, from which he received the 2009 Humanitarian Award. Today, Dr. Omotosho continues to work with several residential boards that work with law enforcement agencies to improve community relations and amplify safety efforts throughout our neighborhoods.

Individuals like Dr. Bola Omotosho remind us all that we all have a duty to be faithful community servants, and should work each day to improve the quality of life for all of neighbors alike. Dr. Omotosho has a true passion for community, which is clear in all of his work, and I am sincerely grateful to call someone like him a neighbor.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Dr. Bola Omotosho for his consistently remarkable dedication to public service and longstanding commitment to improving our community.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to celebrate the Honorable Monica Drinane, and her many years of selfless and compassionate public service.

Judge Drinane has been an exemplary contributor to the Bronx community, and has served as a mentor, leader to countless professionals, and fierce advocate for children and families across the New York City. Her career in legal services and community service has been a testament to the importance of selfless devotion.

While Monica Drinane's accomplishments over the course of her legal career speak to the distinguished nature of her work, what is clearest about her time as a public servant is her relentless commitment to the people of New York.

The Honorable Monica Drinane's last ten years working in Bronx Family Court, where she has been supervising judge since 2007, the six years she spent with the Legal Aid Society as the Attorney-In-Charge of the Juvenile Rights Division, and the countless other juvenile rights positions she has held speak to her unwavering commitment to some of our community's most vulnerable individuals. Monica Drinane has consistently distinguished herself as advocate in our community who speaks for those who may not always be heard, and who works to ensure that as a society we work to protect our youth and families.

Today, Monica Drinane continues to serve on the board of the NYPD Reengineering Initiative, School to Prison Pipeline, and the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children. As she prepares for retirement, I wish to express sincere gratitude to the Honorable Monica Drinane for all of her work in The Bronx and throughout New York City, and to thank her for leaving our community a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring the Honorable Monica Drinane for her remarkable dedication to public service and longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life for countless families in New York City.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of history's most distinguished New York Yankees, Derek Jeter. Derek has spent the last 20 years thrilling Bronx residents and Yankees fans across the nation with his unparalleled performances on the field. He has been one of the greatest shortstops in the modern game, and as his final season comes to a close, he has received many accolades and messages of thanks for his dedication to this illustrious franchise.

Derek Jeter has spent his entire career with the Yankees organization, from the time he was drafted as an 18-year-old out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has excelled at whatever he was asked to do for the organization, and has led the Yankees during one of their most successful eras. During his time as a Yankee, the organization has won 5 World Series, and Derek played an important part in those victories. His incredible baseball skills are only surpassed by the maturity and leadership he has shown on the field. In almost every aspect, he has earned the nickname bestowed upon him: The Captain.

His statistics show what an influence he has had on the field, and his hard work and success has been recognized by baseball fans, writers, and peers. He won the Rookie of the Year award in his first full season in the American League, and went on to become a 14-time All-Star and a 5-time Golden Glove winner. He has a lifetime average of .310, and has amassed an astounding 3,448 hits as of Friday, September 5th, a total surpassed by only 5 other players in baseball history. He has been even more vital when the Yankees have needed it most--during his seven World Series appearances, he batted .321, and was named MVP of the 2000 World Series.

Derek has also led in his actions off the field. Through the Turn 2 Foundation, a charity he founded in 1996, Derek has helped children in Western Michigan, New York City, and the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to live healthier lives and to turn away from drugs and alcohol. In New York City, the foundation has partnered with the New York City Parks and Recreation Department to create four free after-school programs that serve more than 300 children.

Derek Jeter will be retiring at the end of this season, ending an illustrious, Hall of Fame-worthy career. He has become a part of the fabric of the Yankees and of the Bronx. Although we will get used to seeing him succeed in other endeavors, for Yankees fans it will be difficult to imagine the shortstop position without number 2 there. I congratulate Derek on an outstanding career, thank him for his contributions to the Yankees and to the

Bronx, and wish him well in whatever the future brings.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, the question may not be: Who are the children at the border, and why they are here? The question may be: Who are we as a Nation, and why are we here as a Congress?

Our reputation has been never to turn people away, our reputation should never be to turn children away to what could be a certain death or a very difficult situation.

This is not a crisis. This is a situation that we have had before and we have known how to deal with. This is a moment for our country to show who we are. The world is looking. These are children. It is not their fault that they are here. There are many conditions that have brought them here. But how we act will be our fault if we don't act properly. How we act will be our legacy.

This is not who we are as a country--I repeat. We are much better than that. We have to understand that these are children, these are our children. Just because a border separates us, this doesn't stop them from being our children.

Let's turn down and reject all of this nonsense that we are doing, and let's try to help them and help them in the proper way.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the Bronx Dominican Day Parade (La Gran Parada Dominicana del Bronx) which will take place on Sunday, July 27th, 2014. This is the 25th year of this important community event, which celebrates the heritage and culture of the Dominican community in New York City. It is one that is eagerly anticipated by the Dominican and Bronx communities each year.

As the second largest Latino community in New York City, Dominicans have made invaluable contributions to New York City, and to the Bronx in particular. While Northern Manhattan is perhaps best known for their large Dominican community, I am proud to say that Census Bureau statistics now show that the Bronx is home to the largest Dominican community in New York City. And I am even prouder to represent a community has enriched our borough with a unique culture, spirit, and drive to live the American Dream.

The Dominican community is an important part of the diverse tapestry that makes up New York City. Thousands of Dominican professionals and students have served as community leaders in the Bronx in many different areas, including government, law, media, science, and technology, and sports, among many other fields. Their contributions to the culture and success of the Bronx, New York City, and to the United States is worthy of celebration and immense pride.

The Bronx Dominican Day Parade is an exceptional event that brings together the diversity of New York City, where Dominicans and those of other heritages can gather to celebrate the successes and identity of one of the city's most important communities. The parade was created to honor the vibrant Dominican community in the Bronx, and Felipe Febles and Rosa Ayala, the parade's organizers, have worked hard to make the event the extraordinary celebration that it is today. The strong sense of unity that the parade brings to the Bronx is immeasurably important. As a Bronxite and New Yorker, I am delighted to see this event grow every year, and I am honored to march alongside the accomplished Dominican men and women in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I always look forward to this fantastic community event, and I am excited to marching in the twenty-fifth annual Bronx Dominican Day Parade on Sunday. I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing this important occasion, and I am confident that this event will continue to be a landmark celebration for both the Dominican and Bronx communities for many years to come.