Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues this evening to recognize the great importance of unions and speak to the danger to middle-class, working families if the Supreme Court undercuts public- sector unions in the pending Janus v. AFSCME case.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot forget that the story of unions is the story of America's middle class.

I know this story firsthand, because my dad was a union worker. I was able to go to college because of union support, and I'm proud of it.

We all know that union jobs continue to offer higher salaries to workers and provide quality health care, pensions for a secure retirement, and benefits that give families peace of mind, along with the ability to send their children to college or trade schools.

This is the American Dream, and unions have helped ensure that more Americans have a chance to live it.

Through collective bargaining, members of strong unions are scoring victories that help entire communities.

Collective bargaining has given workers--even those who aren't represented by a union--more access to paid holidays, paid sick leave, life insurance, medical and retirement benefits, and higher pay.

That power has closed the wage gap between women and men in the workplace. The wage gap between women and men in unions is about 9 cents, while most non-union women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. African-American women in unions earn almost $22 per hour, while non-union women earn only $17.

African-American union members today earn 14.7 percent more than their non-union counterparts and Latino union workers earn 21.8 percent more.

In other words, unions are the best way to fix an economy rigged in favor of the wealthy and powerful against working people.

Despite all these benefits, the Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME, may limit the opportunity for working people to join together to speak up for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Let's not be naive to the fact that the special interests behind this case simply do not believe that hardworking people, like my father, should have the same freedoms and opportunities as they do: to negotiate a fair wage for their work so that they can provide for themselves and their families.

It is fitting that we are talking about public-sector unions right now, with the 50th anniversary of the start of the Memphis sanitation workers strike falling just two weeks from today, on February 12. The sanitation workers strike was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last campaign and what brought him to Memphis where he was assassinated. It was there that Dr. King said, ``Let it be known everywhere, that along with wages and all of the other securities that you are struggling for, you are also struggling for the right to organize and be recognized.''

It is also fitting that we recognize Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, Dr. King's chief of staff who died last week at the age of 88. He, too, was a tireless civil rights champion and defender of unions because he knew that there is power and recognition in numbers.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. King fought for public unions 50 years ago, and I am calling on all people, including our community and national leaders, to join me in taking up his call to work to protect our unions and their ability to negotiate for better wages and conditions of work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that, yes, I support keeping the government open. However, I cannot support the continuing resolution that came before this House today.

Let me just say to America: I want you to understand it is not about not supporting our military. It has placed us in a position that we have to understand that we need to do both, just as Democrats and Republicans should work together.

On this continuing resolution, it makes us, yes, give 6 years to CHIP. But what about the community health centers? What good is it to give us CHIP and not support community health centers? What good is it not to support our teaching hospitals?

So I say to you, with Republicans in charge of the House, the Senate, and the White House, we could do better.

Today, I proudly say to all of those women who marched across this Nation: I stand with you today because you marched for better healthcare. You marched so that we could have equality and equal treatment. That is why I proudly cast my vote as a ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congressman Dwight Evans, who hails from the Second District of Pennsylvania. I thank him for leading us tonight. I also thank Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond for allowing us to come tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in coming to the floor tonight to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. We have made progress in these past 50 years, but the legacy and example of Dr. King show us that much remains to be done.

Although many marches and protests were met with violence, we had Dr. King and the women and men who stood with him, like our very own colleague and Congressional Black Caucus member, Congressman John Lewis.

As I listened to Congressman Lewis tonight--as I sit on this House floor and have the privilege and honor to call him a colleague and a friend--it reminded me of his courage and how much more work we have to do.

It was through these peaceful protests, it was through their courage, it was through the power of the messages that they sent that they stood up against the establishment.

Dr. King was able to bring the injustices felt by African Americans nationwide to the forefront of American politics. His work culminated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where hundreds of thousands of individuals of all stripes and communities came for a call to justice and equality for all.

It was on that day, August 28, 1963, when Dr. King gave one of his most powerful and famous speeches, that passionate speech, ``I Have a Dream,'' calling for the end of racism and the expansion of civil rights and economic rights.

I am so proud that Mother Beatty's mother, my husband's grandmother, was an invited platform guest to witness that speech. We have that picture in our office to remind us and to remind our children and grandchildren of the power of Dr. Martin Luther King and Congressman John Lewis.

With the emotions and the will of the march that it encapsulated in such powerful words, civil rights rose to the top of the agenda of reformers and facilitated the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Still, Mr. Speaker, Dr. King's work was not done.

The next year, Dr. King helped to lead the Selma to Montgomery march. How proud I am that I was able to participate in the reenactment of that on its 50th anniversary. The march route spanned some 54 miles, from Selma, Alabama, to the State capital in Montgomery.

The marchers were in response to the Southern States' legislatures passing and maintaining discriminatory laws and practices over decades where it meant to deny, Mr. Speaker, African Americans across the State, across the South, the right to vote.

What is our message? What is our message tonight?

We are here because we are still walking in it. We are still fighting for civil rights and voting rights and economic rights. We are still fighting for equal pay for equal work.

But we are not afraid. Mr. Lewis led us on this House floor in fighting for gun safety. We are not afraid because we are continuing the legacy of Martin Luther King.

Lastly, let me just say that we must break this cycle of economic inequality, racism, and poverty. We must stand up to the GOP and to President Trump, because when we look at this tax reform bill, it brings those injustices to economics and equality, a financial gain.

So we are here tonight to say there is still a dream. There is still a stone of hope.

Again, I thank my colleague for leading us in this celebration and this tribute to Martin Luther King.

Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Washington? With the holidays coming up, I would like to know why the Republican majority seems so intent on putting coal in the stockings of everyday Americans.

Last week, the House passed a continuing resolution that did little but move the threat of a government shutdown to just a few days before Christmas.

The Republican tax bill is a brazen attempt to put money in the pockets of the superwealthy and well-connected at the expense of seniors, our students, middle class families, and hardworking Americans.

The American people don't deserve this tax hike. It is a billionaires-first Republican tax scam, and they don't deserve a government that reels from shutdown crisis to crisis doing nothing but creating uncertainty in our country.

What we should be doing is fixing CHIP. The Children's Health Insurance Program provides real, permanent tax relief to those who need it most: our 9 million children, 250,000 in my district.

Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve better. They deserve better jobs, better wages, and a better future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Esty, for leading this Special Order hour and for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I will never forget the Sandy Hook tragedy that happened 5 years ago tomorrow. It was like yesterday.

I was at Harvard University. I was seated next to Congresswoman Esty when the news broke about the shooting in the district she had just been elected to serve.

The more we learned that day, the more devastating and heartbreaking the news became. Innocent children were taken away from their parents, from their brothers and sisters, and from their community.

I hoped and prayed that day that we would never see a tragedy like Sandy Hook. But, of course, our country continues to be unique in the number of people we have lost to mass shootings and gun violence.

As a Member of Congress, I cannot stand by and allow our communities to continue to be upturned by the loss of innocent lives. There are too many things we can do to address this epidemic.

We should allow Federal agencies to study gun violence as a public health crisis, because it is. We should keep guns out of the hands of individuals on the terrorist watch list and those convicted of hate crimes. We should close the gun show loopholes, Mr. Speaker, and reinstate the assault weapons ban.

You will note that none of the proposals I just mentioned would in any way infringe on the Second Amendment or limit the ability of Americans to protect themselves or their families. So there should be no reason why our Republican colleagues can't join us and pass sensible reforms that will save lives, like the lives we could have saved at Sandy Hook.

I hope and pray that this Congress has the courage to curb this epidemic of gun violence, because I don't want to continue to see the Sandy Hooks, the Charleston Nines, the Orlandos, or what we saw this year in cities like Las Vegas or small towns like Sutherland Springs.

One of the things we can do to honor the memory of the victims of those tragedies and all victims of gun violence is to make sure that no more families have to experience the same senseless loss.

Again, I thank my colleague and friend for being courageous and for standing up and fighting for better gun laws so that we can save lives. I thank her for being a champion and leading tonight's effort.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman Robin Kelly for tonight's special order hour on gun violence.

Congresswoman Kelly is a stalwart leader against gun violence and serves as a visible, out-front advocate for putting an end to the gun violence epidemic.

Far too many children, families, and communities have been devastated and destroyed by a gun inappropriately in the hands of a shooter.

We have seen far too many deaths, too many young African-Americans with guns, too many killed by guns.

My district in Central Ohio has seen an alarming rise in gun violence.

Just this week, Columbus saw its 130th homicide of the year, which is closing in on an all-time record.

We can and must do better.

I stand with Congresswoman Kelly in her relentless efforts, calling on the Congress to honor victims through action.

We can join together to pass commonsense gun laws--background checks; no fly-no buy; and safety locks.

Gun violence is a health epidemic--one that we cannot address in isolation.

We must fund mental health programs, we must address the needs of urban communities, and we must provide sustainable community and economic development initiatives to reduce violence--like community policing coupled with commonsense gun reforms.

Tonight, Congresswoman Kelly puts a face on the victims of gun violence. I join and salute her for reading the names of victims.

As we read the names, let us remember that, gun violence isn't a Democrat or Republican issue--it is an American issue requiring an American solution.

Mr. Speaker, it is, indeed, my honor to join my colleagues tonight to recognize and celebrate 150 years of excellence in education at HBCUs. I thank the congresswoman from North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Ms. Adams) for leading the charge tonight.

And to our CBC chairman, Congressman Cedric Richmond, I thank him for allowing us to come forward and not only tell our stories about the 150 years, but to demonstrate to all of those, Mr. Speaker, who are watching tonight, that we set an example for others to follow.

The nine HBCUs celebrating their 150th anniversaries this year have been educating and transforming Black students across this Nation into leaders. For 150 years, HBCUs have weathered the violence of Jim Crow laws and funding cuts to continue to be the light in many of our overlooked communities.

While my alma mater, Central State University, hasn't been here for 150 years, it was established in 1887. And in 2014, it received the designation as a land-grant university, the last of the HBCUs to become a land-grant.

For 130 years, Central State University has been that light, that training ground for African-American change makers--African-American change makers in a nation like you see in this picture. It was just a few months ago I traveled back for my homecoming to celebrate with friends and classmates, 130 years. It is 130 years of a university that has produced classmates like Nancy Wilson, Leontyne Price, Orlando Brown, Arsenio Hall, Jason Thomas, a United States Marine who was there during the aftermath of 9/11 and rescued people. Also, we have people like

Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African- American students who, as we all remember, in 1957, were the first Black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School.

I am very thankful for 40-plus years of friendships with individuals like Zenobia Leavell. And when I think of Linda Brown, and as we call her ``Lulu,'' for organizing this picture, because we stand tall, and we represent all sectors of this community.

Central State provided an education for this little girl from Dayton, Ohio, when my mother and father sat down and they were able to put their dollars and cents together to not only send me, but to send every one of my siblings to an HBCU university. They said: We want you to go there, but we want you to come back. Little did they know that I would stand in the Halls of Congress and advocate for HBCU universities. Attending Central State University changed my life.

It is important for you to know, when we talk about HBCUs, I know it all too well. Just yesterday, I sat at our kitchen table with my grandbabies and their parents and my husband, and our conversation--I was so proud because, you see, it was Howard University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College that produced us. When you think about my husband, an attorney, a graduate of Howard University; when you think about Otto III, an attorney and entrepreneur and graduate of Morehouse College; when you think of Laurel Beatty Blunt, a common pleas court judge and a graduate of Spelman College; I am so proud that when I sat there and I looked at my grandbabies, Leah and Spencer, and as Leah beamed because she was wearing a T-shirt that said: I am Spelman-bound, Grammy; and then there is Spencer, who will be going to Morehouse, that is because we stand on the shoulders of so many.

Why do we come tonight? We come to tell you that 40 percent of all Black Members of Congress are graduates of HBCUs; 12.5 percent of all Black CEOs, HBCUs; half of all the Black professors at non-HBCUs; 50 percent of all Black lawyers, graduates of HBCUs; and 80 percent of all Black judges, graduates of HBCUs.

When I think about today, with Trump's administration and with their proposals to cut Pell grants, when I think about the threats to hold construction grants, when I think about Republicans' assault on students in the Republican tax scam hike, it is a sad day in America.

We come today because we want our voices to be heard, because we know, in the words of one of our own, Barbara Jordan: ``Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment. That is why schools charged with educating African Americans have, perhaps, the deepest challenge of all.''

Mr. Speaker, let me end by saying two things in the words of Nelson Mandela, and I think it sums it all up: ``Education is the most powerful weapon you can have to change the world.''

That is why I stand here with my colleagues, standing up for HBCUs, standing up that this administration will understand that we expect-- no, we demand to get the appropriate funding so our children, our grandchildren, and generations yet unborn will have the same opportunities that I have had and so many more, because when HBCUs succeed, America succeeds.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, December 4, 2017, I was absent from the House Chamber during Roll Call votes 653

and 654. Had I been present, I would have voted nay on Roll Call vote 653 and yea on Roll Call vote 654.

Mr. Speaker, Sixty-two years ago last week, an African- American seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus.

Her defiance and subsequent jailing sparked the peaceful, Montgomery Bus Boycott that eventually led to the desegregation of public transportation.

Though small in stature, Rosa Parks became an enormous figure in the Civil Rights Movement and earned the title:``Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.''

Her life and actions showed me and so many Americans how the ``Power of One'' person can make a difference in the pursuit of what is right and just.

When I served in the state assembly, I championed legislation that made Ohio the first state in the nation to designate December 1st as Rosa Parks Day.

Monday of this week, I hosted a Community Leaders' Forum: ``The Power of One: We Are Walking in It'' to remind and educate hundreds of my constituents of the work of Rosa Parks.

I believe it is our collective responsibility to walk in the footsteps of Rosa Parks and honor the Power of One.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Congresswoman Waters, for standing up for consumers.

As I stand here today, first, let me just say I echo all of the comments of my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and I, too, rise in opposition of H.R. 1699, a bill that would put the lowest income and most vulnerable consumers at risk of becoming victims of predatory lending. This bill would increase the chances of consumers being steered into higher cost loans when they could otherwise qualify for lower cost alternatives.

As an aside, it is quite interesting to sit here and listen to my colleagues on the other side have such great interest in affordable housing and low-income residents, and yet, as I have sat on the Financial Services Committee, I have watched them repeatedly cut funds to the budget for low-income residents and not stand up for some of the statements when former Director Richard Cordray came in to talk about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and what they have done to stamp out this type of predatory lending.

It is also quite interesting, and I would be remiss not to mention, that last week President Trump appointed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, to lead the Bureau, yet he is the same man who spent years trying to eliminate this organization, a man who did not stand up for low-income, affordable housing.

Mr. Speaker, I will end by saying I think we need someone who can stand up for consumers, and I am pleased to hear my colleagues say that they believe in consumer protection and that they are going to advocate for those with low income and they are going to stand up against predatory lending. So it should be interesting, as we move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I am in opposition to H.R. 1699.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about tax reform. Tax reform should be all about helping those who are in need: Working families, veterans, seniors, small-business owners, just to name a few.

Unfortunately, the plan that the congressional Republicans are currently ramming through the Senate with the vote that could happen just in a few short hours does exactly the opposite.

Their plan would overwhelmingly benefit the superrich and the well- connected at the expense of the middle class, small businesses, not to mention veterans and seniors struggling to make ends meet.

The middle class and small businesses, we can do better by them. Instead of giving us a budget-busting half-trillion-dollar tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, let's provide greater tax relief to working families. Let's keep our promise to the veterans. Let's strengthen Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid. Let's help the aspiring entrepreneurs pursue their passion. Let's ensure better wages, better jobs, better opportunities, and a better future for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary public service of Elaine Roberts on the occasion of her retirement. Elaine has spent the last 17 years in Columbus and Central Ohio, serving as the Executive Director of the Columbus Airport Authority beginning in 2000 and then as President and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority when it was created in 2003.

Our regional airport authority oversees three air facilities: John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, and the general aviation airport, Bolton Field. Those three airports, and the businesses associated with them, have flourished under Elaine's leadership and now collectively support 54,000 jobs and $6.6 billion in total annual economic output. I greatly appreciate the work she has done to encourage entrepreneurship in the airports, particularly for African-American businesses.

During her tenure, Elaine oversaw $1 billion of investment in airport improvements, including the terminal modernization at John Glenn International and a new control tower at Rickenbacker. I am also thankful for Elaine's contribution in honoring Jerrie Mock--a fellow- Ohioan and the first woman to fly solo around the world in her plane, the Spirit of Columbus--with a life-size statue in the main passenger concourse.

From the very beginning, Central Ohio has played a leading role to advances in aviation, and we are particularly proud of Elaine who stood out as one of the leading women in her field. She was recognized as a ``Champion of Change'' by the White House in 2015 and won the 2016 Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Airport Executives. Earlier this year, the YWCA honored her with its Women of Achievement Award, and the Women for Economic and Leadership Development presented her with their Riveter Award. Elaine also serves on the board of the Columbus Partnership and Experience Columbus.

Elaine has been a steadfast leader over the years, and I am happy to call her a friend. On behalf of the people of Columbus, I thank her and wish her the best.

After 35 years in the aviation industry, Elaine plans to retire to South Carolina by the end of the year. I sincerely hope that she and her wife, Dale, will travel back to Columbus from time to time to visit and to see her lasting, positive impact on our community.

Mr. Speaker, today, I come to the people's House floor in strong opposition to the Ryan-McConnell billionaires-first tax plan, a plan that overwhelmingly benefits the superrich and well-connected, and scams the middle class and our most vulnerable Americans.

But don't just take it from me. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, working families in my home State of Ohio would see their taxes increase by $1,000 per year, while the wealthiest Americans, people like President Trump, would see their taxes decrease by as much as $747,000, according to the Tax Policy Center.

Not to be overshadowed, the Tax Policy Center also concluded that nearly 80 percent of the bill's benefits pad the pockets of the wealthiest Americans. At the same time, it eliminates the medical expenses deduction, student loan deduction, and the new markets tax credit. That does not seem like fair taxes to me.

Instead of raising taxes on the middle class, what we should be doing is allowing for a better future, better opportunities, better jobs, and better wages for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, first let me say I certainly want to join my colleague, Congressman Steve Stivers, in thanking Congressman Bilirakis and Congressman Walz for all of their work in allowing us to make this possible to be here today.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise to offer my enthusiastic support for the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act, H.R. 1900, designating it as a public museum for the exclusive purpose of sharing the experience and voices of veterans across all eras, conflicts, and branches of the military.

As you have heard, it will be housed in my district, so I am especially pleased that it is being built in a partnership with private pay, a partnership with government, and a partnership that is blessed by the veterans of central Ohio and across the Nation.

The museum concept was the brainchild of the Nation's good friend: World War II veteran, legendary astronaut, and former U.S. Senator from Ohio, John Glenn, who was a dear friend and one of my constituents. John also chaired the Veterans Committee.

Mr. Speaker, if Senator Glenn were here today, he would share with us how this museum will honor, connect, inspire, and educate all Americans about the unified service and sacrifices of our Nation's more than 40 million veterans.

I salute this Congress and my community for recognizing the need for veterans of all eras to have a museum to collectively call their own.

Mr. Speaker, I could not stand here without again thanking my colleague and veteran, Congressman Steve Stivers, for his relentless work, for his leadership, and his partnership throughout the development of this project.

This project certainly shares with us what bipartisan work can do.

Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank Congressman Tiberi for joining us. I greatly appreciate and want to personally thank the leadership of Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz, and also the subcommittee leadership, because they expressed their concerns. We addressed the concerns in a very constructive way. That is what partnerships and leadership is all about. Because of their good work, it has strengthened the operations of the project and the viability of the project.

H.R. 1900 has the support of The American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the VFW.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and to come to Columbus when it is open to see it in person and how it honors the stories and the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, today, House Republicans will move one step closer to giving a budget-busting $2 trillion tax cut to the superwealthy on the backs of hardworking Americans, one step closer to increasing taxes on vulnerable Americans, one step closer to gutting Medicaid by $1 trillion and slashing Medicare by $500 billion, one step closer to decimating programs that help veterans, seniors, students, and families.

Many families in my home district in Ohio are struggling--struggling because they haven't had a pay increase in over a decade. That is why, instead of pushing Donald Trump's ``Billionaire's First Tax Cut Plan,'' we need to ensure that all Americans have a chance to achieve an American Dream by expanding the earned income tax credit, child care tax credit, and low housing income tax credit, not capping retirement contributions, and eliminating tax loopholes that allow U.S. companies to profit from shipping jobs overseas.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that we provide a level playing field for all families to truly help them have a better life.