Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, the first day of Black History Month to honor Black history as American history.

Black history is about the sung and unsung Black heroes and sheroes who have contributed to our Nation's progress--from the Revolutionary War to the fight against COVID and everything in between.

Therefore, we say thank you to the Black Americans who stand for justice, for voting rights, for women's rights, for saving Black lives, for better healthcare, climate reform, and education. I believe whether it is teaching AP Black history courses or standing on this House floor--that when we acknowledge the unique struggle of Black Americans through history--we grow closer to our Nation's highest ideals.

Mr. Speaker, I hope everyone will take time this month to learn and truly understand Black history is American history.

Madam Speaker, I rise today early to kick off Black History Month. Cassady Davis, a third grader from Evening Street Elementary School, we salute her.

She is the daughter of McKenzie and Shawna Davis. She enjoys soccer, swimming, reading, and spending time with her sister, Collins.

Students have the opportunity to select past and present-day leaders for their Black history showcase. I am honored that Cassady chose me as her modern-day leader.

I commend the work of America's educators who are instilling in our students the importance of Black history, which is American history, and empowering young girls like Cassady to become the Nation's next generation of leaders.

So to all listening today, we salute a 9-year-old, Cassady Davis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 110th Founders' Day of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, founded in 1913 by 22 collegiate women from Howard University who refused to be denied the right to march in the women's suffrage march.

I am so proud today as we push forward with fortitude to join the seven female Members of Congress standing strong here in the Halls of Congress, working together just as our Founders did, to advance the fight for voting rights, for women's reproductive rights, for criminal justice, housing, HBCUs, and education.

Most importantly, I am proud to join my Delta sisters: Congresswomen Clarke, McBath, Plaskett, Crockett, Lee, and Foushee.

To my sisters and Deltas and all members of Panhellenic, we say thank you for your service. But most importantly, today I say Happy Founders' Day.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Johnson for yielding.

Let me just take point of personal privilege as a Member of this House and salute the gentlewoman for her leadership, her experience, and the years that she has given to this Congress.

I don't care what any colleague says on the other side of the aisle. Today, because of the gentlewoman's leadership and all others on this end--some on the other side--understand that this is about national security, understand that this is about our economy, and understand that this is about our workforce.

I am so proud to be from the great State of Ohio. It will be a game- changer with tens of billions of dollars being invested into what may end up as the largest semiconductor manufacturing plant in the world.

I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that Democrats will stand strong because we understand the difference from politics and posturing and making a difference in industries that we all use and need.

Mr. Speaker, I am asking all of my delegation, Democrats and Republicans, to stand up for what is right and vote for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, let me also end by saying that this bill will set a path that the United States will be a leader in the economy for the future.

I have listened repeatedly to Members on the other side of the aisle talk about inflation, talk about investment, and talk about economics. Now I want them to vote that way. I want them to join us and support this bill that will make a difference for not only now but for our future and set us up ahead of other countries that have done damage to us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this gun bill today. After decades of inaction and too many innocent lives lost to senseless gun violence, this is a step we must all take.

It will provide needed resources for violence intervention, school safety, mental health funding, community violence intervention and prevention initiatives, school safety, and yes, enhanced background checks to make it harder for 18- to 21-year-olds to get guns, and it will close the boyfriend loop.

To everybody who is saying no, go tell that to the children and families that lost lives. This bill will keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of people. Go tell your ``no'' vote to the families and the children who lost lives.

The compromise bill today, it is not perfect, but it will help us save lives. I am proud that the Congressional Black Caucus had a large role to play in this. I thank Congresswomen McBath and Kelly and Congressman Horsford for their support. Our power, our message.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, I am proud to stand with our Special Order champion, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who herself is a woman of Caribbean heritage. She is from the great State of Texas, and her parents were immigrants from Jamaica. So I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee again for leading our power, our message, and also I thank her for acknowledging the great honor I received last week.

But, Mr. Speaker, the Congresswoman did not tell you that she too was on that same program as we commemorated and celebrated Juneteenth. She had the distinct honor to present an award to an icon, Maxwell, who is so great he only needs one name. To see her walk across that stage along with another one of our colleagues, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, made me proud to share the stage with her, our other colleagues, and so many icons who have fought for justice. That ties into what we are talking about today. You will hear many of our members come and talk about the beauty of diversity, culture, and their heritage.

I also want to take a moment to celebrate the dedication and all of the work of Congresswoman Barbara Lee who led the effort to designate the month of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month. You will hear from her today, Mr. Speaker.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee is always out in the forefront when we are talking about fighting for justice or when we are talking about making sure that we educate our constituency, and, yes, America, on any topic, but tonight this is a topic she knows all so well.

You see, Mr. Speaker, when I think about Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in Congress and Members like vice-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Steven Horsford, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Congressman Anthony Brown, Delegate Stacey Plaskett, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, and so many others, it is a rollcall of our Members of Caribbean heritage.

So when we think of this great legacy that we are leaving, Caribbean heritage is one of the most resilient and excellent, and it is full of the tenacity of the people who come to this Congress to be the voice for the people whom they know need us most.

The Congressional Black Caucus has been a longtime fighter for the protection of immigrants of color and for the rights of people of Caribbean descent, such as the Haitian Family Reunification Parole, or better known as HFRP program, which allows eligible United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for parole for their family members in Haiti.

Just think about this, Mr. Speaker, think about this: Some 50 years ago, one woman and 12 men, the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus, one woman making history, the same woman who ran for President of these United States, Shirley Chisholm. So from Shirley Chisholm to-- think about it--today in modern times Delegate Stacey Plaskett to chairwoman of the CBC's Task Force on Immigration, and the only Black woman in the New York congressional delegation, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, the contributions of Caribbean-American heritage to this democracy is alive and well, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to also take a moment to commemorate the decades of work that a Dr. Claire Nelson has displayed on behalf of the Caribbean diaspora. Dr. Nelson is the founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, ICS, the Nation's leading Caribbean-American advocacy group and a good friend to the Congressional Black Caucus and our dear friend, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She fearlessly led the advocacy efforts that accompany Congresswoman Barbara Lee's legislation that was signed into law that we are celebrating tonight. I thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I remember when she came to us in the Congressional Black Caucus meeting and said: We want to make this happen.

So tonight we made it happen.

I thank the gentlewoman, and I thank all of our other Members for being here tonight.

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank Chairman Green for yielding and for his outstanding job of managing the floor today.

I also thank Chairwoman Maxine Waters for her leadership in bringing diversity and inclusion to the forefront of the conversation in the financial services industry. It was her vision to create the Financial Services Committee's Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, and I have had the honor to serve as its chair since its inception.

The racial justice equity package before us today is very much the product of the subcommittee's work over the past 3-plus years, and I am proud to say that many of its provisions were authored by subcommittee members. Republicans participated in the hearing, and today, when we deflect to issues like what we are hearing, it is very alarming. There is nothing controversial in this package or the bills I am going to reference.

Two of my bills are included in this package, the Diversity and Inclusion Data Accountability and Transparency Act, referred to as the D&I DATA Act, that will direct the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion to collect data on the financial institutions they oversee. This will allow us to measure the progress that banks and other financial institutions are making on diversity performance.

My second bill is the Expanding Opportunity for Minority Depository Institutions Act that will codify a program at Treasury that pairs mentor businesses with protege MDIs, giving the smaller lenders access to things like technical assistance and contracting opportunities.

I am so pleased; in my Third Congressional District of Ohio a new MDI has been approved.

I also note that my bill, the Ensuring Diverse Leadership Act, has been made in order as an amendment and will be considered later. That amendment will require the Fed to consider candidates of diverse ethnicity and gender when filling vacancies in the Federal Reserve Bank.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the chair of our Special Order, executive board member, a person who you want to be out front. Whether it is an issue on civil rights, criminal justice, reparations, voting rights, or domestic violence, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has earned this day and this right. I could not think of a better person to stand here as we talk about commemorating Juneteenth. We know the history all too well of what happened in Texas. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee hails from Texas.

Today, as we talk about Black excellence, as we talk about the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Madam Speaker, we speak to America tonight. We want America to know that as we commemorate Juneteenth, it is about our work; it is about our scholarship; it is about our fight. You will hear a broad range of issues that we are so proud to stand up for and let America know we are there.

I could not think of a better issue to weave into Juneteenth than reparations, H.R. 40. Sheila Jackson Lee, if you have been in the room with her, you have heard her say it at the White House, you have heard her say it at caucus, you have heard her go in the Halls of Congress talking about H.R. 40. I could stop there, but I can tell you that piece of legislation has her fingerprints on it and the signatures of 200-plus Members. What a great way for me to start and to stand here as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Tonight, we commemorate a day in our Nation's history that can only be described as a celebration of freedom, Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas received the joyous news of emancipation and that they were finally free.

Despite that, we are still enslaved in many ways, so it is critical for America to know of our fight and our progress.

Tonight, you will hear Members discuss our work on criminal justice, reparations, uplifting of our Black men and boys, racial equity, fair housing, and so much more. We are leading the charge and laying the foundation to deliver on voting rights, student loan debt, and gun control. Tonight, we tell our story of Black excellence.

Nearly 1 year ago, on June 17, 2021, the Congressional Black Caucus went to the White House and joined with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as he signed the historic legislation that made Juneteenth the 11th national holiday and the first new Federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Now, more than a century-and-a-half later, I stand here as chairwoman of the largest Congressional Black Caucus in the Nation's history.

Every day, 58 Black members of the Congressional Black Caucus legislate in these Halls built by our enslaved ancestors. Six full committee chairs, chair of the Democratic Caucus, the House majority whip, former senior adviser to the President, and Vice President of these United States are all active and former members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Madam Speaker, we have come so far, but we realize there is still work to do. Yes, from being considered one-third of a person, we want the American people to know that we continue fighting.

It was the Congressional Black Caucus that brokered the $1 trillion infrastructure law for our roads and bridges and provided little children a broadband network. It was the $1,400 in the pockets of everyday Americans, the $300 a month for working families with children, the historic funding for HBCUs, and each Congressional Black Caucus member bringing community dollars to their district.

We have seen one of the most consequential civil rights legislations aiming at interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and uplifting Black men and boys, the U.S. Commission on Social Status of Black Men and Boys, created and birthed by our very own Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a sojourner for our Black men and boys.

Tonight, you will hear other members of the Congressional Black Caucus commemorate our successes in the spirit of Juneteenth.

But, Madam Speaker, in the immortal words of Dr. Maya Angelou: Bringing the gifts that our ancestors gave, we are the dream and the hope of the slave.

I am proud to proclaim on this floor tonight: Happy Juneteenth Day. Our power, our message.

Madam Speaker, tonight we have heard from leadership in the Congressional Black Caucus and leadership in the Democratic Caucus of the United States Congress.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for threading the needle, for reminding us of the history of how we started; 1863. And then 2 years later in 1865 when it was announced that Juneteenth would exist because Black people were free. Juneteenth, independence day, freedom day, all of it makes a difference for us because we know freedom is never given, it is won.

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure now--another colleague from the great State of Ohio. Someone who knows the value and importance of fighting because she is a fighter. She is a sojourner who understands that her voice speaks for thousands of individuals, especially Black individuals.

It is a great honor to have a colleague that hails from the same State that I hail from, the great State of Ohio. She walks in the footsteps of Congresswoman Marsha Fudge, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and a Congressman--one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus--Congressman Lou Stokes.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), from the 11th District.

Madam Speaker, we stand here listening. We stand here revisiting our history. We stand here thinking about our ancestors.

As members of the Congressional Black Caucus 50-plus-1-years-old, we understand that the fight must continue.

We understand when we walk in these hallowed Halls of justice that we carry that torch--that torch, freedom, that torch, justice and liberty for all. It is that responsibility that we acknowledge.

It is that responsibility when I think about the 173 Black people in the history of this Congress who have served out of some 12,000 people who have served in these Halls--173 Black people.

When I think about being the ninth Black woman to serve as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I think of the other women: the sojourners and the truth tellers who served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

I think of people like Congresswoman Karen Bass, whom I followed.

I think about Congresswoman, and now Secretary of HUD, Marcia Fudge.

I think about Congresswoman Maxine Waters--who is one of six Black Members of Congress--serving as chair of the Financial Services Committee.

I think about Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California who is always out in the forefront and reminding us of the words of Shirley Chisholm.

I think about Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, another colleague from the great State of Texas. She is a woman who reminds us about equality and justice and reminds us about the value of collaboration and standing together in unity. She is the founder of the Tri-Caucus. She is another fighter for justice, someone who mentors us and stands back and gives us enough room so we can lead and follow in her footsteps.

There are so many strong, Black women in the Congressional Black Caucus.

Then there are the men. There are 29 Members who are female and 29 Members who are male serving now in the Congressional Black Caucus.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, I say, thank you. The two most powerful words that one can say. I say thank you to our chair of our Special Order hour, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

As we begin to bring this night to a close, I am reminded of so many things that great leaders have said. Someone said that liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.

We have begun to take root as members of the Congressional Black Caucus. And we, too, have that same rapid growth of all the things in this Chamber we have brought to the floor, in this Chamber that we have voted out and sent to the Senate and to the White House to be signed into law. So often people will come up to us on the great streets of America, and they will say: Tell me, what is it that the Congressional Black Caucus is doing?

But, Madam Speaker, I say no more. No more will you question who we are. Because our power and our message of Black excellence, of lifting up and elevating our message and power has reigned through the United States of America because you see, Madam Speaker, when you talk about an executive order or police reform, it was the Congressional Black Caucus that was there when the President signed it.

When you talk about our dealing with student debt, it is the Congressional Black Caucus that just finished a 2-day issues conference. We brought before our Congressional Black Caucus issues forum 10 of the top civil rights leaders in America. They didn't bring or send a designee. They came themselves before us.

So I want to say, Madam Speaker, that tonight was about Juneteenth. But tonight was also about letting Americans know that we are fighting for them, that we stand with them, and that we understand that we must continue to fight against systemic racism, and we must continue to fight for our children and our families.

That is what we do because we are the Congressional Black Caucus. Our power and our message is Black excellence unapologetically strong.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding time, and I also thank him and the minority for their support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, with the historic recovery since President Biden took office, there are now 11.5 million job openings in the United States. Unfortunately, for 78 million justice-involved individuals--that is one out of every three American adults--those opportunities are too often out of reach.

Under current law, people with criminal records are prohibited from working in a federally insured financial institution like a bank or a credit union unless they get a waiver from the government. That is just not for major felonies but also for minor misdemeanors, like shoplifting or having an altercation.

That is why my bill, H.R. 5911, the Fair Hiring in Banking Act, would update the law to reduce barriers for individuals with criminal records seeking to work at a federally insured financial institution.

Take the example of a young person that had an altercation with a police officer, a misdemeanor, and got 6 months probation with no time served and without admitting guilt. They would fall under this.

Specifically, this bill would reduce the existing lifetime ban to a more effective 7-year ban. Research shows that after 7 years, someone convicted of a felony is no more likely to commit a new offense than any other person.

Importantly, my bill would keep in place the ban for people who are convicted of major financial offenses like bank fraud or money laundering.

The bill also, as you have heard, codifies some of the recent rulemaking of the FDIC to exempt those individuals whose crimes have been expunged or whose offenses happened before the age of 21.

I would like to point out to my colleagues that this is a bipartisan bill that passed the Financial Services Committee without controversy. It has the backing of major financial services industry groups and a broad range of organizations, from the United States Chamber of Commerce to Public Citizen.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in support of H.R. 7081 as one of the many actions this Congress has taken to support Ukraine in its fight against Putin's atrocities.

Since the invasions, the U.N. estimates that nearly 6 million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the largest refugee crisis since the 1990s.

That is why I authored the provision in this bill to use the United States' position on international financial institutions--the World Bank, IMF, et cetera--to encourage economic support for refugees.

The provision specifically makes it clear that this economic support should include refugees of African descent who have been experiencing difficulties and discrimination as they flee danger.

I express my thanks to Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry for working with me and especially to the bill's sponsor, Congressman Garcia. I urge my colleagues to support this excellent bill.

Madam Speaker, today marks the first annual Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Day celebration at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in my district.

In March 1946, Tuskegee Airmen began to arrive at Lockbourne Army Airfield, today known as Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus. The airmen were under the leadership of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, the first Black officer to command an Air Force base in the continental United States.

Their achievements during the war paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military, as pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. These brave, distinguished Black men received Purple Hearts, Silver Stars, and Bronze Stars.

They were fighting for our country and for us during a time they were denied access to the right to vote, housing in certain neighborhoods, and separate but not equal educational opportunities.

Please join me in recognizing these heroic Black men.

Madam Speaker, I thank our coanchor tonight, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I proudly join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to commemorate the unbought and unbossed legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm that lives on through each of us.

I would like to thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for being our anchor of the Special Order hour, and yielding tonight to let Congresswoman Barbara Lee open up this special session on Shirley Chisholm.

Before I make just a few brief remarks, let me just say, as we just heard Congresswoman Barbara Lee say, as Shirley Chisholm referred to her as ``that little girl,'' oh, how proud she would be today knowing that little girl is now the woman that we say, ``Barbara Lee speaks for me.''

She is the woman that spearheaded putting Shirley Chisholm's face on a stamp. And every day Congresswoman Barbara Lee, through her stellar and magnificent leadership, guides us in the footsteps of Shirley Chisholm. Certainly, she is unbought and unbossed.

So to you, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, I say thank you for allowing us to stand on your shoulders. Thank you for when you walk in the room, whether it is steering in policy, whether it is Appropriations or any of the other committees, you always carry members with you. And that is what Shirley Chisholm has done for this Nation.

And so now, let me say what you will hear repeatedly tonight: The first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, you will hear that she is the first Black woman to seek nomination as President of these United States from one of the two major political powers. Certainly, she left us a legacy that lives on; a legacy that we are so proud of.

What I would like to say to everyone watching, Madam Speaker, especially for mothers and daughters, think of what it must have been like to stand in the Halls of justice where we are standing today, where she was standing alone. Think what it must have been like for her when she stood on that Democratic national floor at that convention, giving such a powerful speech, far ahead of her time when she held up those two fingers that we see so often, and that we today stand on her shoulders.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, it gives me a great privilege to walk these Halls of Congress and to be the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. When I walk down the Halls of justice, I say to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, that I think about standing on the shoulders of Barbara Jordan. I think about what it was like to have a Shirley Chisholm and a Barbara Jordan. But then, Madam Speaker, I know what it is like, it is having a Barbara Lee and a Sheila Jackson Lee, and that is what tonight is about.

When I walk by that life-sized portrait of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, I think about her courage. I think about her leadership. I think about what we will tell every little Black girl in America. You too can be a Shirley Chisholm. You too can stand up for justice. You too can be in the fight representing the people who need us the most.

In conclusion, I say the two most powerful words that I was taught to say, and that is thank you. Thank you to these Halls of Congress for letting us have a Shirley Chisholm. Thank you members of the Congressional Black Caucus for coming out tonight to honor her great legacy because it is not just about this Special Order hour tonight. It is about our future. It is about how we continue to live the legacy of Shirley Chisholm.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 109 years of sisterhood, scholarship, and service in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Founders Day embodies the living legacy of our predecessors. Today six members of the Congressional Black Caucus--Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, Congresswoman Val Demings, Congresswoman Lucy McBath, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, and I--stand proudly in our Founders' footsteps.

Happy Founders Day to the Columbus Alumnae Chapter, Delta Kappa Chapter, and to all my sisters in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Mr. Speaker, desperate attempts? Hijacking our voting rights? That is exactly what our Republican colleagues are doing.

And why? Because when Democrats vote, Democrats win, and we provide for our children, our families, and our businesses.

I stand here today in support of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act of 2022 because Black people representing the Congressional Black Caucus have stood in line, have been attacked by dogs, have put their lives on the line, and crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for us to have the right to vote.

America, watch what is happening today. Watch what Republicans are trying to do: Take away your fundamental right to vote.

Let us restore our democracy. Let's stand up for what four Republican Presidents in the past did. They reauthorized the Voting Rights Act. Republicans are scared, and they are hijacking Americans' rights.