Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As the rates of COVID-19 spiked across the country, so did the rates of domestic violence. This pandemic within the pandemic must be stopped, and before us are the tools to save lives and end the cycle of violence.

The VAWA reauthorization makes crucial improvements to the law. It closes legal loopholes to stop violent partners from accessing firearms. It tackles the growing threat of online harassment by training law enforcement on cybercrimes. It provides services for survivors of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. And it improves protections for Native women.

Today, we stand up for everyone by providing safety everywhere, at home, at work, on campus, and online.

Let us vote together to end domestic violence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for your incredible work and that of your committee.

A few weeks ago, my colleagues across the aisle were animated in their support of fairness for women. So here is the moment to dispel any doubts that that was just a disingenuous defense of bigotry and truly help American women by supporting this transformative legislation.

Women have been on the front lines of this crisis. Over two million women have been pushed out of work while fighting to keep their families fed, healthy, and housed. Because of this pandemic, women's participation in the workforce is at a 33-year low.

A vote ``yes'' for the American Rescue Plan is a vote to say vaccines can get into the arms of teachers and our frontline workers. That direct checks will go to 85 percent of Americans. An expanded child tax credit will cut child poverty in half. Unprecedented childcare funding will directly benefit its workforce made up of 95 percent women.

Vote ``yes'' for women. Vote ``yes'' for families. Vote ``yes'' for a more equitable future.

Mr. Speaker, in 2016, after the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting, I, with my colleagues, sat in protest on this very floor with our friend, the late Congressman John Lewis. On that day, Congressman Lewis told us: ``We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the concern of our Nation. We are blind to a crisis.''

Mr. Speaker, nearly 5 years later, we have endured thousands of mass shootings. We have mourned the loss of 100 people every single day to suicide and homicide with guns.

Today's vote will improve the safety of our schools, our communities, and our streets. It is a vote for kids, parents, veterans, and our neighbors. I stand here today thinking of the many survivors and families who have been waiting for this moment, and I think of my friend, John, who told us to always speak out for the voiceless and act boldly for justice.

Today, with this bill, we will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, the insurrection on January 6 had a specific purpose: to overturn our election and to violently disenfranchise millions of voters.

The immediate threat to the Capitol has been quelled, but our democracy's future is still unclear. Across the country there are ongoing efforts to suppress and limit votes. Dark money fuels campaigns without transparency and accountability, and partisan gerrymandering tilts the playing field.

A vote for H.R. 1 is a vote for equality, for transparency, and for returning power to the people.

Mr. Speaker, 56 years ago on March 7, John Lewis almost lost his life on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the right to vote. He said: ``Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.''

Let's strive for that more perfect union. Let's confirm our democracy and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1.

Mr. Speaker, a few years ago, at a townhall in my district, a young student asked me: What is Congress going to do to protect trans people like me? He bravely stood before an auditorium of neighbors and told me he was terrified by the bigotry and discrimination against him and his LGBTQ-plus community members.

I have heard these fears expressed by my own nonbinary child. Their fears are not misplaced. Our LGBTQ neighbors face discrimination in healthcare, housing, education, and employment. Even here, in the people's House, Members of Congress are describing transgender people as something less than, as undeserving, and illegitimate.

Today, our vote for the Equality Act says to every person that you matter, that you deserve to live your truth with respect and dignity, that there will be no true freedom for anyone until there is equality for everyone.

Madam Speaker, suffragist and abolitionist Lucy Stone stated, ``If we speak the truth fearlessly, we shall add to our number those who will turn the scale to the side of equal and full justice in all things.''

The truth is, President Trump incited a violent attack against the United States Government.

The truth is, President Trump spent his Presidency inflaming hate, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence.

The truth is, he was enabled by all those who perpetuated the lie that the most secure election in our Nation's history was stolen.

The truth is that these seditious actions left five dead, our Capitol besieged, our security threatened, and our democracy hanging in the balance.

And the truth is, a vote to impeach is our resounding declaration that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Chairman, I join Chairman Price in strong opposition to this amendment. Two years ago, HUD removed guidance that was meant to ensure our transgender community members are able to access emergency housing or homeless shelters.

House Democrats stood up against this assault on LGBTQ Americans, and HUD Secretary Ben Carson assured us that the removal of this guidance was only temporary.

Later this spring, Secretary Carson testified that we should not be pressing for guidance or pressing him on this issue because we wouldn't like the answer that HUD would provide.

In other words, HUD stood ready to explicitly allow or promote LGBTQ discrimination.

Discrimination in any form for any amount of time is reprehensible and unacceptable, and now we have an amendment before us that would make housing discrimination permanent. It would continue the uncertainty around LGBTQ protections and make vulnerable people's lives harder.

Let's remember what is at stake. One in three transgender people have experienced homelessness, and we know that homelessness in the LGBTQ community overwhelmingly impacts our young people.

Right now, there are approximately 350,000 transgender people under the age of 25 in the U.S., and it is estimated that over 20 percent of them lack secure housing.

Through the appropriations process, House Democrats have put in place protections for transgender Americans and have taken the proactive step of protecting the rights of LGBTQ individuals in emergency housing intervention situations.

No American seeking refuge and safety should be kicked to the curb. No one should be discriminated against, especially not in a time of dire need.

Mr. Chairman, I urge every Member of this body to reject this amendment, reject discrimination, and reject the Trump administration's and Secretary Carson's cruel rollback of LGBTQ protections.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago, tragedy struck Orlando, Florida, at the Pulse nightclub.

Over 100 people celebrating life with friends, partners, and family were gunned down on a dance floor at a gay club; 49 of them lost their lives.

A place of refuge was transformed into a death trap by a hateful and cowardly act, and today we can honor those lives by calling for action.

At the time, the Pulse nightclub was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Tragically, in the 3 years since this shooting, we have witnessed more senseless suffering and death:

Parishioners in Texas and South Carolina and worshippers in Pennsylvania;

Students in Santa Fe and Parkland;

Municipal workers in Virginia Beach;

Neighbors on sidewalks and parks;

Over 50 people shot in just one weekend in Chicago 2 weeks ago;

And then 58 concert goers in Las Vegas lost their lives, taking the grizzly title of the deadliest mass shooting.

Days after the Pulse shooting, I joined with my colleague, the iconic Congressman John Lewis, in leading a sit-in right here on this very floor. We could not stand for another day of inaction. We stopped Congress because Congress had stopped working for the American people.

Now, 3 years later, within months of taking the majority, we have passed two gun safety bills. And while I am encouraged and proud of the work we have done here in the House, we see the same obstructionist game being played out in the Senate. The two bills are stalled, and Americans continue to die.

Mr. Speaker, 40,000 people a year die from gun violence in our country. Every day, 100 Americans are killed with guns, and hundreds more are shot and injured.

Gun violence and mass shootings have gone from a rare event to a public health crisis. Just this week, Massachusetts General Hospital opened a Gun Violence Prevention Center to teach doctors how to deal with firearm safety in recognition of the public health risk that gun violence has become to Americans.

Mr. Speaker, today I come before you standing and not sitting, but still imploring with the Senate to take a vote: Perform your basic responsibilities not as Members of Congress but, also, as members of our communities.

We cannot waste another day. Millions of Americans at home are worried for their families, frustrated by our inaction, and scared that they or anyone they love could be next.

We have a simple message on this grim anniversary for the Senate: Stop the silence. Pass commonsense gun violence prevention measures. Pass the Equality Act, and do your job for the people.

Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate D-Day and express our heartfelt gratitude to veterans across our great Nation, it is also an appropriate time to think of civilians and security threats at home.

June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and a time to reflect on the lives we have lost to gun violence and reinvigorate our fight to end senseless suffering.

Just this past week, 52 people were shot in Chicago, resulting in 10 deaths, and 12 lives were taken in Virginia Beach. The shooting in Virginia Beach was the 150th mass shooting in 2019. Just think about that and the lives lost. Americans like Ryan Keith Cox, a hero who helped his coworkers to safety, Mary Louise Gayle, a devoted mother and grandmother known for her holiday gingerbread houses, Richard Nettleton, a veteran and a die-hard Red Sox fan, Katherine, Christopher, Bert, Laquita, Bobby, Missy, Joshua, Alexander, and Tara.

We are not powerless. 100 days ago House Democrats passed two gun safety reform bills supported by over 90 percent of Americans. These bills can save lives. We can bring sanctuary and safety back to our communities.

We ask our Senate colleagues to do their job and bring these life- saving measures up for a vote.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, every day, millions of Americans use the internet to enrich their lives, engage with their communities, and do their jobs.

While most online interactions are positive, the sad reality is that for far too many Americans having an online presence means being subjected to harassment, stalking, sextortion, and sexual abuse.

In recent years, the internet has become an easy way for abusers to stalk victims of domestic violence and prey on vulnerable children.

These crimes aren't just one-off occurrences, they are not just virtual. They can destroy lives.

One of my constituents received an onslaught of rape and death threats so horrific and explicit that she and her husband fled their home and eventually moved because they feared for their lives.

Unfortunately, when she reported these threats to law enforcement, the officers she worked with did not have the training or the resources necessary to fully investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

And this is just one story.

In fact, 20 percent, one in five, of all adult internet users have been affected by cyberstalking, persistent harassing emails or other unwanted online contact.

One increasingly common form of online abuse involves perpetrators threatening to expose private or sensitive material, including nude images, unless victims produce sexual materials or pay the abuser money.

The Department of Justice recently declared that this type of abuse, known as sextortion, ``. . . is by far the most significantly growing threat to children,'' and that:

Sextortion cases tend to have more victims who are minors

per offense than all other child sexual exploitation

offenses.

According to a 2015 FBI analysis of 43 sextortion cases, at least two victims committed suicide and at least ten more attempted.

From self-mutilation to suicide, the consequences of sextortion for traumatized victims can be devastating.

If we are going to prevent these types of online crimes, we need to make sure our law enforcement understands how to best combat them.

This amendment establishes a grant program to train local and State law enforcement to prevent, enforce, and prosecute crimes carried out online. It creates a national resource center to study these crimes and requires the FBI to update the Uniform Crime Reports and National Incident-Based Reporting System to include cybercrimes.

In an economy that is increasingly online, these crimes can profoundly impact career choice and economic participation.

My amendment would make sure our criminal justice system is equipped to respond to the crimes that happen online or offline.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to combat these crimes by supporting my amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, after the Parkland shooting, high school students in my district told me a heartbreaking truth. They didn't believe that Congress cared about their lives or their future. Sadly, I understood why.

Complacency defined the Republican Congress' position on gun violence. They did nothing after moviegoers were slaughtered in Aurora, kindergartners were murdered in Newtown, and after one of our own colleagues, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot doing her job as a U.S. Representative.

After 46 people were gunned down at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, I sat on this very floor in protest. My colleagues and I sat in solidarity with a very clear but somber message: No more. No more moments of silence. No more inaction while Americans had senseless deaths due to gun violence. No more would the entirety of solutions to gun violence be tweets with our thoughts and prayers.

It has been 2 years since the sit-in and, finally, the inaction has come to an end. Thanks to the brave survivors, the students, the advocates, and the family members, we have been able to pass commonsense gun safety.

Today is a new day, and we will continue this fight.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for holding this important Special Order hour. It is so important that we tell the stories of the very real impact of this shutdown, and I appreciate her giving us that opportunity.

I do want to share some of the stories from my district.

We recently heard from Emily, who is a TSA agent at Logan Airport and a single mom of three. She hasn't received her paycheck. She won't be getting one tomorrow and is worried about falling behind on rent and childcare payments. She has to stay current with childcare or she loses her children's spots. She said: ``I don't know how I'm going to make this work. If I don't get paid, how can I afford to send my children to daycare?'' She has $400 left in her bank account.

Then there is Donna from Revere. She has been employed at her job for the last 22 years but doesn't know where her next meal will come from without a paycheck to rely on. Donna said: ``I have to choose between buying food or paying a bill.''

We received a call from a retired Federal employee in Natick. She lives in affordable housing and is required to prove her income to renew her lease. She cannot obtain a statement from OPM regarding her pension because they are closed, jeopardizing her living situation.

Sandy called us. She owns a startup in Cambridge that almost exclusively contracts with DOD and DHS. This is a small business, and they are struggling to keep up with payroll as the checks stopped coming. She said: ``We have about a week and a half of payroll left.''

David from Ashland is an Active Duty Coast Guard member stationed in Boston. I want to note that the community has come together to open a food bank for our Coast Guard members and their families. He doesn't know how he and his family are going to continue to pay their bills.

The Coast Guard, certainly for coastal States and for our national security, plays a critical role, not only in search and rescue, and protection from terrorism, but also in drug interdiction. The fact that we are asking Coast Guard members, who serve their country proudly and with great patriotism, to work without pay is a national shame.

Susan from Belmont receives a housing subsidy through HUD, and if the shutdown continues, she is afraid she could face the possibility of eviction.

We have heard from Amanda in Waltham. Amanda is an Indian citizen who has resided with legal status in the U.S. for over 12 years, working for a childcare provider. She, her husband, and young son traveled to India in November to visit with family. At that time, they went to the U.S. consulate to get their visas stamped. Her husband's visa was issued right away, but Amanda's was subject to further review. Having not received her visa, she remains in India, separated from her son and husband. The shutdown has delayed this processing further and has prolonged the separation, which is a significant hardship on this family.

These are just a few of the stories that we have heard about what is the real impact of this shutdown.

It is long past time that we open government. We can negotiate on what real border security looks like, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of the security of these families and of our national security as well.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I have to agree with my colleagues today. This is not the bill that the House approved or that has everything that we have worked on our subcommittee to get into law to help fund those programs that are so vital to families at home and across this country, but we are here today trying to get the Senate to accept ``yes'' for an answer, because what is critical is that we reopen government.

President Trump is holding 800,000 Federal employees hostage, and that ripples out to millions of Americans who rely on government not just for a paycheck, but for those critical services, whether they are border security or TSA agents, the FBI, food programs, or vital housing and transportation services.

Specifically, the Federal Housing Administration has stopped processing loans and mortgage approvals, putting families trying to buy a new home or refinance an FHA-insured mortgage into financial limbo.

I heard a story of one woman who is battling cancer. She has not been able to earn an income, and refinancing her home was the key way that she could continue to have this battle and get the treatments that she needs and give her family the money to survive and meet their basic needs. With the closing of FHA, she is unable to get those documents and be able to refinance her house.

This shutdown is also threatening to destabilize more than 4 million households that depend on HUD's rental assistance programs.

The phones are ringing off the hook in my office in D.C. and back home in Massachusetts. We heard just this week from a retired Federal employee from Natick who called because she lives in affordable housing and is required to prove her income to renew her lease.

Mr. Speaker, she cannot obtain the statement from OPM regarding her pension right now because they are closed. This jeopardizes her living situation.

We must reopen government and then resolve our differences about how we address border security. Passage of this bill is a critical first step.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 332.