Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, a 63-year-old grandmother, Leah, was sitting in her house near Tel Aviv. Ido, a 5-year-old boy, was home with his big sister and his mom in a small Israeli city near Gaza. Nadine, an Arab-Israeli 10th grader, was driving with her mom and dad outside Jerusalem.

What did they have in common?

Their families are shattered and heartbroken. Leah, Ido, and Nadine were all murdered by Hamas rockets bombarding Israeli cities. In the last few days, Hamas terrorists have launched over 1,500 rockets-- blowing up homes, schools, and buses.

Thankfully, Iron Dome has stopped most. Still, millions of Israelis are forced to sleep and eat in bomb shelters as red alert sirens blare across the country.

The violence is a cynical Hamas power grab using policy disputes as an excuse for terrorism.

Let me make it clear: I agree with President Joe Biden: Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying in your territory.

Hamas must end its attack, and the United States and allies must help bring calm.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, give me a break. Since when is having babies a liberal activity?

In fact, I believe that police women have babies, too. And let me tell you about a couple of other women.

Erica was working at a warehouse lifting heavy boxes. She had been working there for years. And when she was denied her request to pick up lighter boxes, she lost her pregnancy.

Hannah gave 5 years of her life to a healthcare company, was consistently promoted; but when she disclosed her pregnancy to her employer, she was fired.

And Sara, who spent 7 years building a tech startup from the ground up and truly loved her job and had been promised a promotion when she came back from maternity leave, had it revoked.

These are all true stories of women who have faced the real-world consequence of discrimination against pregnant workers in America. So right now, if a woman becomes pregnant, she can be denied, for example, an extra bathroom break, a place to sit, a lighter lifting, or fired for asking for simple accommodations or even just disclosing that she is pregnant.

This leaves many women having to choose between the health of their pregnancy and putting foods on their family's table. We are putting women in danger every single day while we hold off on this action. They are real-world implications for women like Erica and Sara and Hannah, especially in light of how women have really suffered the brunt of the job loss during the pandemic and as we see a rise in maternal mortality rates for women of color.

Mr. Speaker, so these stories are not unique. Pregnancy should not prevent a woman from putting food on the table, for paying her bills.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everybody to pass this good and needed bill, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Madam Speaker, just to follow Chairman McGovern, I thank him for his very kind words on my friend and neighbor, Alcee Hastings, who was a brilliant and forceful advocate for justice and the great senior leader of the Florida delegation. We miss him dearly.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the National Urban League in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

National Urban League,

April 14, 2021.

Re Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7) and vote no on

harmful amendments.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the National Urban

League, with 90 local affiliates in 36 states and the

District of Columbia, I strongly urge you to pass the

Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 7, without amendments that limit

its scope or undermine its critical protections.

The National Urban League is a civil rights organization

dedicated to the economic empowerment of African Americans

and other underserved populations. The National Urban League

and our affiliate movement have a strong interest in ensuring

equity in the workplace, including payment.

Despite federal and state equal pay laws, gender pay gaps

persist, and earnings lost to these gaps are exacerbating the

financial effects of COVID-19, falling particularly heavily

on women of color and the families who depend on their

income. The Paycheck Fairness Act, which has been passed

three previous times by the House of Representatives, mostly

recently in the 116th Congress, offers a much-needed update

to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by providing new tools to battle

pervasive pay gaps and to challenge discrimination.

Women are increasingly the primary or co-breadwinner in

their families and cannot afford to be shortchanged any

longer. Women working full-time, year-round are typically

paid only 82 cents for every dollar paid to men, adding up to

a loss of more than $400,000 over a lifetime. This wage gap

varies by race and is often larger for women of color: Black

women working full time, year-round typically make only 63

cents, Native American women only 60 cents, and Latinas only

55 cents, for every dollar paid to their white, non-Hispanic

male counterparts. Over the course of a 40-year career, Black

women lose nearly $1 million in earnings and Latinas lose

more than $1 million. While Asian American and Pacific

Islander (AAPI) women make 85 cents for every dollar paid to

white, non-Hispanic men, many AAPI communities experience

drastically wider pay gaps. Moms are paid less than dads. And

even when controlling for factors like education and

experience, pay gaps persist and start early in women's

careers and contribute to a wealth gap that follows them

throughout their lifetimes. Persistent pay discrimination,

often cloaked by employer-imposed pay secrecy policies, is

one factor driving these wage gaps.

These pay gaps can be addressed only if workers have the

legal tools necessary to challenge discrimination and

employers are provided with effective incentives and

technical assistance to comply with the law.

The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal

Pay Act of 1963 to ensure that it provides robust protection

against sex-based pay discrimination. Among other provisions,

this comprehensive bill:

ends secrecy around pay by barring retaliation against

workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages, and

requiring employers to report pay data to the EEOC;

prohibits employers from relying on salary history in

determining future pay, so that pay discrimination does not

follow women from job to job;

closes loopholes that have allowed employers to pay women

less than men for the same work without any important

business justification related to the job;

ensures women can receive the same robust remedies for sex-

based pay discrimination that are currently available to

those subjected to discrimination based on race and

ethnicity; and provides much needed training and technical

assistance, as well as data collection and research.

The COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism have exposed how

the work performed primarily by women, and particularly Black

and brown women, has long been and continues to be

undervalued and underpaid, even as the rest of the country is

newly recognizing the essential nature of this work. We

cannot build back an economy that works for everyone without

ensuring that all women can work with equality, safety, and

dignity, starting with pay equity. Passing the Paycheck

Fairness Act would mark a vitally important step toward

ensuring this becomes reality.

We urge you to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act without

harmful amendments that weaken its critical protections. If

you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Joi

Chaney at the National Urban League.

Thank you for your consideration,

Marc H. Morial,

President & CEO.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

I have some important questions and simple answers.

First, do rent and food cost less for women than men?

The answer is no.

Do women work less hard than men?

Absolutely not.

Do children depend on the financial support of their mothers?

That answer is yes.

So should women make less money than men for doing equal work?

Obviously not.

Yet, for many reasons, women are paid an average of just 82 cents for every dollar paid to men--it is even lower for women of color--causing struggling families and eventually lower Social Security benefits and retirement savings for our grandmothers.

No wonder it is women and their children who are the majority of poor in this country.

As we emerge from a pandemic that has hit women workers the hardest, isn't it time for an economy that compensates women fairly for their work?

Of course it is.

This requires numerous actions, including making sure that women and girls have full access to healthcare, education, and financial resources; family-friendly workplaces; combating on-the-job sexual harassment and violence; making child and adult care more affordable; and raising the pay for minimum wage workers, two-thirds of whom are women.

Today, we can take a giant step toward this moral and legal imperative of closing the gender wage gap by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and giving workers the tools to enforce the Equal Pay Act of 1963, that requires pay equity.

Isn't it time, Madam Speaker, that our mothers, daughters, and sisters get paid fairly for their hard day's work?

Of course.

That is my final question and final answer for today.

Madam Speaker, I stand in favor of removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment, and I ask the following question: What do the following women have in common?

Teacher Melissa Falkowski, who saved 19 children during the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School;

Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both her legs in a combat mission in Iraq;

Chemist Alice Ball, who revolutionized the treatment for leprosy;

Joy Harjo, who was the first Native American poet laureate;

Dolores Huerta, civil rights activist;

The nearly 9 out of 10 nurses and two-thirds of the workers at grocery store checkouts and fast-food counters who are women.

What do they have in common? No matter the sacrifice or contribution to society, if you are a woman or a girl in the United States of America, you are not guaranteed equality under the law.

After 245 years since the birth of our Nation, it is time to pass the equal rights amendment.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, consider this: Your spouse or partner calls you names, he insults you, puts you down.

He discourages you from going to work or school or seeing family members or friends.

He tries to control how you spend your money, where you go, or who you can see, what medicines you take.

He acts possessive, gets angry when drinking alcohol.

He tries to control when you can see a doctor; threatens you with violence; and may hit, kick, shove, slap, choke, or otherwise hurt you, your children, your pets.

He forces you to have sex against your will. He blames you for his violent behavior and tells you that you deserve it.

And this comes from someone you love.

You are in pain and embarrassed to ask for help. You are one in four women. The Violence Against Women Act is critical for your safety and economic independence.

Madam Speaker, I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 88.

Allred (Davids (KS))

Axne (Stevens)

Barragan (Beyer)

Bera (Aguilar)

Bishop (GA) (Butterfield)

Blumenauer (Beyer)

Buchanan (Gimenez)

Bush (Clark (MA))

Cardenas (Gomez)

Cleaver (Davids (KS))

DeSaulnier (Matsui)

DesJarlais (Fleischmann)

Garamendi (Sherman)

Garbarino (Joyce (OH))

Grijalva (Garcia (IL))

Hastings (Wasserman Schultz)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Kahele (Mrvan)

Kim (NJ) (Davids (KS))

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Kuster (Clark (MA))

Langevin (Lynch)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Lieu (Beyer)

Lowenthal (Beyer)

McEachin (Wexton)

Meng (Clark (MA))

Moore (WI) (Beyer)

Moulton (Underwood)

Napolitano (Correa)

Payne (Wasserman Schultz)

Peters (Kildee)

Pingree (Cicilline)

Porter (Wexton)

Rush (Underwood)

Sires (Pallone)

Slotkin (Stevens)

Timmons (Steube)

Watson Coleman (Pallone)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Young (Joyce (OH))

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, my sister in good trouble.

This is Women's History Month, a time to reflect the gains women have made; the struggles we continue to face; and the strong, fearless, and selfless women who have and continue to pave the way.

I have often lamented, as have many of my colleagues here, that for women to reach their full potential, we must be in charge of our own reproductive destiny. No one should have to call their Governor or Member of Congress for permission to access contraception or abortion. And even after the landmark decision Roe v. Wade, it is a constant battle to protect a hard-fought right to legal abortion.

We have seen Republican administrations and Republican States legislatures create obstacle after obstacle to prevent women from achieving reproductive freedom, blocking access to legal abortion and even contraception.

We have seen private citizens, under the guise of protecting lives, threaten abortion providers, including assassinating physicians that provide abortions.

And then there are the angels on the ground who, day in and day out, protect our precious right to reproductive freedom.

With this background, I want to highlight a courageous woman in my hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida, who has made and continues to make history as a great champion of women's reproductive rights. She is one of the bravest people I know, someone I am proud to call a friend. Her name is Mona Reis.

Mona's mission began early on in life, as a teenager. Six years before Roe v. Wade, she participated in a Florida's Girls State program that gives teen girls an opportunity to run the Florida State Legislature, and she actually introduced a bill to legalize abortion in the State. Of course, it didn't pass.

But this was just the beginning of a lifelong career and a commitment to protecting a woman's right to choose, from working at the first outpatient abortion clinic established in Florida in the 1970s to, now, building her own outpatient clinic, the Presidential Women's Center, 41 years ago.

She has been fighting to make sure that all women, no matter their age, race, or economic status, are able to access full reproductive care, including abortion.

Her clinic has treated more than half a million women for things like prenatal care, HTDs, family planning, and pregnancy termination.

This has been a fulfilling but sometimes dangerous mission. Every week for 40 years, the clinic is surrounded by protesters who taunt patients as they enter for care.

In 2005, her clinic was burned to the ground in an arson attack, but she has continued to provide high-quality and compassionate care despite the fact that she has had to endure so much.

Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to talk today.

It is an honor to recognize Mona Reis, an unsung heroine who continues to make our communities a safer and a healthier place for women and girls. It is an honor to know her, to thank her, to celebrate her as we recognize Women's History Month.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the American Rescue Plan.

Madam Speaker, I have been honored to be in public service in my State legislature, as mayor of West Palm Beach, and now here in Congress. I can unequivocally say that this is the most important, impactful piece of legislation that I have ever had the honor to vote for.

We all know that this past year has tested us like never before. The pandemic has destroyed lives and livelihoods. It has disproportionately hurt women, especially women of color, who are already at an economic disadvantage. The impacts have been devastating. Women have lost 5.3 million jobs, 2 million of which are permanent losses. And that is not all. Women also make up the majority of our frontline workforce. In fact, Madam Speaker, we are calling this a ``she'' session.

Schools close and the loss of accessible childcare have only added to the crisis, but this bill will rescue women and their families with the relief they need. It will crush COVID-19, get our children safely back to school, and rescue the childcare industry. It is going to increase the child tax credit, taking half of our children in poverty out of poverty. It is going to get the vaccines into the arms of Americans.

I will tell you this, Madam Speaker: My office is getting calls day after day, all day, from people who want these vaccines.

This rescue package will put money directly into the pockets of working people and get people back to work.

Women have shouldered so much of this pandemic. So it is time to extend the helping hand that they and their families need to get through this pandemic.

I believe, Madam Speaker, that better days are ahead with this rescue plan, and I urge my colleagues to pass it.

Mr. Speaker, I join Madam Speaker in celebrating International Women's Day.

Today, I rise in support of the VA VACCINES Act. This is a bipartisan bill that will expand the VA's ability to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all veterans and their caregivers, regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in the VA healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, the VA should not turn away any veteran who wants this lifesaving vaccine. You know, where I live in Florida--and I am sure it is like this in most places--it is still like playing the lottery to get a vaccine.

This vaccine is free to all Americans and is paid for by our tax dollars. So, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, for our veterans who have selflessly served our

country, we should honor their service with easy access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines. In my view, there are no people more deserving.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, this amendment takes an important step toward fighting terrorism. It would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit an intelligence assessment on the relationship between women and violent extremism and terrorism.

Madam Chair, to prevent ISIS 2.0 and to improve U.S. counterterrorism and peace-building efforts, we need to pay more attention to the roles that women play in violent extremism, including as victims, as perpetrators, and as preventers.

First, as victims, women are often the first targets of terrorism. We have seen it with the abduction and rape of thousands of women and girls by ISIS, the kidnapping of hundreds of girls by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the attack of girls just trying to go to school by the Taliban.

Secondly, Madam Chair, women are not only the victims of terrorism. Some are perpetrators. Recent research shows that women are turning to terror organizations because of false promises of protection, escape from abuse at home, and even, believe it or not, for leadership opportunities. As a result, women-led attacks are rising. In fact, now, 20 to 30 percent of foreign terrorist fighters are women. In sub- Saharan Africa alone, three out of four child suicide bombers are girls.

Madam Chair, women are not only victims and perpetrators of terrorism. They are also preventers, as mothers, wives, and daughters. They influence their spouses and children. They are on the front line of detecting early signs of radicalization in their families and communities.

Madam Chair, because of gender inequality, their warnings are often ignored.

Let me give you an example. Afghan women saw young men being recruited at a wedding, and they shared their concerns with law enforcement. They were dismissed. Later, those same recruits went on to kill 32 people in a bus attack.

I conclude, Madam Chair, by saying that understanding women's unique roles in terrorism is important to creating more peaceful communities around the world, which results in more security for the United States of America.

Madam Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I think there are a few of us here in Congress who are old enough to remember a time when we actually did nuclear bomb drills in school. It probably would have been a futile action had there been a real attack.

And although nuclear warfare is still an existential threat to all of us and our allies around the world, it has been arms control that has let us go about our lives daily without that worry of nuclear war: agreements like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF Treaty, signed in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union, which led to the elimination of thousands of United States and Russian nuclear missiles.

In recent years, it has become apparent that Russia has been violating this treaty. And in response, in February, the Trump administration announced its withdrawal to the consternation of our European friends, giving both the United States and Russia freedom to produce more nuclear weapons.

And it is the general consensus of the arms control community that we should be working with Russia to bring them back into compliance instead of adding to our nuclear arsenal and sidestepping NATO.

Once again, this administration is alienating allies who don't want to be targets for Russian attacks. The NATO Secretary General said, clearly: We do not intend to deploy new land-based nuclear missiles in Europe.

In recent testimony before Congress, General Paul Selva, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated: There are no military requirements that we cannot currently satisfy due to our compliance with the INF Treaty.

In other words, the world has enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilization.

It is clear that our withdrawal from INF has been driven by extreme elements in our administration who have made their careers out of destroying arms control agreements.

To stop this nuclear escalation, my amendment would prohibit funding for missile systems noncompliant with the INF Treaty unless the Defense Department demonstrates an ally has agreed to host the INF missile and that we have exhausted all other diplomatic options.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to prevent a dangerous and costly nuclear arms race. Enough is enough.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chair, let me just respond by saying, according to the Department of Defense, there is nothing in this amendment that would impact missile defense test systems.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, let me just say this.

The Department of Defense says that nothing in this amendment would impact missile defense cooperation with Israel.

I just want to end by saying: Enough is enough. Diplomacy, not more nuclear weapons.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on roll call votes 431, 432, and 433, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``YEA,'' ``YEA,'' and ``YEA'' respectively.

Madam Speaker, on roll call vote 355, I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

Madam Speaker, on roll call vote 249 I was not present because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill.

I am very proud to support this rule for this very outstanding bill package that makes For the People investments to give every person a better chance for a better life.

Mr. Speaker, I want to touch on a few issues.

First, with this legislation, we recognize that when women succeed, America and the world succeed. We do this with many, many outstanding investments.

When women in our country and the world are educated and healthy and have economic opportunity, their communities will be more prosperous and peaceful for everyone.

We have increased investments in Head Start and childcare programs, medical research, family planning, girls' education, fighting gender- based

violence, and supporting women-owned enterprises.

Mr. Speaker, we are repealing the administration's cruel domestic and global gag and religious refusal rules that are cutting off lifesaving healthcare to so many people in our own country and around the world.

We are also making smart investments in our country's infrastructure. So important to my home State of Florida is the restoration of Florida's Everglades, to keep the drinking water clean and safe for over 8 million people.

I want to add, as a mother of a retired United States marine war veteran of many years and representative to so many honorable servicemen and -women, I recognize their selfless and brave service to our country. So I am especially pleased with the funding for the Veterans Student Success Program on college campuses that will help veterans transition to student and civilian life.

Mr. Speaker, as I said, this is an outstanding bill for the people of this country, and I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the bill package.