Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak, once again, about Peter Biar Ajak, a renowned peace activist unlawfully detained in South Sudan.

In July of 2018, Peter was arrested by South Sudan's security forces. He has

been held without charge or trial ever since, and has been frequently denied access to his family, to counsel, to care, and to adequate food.

Peter was one of Sudan's ``Lost Boys,'' he resettled in Philadelphia, and attended La Salle University, where I taught for 10 years. I knew Peter as a brilliant student and a leader. He later went on to Harvard and to Cambridge.

He is a dedicated peace activist who co-founded South Sudan Young Leaders Forum. In his work, he has criticized South Sudan's leaders for failing to secure a permanent peace for their people.

Incredibly, Peter is now under investigation for crimes including treason and terrorism. If charged and convicted, Peter could be sentenced to death. In reality, he is being persecuted for his speech.

I call on President Kiir to release Peter and all other political prisoners in South Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, America is built on some core values that everyone should have an equal voice in our democracy, that everyone deserves equal opportunity, and that equal work should mean equal pay.

Right now, however, equal work doesn't mean equal pay. According to the United States Census Bureau, on average, women earn just 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. This wage gap hurts women, of course, but it also hurts their families and our economy as a whole.

Yesterday, we took a major step toward addressing this challenge by passing H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill will help close the wage gap by holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices and making it easier for workers to seek redress.

If we believe that Americans deserve equal pay for equal work--and I believe that as deeply as I believe anything--then this bill is how we put our values into action.

I thank Representative DeLauro for her decades of leadership on this issue, and I urge the Senate to take up this bill. What better way to conclude Women's History Month than by making history for women and for all Americans?

Mr. Speaker, domestic violence is an insidious problem that affects far too many people across our country.

One in four women and one in seven men will be the victim of violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Sadly, the scourge of domestic and sexual violence affects our communities, our schools, our servicemembers, and threatens the well- being of women, men, children, the LGBTQ community, our veterans, and others.

But through education and legislative action like reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, we can and have made a difference.

Since its passage 25 years ago through 2012, the rate of domestic violence decreased by 63 percent. From 1996 to 2015, the rate of women murdered by men in a single-victim/single-offender incident dropped by 29 percent.

This week, we voted in the Judiciary Committee to reauthorize this life-saving legislation.

I look forward to bringing VAWA to the floor so that families may be protected from the tragedy of domestic and sexual violence; so that young women like my granddaughter, Aubrey, feel safe to focus on the things that are most important, like claiming her education, her career, and her happy life ahead of her.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, last weekend Members of Congress traveled to Alabama for a civil rights pilgrimage. In Selma we marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge alongside Congressman John Lewis.

Mr. Speaker, 54 years ago yesterday, Congressman Lewis was on that same bridge with hundreds of other brave Americans young and old. They were marching for the right to vote, and they were met with a wave of teargas and billy clubs. Representative Lewis was beaten unconscious.

The trip for me was a powerful and terrible history lesson.

Today States no longer use terror to prevent citizens from voting, but they do use other means. Since the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby decision, nearly two dozen States have implemented restrictive voter ID laws, closed polling places, and used other means to suppress minority voting.

H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, will erase these trends, and H.R. 1, which we passed today, strengthens democracy by ensuring clean, fair elections, prohibiting voter roll purges, and ending gerrymandering. Democracy means government by the people for the people. It lives up to the legacy of those marchers 54 years ago. Ultimately, it means making voting easier, not harder.

Let's keep our eye on the prize.

Mr. Speaker, for decades, lobbyists have stifled our national conversation about gun violence and Congress has refused to act.

Since Parkland, Thousand Oaks, and so many others, new voices have broken through. Student activists have marched, organized--alongside moms--and insisted that we take their safety seriously.

This week we do just that, by passing H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112. This will be a sea change.

And it shouldn't be controversial. Mr. Speaker, 97 percent of Americans support background checks--that is Democrats and Republicans--including 94 percent of gun-owning households.

Six years ago, I was there when the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on background checks.

In her courageous testimony, Sandy Hook mother Francine Wheeler described losing her son Ben. She said:

When this happens to you--when my child was murdered, I no

longer have the fear to stand up and to say what is right and

what I believe.

And then Francine asked a crucial question:

If we all agree dangerous individuals shouldn't have guns,

then shouldn't we at least take the most basic steps to make

sure they don't?

I look forward to the passage of these bills.

Mr. Chair, I am delighted that we are finally at this day, because you know the tide, you know the toll that takes place every day. On average, every day in America, 342 people are shot: murders, assaults, suicides, or suicide attempts. That means every single day-- yesterday, tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day--100 people, on average, will die of gun violence and another 200 or more will literally be wounded or shot in the crossfire.

We know that, in 2017, more than 39,000, nearly 40,000 people died of gun violence, all kinds of gun violence. That was an extraordinary uptick in gun violence.

I carry with me today the picture of Ben Wheeler, whose courageous mother testified before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2014.

I carry with me today a picture of Ron, the son of my dear friend, Marge, who died of gun violence by suicide.

I carry with me, not by picture, but in my heart, the 16-year-old son of my former student at La Salle University who was shot in random gun violence in the city of Philadelphia.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8. In conclusion, Mr. Chair, I long for the day when orange ribbons are obsolete and when orange scarves are a fashion statement, not a cry for help.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. My amendment clarifies that those at risk of committing suicide would be exempt from the background check requirement in instances of imminent threats of death or great bodily harm.

Specifically, this legislation amends the bill to insert the line ``including harm to self, family, household members, or others'' to the list of instances when a person is exempt from the background check requirement and may temporarily transfer away a firearm for safekeeping.

The spirit of this long overdue legislation is to save lives, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, which will further achieve this goal by addressing the leading instance of gun death in this country, suicide.

Last year, nearly 40,000 people were killed by gun violence, with another 80,000 literally caught in the crossfire. Of those killed, over half, more than 20,000, people tragically died by gun suicide.

And the problem has grown. Nationally, over the past years, the past decade, the rate of suicide by gun death has increased 19 percent. This is a problem that grips our entire Nation.

In my home State of Pennsylvania, there has been a 24 percent increase in gun suicides over the past 10 years, claiming the lives of over 14,000 people. These are our friends, our loved ones, young and old, people for whom our hearts ache, people we wish we could hold just one more time.

I offer up a picture of a dear friend of my family, Ron.

Unfortunately, very few of us are left unscathed by this problem. While there are many factors that contribute to self-harm, the presence of a firearm in the home increases the risk of suicide. Not surprisingly, using a gun is the method that most often ends in death.

Guns are dangerously effective at what they are designed to do. That is why this amendment is so important. It ensures that those in crisis can temporarily transfer a firearm safely until the crisis has passed. It clearly defines that a person can temporarily hand over firearms to someone they trust while they work through this difficult time.

This clarity is needed because, in times of crisis, moments matter. It may literally be the difference between life and death.

We are here today at a historic moment to take action against the violence that plagues this country, our communities, and our loved ones. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, with this amendment, will keep guns out of the hands of those who legally should not have them and also gives those who need a safe way to separate themselves from their guns a way to do so.

If we have the courage to pass this legislation, the courage here in the House and in the Senate and in the White House, it will do just that. It will save lives.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the author of this bill, Representative Thompson, and I thank all the tireless advocates who have worked to bring us to this day.

I thank the good gentleman from Georgia for his comments. Clearly, he understands the gravity and the grave nature of gun death by suicide in this country. As you can see, that number has been escalating over the past 10 years. That includes more than 20,000 people in a single year.

Gun violence by suicide is quite deadly. We know it, and so I thank my colleague from the other side of the aisle for at least supporting the spirit of what we are trying to do here.

For the greater safety of our citizens, our neighbors, our friends, and our family members, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and please support this bill, H.R. 8.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Peter Biar Ajak, a husband, father, and renowned peace activist unlawfully detained in South Sudan.

In July of 2018, Peter was arrested by South Sudan security forces. He has been held without charge or trial ever since, and has frequently been denied access to his family, counsel, medical care, and adequate food.

Peter was one of Sudan's Lost Boys who resettled to Philadelphia and attended La Salle University where I taught for 10 years. I knew Peter as a brilliant student and leader. He later went on to Harvard and Cambridge.

He is a dedicated peace activist, who cofounded South Sudan Young Leaders Forum. In his work, he has criticized South Sudan's leaders for failing to secure permanent peace for their people.

Incredibly, Peter is now under investigation for crimes, including treason and terrorism. If charged and convicted, Peter could be sentenced to death. In reality, he is being persecuted for speech. I call on President Kiir to release Peter and all political prisoners in South Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FIND Trafficking Act, H.R. 502. Over the last several years, the work of law enforcement has gotten significantly harder. One difference, cryptocurrencies; virtual currencies such as bitcoin, Ethereum, and others, have changed consumers' relationships with money in profound ways, allowing them to conduct anonymous transactions outside the traditional banking sector.

Criminal networks have taken advantage of these new tools using virtual currencies to carry out drug sales and sex trafficking operations. That is why the FIND Trafficking Act is so important.

This bipartisan bill would require the Comptroller General of the United States to study how virtual currencies enable criminal activity and propose solutions to stop it.

Based on these findings, Congress would design legislation to regulate virtual currencies. Our law enforcement officials are already working hard to tackle this challenge.

In November of 2016, for example, during an investigation into an illegal fentanyl operation, Federal law enforcement seized $2 million in virtual currency. Nonetheless, human traffickers and drug dealers have gravitated to virtual currencies because they provide an unprecedented level of secrecy and anonymity.

According to DEA, online marketplaces now use virtual currencies to sell fentanyl, a prime contribution to America's deadly opioid crisis. We are now living and dying through the consequences.

According to the CDC, in 2017, more than 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. My own State of Pennsylvania is ravaged with the third highest rate of overdose-related deaths and untold suffering for families in our communities.

The bottom line is we know that virtual currencies are being used to fund sex and drug trafficking, but we don't know the true scope of the problem, nor do we have a full set of tools to address the challenge. That is why we need H.R. 502.

Mr. Speaker, Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution reads: ``The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people.''

Pure water, it doesn't get any more basic than that. But for years, constituents in my district in towns like Horsham, Willow Grove, North Hills, and Upper Dublin have worried about the quality of their water and the impact of that water on their health and their family's health. Like citizens who live near military bases across the country, their water supplies have been contaminated with a class of manmade chemicals known as PFAS.

Unfortunately, government has been slow to act. The EPA has attempted to block research showing just how dangerous these chemicals really are. Testing and cleanup have been insufficient, and, now, day 33 of the administration's shutdown, 93 percent of EPA workers are furloughed, challenging our ability to deal with this and other important issues.

But today, we in the Congress have launched a bipartisan PFAS Task Force. I invite all Members of Congress to work with us on this matter of genuine national concern.

Madam Speaker, a concerned constituent recently sent me this hand-written letter about President Trump's shutdown:

``As an air traffic controller . . . I want you to know how the partial government shutdown is affecting me. For the last 2 weeks, we have remained on the job, dedicated to the safety of every flight. But we don't know when we will receive our next paycheck. . . .

``I was putting my 7-year-old daughter to bed and I could tell something was bothering her. She had heard my wife and I . . . worrying about our next mortgage payment and the credit card bills. . . . My daughter looked me in the eye and told me she was scared and what would happen if we couldn't pay for our home and our bills.

``I have been teaching her the value of commitment and responsibility. I have showed her that by hard work and excellence you can make a good life for . . . your family. . . . My daughter should not have to worry about bills when we have valuable jobs and are doing our work.

``Please, Representative Dean, help me teach my daughter about commitment and responsibility and help end the government shutdown.''

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to stand as a Member of Congress for my first floor speech. I purposefully rise to speak about the issue of gun violence and, specifically, H.R. 8.

Last year, 40,000 people in America died of gun violence, over half to suicide. Another 80,000 people were wounded, literally caught in the crossfire.

This week, I was honored to stand with Gabby Giffords--a woman whose public service inspired my own--the Speaker, and Chairman Thompson to cosponsor H.R. 8.

Background checks work and the public knows we must pass this legislation to save lives.

As I worked with Gabby Giffords, I was reminded of the words of Robert Frost marking JFK's inauguration. He wrote: ``Courage is in the air.''

We must act on that courage.