Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we end this Republican government shutdown now.

Mr. Speaker, we are now in day 9 of the Republican government shutdown.

Let's keep it real. Come on. This could end tonight if Republicans vote ``yes'' on a clean CR. The problem is that the Republicans only want to pass partisan bills with no attempts to reach across the aisle. Instead, Republicans are bringing bills up for votes that claim to fund the VA, feed children, and cure deadly diseases when, in fact, they actually reduce funding for these very important programs. The appeasement of the far right, the Tea Party, is the opposite of good governing and bipartisanship, and it needs to stop today.

As a freshman Member of Congress, I am disheartened by my Republican colleagues' inability to compromise for the benefit of the American people. It's not fair to the constituents that I represent in places like Grand Prairie, people who work at the old Carswell Air Force Base and the Naval Air Station Fort Worth who were recently furloughed as nonessential employees. It's unfair to punish the 62,000 Federal workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who have faced uncertain work status as a result of these partisan games.

I urge Republican leadership to stop the parlor tricks. Everything doesn't have to be a partisan battle. It is time for House Republicans to take ``yes'' for an answer and end the government shutdown today.

I thank the gentleman from Nevada for recognizing me to talk about something that is very important, and that is what is going on with America's future as it relates to this Republican government shutdown, the Affordable Care Act, and jobs.

While Republicans refuse to bring a clean CR to a vote on the House floor to end this Republican shutdown, our Nation, our cities, our States continue to suffer. Every single day, we are losing millions of dollars, wasting time and resources by furloughing government workers and limiting the public's access to government. And as we approach day eight of this reprehensible Republican shutdown, Republicans continue to bring bills to the House floor that will only fund pieces of the Federal Government.

This cynical effort to make headlines and cover themselves for causing such shameful dysfunction is resulting in a historical loss of confidence in Congress and causing undue economic uncertainty for families and businesses all across our country.

To my Republican friends, please understand this is not a game. These political gimmicks are not a responsible approach to governing. Each problem resulting from the Republican government shutdown can be taken care of if we simply pass the Senate's clean continuing resolution.

In north Texas, in the area that I represent, the 33rd Congressional District, families may miss out on over 300,000 meals because the USDA may have to cancel food truck shipments to the North Texas Food Bank. It's ridiculous. And millions of Americans may be affected by the flu this year due to the closing of the CDC's flu tracking program. These are only two examples of the widespread direct effects of the Republican shutdown.

And here's what Republicans need to know: they should go in their districts and talk to people, talk to workers who work in the defense industry, that work at our military bases, that are government employees. Talk to people that have been furloughed. Talk to the people that, because of the sequester problems that we've been unable to solve here because of the lack of Republican leadership, have already been laid off, including the over 400 at Bell Helicopter in Tarrant County in Fort Worth.

And if they talk to people and they go into their districts and speak with everyday common people that are out there working hard every day, what they'll find out is that it hurts to lose your job. And when you lose that job--particularly at this time of the year, as we get closer and closer to the Christmas season--and when you lose that job, then something happens to your car, some medical emergency pops up that ends up costing you a lot of money, then you really start to struggle as a family, and it really starts to hurt. That is what is so shameful about this Republican government shutdown. It doesn't take into consideration the real people that are out there struggling every day.

Speaker Boehner claims there aren't enough votes to reopen the government, but we know that's not true: 200 Democrats, including myself, have signed a letter to Speaker Boehner, making it clear that there are enough votes to pass the bill and reopen our government now.

Republicans claim they started this shutdown to defund, delay, and deny health care insurance to millions of Americans. Such a move would work to deny health care coverage in my home State of Texas to 6 million uninsured residents. We have the highest uninsured rate in the Union. In the district that I represent, alone, over 265,000 are uninsured. That's over a third in the 33rd Congressional District, in Dallas and in Fort Worth.

To Members wishing to deny health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, I want them to explain to those constituents in the district that I represent and in their own districts. It's a myth that it is only happening in our districts. They have people in their districts that are uninsured also, and they need to start representing them.

The most ridiculous reality of this political stunt is that the ACA is the law of the land, which means that this shutdown will be fruitless in repealing the law. And in the end, Republicans will have to behave like adults and stop simply saying ``no'' and come to the table with solutions for matters we can address in good faith.

Until then, House Democrats have a clear message: We demand a vote to reopen our government so Americans can move on with their lives, get back to work, provide for their families.

I ask my Republican colleagues to let reason overtake ideology, and let's get our government open again. Let's get it running. Enough is enough. Let's do the right thing. Let's stop with these games, stop the obstruction, and let's get back to work. These families are depending on us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against this unnecessary Republican-led government shutdown.

Republicans should work with Democrats to keep our government open. Republicans have cut off basic government services relied upon by millions of Americans, including millions of Americans who call themselves Republicans.

This effort to shut down our government is costing hardworking taxpayers millions of dollars. 800,000 Federal employees around the country didn't go to work this week and will not return to work until Republicans end this senseless shutdown.

Instead of working across the aisle, Republicans would rather score political points by the Tea Party. They would rather take our government hostage over an issue that was voted on in March of 2010, upheld by the Supreme Court in June of 2012, and held to a public referendum by the reelection of President Obama in November of 2012.

The Affordable Care Act is law. It has gone through the checks and balances of our government and should not be an issue when it comes to funding our government.

I ask my Republican colleagues to let us return to reason. Let's keep our government running. Let's do the right thing. Stop these games, stop the obstruction, and let's get back to work on real issues.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR, and go to conference on a budget so that we end this Republican government shutdown that is undermining our national security by leaving more than 70 percent of the CIA furloughed.

Mr. Speaker, we are faced with the threat of a government shutdown on Tuesday due to the Republican Party/Tea Party extremists' inability to compromise and pass a spending bill for fiscal year 2014.

Once again, we've been pushed to the brink of a government shutdown by fringe Tea Party members whose only goal seems to be to deny hardworking taxpayers the right to insurance.

While the Republican-led House has voted 42 times to sabotage uninsured Americans gaining health care coverage, not once have they allowed a vote to repeal and replace the sequester. Over 400 hardworking taxpayers in Fort Worth, Texas, have lost their jobs at Bell Helicopter due to the sequester. To make matters worse, once again Republicans are placing the livelihoods of American families at risk by threatening to furlough government employees. The bottom line here is that Congress has a lot of work to do this weekend and in the weeks and months to follow.

This is the work that we as Members of Congress were elected to do. I take this responsibility very seriously and expect my colleagues to as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Mr. Jerry Russell, a man dedicated to his family and his community, who passed away on September 5, 2013. Mr. Russell was a generous man who committed his life to the Fort Worth theater community for 35 years.

A Rhode Island native, Mr. Russell made his home in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1973. It was there that he left a well-paying job at National Cash Register to pursue his career and dream. He started Stage West Theater in 1978. Mr. Russell led Stage West by taking risks and never giving up on what became one of the early foundations of the early Fort Worth theatrical community. Now Stage West is a major supporter of local theater performance and the arts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

While he did not attend college, he became a theater teacher at my alma mater, Texas Wesleyan University, where he spread his love and passion for theater to his students. He was a major supporter for the development and funding of the arts in Texas schools and communities.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that in his spare time outside of the theater, he loved rooting for the Texas Rangers. Go Rangers.

He will always be regarded as a true talent and benefactor to not only the Fort Worth community but to the State of Texas. I offer my condolences to his friends and family. In addition to his wife, Suzi McLaughlin, he leaves his five children, Christopher Neal Russell, Joe Russell, Kathy Russell, Jennifer Russell James, and my friend, Texas Senator Wendy Davis. He also leaves his legacy behind with 11 beautiful grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

May he rest in peace and his legacy and contributions to the arts never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, there's a cruel war being waged on the poor and hungry in America. I stand today as a voice for more than 1.6 million Texas households who depend on SNAP. Cuts to SNAP, our Nation's first line of defense against hunger, are immoral. I will not stand by as my Republican colleagues continue to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable Americans.

House Republicans unveiled on Monday a plan to cut over $40 billion in SNAP over the next 10 years. This proposed package would eliminate basic food assistance for over 4 million Americans, including poor jobless adults in areas of high unemployment, working-poor families, children, seniors, and even struggling veterans.

Some might say that the proposal is an attempt to reduce fraud or waste in the program. Some say benefits are going to adults who don't want to work. I have news for people who say that: you try earning minimum wage, working hard every day, and you will still, after working 40 hours a week at the end of the year, only make around $15,000.

All of these claims are misleading to the public. SNAP fraud has been reduced to about 1 cent per dollar spent on the program, according to one of the most recent USDA statistics. In fact, the cuts will come from benefits that many Americans need to survive. These cuts will take food out of our seniors' refrigerators and food out of the mouths of our babies. This new legislation unfairly targets millions of unemployed adults who want to find work; but due to a bad economy and a sluggish recovery, they cannot find a job.

This includes Republicans, too. I worked at a grocery store in Texas when I was in high school. And I saw Republicans come in from Republican strongholds, like Weatherford, Texas, Azle, Lake Worth, and they were on SNAP.

People need to stop stereotyping the program. Proponents claim that these cuts represent ``work requirements,'' but that is willfully misleading, Mr. Speaker. The provisions would callously terminate food aid to people who are willing to work but just can't find a job.

Just a few short weeks ago, the Republican leadership of this House tried to eliminate the SNAP benefits entirely when they stripped the nutrition program from the farm bill. This is a cruel assault against the most vulnerable and neediest Americans. Those affected by the bill's harshest provisions even include low-income veterans, putting food assistance at risk for an estimated 170,000 of the approximately 900,000 veterans who receive SNAP benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I also participated in the SNAP challenge this year and lived on a budget of $4.50 a day and can attest that it was not easy. I had to make tough decisions and realized firsthand how difficult it is to follow a healthy diet on such a limited budget. I made difficult choices, as families do every day, between purchasing nutritious options and what's on sale. As a father of a 7-year-old son, I cannot imagine the decisions many Texans have to make every day, including skipping a meal to provide nutrition for their kids.

When drafting this legislation, did anyone take the time to think about how these SNAP cuts would hurt our kids? Nearly half of all SNAP participants are kids. This represents close to one in three children in the United States. Without access to nutritious meals, our children are put at risk of developmental delays, poorer physical health, and many other ailments.

Mr. Speaker, we need to do everything that we can to keep the SNAP program going. The conditions that I have talked about are very serious when you think about it affecting a child's ability to learn and perform well in school. These long-range implications have dire consequences for our entire economy.

I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle who support these cuts, these kids that I just talked about, what did these kids do to deserve these cuts?

This past year, some 49 million Americans lacked access to adequate food because they didn't have enough money or other resources to meet their basic food needs. Many of these hungry Americans skipped meals or took other steps to reduce what they ate to make ends meet.

I represent a constituent in my district who is elderly, disabled, and lives on a fixed income. She received $93 a month in SNAP benefits, but recently, those were cut to only $52 a month. That's only $1.73 a day. And if this bill is passed, she will be cut off from the program entirely. I ask the proponents of this program, where is she to find assistance for her nutrition needs? I refuse to stand silent as some propose we take food out of the mouths of the hungry.

SNAP is also a very powerful antipoverty program that has helped make our economy stronger. In 2011, SNAP kept 4.7 million people out of poverty, including 2.1 million children.

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

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

I rise to offer this amendment because, Mr. Chairman, mineral exploration and mining have a deep history in our country. We have vast resources in America that we have been able to use for our own security, innovation, and economic benefit. This is why we must continue to explore these resources in a smart, environmentally sensitive manner.

It is dangerous for America to depend on countries like China for rare-earth elements and rare metals. These elements are necessary for telecommunications, military technologies, health care technologies, as well as conventional and renewable energy technologies. But the underlying bill goes far beyond these specific minerals in defining what constitutes ``strategic and critical.''

While the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act gives four characteristics for what should be a strategic and critical mineral, it leaves the exact minerals open to interpretation. The majority has stated that their purpose in leaving the definition so broad is to allow for flexibility over time. This bill would cover virtually all hard rock mining on Federal lands.

I think most Americans will agree that sand and gravel are important to our economy, but how many would be willing to go on Federal lands, places such as the Grand Canyon, in order to mine these two elements?

That is why I have proposed my amendment to H.R. 761. My amendment would give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to specifically list what are strategic and critical minerals and make this information available to the public. After a given number of years looking at the global and national landscape for mineral exploration, the Secretary would have the authority to change this list as factors dictate. This allows for flexibility in responding to global mineral markets while protecting our public resources.

Mr. Chairman, I know both Democrats and Republicans strongly support the development of rare-earth elements and other critical minerals necessary for our national security and national competitiveness, but we must refrain from allowing the mining industry to define what is critical solely in accordance with their economic needs. That is why I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment to define what minerals are of national public interest and to protect the prestige of our public lands.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the gentleman from Washington, in this bill, who would decide what is a strategic and critical mineral?

I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, again, I want to ask the gentleman: Who would decide what is strategic and a critical mineral? I mean, I listened to the gentleman in his explanation, and I never heard exactly who would decide in his explanation.

I yield to the gentleman from Washington.

Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, the answer to that would be the Secretary of the Interior.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Master Sergeant Richard Allan Pittman of the United States Marine Corps.

Master Sergeant Pittman was with Company I, 1st Division and was awarded the Medal of Honor for consummate gallantry in action on July 24, 1966, in Vietnam.

When the company fell under intense enemy fire, Master Sergeant Pittman grabbed a machine gun and rushed toward the front to provide support. Through withering enemy fire, Master Sergeant Pittman rushed to the front of the patrol and eliminated multiple enemy positions. Master Sergeant Pittman then charged an additional 50 yards to retrieve three downed marines. In establishing a defensive position, he was able to engage and inflict heavy casualties upon an enemy force of 40 and successfully ward off their advance, saving the lives of many of the company's men.

It is for his bold fighting spirit and extreme devotion to duty that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Master Sergeant Richard Allan Pittman.

Absolutely.

Congressman Cardenas, I thank you very much for doing this. I would like to thank my friend from the Golden State of California for leading this important discussion. I'm also very proud that this is a very diverse group that is here today to talk about the importance of citizenship and diversity.

As it was pointed out a minute ago by Steny Hoyer, our whip, he talked about his background and him being a first-generation American. So many of the contributions and so many of the things that make America what it is today is because of immigrants. This discussion is very important. And Congressman Hoyer is right; we need to

pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill because it's the right thing to do.

When you talk about the growth and you look at the gross domestic product, U.S. personal income, I can tell you in my own personal State of Texas what immigrants mean to our vibrant economy. We have so many people that are moving to our State every day. And much of that success that we are experiencing in Texas, the Lone Star State, particularly in Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, is because of immigrant growth.

This week we celebrate 226 years since the U.S. Constitutional Convention was signed into law. Since that time, America's Constitution has been seen as the backbone for the rights and freedoms of all U.S. citizens. The U.S. Constitution is the epitome of what it means to be an American citizen in our country. September 17, the day it was adopted, is a day to celebrate what this document means for those who have become or who aspire to be U.S. citizens.

Throughout our Nation's history, immigrants have embraced the spirit of liberty, justice, and equality for all. These were the same principles that guided the Framers of the Constitution as they built a stronger republic. The Founding Fathers felt that the people who immigrated and spent years building lives in this country deserved citizenship. We should have that same spirit today in this body.

They were keenly aware that making new immigrants wait a long time for citizenship denied them the very rights that Americans had just fought to claim for themselves. By guaranteeing a uniform rule of naturalization, the Constitution presupposes an immigrant nation. Let's join the Framers by pledging to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America.

Each year during Citizenship Day, we recognize the newest members of the American family as they pledge allegiance to our Constitution in naturalization ceremonies across our great country. This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will welcome over 18,000 new U.S. citizens during more than 180 naturalization ceremonies hailed across the country.

As thousands take their first step towards the American Dream, we must all recognize the obstacles that still exist for so many others who long to contribute to the next chapter of America's story. The steps toward becoming a citizen are riddled with difficult, confusing, and very expensive hurdles. In addition to the cost and bureaucracy, there are also some individuals in the community preying on immigrants, taking their money and telling them they are guaranteed citizenship.

Our national, economic, social, and cultural vibrancy are the direct result of labor and efforts of generations of immigrants. According to the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at the University of Southern California, income rises an average of 8 to 11 percent when immigrants become citizens.

Delaying and ignoring real problems in our broken immigration system for political purposes has not brought solutions; it has only brought heartache for the many families who wish to assimilate and make America stronger.

In the spirit of Citizenship Day, I stand with my colleagues to recognize the many benefits that immigrants bring to the United States of America.

Mrs. Velasquez-Acosta came to this country from El Salvador and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Now her son Sam works in the office of a Member of the United States House of Representatives. In fact, he serves the constituents of the 33rd Congressional District in the congressional office that I represent. He is truly a living person that can tell you the benefits of immigration--he and his family.

I believe that there is a level of optimism because I see it in Sam and I see it in so many others who reside in the 33rd Congressional District, the level of optimism that immigrants have historically brought to this country and to our State. When you bring new people into the American family, you energize and get others involved.

We must focus on the urgency of helping the almost 9 million legal permanent residents who are eligible for citizenship in this country. We must help them take those final steps toward the American Dream so they can fully become a part of the Democratic process. That's what it's all about.

Today, we must rededicate ourselves to pass comprehensive immigration reform. This fair, commonsense system would include a pathway to citizenship for those here now, a family reunification system, and a market-based structure that meets legitimate labor needs, protecting both the interest of American workers and industry.

As a nation of immigrants, let us celebrate the long line of aspiring citizens who have had a positive impact on our history. Immigrants have enriched our character, contributed to our economy by founding businesses and creating jobs, and have sacrificed their livelihoods so that they could defend our freedoms and secure a brighter future for our children.

The men who signed our Constitution 226 years ago--226 years ago-- envisioned the United States as a land of opportunity. Today, as legislators, we are charged with building on that same vision, and our Nation will be stronger for it.

I thank my friend from California for using this time to talk about something that is so important to our country. We can no longer wait. The time is now.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Alene Washington from my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. She is a recent recipient of the President's Award for Service for her dedication and service to Tarrant County senior adults.

Ms. Washington has devoted her life to caring for her community, especially the elderly. She began her tenure at Senior Citizens Services in 1973, and shortly thereafter became the director of Fellowship Corner Senior Center on the south side of Fort Worth on New York Avenue. Here, she has provided care for families through multiple generations, ensuring that they are able to age in place with health and dignity through the activities and friendships offered at Fellowship Corner Senior Center. Here, she empowers older adults to find new friends, improve their health with nutrition and exercise, and contribute back through volunteer service.

Most notably, Ms. Washington founded a dance group known as the Steppin' Grannies, which performs around the DFW Metroplex, giving seniors the opportunity to have fun while staying active.

For over 40 years, Ms. Washington has encouraged older adults throughout Tarrant County to live with purpose and independence. Next week, she will be given the award at the Annual Senior Spirits Awards, given by Senior Citizen Services of Tarrant County.

Madam Speaker, again, I would like to congratulate Ms. Alene Washington and commend her for her dedication to Tarrant County seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Dr. Clarence Brooks, a man dedicated to his family, community, and friends. Dr. Clarence Brooks was a generous man who committed his life to serving the community. His legacy spans 61 years and two generations.

Dr. Clarence Brooks graduated from Howard University Medical School in 1975 at the age of 24. And as the youngest member of his class, he was recognized as the number one medical student in family practice. Dr. Clarence Brooks immediately returned to his hometown of Fort Worth and joined his family practice, Brooks Clinic, which was founded by his father and his uncle. Dr. Brooks served an average of 60 patients a day, acted as medical director of two nursing homes, delivered babies, and worked hospital rotations at two local hospitals.

In 1976, Dr. Brooks was named president of the Texas Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation and traveled the State educating communities on the disease and the benefits of being tested. He believed in giving back to the community. Dr. Clarence Brooks supported many young people in realizing their passions in medicine, music, and art. Additionally, he provided low-cost athletic physicals to high school students so they could join athletic teams. I benefited from those low-cost athletic physicals he provided.

He dedicated his medical degree and life as a resource to the benefit of the community. For over 30 years, Dr. Clarence Brooks continued the Brooks' open-door policy to treat everyone regardless of whether or not they had the ability to pay, so they could have medical treatment.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Dr. Clarence Brooks, whose kind spirit and dedicated service touched the lives of so many in Fort Worth at his clinic on Evans Avenue. He will be sorely missed.

I offer my condolences to his wife, Sonya; his two daughters, Leigh Butler and Codie Brooks; two grandsons, Caleb and Gavin Butler; his brother, Roy, and his wife, Jennifer; three sisters, Marion Bryant, Carol Brooks, and Marie Ann Washington; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

May he rest in peace, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jeffries, thank you very much for having us here to talk about the importance of wages and labor unions in our country. I want to thank my friend from the Empire State of New York for putting this together. This is very important and very timely as we try to pull our country out of the economic glut that it was in, as we are turning things around and we're getting job numbers back and things seem to be getting better slowly but surely. But we want to make sure, as things get better, people have a living wage, one where they can earn a good salary and have dignity and respect and be able to feed their families and take care of them.

I was listening to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) talk about his life when he was growing up and the importance that labor unions played in his life. I can tell you, when I was in high school, that I worked at a grocery store and it was a union grocery store, probably the only one in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. I remember, we had benefits. We had time and a half. We were paid extra on holidays. We were young people, but we were allowed to make a little extra money. No one got rich off it, but at least when we were working extra on those days that people would normally have off, when we worked those extra hours during the summer and when school was out, we were compensated for it and compensated for it fairly. I am really proud of that.

Also, thinking back to my childhood, I often think about the people who would come over to our house and play dominoes and cards on Friday and Saturday night, and when the men would talk about trying to uplift themselves and getting that better job and better salary, and the companies that they often talked about.

How do you get on there? That was a saying back then: Do you have a friend that can get me on over there? When people were talking about getting on someplace that had a good salary, it was a place that had a union. It was a place that had one of our labor forces fighting for good wages, fighting so your family could have health care insurance, fighting so your family could have dental insurance, and just basic things like that that so many people take for granted every day, but it certainly helped shape the person that I am today.

A strong labor force is the key to economic security. Labor unions have historically sought to fight for workers' rights--to increase wages, raise the standard of living for the middle class, ensure safe working conditions, and increase benefits for both workers and their families.

Unionized workers are more likely to receive paid leave, have employer-provided health insurance, and to participate in employer- provided pension plans. They reduce wage inequality by raising wages for low- and middle-wage workers and blue-collar workers without a college degree. And they raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20 percent and raise compensation, including both wages and benefits, by about 28 percent.

Today, the labor movement is an important tool for African Americans and, as unions, continue to play a pivotal role in both securing legislative labor protections, such as safety and health, overtime, family and medical leave, and making sure that those rights are enforced on the job.

Labor unions are critically vital to the African American community's economic security. They have been historically and will continue to be in the future. African American union workers' earnings are nearly 24 percent higher than nonunion counterparts, and labor unions provide key bargaining power by organizing the workers to negotiate an agreement with management. This agreement covers things such as a safe place to work, decent wages, and fringe benefits.

Unionized workers are 28 percent more likely to be covered by employer-provided health insurance and are almost 54 percent more likely to have employer-provided pensions and are more likely to receive paid leave.

Fifty years ago, the March on Washington was led with a labor message to increase economic security. Today we must work together to continue that charge. Working people need the collective voice and bargaining power unions provide to keep employers from making the workplace look as it did in the past.

Unions are vital in ensuring that corporations do not focus on creating profits at the expense of their employees.

African Americans are serving in key leadership roles in the larger labor movement. Arlene Holt Baker currently serves as the AFL-CIO's executive vice president, and Lee A. Saunders serves as the president of AFSCME.

Today, labor unions are still on the forefront of efforts to ensure that the gains of the past are maintained and that those who fight for our dignity and equality continue to march on.

I encourage my colleagues in Congress to continue to honor the traditions of the Davis-Bacon wage protections that have helped cement labor agreements and other fair practices that have helped the African American community and all Americans achieve prosperity and economic security.

And as we think about what transpired last month with the March on

Washington and as we commemorated 50 years, we think about all of the great things that Dr. King did in his service to our country while God allowed him to live on this Earth, and one of my favorite quotes by Dr. King is, and I'll close out with this:

As I've said many times and believe with all my heart, the

coalition that can have the greatest impact in the circle for

human dignity here in America is that of the Negro and the

forces of labor because their forces are so closely

intertwined.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jeffries, thank you very much for this time. Let's continue to march on.

Mr. Speaker, energy is of vital importance to our Nation. It is the cornerstone of our economy, allowing for the everyday happenings of our lives to go uninterrupted. Because it is so critically important, we must have steady and abundant sources of energy for our consumption. This is crucial not only to our economy, but to our national security.

Investments in our resources must be strategic, well thought out, and establish a stable supply for our future. The only way to ensure both stability and abundance is through diversification of our varying resources. Any financial expert would advise their clients that diversification is key when investing funds in our financial system. The same is true in regard to our energy sector. While Republicans continue to push bills targeted to a single resource, they fail to come up with a strategic plan that will encompass all forms of energy resources including hydrocarbons and renewables.

While I believe that we cannot leave out any source in attempting to attain our energy goals, bills such as H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act leverage all our activity to one type of fuel, analogously, putting all of our eggs in one basket. I believe oil and gas will continue to play a role in our economy in the near future. I agree that responsible and sensible drilling should continue to take place. If we look at my home State of Texas, we can see that oil and gas have been key to keeping our economy strong through the tumultuous years of the Great Recession. But, oil and gas are not the only fuel source we are able to utilize for energy production in Texas. In western Texas, winds howl through the fields and we have made use of this great natural resource by placing wind farms on land to collect this type of kinetic energy. This is an example of how we can utilize hydrocarbon resources and take advantage of clean renewable resources at our disposal.

Let's put aside partisan bickering and come together on a true energy plan that will address our country's future needs. Bills that simply give lip-service to increasing our energy supply such as the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act, will never be signed into law, and are not plausible for us to be considering. My no vote for the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act was not a condemnation of drilling activities off of our shores, but rather a recognition that we need a comprehensive, responsible, and environmentally sound energy plan for our future that can be passed by the Senate and signed by the President.