Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, for the 37th time, the Republicans set a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Yet again, this is a waste of time and taxpayer resources on pure political posturing, rather than working hard on behalf of hardworking American taxpayers.

As a freshman Member, I can tell you where I stand, and that is in 100 percent pure full support of the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans have ignored real problems affecting our country and instead have chosen to attack the poor and most vulnerable. Millions of Americans are already enjoying protections and benefits under the law. In my State of Texas, over 300,000 young adults are able to stay under their parents' plan. Over 3 million women and 1.8 million senior citizens have access to preventive care. Many more will have insurance coverage once the insurance exchanges are in place for 2014.

Republicans constantly talk about requiring more efficiency and reducing redundancy in Federal Government. How about we start reducing redundancy right here in Congress? Let's move beyond messaging bills and into actual substantive legislation. Let's focus on jobs and grow the economy rather than wasting money on repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak against the proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. As the Nation's most important antihunger program, SNAP offers nutrition assistance to 46 million low-income Americans and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP also allows families to more easily set aside a portion of their resources for food and not have to outsource all of their meals and to prioritize a healthier, more consistent diet without compromising as much on obligations such as rent, utilities, transportation and other basic needs.

Over 80 percent of SNAP households have incomes below the poverty line and 40 percent have incomes below half of the poverty line. For many of these Americans, SNAP is the only form of income assistance they receive. We cannot allow the budget to be balanced on the backs of the poor and most vulnerable in our country.

The proposed farm bill up for a vote in the House Agriculture Committee today would cut $20 billion from the program. I join my colleagues in opposing these draconian cuts to ensure that 46 million people who rely on this program will have food.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Pay China First Act. Once again, the Republican majority has chosen to play politics with the credit of our Nation. Instead of coming to the table with solutions, they are ensuring that we will come to a default on our Nation's debt.

This bill accomplishes one simple goal: pay China first. If the Republicans cause a default on our debt, H.R. 807 would guarantee that bondholders in China and other foreign nations will get paid before our men and women in uniform. Honorable veterans and the doctors and the hospitals that take care of our senior citizens on Medicare will all lose out. Are these truly the right priorities for our country, Madam Speaker?

Democrats are focused on job recovery, job growth, and securing a future for our hardworking taxpayers and the middle class. We are ready to act now on commonsense budget proposals that are balanced and fair. I ask the majority now to stop playing political games and let's work together on commonsense solutions to strengthen our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor eight exceptional students from my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, who are all Woodhaven Scholarship recipients.

Ambar Aguilera from Amon Carter-Riverside High School, Carolyn Estrada and Rasheda Bellat, Eastern Hills High School, Maria Barragan at Nolan Catholic High School, Ta'lor at Dunbar High School, Kimberlee Sims at Temple Christian School, David Detrick at Polytechnic High School, and Sierra Wilson at Northside High School.

Created in 1998 to support the educational needs of the East Fort Worth community, the Woodhaven Scholarship helps students who are looking to pursue their dream of higher education.

Woodhaven Scholarships are given to East Fort Worth high school seniors who plan to attend Texas colleges and universities. Scholarships are awarded to students attending 4-year institutions as well as those attending 2-year colleges. The funds can be used for college tuition, educational fees, equipment, supplies, as well as on- campus housing expenses.

The eight students chosen will spread their talents across different prestigious institutions in the great State

of Texas. I'm sure they will continue to succeed in their pursuit of higher education.

Mr. Speaker, again I would like to congratulate these students on their accomplishments and the honors presented to them.

Thank you.

I would also like to thank the gentleman from the Sagebrush State, Steven Horsford, and from the Empire State, Hakeem Jeffries, for all of their work on this very important issue and also in talking about the importance of the Affordable Care Act and everything that it's going to bring to our country. I also want to talk about the health care crisis that is ongoing in America today.

Unfortunately, obesity and the long-term effects associated with this condition are all too prevalent in our country. When you look at the health statistics, it's quite astounding to say the least. Today in America, nearly two-thirds of adults and one in three children are overweight. In my own home State of Texas, we have one of the highest obesity rates in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 percent or more of Texans are obese.

The high obesity rate has contributed to the pervasiveness of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases that drain resources from our health care system. Increases in food intake, a lack of physical activity, and environments that make nutritious choices more difficult have all played a role in this obesity epidemic.

Many children and adults do not have much control over the choices of foods they are able to get. Across this country, we are laden with food deserts or places where residents may not be able to get to a nutritious food option because they do not own a car or have access to public transportation, or maybe they don't live along walkable roads. This forces families to outsource their daily eating to more accessible and sometimes cheaper alternatives, such as fast food, to get their daily nutrients. A steady diet with high fat, salt- and sugar-based products has led to unhealthy lifestyles.

Diabetes is one of the more commonly known effects of being overweight or obese.

The disease affects 25.8 million Americans, roughly 8 percent of our population. The effects and complications of diabetes can include stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations.

Studies have shown that people with prediabetes who lose weight or increase their physical activity can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and in some cases even return their blood glucose levels to normal.

Each of these statistics is more exacerbated when you look specifically at the minority population in our country such as Latinos and African Americans and our special-needs population.

When you break down obesity by race, African Americans have the highest rates of obesity at roughly over 35

percent; Latinos, a little over 28 percent as compared to the non- Hispanic White population of 23.7 percent. Individuals with disabilities also have higher rates of obesity at 31.2 percent. This is why I introduced House Resolution 195 designating May as Health and Fitness Month.

We need to correct our course as a country and get on the path to healthier lifestyles. The numbers are clear. We cannot sustain this unhealthy path we are on. Not only is it cutting the lives of too many Americans short, but it's also costing our country. In 2008, medical costs associated with diabetes were estimated to be at $147 billion. The medical costs for people who were obese were over $1,400 higher than those of normal weight.

We need to show our children that we can make healthy, nutritious choices and increase our physical activity. We must also not forget that this must be spread throughout all aspects of our population. While tremendous resources have been employed to help combat the growing obesity epidemic amongst children, markedly fewer have been used to address specific issues regarding how to best help obese children with disabilities.

So, today, let's declare a more nutritious and healthy lifestyle with better food choices and more active lives.

Mr. Horsford, thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary group of students in the city of Fort Worth that I'm honored to represent in Congress. Alejandra Benavidez, Consuelo Cuevas, Nian Dim, Elijah Herring, Miguel Lopez, Mariah Mathews, and Yesenia Ortiz each have been awarded a community scholarship to attend Texas Christian University.

TCU recognizes the benefits of having a diverse student body with varied backgrounds and experiences. In order to help ensure this, the university began the Community Scholars program in 1999 to bring students in who would otherwise not be able to afford a college education. The program has grown to include 11 high schools in the north Texas area, with 30 scholarships given each year, and boasts a 90 percent college graduation rate.

The students chosen from Fort Worth's Trimble Technical High School add to the prestige and quality of the Community Scholars program and TCU overall. Each of these students are bright, motivated, and accomplished. Not only do these students exhibit academic excellence, but they also take part in volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and demonstrate leadership in their communities. Once again I want to commend these students. I know they will wear their purple with pride.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today about the urgent need to create jobs and grow our economy, an issue that should be our number one focus right now. We are nearly a month and a half into the sequester, which has imposed painful cuts to defense, transportation, and education, and it's hurting our economy.

I'm disappointed the House Republican leadership chose the path of the sequester rather than working with House Democrats to stop these needless, across-the-board cuts. I'm also disappointed that House Republicans have chosen the politics of brinksmanship and government shutdowns rather than negotiate a compromise with Democrats.

We must stop politicizing every function of government from the debt ceiling to the budget. Creating jobs and strengthening our economy starts with the private sector and government working together to ensure confidence and investment across the country.

I encourage all of my colleagues to come together and focus on jobs. Let's work on legislation that helps our constituents obtain jobs and grows our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Republican budget proposal. This plan hurts the middle class, repeals health care for millions of Americans, and does nothing to guarantee seniors the benefits they earned and have been promised.

The Republican budget plan introduced this week offers no new, real solutions. This is the third time this plan has been introduced, even though the country clearly rejected it this past November. Congress needs to listen to the American people and work together on responsible, long-term solutions.

The House Republican plan has devastating consequences for seniors, our parents, and our grandparents. The Republican budget turns Medicare into an extensive private insurance program for seniors. Our country made a commitment to care for our parents and grandparents, and it's important that we uphold that commitment. Let's not forget that one day our kids will grow older and will depend on these vital programs. We need to balance our budget and reduce the deficit, but we must not do so on the backs of our middle class and our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Pastor McKinley Jackson Senior, a man dedicated to his family, church and friends. Pastor McKinley was a kind man who committed his life to serving others.

Pastor Jackson was a long-time resident of Fort Worth, Texas. Rev. Jackson was the Pastor of Samaria Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas for the last 33 years. Prior to that, he was Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Terrell, Texas and also led two other churches. He was a former Fort Worth City Councilman for District #5; lifetime NAACP member, and served in leadership within many local, state and national civic and religious organizations.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues please join me in honor and remembrance of Pastor McKinley Jackson, Senior whose kind spirit and dedicated service touched many lives. I offer my condolences and deepest sympathy to his wife, Eddie Ruth Jackson; sons, Ronnie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Jesse Jackson and Reverend William McKinley Jackson; daughters, Sharon Jackson and Alicia Jackson; adopted daughter, Angie Johnson; uncles; aunts; and a host of cousins, nephews, nieces, grandchildren, great grandchildren and the Samaria Church Family. May his soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Glynis Brown, a kind woman who was devoted to her family, church and friends. She had a warm and kind spirit, a passion for the helping others and serving her Church.

Sister Brown was a long time resident of Fort Worth. She matriculated through the Fort Worth Independent School District and graduated from Eastern Hills High School. She

worked as a secretary for Fort Worth ISD and married her friend in Christ, Mr. Douglas E. Brown. In 1993, she became the First Lady of Great Commission Baptist Church where she became known as the life and heartbeat of Pastor Brown.

Sister Brown was very active in her Church; she began the Sisters In Effect Ministry for youth ages 13 through 18 and performed pre-marital counseling. She touched many lives and warmed the hearts of the worshippers.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Glynis Brown, whose warm and kind heart touched many lives. I offer my condolences and deepest sympathy to her husband, my pastor the Reverend Dr. Douglas E. Brown; to her daughters, Phairen Yaites and Kaitlyn Brown; to her extended family members; and to her Great Commission Baptist Church family and many friends. May her soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today about the recent sequestration cuts to important Federal programs, cuts that are harmful to our national security, education system, transportation and infrastructure, and economy.

Congressional Democrats have worked for months in this very Chamber in order to avoid the harmful cuts, but the House majority has so politicized the budget process that it has prevented any resolution or compromise. The Republican majority has three times blocked the consideration of a Democratic bill to end sequestration, has refused to bring any bill of its own to the House floor to end the sequester and, instead, with partisan attacks, has tried to blame President Obama.

The sequester has already taken effect with an immediate $85 billion across-the-board spending cut; and while the worst of these impacts is yet to come, Americans will see more teachers laid off, indiscriminate cuts to special education, a loss of 4 million meals for seniors, and debilitating health care cuts for our military families.

In my home State of Texas, the sequester puts close to 1,000 teaching jobs at risk. Over 80,000 workers will lose access to job training, over 50,000 civilian defense employees will be furloughed, and 9,700 fewer children will get vaccines for diseases like measles and the whooping cough.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the impending cuts to the Federal programs that are harmful to our national security, education system, transportation infrastructure, and economy. If we allow the sequester to take effect, Americans will see more teachers laid off in their neighborhood schools, indiscriminate cuts to special education, a loss of 4 million meals for seniors, and debilitating cuts to health care for military families.

The severe and arbitrary cuts caused by sequestration will go into effect tomorrow. Unless we vote on a resolution today, these cuts will deeply hurt the constituents that I represent in the north Texas Congressional District 33 and also citizens across the Nation.

I was not in Congress when sequestration was passed 2 years ago as part

of the Republican cut, cap and balance bill. There's still time to prevent these harmful, across-the-board spending cuts.

I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699, a balanced bill to replace the sequester that includes both spending cuts and revenues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise during this month of February, also known as Black History Month, to celebrate a piece of African American history in my own hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. I want to acknowledge a legacy that began over 130 years ago, when the Fort Worth School System opened its first public school for Black students, now known as I.M. Terrell High School.

Officially, I.M. Terrell High School was established for the education of African American students in the City of Fort Worth, but the school was much more than that. In a time of formal segregation, the school became a safe haven, a place where the teachers knew all of their students and their parents. It was a community where people cared about and respected each other.

In 1882, a great man named Isaiah Milligan Terrell moved to Fort Worth to serve as Principal and superintendent of Black schools. In 1910, he was appointed principal of the North Side Colored High School and served in this position until 1915.

After his tenure at North Side, Mr. Terrell continued his role as an exceptional administrator. He went on to make significant contributions to Prairie View Normal College, now known as Prairie View A&M University. Mr. Terrell also helped to raise funds for the establishment of Houston Negro Hospital, later known as the Riverside General Hospital in Houston, Texas.

In 1921, North Side High school was renamed a final time, in the namesake of its great principal, I.M. Terrell High School.

I.M. Terrell High School was truly a second home for the students and faculty who met there from cities like Arlington, Bedford, Benbrook, Burleson, Roanoke and Weatherford. In all, the high school took in students from 16 cities where African Americans were not allowed to attend school.

Although its students, teachers, and faculty came from diverse backgrounds and environments they entered the halls of I.M. Terrell with one common goal: to achieve excellence. I.M. Terrell High School has become a symbol of pride and a beacon of hope for Fort Worth. When African Americans were struggling for human dignity and civil rights, the teachers and administrators at I.M. Terrell used education as a way to lead our youth on a path to righteousness. They knew that education was the great equalizer and when applied correctly, it would always lead to success. What I.M. Terrell High School has done for the North Texas community will never be forgotten. The mark left on all of our lives is too great to measure.

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that the most important subject we can study to preserve the progress of any culture, and any nation, is history. So today, during the month of February when we celebrate Black History Month in our country, I stand to honor a rich history that has instilled important values into the Fort Worth community, including education, knowledge, and perseverance. I.M. Terrell's legacy is profound: as a school that was founded less than 20 years after the civil war, in a community that knew the next great battlefield would be the classroom; a community that proudly fought for equal education, a right that for centuries had been withheld from African Americans; and an institution whose doors have been closed for almost 40 years, but whose legacy is still alive.

Today, I proclaim that education is the path we must take to achieve social, economic and cultural progress necessary for success in the 21st century and beyond. Let us use the lessons learned from this great institution as a guiding light for success, and follow the path pioneered by visionaries who began at I.M. Terrell High School.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a pillar in the Tarrant County African American community, Dr. Marion Brooks.

Dr. Brooks opened his doors during a time when racial tensions were high in America and in the state of Texas. His clinic located on Evans Avenue in Fort Worth was the first and only option for residents of the black community during the 1960s. His goal was not financial gain, but to care for those who could not otherwise obtain medical treatment any other way. There were many times that Dr. Brooks performed medical care for free, knowing his patients did not have the means.

In November 1971, Dr. Brooks went on to form the Sickle Cell Anemia Association of Texas. Sickle Cell Disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells, is estimated to occur in 1 in 12 African Americans. This was a cause that was paramount to him, and as a testament to his determination, the organization is still going strong today.

Not only was Dr. Brooks a leader in the field of medicine in the state of Texas, he was also a formidable leader in the civil rights movement. As a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, he fought for the political and economic equality of African Americans. In 1963, while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Washington and delivered his ``I Have a Dream Speech,'' Dr. Brooks was leading a march of his own on the Texas governor's mansion in Austin to fight for desegregation, freedom, and equality. In addition Dr. Brooks was a leader in the community, working to provide protection for people in the African-American community from police brutality.

Although Dr. Brooks passed in 2003 at the age of 83, we continue to recognize his deeds to the community. As an acknowledgement to those accomplishments, the Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum has put on the display the many awards, plaques, and cherished mementos of Dr. Brooks. Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to honor a great doctor, a great leader, a great man, and a great American, Dr. Marion Brooks.

As oral arguments are being prepared for the February 27 U.S. Supreme Court hearing in the case of Shelby County v. Holder, which challenges the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, I stand here today in strong support of upholding section 5 as evidence of its current critical necessity. In my home State of Texas, the need for section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is playing out in a very dramatic fashion.

I'm a plaintiff in the ongoing litigation involving the 2011 Texas redistricting case, Quesada v. The State of Texas. I can personally attest and flatly state that overt and deliberate racial discrimination is still used by leaders in Texas today. I wish that statement were untrue or out of date. It would be wonderful to say that we have progressed past the need for protection under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Sadly, this is not the case. Section 5 protects minorities from racial discriminatory voter ID laws, voter suppression tactics, and discriminatory redistricting plans. These protections are needed now as much as ever.

In 2011, just 2 years ago, a map was drawn by the Texas Legislature that didn't merely affect the politics of our State. Overt racial discriminatory tactics were used to isolate and suppress hundreds of thousands of minorities for the purpose of political gain by current partisan leaders of my State. Latino and African American citizens in the State of Texas suffered the most aggressive and deliberate discriminatory blows to our constitutional rights to fairly participate in elections.

Cold and heartless tactics were used that should be simply relics of the past--relics like ``packing'' millions of minority voters together into as few districts as people to dilute the impact of their vote by ``cracking'' the remaining voters to ensure that their vote has no impact at all. Minorities were packed precinct by precinct and block by block in order to contain the impact of their growing population. And yet here we are today, fighting to uphold section 5.

The right to vote and the right for one's voice to be heard through elected representation is a legally enacted and constitutional right that many have bled and died for. Yet we are still fighting for this very right. Some say its time to move on. But, my dear friends, we must never move on while these rights are not just at risk but under attack. And when I detail the discrimination contained within the redistricting process, no one should think I'm acting as a partisan Democrat. The three-judge panel in Federal court that heard the evidence, questioned the witnesses, and delivered the opinion of the Texas redistricting case consisted of two judges appointed by Republican Presidents and one judge appointed by a Democratic President. Their finding of intentional discrimination was unanimous. They could not have made their views any clearer, stating:

The parties have provided more evidence of discriminatory

intent than we have space or need to address here.

This was not a case heard 30 years ago, or even 10 or 5 years ago. The decision was released just last August, barely 6 months ago.

Lastly, those who tell you that there is no recourse for States that no longer discriminate are, at best, dangerously mistaken. The Voting Rights Act contains provisions for States that have over the years exhibited that they are no longer in need of pre-clearance. States can submit evidence to the Department of Justice or the D.C. District Court that they are no longer using racial discriminatory redistricting tactics and apply for a way out of section 5. As a matter of fact, since 2009, more States than ever before in the history of the Voting Rights Act have been granted the right out.

So why are we challenging the constitutionality of a law that is protecting its citizens from racial discrimination when there is, in fact, recourse? I will tell you the sad truth is because, unfortunately, in States like Texas, where the minority population is growing very rapidly and their voting strength is increasing, rather than work to earn the vote of minority citizens, State leaders would rather suppress voters through racially discriminatory tactics.

My friends, our country is better than this. We are better than this. That's why we are here today in support of upholding section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.