Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez for all her great work on the Small Business Committee.

I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, the HUBZone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act. This legislation is designed to expand contracting opportunities to millions of small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones.

More specifically, it would clarify the program's price evaluation language to ensure adequate spending toward HUBZone small businesses, giving more communities the resources they need to build vibrantly. We must ensure that small business in every community is and can benefit from Federal contracting.

By passing this legislation, we will take a crucial step toward a more equitable distribution of resources to small businesses throughout our country. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the critical work by the Argo Community High School administration to promote equity in their school. Argo Community High School is making history by erecting a bronze sculpture honoring the life and work of Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and a graduate of Argo Community High School. Mamie Till's brave decision to hold an open casket funeral following the brutal lynching of her son provided a spark for the civil rights movement and brought lynching to the forefront of social conversation.

Argo Community High School's efforts to implement this project will serve as a road map for other communities to infuse equity in education. Through collaboration with individuals such as Reverend Wheeler Parker and Ollie Gordon, Emmett Till's cousins, to design the sculpture, Argo Community High School has incorporated the surrounding community into their project. Additionally, students have been an integral part of the process, and are currently documenting stories of living Till family members as well as community members who knew Mamie and Emmett Till. I am proud of Argo Community High School's leadership to uplift our civil rights heroes as we educate the next generation of American leaders.

I commend the Argo Community High School administration for educating their students about our nation's history through the Mamie Till Memorial Sculpture. This sculpture will serve as a catalyst for immediate and continued education of students at Argo Community High School as well as members of the Argo-Summit community around the issues of social justice and civil rights. I thank Dr. William Toulios and Dr. Brandon Cotter for their leadership and am honored to have such outstanding educators in my district.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the selfless and heroic work of the nurses, doctors, and staff of MedGlobal, a humanitarian and health non-governmental organization based in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, on their recent medical missions to Ukraine. To date, MedGlobal, which is headquartered in Illinois' Third Congressional District, has helped train nearly 1,000 Ukrainian doctors in 8 hospitals in Lviv, Ukraine, and brought nearly $1 million worth of life saving medical supplies generously donated by the American people to help Ukrainians in need.

On March 9, 2022, the MedGlobal team of health care providers departed Chicago, Illinois, and arrived in Warsaw, Poland, the following day. The group brought with them desperately needed medical supplies and medications requested by Ukrainian doctors working at hospitals in Lviv. The team traveled by bus from Warsaw to the Polish- Ukrainian border and completed a nearly 45-mile trek through Ukraine to reach Lviv. After a successful mission, the providers made their safe return on March 13.

On April 4, 2022, another MedGlobal team deployed from Chicago to Lviv, and over the course of their mission provided training to Ukrainian doctors in mass casualties, chemical weapons, and management of trauma patients. After another successful mission, the team made their safe return on April 10.

During each trip, Lviv endured multiple bombings from Russian long- range missiles, causing the MedGlobal teams to seek refuge in bomb shelters several times in response to sirens. But this did not deter these individuals from taking the risk to discharge their humanitarian duty and complete their mission.

Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the following individuals who took part in these efforts and recognize their selfless acts of courage bringing vital access to care to Ukrainians caught in the horror of war. The members of the March trip include Dr. Hena Ibrahim, Azeen Ibrahim, Dr. John Kahler, Dr. Riley Jones, Dr. Irina Lelik, Dr. Susan Buratto, and Rita Vaitauskaite, RN. The members of the

April trip include Dr. Judah Slavkovsky, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, Dr. Kathleen Galagher, Dr. Christopher Miller, Dr. John Peter McBryde, Dr. Tanya Bucierka, Dr. Mila Felder, Ismail Ajooka, Lauren Cohen, Tonya Sompalli, Erica Havelka, Tim Conley, Scott and Maria Ruden, and Jessica Szotak, RN. The teams were led by my dear friend, Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, the co-founder and president of MedGlobal and a respected leader in Chicago. Many of these health care providers also call my district home, while others live around the Chicago land region or other states. They reflect the very best of America, and I could not be prouder to represent many of them and recognize their service today.

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to be here tonight, and I am so proud that the gentlewoman put this together for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, to say that I am deeply disappointed is really an understatement. I have to tell you, many people in our country think that the word ``abortion'' is taboo, shouldn't be said, shouldn't be uttered. The Republican Senate reiterated that this week. But worse, it told women that we don't matter. It told women that we don't trust you. It told women that you should not have agency over your body.

I have to tell you, I haven't spoken about my personal abortion ever publicly until this week, and the reason is because of all of those reasons, that are you shamed wherever you go. Even in this day and age, in 2022, women are still shamed. We have to stop that.

One in four women in this country has an abortion. It is common and something that people do actually every day. It is a common health procedure.

When I was 19 years old, I was barely halfway through college, and I found out I was pregnant. I was working two jobs, scrubbing floors and tables, to get through college. I did not have the wherewithal but, more importantly, I did not have the emotional ability to be supporting a child.

Not only did I not have the infrastructure and the financial resources, but I didn't have the wherewithal. I recognized that, and it was a good decision. But it was still a difficult decision.

When Republican Senators tell us that we shouldn't have agency over our bodies, it just reaffirms this taboo and this shame, and I have had enough. All done. I will not allow people to shame me or anyone else that has had a standard medical procedure called abortion. And I am going to use that word a lot more than I have in the past, I will tell you that.

But I have greater concerns. In addition to having an abortion, having concerns about agency over body, I have real concerns for my trans daughter. She came down the night that that opinion was leaked and said: ``Mom, what does this mean?'' Do you know what? I didn't have a lot of really great words for her.

When these reckless decisions are made by reckless people called Republican Senators and extremists in their various religions, they don't understand that they affect real people. That is the reason why I sent personal letters to all the Republican Senators, plus Mr. Manchin, who is in that boat of saying that everything is taboo, and we should be shamed, and we shouldn't have agency over our bodies. I let them know that we are people. My daughter and I are people, and we are all going to speak up.

I just want to say one more thing about being people. We need people in this body who have the lived experience and have been fighting this fight for a long time. It is really important that we all speak up, but it is really important that we mobilize as a country and that all of these leaders in this body speak up.

I have to tell you, I am so disgusted that I haven't slept very well this week at all. But here is what I do know: I cherish everybody, all of my colleagues, my pro-choice colleagues. I cherish Chair Maloney, our Progressive Caucus, all of our Democratic colleagues. I am so proud to be here.

But we cannot let this happen. I know I am mobilizing. I know everybody in this body is mobilizing. But I refuse to receive shame, or to be told that I should have shame, or that I am a bad person because I had a regular medical procedure.

I refuse to allow anyone to tell my daughter that she doesn't have agency over her body.

I thank Chair Maloney for this opportunity tonight.

Madam Speaker, I rise today for Matt Haller. Matt Haller was an Illinois resident who passed away in 2019 from stomach cancer that is believed to have been linked to the local EtO sterilization plant near his home.

These same EtO cancerous chemicals are used today to sterilize an assortment of foods in the United States. While the chemical is clearly banned for food sterilization in other countries around the globe, it continues to be used in America for everyday food products like spices, dried herbs, dried vegetables, and much more. Food sterilized with EtO does not even require food labeling in the U.S.

I am introducing the Matt Haller EtO Awareness Act to finally change that. This commonsense legislation would provide Americans the right to know if food has been treated by known carcinogenic substances through accurate labeling.

Let's increase transparency around EtO, let's bring awareness to cases like Matt Haller's, and let's pass this bill.

Madam Speaker, due to an error, my vote was not recorded. Please accept this form detailing my vote: YEA on Roll Call No. 65.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 65.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to our veterans who served in or near the Panama Canal Zone during the Vietnam war.

Hundreds of these veterans came home with major health issues after being exposed to deadly herbicides like Agent Orange and Agent Purple. Yet, to this day, they are not eligible to receive Federal benefits and disability compensation.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to say that we are one step closer to changing that. Today, I was proud to pass my amendment requiring the Department of Defense to study this issue, which is the first step to ensuring that these veterans finally will receive the care and benefits they deserve.

Madam Speaker, these veterans honorably served our Nation. Now, it is our turn to serve them and get this done.

Madam Speaker, I was regrettably detained during the following votes in question. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 286, YEA on Roll Call No. 392.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there is a humanitarian crisis in Syria right now. For the past 2 years, there have been tens of thousands of Syrians in the Rukban settlement suffering from not only starvation but a lack of medical care.

The last remaining UNICEF clinic in this encampment closed in March 2020, right at the onset of the global pandemic. Since then, thousands in the camp have tested positive but have nowhere to quarantine. They don't have access to vaccines. They don't have access to medical care. They do not have access to clean water.

With Russia and the Assad regimes preventing aid from reaching the camp, I am calling on the U.S. to implore immediate action to intervene and help.

We have a fundamental obligation to save thousands of Syrian lives.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate how the America COMPETES Act will empower manufacturing workers and small businesses on Chicago's southwest side and suburbs.

For too long, America's supply chain has relied on countries like China to bring us critical goods and services. And who has suffered? Of course, it is not the CEOs who ship jobs overseas. It is America's factory workers, small businesses, and local manufacturers.

This bill is for them. And that is exactly why I have introduced amendments to this bill to boost American jobs and strengthen the supply chain with new workforce development programs.

Let's support American workers, invest in American businesses, and let's create millions of American jobs.

By passing the America COMPETES Act, we will do just that.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the transgender Americans who must fight every day for their right to live as their authentic selves.

This Saturday, November 20, marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor the memory of the transgender and nonbinary people whose lives were lost this year in acts of violence.

Tomorrow, I am proudly joining my colleagues and fellow Transgender Equality Task Force co-chairs, Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Jennifer Wexton, to formally introduce a resolution to nationally commemorate this very somber annual observance.

At least 375 transgender or nonbinary individuals across the globe have been killed this year--375. In our Nation alone, it breaks my heart to say that, so far this year, the Human Rights Campaign has reported at least 46 transgender or gender nonconforming people were killed by violent means. We say ``at least'' because we believe this number is actually much higher due to the unfortunate prevalence of underreporting or misreporting violence against this community.

They were friends, family, loved ones, parents. They were taken far too soon. We must honor their memory with a commitment to fight anti- trans hate and violence anywhere it exists.

It is with this commitment that I now read the names of each of these Americans into the Congressional Record. May their memory serve as a call to action for all of us:

Tyianna Alexander

Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin

Bianca ``Muffin'' Bankz

Dominique Jackson

Fifty Bandz

Alexus Braxton

Chyna Carrillo

Jeffrey ``JJ'' Bright

Jasmine Cannady

Jenna Franks

Diamond Kyree Sanders

Rayanna Pardo

Jaida Peterson

Dominique Lucious

Remy Fennel

Tiara Banks

Natalia Smut

Iris Santos

Tiffany Thomas

Keri Washington

Jahaira DeAlto

Whispering Wind Bear Spirit

Sophie Vasquez

Danika ``Danny'' Henson

Serenity Hollis

Oliver ``Ollie'' Taylor

Thomas Hardin

Poe Black

EJ Boykin

Aidelen Evans

Taya Ashton

Shai Vanderpump

Tierramarie Lewis

Miss CoCo

Pooh Johnson

Disaya Monaee

Briana Hamilton

Kier Lapri Kartier

Mel Groves

Royal Poetical Starz

Zoella ``Zoey'' Rose Martinez

Jo Acker

Jessi Hart

Rikkey Outumuro

Marquiisha Lawrence

Jenny De Leon

Madam Speaker, may we honor their memory today and every day.

Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), the chair of the congressional LGBTQ-Plus Equality Caucus.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Cicilline, who is an amazing champion for the Equality Act and all things LGBTQI. I couldn't be more pleased to be his colleague.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus and the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs' Committee, where he champions legislation to serve our LGBTQ-plus veterans.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Takano for all his advocacy and leadership.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley), who is a champion of LGBTQ-plus rights and whose intersectional approach is simply inspirational.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Pressley for all her great work.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Jacobs), who is a proud sister to a trans brother and gender nonconforming sibling.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jacobs for her kind remarks.

I have one more speaker, Madam Speaker. We have Representative Al Green, who is an LGBTQ ally.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Green. He is absolutely right. All is all and love is love.

That concludes our Special Order hour. I want to thank each of my colleagues this evening for their participation.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the millions of older workers who desperately need our help.

Last year, we saw older Americans leave the workforce more than we ever have before, in fact, more than in the last seven decades.

We are seeing tens of thousands of workers with the right qualifications for a job being turned away all because they are 50, maybe even 40, and considered too old. In fact, 76 percent of older American workers reported seeing age discrimination when trying to obtain a job.

Mr. Speaker, 76 percent. That is clearly unacceptable.

We need to pass the Protect Older Job Applicants Act to ensure America's older workers are finally protected from discrimination. But before we can solve that problem, we have to fully understand it.

That is why included in this bill is an amendment I put forth to ensure the Federal Government has the resources it needs to study just how many job applicants have been discriminated against based on age. By doing so, we can better provide recommendations and best practices to further prevent this issue because when we lift up all of our older workers, we lift up our entire economy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of America's survivors of domestic violence, millions of whom live in every corner of this country and every single congressional district represented here today.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to vote to pass the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act so that we can expand support, protection, and prevention for these survivors.

But we must do more. In a recent survey of domestic violence service providers, 90 percent reported increased demand for mental health services; however, only 12 percent of respondents said that their program is very prepared to meet the needs of adult survivors with more severe or disabling mental health challenges.

We need help with mental healthcare in this country. I don't think that is a secret to anybody. That is why my amendment would ensure domestic violence coalitions can partner with mental health and substance abuse providers for domestic violence programs.

By passing this amendment, we can provide survivors with the mental health support they need and deserve, especially those from underserved communities, including: racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, seniors, and youth.

Madam Speaker, it is good to see everyone here tonight. This is a very special evening, although I wish it wasn't happening. I wish we weren't saying good-bye to Rich Trumka.

I remember the first time I saw him speak. I thought about, wow, there is a lot of intensity there, a lot of intention, and, yeah, he scared me a little bit.

I was very inspired to join a picket line that day. I had been on many picket lines before that, but he delivered his comments and what he intended to do for labor in such a way that made me feel like things were actually possible, that it was possible to make change at an employer, it was possible to make change at a plant.

And so specifically I joined a plant and their picket line. I didn't know anybody. I just showed up because I thought, wow, this guy is someone that I will follow, I will follow into fire. And I did, at least long distance for a long time.

And I have to tell you one other thing about Rich. One of the things that is immediately obvious--and I frequently see this in friends of mine that are in the military--he is a servant leader true and true and through and through. And I think that is the best kind of leader to be.

So I learned a lot from him and all of his work, but mostly I believe he inspired the movement to be stronger and more vibrant in the last decade.

So we say good-bye to Rich with heavy hearts but thank him for his amazing work and his ability to inspire.