Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, the attempted insurrection of our government on January 6 last year is a stain that will forever live on our country, but equally dirty were the other attempts to illegally overturn our November 2020 elections, including the shady Trump campaign efforts to place false electors in seven States, including my home State of Wisconsin.

Violent attacks on Capitol Police and breaking into the U.S. Capitol are very visual scenes of the illegal schemes, but we cannot let the more stealthy, yet very strategic, plots of trying to place illegal electors to overturn the will of the voters in swing States go by unnoticed or unpunished.

Just yesterday The New York Times released a memo by the Trump campaign written a month and a half prior to January 6 setting up the case to install false electors in Wisconsin and six other States.

The problem with these schemes was it also needed complicity from then-Vice President Mike Pence, who chose his country over his party and didn't illegally overturn the election as the Trump campaign wanted.

Those involved with this illegal attack on our Republic should be investigated and held accountable by both the January 6th Select Committee as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. Forged documents, false claims, and other illegal actions are crimes and are no different than the violent attack on the Capitol Building itself. And for that, our Nation deserves justice.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present in Washington, D.C. on February 1, 2022. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 15, H.R. 5577, designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the ``John R. Lewis Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the installation of a historical marker in the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church yard on August 1, 2021, which will memorialize the life and death of three American citizens who were lynched in 1908. This month my constituent, Ms. Joyce Salter Johnson, will travel with friends and family from Wisconsin to Mississippi to honor her relative, Frank Johnson, as one of those three men who were violently murdered in Hickory, Mississippi.

This historical marker is part of the important work being done by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in honoring and memorializing lives lost to racial violence in America through its campaign, the Community Remembrance Project. Since its founding in 1989 by American lawyer and bestselling author Bryan Stevenson, EJI has fought to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable. EJI has become a critical institution dedicated to addressing the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation through its robust projects, museums, and memorials. In April 2018, EJI opened America's first national memorial dedicated to victims of racial terror in Montgomery, Alabama, inspired by the late Dr. James Cameron's Black Holocaust Museum, founded in my home state of Wisconsin.

EJI's Community Remembrance Project partners with community coalitions to do extensive research of documented victims of racial violence. Its sister project, the Community Soil Collection Project, gathers soil at lynching sites for display in powerful exhibits honoring these victims. Narrative historical markers are then built in public locations where racial terror took place.

My constituent, Joyce Salter Johnson, is a historian and author whose third book provides a thorough history of the Freedmen Settlement of Good Hope, Mississippi, where she lived until the age of 10. That is how she knew of the terrible sequence of events that led to the October 10, 1908 lynching of her relative, Mr. Frank Johnson, and two others, Dee Dawkins and William Fielder, prior to EJI's documentation. Because of her knowledge and adept research ability, she was perfectly suited to lead the coalition members working on the Community Remembrance Project for these men.

I commend the work of the Equal Justice Initiative and all those who help further the Community Remembrance Project's mission of confronting the legacy of slavery, lynching, and segregation to pave the way toward a better, more just future. I extend my heartfelt best wishes, thanks, and solidarity to Ms. Johnson and her family and friends on their journey of remembrance and memorial.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained during Roll Call Vote No. 209 on the passage of H.R. 826, the ``Divided Families Reunification Act'' offered by Rep. Grace Meng on Monday, July 19, 2021. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call Vote No. 209.

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

Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order hour is not just about the violence that has occurred in the last week in Israel and Palestine. It is not about the activities of the last month, including the displacement of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, that have been largely overlooked in this region. But, in many ways, it is about what has happened over the last year, the last decade, the last several decades that has dehumanized and violated the human rights of too many people in this important region.

No one should have to face the reality of missiles shot at them. Hamas is causing great danger to the very people it purports to want to protect in Gaza by doing so, and those missile attacks should be condemned.

But that doesn't make it a ``both sides'' issue. We must acknowledge and condemn the disproportionate discrimination and treatment that Palestinians face versus others in this region.

No one should suffer the loss of life, liberty, or dignity that the Palestinian people have suffered under the Netanyahu and previous administrations in Israel during the 50-year occupation of the West Bank.

When serious human rights abuses compound, such as the recent attacks on places of worship, like the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the forced removal of people from their homes, most recently in East Jerusalem, but ongoing in the West Bank for way too long, the jailing and military court trials for Palestinian children, the dehumanization of the lives of the Palestinians by having roads and entrances that are separate for some people--which all too often looks like a former South Africa, the blockade and open-air prison conditions for the people in Gaza, where food and clean water is often scarce.

When those types of human rights abuses occur, we are not just putting the lives of Palestinians and Israelis at risk, but we are also putting the United States at greater jeopardy, and eventually, that could mean the lives of men and women from the United States getting involved in a greater escalation of violence in the region, which none of us want to see.

Today, we want to talk about the very long-term problems that have been, for too long, ignored by U.S. policies in the region. Fortunately, now more and more Members of Congress

are wanting to address peace in this region in a more forthright way.

As human rights giant South African Desmond Tutu said, ``If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.''

We must treat everyone in Israel and Palestine with equal respect and dignity. That is the U.S. policy that we are speaking out for.

I am pleased to be joined by a number of my colleagues tonight who have taken leadership positions in talking about peace in the Middle East for all people.

I now yield to my colleague from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib), the first Palestinian American to serve in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her very personal words about the situation in Palestine.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Omar for those words.

As we speak, it was just announced a little while ago that the Israeli military was going into Gaza. It is not clear if it is going after rocket attacks or Hamas leaders or what is happening. But that is happening at this very moment.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), a senior, a very powerful Member of this Congress, the chair of the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations, and a lifelong advocate for equality for Palestinians and for Israelis.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McCollum very much for those words.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley), my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask the rest of my colleagues if we can try to keep it to 3 to 4 minutes each. The good news is there are many people who are very passionate about human rights in the Mid-East, the problem is we have an hour total, and I would appreciate that consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio- Cortez).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Bush).

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a great colleague and mentor of mine.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Indiana (Mr. Carson). He is extremely patient because he has been here nearly an hour to speak.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.

I know we are short on time.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Bonnie Zee with the following Proclamation:

Whereas, Bonnie Zee began her career as the elected Town of Albany Clerk in April of 1975 and has continued to serve as a valuable, and trusted asset to her community to this day; and

Whereas, Bonnie Zee's vast knowledge, dedication, and outstanding performance of her duties throughout her tenure has earned her the respect, and admiration of her community; and

Whereas, Bonnie Zee's service as Town of Albany Clerk resulted in efficient and effective Town government for nearly five decades;

Now, therefore, I hereby proclaim April 20, 2021 as Bonnie Zee Day in honor of her 46 years of public service to her community, the Town of Albany, and the State of Wisconsin. I join her friends, family, and colleagues in offering her best wishes on her much-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

As a small business owner and union member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades for 30 years, I know how important it is that every worker has a union.

Giving workers a voice in their workplace, negotiating for good, family supporting wages and benefits and worker safety are crucial to a family's ability to thrive.

Democrats will deliver on this important legislation today, but it is interesting Republicans lately have been trying to falsely rebrand themselves as the party of working people while opposing the strongest bill in Congress to give power to workers. The same Republicans who fought tooth and nail to reduce stimulus checks and unemployment insurance, championed union busting and prevented an increase in the minimum wage from being included in COVID relief.

They claim they are the party of the working people. Their idea of helping working people is voting for a $2 trillion tax cut for corporate donors and billionaire friends but refusing to vote for a $1.9 trillion investment in the American people.

Their tax breaks for the top 1 percent, by the way, even included a provision that might make it easier to send jobs overseas. Yes. That is fighting for the average worker--in China.

Please, if you are the party of working people, then I am a stunt double, doppelganger for Brad Pitt. I hope you enjoyed me in ``Fight Club.''

Today, on this side of the aisle we proudly stand up to protect the right to organize for every worker.

We will stand up for better worker protections in a pandemic.

We will stand up for negotiating for better pay and benefits to support your family.

We will stand up against antiworker so-called right-to-work laws that inevitably mean right to work for less.

We will stand up for gig workers, for nurses, for grocery workers, for meatpackers, for fast-food workers, for public service workers, and, yes, for Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama.

That is what the party of working people would do, and that is why we are going to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act this week.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two pieces of correspondence from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Transport Workers Union of America.

International Brotherhood

of Teamsters,

Washington, DC, March 5, 2021.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.4 million members

of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I am writing

to state our strong support for H.R. 842, the Protecting the

Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). I urge you to support this

critical legislation and to oppose any weakening amendments

and any motion to recommit when H.R. 842 comes to the House

floor this week. The Teamsters Union believes that this

legislation is critically important to rebuilding the middle

class and to begin reversing decades of income inequality and

the erosion of worker rights.

Today, the economy is not working for working people and

their families. Wages have stagnated for workers across the

economy, while income has skyrocketed for CEO's and the

wealthiest one percent. In large measure, this inequality is

the result of a loss of bargaining power and the erosion of

workers' ability to exercise their rights on the job.

Today, when workers make the decision to stand together and

bargain with their employer for improved working conditions,

the deck is stacked against them from day one. Under current

law, unscrupulous employers, armed with limitless funds,

routinely violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and

block workers' ability to exercise their right to bargain for

better wages and better working conditions with impunity. The

Protecting the Right to Organize Act is an important step

forward for workers' rights, rebuilding the middle class, and

addressing inequality. It would restore and strengthen worker

protections which have been eroded over the years.

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act addresses several

major weaknesses in current law. The legislation enacts

meaningful, enforceable penalties on employers who break the

law and gives workers a private right of action if they've

been terminated for union activity. The bill would make

elections fairer by prohibiting employers from using coercive

activities like ``captive audience'' meetings and by

preventing employers from hiring permanent replacements of

workers who exercise their right to strike. It would

establish a process for mediation and arbitration to stop

stalling tactics at the bargaining table and help parties

achieve a first contract. Importantly, the bill also

addresses rampant intentional misclassification and ensures

that misclassified workers are not deprived of their right to

form a union under the NLRA.

Research shows that workers want unions. However, there is

a huge gap between the share of workers with union

representation and the share of workers that would like to

have a union and a voice on the job. The PRO Act would take a

major step forward in closing that gap, addressing income

inequality, and ultimately growing a strong middle class.

I urge you to demonstrate to the American people that

workers and their rights are a priority for this Congress. I

hope I can tell our members that you stood with them and

other workers in their efforts to achieve meaningful worker

rights and protections and better wages and working

conditions. The Teamsters Union urges you to vote yes on H.R.

842 and to oppose all efforts to weaken this bill by

amendment.

Sincerely,

James P. Hoffa,

General President.

Madam Speaker, it is interesting today listening to the debate. I didn't hear anything about workers, trying to actually help workers get a better wage or better benefits or better safety in their workplace from people on the other side of the aisle.

But what I have heard over and over and over again are Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, and Progressive Democrats of America which, by the way, Madam Speaker, don't appear anywhere inside this bill today.

I guess if you can't talk about what you are going to do on behalf of workers, you are going to talk about Planned Parenthood, Clinton Foundation, and Progressive Democrats of America, which, by the way, I would

argue the free time they have given them this afternoon on national TV is probably more than the donations that actually came from union organizations.

The bottom line is the other party here across the aisle has over and over said they want to rebrand themselves as the workers' party, and yet they haven't done a thing today to prove they care about workers. They have certainly proven for the bosses and corporations that they are best buddies, BFFs forever, but on behalf of workers it is this side of the aisle that is doing all the heavy lifting.

Mr. Speaker, now I had a different speech I was going to give today about the Equality Act. As an openly gay Member of Congress, married to my husband, Phil, for 14 years, I was going to talk about the need for equal treatment under the law for everyone, regardless of who they love. Human kindness, respect for others--pretty basic stuff. But the new QAnon vibe in this body has gone too far.

For many in this Chamber, this isn't a debate about whether or not you should be legally discriminated against for who you love. You won't hear that debate because they can't win on hate alone. The public doesn't agree with them.

So instead, some are debating that this bill discriminates based on religion, which it doesn't, because it treats everyone the same under the law.

And some are debating an even sillier notion: That somehow a man will pretend to be a woman to win in women's sports--a crazy, made-up fantasy notion.

This new QAnon spirit across the aisle is also occurring in a nasty and hateful way. A lead GOP opponent of this bill actually posted an anti-trans poster on the wall outside her office directly and intentionally across from a Democratic Member of Congress with a trans daughter. Wow. That is classy.

Mr. Speaker, really, is that where we are here today? Who can out- crazy, out-tastelessly act to prove to the base that they will say or do anything to score points and show how inconsiderate they can be to a colleague to just get social media clickbait?

Here are the facts: One in four transgender people have lost a job due to discrimination, and dozens of transgender and gender- nonconforming people were violently killed last year. And LGBTQ youth are almost 5 times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth due to discrimination. It is past time we put an end to this. A vote against the Equality Act is a vote for discrimination, plain and simple.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't Iran or Somalia or Russia. This is America. Show human dignity for others by offering equal treatment under the law. That is the Equality Act.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation. On behalf of the people of Wisconsin I, Mark Pocan, United States Representative of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim February 22, 2021, as Supermarket Employee Day.

Whereas, there are nearly six million supermarket employees in the United States; and

Whereas, in Wisconsin there are 148,959 food retail jobs that generate $15,630,033,800 in economic activity; and

Whereas, supermarket employees provide all Americans with access to safe, healthy, and affordable food; and

Whereas, supermarket employees work to enhance the health and well- being of each customer; and

Whereas, supermarket employees contribute and volunteer countless hours in their communities; and

Whereas, supermarket employees face unprecedented challenges keeping grocery shelves stocked during the COVID-19 Pandemic; and

Whereas, supermarket employees have and continue to meet and exceed these challenges, while displaying courage, compassion, dedication, and leadership, as well as exemplifying customer service and community outreach; and

Whereas, the need for supermarket employees is greater than ever because of current and growing consumer demands as well as their reputation for excellence; now therefore I, Mark Pocan, United States Representative of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim February 22, 2021 as Supermarket Employee Day and ask all citizens to join in honoring our Supermarket Heroes.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, as a co-chair of the Labor Caucus, and a proud member of the Education and Labor Committee, I rise in strong support of the National Apprenticeship Act.

With such high unemployment, the bill before us seeks to invest $3.5 billion over 5 years to expand access to registered apprenticeships across America. Almost 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities will result from the enactment of this bill, leading to good-paying, family- supporting jobs across the country.

So what are registered apprenticeships?

Well, they are a great way to earn and learn. You get paid for your work while learning the skills you need to master your trade at the same time. Not everyone chooses a path of higher education, but everyone wants to earn a good family-supporting wage for their hard work. Apprenticeships are a perfect way for many who fit this definition. From medical work to construction and more, apprenticeships mean advanced opportunities for so many.

My home State of Wisconsin is a pioneer in this area. We enacted the Nation's first apprenticeship law in 1911. The results of our experience back home have been clear: They lead to a stronger, smarter, and more skilled workforce.

Federally, the case for supporting registered apprenticeships is compelling. According to data from the Department of Labor, 94 percent of people who complete a registered apprenticeship are employed upon completion, and their average starting wage is above $70,000.

We were fortunate to support more than 14,000 apprenticeships in Wisconsin last year for over 3,000 employers and over 200 occupations. I look forward to that total growing dramatically following the enactment of today's bill.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter of support for the National Apprenticeship Act from the AFL-CIO.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are hurting, and they need our help now. Millions have lost their jobs over the past year through no fault of their own, and more than 100,000 small businesses have been forced to close forever due to COVID-19. The House has tried to do the right thing. We passed multiple relief packages last year that began to approach the scale needed to address the suffering in our communities, only to meet resistance from Mitch McConnell's Senate and the Trump administration.

Let's be honest, the Federal Government's handling of this pandemic has been largely inept. The previous administration said it was just the flu, that it would pass before we knew it, that injecting ourselves with unproven substances would take care of the problem.

Extend that magical thinking to testing and vaccine distribution and it is easy to see why the American people and the economy are in crisis today. Now those same magical thinkers tell us that more aid for people suffering across the Nation is not needed.

The Congressional Budget Office told all of us on Monday that the Nation's unemployment rate will not return to prepandemic levels throughout the rest of this decade. This decade.

Let's stop nickel-and-diming our response to this once-in-a-century pandemic. Let's follow the advice of almost every major economist who has

urged us to act big. Doing too little is the real threat we face.

State and local governments have been providing tests and assisting in vaccine distribution, all while losing tax revenue. They need our help.

The unemployed are at risk of losing their homes, and working people are going hungry. They need our help. Small businesses have lost demand at a time they need it most to keep people employed. They need our help.

I am proud to support additional direct payments to individuals, aid for schools, aid for State and localities' public health programs. I am proud to support more aid for struggling small businesses, addressing our longstanding need for widespread broadband access, and minimum wage that ensures no full-time worker in America lives below the poverty line.

Let's do this. I urge all of my colleagues to support the resolution before us.

Madam Speaker, the U.S. Capitol has not been breached for over 200 years, since the War of 1812--that is, until last week, when it wasn't another country that attacked us but our own President.

President Donald Trump asked his supporters to march on the Capitol, inciting domestic terrorism that cost five lives, including a Capitol Police officer.

We all know, whether you say it aloud or not, Donald Trump is responsible for inciting the attacks on our democracy, while he should have been the one person protecting it the most. For that, he is unfit to be President, and we must impeach him.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of Amendment No. 439 which is based upon legislation that I have introduced every Congress since I was elected in 2012, the ``Restore Honor to Service Members Act''.

This amendment will require the Department of Defense to correct the military records of service members discharged solely because of their sexual orientation. Importantly, amending service members' discharge characterizations to an honorable discharge will enable impacted individuals to access the benefits they earned and to which they would otherwise be entitled. It is a significant moment for the more than 100,000 Americans estimated to have been discharged from the military since World War II due to their sexual orientation.

I thank Chairman Smith for his strong support of this amendment, Paul Arcangeli--Staff Director of the House Armed Services Committee--for his assistance, and Leslie Zelenko of my staff who has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the amendment before us today.

Additionally, I would like to extend my deep gratitude to the Human Rights Campaign, the Modem Military Association of America, and VoteVets, for supporting this amendment, and Representatives Katie Hill, Chris Pappas, Mark Takano, Seth Moulton, Jamie Raskin, Chuy Garcia, Alan Lowenthal, Barbara Lee, Bill Foster, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sean Patrick Maloney, Brian Higgins, Ed Case, Paul Tonko, Denny Heck, Jan Schakowsky, Veronica Escobar, Robin Kelly, Julia Brownley, Kurt Schrader, Steve Cohen, Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson Lee, Suzan DelBene, Anthony Brown, Joe Kennedy, Donna Shalala, Suzanne Bonamici, and Katie Porter for cosponsoring. I would also like to recognize Senator Brian Schatz and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for championing this legislation in the Senate. Without this outpouring of support, today would not have been possible. Again, I thank them.

Madam Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Restore Honor amendment, and I urge a yes vote in favor of the en bloc amendment into which it has been packaged.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative for the time.

The current field of Presidential candidates looks more like American society than ever before, and we are closer than ever to the possibility that a woman or LGBT person could hold the country's highest office.

We have decades of activism by women and the LGBT community to thank for this fact, and the least Congress can do is to ensure the law recognizes the progress our country has made.

We have come a long way from 1872 when Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to seek the Presidency, decades before women won the right to vote. Today, six women, more than ever before, are running for President.

Almost 100 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, and thanks to trailblazers like Victoria Woodhull, Shirley Chisholm, and Hillary Clinton, we are closer than ever before to having a woman in the Oval Office.

In 2012, Fred Karger, a Republican, was the first openly LGBT candidate for President, and the 2020 Democratic Presidential field includes one openly LGBT candidate.

The landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision making gay marriage legal in all 50 States means that a future President may have a spouse of the same sex.

Unfortunately, current Federal law is outdated and does not reflect the reality that we could have a female or gay President as soon as 2021.

Today's bill updates Federal law to reflect the possibility of a female or LGBT President by replacing gendered terms like ``wife'' and ``widow'' with ``spouse.'' It also replaces gender-specific pronouns when referring to the President and their spouse with gender-neutral terms.

Without this change, the law that makes it a crime to threaten to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President or the President's family would fail to include a future female or gay President.

The words we use matter, and it is critically important that the law recognizes that soon we will have a President who is not a straight man.

I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and all the members of the committee for their support of this important bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 21st Century President Act.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment that would stop the Federal Communications Commission from implementing a proposed agency rule that would kneecap our Nation's efforts to achieve universal phone and broadband service.

I would like to thank Representatives Clyburn, Butterfield, and Bustos for their work on this important amendment.

According to the FCC data, 21.3 million people lack broadband access. Other estimates are much higher and show as many as 162.8 million people may not have broadband speed internet. That is why Congress required the FCC to work towards universal phone and broadband service.

To that end, the FCC established the Universal Service Fund and its four component programs: the Connect America Fund; the low-income support program, also known as Lifeline; the Rural Healthcare Support program; and the Schools and Libraries program.

The proposed FCC rule, which this amendment seeks to block, would mean cutting available funding for broadband build-out, broadband in schools and hospitals, and other critical programs. We cannot allow that to happen.

The rule also proposes to combine the caps of the Schools and Libraries program and the Rural Healthcare Support program. Combining these programs would cap, effectively, schools and rural hospitals, pitting them against each other for Universal Service Fund money, while doing nothing to advance the goal of universal service.

We cannot allow the FCC to move forward with this rulemaking. We must ensure that low-income and rural Americans have access to broadband at home, that rural hospitals have reliable broadband, and that students can use broadband at school.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's comments, and I actually live in a rural town of about 830 people, and last year we got internet. I was paying, up to that point--I got a half-price sale--$300 a month for 80 measured gigs of internet. And often in winter, I would call my husband at the end of a month and say: Quit watching Netflix. We can't afford $15 a gig in order to watch them.

So my neighbors across the street couldn't do their homework because they didn't have broadband. Health facilities in our area have problems.

I don't know if studying this is going to solve it. I think having funds available seems to be the issue, so I think this is important.

Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.

Mr. Chair, I am one of the founders of the Rural Broadband Caucus. We have three Democrats, three Republicans--a lot of members.

This is not an issue people want us to have reports or studies on. They want broadband because, in my district, you can't track your cows if you don't have

broadband these days and you certainly can't do your homework. Healthcare and schools need this, not to have to be competing for the funds.

Mr. Chair, I urge support of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.