Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his enthusiastic defense of the Constitution of the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues to uphold the Constitution and defend our democracy once again.

The House and the Senate came together, in great unity and bipartisanship, to pass Congressman Joaquin Castro's resolution to reject the President's lawless power grab, yet the President chose to continue to defy the Constitution, the Congress, and the will of the American people with a veto.

At the birth of our democracy, amid revolution and war, Thomas Paine wrote that ``the times have found us.''

Once again, the times have found us to defend our democracy.

The times have found us to restore the Founders' vision of balance of power, checks and balances, coequal branches of government, and restore Congress' role as Article I, the first branch; Article I, the legislative branch.

The times have found us to honor our oath to support and defend the Constitution and protect the American people.

We all know that the heart of our Constitution, the beauty of it all, is that we have a system of checks and balances.

Our Founders did not want a monarchy. That is what they had rejected. They wanted a democracy: coequal branches of government to act as a check on each other.

This Congress of the United States acted to honor the Constitution and our responsibility to protect and defend by passing legislation in our appropriations bill, showing how, in a bipartisan way, Congress would protect our borders.

We understand our responsibility to do that. We don't take that responsibility lightly. We take it seriously.

Even when the President disagreed with us, he should have accepted the bipartisan, bicameral decision to proceed. He had taken pride in a shutdown of Government for about 1 month because he didn't get his way on the border.

After 1 month, bipartisan, bicameral action by the Congress sent him a bill almost exactly like what he rejected in the first place, and he decided to reject Congress' wisdom and Congress' acting within its authority to protect our borders in a serious, effective, values-based way.

We don't take this vote here today lightly. Even when the legislative branch disagrees with the executive, we respect the office the President holds and his right to veto legislation.

But when those decisions violate the Constitution, then that must be stopped. Many of our colleagues from across the aisle joined last month to defend our democracy by passing Congressman Castro's privileged resolution.

That happened in the House. That happened in the United States Senate.

We call on all of our colleagues to simply show that same measure of respect for our Constitution today.

We take an oath to the Constitution, not to the President of the United States. We take an oath that we must honor.

The choice is simple, between partisanship and patriotism, between honoring our sacred oath or hypocritically, inconsistently, breaking that oath.

Madam Speaker, I urge a strong, bipartisan ``yes'' to override this veto.

Madam Speaker, this is very important. We are going to observe the 40th anniversary of C-SPAN. Are you ready for that? Are you braced for the excitement of it all?

If that is not enough for you, today is my birthday. No singing. I thank you so much, and I will convey those good wishes to C-SPAN as well.

Madam Speaker, our Founders envisioned a people's House that would be transparent and accountable to the American people. The very first House sessions were made open to the public so that the American people could see our debates and have their voices heard.

I rise to honor an institution that powerfully honors that legacy, ensuring that our sessions can be a townhall for the Nation: the Cable- Satellite Public Affairs Network, C-SPAN.

Since its founding 40 years ago, C-SPAN has offered tens of millions of Americans a front-row seat to democracy, training an unblinking eye on Congress and the campaign trail, Presidents and parliaments, and so much more.

We all know C-SPAN is a pillar of our public discourse and a beacon of unbiased reporting, an institution so committed to objectivity and impartiality that its founder never once uttered his own name on the air throughout 33 years of interviews, roundtables, and lectures.

I thank Brian Lamb for his service to our democracy.

C-SPAN has not only exposed our public debate, it has enhanced our discourse, and in doing so, enriched our democracy: shining light on government to keep our leaders honest and accountable, educating and informing the public through gavel-to-gavel coverage, Book TV, American History TV, C-SPAN Radio, the Video Library, and interactive resources such as the C-SPAN bus--let's hear it for the C-SPAN bus--and renewing the promise and purpose of our American democracy, a government of, by, and for the people.

In the first speech ever televised by C-SPAN, our former colleague, then-Representative Al Gore, spoke prescient words about its power.

Al Gore said:

The marriage of this medium and of our open debate have the

potential . . . to revitalize representative democracy,

offering a solution for the lack of confidence in government.

Our country has been strengthened by C-SPAN's progress to deliver on that promise, revitalizing our democracy so that people can have confidence that this institution works for the public interest.

On behalf of the House of Representatives, I did want to tell you some C-SPAN stories about what children have said about what they have seen when they have watched Congress in session, but I will save that for another day.

On behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank the founder, Brian Lamb, and the entire C-SPAN family for their enduring contributions to the public debate and to our American democracy.

Congratulations on 40 years.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), who is the minority leader.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated and deeply respected member of my staff, my departing chief of staff, Danny Weiss.

For nearly three decades, Danny has brought wise counsel and energetic leadership to the House of Representatives. He has committed nearly his entire career to this institution, inspired by his great respect for its history and empowered by his bold vision for its future.

Danny, the Congress and the country are stronger for the innovation, ingenuity, and insight that you have brought to this body.

Danny served in the office of my dear friend, Congressman George Miller--Mr. Chairman--for more than 25 years, including decades as his chief of staff.

In every position he has held in the Congress, Danny has been vital in advancing a serious, substantive, and successful agenda to improve the lives of hardworking families across America.

He has worked to expand opportunity, fighting for affordable quality healthcare, childcare, and education, and for healthier communities to his work on the: House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families; House Natural Resources Committee, and House Education and Labor Committee.

Danny has worked to expand justice by defending the rights and well- being of children, a mission he continued at the helm of Common Sense Media; and he has worked to expand progress to safeguard clean air, clean water, and preserve the beauty of God's creation. And we are grateful for his leadership to elevate and amplify the issue of the climate crisis.

We are grateful that Danny agreed to return to the Congress at a pivotal moment for America. His efforts were vital to our Caucus' strength and unity, as Democrats developed our For the People agenda and won a historic midterm victory. My office is grateful for his masterful work orchestrating the transition in the Speaker's office.

Danny's service has entailed sacrifice, not only from him, but from his entire family. We are grateful for the patience, love, and support from his wife, Anne, and his daughters, Catherine and Maria.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in thanking my distinguished chief of staff, Danny Weiss.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Bustos), the former co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) to close for us, the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

Madam Speaker, I thank our colleagues, Chairman DeFazio, Chairman Scott, and Chairwoman Bustos for their kind words.

Again, I want to express thanks and gratitude for the patience, love, and support of Danny's wife, Anne, and their daughters, Catherine and Maria.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues once again to please join me in thanking my distinguished chief of staff, Danny Weiss.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for bringing this important resolution to the floor of the House.

I commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) and the very distinguished gentleman from Louisiana for his participation in writing this important resolution.

It is in the spirit of unity and solidarity with my colleagues as we come together in this Chamber of our American democracy to condemn all forms of hatred, racism, prejudice, and discrimination with a hopefully single and strong voice.

It is a profoundly disturbing reality that anti-Semitism is on the rise in America today, and anti-Semitic attacks increasingly are at the highest rate on record. Appalling acts of hatred and bigotry are being inflicted on all elements of our society, be they African American, Latino, people from Asia, and attacks in terms of people being Muslim or other religious faiths. This isn't who we are as a country.

We all believe that there is a spark of divinity in every person who exists, that we are all God's children, and that we come to meet with each other in a way that commands respect for that provenance of our being all God's children. Then we see people making attacks on each other throughout the country, whether it is in Charlottesville or whether it is anti-immigrant attitudes that have reared their ugly heads in our country. It is in that spirit that I come to the floor almost emotionally to speak about this.

In the Congress and across the country, we must accept debate on any subject in a legitimate way, whether it is on our U.S.-Israel policies and the rest. That is protected by the value of free speech and democratic debate in the United States and in Israel.

Israel is our friend in that region. We support Israel out of friendship and out of shared values, but also because it is in our national interests to do so. But not every one of us in this body agrees

on every provision or any consideration in that relationship. That is a separate and complete issue from anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitism, whether it is in the form of attacks on Jewish people, anti-Semitic tropes, prejudicial accusations, or any other form of hatred, is deeply and unequivocally offensive and must be condemned wherever it is heard. All of us must remember, as Members of Congress and as the President of the United States, that our words are weightier once we cross the threshold into Congress, and, indeed, they weigh a ton when someone becomes the President of the United States.

It is also disturbing that Islamophobia and white supremacism remain a sinister and shameful presence in America today. Too often that goes undernoticed or unchecked. Such attacks have even targeted some of us in this body.

We must condemn these attacks and confront them. As Members of Congress and Americans, we have a solemn and urgent responsibility to fight to end the scourge of bigotry, racism, and hatred in our country.

I do want to again salute our colleague, Cedric Richmond, our distinguished former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and now distinguished leader in the whip's operation, for his leadership in shaping this legislation, and, again, Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland for his leadership role in all of this.

I salute all of our Members for demonstrating the courage to have this difficult conversation and for doing so in a spirit of great respect, disagreeing sometimes, but never questioning the patriotism or motivation of anyone with whom we serve.

I thank Chairman Nadler of the Judiciary Committee for the work that he has done to give us this important moment on the floor of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we will have a unanimous vote in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark a historic moment in our institution as Don Young, the dean of the House, becomes the longest- serving Republican in the House's history.

Is that a blushing Don Young that we see behind the beard there?

On behalf of the entire House, Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Congressman Young on this honor and on your 46 years of proud service on behalf of the people of Alaska.

Don Young has served alongside, from Alaska, six Senators and 11 governors of his proud State. Photographs of eight Presidents signing his bills into law proudly cover the walls of his Rayburn office.

Despite the length of time, every single day he serves here, it is clear that Don is passionate about his patriotism and about working in this institution to make a difference for America.

As he said upon becoming dean--remember we celebrated his becoming dean not that long ago--he said:

I love this body, I believe in this body, my heart is in

the House.

Just over 2 months ago, Don honored one of the special traditions of our institution when he, as dean, administered the oath of office to me, a woman Speaker of the House. That oath began: ``. . . I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic . . .''

As Don's name becomes further etched in the history of this House, his caucus and this Congress will look to him for leadership to protect our Constitution, to defend our institution, and to drive progress for the American people.

Just so you know, my colleagues, in becoming the longest-serving Republican of the House, Don surpasses the

record held by the legendary former Speaker of the House, Joseph Cannon.

Mr. Cannon once observed that, and this is a quote:

The House is the most peculiar assemblage in the world, and

only a man who has had long experience there can fully know

its idiosyncrasies. It is true we engage in fierce combat, we

are often intense partisans, sometimes we aren't fair, yet I

venture to say that nowhere else will you find such a ready

appreciation of merit and character.

Joseph Cannon, now surpassed by Don Young as the longest-serving Republican in the Congress.

Don, thank you for being a leader of merit and character. Congratulations to you and your entire family on this milestone.

Congratulations, Don.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the Republican leader of the House.

Mr. Speaker, as usual, the distinguished dean is eager to take to the microphone, but not yet. There is more to come.

When the distinguished Republican leader of the House referenced the animals in your office, the menagerie there, I was reminded of one of your ties, and I shared this story with Members on the day that you became the dean of the House, now the longest-serving Republican today. But I saw you one day with a tie that really gave me hope, because it had an owl and an eagle and a baby seal on it, and I said, ``Oh, Mr. Chairman, I am so happy to see you paying tribute to these endangered species,'' to which you said, ``I call this tie lunch.''

I knew you were only kidding, right?

So, in any event, we have all had our stories with the chairman. We all respect and admire him.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic majority leader of the House for purposes of commenting on the distinguished dean, the longest-serving Republican in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the distinguished Republican whip of the House.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear from listening to the comments of the bipartisan leadership of the House of Representatives that, as Speaker, I can say, on behalf of the entire House of Representatives: Thank you, Don Young, and congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the distinguished longest serving Republican in history in the Congress.

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I commend her and congratulate her on her success in bringing this important legislation to the floor of the House.

I want to salute our colleague from Maryland, Congressman John Sarbanes, for being a relentless and persistent advocate, for honoring the Constitution of the United States and giving people confidence that their voice and their vote count as much as anyone's in this country.

That is what H.R. 1 is about: giving people confidence that we can do what we say without the influence of big,

dark, special interest money weighing in on the process.

Our Constitution, Mr. Chairman, as you know, begins, ``We the people,'' a beautiful statement of purpose for our Nation. ``We the people.''

Our Founders envisioned a government that would work for the people, serving the people's interests, fighting for their aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

We have a responsibility to honor that vision of our Founders, honoring our oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States, honoring the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform for the sacrifices that they make for our freedom and freedom throughout the world, and worthy of the aspirations of our children. We can only do this if we have a government that is committed to transparency, to as much bipartisanship as possible, and to being unifying for our country.

In the election, the American people voted for just that. They voted for a Congress that would restore transparency, bipartisanship, and unity and be unifying in Washington, D.C., so that the government would again--I can't say it enough--work for the people.

On day one, reflecting the priorities of our outstanding freshman class, our new Democratic majority honored the people's trust by introducing H.R. 1, the For the People Act.

Again, let me salute Congressman John Sarbanes, the chair of our Democracy Reform Task Force, who was the godfather of this bill.

Today, we are proud to be bringing this transformative legislation to the floor of the House. H.R. 1--and it is H.R. 1 because it is of primary importance--restores the people's faith that government will work for the people and not the special interests.

We are ending the dominance of big, dark, special interest money in politics.

We are ensuring clean, fair elections with Congressman John Lewis, our hero, with his Voter Empowerment Act, to increase access to the ballot box.

Democrats or Republicans or people who are Independent, who do not register with a party, should want everyone to be able to vote without obstacles. This legislation will remove obstacles to participation. Whether obstacles of closing polling places in certain neighborhoods, obstacles of reducing hours that those polling places are open, reducing the number of days for early voting, and the rest, it will reduce those obstacles.

We also are protecting the sacred right to vote through Congresswoman Terri Sewell's H.R. 4, which is an offspring of this legislation, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, to secure, again, and restore the Voting Rights Act. It is part of H.R. 1, but it will be taken up separately because of the need to establish the constitutional basis in an ironclad way as we go forward.

I am so pleased, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the chairwoman of the House Administration Committee for reinstating the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections led by Congresswoman Marcia Fudge which began its out-of-Washington hearings in Brownsville, Texas. I was just in Texas, and people were delighted that Chairwoman Fudge's subcommittee came there to hear the stories of voter suppression that exists throughout the country, especially among people who may have a last name that may sound foreign to some and questionable therefore to them, but who are American citizens eligible to vote.

We are cleaning up corruption and ensuring that public officials again work for the people's interests. You can't say it enough, Mr. Chairman.

We must pass this legislation so we can break the grip of special interests. We talk about obstacles to participation and suppression of the vote, and we talk about what we talked about earlier, whether it is voting, number of polling places, number of hours, number of days, degree of identification that is required in some areas more so than in others and different surnames and the rest, but one of the biggest suppressors of the vote is the suffocation of the airwaves by big, dark special interest money. There are some people in our country--I hope none of them in this body--who think that the only way to win an election is to suppress the vote one way or another, and bombarding and suffocating the airwaves with information that is not factual, by disrupting elections and by putting out messages in the social media that are misleading, the resources that make all of this possible are as much a voter suppressor as anything you can name.

So that is why when we put forth our For the People agenda; one, to lower healthcare costs by reducing the cost of prescription drugs; secondly, to increase paychecks, lower healthcare costs, bigger paychecks by building the infrastructure of America in a green way, people had confidence that we could do that because H.R. 1, which was essential to our For the People agenda, would, again, diminish the role of big, special interest money and increase the voice of every person in our country, including increase the impact of small donor participation in elections.

When we put power back in the hands of the American people, as this legislation does, we can make much more progress on hard issues facing our Nation, and the American people know that. It removes a great deal of skepticism that they have in politics and government. It instills confidence that their voice will be heard, that their cause will be addressed, and that their interests will be served.

Again, lowering healthcare costs by reducing the cost of prescription drugs, people's voices will be heard, a big issue in re-election; increasing paychecks by rebuilding the infrastructure of America in a bold, green and modern way; safeguarding consumer protections, workers' rights and the rights of the LGBTQ community; and addressing the concerns of our beautiful Dreamers in legislation that we will take up and launch next week; protecting clean air and clean water, confronting the climate crisis, and so much more will be taken up.

Let me add that a bill that we passed last week--which was historic in the House--finally passing a bill for commonsense background checks for gun violence prevention, again, defies the big money in that arena.

There should be nothing partisan or political about empowering the American people and making sure that government works for them. Our Founders provided a vision for our country. They wrote a constitution making us the freest people in the world, a model for the rest of the world that enabled people--oh, thank God they made it amendable so that we could ever expand power, voting rights, and the rest.

What is exciting about this Congress, which has over 100 women in it for the first time, is that in the course of this Congress, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote. But the right to vote must be accompanied by removing obstacles to that participation, and that is what we are doing today.

How do we answer our Founders if one day we are meeting them in the next life?

How do we say to them: I did everything in my power to suppress the vote?

Or do we say: Honoring your vision, we removed every obstacle for those who are legitimately eligible to vote to do so and to have their vote counted as cast?

To honor the oath we take and to honor the people's trust, I strongly urge a bipartisan vote for this bill, for the people.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding and I thank him for his leadership as chair of the Judiciary Committee, for bringing us to this place promptly. It is an historic day in the Congress of the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I thank our distinguished colleague from California, Mr. Mike Thompson, for his relentless, persistent leadership to make America safer by bringing forth commonsense background check legislation. He is a gun owner and a veteran. He has been on both sides of the gun. He is a hunter. He is an advocate for the Second Amendment. And, as he said, if this had anything to diminish that, he would not have his name on it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this strong, bipartisan bill and join Mr. Thompson in commending Mr. King of New York for making this initiative bipartisan from the start, in the previous Congress and now. It is a long, overdue commonsense action to end the epidemic of gun violence in America.

Let us salute, again, the persistent leadership of so many in this body. And, again, Mr. Thompson, as chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force; he has worked in a bipartisan way to protect our communities, and we are grateful to him for that.

We can do all the inside maneuvering that we want, and that is really important and essential, but, without the outside mobilization, we cannot enjoy the success of saving lives and making progress. So I want to thank the courageous advocates who are here today, in the gallery, including March for Our Lives and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and so many more. They have made a complete difference.

As President Lincoln said: ``Public sentiment is everything. With it you can accomplish almost anything, without it almost nothing.''

I thank them for building public sentiment to a point where now about 90 percent of the American people support commonsense background check legislation, including many members, courageously, of the National Rifle Association.

This bill is proudly bipartisan because gun violence prevention should not be a Democratic or Republican issue. Gun violence does not discriminate by party or politics. It reaches into all of our communities, our schools, our places of worship, our workplaces, and our streets, and it will require all of our courage to defeat it.

Last night, we were at an occasion to mark the 25th anniversary of the Brady Bill. Some of us were in Congress at that time. Many of us here, then or not, admire the courageous work of Sarah and Jim Brady to make the country a safer place by reducing gun violence.

Twenty-five years ago, we enacted the Brady background check system, which has denied more than 3 million sales to potentially dangerous individuals. Yet, the Brady Bill does not stop people from purchasing guns from unlicensed sellers without a background check at gun shows and online.

We must pass H.R. 8 to close this dangerous loophole and keep our communities safe from gun violence. That is what we are intending to do today.

George Bernard Shaw said that: ``It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics,'' and here are the facts:

Nearly 40,000 lives are cut short every year from gun violence.

An average of 47 children and teenagers are killed by guns every single day. As I said, it is all about the children, the children, the children.

We read about the tragic mass murders that have happened in our country, and they stir us to action, hopefully. Here it has been they stir us to a moment of silence, and now, finally, to action.

But it is every day. Every day 47 children and teenagers killed by guns.

And, again, another figure, hearkening back to 90 percent of the American people want commonsense universal background checks.

The statistics spell out the stories, but it is the human personal stories that change minds.

How moving it was to hear our colleague, Congresswoman McBath, with her generosity of spirit tell her personal story of losing her son, Jordan--I can't even imagine carrying that burden--but turning her grief and her tragedy into action and courage to run for Congress, to stand on this floor and share her personal story with us. That takes real courage.

Let's hope that we all have the courage to save children's lives, everyone's lives in our country whose deaths can be avoided.

There is no person in this body whose political survival is more important than the survival of our children.

We are grateful, again, to the young people, parents, survivors across America who have told their stories, marched for their lives, and demanded change. This bill delivers that change, ensuring that people who are a danger to themselves and others cannot purchase a gun and perpetuate violence in our communities.

This week, the House will build on this progress by passing another bipartisan background check bill. We must close the Charleston loophole that enabled the horrific hate crime at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

We salute the majority whip, Mr. Clyburn, for his leadership on H.R. 1112.

Tomorrow, we will vote on that. That is another part of strengthening the background check provisions.

As Members of Congress, again, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, the American people. To honor that oath, to honor the victims of gun violence and their families, Congress must take real action on this floor. Today, we must pass this bill and take the first steps toward ending the senseless crisis of gun violence in our Nation.

Again, I hope that all of us will have the courage to save lives, remembering that no one's political survival here is more important than the survival of the American people--especially our children.

I urge a strong bipartisan ``yes'' vote and pray that we can do the right thing and send a clear message to the families of those who have lost their loved ones to gun violence, that we have crossed a threshold here today to reduce gun violence in our country and take more steps to improve the safety of the American people, honoring the Constitution of the United States, respectful of our hunters and the need for people to defend themselves, but doing so in a way that does not endanger others.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for the eloquent way that he has presented this legislation to the floor of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to quote from the Constitution of the United States. It begins with our statement of purpose of the Nation, with the preamble.

``We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.''

Immediately following that sacred purpose, it says: Article I, the legislative branch.

Perhaps it is time for our country to have a values-based civics lesson. I applaud our colleague, Congressman Castro, for his leadership in ensuring that this House was ready to reassert our responsibility under the Constitution and its systems of checks and balance.

In their wisdom, our Founders rejected the idea of a monarch. They didn't want to live under that. They made that clear. They fought a War of Independence to free themselves from that. Therefore, in their wisdom, they put forth in this Constitution a heart, soul, and core of it: the separation of powers, coequal branches of government to be a check and balance on each other.

They saw the wisdom of that and then, of course, added the Bill of Rights with further freedoms enumerated. But the core of the Constitution is the separation of power.

Today, we are on this floor of the House, and our colleagues have spoken eloquently about the reality or mythology of the crisis at the border that the President contends. They have spoken eloquently about the opportunity cost of the money that the President wants to use for this ill-conceived wall and what it means to our national security.

But we in this House of Representatives, each one of us, and everyone in public service in our country, takes an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It is our oath. We promise.

That Constitution is about the separation of powers that is being usurped by the executive branch. We in the legislative branch cannot let that happen.

In fact, I appeal to our Republican colleagues because I do believe and trust that they are people of their word, and if they take an oath to uphold the Constitution, they will honor it with their vote on the floor today, in keeping, by the way, with, under the previous House Speaker, our colleagues across the aisle placed a high priority on the separation of powers and Congress' constitutional prerogatives.

The Republican A Better Way agenda, which they put forth in 2014,

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished leader for recognition and calling us together to salute two great women in this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the great honor of swearing in Cheryl Lynn Johnson as the 36th Clerk of the House of Representatives. This is a very distinguished and prestigious role.

Mr. McCarthy, I was pleased to appoint the first African American woman Clerk of the House, Lorraine Miller, when I was Speaker before, and now I am happy to be appointing the second.

We are privileged to be joined by Cheryl's parents, the Reverend Charlie Davis and Cynthia Davis of New Orleans, who are with us in the Chamber. Thank you for being with us.

We are also pleased to welcome Cheryl's husband, Clarence Ellison, and her son, Bradford, to this Chamber today as well. Welcome to you, and thank you.

I join our colleagues, the distinguished Democratic leader, the Republican leader, and distinguished Republican whip in saluting House Clerk Karen Haas for her many years of distinguished service to this institution.

Anyone who knows her is proud of her service. On behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, I thank you, Karen, for the great integrity and dedication for which you have served the people's House. Thank you so much.

She has been magnificent.

Cheryl Johnson embodies public service and has dedicated her career to strengthening many of the most important institutions of our democracy, including our own.

Indeed, today is a homecoming, as Leader Hoyer has mentioned, as Cheryl returns to the House of Representatives where she worked with distinction and honor for Chairman Lacy Clay, Sr.--I emphasize senior-- of the Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials; and the House Committee on Post Offices and Civil Service Subcommittee on Investigations.

Our country is stronger for her work on the then-Committee on Education and the Workforce to secure justice and progress for our children and advance fairness and respect for our workers.

In the Congress, she earned the respect of all--Members and staff, Democrats and Republicans--for being a leader of compassion, courage, and commitment.

Cheryl returns to the House after more than a decade at the Smithsonian Institution. Her great dedication to that American treasure--which is the largest museum in the world--has ensured that it will remain a source of creativity, innovation, and research for generations to come.

Our Nation is particularly grateful for her extraordinary vision and persistence in helping transform the dream of the National Museum of African American History and Culture into a reality.

Cheryl has made a difference empowering millions of Americans and visitors from abroad to explore and be inspired by the beauty and richness of American culture and history.

Cheryl's strong leadership and deep love and respect for the institutions of our democracy will be vital in her role as House Clerk, strengthening and safeguarding the Congress in the tradition of Karen and the Congress, the first branch of government, Article I.

I thank Cheryl for her commitment to our institution and to our democracy; and with great, again, recognition and appreciation to Karen Haas for her service.

It is now my privilege to administer the oath of office to Cheryl Johnson.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his beautiful statement of our beloved Mr. Dingell, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chair, again, as he mentioned last night, our Nation lost a beloved pillar of this Congress and one of the greatest legislators in American history.

Every chapter of Chairman John Dingell's life was lived in service to our country, from his time as a House page, as a teenager, to his service in the Army during World War II, to his almost six decades serving the people of Michigan in the U.S. Congress.

John Dingell leaves a towering legacy of unshakeable strength, boundless energy, and transformative leadership. Chairman Dingell had a hand in crafting many major legislative accomplishments over the past half century,

yet among the vast array of historic legislative achievements, few hold greater meaning than his tireless commitment to the health of the American people.

During every Congress since 1955, Chairman Dingell introduced legislation to secure affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans.

Because of his father's legacy, which our distinguished leader has referenced, and his own leadership, in 1965, he gaveled Medicare into law. In 2010, it was my privilege to hold that same gavel as we passed the Affordable Care Act.

Chairman Dingell was our distinguished dean and chairman, our legendary colleague, and a beloved friend. His memory will stand as an inspiration to all who worked with him or for him or had the pleasure of knowing him.

His leadership will endure in the lives of the millions of American families he touched. We hope it is a comfort to Chairman Dingell's beloved wife, dear Deborah, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, and their entire family that so many people mourn their loss and pray for them at this sad time.

I am pleased to mention that the flag is flying half-staff over the Capitol in his memory and invite Members to sign the condolence book in the Speaker's lobby.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to the fact that so many--800,000--Federal workers were out of work when the government was shut down, and now, happily, they will be back at work. Soon, all of them will be getting a paycheck.

This was very sad for their families, very sad for their communities where their financial viability is important, and very sad for our economy. Happily, the government is reopened, but not without paying a price.

I was very pleased that last week, on Thursday, so many Members came to the floor to tell the stories of the families affected by the shutdown, and then we had a Special Order and people sought comfort in the fact that we were recognizing the value that our public employees add to our economy and also concern for their well-being.

I want to tell one story that I thought was just so remarkable. Yesterday, I went to help with meals for the families who still have not gotten a paycheck. Even though government is open, it will be a couple of more days. While I was there, I met a woman who seemed young to me, but I guess she must have been middle-aged. They told me, after I was with her for a while, that, on Friday, she would be going to hospice, but it was a comfort to her to spend her last days before hospice feeding the hungry, having empathy for those who had that uncertainty in their lives.

What a blessing she is. Let us all have that empathy for those who are placed in that financial insecurity, and let us work to keep government open, to come to agreement so it can resolve all doubt in anyone's mind that that is not a reasonable path, to seek agreement holding hostage our public employees.

We thank them for what they do for our country. We sympathize with them. At this time, we are happy that government is open. Let's work together to keep it so.

Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleagues to pay tribute to an outstanding regional leader who has had a powerful national impact: Steve Heminger, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Steve is retiring on February 28, 2019, after 17 years in this position and 25 years of leadership at the agency. It is a pleasure to be joined by other members of the Bay Area delegation, including Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Jared Huffman, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Congressman Eric Swalwell, Congressman Mike Thompson and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, in honoring his many accomplishments.

In the Bay Area and around the country, he is known for the boldness of his vision and the quality of his leadership. At the helm of MTC, he positioned the Commission not only to take on the challenges of the 21st Century Economy, but also to take a strong, active role in the fight against the existential problem of our time: the climate crisis. His leadership has helped shape the Bay Area's economic landscape and transform the way our community lives, works and commutes.

Under Steve's leadership, MTC has played a vital role in growing the Bay Area in a more green and sustainable way, encouraging transit- oriented development, containing sprawl and making public transit, bicycling and walking viable alternatives to solo driving. Through the Committee to House the Bay Area (CASA), Steve has brought together a ``who's who'' of housing policy and development to address the region's affordable housing crisis.

Under Steve's direction, MTC has helped achieve historic achievements, including: the Fourth Bore of the Caldecott Tunnel; the suicide barrier for the Golden Gate Bridge; the Presidio Parkway approach to the Golden Gate; the BART extensions to East Contra Costa County and Warm Springs, and ultimately to San Jose; the stunning new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge; and a new commuter rail line tying together Marin and Sonoma counties. We also commend his vision in launching Clipper, the all-in-one transit fare card that lets riders hop between 22 bus, rail and ferry systems that cross the Bay Area.

Steve is widely recognized nationally as an expert in transportation policy, and for this reason I was honored to appoint him in 2005 to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which helped chart the future course for federal transportation investments. Under Steve's direction, MTC has been a key voice in the crafting of multiple multiyear transportation authorization bills passed by Congress, from TEA-21 to SAFETEA-LU to MAP-21 to FAST.

Congratulations, Steve, on an outstanding career and please accept our deepest appreciation for dedicating twenty-five years to advancing a cleaner, safer, greener and more sustainable home for our children and grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I rise following our 11th vote earlier today to reopen government and end the senseless chaos and the pain of this shutdown.

Why won't the Republicans take yes for an answer? Why won't they provide relief for the hardworking Americans suffering in their own communities?

It is important to note, Madam Speaker, that on every occasion we have presented to the floor initiatives that had been passed by the Republicans in the Senate, just their own bills, sending them back to them, and they have said no, or their bills acted upon by a bipartisan group in the House, our most recent contribution to send over to the Senate, and they have said no.

And today, in the simplest--the simplest--of resolutions, we said please vote ``yes'' for $12 billion for disaster assistance--we all know that we have to do that--and open up the government for 2 weeks in order to have a discussion of how best to protect our borders. And they said no.

Madam Speaker, $12 billion for disaster assistance and 2 weeks of opening up government to allow the debate to continue so that people can come to work and those who are working already, all of them, can be paid:

Americans like Brenda from Maine, whose family can no longer pay for heating fuel this winter, while temperatures remain below freezing;

Americans like Julie from rural Iowa, who says that farmers, already hit hard by tariffs, will feel the squeeze even more now;

Americans like Sarah from Colorado, whose new job at the VA is on hold, adding to wait times for veterans who need healthcare services; and.

Veterans, who comprise nearly a third of our Federal workforce, 31 percent. Our veterans' security clearances are at risk. You can lose your security clearance if you lose your credit rating, and you can lose your credit rating if you cannot pay your bills on time--your mortgage, your rent, your car payment, your credit card bills, and the rest. If your credit rating goes down, the vulnerability of your security clearance is increased.

So it is harmful to our veterans to be doing this, and it is important for everyone to know how they are affected because our veterans, who have donned the uniform of our country to protect us and then carry on their commitment to public service in the public sector as Federal employees--in some ways still continuing to protect us, in other ways meeting our needs in another way--all of them are affected by this shutdown.

Or like Lila from Georgia, who says: ``Food stamp recipients will go hungry. Many will lose subsidized housing. State and local services will be overwhelmed trying to make up for the losses.''

One woman, Vivian, from Maine, asked: ``How is a wall more important than families?''

This senseless shutdown throws the American people's safety and security into peril.

This week, FBI agents released a report warning of the dire effects of the shutdown on nearly every aspect of their work.

The FBI writes: ``We don't have funds to get drugs and guns off the streets and to prosecute the violent gang and drug traffickers. . . . ''

``We aren't able to take child sexual exploitation cases to grand jury to seek indictments and warrants in order to get our most violent offenders arrested. . . . This just puts our children in jeopardy. . . . ''

``We have no funds'' to pay sources that provide cybersecurity intelligence to protect the country ``against our foreign adversaries.''

And they conclude: ``The fear,'' during this disastrous shutdown, ``is our enemies know they can run freely.''

The FBI talked about children, putting our children in jeopardy. This shutdown is putting so many children and the families of our Federal workers in jeopardy as well.

Those of us who have had the privilege of serving those in food lines and the rest, to listen and hear their stories, can tell you firsthand that this is making enough impact that it is material for sure. It is about their financial security, but psychological as well.

We are doing serious damage to our country, totally unnecessarily.

The President and the Republicans either do not notice or do not care about the real effects of this shutdown on real people. They say: Oh, you will get paid later.

Well, they have to pay their bills on time, not sometime later.

This morning, when told that many Federal workers were going to food banks, Treasury Secretary Wilbur Ross said: ``I don't quite understand why.''

As hundreds of thousands of workers are about to miss a second paycheck tomorrow, Secretary Ross does not know why people without a paycheck have to go to food lines.

This Marie Antoinette attitude of ``let them eat cake'' is pervasive in the administration. The President thinks, I guess, that they can call their dads for money.

Hours after Secretary Ross made his statement, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow doubled down on this administration's ``let them eat cake'' attitude, saying that the shutdown was ``just a glitch.''

Just a glitch? Maybe to you it is a glitch, but it is a paycheck to our Federal employees and the work they do for us.

So they are being harmed by not getting paid. The people they serve, the American people, are being harmed by not being served.

Our economy will suffer a downturn. It does, at these times. The President's own economic advisers can tell them that.

This shutdown is not a glitch. It is a crisis that the President alone created and that the President alone can end. The Republicans in the Congress have been accomplices to the President's irresponsibility in just ignoring the consequences of his actions. Either he doesn't know or he doesn't care, but, nonetheless, the Trump shutdown goes on.

Once again, we call on the President and the Republicans in Congress, especially in the United States Senate, where they are holding this up, to reopen government now for the sake of the health, the safety, and the well-being of the American people.

I thank our Federal employees for what they do to meet the needs of the

American people, for the role they play in providing the public-sector promise that we make to people to meet their needs, to provide the services of the courts and the protections of our security in terms of the FBI, of TSA, of the Coast Guard.

The cost of this shutdown--the Coast Guard is the only defense entity that is not being paid. Because this is a 25 percent shutdown, 75 percent of the workforce is at work. The Department of Defense is at work, but the Department of Homeland Security is not, and that is what the Coast Guard falls under.

Imagine those responsible for search and rescue and emergency situations having to go to food banks to get food for their families. How does that keep them as strong as they can possibly be, as strong as they can possibly be to search and rescue and to protect us? They are a line of defense in securing our borders.

A lot of the discussion is about secure borders. Well, our borders extend to the seas, and our Coast Guard is our line of defense there. In our proposals for the opening up of government, we have funding for our Coast Guard for assets that they have asked us for.

This is a tragedy in so many respects. It shouldn't go on any longer. We should at least be able to discuss and compare the merits of our different proposals, and we should be able to do that with government open and not holding the American people hostage, Federal employees hostage, the security of our people hostage, and the safety and well- being of our children hostage to an idle campaign applause line that the President seems committed to at this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the life of a dedicated former House employee, Thomas G. Duncan, who passed away on January 16, 2019 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Tom was born June 10, 1952, in Long Beach, California, to Thomas Owen Duncan and Keith Anne Gamble Duncan and grew up in Dallas, Texas and Birmingham, Michigan. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1974 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1978. Following his graduation from law school, Tom began a distinguished thirty-year career in public service in the House of Representatives. He began his work in the House in 1979 as an Assistant Parliamentarian and rose to serve as a Deputy Parliamentarian for ten years. He went on to serve with distinction as a staff member on the House Committee on Financial Services, serving as general counsel to chairman from both parties, where he consistently demonstrated his deep commitment to upholding the integrity of our institution, and advancing progress for the American people.

In his more than three decades of nonpartisan service to the House, Tom always brought the highest level of professionalism and dedication to the table. He earned the respect of Members and staff alike for his encyclopedic memory of facts and dates, and his great intellect and critical willingness to hear arguments from all sides. His unflappable demeanor delivered calm to many hard-fought battles waged by the House's most energetic and colorful Members.

Tom's many friends will always remember his great love of sports, especially his fondness for the Tigers, the Wahoos and the Washington Nationals. One never wanted to be on the opposite side of a sports trivia contest with Tom, but all will remember him as a gentleman who allowed his opponents to lose with grace. Tom could reveal a mischievous streak when it was needed most by his colleagues, best and most memorably displayed in his creation of the Hershberger Award during his days at the College of William and Mary.

Tom is survived by his beloved wife of 37 years, Alison, his two daughters, Katharine Duncan (Brent DePuy) and Taylor Duncan, and his granddaughter, Elizabeth DePuy.

The House is grateful for Tom's contributions over his thirty-year career in our institution. May it be a comfort to Tom's loved ones that so many grieve with and pray for them at this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Cummings for bringing this important legislation to the floor in very expeditious time. The Senate passed it by unanimous consent yesterday, and here we are today, on the first day that some of our Federal employees will miss their paycheck, and Congress is saying and guaranteeing that workers will be paid, not only for this shutdown but, God forbid, if we have any future ones, that their pay will be guaranteed.

I support the bill. I am glad that it has strong bipartisan support as it did in the Senate and that the President has given the impression that he will sign the bill.

It ensures that 800,000 Federal employees who are going without pay because of the senseless shutdown will ultimately get the backpay they deserve. But it is scarce consolation for these workers who are desperate to make ends meet right now. Their paychecks are going to be late, but they must pay their bills on time and in full.

The impact of a missed paycheck is catastrophic in the lives of these Americans when they can't pay their mortgage, their rent, their utilities, bills, their car payments, children's tuition on time, and the list goes on. It affects their credit rating, and it affects the credit rating of the United States of America.

I am particularly concerned about the impact that it has on our veterans. A large percentage of the Federal workforce are veterans. They have taken their commitment to public service in the military to public service on the civilian side. We don't do any favors for our friends, our veterans and military families, if we affect their credit rating.

So, today, the press reported that workers are desperately taking to the internet to sell some of their household items and other things, sometimes at a very reduced price, for just a couple of dollars just to pay their bills. This is just not right. It is just not right that we would subject people who work, and we say two things to them: come to work and don't get paid, or shut them out so they can't come to work. And while they are not getting paid, again, thousands of these men and women are expected to show up for work.

Sending these workers their paycheck late is wrong. We keep saying that. It is wrong. But since there is a guarantee that they will be getting paid, I would hope that the commercial banks, the banks in our country, would follow the lead of some of the credit unions by giving interest-free loans right now to these families so that they can pay their bills on time and they can be respected for the work they do or are anticipated to do.

This shutdown, by the way, is soon to become the longest in history, and it is creating chaos in our communities. It fails to have us, the government, meet the needs of the American people. We are endangering the safety of our food supply and the security of our airlines. The eviction of vulnerable families is affected, as is the support of our farmers, and for their support systems, as well as food stamps for the hungry and tax refunds to the American people, and the ability of the IRS to supply information to taxpayers who want to pay their taxes but need guidance. It is a needless crisis that is inflicting pain on the American people.

Democrats support effective border security. We honor our oath of office to protect and defend, to protect and defend our borders, our country, our people, and our Constitution.

We need to look at the facts.

According to the DEA--when the President says, ``Oh, we have got to stop the drugs coming into the country,'' well, let's look at the facts. The DEA says that almost all--90 percent--of illicit drugs coming into the country come in through legal ports of entry. If that is the President's concern, and it is a legitimate concern that we all share, we need to build the infrastructure, increase the size of infrastructure of the legitimate ports of entry--those are ports of entry for immigration, for trade--and to stop the unwelcome in terms of drugs, contraband, and weapons coming into our country. So more infrastructure, improve the roads there to facilitate.

We also need--the technology exists--and we have all committed that we would pay whatever it is, $400 million or more, for the technology to scan the cars, scan the cars for the drugs and the other contraband. So, again, technology is our friend in this, and it is a very effective, proven way to protect us from those intrusions.

We can hire more personnel, which we must do. There are thousands of unfilled positions with the Border Patrol. We must have more people to do the job there.

Much of what I am saying here is what the administration--well, the Department of Homeland Security--asked for; and we said yes in the appropriations bills, and here we are having that fight later.

We can have more investment in innovation to detect unauthorized crossings. We don't need, like the President first described, a concrete wall, 30 feet high, paid for by Mexico. Cross out all of the above. It is not that.

But the fact is, spending money on whatever that is that the President is describing it now as is an opportunity cost for doing what we know will work to secure our border--all of our borders--all of our borders.

There is a humanitarian challenge for us at the border that we have to deal with in a way that is consistent with our values but also protects our border. What the President is proposing--in fact, he has exacerbated the problem with his cruel policies of taking children out of the arms of their parents, separating families. The list goes on.

But to the point of securing the border in a strong, cost-effective, values-based way, Democrats have made their proposal. The proposals have bipartisan support.

And let me just say, just before this bill came up on the floor, we had the legislation to pass a bill--passed by the Senate--to open up the Department of the Interior and related agencies there. We have said to the Republicans and to the President that we will accept ideas, good ideas, wherever they come from, and these ideas came from the United States Senate, controlled by the Republicans up until this new Congress. Just within the last month, they controlled that--well, they still do control the Senate.

They put forth legislation on the floor of the Senate in a minibus that passed, 92-6. We said: Let's take your language; let's embrace your language; let's pass it on the House. And you, once again, pass your own language. They won't take yes for an answer.

That might be part of a legitimate debate, but why do you have to shut down government?

I say to the President: ``Don't you have confidence in your own ideas that you have to shut down government to increase your leverage and then threaten to take extraordinary measures when the answer is very simple?''

Let's open up government. Let's have a civilized debate, and let's do so in a way that honors our values as we protect our borders and meet the needs of the American people.

I urge a ``yes,'' and I am glad that we are going to come out with a bipartisan vote.

And, again, I thank Mr. Cummings for his extraordinary leadership in so many ways, most recently, on this legislation.