Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this is not about America first. This is about billionaires first and corporations first.

I will take a moment to bring part of my district into this Chamber. I will read a letter from Angeline from Redford Township.

She said: ``I am terrified about what the Trump administration is doing to those of us living in poverty with these cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.

``My family and I could not survive without these programs. It is bad enough we are struggling to purchase the basic essentials and have been heavily leaning on food pantries not only for extra food but also for toilet paper and soap.''

That is with having the benefits that they have now.

``I am waiting for my Social Security case to go on appeal. I currently have no income. I am unable to work due to spinal injuries. With less people working at the Social Security office, it has taken longer than it should to review my case.

``I am barely surviving as it is, and I couldn't see any of my doctors without Medicaid. My grandchildren couldn't be able to see doctors. My single daughter and myself both rely on SNAP to eat and Medicaid to see our doctors.

``It is very clear those voting for these cuts have never experienced the traumatic effects of living in poverty and the threat of taking the only help we have away. Please don't let them do this.''

Mr. Speaker, Peter Beinart said: ``When you tell a people to forget its past, you are not proposing peace, you are proposing extinction.''

I introduced a resolution yesterday recognizing the 77 years of the ongoing Nakba against the Palestinian people and the need for refugee rights. We know that thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed in 1948, and nearly 800,000 were violently removed from over 400 villages, completely erased. Many of them carry their keys to this day, Mr. Speaker, hanging them on the wall of their new, temporary homes in hopes that one day they will be able to return to their villages.

We acknowledge their trauma and the painful loss of their connections to their family members, land, the beautiful olive groves, and the 400 Palestinian villages that they all grew up in. We, of course, see that the Israeli Government continues to illegally steal Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank where my family lives. They illegally evict Palestinian families, Mr. Speaker, demolish homes, and deny Palestinians basic human rights.

We honor those all around the world and want them to know that former Congresswoman Cori Bush and I see them. We know the suffering. We know that there are lasting harms of settler colonialism, as well as ethnic cleansing and apartheid.

There are days that I feel so alone in this Chamber as the only Palestinian American serving in Congress. The dehumanization and the anti-Palestinian racism here is painful, especially when my colleagues remain silent on the starvation of children and vote to send more bombs to the Israeli Government while they commit war crimes with impunity.

Today, we are witnessing a genocide in Gaza. Many human rights organizations, advocacy groups, NGOs, and folks on medical missions have confirmed, the campaign to erase Palestinians from existence is happening right now, live-streamed for all of us to see while the world sits and does nothing.

Palestinians were right. The Nakba never ended. Across Gaza, the medical system has been deliberately destroyed. The Israeli Government is using starvation as a weapon of war, which is a war crime. The thousands of trucks carrying food and lifesaving aid sit blocked at the border while Palestinian families starve.

Instead of agreeing to a cease-fire, war criminal Netanyahu is now preparing a full-scale assault to ethnically cleanse and forcibly expel the entire Palestinian population from Gaza and to flatten and permanently occupy the land. This was always their plan. He said it himself.

Israeli forces have killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, and nearly 70 percent of them were women and children, babies who did not live to see their first birthday. There are thousands more who were dismembered, unrecognizable, burned alive, buried beneath the rubble, and presumed dead.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced once again. Each year, our country sends billions of dollars to maintain this apartheid state and support the ongoing cleansing of the Palestinian people. Our country is complicit, Mr. Speaker, because our Nation is funding this genocide.

The Israeli Government will not stop until we put in place an arms embargo. The majority of Americans support it. We must save lives. No matter faith or ethnicity, a child is a child.

Mr. Speaker, my ``grandma's''; ``sity's'' only crime in the eyes of the Israeli apartheid government was that she was born Palestinian. It killed me inside that she took her last breath without being truly free. I pray that the ongoing Nakba against the Palestinians will end and one day they will be free.

Sneaking In Nonprofit Killer Bill

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about something that is happening right here in our backyard in regard to the Congressional Mamas Caucus.

As a mother, I am dismayed. We started Mamas for Medicaid, which is mothers across the Nation sharing their stories about what it means to cut Medicaid and how cruel it will be for their families, especially those with children with special needs.

What makes me even more angry is this so-called sneaking in of the nonprofit killer bill into the budget reconciliation package. We have to worry about that now.

This is dangerous and unconstitutional legislation that would give the Trump administration unchecked power to target any nonprofit organization as a political enemy and shut them down--no evidence, no charge, no trial, no due process.

This legislation is part of a broader assault on civil liberties, aiming to criminalize free speech, Mr. Speaker.

Trust me, it won't just be Palestinian human rights organizations. It will be those who are fighting against the Medicaid cuts. It will be those who are fighting for Black lives and those who are fighting for climate justice. It is wrong, and I hope my colleagues will vote against it.

Mr Speaker, today, the 12th Congressional District honors the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, as it celebrates 63 years of extraordinary service to our communities. Founded by Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri in 1962, the Islamic Center began as a dream to create a sacred space for Metro Detroit's growing Muslim population.

From its original site on Joy Road to its current home on Ford Road, the Center has grown into the largest mosque in North America. It has become much more than a place of worship--it is a hub for education, interfaith dialogue, social services, and community resilience, From Sunday breakfasts and youth programming to leading global humanitarian aid.

The Center welcomes people of all backgrounds and faiths and continues to be a space where generations gather to pray, celebrate, and organize. Its volunteers have led vital relief efforts around the world, including sending food and medical aid to families in Yemen, Palestine, and Lebanon. I extend my deepest congratulations to the Center's leaders, families, and volunteers who have made this institution a beacon of faith and hope.

Mr. Speaker, the 12th Congressional District congratulates Reverend Lydie Ngoie and the members of Trinity Faith United Methodist Chuich on 35 years of spiritual worship and leadership in our community.

Trinity Faith blossomed from humble beginnings. Founded in 1918 in the basement of a building under construction on Twelfth Street, just eleven devoted charter members came together, united by a vision of faith and service. Their commitment and love for their community sparked growth, soon reaching 23 members. As the neighborhood around them evolved, so did the church, embracing change and relocating to a new home on West McNichols in 1950. By May 27, 1951, Trinity Church broke ground on their new fellowship hall, proudly serving a growing congregation of 210 strong.

While expanding their congregation and educational programs, Trinity Church opened its doors to Faith Bethany United Methodist Church, offering them a temporary home until a permanent location was secured. In 1989, the two churches united, forming what we now know as Trinity Faith United Methodist Church. Over these 35 years, they've shown a deep commitment to serving others--whether through their food pantry that nourishes those in need or through their dedication to spiritual learning and growth.

The 12th Congressional District honors their service and dedication to creating a place of friendship and learning for our community. I thank them for being a guiding light rooted in faith and service to all.

Mr. Speaker, today, the 12th Congressional District honors the 100th anniversary of Detroit Memorial Park, Michigan's oldest Black-owned cemetery and a beacon of dignity, justice, and community for generations.

Founded in 1925 by visionary Black leaders Charles C. Diggs, Sr. and Aaron C. Toodle, Detroit Memorial Park was born out of necessity, at a time when Black families in Detroit were denied basic dignity in burial. These trailblazers cleared sacred ground where all people, regardless of race or faith, could be laid to rest with respect.

From offering fresh vegetables to families during the Depression to providing low-cost transportation for mourners, Detroit Memorial Park has always led with care and compassion. Today, with cemeteries in Warren, Redford, and Flint, they continue this legacy across over 170 acres. As we celebrate this historic milestone, I offer my deepest gratitude to Detroit Memorial Park for a century of unwavering service and dignity.

The 12th District honors the Detroit Memorial Park and celebrates this momentous occasion for our community.

Mr. Speaker, as the chair of the Congressional Mamas Caucus and a mother of two incredible boys, I rise today to celebrate Mother's Day.

I recognize the strength and love that mothers bring to our families and our neighborhoods, yet too often mothers are left behind in this Chamber.

In the richest country in the world, Mr. Speaker, no mother should worry about feeding her children or affording

basic care. Ending child poverty is a policy choice. I introduced the End Child Poverty Act to provide a universal child benefit for every child in our country and cut child poverty by 60 percent.

Paid leave, affordable childcare, and universal school meals should be a guarantee, not a privilege.

I also introduced and helped cosponsor the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to ensure that all mothers are safe, respected, and supported. We know that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.

This week, I am proud that the Congressional Mamas Caucus is launching Mamas for Medicaid, as we see, again, many folks in this Chamber cutting a lifeline for so many mothers and families across our country.

An $880 billion cut to Medicaid would be devastating, so this Mother's Day, I am asking all of my colleagues to not only thank our mothers but do it with action as we recommit to fighting for the dignity and health of every mother in our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank all the amazing mothers of the 12th Congressional District and wish a happy Mother's Day to all of our mamas. We see and honor them, and we must, again, be able to celebrate them with action.

Starvation in Gaza

Mr. Speaker, using starvation as a weapon is a war crime.

For over 2 months, the Israeli Government has completely and deliberately blocked food, water, medical supplies, and fuel from entering Gaza and targeting local aid convoys.

At least 57 Palestinians, including children, have already starved to death. Over 9,000 children are already experiencing malnutrition.

Palestinians have been forced to eat grass, dirty flour, and animal feed just to survive, while thousands of trucks carrying food and lifesaving aid have sat blocked at the border because of the Israeli Government.

Palestinians deserve to live. Instead of agreeing to an offered cease-fire and the release of all hostages, war criminal Netanyahu announced his plans to forcibly expel and ethnically cleanse the entire Palestinian population and to flatten and annex Gaza.

This was always the plan, and I am waiting for my colleagues in this Chamber to call it out. Our country is an accomplice in this genocide, and the world is letting it happen. The only path to make it stop is an arms embargo. Americans overwhelmingly support it. We should listen to our residents and save lives now.

Silence here on starvation is supporting this war crime.

University of Michigan Student Rights

Mr. Speaker, from the university president to its board of regents, from the State attorney general to the White House, University of Michigan students and faculty exercising their rights to speak out against genocide have been under attack from all sides.

From selective prosecutions to eight faculty members being fired for attending protests, the university has damaged its reputation while putting its full weight into suppressing speech and First Amendment rights.

Their courageous solidarity movement has been undaunted, and this past week has offered a ray of hope that the Constitution still applies on campus, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't end when you enter a campus.

First, the university president responsible for suppressing student rights, gutting DEI, and rolling over for the Trump administration resigned and fled to another State. Then, the attorney general in Michigan was forced to drop felony charges against campus protesters before a judge could rule on whether to remove her from the cases due to bias.

This coordinated smear campaign is especially outrageous and egregious as Michigan prides itself on being an incubator for protests and social justice movements, where students are inspired to hold the powerful accountable and make the world a better place, but there is an exception for Palestinians.

All across campus, historic divestment campaigns, from apartheid in South Africa to fossil fuels, are celebrated. Yet, there is an exception for Palestine when it comes to free speech, and it remains strong.

Whether intentionally or not, Mr. Speaker, its proponents are playing directly into the Trump administration's hands as they seek to destroy universities as we know them.

These governmental overreaches and power grabs are test cases, and their impacts won't be confined to college campuses. Mr. Speaker, you don't have to agree with their speech to understand what is at stake when their rights are being threatened.

Mr. Speaker, I want to honor the incredible life and legacy of my dear friend, George Saba, who served metro Detroit's immigrant community for over four decades as a Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representative.

George would walk in a room with a big smile, and everyone would smile back.

George dedicated his life to reuniting thousands of families, first at the International Institute of Metro Detroit, and later at ACCESS, always bringing compassion, warmth, and unwavering commitment.

Born in Ramallah, George was proud of being Palestinian and of his heritage. He was actively involved with the American Federation of Ramallah, working to preserve and pass on his culture to future generations.

George's work transformed lives, and his presence brought comfort and strength to so many.

On behalf of the 12th Congressional District, we extend our deepest sympathies to his beloved wife, Itidal; his children, Paul and Janan; his late dear son, Amjad; and his entire family and his friends.

May his legacy live on and his memory continue to be a blessing and source of strength.

``Allah yerhamo''; ``God bless his soul.''

Mr. Speaker, today, the 12th Congressional District honors the incredible life and legacy of George Saba, who served Metro Detroit's immigrant community for over four decades as a Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representative.

George dedicated his life to reuniting thousands of families, first at the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit and later at ACCESS, always bringing compassion, warmth,

and unwavering commitment. Born in Ramallah, George was deeply proud of his Palestinian heritage and actively involved with the American Federation of Ramallah, working to preserve and pass on his culture to future generations. His work transformed lives, and his presence brought comfort and strength to so many.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his beloved wife ltidal Swiess Saba; children Paul (Jomana), Janan (Benjamin), and the late Amjad George Saba; grandchildren Victoria, George, and Natalia; and his entire family. May his memory continue to be a blessing and a source of strength.

Mr. Speaker, today, the 12th Congressional District recognizes the critical work of the LUCAS Foundation, and its upcoming 1,000-mile relay run to raise awareness about the tragic reality that suicide is the leading cause of death among law enforcement officers.

Beginning its powerful six-state journey in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 24 and ending in Detroit, Michigan, on September 30, this run encompasses 130 relay legs. More than just a physical feat, the relay serves as a crucial call to action, dedicated to raising vital awareness about the mental health crisis within law enforcement and dismantling the stigma that often prevents officers from seeking the help to overcome their battles.

I honor the volunteers, families, and first responders behind this effort and support their call for congressional action to recognize this epidemic and uplift suicide prevention work. I thank the LUCAS Foundation for their tireless commitment to saving lives and creating a culture of support and healing.

Mr. Speaker, today, the 12th Congressional District honors an exceptional leader within our community: Principal Markisha Stovall of Madison Carver Academy. Her unwavering dedication to her students, their families, and our community embodies the very essence of exemplary public service.

Born and raised in Detroit, Principal Stovall's resilient life story includes overcoming the loss of her mother to addiction, her father's incarceration, and being raised by her grandmother with five siblings. Despite these hardships, she graduated from Michigan State University and, as a single mother, became an educator to uplift all children.

Serving as the Principal of Madison Carver Academy, her leadership has yielded transformative results: a significant 33 percent surge in enrollment, an impressive 99 percent average attendance rate, the establishment of over 20 enriching student clubs, and the implementation of crucial wraparound services to support families facing crises.

The 12th Congressional District honors her leadership and commitment to our students and community. I congratulate her on all her accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, here we go again. DTE wants another rate hike, 11 percent this time. Our families can't afford more power outages in Michigan that wipe out groceries, spoil medicine, and leave our neighbors without critical medical devices, all because DTE would rather pad the pockets of their shareholders and executives than invest in reliability for our families.

We know that DTE charges some of the highest rates, Mr. Speaker, in the Nation, while they have some of the most unreliable service and they perform hundreds of thousands of utility shutoffs per year.

The company made $1.4 billion last year alone. Their CEO made $12.5 million last year. Investor-owned utilities like DTE will always put profits over the people they are supposed to serve.

These are companies that don't see providing us power as essential to our daily lives. We are just another account number to them.

Now DTE is seeking another massive $574 million rate hike. It is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that it was just a few months ago that the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a $217 million rate hike back in January. The Michigan Public Service Commission must do the right thing and reject this outrageous, unreasonable rate increase.

Access to utilities is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right. Every single family should have access to electricity, heat, and water. We need public power to all. We need utilities that serve people, not shareholders. We need to take the profit motive out of the services we all need to live and thrive on.

President Trump's First 100 Days

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that it has only been 13 weeks.

President Trump's first 100 days in office have eroded constitutional rights, illegally and lawlessly dismantled Federal agencies, and consolidated power into the hands of the billionaire class. I like to describe it not as shameful, lawless, and reckless, which it is all those things, but it is also the cruelty of how it is being done.

The President has relied on executive orders to push through illegal and divisive policies that circumvent this Congress. He has empowered an unelected billionaire like Elon Musk to fire Federal workers without cause and dismantle the programs our families depend on. That is probably why they are losing in court. We are winning in 93 percent of these courts because, again, much of what he is doing is illegal.

President Trump has attempted to override the Constitution through executive order to end birthright citizenship, deport American citizens without due process, including a 4-year-old with cancer, and he has openly defied Supreme Court orders.

This is a constitutional crisis; that is a fact. We don't need to be cutting services and critical programs for our families. We need to make them work better for our families. Instead of gutting healthcare and Medicaid and food assistance in our public school system, Congress should make the ultrarich pay more taxes and make these programs work better for the people.

Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of working families are living paycheck to paycheck. Working families are worried about paying their rent, covering the costs of groceries, and what they are going to do if they get sick. No one plans to get sick, Mr. Speaker.

Trump's proposed tax plan only benefits the richest Americans. It is a true fact; look at it. Even powerful corporations are going to see a big tax break. He plans on giving $7 trillion, not millions or billions, in tax cuts to billionaires while making working families pay for them by cutting $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion from food assistance.

Mr. Speaker, don't get me going about the environmental protections. They have rolled those back, too. Our children deserve clean water, and they deserve to breathe clean air. They are showing, again, a reckless disregard for our planet and our public health.

Yet in the face of this harmful and oppressive agenda, we have seen power in the resistance not only through litigation but in the streets. Americans have mobilized in unprecedented numbers from protests to townhalls across our Nation. Our communities are organizing, Mr. Speaker, not only to fight back against these harmful policies but to build a better and more inclusive future.

Now is not the time to give in to cynicism. We must stay engaged and speak truth to power and come together in solidarity to fight for a country that our communities truly deserve that is for the people and by the people, not the powerful.

I always remind my residents, Mr. Speaker, that we didn't get the Civil Rights Act or transformative change in our country or the right to organize unions because of what folks do here in this Chamber. It is because the streets demanded it. That is how we got the Civil Rights Act and the right to organize labor unions in our country. Again, continue to rise up and continue to resist this fascist government.

Mr. Speaker, Agent Orange exposure continues to negatively impact the lives of our veterans, Vietnamese people, Vietnamese Americans, and their children.

As we mark 50 years after the United States' withdrawal from Vietnam, it is time to meet our moral and legal obligations to heal the wounds inflicted by these atrocities. That is why I am proud to introduce the Victims of Agent Orange Act and the Agent Orange Relief Act, because we know that the devastating harms that our country committed in Vietnam did not end in 1975.

The U.S. exposed millions of people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to deadly toxins like Agent Orange which to this day causes birth defects and deadly disease, as well as premature death, Mr. Speaker.

For there to be any justice for the war crimes committed in Vietnam, the United States, our country, must devote itself to repair by cleaning these ongoing Agent Orange contamination sites, investing in medical care for those impacted, and removing unexploded ordnance. Our country must never again commit these acts of violence anywhere.

I ask my colleagues to please support this legislative package to bring justice for those victims of Agent Orange.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is incredibly shameful that my Republican colleagues want to gut the rule that capped most credit card late fees at just $5.

Credit card companies over the people we represent, that is what they are choosing with this.

Working families, as many of us know, are struggling with rising costs. Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of the residents who we represent live paycheck to paycheck.

Did you know when this all came about, it was because our country found out through investigation that credit card companies were building business plans where 50 percent of their profit came from late fees. They basically built a business plan for overdraft fees. That is what they did.

Now my colleagues right here want to overturn the rule that prevents the biggest banks--think about this, this is not like small banks, this is the biggest banks--from exploiting, shamefully targeting the American people.

I know overturning this rule will cost $5 billion annually. That averages about $225 per household that would have to pay the overdraft fees that many of these folks put business plans together on.

Credit card late fees, Mr. Speaker, also widen the racial wealth gap. They impact and put a heavy burden on some of the poorest communities, working-class folks. These are frontline workers.

Gutting the overdraft rule is a slap in the face of the families, again, who are already struggling to make ends meet. This is raising the costs for families when we don't check corporate greed.

Again, these are credit card companies that you all are hollering about right now. I wish you would do that for people who are sick and can't afford their diabetes medicine or those who are struggling right now with wage theft in their workplace. These are all things that we could actually be fighting for right now for our families, like the rising cost of groceries, but instead we are wasting time advocating on behalf of credit card companies, not the people who we represent.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Ramirez, who has led with her own lived experiences and her compassion. She leads with compassion, which I think is sometimes missing here in this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans are advancing, as we all know, a budget that includes $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. These are folks who do not fully understand what it means to live paycheck to paycheck. Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of our residents in our country live paycheck to paycheck.

Just so we are clear, the $880 billion cut to Medicaid is the largest Medicaid cut in American history. There are 72 million people who rely on Medicaid for healthcare in our Nation, including 40 percent of people in Speaker Johnson's own district.

Mr. Speaker, for families, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid, it is the difference between life and death. Yet, right now, the future of Medicaid is under threat.

I have heard many of my Republican colleagues in this Chamber try to gaslight the American people and claim that the budget does not make cuts to Medicaid. Senator Hawley, as we know, just offered an amendment to the same legislation right now that came through this Chamber to strip the $880 billion in Medicaid cuts out of that bill.

It was voted down by Members of his own party. The amendment literally said: To strike the section related to reconciliation instructions to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives to cut $880 billion from Medicaid.

The Senator's Republican colleagues in the Senate voted it down, so let's be honest with the American people. If Republicans are going to cut their healthcare, be honest about it. Don't gaslight and try to pretend.

Those who rely on Medicaid aren't just a number. They are our neighbors. They are our friends. They are our families. They depend on Medicaid for health services, treatment, and medication that they simply cannot afford due to our broken healthcare system.

Make no mistake. Republicans want to give away trillions of dollars, Mr. Speaker, let's be honest, to the richest people in our Nation, like Elon Musk and all of President Trump's friends, and let children and seniors die from the lack of healthcare coverage.

As the chair of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus, I need to bring this to light because this is important when we talk about Medicaid.

Mr. Speaker, Black Maternal Health Week begins on April 11, and Michigan has one of the highest Black maternal mortality rates in our Nation. Medicaid plays a critical role in supporting maternal health, covering a significant portion of births in our country and providing access to healthcare for pregnant women and postpartum individuals, including prenatal care and postpartum services.

Black women, we know, are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. This is absolutely unacceptable. We must address it at the Federal level. Yet, here we are, Mr. Speaker, because we have systems right in place and institutions have failed our folks, but here we are saying: We are also going to take away your healthcare coverage.

Cutting Medicaid, again, is going to be a life-or-death situation for our families, including birthing women. It is a result, of course, we know, of different broken systems.

Yet, at this moment, when we know we have a crisis in the mortality rate, we have a crisis of Black maternal health, and we have a crisis in our healthcare system, it is a broken system. It is sick care, not healthcare. Here we are watching, again, folks choose billionaires over the people who elected them.

We must raise our voices, and I am glad and so incredibly happy to be serving with my sister in service, Representative Ramirez. We must raise our voices again because we have to defeat this dangerous Republican budget. Again, our residents deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 89.