Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would begin by thanking Chairman Thompson and Chairwoman Maloney and, of course, the committee staff, for really working on these two important amendments that protect our Federal employees within the TSA.

My team and I are proud to have worked with many workers on the ground at our Detroit Metro Airport, one of the most busiest in the country, including Gregory Simpkins, as well as coworkers that met with me about these really important items. The amendments directly respond to issues that they brought to my attention, specifically on their lived experiences as TSA employees.

One major issue that we brought up in an amendment is that TSA is one of the most diverse Federal agencies in our country at its lower level, but its leadership is far less diverse and the agency has struggled with employee retention and promotions from within.

Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Thompson and others, our amendment takes a step towards addressing the issue by directing that we examine the current promotion policies and leadership diversity at the TSA and provide recommendations aimed at improving the diversity of TSA leadership, as well as strategies for how the TSA can better retain and promote current employees into leadership positions.

Mr. Speaker, another major issue brought up by many of the members of the Local 778 of AFGE specifically, was the shocking levels of harassment and violence experienced by TSA employees in their workplace. So we address it with an amendment before us that requires that we examine TSA's efforts right now to ensure the safety of its employees with regard to harassment and assault in the workplace, including incidents where the alleged perpetrator is a member of the general public, and develop recommendations of how TSA can better protect its employees.

This amendment would center its review process around employees themselves, documenting their experiences, getting the feedback to truly improve the safety of their workplace, and factor into it the final recommendations that we would hopefully bring to this body.

I urge my colleagues to truly make this is a safe place for many of our neighbors--many of them, again, working in these sometimes challenging experiences at the airports and at these ports.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, again, to support these two commonsense amendments.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance for their outstanding service on behalf of the communities of Michigan's 13th District as they celebrate their fifteenth anniversary.

The Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance was founded with the purpose of serving the needs and goals of the neighborhood residents, businesses, and organizations. They have worked to create pathways to greater community engagement and to build future leaders through its youth programming. At heart, they are committed to strengthening families and neighborhoods to create a better quality of life for all.

Cody Rouge Action Alliance has been able to successfully connect thousands of residents to critical resources with the support of the Cody Rouge Faith Alliance. This alliance includes instrumental churches and neighborhood associations such as: Far West Detroit

Civic Association, West Outer Drive Civic Association, Weatherby Neighborhood Association, Southfield Plymouth Community Association, Joy Southfield Community Association, Warrendale Community Association, Franklin Park Community Association, and more.

Please join me in recognizing the numerous contributions of the Cody Rouge Community Alliance on behalf of Michigan's 13th District Strong.

Madam Speaker, today I want to honor the memory of Dorothy Jean Thigpen, a long-time resident of Detroit, Michigan.

Born and raised in Tennessee, her life's journey took her from rural Tennessee to Detroit's Jeffries projects to the Manoogian Mansion and finally to the rural suburbs of Virginia.

As a child, her family moved to Michigan, where she spent time in Albion and Detroit. As a student attending Detroit's Central High School, she met and married the love of her life George Westly Thigpen, Jr. on October 11, 1958. From their union, she had seven daughters and one son. Her young family lived in many places around the city of Detroit.

During the 70s and as her family grew, she put her skills to work sewing parachutes at a downtown armed forces factory. Shortly after the Vietnam War ended, Dorothy got a job at Fisher Body as a power sewer making car seats for luxury vehicles. She retired from Fisher Body after more than 20 years of service on a medical retirement in 2000.

A working mother, Dorothy ensured her children took their education seriously. Her house was always filled with music and weekly routines. Because discipline was primary for Dorothy, she was famous for her ``I can show you better than I can tell you'' lessons. She required her children to have fun outdoors and charged them to be creative, athletic, and come home before the streetlights come on.

Above all, Dorothy Thigpen's life was filled with love, service, and her faith. She enjoyed her time spent with family and friends, enjoying all life had to offer. Please join me in honoring her memory.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize the city of River Rouge, Michigan, as they celebrate a 100-year anniversary.

Established as a city on April 3, 1922, River Rouge is a rich part of Michigan's history. It is situated between the Detroit and Rouge Rivers. The city of River Rouge has been the heart of Michigan's industrial and manufacturing history.

Nearly 8,000 residents strong, the city of River Rouge takes pride in its role as being an integral part of Michigan's economy. They are the jewel of Michigan's downriver communities.

It continues to thrive as a diverse, vibrant, and welcoming community that I truly love.

Its public parks and access to river recreation offer unique opportunities for enjoying nature and spotting wildlife along the riverfronts.

Please join me in recognizing the city of River Rouge as we join them in celebrating its 100-year anniversary.

Again, I am beyond proud of serving this beautiful city of River Rouge and its residents in Michigan's 13th District Strong.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 127, H.R. 7314.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Baird (Walorski)

Bass (Beyer)

Beatty (Carter (LA))

Brown (OH) (Jeffries)

Brownley (Correa)

Calvert (Garcia (CA))

Carey (Balderson)

Castro (TX) (Correa)

Craig (Pallone)

Crist (Wasserman Schultz)

DeSaulnier (Beyer)

Evans (Beyer)

Garcia (TX) (Correa)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Lamb (Pallone)

Lawson (FL) (Wasserman Schultz)

Levin (MI) (Beyer)

Lowenthal (Beyer)

Morelle (Jeffries)

Ocasio-Cortez (Escobar)

O'Halleran (Stanton)

Payne (Pallone)

Perlmutter (Neguse)

Pfluger (Mann)

Reschenthaler (Meuser)

Ross (Beyer)

Scott, David (Jeffries)

Sires (Pallone)

Soto (Wasserman Schultz)

Strickland (Jeffries)

Suozzi (Beyer)

Taylor (Van Duyne)

Tonko (Pallone)

Trahan (Beyer)

Waters (Takano)

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Act which included an amendment that I worked on with my team and many of the folks that led this effort to prohibit the funds from going to businesses who have committed wage theft against their employees.

This simple change will make sure that our valuable Federal dollars are being used to support businesses who do right by their workers, not those who rip off their workers and steal their labor.

There is no doubt that a thriving restaurant industry is good for everyone, but it is the workers who really make the restaurants and businesses who they are today. And workers are the reason that so many of them made it through this awful and continued pandemic.

We cannot leave those workers behind, as I said, and with this bill and my amendment, we are making clear that if you cheat or exploit your employees, the Federal Government will not do business with you.

As I continue to work in Congress to end wage theft and expand the powers of our workers, I want to thank my colleagues, again, Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez, as well as Congressman Dean Phillips, for their work in improving this bill and moving it forward. I urge the Senate to take this bill up as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud Member to support the 13th Congressional District.

My district is the third poorest Congressional District in the country, and direct funding and aid to support our most vulnerable communities is so critical to communities like mine.

I want to take a moment to uplift the work that my team and I have done to deliver for our residents through the community projects funding.

I don't know if folks know, but we have the oldest Boys and Girls Club in the Nation, and they are going to see $2 million in investments to improve the facility in Highland Park so more of our young people can come into a building that is safe and a building that is going to be able to help them thrive.

Also, the Urban Neighborhoods Initiative's Southwest Detroit Creative Connections Collaborative; they are going to be able to create a safe space, community space for our families, especially our youth. This is the community I grew up in, with 20 different ethnicities.

We are also going to be able to help Detroit homeowners receive home repair grants for energy efficiency. Enterprise Community Partners is so eager to be able to work with my seasoned residents; and my seasoned residents are eager to see their homes become not only energy efficient, but also accessible, as many are struggling with access because of disability.

The Eastside Community Network is going to be able to establish the Stoudamire Wellness HUB for the eastside Detroit residents who are, right now, struggling to access healthcare.

We are also going to be able to help, some relief--and this is just the beginning--to help many of our families in Dearborn Heights and Wayne County address the number of families that continue to be impacted by flooding because of Ecorse Creek's challenges.

We are also going to be able to support ProsperUS Detroit Micro Lending to support some of our small businesses and expand some of the work they have already done to Detroit all the way to western Wayne and Inkster.

I am also so proud of the investment that we are going to have in the Ruth Ellis Center to provide safe, affordable, identity-affirming housing for marginalized Black and Brown Detroiters, especially my LGBTQ-plus youth.

I am also going to be able to stand there with my City of Wayne residents to see, finally, the Goudy Park Amphitheater space be able to be rehabbed. It is a space that many of our schools use for graduations, for gatherings, and just really truly coming together as a community.

We are also going to be able to see over 300 of our high school students in the Western Wayne School District, along with the partnership of SEMCA, be able to access vocational technology, career- tech programs.

We are also going to see a $2.5 million investment in our Inkster Senior Wellness Center. This is one of--again, Inkster has some of my spectacular seasoned residents, and they are eager, again, to have a space to come together, especially after the challenges during the pandemic.

I want to thank Chairwoman DeLauro and the Appropriations Committee staff, and the incredible hard work of my team, for a thoughtful and engaging process that really targeted communities with the most needs.

I am proud and committed to continued engagement with all of my 13th Congressional District communities to find funding to address the needs because they truly deserve it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Affordable Insulin Now Act and the underlying rule.

It is unconscionable that in the richest country the planet has ever seen, millions of Americans, our neighbors, are forced to choose between buying medicine and paying their gas bill. Americans pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to other similar countries; 10 times.

In fact, one in four of our neighbors who rely on insulin have rationed or skipped doses due to costs. I want folks to think about that. A quarter of the people prescribed insulin for their medical condition have risked their life to be able to afford another month's worth of insulin. This is shameful.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6833 caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at no more than $35 per month in Medicare and commercial health insurance. This cap will be a lifesaver for millions of our neighbors who currently pay 10 times more the price of insulin compared to similar wealthy nations.

How can these companies sell the exact same drug here for 10 times the

price of other nations? Because corporate greed and price gouging are not just permitted in our country, but encouraged. The bill is not the complete fix, Mr. Speaker, and we must do more to help our uninsured. So many are hurt and getting sicker and even dying because of corporate greed and monopolies of Big Pharma.

This bill is the beginning in reining in corporate greed and putting people over profits. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor the memory of John Holloway, long-time resident and the City of Highland Park, Michigan's first African-American police officer.

Born in 1932 in Camp Hill, Alabama, John Holloway spent his formative years in the south. He later moved to Michigan at the invitation of his family, where he attended Highland Park Junior College. In November of 1953, he was drafted into the United States Army. After leaving the Army in 1955, John returned to Highland Park and was employed by the United States Postal Service. In 1961, he enlisted in the Air Force Reserves, stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base. He was honorably discharged in June of 1965.

In 1956, John Holloway was hired as a patrolman with the Highland Park Police Department as the first African American officer in the city's history. During his thirty-eight-year tenure, Officer Holloway faced many obstacles, including blatant racism. He was one of the few officers who earned each rank by passing the civil service exams required for promotion, rising through the ranks as patrolman, corporal, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. In 1979, John was appointed as the city's first African American Chief of Police by Mayor Jesse Miller. He continued to serve until he retired from the department in 1994, holding the rank of Executive Captain.

John Holloway was an active member of the Highland Park community. Outside of his public service as a police officer, he served on many civic organizations including as the first African American president of the Highland Park Goodfellows, the Highland Park Board of Education and the Highland Park Community College Board of Trustees for over 30 years. He was an active member of the Highland Park Lions Club and the Association of Retired Highland Park Police and Firemen, where he served as president until his death. John Holloway loved spending time with his family and traveling. He was especially proud of earning his bachelor's degree from Mercy College of Detroit at the age of 44.

Please join me in in recognizing his many contributions to Michigan 13th District Strong as we mourn his loss.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Jim Tuman and the volunteers behind Jimmy's Kids, an organization that serves the families of Wayne County, including the community and neighborhood I grew up in, southwest Detroit.

In 1988, Jim Tuman, a youth advocate and motivational speaker, was simply trying to make the Christmas holiday special for 22 special- needs children. He coordinated an ad hoc program to provide the children with holiday gifts.

The Jimmy's Kids organization now serves thousands of children all across metro Detroit. Jimmy's Kids proudly partners with local groups and churches to set up gift-giving, not just during the holiday, but year-round, for children in need.

Countless families can count on their Christmas Day gift distribution program, an event I happily volunteer for during the holidays.

Please join me in recognizing Jim Tuman and the volunteers at Jimmy's Kids for their outstanding work on behalf of the families of metro Detroit and Michigan's 13th District Strong.

Honoring the Memory of Patricia Harris

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of community advocate Patricia Harris, a resident of Westland in Michigan's 13th District Strong who suddenly passed away earlier this year, shocking our close community.

Pat was engaged on a number of issues but was mostly known for her big heart and infectious smile. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.

Pat stood up for the values she believed in and always met challenges with positivity and a can-do attitude. She cared deeply for our community and fought relentlessly for justice and a better quality of life for all.

The loss of our Pat left an impact on all who knew her. Please join me in remembering Patricia Harris for the love of her community as we mourn her loss.

Launching the Bipartisan Get the Lead Out Caucus

Madam Speaker, I rise today to officially announce the launch of the bipartisan Get the Lead Out Caucus, which I started along with my colleagues Congressman Meijer, Congresswoman Dingell, and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester.

Water contaminated by lead service lines can be found in every single congressional district around the Nation. From rural areas to densely populated cities, lead service lines are widespread and pose serious health risks to us all, but particularly our children.

Lead in water is a public health crisis, and the only solution is to fully eliminate lead service lines altogether. Clean, affordable drinking water is a human right.

While communities in Michigan like Flint, Wayne, Hamtramck, and Benton Harbor have made headlines for their lead-related crises, lead- contaminated drinking water affects every part of our Nation.

I commend the Biden administration for taking steps to get the lead out of our water, but we must continue to fight until lead is fully removed from water systems across the United States.

Time to Decriminalize Marijuana

Madam Speaker, as someone who grew up in a community on the front line of the racist so-called war on drugs, I am proud to stand here today in support of the MORE Act to finally decriminalize marijuana and expunge marijuana-related convictions.

The war on drugs was designed as a racist project to target our Black and Brown communities. The obvious racial disparities in enforcement show us that it still is, at its core, an effort targeting communities of color through overpolicing, criminalization, and mass incarceration.

The MORE Act will increase access to Federal benefits and establish a fund to redirect resources into communities harmed by the war on drugs. This is a good start on the road to repairing the damage, but we still have work to do.

We must be bold. Our goal must be to end this country's militarized ``jail

first, ask questions later'' approach to addiction and to stop trying to solve social problems with more criminalization.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to support the MORE Act. This is a commonsense bill.

Funding Community Projects

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the recent passage of the omnibus bill, which included over $15 million in funding for local community projects in 13 District Strong.

From funding for work-based learning programs in Wayne-Westland Community Schools to a senior wellness center in Inkster, Michigan, I know that these direct dollars will have an enormous impact on the lives of my residents.

The 13th Congressional District, Madam Speaker, is the third-poorest congressional district in the Nation, and these are important efforts to help the most vulnerable among us.

The Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, which is the oldest in the Nation, will be funded for improvements to the Fauver-Martin Club in Highland Park. It will empower so many of our young people.

The Urban Neighborhood Initiative for the Southwest Detroit Creative Connections Collaborative will also be able to employ high-speed broadband and build community space for our young people.

Enterprise Community Partners will also fund the Detroit Energy Efficiency and Home Improvement Program to provide energy-efficient home repairs and so much more.

Madam Speaker, we need to protect the American people from corporate greed and abuse. The FAIR Act is one of those protections.

Corporations use forced arbitration clauses to deny Americans their right to seek accountability and justice in disputes with private companies. They literally eliminated any chance a resident may have for accountability and justice from a dispute, specifically in the place of employment.

From employee handbooks to bank documents to college admission paperwork, companies include forced arbitration clauses as the main form of dispute resolution so that they can rig the rules and appoint themselves judge and jury in the arbitration process.

Forced arbitration is a private, secretive system without any enforceable standards or legal protections for our people. There is no public disclosure of proceedings or any requirements for arbitrators to follow the law.

Madam Speaker, forced arbitration makes it virtually impossible for antidiscrimination laws, disability rights laws, and so many other important laws to be enforced at the Federal level.

To put it simply, this is unjust, and has failed the American public for far too long.

Earlier this year, President Biden signed a law ending forced arbitration for cases involving sexual assault or sexual harassment.

So I urge the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the President's desk so that we can protect the rights of consumers and workers from corporations that seek to exploit them.

Madam Speaker, today I want to honor the legacy of Marlowe Stoudamire, a beloved community leader in Michigan's 13th District we lost too soon to COVID-19 in 2020.

Marlowe Stoudamire was an entrepreneur who worked hard to uplift the people of Detroit and to advocate for a better quality of life. He gave his time to many community-based organizations, generating countless ideas and projects to raise Detroit's profile while honoring its legacy and keeping an eye towards its future. Beyond his incredible work, Marlowe Stoudamire was a loving spouse and father. He had an infectious smile and enthusiastic approach to the work he undertook.

Marlowe Stoudamire's pride in his Detroit roots shined through in everything he did. He had an especially close relationship with Eastside Community Network, a community empowerment organization in Detroit. I am incredibly proud to uplift Marlowe's work on the 2nd year anniversary of his passing and in celebration of the opening of the Stoudamire Wellness HUB on Detroit's eastside in honor of his legacy.

Please join me in recognizing the outstanding legacy of Marlowe Stoudamire as we honor his memory.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today in support of Black and Brown migrants around the world. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is horrific, and my heart is with the millions of families who have been displaced and those who have lost their lives.

I must highlight the refugee crisis caused by the war that has exposed a double standard. Black and Brown migrants fleeing Ukraine are being forced to the back of the line and turned away at European borders. This reminds me of what happened this past September at our own border when the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol used excessive force and life-threatening tactics in a racially-charged manner against unarmed Haitians. Simply put, we must demand better.

President Biden and the administration must raise this issue with European leaders at every opportunity, and act to ensure that everyone, regardless of their color, their skin, their faith, and their ethnicity can find safety from this violent conflict.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memories of Michigan's 13th District Strong mother, friend, sister, and community advocate, La'Shon Marshall; her partner, Aaron Benson; and her 5-year- old son, Caleb, all of whom we lost to senseless gun violence this past week.

I knew La'Shon Marshall as a loving mother, a daughter, and a friend, but I knew her also as a constituent and as part of a group called RESULTS. It is an antipoverty advocacy organization, and RESULTS would meet with me every year to talk about adjusting poverty and access to quality housing for our families.

In one of my first meetings, I met La'Shon, and she was passionate. She talked about renters' rights. She talked about access to safe housing. We made an instant connection based on our mutual passions: housing stability, ending childhood poverty, and ensuring a better quality of life for all.

Hearing of her murder was devastating not only to my team and me but to our community. This is a tragedy that no community should endure.

La'Shon was truly a beacon of light. She will be remembered as an incredible mother, and we will always remember Caleb as the light of her life. She truly loved him. And I will always remember knowing her as an exceptional advocate for the 13th District Strong.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in remembering La'Shon Marshall, Caleb Marshall, and Aaron Benson of our community as we mourn their loss.

Mourning the Loss of Terrance Armour and Carly Taylor

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage and deep sadness about the deaths of Wayne County teens Terrance Armour and Carly Taylor, whose lives were lost to gun violence last year.

Carlesa and Terrance were accomplished high school students with bright futures ahead of them. Terrance had plans to attend college in Nevada. Carly was a standout on the Ecorse High School basketball team who was being recruited for college athletic scholarships and opportunities.

This past weekend, I hugged both of their mothers, and I remember the tears from Dionne Weathers and Tikia Armour-Brooks. There is a saying that the most painful good-byes are the ones that are never said and never explained.

As we mark this grim anniversary, I offer my deepest sympathies to Terrance and Carlesa's families and loved ones and commit to stopping gun violence in our country. And as they continue to mourn their loss, I want them to know we are working on behalf of them and also in honor of their memories.

Supporting the Honoring Our PACT Act

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today in support of the Honoring Our PACT Act.

Our soldiers put their lives at risk every day and became severely ill as a result of burn pit exposure. We owe it to them to care for them in their time of need. I am voting ``yes'' on the PACT Act because they deserve nothing less.

I greatly appreciate the work of Chairman Takano, the members of the committee, and the staff in getting this task done. It was not easy. However, I must be clear. While this bill is clearly the best attempt yet to pay our Nation's debt to our sick and dying veterans, it is only a first step. It does not cover all the illnesses believed to be caused by burn pit exposure, and it does not fully invest in new, innovative treatments that could drastically improve their quality of life and recovery chances.

To hear some of my colleagues, including many who happily vote for every absurd defense budget without a blink of an eye, complain about the cost of treating our veterans is downright insulting. It is time for Congress to do its job and care for our veterans.

Let's start by passing the Honoring Our PACT Act and then immediately get back to work on new legislation that comprehensively covers any veteran who has become ill as a result of exposure to toxins during their service to our country.

Madam Speaker, as the world contends with multiple crises--from Ukraine to Yemen to Afghanistan and so many others--I feel it is important to pause and take time today to remember what is at stake and remind ourselves why our fight for a peaceful world free of violence, discrimination, and hate is so important.

February 27th to the 29th marks the 34th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogrom which took place during the collapse of the Soviet Union in the Azerbaijan SSR. The massacres--part of a wider tragic history of intercommunal conflict between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis-- marked one of the first major outbreaks of ethnic-based violence as the USSR began to disintegrate.

On this, the 34th anniversary, our world still struggles with the evils of war, nationalism and unjustifiable hatred. I take, and encourage all my colleagues to take, this opportunity to recommit my pledge to do all I can to ensure that events like the never again occur.

We have a lot of work to do. Let's move forward more committed than ever for the fight for a peaceful world rooted in a love for all people.