Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Vanessa Fluker, a Detroit resident and our guardian for housing rights, as she begins her positions of Attorney General and Law Commissioner of the Maipuri Arauan Nation.

Vanessa Fluker has been practicing law for more than a decade in Michigan. We call her the ``People's Lawyer'' for tremendous amount of pro-bono work she provides on behalf of Detroit's working families. With a long record of court victories, she continues to fight to stop illegal evictions and uses her experience to change policies that hurt our most vulnerable. Attorney Fluker has also launched a campaign against predatory lending practices and real estate scams that target our communities. Her work has been recognized in the halls of Congress as she was asked to testify before the 111th Congress' Judiciary and the 116th Congress' Financial Services Committees. She has also been awarded the Harriet Tubman Award in 2010, the Golden Gavel Award from the Wolverine Bar Association in 2011, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from United Community Housing Coalition in 2012.

I am proud to have worked along her side as a young college student and later fighting with her for housing justice. Michigan's 13th District is indebted to her for protecting us from predatory lending practices and abusive habits of mortgage companies.

Vanessa Fluker's appointment as the Attorney General and Law Commissioner for the Maipuri Arauan Nation is a reflection of her hard work and commitment to her community. Please join me in recognizing Vanessa Fluker and congratulate her on the next journey to seeking justice for all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Hattie White, a long-time resident of Southwest Detroit in Michigan's 13th District Strong, on the occasion of her one hundredth birthday.

Mother Hattie White was born on February 23, 1922, in Eutaw, Alabama, and later moved to River Rouge, Michigan, at the age of thirteen. She married the love of her life, Albert James White in 1946. They were married for 52 years and raised their seven children in the River Rouge and Southwest Detroit communities with love and instilling an ethic of responsibility and kindness towards others. In 1967, Mother White and her husband started a community church, Love Joy Missionary Baptist Church in River Rouge, which cemented her role a matriarch of our community.

Over the past eight decades, Mother White has brought so much joy to her neighbors, church home, and the neighborhood as a whole. She is the proud grandmother of 17 children, great-grandmother of 42, great-great- grandmother of 11, an aunt, and loving friend. Mother White shines bright in the community and is known for her unique sense of style and her warm and welcoming personality. She enjoys spending time with her family, walking, dancing, and cooking.

Please join me in wishing a happy 100th birthday to Mother Hattie White. To know her is to love her.

Madam Speaker, for far too long, countless people across our country have been forced to suffer the effects of lead-poisoned drinking water, especially low-income communities and communities of color. We need to fully fund lead pipe replacement in our country to protect our children and our neighbors.

We simply can't build back better if children are being poisoned.

Water contaminated by lead service lines can be found in every congressional district in our Nation and has proven to cause long-term effects like cancer, brain dysfunction, and more. There is no safe level of lead.

A recent water quality study done by the Environmental Working Group and recently published by the Detroit Metro Times shows that there is an overwhelming number of contaminants in our drinking water, not just lead and PFAS, and they are in every community across the State of Michigan. We need $1.65 billion to remove those contaminated water pipes now.

I know experts say that we need close to 45 to $60 billion to basically be able to provide safe drinking water across our Nation.

The U.S. EPA has historically failed to safeguard clean drinking water with regulations that are sorely out of date, but it doesn't have to be this way, Madam Speaker.

We must do more to ensure that we have accessible safe drinking water, and our communities cannot wait. The impact on our children's brain development alone is the reason to move with urgency.

This is why I am proud to have launched the bipartisan Get the Lead Out Caucus with Congressmembers Dingell, Meijer, and Blunt Rochester. We are going to provide a working group bringing us all together in this national crisis that we have.

Our children and our families deserve access to safe drinking water, and I look forward to my colleagues' partnership.

Celebrating Hattie White on Her 100th Birthday

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Hattie White, a long-term resident of southwest Detroit in Michigan's 13 District Strong on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Mother Hattie White was born on February 23 in 1922 in Alabama and later moved to the city of River Rouge, Michigan.

Hattie married the love of her life, Albert James White, in 1946. They were married for 52 years and raised their seven children in the River Rouge and southwest Detroit communities with love and instilling an ethic of responsibility and kindness toward others.

In 1967, Mother White and her husband started a community church, Love Joy Missionary Baptist Church in River Rouge, which cemented her role as a matriarch of our community.

Mother White shines bright in our community and has brought so much joy to her family, friends, and neighbors.

Please join me in wishing a happy 100th birthday to Mother Hattie White.

Celebrating Project We Hope Dream and Believe

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Project We Hope Dream and Believe from the 13th District Strong on their hard work on getting civil rights leader Malcolm X's home in Inkster, Michigan, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925 in Nebraska. During his childhood, his family relocated many times to communities in our Nation's midwest, including Inkster, Michigan, before moving to Boston and New York City in his teens.

The home on Williams Street where Malcolm X and his family resided from 1952 to 1953 sat neglected for decades until the leadership of local organization Project We Hope Dream and Believe worked to preserve this historic site.

The house will be transformed into a museum that will focus on the life and significance of Malcolm X, his advocacy, and as a youth learning center.

Thank you to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for their help in preserving our district's Black history and Malcolm X's legacy and impact on our communities.

Please join me in congratulating Project We Hope Dream and Believe on their incredible accomplishment and their hard work in preserving our history.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Mother Hattie White, a longtime resident of Southwest Detroit, in Michigan 13 District Strong, on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Mother Hattie White was born on February 23, 1922, in Alabama and later moved to River Rouge, Michigan. She married the love of her life, Albert James White, in 1946. They were married for 52 years and raised their seven children in River Rouge and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods with love and instilling an ethic of responsibility and kindness toward others.

In 1967, Mother White and her husband started a community church, Love Joy Missionary Baptist Church, in River Rouge, which cemented her role as a matriarch of our community.

Mother White shines bright in the community and has brought so much joy to her family, friends, and neighbors.

Please join me in wishing her a happy 100th birthday.

Madam Speaker, I stand here today at the beginning of Black History Month to honor the mother of the civil rights movement and beloved resident of 13 District Strong, Mother Rosa Parks, on her birthday.

Today, with the help of her family, we introduced a bill to name a United States Post Office near her home in honor of this amazing and incredible civil rights leader.

The progress made by those incredible leaders who came before us, like Mother Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and so many more, is under extreme threat. While some in our body right here choose to ban books and desperately try to return to the days of Jim Crow, I am proud to stand here for the radical love and beautiful strength embodied in leaders

like Mother Rosa Louise McCauley Parks.

We know our struggle against racism is a lifelong pursuit. As Mother Parks wrote: ``Freedom fighters never retire.''

Her memory continues to guide us.

I will add that freedom fighters never die.

I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this effort, and I am proud to have the opportunity to serve the incredible people of the 13 District Strong in our fight for equity and justice.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this effort.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a printing of a painting done by a talented Detroit artist, Jonathan Harris.

Jonathan named the painting ``Critical Race Theory.'' It gives me chills as I look at it on how the contrived fight against our history, Black history specifically, seeks to erase the fight, struggle, triumphs, and success of our Black neighbors in our country.

So as many of us recognize and celebrate Black History Month, I implore those who are pushing to erase our history, including many colleagues in this body, to stop with the empty words and gestures. You cannot erase history to paint the picture you want. We won't stand for it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Margaret ``Pookie'' Jackson as we mourn her passing and recognize her contributions to her community in Michigan's 13th District Strong.

Ms. Jackson was born and raised in Detroit, spending the early part of her childhood in the heart of the historic Black Bottom community on Detroit's East Side. The Jackson household was centered around family and their faith, values that remained in Ms. Jackson her whole life.

Ms. Jackson led a quiet life, focused on raising her children in a supportive and loving home. As a single parent, she worked long hours throughout her nearly fifty-year career at Detroit Medical Center, but always saw that their needs were met and nurtured. Ms. Jackson shared her passion for the arts and culture with her children, taking them to many festivals and art exhibits throughout Detroit. She encouraged her children to pursue higher education, to never stop learning, and to make smart decisions about their personal finances.

Outside of her family life, Ms. Jackson was a faithful member of Scott Memorial United Methodist Church, where she enjoyed Adult Sunday School and participating in the United Methodist Women's Ministry. Her entire life, she was surrounded by love. She will be missed by her family, friends, and community.

Please join me in recognizing the life of Margaret Jackson, as we, her friends, and family give honor to her memory.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and the committee staff for working with me on this important amendment and for their leadership on this bill. I can't thank him enough and look forward to him one day coming to my district for a visit to our VA hospital that we love and cherish.

Mr. Speaker, the transition of being on Active Duty to being a veteran is not easy. The EVEST Act helps with that transition and makes life easier for those who served our Nation.

This act is also a great opportunity to review the automatic enrollment programs and learn what works and what doesn't, because ensuring effective implementation is critical to its success.

Mr. Speaker, I am a social worker at heart, and we have to ensure that our veterans' lives are changing for the better with this bill. My amendment ensures the lessons learned during implementation of the program are preserved for other agencies, as well as to learn, again, what to do and what not to do.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the committee for working with me on this and look forward to my colleagues' support of this amendment. I also look forward to working with the committee on a number of other issues impacting our veterans, especially veteran suicide and access to mental health services.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late Wanda Young, former singer of the renowned Motown Marvelettes and resident of the Inkster community in Michigan's 13th District Strong.

Ms. Young made her mark on Motown when she was asked to join the local singing group comprised of many of the Inkster High School students and alumni.

The group, now known as the Marvelettes, was quickly signed to the Tamla record label, later known as Motown Records.

They earned Motown one of its biggest hits with ``Please, Mr. Postman.''

Wanda Young sang lead on many of the recordings including the hit, ``Don't Mess Around with Bill.''

Ms. Young was an integral part of the Motown music scene and defining sound of the 1960s.

Ms. Young's example has inspired countless women and African American performers across our country.

Please join me in recognizing Wanda Young's contributions to our Nation and Michigan's 13th District Strong as we honor her legacy at home and across the globe.

Recognizing Michelle Martinez

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Michelle Martinez, Detroit resident and environmental justice warrior from Michigan's 13th District Strong as she departs as executive director from the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

For many years, Michelle has been a pillar of our community, advocating for clean air and water, and fighting against environmental racism that hurts our neighbors' quality of life.

Michelle has worked tirelessly, and I firsthand saw this myself, for various organizations over the last 15 years and has never wavered in seeking justice for the people who live with the effects of pollution.

I worked closely with Michelle on a number of initiatives when I served in the Michigan State legislature, and she has been an amazing person to watch grow as an advocate and leader in our State.

Michelle has always taken a bold approach to making transformative change for our communities that is meaningful and has never shied away from a challenge.

So please join me in recognizing Michelle Martinez' outstanding contributions to the communities of Michigan's 13th Congressional District as we wish her well on her next venture.

Congress has a Clear Mandate to Protect, Restore, and Expand Voting

Rights in America

Madam Speaker, I rise today to make clear that we, as Representatives of the people, have a clear mandate to protect, restore, and expand voting rights in our Nation.

In my hometown of Detroit, election workers and community members were intimidated, shouted at, and disrespected for simply counting the votes of our community, a majority Black community, in November of 2020.

People banged on the windows, Madam Speaker, on the counting room just because they didn't want Black and Brown votes to be counted.

Our community was treated like we were unworthy of making our voices heard at the ballot box.

This should not be so complicated.

If our colleagues in the Senate fail to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, their inaction will send a clear message to folks that voter suppression is okay. Voter suppression is not okay. It simply is not. Intimidating our election workers is not okay. Inaction is not an option, and we must deliver for the people.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to honor the legacy of the late

Congresswoman Barbara Rose-Collins, Michigan's first African-American Congresswoman. She was a trailblazer who inspired many women to seek public office.

Congresswoman Rose-Collins got her start in public service as a member of the Detroit public school board. She served as a Michigan State legislator and a Detroit City Council member before being elected to the United States Congress in 1990.

During her tenure in the U.S. Congress, Congresswoman Rose-Collins advocated for food and agriculture policies to assist communities with food insecurity.

She was a fierce defender of human rights in Detroit, across the country, and abroad. She dedicated her career to making our community stronger and our country better.

Please join me in recognition of Congresswoman Barbara Rose-Collins' many years of dedicated public service as we honor her memory.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late and legendary, Wanda Young, former singer of the renowned Motown Marvelettes and resident of Inkster in Michigan's 13th Congressional District.

Ms. Young was born in Eloise, Michigan and was raised in Inkster. It was there that she made her mark on Motown, our community's culture, and music history. Ms. Young was asked to join a local singing group, comprised of Inkster High School students and alumni, when one of its members had to drop out. They were immediately impressed by her vocal range. The group, now known as the Marvelettes, had previously auditioned with Barry Gordy of Motown Records and was quickly signed to the Tamla record label, later known as Motown Records. They earned Motown one of its biggest hits with their best-known song, ``Please, Mr. Postman.''

Wanda Young sang lead on many of the Marvelettes' recordings, including hit songs ``Don't Mess Around with Bill'' and ``I'll Keep Holding On.'' Ms. Young was an integral part of the Motown music scene and defining the sound of the 1960s. She has been a paragon to countless women and African-American performers inspired by her example.

Please join me in recognizing Wanda Young's contributions to our country, music and Michigan's 13th District Strong as we honor her legacy and her impact on history at home and across the globe.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Michelle Martinez, Detroit resident and environmental justice warrior from Michigan's 13th District Strong as she departs as executive director from the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

For many years, Michelle has been a pillar of our community, advocating for clean air and water, and fighting the environmental racism that hurts our neighbors' quality of life. Michelle has drawn inspiration to pursue this work from her travels, studies, and the community where she lives. She has worked tirelessly for various organizations over the past fifteen years and has never wavered in seeking justice for the people who live with the effects of pollution.

I worked closely with Michelle on a number of initiatives when I served in the Michigan State Legislature and have continued our relationship through my time in Congress, and it has been amazing to see her grow as an advocate and leader. Whether it's fighting to route truck traffic and diesel emissions away from residential neighborhoods or helping to bring national attention to adverse health effects in Michigan's most polluted neighborhood, Michelle has led the way in finding solutions. She always taken a bold approach to making transformative change for our communities and never shies away from a challenge. Michelle is a shining example of what it means to speak truth to power, and we are so fortunate to have her in our lives.

Please join me in recognizing Michelle Martinez's outstanding contributions to the communities of Michigan's 13th Congressional District as we wish her well on her next venture.

Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of emotions as I stand before you today.

This bill is a strong step toward combating Islamophobia, but it is only a start. The reality today is that Muslim Americans still face constant abuse right here at home. While it is great to fight Islamophobia abroad, we need to be honest with ourselves about how widespread this disgusting and bigoted anti-Muslim hate is right here in our own country.

Simply put, my two sons and children across our country deserve to grow up in a country where their religion, their faith, will not be used as an excuse to target them and endanger their lives and freedoms.

Muslims across our country deserve Representatives on both sides of the aisle who will embrace them and who will love them for who they are, not those who encourage religious violence for their own political gain.

Mr. Speaker, I would say to my fellow Americans who believe in a free, inclusive, and accepting country, know that we will win this fight. The actions of a hateful group of individuals in our country and in this body are out of touch from the vast majority of our Americans and neighbors who are good, decent people who reject this violent White nationalist hate and will put party aside to protect one another from this bigotry.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 395.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Adams (Brown (MD))

Cardenas (Soto)

Crist (Wasserman Schultz)

Curtis (Meijer)

DeFazio (Carbajal)

Fulcher (Johnson (OH))

Garcia (TX) (Jeffries)

Green (TX) (Cuellar)

Hagedorn (Moolenaar)

Kildee (Ryan)

Lawrence (Johnson (GA))

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Lesko (Miller (WV))

Meng (Kuster)

Moore (UT) (Owens)

Palazzo (Fleischmann)

Payne (Pallone)

Porter (Wexton)

Posey (Cammack)

Reed (Kelly (PA))

Reschenthaler (Meuser)

Ruiz (Aguilar)

Rush (Quigley)

Sires (Pallone)

Stewart (Owens)

Swalwell (Gomez)

Takano (Chu)

Tiffany (Arrington)

Underwood (Casten)

Vela (Gomez)

Watson Coleman (Pallone)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Madam Speaker, I thank so much Representative Bowman for hosting this critically important Special Order hour tonight.

Representative Bowman said something that really resonated with me. When I was a senior in high school, they really did make it sound like that money was free. That money was far from free, as we know.

Students in our country have become profit centers. They really, truly have, and it is ruining lives.

One of the first ever townhalls I had when I first got elected was in western Wayne, in Wayne County, Michigan.

A young lady, after I opened it up for questions, stood up. She stood up very strong and looked over at me and started crying, in tears, telling me just how incredibly hard it is to be able to survive, become a homeowner, to be able to move on. She told me about how much it felt like she was trapped, like she was hostage to the student loan debt, and the fact that all she wanted to do was give back. She wanted to get her degree and come back to the community that raised her, come back to the community and give back, and it was so incredibly hard.

Today, as we hear over and over again, 15 million of our neighbors across our country owe trillions in outstanding student debt. That alone should resonate with so many of my colleagues. This must become a national priority.

One of the things that I think is important, as we hear about these stories, is the human impact. I was the first in my family to graduate from high school. My father only went up to a 4th grade education, my mother, an 8th grade education. My father came here at 19 years old. They could have never imagined, of course, their daughter being able to graduate from high school and go on to college. Yes, I worked full-time Monday through Friday and took weekend classes to get my law degree and still had close to $200,000 in debt. I still owe over $70,000, and most of it is interest. Most of it was our own government making money and profit off of me.

And guess what? I didn't go to work for the for-profit entities. I went to legal aid. I worked at the nonprofit organization fighting for the right to breathe clean air, to fight for the worker that was getting their wage taken and stolen by their employer. I worked on immigrant rights and so much more.

All of that is to say, we have to stop treating folks paying for their education as if they bought some bougie car or something big, something beyond them. But, no, they were seeking an education.

As many of my colleagues will tell you, there is that counselor in the hallway that would pull us aside and say, Rashida, where is your application for college? You have got to apply. And I am like, I am the eldest of 14, Coach Watson--it was Coach Perry Watson at Southwestern High School. He still remembers pulling me into his office because he didn't get an application from me--and I said, I am the eldest of 14; I can't go--my parents are working-class folks; my dad worked on the line at Ford Motor Company--and say, Hey, dad, help me out here; I want to go to college.

So all of that is to say, yeah, they sat us down. Of course, there was the Pell grant and all of that. Of course, there was. But at the end, it was still a

struggle. It was still a struggle. Because guess what, some of that money you couldn't use for certain things. I remember this. They changed stuff a little bit after I graduated. But still, I had to work. I had to figure out how to pay for the gas to get to the school and so much more.

But I think it is really important to know, in my home State of Michigan, I think the average loan borrower now is close to $35,000 in debt. You have to add on the healthcare costs, the rent, the utilities, car payments, and so much more to just really live your life.

So the majority of our American people, our neighbors right now, educated or not, live check by check. They literally live check by check. Add to that the average of $250 or more for student loans, it is really holding people back.

When I look at my State--my district is the third poorest congressional district in the country. When I look at the eyes and look at the families that I represent and they come to our townhalls and talk about the struggles and ``please help, make government about people, make it about us, put us first.'' One of the things that I continue to hear, the common theme is: We didn't do anything wrong. We just went to go get access to higher education. They feel like they are being penalized. They feel, truly, that the interest rates--I read this--that the interest rates are one of the silent killers when it comes to debt repayment. They feel like they are being punished for doing something that they were taught to do, right? They go to college, do right, work hard, and they feel like they are being penalized.

The cost of education in our country just continues to increase. We all know that. We see it over and over again. So what sounds like something that can't be solved, that it is something impossible, it actually is not that complex.

President Biden has the ability, his administration has the ability, with the stroke of a pen, to help millions of our neighbors across the country to get out of student debt.

We are far from putting this pandemic behind us. It has been a struggle for many of us. Yes, these payments are going to be coming due. Folks are so anxious about it, even planning now. Folks are sending me messages on social media, What do I do about Christmas? Because I know around the corner, I have got to start repaying the student loans.

It is difficult to put into words just how big of a difference relieving this heavy burden would make in the lives of so many of my residents.

I am grateful to stand here with many of my colleagues joining in this fight. Rarely, if ever, in politics are you presented with an easy solution to such an impossible problem. But this one isn't. This one is pretty easy. We are the ones. The government is profiting off of people, and we have got to stop.

I think when we, again, make government about people and we put them first, then I think it is going to be an easy decision for the administration and for President Biden to come up with the plan that is needed to really help that young lady that came to my townhall, and so many others, in making this a national priority.

I can tell you, they all know, and they were all doing what they were supposed to be doing and at the end, they are still struggling.

I know my colleague is not a millionaire, but I always like reminding people of this. The majority of my colleagues in this Chamber are. They don't understand the struggle of living check by check. They don't understand. Some of them may not be close in understanding the pain of that student loan debt that is really heavy on so many families.

So I stand here in solidarity with my colleagues in saying, let's do the right thing, let's make this a national priority, let's get an executive order done, and let's help millions of Americans that did nothing wrong except wanting to access a higher education which, as they were told, was access to a beautiful, vibrant life in our country.

Again, we can't continue to make them a profit center. We have to make them our priority, and they deserve to be able to live and thrive in our country.