Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was on that floor just 1 week ago. So, today, the insurrectionist in chief will be impeached for insurrection.

It is because he failed to defend this Nation against all enemies, domestic and foreign. And he stood down near the White House and told a mob of domestic terrorists to go and show your strength, be strong, you can't gain anything because of weakness.

We must hold him accountable. We can heal this Nation, but he must be impeached today. We must impeach Donald J. Trump as an insurrectionist.

Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, as the descendant of patriotic and heroic veterans who risked their lives to defend our nation and our freedoms, as a parent with the fervent hope and determination to pass on this great democracy to the next generation, and as a citizen of the greatest republic in world history, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 24, a resolution impeaching the current President of the United States for High Crimes and Misdemeanors, warranting his conviction and removal from office and, in accordance with Article I, Section 3, clause 7, disqualification from ever again holding and enjoying an Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States.''

I strongly support the impeachment and removal of this President because after the horrifying events of Wednesday last, January 6, 2021, another day that will live in infamy, the continuance in office of this President for even one moment longer represents a clear and present threat to the security of the United States, its people, institutions, and democratic form of government.

To put it in the words of the Framers, the current President's conduct reflects and reveals a person ``whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.''

To put it in contemporary terms, the current President can rightly be said to be perhaps the leading cause of state-sponsored domestic terrorism.

Every minute this President remains in office represents a minute of maximum peril to the American people and the American Experiment.

Unrepentant after his perfidious and treacherous conduct of Wednesday last, the President just yesterday went to Alamo, Texas, without giving any advance notice or consultation to the leaders of that community.

Does anyone really doubt that the President's true purpose in going to Alamo was to signal to his band of disloyalists his desire that they make a last stand and fight to the death in his name?

I do not, and neither does the majority of the American people, and I suspect that in their heart of hearts, neither do our colleagues on the Republican side.

Madam Speaker, three facts demonstrate why immediate action to remove the President is essential.

First, the abject failure and refusal of the President to take care that the laws be faithfully executed puts lives at risk.

When the U.S. Capitol was besieged last week by domestic terrorists, the President obstructed and denied the request of the Mayor of the District Columbia to call out the National Guard to protect life and property; it took the Vice-President, working with Speaker Pelosi and incoming Senate Majority Leader Schumer to prevail upon the Department of Defense to come to the defense of Capitol and the people trapped inside.

Instead of acting in accordance with his sacred oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and to take care that the people and property of the United States are protected against all enemies, foreign or domestic, the President did nothing but watch the mayhem on television, ebullient at the display of support from his lawless loyalists.

Second, the current President's conduct stands in stark and marked contrast to his conduct earlier this year when protests were sweeping the country in response to the murder of George Floyd, when the President dispatched law enforcement authorities to put down peaceful protests led by moms and veterans in Portland, Oregon and social justice activists in Washington, D.C.

Back then, the President mobilized a heavy police presence, many on horseback and others using tear gas, to clear Lafayette Square of peaceful protesters so he could walk across the street to have himself photographed clutching a bible upside down in front of a church.

Third, the President's words, actions, and conduct betray a contempt and hostility to the national value of equal justice under law, telling the domestic terrorists, nearly all of whom were white and who support him politically, who stormed the Capitol to derail Congress from completing its constitutionally required duty of counting and verifying the votes of

presidential electors, that ``we love you. You're very special,'' while referring to African Americans and other persons of color protesting social injustice and inequalities in the criminal justice system as ``animals,'' ``thugs,'' and ``anarchists.''

Madam Speaker, the President's actions inciting insurrection against the United States was the proximate cause of the horrifying siege of the U.S. Capitol, the destruction and desecration of the Citadel of Democracy, and the deaths of at least six persons, one of whom was a uniformed officer to the United States Capitol Police, who was bludgeoned to death by the incited mob.

Abusing the powers and resources of his high office, Donald John Trump has actively and continuously endeavored to undermine the essential institutions and foundations of a democratic system of government in the United States, engaging in a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evincing a design to make himself an authoritarian ruler unaccountable to, and independent of, the people of the United States.

The utter unfitness of the President for the office he holds and his contempt for the sacred oath he took before the nation with God as his witness, was vividly on display on January 6, 2021.

But signs of his calumny were on display in plain sight, reflected by his misbehavior and malfeasance from the earliest days of his administration.

Abusing the powers and resources of his high office, this President has actively and continuously endeavored to undermine the essential institutions and foundations of a democratic system of government in the United States, engaging in a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evincing a design to make himself an authoritarian ruler unaccountable to, and independent of, the people of the United States by:

(1) Soliciting and welcoming the assistance of a hostile foreign power to aid him in securing election in 2016 as President of the United States;

(2) Refusing to acknowledge Russian interference in the internal affairs of the United States, and then opposing responses by Congress and the Executive Branch to protect the national security and interests of the United States against future Russian interference and aggression. (3) Publicly conveying his interest and willingness to accept the assistance of foreign powers in his attempt win reelection as President of the United States;

(4) Refusing continuously to acknowledge to the American people that he would accept and be bound by the verdict rendered in the 2020 Presidential election, instead claiming that any outcome in which he was not declared the winner was fraudulent, rigged, and illegitimate;

(5) Taking active measures to impede and undermine the ability of American citizens to convey their disapproval of his continuance in office by exercising their rights as voters, including misusing the United States Postal Service to prevent the timely delivery of mail-in ballots;

(6) Instituting frivolous lawsuits to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election, falsely alleging wide-spread voting fraud but producing no evidence in support of his spurious allegations;

(7) Exhorting and inciting his supporters to believe falsely that victory in the 2020 Presidential election had been stolen from him and that constitutionally required Joint Meeting of Congress for the purpose of counting the votes of electors and announcement of the result by the President of the Senate was illegitimate and intended to complete the theft of his victory; and

(8) Failing to take action to protect and defend Federal officers and personnel, property, buildings, and institutions on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol that was besieged by supporters of Donald John Trump, resulting in extensive damage to the property of the United States and the deaths of at least four persons.

This is why multiple Members of Congress, introduced resolutions of articles of impeachment; joined by dozens of original cosponsors, I introduced H. Res. 26, impeaching the President for the High Crimes and Misdemeanors of (1) Abuse of Power and (2) Willful Refusal And Failure To Protect And Defend The Constitution Of The United States.

Madam Speaker, Donald John Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

He must be impeached, convicted, removed from office, and disqualified from ever again holding and enjoying an Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States.

My love and reverence for the Constitution compels me to vote to impeach this President and I urge all my colleagues who revere the Constitution and our democracy, which has endured for more than 240 years, to join me in voting for H. Res. 24, impeaching Donald John Trump again for High Crimes and Misdemeanors against the United States.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for her leadership and my good friend from Oklahoma as well.

My friend from Oklahoma may be, in fact, accurate to the extent that the 25th Amendment stands on its own as actions that the Vice President will take. But we are a coequal branch of government, and Mr. Raskin's resolution is an appropriate resolution because we have a responsibility to govern and to protect the American people.

So this resolution is not in violation of the Constitution, because it is the Congress calling upon the Vice President to reflect on January 6, a day in infamy, to reflect the fact that there were six people who died, that we lost two precious law enforcement Capitol Hill Police, their injuries in many ways attributable to this, some in different ways than others, and we lost Americans.

Clearly, it is a long chain of events that goes back to the President of the United States. The President, when a duly announced election came about on November 6, 2020, proceeded to declare that it had been stolen and continued to stoke the fires of his believers to begin to plan some kind of attack, because he kept saying, ``Come to Washington. I will see you there.''

Then, of course, as time went on, I valued the President's right to the courts, of which he went, but he did not find that to be a solution for him.

So House Resolution 21 is the Congress speaking, and we have every right, as a coequal branch, to speak. Why?

We have that right, Mr. Speaker, because the FBI has indicated that they have seen 100,000 digital media, and they will be looking for more to see those who endangered all of those who were here.

My appreciation to the police and the floor staff and law enforcement, custodial staff, our staff, media, and others who were put in harm's way along with Members.

So I rise to support this resolution because it does not violate the Constitution or the intent of the 25th Amendment. It provides for the Congress to speak to ask the Vice President to recognize that this President is the only one who has ever stoked this kind of action.

Accountability comes before healing, but healing should come.

If we look at the Constitution, we will clearly see that Mr. Raskin's resolution fits the language: an inability to be able to discharge your duties, to exercise the laws carefully.

Do you consider these words from the President of the United States to insurrectionists and terrorists to ``walk down to the Capitol,'' says the President, telling them: ``If you don't fight like hell, you are not going to have a country anymore.'' And that is the attack that the domestic terrorists made on this place.

All we are asking of the Vice President, through this resolution, is to reflect on that and to call upon the 25th Amendment to convene the Cabinet, to begin the healing, because the President of the United States is dangerous to the American people.

That is why we are on the floor today. We hope that he will have an opportunity to reflect because the Constitution says in many places that the actions of this President are dangerous.

People have died. We have lost two police officers. Others are in the hospital. And yes, it was an insurrection. It is time to pass H. Res. 21.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 21, a resolution calling on Vice President Michael R. Pence to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments of the Cabinet to activate Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to declare President Donald J. Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President.

As a person who was in the House chamber, that day and witnessed the terror, mayhem, and horror unleashed by the President's incitement of insurrection and utter betrayal of his sacred oath, it is manifestly evident that the President is clearly incapable, and certainly unwilling, of exercising the duties of his office, which makes it essential for Vice-President Pence to convene the principal officers of the Executive Branch to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution recites a tale of abdication and dereliction of duty by a President of the United States unseen in the history of our country.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the day prescribed by section 15 of title 3, United States Code, for the counting of electoral votes, Congress experienced a massive, violent invasion of the United States Capitol and its complex by a dangerous insurrectionary mob, which smashed windows and used violent, physical force and weapons to overpower and outmaneuver the United States Capitol Police and facilitated the illegal entry into the Capitol of hundreds, if not thousands, of unauthorized persons (all of whom entered the Capitol complex without going through metal detectors and other security screening devices).

This insurrectionary mob threatened the safety and lives of the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, and the President pro tempore of the Senate, the first three individuals in the line of succession to the presidency, as the rioters were recorded chanting ``Hang Mike Pence'' and ``Where's Nancy'' when President Donald J. Trump tweeted to his supporters that ``Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country.'

The marauders attacked law enforcement officers, unleashed chaos and terror among Members and staffers and their families, occupied the Senate Chamber and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office along with other leadership offices, vandalized and pilfered government

property, and succeeded in causing the unprecedented disruption of the Electoral College count process for a 4-hour period in both the House and the Senate, a dangerous and destabilizing impairment of the peaceful transfer of power that these insurrectionary riots were explicitly designed to cause.

At least five Americans have died as a result of injuries or traumas suffered during this violent attack on Congress, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, and more than 50 police officers were seriously injured, including 15 officers who had to be hospitalized by these violent assaults.

There could easily have been hundreds more wounded and killed, a sentiment captured by Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the President's fiercest enablers, who observed that ``the mob could have blown the building up. They could have killed us all.''

Mr. Speaker, these insurrectionary protests were widely advertised and broadly encouraged by the current President, who repeatedly disgraced his high office by exhorting his millions of followers on Twitter and other social media outlets to come to Washington on January 6 to ``Stop the Steal'' of the 2020 Presidential election, promising that the protest on the Electoral College counting day would be ``wild.''

Although President-elect Joseph R. Biden decisively won the 2020 Presidential election with more than 81 million votes and defeated President Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College, a margin pronounced to be a ``landslide' by the current President Trump when he won by the same Electoral College numbers in 2016, the current and temporary occupant of the White House never accepted these election results as legitimate and waged a protracted campaign of propaganda and coercive pressure in the Federal and State courts, in the state legislatures, with Secretaries of State, and in Congress to nullify and overturn these results and replace them with imaginary and fabricated numbers to maintain his continuance in office.

This culminated in the current President taking the stage at the insurrection rally he held on the Ellipse Grounds on January 6, 2021 to exhort the rioters and insurrectionists to ``walk down to the Capitol,'' telling them ``if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.'

The President's putative lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who possesses the uncanny knack of surfacing to make things worse whenever the President is acting to undermine American democracy, warned the mob to expect ``trial by combat.''

While domestic terrorists occupied parts of the Capitol, the person currently occupying the office of President of the United States, ignored or rejected repeated real-time entreaties from the Speaker of the House and the Democratic Leader of the U.S. Senate to appeal to his followers to exit the Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, photographs, cell phone videos, social media posts, and on-the-ground reporting show that numerous violent insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol were armed, carrying police grade flex cuffs to detain and handcuff people, used mace, pepper spray, and bear spray against United States Capitol Police officers, erected gallows on Capitol grounds to hang ``traitors,'' vehemently chanted ``Hang Mike Pence'' while roaming the Capitol, emphasizing that storming the Capitol was ``a revolution,'' and committed the unspeakable offense of brandishing the Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol.

In all of this, Donald John Trump has demonstrated repeatedly, continuously, and spectacularly his absolute inability to discharge the most basic and fundamental powers and duties of his office, including most recently the duty to respect the legitimate results of the Presidential election and the duty to respect the peaceful transfer of democratic power under the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, Donald John Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

For the safety and security of the people of the United States and the survival of our democracy, he must be removed from office.

For these reasons, I urge all Members to join me in voting for H. Res. 21, calling upon the Vice-President to convene the Cabinet and to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee; Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I rise today to offer thoughts and reflections on the congressional responsibility to bear witness to the counting of electoral votes to determine formally the persons elected President and Vice President of the United States and on the campaign and election that brought us to this day.

The outcome of that count is not in doubt and has not been since November 7, 2020, when it became clear that Democratic candidates Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris had won the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona to become the 46th President and 59th Vice- President of the United States, earning 306 electoral votes, 36 more than the 270 needed for election.

The results in those states, as well as every other state that chose presidential electors on November 3, 2020, has been certified and wherever necessary upheld against legal challenge by the courts in the affected states.

On December 14, 2020, presidential electors met in their respective state capitols to cast their votes for President and Vice-President, with the documentary and video evidence clearly demonstrating that the Biden/Harris ticket was the clear and unassailable choice of the Electoral College.

The counting of the electors' ballot today will ratify the outcome that has been foretold for months and only those with the most conspiratorial mindset and the willing suspension of disbelief, like the current occupant of the White House and his band of acolytes consisting of 140 Members of the House and 12 U.S. senators, could persist in the delusion that the vox populi, the voice of the people, has not spoken clearly and definitively.

Madam Speaker, the Biden/Harris ticket won the national popular vote going away, by more than 7 million votes, 81.3 million to 74.2 million.

Their victory was so sweeping that it won the majority of states, including five states won four years ago by the loser, including Georgia, which a Democratic candidate had not won since 1992, and Arizona, which last voted Democratic in 1996.

This day is not like its counterpart of 2001, when the determination of the winner hung in the balance on the outcome of the contest in Florida, where 537 votes out of 5.82 million votes cast separated the candidates and the U.S. Supreme Court halted the vote recount ordered by the Supreme Court of Florida, thus leaving reasonable persons to question who was the true winner of that state's decisive 25 electoral votes.

This day is not like 2005, where the outcome hinged on the 18 electoral votes of Ohio, and where state officials refused to count provisional ballots and engaged in other tactics alleged to be taken to suppress the votes of racial minorities.

And certainly this day is not like 2017, when Congress met to count the electoral votes cast in the state's first American presidential election in which the U.S. Intelligence Community had confirmed was the subject of cyberattacks and other subversive activities of entities allied with the Government of Russia that were undertaken for the express purpose of influencing the outcome to secure the election of its preferred candidate, Donald Trump, who it should be added, openly invited a hostile foreign power to launch cyberattacks against his political opponent.

Another important distinction involving the 2016 election is that it was the first presidential election held since the Supreme Court issued the notorious decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which neutered the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act and adversely affected the ability of hundreds of thousands of persons to cast a ballot and have their vote counted.

In contrast, American voters in 2020 were forewarned and forearmed against Russian interference, propaganda, and disinformation and with no backing but with the active resistance of the Chief Executive, the governments of the United States and the individual states took active measures to ensure the security and integrity of election systems against fraud and undue interference.

This effort was so successful that the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council (GCC) Executive Committee, consisting of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), U.S. Election Assistance Commission, National Association of Secretaries of State, and the National Association of State Election Directors, issued the following statement on November 12, 2020:

The November 3rd election was the most secure in American

history. Right now, across the country, election officials

are reviewing and double checking the entire election process

prior to finalizing the result.

When states have close elections, many will recount

ballots. All of the states with close results in the 2020

presidential race have paper records of each vote, allowing

the ability to go back and count each ballot if necessary.

This is an added benefit for security and resilience. This

process allows for the identification and correction of any

mistakes or errors. There is no evidence that any voting

system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any

way compromised.

Even United States Attorney General William P. Barr, the most politically biased person, to hold that office, publicly acknowledged that although U.S. attorneys and FBI agents had followed up on specific complaints and information they had received, ``to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.''

Under the laws of every state, the Trump Campaign was entitled to bring legal challenges to the administration of the election in any state where it felt aggrieved, and it took ample advantage of these opportunities, bringing scores of lawsuits alleging ``wide-spread fraud,'' requesting recounts, or demanding that votes cast for the Democratic candidate be thrown out or simply not counted.

These legal challenges were met with colossal failure, the Trump Campaign suffering stinging defeats in more than 65 cases; its lone success came in Pennsylvania where a court granted its request to allow monitors to observe ballot tabulation from a distance of six rather than 10 feet away .

Which brings us to this day, when die-hard followers of the current occupant of the White House, a group I call the ``Lost Cause Caucus,'' now seek to revive and press forward with the discredited and rejected claims of the Trump Campaign that the elections in the states that were key to bringing about his resounding defeat were ``rigged'' or ``fraudulent'' or the result of some vague conspiracy by the ``Deep State.''

Madam Speaker, this is utter nonsense; which I show by examining the challenge to the electors from Pennsylvania, where like Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, Trump pitched his flag and made his grand stand.

Over 6.9 million Pennsylvanians voted in that election, with over 2.6 million of those voters using mail-in or absentee ballots; Vice President Biden received 3,459,923 votes, easily beating Trump, by 81,660 votes.

Vice-President Biden's vote margin was twice as large as was Trump's when he won the state in an upset in 2016.

Madam Speaker, it is not difficult to understand why so many Pennsylvanians voted in 2019, and by mail in unprecedented numbers.

In 2019, with broad and bipartisan support, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted Act 77 of 2019, which made several important updates and improvements to Pennsylvania's Election Code, Act of Oct. 31, 2019 (P.L. 552, No. 77), 2019 Pa. Legis. Serv. 2019-77 (S.B. 421) (West) (``Act 77'').

Among these were provisions that, for the first time, offered the option of mail-in voting to

all Pennsylvania electors. See 25 P.S. Sec. Sec. 3150.11-3150.17.

This change was a significant development that made it easier for all Pennsylvanians to exercise their right to vote and brought the state in line with the practice of dozens of other states.

Under Act 77, voters had until October 27, 2020, to request a mail-in ballot for this year's November 3rd General Election. 25 P.S. Sec. 3150.12a(a).

Act 77 set 8:00 p.m. on Election Day as the due date for returning those ballots to the county boards of elections. 25 P.S. Sec. 3150.16.

The Election Code provides for a variety of safeguards to ensure the integrity of this process. See 25 P.S. Sec. 3146.8(g)(3); 25 P.S. Sec. 3146.2c; 25 P.S. Sec. 3146.8 (g)(4); 25 P.S. Sec. 3150.12b(a)(2).

The presidential election results were certified, and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed the Certificate of Ascertainment on November 24, 2020, long in advance of the required date to fall under the ``Safe Harbor'' provision of three-day the governing Electoral Count Act of 1887, 3 U.S.C. Sec. 5, making the certification of Pennsylvania's electors conclusive.

Madam Speaker, multiple challenges were made to the certification of Pennsylvania's electors, all of which were rejected by both state and federal courts.

First, there is no merit or truth to the claim that the Pennsylvania Secretary of State ``abrogated'' the mandatory signature verification requirement for absentee or mail-in ballots. See In re Nov. 3, 2020 Election, 240 A.3d 591, 610 (Pa. 2020) (Election Code does not authorize county election boards to reject mail-in ballots based on an analysis of a voter's signature. ``[A]t no time did the Code provide for challenges to ballot signatures.'').

Far from usurping any legislative authority, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused ``to rewrite a statute in order to supply terms which [we]re not present therein.'' Id. at 14.

A federal judge reached the same result. See In Donald Trump for President, Inc. v. Boockvar, 2020 WL 5997680, at *58 (W.D. Pa. Oct. 10, 2020) (``[T]he Election Code does not impose a signature-comparison requirement for mail-in and absentee ballots.'').

Second, there is a similar lack of merit and truth to the claim that certain Pennsylvania county boards of elections did not grant pollwatchers access to the opening, counting, and recording of absentee

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her leadership and continued respect for the oversight of this body. And I particularly thank the gentleman from Illinois and his cosponsors for this very astute legislation.

I join with my bipartisan colleagues to indicate that the transparency of funding by way of the budget process is absolutely crucial to be able to be guided by what is right, as well, to ensure that we, the Congress, have a knowledge of the importance of the funding process, the importance of the programs that are used for taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Speaker, let me just take a microcosm of what I believe will be an important aspect of this. Why don't I take COVID-19 as an example?

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have been hearing from all over the Nation that the Federal Government needs to be in charge. The agency that I think would be most effective as a national coordinator of vaccine transport and delivery is FEMA.

For safe and effective supply chain transport, delivery, and site use of vaccines, FEMA has the ability to tell other agencies what to do or to be able to be part of the success of the distribution of these vaccines. They have broad stakeholder engagement. FEMA has personnel all over the Nation, and they are not in the business of picking business winners or losers. And implementing CDC COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, they know how to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I say thank you to all the private-sector volunteers, all the pharmacies located in grocery stores and well-known chains, but that is not working. It is not going to work.

This particular legislation would let us know the budget plan of an agency, like FEMA, which really looms large in our lives because whether you have experienced a fire in California, or whether or not you have experienced Hurricane Harvey in Texas, or whether or not you have experienced tornadoes, FEMA has been on the ground. They know how to put large efforts together. They can lead the effort for vaccine delivery so that we don't have these kinds of episodes.

``One American dies from COVID-19 every 33 seconds.'' Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article.

[From CNN, Jan. 5, 2021]

One American Dies From Covid-19 Every 33 Seconds as the Vaccine Rollout

Hits Snags

(By Holly Yan and Madeline Holcombe)

While hopes of vaccinating 20 million people by New Year's

Day sputtered out, the US now faces staggering new challenges

in the fight against Covid-19.

Over the past week, the US has averaged 2,637 coronavirus

deaths every day, according to Johns Hopkins University.

That's an average of one Covid-19 death every 33 seconds.

December was the deadliest month yet of this pandemic, with

77,572 lives lost. And

deaths are likely to accelerate as new infections and

hospitalizations rise.

On Monday, more people were hospitalized with Covid-19 than

any other day in this pandemic--128,210, according to the

Covid Tracking Project.

The US averaged 213,437 new infections every day over the

past week, largely fueled by holiday gatherings, health

experts say.

But while daily new infections soared 16% over the past

week, testing has actually decreased 11.65% over the past

week, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Doctors worry this rampant spread of Covid-19 will push

more hospitals beyond capacity and lead to more deaths as the

vaccine rollout staggers along.

The possibility of giving half-doses of a vaccine

About 15.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed in

the US, but only 4.5 million people have received their first

doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said

Monday.

That's far behind what officials had hoped for by now. And

it means herd immunity is still many months away.

``We agree that there is a lag. We'll work with the

states,'' said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser of the

federal Operation Warp Speed vaccination effort.

To help expedite vaccinations, the US might start giving

half-doses of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine to people age 18 to

55, which could make the vaccine available to twice as many

people in that age group, Slaoui said.

Slaoui said Sunday the US Food and Drug Administration

would meet this week to consider the idea.

But the FDA commissioner and its vaccine division chief

said in a joint statement that people need to get two full

doses instead of two half-doses.

``At this time, suggesting changes to the FDA-authorized

dosing or schedules of these vaccines is premature and not

rooted solidly in the available evidence,'' said FDA

Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and Dr. Peter Marks, who heads

the agency's vaccine division. ``Without appropriate data

supporting such changes in vaccine administration, we run a

significant risk of placing public health at risk,

undermining the historic vaccination efforts to protect the

population from Covid-19.''

It's understandable that people may want to stretch the

vaccine supply, they said. But it's not advisable.

``If people do not truly know how protective a vaccine is,

there is the potential for harm because they may assume that

they are fully protected when they are not, and accordingly,

alter their behavior to take unnecessary risks,'' they said.

The two 100-microgram Moderna vaccine doses are intended to

be spaced 28 days apart.

CNN has reached out to Moderna for comment.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George

Washington University, said he does not agree with the idea

of half-doses.

``We have about 13 million doses that have been shipped out

to the states, and only barely 4 million doses that have gone

into arms. So the bottleneck is not the lack of availability

of vaccine. The bottleneck is actually the logistics of

vaccinating people in this country.''

It's difficult enough to get some patients on board with

getting a vaccine, he said. Going against the recommended

dosing could hurt patients' confidence.

``When I see people in clinic, I talk about the vaccine

every single day. I'm trying to reduce vaccine hesitancy,''

Reiner said Monday.

``And the strongest weapon I have is the data. I can tell

people that these two vaccines have been studied in 70,000

people--more than 70,000 people--in this two-dose strategy.

And when given that way, they're both 95% effective, and

basically no one gets critically ill if you get this vaccine.

. . . Once you break from the data, I can no longer say

that.''

Study says holding back fewer doses could cut cases by 29%

Right now, the federal government is allocating about half

of the vaccines being produced. The other half is held in

reserve to be used as a second dose or as replacements in

cases where doses are unusable.

But by reducing the amount withheld to 10% for the first

three weeks and supplying a steady dose of 6 million doses

per week, the US could avoid up to 29% more coronavirus cases

over eight weeks, a study published in the Annals of Internal

Medicine found.

``We find that under most plausible scenarios, a more

balanced approach that withholds fewer doses during early

distribution in order to vaccinate more people as soon as

possible could substantially increase the benefits of

vaccines, while enabling most recipients to receive second

doses on schedule,'' write the study's authors, who were

supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers modeled several scenarios, with variables

including vaccine supply, protection provided by the first

dose, and waning efficacy of a first dose if a second dose is

delayed.

An emergency department employee dies of Covid-19

In California, health care workers are treating an

unprecedented number of Covid-19 patients. Sometimes, those

patients are colleagues.

At Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, 44 emergency

department employees tested positive for Covid-19 between

December 27 and January 1, said Irene Chavez, senior vice

president and area manager.

On Monday, the hospital said one employee who was working

on Christmas has died of Covid-19.

``Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this

terrible loss,'' the hospital said in a statement. ``We are

providing support to our employees during this difficult

time,'' according to a statement from the hospital.

Over the weekend, Chavez said the medical center is

investigating whether an inflatable, air-powered costume may

have played a role in the spread.

``A staff member did appear briefly in the emergency

department on December 25th wearing an air-powered costume,''

she said.

``Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely

innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no

Covid symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those

around them during what is a very stressful time.''

Chavez said air-powered costumes will no longer be allowed

at the facility.

``If anything, this should serve as a very real reminder

that the virus is widespread, and often without symptoms, and

we must all be vigilant,'' she said.

`A rough start to 2021'

On Sunday, five states reported their highest number of new

infections ever in one day--Arizona, New Hampshire, Oklahoma,

South Carolina and Washington.

And over the past week, at least five states have average

test positivity rates higher than 40%--meaning more than 40%

of people who take a Covid-19 test get a positive result.

Those states include Idaho (57%), Alabama (46.7%), Iowa

(44.6%), Pennsylvania (44%) and South Dakota (43.8%). For

perspective, the WHO has recommended governments not reopen

until the test positivity rates stays at or below 5% for 14

days.

In South Carolina, which had a 29.6% test positivity rate

Sunday, officials in four counties said their hospitals were

at 100% capacity, according to the South Carolina Department

of Health and Environmental Control.

``We're in for a bit of a rough start to 2021,'' said Maria

Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead

for Covid-19 response.

But it's possible daily life in the US could be closer to

normal by the summer or fall, she said. Other countries are

already well on their way--thanks to quarantining, testing,

isolation and contact tracing.

``We've seen countries bring this virus to its knees,

without vaccination,'' Van Kerkhove said. ``We have the tools

at hand right now to actually bring this virus under

control.''

The city of Houston has done a phenomenal job by trying to open up these centers, but guess what? They are looking for their next delivery. We should not be looking for the next delivery. The delivery should be organized, logistically. It should be stored on the ground.

``Houston, have you finished your utilization? Are you ready for your next?''

``L.A., have you finished your utilization? Are you ready for your next?''

That is not happening.

``COVID vaccine rollout is going about as well as you'd feared.'' Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record that article, along with an article regarding the opening of Houston's first public COVID-19 vaccine location.

COVID Vaccine Rollout Is Going About As Well As You'd Feared

Texans are beginning the new year the same way we spent

much of the last one: straggling through a devastating

pandemic with a patchy public health infrastructure, a

confusing mishmash of rules and procedures, and an ominous

absence of effective statewide leadership.

We have a COVID-19 vaccine now: that's the good news. Two

of them, actually, one by Pfizer and the other by Moderna,

both developed as part of the federal Operation Warp Speed

and approved by the Federal Drug Administration for emergency

use last month.

We knew that distributing hundreds of millions of vaccines

would be a challenge. Each requires two doses and careful

handling--including ultra-cold storage for the Pfizer

vaccine. Each is being distributed to a population that

includes potential recipients skeptical of vaccines in

general, and the COVID vaccine in particular.

But we had several months to figure this out. And it's

quickly become painfully clear that we didn't.

In Phase 1A of the plan put forward by the Texas Department

of State Health Services, the first doses of the vaccine were

distributed to front-line health care workers and residents

of long-term care facilities, beginning last month. On

Tuesday, the state announced that vaccine providers could

begin immunizing Texans in group 1B--those over age 65 and

those with pre-existing conditions.

The experiences of Texans in that group gives you the

impression that we've responded to an ongoing crisis with a

maddening, high-stakes scavenger hunt. In Harris County, for

example, there are dozens of providers that have partnered

with the state to distribute vaccines, but making an

appointment at any of them seems to require persistence,

endless phone calls, and a hefty dose of luck.

Overall, the distribution process has been inefficient and

confusing. As of Dec. 31, according to DSHS, some 283,000

people across Texas--roughly 45,000 in Harris County--had

received the first dose of the vaccine. That's of the 773,000

doses the state had shipped to various providers, up to that

point.

And it's a worrisomely low figure, according to public

health professionals, given that we'll need to vaccinate up

to 80 percent of the population to achieve the herd immunity

that will allow normal life to resume. Dr. Peter Hotez,

professor and dean of the National School of Tropical

Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, has pointed to the

straightforward back-of-the-envelope math: with roughly 30

million people in Texas, we should be aiming for a million

immunizations a week to achieve herd immunity by mid-year.

Last week, as these difficulties began coming to light,

Gov. Greg Abbott pointed the finger at the state's hospitals

and other vaccine providers.

``A significant portion of vaccines distributed across

Texas might be sitting on hospital shelves as opposed to

being given to vulnerable Texans,'' Abbott said on Twitter.

``The state urges vaccine providers to quickly provide all

shots,'' he continued. ``We get plenty more each week.''

In the Houston area, at least, providers say they're doing

just that. And Texans are having unpleasant memories of the

early days of the pandemic, when state leaders such as Abbott

took a largely hands-off approach to the public health

response--intervening only when local leaders in cities such

as Houston and Austin crossed what he deemed to be a red

line.

``Here we are, once again, hoping that private companies

will figure out a decent vaccine distribution system since

the State of Texas sure hasn't,'' said state Rep. Erin

Zwiener, a Democrat, on Twitter. ``But that means it will be

disparate and confusing and hard for our constituents to

navigate.''

These issues aren't unique to Texas. Even states with

relatively robust public health systems have seen what

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker described this week as a

``lumpy and bumpy'' rollout.

An exasperated U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah vented in a

statement on New Year's Day.

``That comprehensive vaccination plans have not been

developed at the federal level and sent to the states as

models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable,'' Romney

said.

``It was unrealistic to assume that the health care workers

already overburdened with COVID care could take on a massive

vaccination program,'' he continued. ``So too is the claim

that CVS and Walgreens will save the day: they don't have

excess personnel available to inoculate millions of

Americans. Nor are they equipped to deal with the rare but

serious reactions which may occur.''

The distribution of COVID vaccines is, without question, a

matter of urgency. We begin the new year with more than

12,000 Texans hospitalized due to the virus, and public

health experts fretting about the impact of holiday

gatherings and travel on those statistics--as well as reports

that cases of a more transmissible variant of the virus have

been confirmed in the United States.

The state's plan to rely on public/private partnerships to

distribute the vaccine may be sensible, given Texas's extant

public health infrastructure. But, at the minimum, we need

better communication from state leaders about how Texans who

are eligible for the vaccine can access it--not finger-

pointing and politics.

Mr. Speaker, FDA is considering to halve the amount of vaccines going to Americans. This haphazard way will not work. And the budget bill that is before us gives Congress the insight into how agencies plan their work.

So, is FEMA well-funded to take care of a pandemic? Were they funded the way they should have been in case a pandemic came and they were the right agency to do it?

Please remember, when we were flagging around and flustering around at the beginning of COVID-19, the PPE had to be taken over by FEMA.

That is what happened. We were struggling. People were fighting over PPE. Governors were out on the market. They were making negotiations individually with China while their health professionals were dying or reusing masks or reusing PPE. FEMA came in and did it.

Mr. Speaker, I will be discussing this even further, but I support this legislation because it gives Members of Congress the ability to know budget and appropriations so that if a pandemic comes, what agency can handle it? FEMA, because it has the funding.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the underlying legislation, and I look forward to this further discussion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 22, the Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act, which requires congressional budget justifications to be posted online in a centralized, searchable database, as well as on a Federal agency's websites.

The bill also would require the Office of Management and Budget to maintain and regularly update a public list of agencies expected to submit congressional budget justifications, the date they are submitted to Congress, and when they are posted online.

This bill is identical to one that passed the House under suspension in the last Congress.

As a member of the Budget Committee, I applaud this progovernment budget transparency legislation because it will make sure that the people we represent know and understand how each agency is spending taxpayer dollars.

Budget transparency is important during ordinary time but is much more important during extraordinary times like a global pandemic.

I am particularly focused on federal pandemic response that FEMA is engaged in as it relates to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have worked on community access to testing and through this effort have opened over 40 testing centers in and around Houston, Texas.

Now that there are vaccines it is time to pivot to vaccinations.

For this reason, I will be introducing a new bill that will address vaccine delivery to every community across the nation.

Making FEMA the lead agency is the first step, the next important is making sure the American people have access to information on how the agency is accomplishing the task and at what cost.

My bill would establish: FEMA as the National Coordinator of vaccine transport and delivery; Safe and effective supply chain transport, delivery, and site use of vaccines; Broad Stakeholder Engagement; No picking business winners or losers; and Implementing CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations.

FEMA will be empowered to:

Lead the effort for vaccine delivery from the receipt from manufacturing facilities to delivery to designated inoculation sites (hospital, clinic, doctors' offices, schools, places of worship, community centers, parks, or neighborhood gathering locations, etc.)

Develop and deploy a fully staffed and resourced 24-7 advanced real- time tracking system that allows FEMA to monitor shipments of vaccine units that can provide end-to-end transparency on the temperature, real-

time location, origin, and destination data, anticipated time of arrival, and update recipients on the progress of their delivery and report on changes that may impact expected delivery or the viability of the vaccine while in transit;

Provide an advanced communication system that allows public health departments to communicate their vaccine readiness, their capability of receiving vaccines, delivery locations, details of facility capability of storing, securing, personnel authorized to receive deliveries, logistics for delivering vaccines to patients, report on vaccine receipts, condition of vaccines, patient reactions, and feedback on how to improve the process;

Design custom Apps for use by public health agencies, doctors' offices, etc. to be provided to patients to communicate information on the vaccine being received and the date and location of a second dose if required. The App should generate a token that corresponds to their vaccination record to ensure that the right vaccine is administered should a second inoculation be required and to ensure that a person is not vaccinated with different vaccines, additional information such as vaccine effectiveness period may be addressed as more is learned about this;

Secure transportation for delivery or use of vaccines, and, when requested, security for the vaccine delivery sites or inoculation locations to ensure the life and safety of personnel and patients who seek to provide or receive vaccinations are free of interference or threat;

Provide public education and patient engagement through the provision of inoculations of persons in areas and locations where vulnerable populations are under performing in getting vaccinations;

Waive authority of the states to share vaccination data with HHS;

Provide HHS with the capacity to manage the inoculations data on persons and tracking the second vaccination to ensure full immunity and to determine when enough vaccinations have been administered to unique persons to achieve herd immunity. HHS shall protect Vaccination Data as HIPAA protected data, and under the Privacy Act, which shall not allow a waiver of any provision of that law; and the Freedom of Information Act shall not apply to the records maintained.

Provide civil fines of up to $10,000 per violation, per instance; and criminal penalties of 5 years in prison for violation of this section; or for the use of the information outside the specific purpose of the data collection, which is to assure full inoculation of individuals; and determination of local, state and national herd immunity goals being achieved. Include a data retention limitation--all records shall be destroyed after 5 years--Sunset this provision after 5 years.

Provide an ombudsman to support: public (tribal, territorial, state, and local government); stakeholder input on the work being done; provide advocacy and advice for those who elect not to be vaccinated; and champion the privacy, civil liberty rights on behalf of the American people.

Waive state laws regarding management of inoculation data;

Provide HHS with the capacity as evidenced by the agency's prior experience in managing healthcare.gov, to manage the inoculations data on persons; for the purpose of tracking the second vaccination to ensure full immunity and the management of national inoculation goals. The protection of inoculation medical information is provided by the: Federal HIPAA medical information privacy law; the Privacy Act and eliminate access to that information through the Freedom of Information Act; and providing for civil and criminal penalties for access or use of the information outside the specific purposes of the collection, which are to ensure inoculations; and determination of progress in herd immunity goals. Patient Inoculation Data retention limitation--all medical records on inoculation of persons under this title shall be destroyed after 5 years--Sunset this provision after 5 years.

Keep oversight Committees in the House and Senate, and the American people informed through daily and weekly reporting requirements comprising data the CDC determines to be relevant and have public benefit in measuring and reporting on inoculation statistics;

Establish a stakeholder advisory board to support the collaboration and cooperation of participants that shall include representatives from, federal, state, and local governments, businesses, colleges, universities, K-12 schools, hospitals, clinics, professional medical associations. Others as deemed essential to the success of a national vaccination program.

Lead government collaboration with Stakeholders in establishing vaccine inoculation centers in locations that shall include: Stadiums; Arenas; K-12 schools; Colleges and Universities; Places of Worship; and Other locations determined to be conducive to reaching the greatest number of person who are in need of inoculations.

Empowering FEMA

FEMA will be empowered to engage all stakeholders and marshals the resources of the federal government where needed to accomplish the objectives.

FEMA employs about 20,000 people nationwide who are stationed in 10 regional offices and the Washington DC headquarters.

FEMA has the authority during times of emergency to leverage its tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government, pull federal agency personnel from agencies throughout the federal government to make sure America is equipped and prepared to respond to disasters.

I ask that my Colleagues join me in support of H.R. 22, and greater accountability to the American public on what the federal government is doing and the budget justification that supports expenditures.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the reintroduction of H.R. 40, the ``Commission to Study and Develop Reparation proposals for African Americans Act,'' legislation which was cosponsored by 173 Members in the 116th Congress and today is being reintroduced with more than 100 original cosponsors.

This legislation was first introduced in 1989 by the late and beloved Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, the former chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, and is intended to examine the institution of slavery in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present, and, further, to recommend appropriate remedies.

Since the initial introduction of this legislation, proponents have made substantial progress in elevating the discussion of reparatory justice at the national level and joining the mainstream international debate on the issues.

Though some have tried to deflect the importance of these conversations by focusing on individual monetary compensation, the real issue is whether and how this nation can come to grips with the legacy of slavery that still infects current society.

Through legislation, resolutions, news, and litigation, we are moving closer to making more strides in the movement toward reparatory relief.

Today, there are more people at the table--more activists, more scholars, more CEOs, more state and local officials, and more Members of Congress.

However, despite this progress and the election of the first American President of African descent, the legacy of slavery lingers heavily in this nation.

While we have focused on the social effects of slavery and segregation, its continuing economic inequalities and disparities remain largely ignored by mainstream analysis.

These economic issues are the root cause of many critical issues in the African American community today, such as education, healthcare and criminal justice policy, including policing practices.

The call for reparatory justice represents a commitment to entering a constructive dialogue on the role of slavery and racism in shaping present-day conditions in our community and American society.

H.R. 40 is important and needed legislation because it goes beyond exploring the economic implications of slavery and segregation.

It is a holistic bill in the sense that establishes a commission to examine the moral and social implications of slavery.

Madam Speaker, the United States is the world's only superpower and boasts the largest economy in the history of the world and for many years was the world's indispensable nation and the example that all aspiring democracies wished to emulate.

At the same time, this nation has also been home to many searing instances of social unrest resulting from racial injustices, as we are now witnessing on the streets of big cities and small towns in urban and rural communities.

We are seeing Americans, by the millions, across the country, coming from all races and ages, engaging in what the late John Lewis called ``good trouble'' by protesting and demanding an end to the systemic racial inequality in our criminal justice system that too often victimizes and disproportionately treats black Americans worse, ceteris paribus, when it comes to suspicion, apprehension, arrest, detention, trial, sentencing, and incarceration.

While the brutal deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville shocked the conscience of the nation, most black Americans will tell you what they experienced is not new, but has been occurring for generations, if not centuries.

What is critically important to understand is that the instances of brutal and unfair treatment the nation has witnessed this year cannot be attributed to the proverbial few ``bad apples in the bushel'' but is instead the foreseeable consequence of systemic racism and racial inequality in the system.

Not just the criminal justice system, but the health care system, the economic system, and the educational system to name the most glaring examples.

To find our way out of this dark time, we need to understand how it came to be.

That is the purpose of H.R. 40, which establishes a commission to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.

Among other requirements, the commission shall identify (1) the role of federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery; (2) forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed slaves and their descendants; and (3) lingering negative effects of slavery on living African-Americans and society.

Truth and reconciliation about the Original Sin of American Slavery is necessary to light the way to the beloved community we all seek.

The uncomfortable truth is that the United States owes its position as the most powerful nation in the world to its slave-owning past.

Initially, slavery in America was not instituted for black people.

The colonists in the southern states simply wanted persons to cultivate and hue the soil of the New World's wild untamed lands.

And they wanted to exploit these boundless natural resources as cheaply as possible.

At first, they tried to enslave the indigenous persons they found when they arrived from Old World but that did not work because the native persons they encountered were nomadic rather than agrarian.

So next, landowners turned to poor persons from Europe arriving to work as indentured servants, but this did not work either for several reasons.

First, such persons were not as hardy in working under the difficult conditions that existed.

Also, because as subjects of the British Crown, indentured workers enjoyed legal rights and protections.

Finally, being white themselves, European indentured servants could escape and blend into the general colonial population.

That is why the landowners set their sights on the western coast of Africa and its people.

That experiment in trafficking in persons failed as well and culminated in a bloody Civil War, but not before America profited handsomely from what President Lincoln rightly characterized in his Second Inaugural as ``the bondsmen's two-hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil.''

Slavery helped make America an industrial nation but at the cost of inflicting physical, economic, social, psychological, and political damage on Black Americans that despite the progress that has been made continues to this day with stark racial disparities in health care, employment, housing, food, education, and indeed nearly every aspect of American life and death.

Madam Speaker, official slavery ended with the Civil War and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.

But unofficial slavery was continued with the new institution of sharecrop farming, a criminal justice system that would press convicts into work once done by slaves, and labor policies that dictated income for work done based upon skin color.

And, of course, all of this was reinforced by the systematic disenfranchisement of Black Americans, the ``discrete and insular minority'' excluded from ``those political processes ordinarily to be relied upon to protect'' them, to quote Chief Justice Hughes' famous Carolene Products Footnote 4.

For these reasons, the history of the United States is intertwined with the history of enslaved Africans in the Americas.

Madam Speaker, there is blood and there are tears, but there is also redemption and reconciliation.

But to get there, we must know the complete truth and lay our history bare.

The Commission created and empowered by H.R. 40 is a necessary first step in that effort.

I encourage all Members to join me in cosponsoring H.R. 40, the ``Commission to Study and Develop Reparation proposals for African Americans Act.''

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair and all of those who opened up their thoughts to this very important process. I participated through the Progressive Caucus, and I am very grateful for the work that included all Members.

I believe in democracy; I believe in the rights of the minority; but I want to applaud this rules package in particular because, as a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I think extremely important is the language to protect whistleblowers.

The responsibility of Congress is oversight, and even though this was not in the congressional wheelhouse, it was shameful what happened to Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, a United States Army leader, if you will, who thought it was his patriotic duty simply to tell the truth.

What happened to him as a whistleblower in the executive? He was fired.

What happened to his brother, twin brother? No longer there. No one protected them.

I want to applaud a Committee on Rules package that protects but, as well, a Committee on Rules package that also deals with diversity, gender, and puts America's business first.

Vote for this package.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his scholarship and his passion, the chairman of the Rules Committee, my good friend from Georgia, and all those who have come to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that this is a somber moment. It is not a moment that I cherish. My privilege in serving the greatest country in the world has allowed me to serve with three previous Presidents. Not one time from the three previous Presidents have I ever heard the words that were uttered this weekend.

I believe in harmony. I just came out of a Helsinki Commission meeting, an organization that deals with peace around the world. We were talking about how we can impress upon the world to not use religion for hatred. Religion is love.

One of the answers I gave was to show the examples here in the United States, where religions from all different perspectives come together in a time of disaster and need. It is something that touches our heart.

When we vote for a President, we want that President to touch our hearts, to lift us up, and to make us better people.

I cannot argue with the fact that 49 percent of the American people believe that this President is a racist. It hurts my heart because I come in a skin color where I have been at the sad end of racist tactics and words. I am a product of busing. But it does not diminish my love for this Nation.

So it disturbs me for this wonderfully diverse group of new Members who have come to the United States Congress from all over the Nation, including the LGBTQ community, and among the 40 Representatives who came was the Representative from the Seventh Congressional District of Massachusetts, the State's first African American woman; the Representative of the 13th Congressional District of Michigan, the first Palestinian woman; the Representative from the 14th Congressional District of New York, the youngest woman; and the Representative from the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota, the first Somali American elected to Congress.

In the discharge of their duties, they went to the border--their passion, their youth, just as I had done--and saw the appalling conditions that children were held in. They came back and expressed themselves, protected by the First Amendment.

They used no violence. They only wanted to wake up the Congress, as all of us who went and could not accept the pain did. In fact, wherever I go at home, people are asking: What are you doing for the children at the border?

So, they didn't do anything extraordinary, in terms of what Members should do, having the responsibility of oversight.

Then came, in the last 72 hours, these words: ``So interesting to see `progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt, and inept anywhere in the world, if they even have a functioning government at all, now loudly and viciously

telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful nation on Earth, how our government is to be run.''

``Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came?''

I will be introducing a condemnation resolution that recounts the life and legacy of this President while 49 percent of the people believe that he is racist.

I only ask that we come together today to do the right thing, to do what the 16th President said right after the Civil War: ``We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory'' will swell when again touched, ``as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.''

Today, if we condemn this language, it will say to America that we cannot accept this kind of behavior. That is what is bringing the country together, that we accept each other's diversity.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security, I rise in support of the rule governing debate on H. Res. 489, a resolution condemning President Trump's racist comments directed at Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, on November 6, 2018, in an election widely regarded as a referendum on the performance and disapproval of the Administration of President Donald J. Trump, the American people voted to vest control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the Democratic Party to restore the system of checks and balances designed by the Framers in 1787 in Philadelphia.

The Representatives elected to the 116th Congress comprise the most diverse class in American history with respect to its racial, ethnic, and religious composition, and also includes the largest contingent of female Representatives and the most members ever of the LGBTQ community.

Among the cohort of the 40 Representatives first elected to the Congress in the November 2018 election are several whose membership is historic, including the Representative for the Seventh District of Massachusetts, the first African American woman elected from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the Representative from the Thirteenth District of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress; the Representative from the Fourteenth District of New York, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress; and the Representative from the Fifth District of Minnesota, the first Somali-American elected to Congress.

In the discharge of their official duties as Members of Congress, these talented and dedicated Members of Congress traveled to the southern border of the United States to observe the living conditions and treatment received by migrants and refugees seeking asylum in the United States who are currently being held in detention facilities operated under control or supervision of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), some consisting of nothing more than tent villages cordoned off under highways.

Upon their return to the Capitol, these Members of Congress reported their shock and horror regarding the appalling and inhumane conditions to which detainees were being subjected by CPB at a public hearing of a House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

On July 14, 2019, the President of the United States reacted to the criticism of his Administration's treatment of detainees by these Members of Congress in a series of unhinged tweets that questioned their loyalty to the United States and implied that due to the circumstances of their birth they had no right to exercise the responsibilities and privileges of duly elected Members of Congress.

Specifically, the President tweeted that it was:

So interesting to see ``Progressive'' Democrat

Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose

governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst,

most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even

have a functioning government at all), now loudly . . . and

viciously telling the people of the United States, the

greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our

government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix

the totally broken and crime infested places from which they

came.

The President's statements are false in that three of Members of Congress he impugned are in fact natural born citizens and the fourth is a naturalized citizen.

Although the recent statements of the President are inaccurate and offensive, they are consistent with prior statements he has made to stoke to division, discord, and disharmony among the American people.

Let us not forget that the current President of the United States burnished his political reputation by claiming falsely for more than 5 years that his predecessor was born in Kenya and not in the United States and thus was an illegitimate President.

The current President of the United States launched his 2016 campaign for the Presidency by saying of persons from Mexico seeking to immigrate to the United States: ``They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.''

The current President of the United States claimed that a Hispanic federal jurist could not preside over a court proceeding to which then presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization were defendants accused of civil fraud because ``He's a Mexican!''

In January 2018 the current President of the United States is reported to have inquired of his advisors: ``Why are we having all these people from (expletive deleted) countries come here?'', referring to persons from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

And most contemptible of all, on August 15, 2017 the current President of the United States said he regarded as some ``very fine people,'' the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Ku Klux Klansmen who descended on the peaceful community of Charlottesville, Virginia to advocate racism and who were met by peaceful counterprotestors in a clash that the white supremacists turned violent and resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and left injured many other innocent persons who were gathered to affirm the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and to honor the sacrifice of unsung American heroes who devoted their lives to the ongoing quest to continue perfecting our union.

Mr. Speaker, the recent and past statements and actions of the current President of the United States demean the office he holds and falls short of the standard set by the 16th President, whose administration was devoted to unity, healing, and ending racial division.

In his famous March 4, 1861, Inaugural Address, President Abraham Lincoln foretold the reasons why the efforts of the current President of the United States to rend our union are destined to fail:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.

Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds

of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when

again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels

of our nature.

Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I think it appropriate to share my perspective on immigration and significant and positive impact it has in the development of this, the greatest nation in human history.

Like the Framers did in the summer of 1776, it is fitting that we gather in the nation's capital on a sweltering July day to reflect upon America's long and continuing struggle for justice, equality, and opportunity.

After all, all that any of us wants is an honored place in the American family.

I am often reminded that as I speak there is a family somewhere about to begin a dangerous but hopeful quest.

Somewhere south of the border, maybe across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Laredo, Corpus Christi, or Brownsville or maybe just south of Tucson or San Diego or Douglass, Arizona.

Somewhere there is a family in the Old Country anxiously about to embark on their own journey to the New World of America.

They come for the same reason so many millions came before them, in this century and last, from this continent and from every other.

They come for the same reason families have always come to America: to be free of fear and hunger, to better their condition, to begin their world anew, to give their children a chance for a better life.

Like previous waves of immigrants, they too will wage all and risk all to reach the sidewalks of Houston or Los Angeles or Phoenix or Chicago or Atlanta or Denver or Detroit.

They will risk death in the desert; they will brave the elements, they will risk capture and crime, they will endure separation from loved ones.

And if they make it to the Promised Land of America, no job will be beneath them.

They will cook our food, clean our houses, cut our grass, and care for our kids.

They will be cheated by some and exploited by others.

They work in sunlight but live in twilight, between the shadows; not fully welcome as new Americans but wanted as low-wage workers.

Somewhere near the borders tonight, a family will cross over into the New World, willed by the enduring power of the American Dream.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting H. Res. 489.

All American should take pride in and celebrate the ethnic, racial, and religious diversity

that has made the United States the leader of the community of nations and the beacon of hope and inspiration to oppressed persons everywhere.

And in addition to the love and pride Americans justifiably have for their country, all persons in the United States should cherish and exercise the rights, privileges, and responsibilities guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that my faith, my commitment to many people of different colors who respect the distinction or difference but also the greatness of this country, my love of those who serve, causes me to say, as many of my colleagues here are ready to say: Let us sit down at the table of peace and reconciliation.

I hope we will have some who will acknowledge that these actions--I will try to be generic--and words were certainly not becoming of the United States of America. The American people must see us work together on that.

Mr. Speaker, I said earlier today that I wish we were not here, but we are here. Now, I wish to indicate that I am appalled at any commentary that demeans or hurts a fellow human being or a fellow American or fellow world citizen. So the recounting of various statements, I realize and recognize that comments were made about statements to ease the pain of those who were receiving it.

Right now, we are talking about comments that came from the highest office in the land, which really does reflect what this little book, the Constitution, says, that this Nation was organized to create a more perfect union. Yet, unfortunately, the officer in the White House, the President of the United States, took to tweeting and talked about the first African American woman from the Seventh District, the first Palestinian American woman, the youngest woman elected to Congress, and the first Somali American woman, women of color.

It is imperative today that, along with H. Res. 494, my resolution, we condemn this action, and we do it together. I ask my Republican colleagues to vote for the underlying resolution.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security, I rise in support of H. Res. 489, a resolution condemning President Trump's racist comments directed at Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, on November 6, 2018, in an election widely regarded as a referendum on the performance and disapproval of the Administration of President Donald J. Trump, the American people voted to vest control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the Democratic Party to restore the system of checks and balances designed by the Framers in 1787 in Philadelphia.

The Representatives elected to the 116th Congress comprise the most diverse class in American history with respect to its racial, ethnic, and religious composition, and also includes the largest contingent of female Representatives and the most members ever of the LGBTQ community.

Among the cohort of the 40 Representatives first elected to the Congress in the November 2018 election are several whose membership is historic, including the Representative for the Seventh District of Massachusetts, the first African American woman elected from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the Representative from the Thirteenth District of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress; the Representative from the Fourteenth District of New York, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress; and the Representative from the Fifth District of Minnesota, the first Somali-American elected to Congress.

In the discharge of their official duties as Members of Congress, these talented and dedicated Members of Congress traveled to the southern border of the United States to observe the living conditions and treatment received by migrants and refugees seeking asylum in the United States who are currently being held in detention facilities operated under control or supervision of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), some consisting of nothing more than tent villages cordoned off under highways.

Upon their return to the Capitol, these Members of Congress reported their shock and horror regarding the appalling and inhumane conditions to which detainees were being subjected by CPB at a public hearing of a House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

On July 14, 2019, the President of the United States reacted to the criticism of his Administration's treatment of detainees by these Members of Congress in a series of unhinged tweets that questioned their loyalty to the United States and implied that due to the circumstances of their birth they had no right to exercise the responsibilities and privileges of duly elected Members of Congress.

Specifically, the President tweeted that it was:

``So interesting to see ``Progressive'' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly . . . and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.''

The President's statements are false in that three of Members of Congress he impugned are in fact natural born citizens and the fourth- is a naturalized citizen.

Although the recent statements of the President are inaccurate and offensive, they are consistent with prior statements he has made to stoke to division, discord, and disharmony among the American people.

Let us not forget that the current President of the United States burnished his political reputation by claiming falsely for more than 5 years that his predecessor was born in Kenya and not in the United States and thus was an illegitimate President. The current President of the United States launched his 2016 campaign for the Presidency by saying of persons from Mexico seeking to immigrate to the United States: ``They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.''

The current President of the United States claimed that a Hispanic federal jurist could not preside over a court proceeding to which then presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization were defendants accused of civil fraud because ``He's a Mexican!''

In January 2018 the current President of the United States is reported to have inquired of his advisors: ``Why are we having all these people from (expletive deleted) countries come here?'', referring to persons from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

And most contemptible of all, on August 15, 2017 the current President of the United States said he regarded as some ``very fine people,'' the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Ku Klux Klansmen who descended on the peaceful community of Charlottesville, Virginia to advocate racism and who were met by peaceful counterprotestors in a clash that the white supremacists turned violent and resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and left injured many other innocent persons who were gathered to affirm the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and to honor the sacrifice of unsung American heroes who devoted their lives to the ongoing quest to continue perfecting our union.

Mr. Speaker, the recent and past statements and actions of the current President of the United States demean the office he holds and falls short of the standard set by the 16th President, whose administration was devoted to unity, healing, and ending racial division.

In his famous March 4, 1861, Inaugural Address, President Abraham Lincoln foretold the reasons why the efforts of the current President of the United States to rend our union are destined to fail:

``We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.''

Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I think it appropriate to share my perspective on immigration and significant and positive impact it has in the development of this, the greatest nation in human history.

Like the Framers did in the summer of 1776, it is fitting that we gather in the nation's capital on a sweltering July day to reflect upon America's long and continuing struggle for justice, equality, and opportunity.

After all, all that any of us wants is an honored place in the American family.

I am often reminded that as I speak there is a family somewhere about to begin a dangerous but hopeful quest.

Somewhere south of the border, maybe across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Laredo, Corpus Christi, or Brownsville or maybe just south of Tucson or San Diego or Douglass, Arizona.

Somewhere there is a family in the Old Country anxiously about to embark on their own journey to the New World of America.

They come for the same reason so many millions came before them, in this century and last, from this continent and from every other.

They come for the same reason families have always come to America: to be free of fear and hunger, to better their condition, to begin their world anew, to give their children a chance for a better life.

Like previous waves of immigrants, they too will wage all and risk all to reach the sidewalks of Houston or Los Angeles or Phoenix or Chicago or Atlanta or Denver or Detroit.

They will risk death in the desert; they will brave the elements, they will risk capture and crime, they will endure separation from loved ones.

And if they make it to the Promised Land of America, no job will be beneath them.

They will cook our food, clean our houses, cut our grass, and care for our kids.

They will be cheated by some and exploited by others.

They work in sunlight but live in twilight, between the shadows; not fully welcome as new Americans but wanted as low-wage workers.

Somewhere near the borders tonight, a family will cross over into the New World, willed by the enduring power of the American Dream.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting H. Res. 489.

All American should take pride in and celebrate the ethnic, racial, and religious diversity that has made the United States the leader of the community of nations and the beacon of hope and inspiration to oppressed persons everywhere.

And in addition to the love and pride Americans justifiably have for their country, all persons in the United States should cherish and exercise the rights, privileges, and responsibilities guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), who is a distinguished member of the Judiciary Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 15 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), who is the distinguished Democratic chair of the Democratic Caucus of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).

The gentleman from California has 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Washington State (Ms. Jayapal).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the way to move forward is by voting ``yes'' on the underlying resolution.

To paraphrase the Declaration of Independence, it is indicated that we all are created equal, with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That is immigrant and nonimmigrant. That is an individual whose religion you believe in and one you do not. That is a lifestyle that you may not know and understand. It may be a race or ethnicity that you have never come to be able to accept.

In this Nation, the founding Thirteen Colonies fleeing persecution were described as creating an experiment. It was not a perfect experiment.

There were some of us who came to this Nation in the bottom of the belly of a slave boat. There were some who were indentured servants. Many came by boat. Some walked across a border that has created havoc. But they were people desperate for freedom and the right to make their lives better.

We can account for those people by the history books and the decades of heroes and sheroes who have come in a different skin, a different religion, a different basis. They have even put on the uniform of this Nation because they love this country.

I am reminded of the era of Dr. Martin Luther King, the many miles he walked with the soldiers, the Civil Rights soldiers, and his early book titled ``Why We Can't Wait.''

I join with the idea that we must work for the American people. We must provide for the increase in the minimum wage, good healthcare, and education.

At the same time, there is something in this Nation that our children demand that we do. What are the values of the red, white, and blue? What are the values of those stars that represent the many States of this Nation? The values are that we are a Nation based upon laws, morality, values, a love of country, due process, equality, and justice. It means that every single person must have the fundamental right of respect.

This resolution is simply that. It is a fundamental right to respect and dignity--in this instance, for four Members of the United States Congress from Boston, from New York, from Minnesota, and from Michigan.

As they go on to their places, it is very clear that they must have the respect that is deserving of this particular Congress.

These four women are no less deserving of dignity than anyone else. This resolution is simply one that is to seek--not condoning, as was said--a condemnation of attitudes that may parlay racist beliefs.

No one stands for that. We cannot go on to all that is good without saying to the Nation and the world that this is not good; it is not America; and we will not accept that as our definition because we do believe in the creation of a more perfect Union.

I conclude by saying that we condemn the hurtful and offensive comments that demean immigrants and people of color, especially if those comments originate from the White House. What we will do today is accept the challenge of Dr. Martin Luther King, a peacemaker, a man of hope, and we will say why we can't wait because the Nation calls upon our higher angels.

That is what we will do when we affirm this resolution on behalf of the people of the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote for this very important resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, as the representative of the 18th Congressional District of Texas, home of the Houston Dash, and a die- hard soccer fan, I rise to commemorate the historic performance of the United States Women's National Soccer Team in the 2019 Women's World Cup.

These women brought honor and glory to our country through their dominant performance in the tournament, defeating a gallant team from The Netherlands, 2-0, in the championship match on July 7, 2019, in Lyon, France.

During this World Cup, the United States Women's National Team set many records, including the most goals scored (26) in a single World Cup.

The United States Women's National Team also set the record for the most goals ever scored in a single match, scoring 13 against Thailand.

This was also the largest margin of victory in World Cup history.

Jill Ellis, the coach of the United States Women's National Team, became the first Women's National Team coach to win two World cup titles, and the first American coach to do so.

Madam Speaker, I wish to congratulate Meghan Rapinoe, Captain of the United States Women's National Team, for winning the Golden Ball Award for the best player in the tournament, and the Golden Boot Award for most goals scored in the least amount of time on the pitch.

I also congratulate team captain Alex Morgan for winning the Silver Boot Award for most goals scored in a longer period of time, and to Rose Lavelle for the Bronze Ball Award for her extraordinary contributions to the success of the American team throughout the tournament.

Madam Speaker, the glory brought to our country by this remarkable cohort of accomplished women could not have occurred had it not been for the passage in 1972 of the landmark Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally-funded educational program or activity.

Title IX has given generations of women and girls the opportunity to participate in many extracurricular programs, but it has especially opened the door for women to participate in athletics.

Title IX also extended the opportunity for women to compete at the next level, on highly-skilled and highly-competitive college teams.

Without Title IX, many women and girls would have been forced to give up their dreams after high school.

The opportunity for women's soccer players to compete at the collegiate level opened the doors for the creation of the Women's National Team.

And, as demonstrated earlier this month in the 2019 World Cup, when given the opportunity to compete, American women will succeed.

Madam Speaker, superior performance should be recognized and rewarded.

In the 2019 World Cup, the United States Women's National Team set the record for winning the most World Cups of any women's team.

The inaugural Women's World Cup occurred in 1991, and since then the United States Women's National Team has won four of the eight tournaments.

Let me repeat that: The United States Women's National Team has won half of all the World Cups in history.

During this same time period, the Men's National Team has not won a single World Cup.

Yet, even after winning the 2019 World Cup, the members of the United States Women's National team will earn $31,000 less than the Men's team, which lost in the first knock-out round in 2014 World Cup and failed even to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

This pay disparity is outrageous and indefensible, and led members of the United States Women's National team to challenge this pay disparity in court action, which is now pending.

Madam Speaker, at a minimum, our women's team should be paid equally for equal work, as is mandated by the Equal Pay Act and other civil rights laws.

In addition, Congress should amend the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to address professional athletics, where women and men compete in the same sports, but play for different teams in different leagues.

Instead, they are receiving inferior pay for superior work.

But despite all of the obstacles they faced, our national team still achieved immortality through their legendary feats in the 2019 Women's World Cup.

I thank all the members of the United States Women's National Team for inspiring the next generation of female athletes to follow their dreams and reach for the stars.

While they are doing that, it is incumbent for us in Congress to do all that is necessary to ensure that this generation of female athletes, and the next, have no barriers preventing them from manifesting the greatness which lies within them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2615, the ``United States-Northern Triangle Enhancement Engagement Act.''

H.R. 2615 supports the people of Central America and strengthens United States national security by addressing the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

H.R. 2615 will provide reports on drivers of migration from the Northern Triangle to the United States and will identify methods for the United States to strengthen fragile democracies in the region.

Thousands of immigrants flee the Northern Triangle to seek asylum and refuge in the United States of America.

The number of asylum seekers worldwide originating from the Northern Triangle reached 110,000 in 2015, a five-fold increase from 2012.

Poverty, corrupt police forces, gang violence, political corruption, and economic instability exacerbate living conditions in the Northern Triangle.

Homicide rates are extremely high for Central American countries; El Salvador is leading the way with a rate of 82.84 per 100,000 persons.

Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans leave their homes in search of physical security, democracy, freedom, and civil liberties .

They look toward the U.S. as a beacon of hope and prosperity, often traveling miles while battling hardships and risks to pursue the American Dream.

This bill seeks to combat corruption among political institutions in the region to reinforce security and lead to the development of civil society.

We must address the origins and the structural causes of migration to address the issues that lead to mass migration to our southern borders.

Our agencies are unequipped and are incapable of meeting the demand of sheltering and processing immigrants who arrive at our ports of entry.

Our nation's security depends on the stability of the Northern Triangle.

We must act to ensure that the countries in this region return to a functioning democracy, free of corruption and violence.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2615 to assist in reestablishing a democratic and peaceful societies in the countries of the Northern Triangle.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 441 which conveys the indignation and concern many of my colleagues and I have regarding the severe delay in the conclusion of and lack of accountability for the July 1994 AMIA Jewish Community Center attacks.

On July 18, 1994, 85 innocent people lost their lives and 300 more were wounded in an act of terror and hate perpetrated against the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA).

This attack came two years after the bombing of the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires which claimed the lives of an additional 29 civilians.

In both instances, there was considerable evidence that linked the attacks to the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, which is supported by the Syrian Arab Republic and is sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In the quarter century since the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, little has been done to bring those responsible, including Iranian officials and their Hezbollah proxies, to justice.

Those charged with bringing the attackers to justice have unfortunately been made victims themselves or since been found to have undermined and misled their investigations into the attacks.

Alberto Nisman, one of the original prosecutors that formally accused the Government of Iran of directing the bombing, was also critical of the Government of Argentina's response to the 1994 AMIA bombing.

Nisman alleged that there was a conspiracy among high-ranking Argentinian government officials, including then-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, to cover up Iranian involvement.

Unfortunately, Nisman was shot in the head in his apartment the day before he was scheduled to present new findings to the Argentinian Congress.

Other individuals responsible for investigating the AMIA bombing, Argentina's deadliest terrorist attack, have since been convicted by an Argentine court for interfering with the official inquiry and diverting the investigation away from the truth.

As a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, I urge my fellow colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 441 and in condemning what has been a systemic failure to carry out justice for the victims of the July 18, 1994 terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 432, a resolution ``Condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters and supporting an immediate peaceful transition to a civilian-led democratic government in Sudan.''

H. Res. 432 is a bipartisan resolution calling on the Sudanese government to transition power to a civilian led government, to respect democratic principles, and to end all violence against its citizens.

Since the ousting of President Al-Bashir on April 11, 2019 the Transitional Military Council (TMC) has seized power halting the proposed transition to a representative democracy.

On June 3, 2019 multiple peaceful protesters were killed in Sudan as the Sudanese government continues to perpetuate violence against its own people.

Protests in Sudan continue, however, as the Sudanese people call for a transition from a military ruling council to true democratic governance.

It is critical for the United States Congress to stand with the women and men advocating and speaking up for the Sudanese people.

I applaud the efforts and sacrifices pro-democracy activists have made and they ought to know that the United States fully supports their desire for freedom and peace, and strongly condemns the violent and oppressive tactics of the Transitional Military Council.

When enacted, H. Res. 432 will lay out areas where the Sudanese government must improve if it wants to continue a productive engagement with the United States, including political reform and a respect for human rights.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 432 to confront these atrocities we have seen in Sudan which pose a strong threat the democratic values we work to protect.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 345, in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day.

This resolution recognizes widening threats to freedoms of the press and expression around the world, affirms the centrality of a free and independent press to the health of democracy, and holds freedom of the press as a central principle in promoting democracy, human rights, and good governance in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2019.

In this resolution, the House of Representatives:

Expresses concern about threats to freedom of the press and free expression around the world on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day;

commends journalists and media workers around the world, despite threats to their safety, for their essential role in--

promoting government accountability;

defending democratic activity; and

strengthening civil society;

pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives carrying out their work;

calls on governments abroad to implement United Nations General Assembly Resolution 163 (2013), by thoroughly investigating and seeking to resolve outstanding cases of violence against journalists, including murders and kidnappings, while ensuring the protection of witnesses.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 345 also condemns all actions around the world which suppress freedom of the press; and recognizes the importance of a free and independent press in supporting democracy, mitigating conflict, and promoting good governance around the world.

Finally, the resolution calls on the President and the Secretary of State:

To preserve and build upon the leadership of the United States on issues relating to freedom of the press, on the basis of the protections afforded the American people under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States;

to improve the rapid identification, publication, and response by the United States Government to threats against freedom of the press around the world;

to urge foreign governments to transparently investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against journalists; and

to highlight the issue of threats against freedom of the press in the annual country reports on human rights practices of the Department of State and through diplomatic channels.

I stand in strong support of this resolution and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to pass H. Res. 345, to commemorate the importance of World Press Freedom Day.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1649, the ``Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2019.''

H.R. 1649 calls for the establishment of a cyber counseling certification program, or the approval of a similar existing program, to certify the employees of lead business development centers to provide cyber planning assistance to small business concerns.

Cyber strategy refers to the necessary resources and tactics that assist in planning for cybersecurity and defending against cyber risks and cyber attacks.

Technology becomes more advanced every day, and cyber threats follow that same trend, making them increasingly difficult to predict and prevent.

Cyber attacks have cost companies with robust cybersecurity programs millions of dollars, and small businesses are no exception.

Yet, small businesses often lack the resources available to larger companies and corporations, making them especially vulnerable to such attacks.

A recent Ponemon study found that nearly 70 percent of all small businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2017, while nearly half admitted to having no understanding of how to protect their company against a cyber attack.

Additionally, another study by Hiscox found that less than 20 percent of small businesses said they were confident in their cybersecurity readiness, and barely half had a clearly defined cybersecurity strategy at all.

Due to the vulnerability of small business operations, we need extensive measures to identify, analyze, and alleviate threats of cyberattacks.

This bill ensures that there are at least 5 or 10 percent of the total number of employees within a small business development center who are certified in providing cyber planning assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1649 to protect the cybersecurity networks and facilitate cybersecurity training within our nation's small businesses.