Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, my guest for the State of the Union tomorrow will be Ms. Annette Watts of Warren, Ohio, the mother of Brittany Watts.

Last year, Brittany Watts dealt with a common medical problem. She had a miscarriage. Instead of receiving care, she was charged with a crime.

Mr. Speaker, this is because of the cynical, sinister, violent, vicious, blatant, barbaric, callous, and cruel agenda to deny women their rights--their right to IVF, to contraception, to miscarriage care, and, yes, the right to an abortion.

One in three women live in States that have passed abortion bans and now face health issues far more dangerous than the procedure itself, like maternal sepsis. In addition, Black women, like Brittany, are on the front line. We are more likely to miscarry, more likely to need an abortion, more likely to die during pregnancy, and, yes, more likely to be targeted.

It is time to restore rights rather than restrict them. We must pass the Women's Health Protection Act because everyone deserves access to reproductive care.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can bring up this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick. I thank our CBC colleagues for speaking tonight on this important topic and for the incredible work they do on so many issues impacting our communities.

National Diabetes Month is a call to action. It is a call to action to invest in our people, invest in our neighborhoods, and invest in public health and medical research. It is a call to take the simple and direct actions that are often right in front of us.

Just a few weeks ago, President Biden declared November to be National Diabetes Month.

While diabetes is truly a widespread problem, it is also a disease that shows some of the deeper sickness of America's history. Roughly one in eight Black Americans has diabetes, and nearly 40 percent of the population that doesn't have diabetes is already prediabetic. It is not just an older person's disease.

In the last two decades, the prevalence of diabetes among people under 20 who are Black and Hispanic Americans has increased by 95 percent.

Mr. Speaker, when you add it all up, Black Americans are 60 percent more likely than White Americans to have diabetes.

In Cuyahoga County, which I represent, the Black diabetes rate is 25 percent. For Whites, it is 7 percent. When the CDC released the Census tract data, it showed there were neighborhoods in Cleveland where the diabetes rate was nearly 40 percent.

We aren't just more likely to have this disease; it is also hitting Black people much harder. Nationwide, we are two-and-one-half times more likely to be hospitalized by diabetes than White Americans, and we are twice as likely to die from diabetes.

There is a lot that is broken here, and it doesn't have to be this way. Three years ago, as a member of the Cuyahoga County Council, I helped lead the effort to pass a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis, and diabetes is one of the indicators we pointed to. It has so many systemic and structural factors: the legacies of Jim Crow and slavery, poverty and a lack of opportunity, denied access to healthcare, and a lack of doctors and nurses from our community who can hear us and listen to us. There are so

many different factors all coming together to produce a disparate impact.

In so many ways, this is the same story we see repeated with Black maternal health and other racial health disparities.

Unfortunately, with diabetes rates this high, it is having a cascade effect on our overall well-being because diabetes is expensive, chronic, and potentially deadly.

We just saw this with the pandemic. Four in 10 adults who died from COVID-19 also had diabetes.

Nonetheless, step one is identifying the problem, and that is why we are here this evening. Step two is action. We have real progress to celebrate thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which established a $35 per month cap on insulin costs for those on Medicare. In response to the IRA, Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies also announced price caps and price reductions for people with non-Medicare insurance.

Not a single Republican in either Chamber voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. Nevertheless, Democrats in Congress and the Biden-Harris administration stepped forward to deliver anyway.

Just about every week, there is another effort by House Republicans to repeal some part of it, but the IRA is here to stay. Black Americans are benefiting from this law. The IRA is lowering healthcare costs for seniors across the country and saving many of our constituents hundreds of dollars a year.

While the data around diabetes is alarming, the Inflation Reduction Act shows that we don't have to accept the unacceptable. We have a lot more work to do to address diabetes and public health disparities more broadly. The stark disparities with diabetes were centuries in the making. We can't change that past, but we can build a better future.

We need to make healthcare more affordable, from drugs and treatment to coverage. We also need to ensure that healthcare providers look like America and look like the communities they serve. We need to help train the next generation of Black medical professionals. We need to invest in SNAP and WIC so people can afford healthy food. We need to invest in and fully fund NIH and CDC efforts to study diabetes and treat diabetes so we can improve care.

The budget fight we have been fighting for the past 6 months shows where each party is aligned and whose side they are on. If we cut funding for SNAP, push more people off Medicaid, continue to cut investments in public health, and forbid every Federal agency from even using the words ``equity, diversity, and inclusion,'' then we know exactly what will happen and who will suffer.

The stakes are clear, and my CBC colleagues and I are going to keep fighting for our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, let's fight diabetes and help every American live a healthy life.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick for leading a Special-Order Hour on July 25 to discuss the impact of gun violence on Black communities.

As members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we have an obligation to speak out

on behalf of our constituents, and an obligation to work towards a more just society for everyone.

And this Special Order is so important because gun violence is devastating our communities. The conservative Supreme Court and radical state legislatures have weakened our gun safety laws and Black families in Black neighborhoods are paying the price.

My district is not immune. In Cleveland earlier this month, 9 people were shot in a mass shooting. Gun violence is leaving trauma, fear, and pain across Northeast Ohio. The party that likes to talk about freedom, has left my constituents in fear, unable to enjoy everyday activities without the fear of gun violence.

And I am a licensed gun owner. But I fully support gun safety legislation, including an assault weapons ban, creating universal background checks, closing dangerous loopholes and more. Because I have the audacity to believe that my constituents deserve to feel safe.

Finally, I want to stress that we can't give up hope.

Large majorities of the American people want us to act. And last year, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. That's right, it was bipartisan. And we were able to strengthen background checks and impose new penalties on illegal purchases.

That's why we have to continue to speak out and continue to work the legislative process. We owe our constituents nothing less.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick for leading this Special-Order Hour.

The Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action is a disaster for the Black and Brown young people that I represent in Northeast Ohio. It's a disaster for underserved communities across the country. And frankly, it's a terrible outcome for the entire Nation, because diverse schools are better schools, for all students. This is a ruling that denies the reality of our past and undermines our Nation's future. And we need to be upfront about what this ruling will mean for real people.

Because of this ruling, there are going to be drastically fewer Black and Brown students admitted to the Nation's most selective schools. Because of this ruling, the Nation's top schools, the schools that feed into power, influence, and wealth--are going to be whiter. So, let's be real: this ruling is a lot of things--but it's not about fairness. Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honor of hosting HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in Cleveland and introducing him to students and faculty at Lincoln-West High School.

At Lincoln-West, we have the only high school in the country located inside a hospital--and the students are doing incredible things. They're shadowing doctors and nurses, interning at MetroHealth hospital, and earning certifications at a very young age.

During our visit to Lincoln-West's facilities at MetroHealth, we met with recent graduates Tavion Lindsey and Khandah Abdullah. These talented young people impressed us deeply, introducing themselves and describing the program and their experience seamlessly with multiple members of Congress, a member of the Cabinet, and the President of the hospital. Tavion and Khandah demonstrate how this program at Lincoln- West is instilling understanding, confidence, and expertise in its students.

Mr. Speaker, Lincoln-West is in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, which is nearly 80 percent Black or Hispanic, and where a majority of students are from low-income households. The success of this innovative hospital program shows students can do so much--if they're given a chance. And Mr. Speaker, that's why this ruling cut so deep. I think of all the brilliant minds in my district and across America who are going to be denied opportunities because of this shameful and ignorant ruling. We owe it to those young people to keep fighting, keep working, and keep speaking out.

We must support schools and students and teachers in every zip code, and we must make higher education more affordable. We must invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and support the students that attend them. Finally, we must build a more inclusive economy, with programs and policies that are equitable.

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court may have decided to ignore centuries of slavery, centuries of discrimination, centuries of inequality--but I have not. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, because we understand that this ruling is a setback, but that it is also a call to action. We must keep fighting for an America where all people can thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 90th birthday of Mr. Zeddie Coley, a remarkable member of the OH-11 community.

Mr. Coley was born in Albany, Georgia in 1933 and graduated from Monroe High School is 1950. He earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1953 from Albany State College, where he also became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. In 1974, he completed his master's degree in education from Cleveland State University. After receiving his formal education, Mr. Coley served in the United States Army.

Mr. Coley was married to Shirley Ann Jackson (1932-2019) for 68 years and together they have two daughters, Carma Coley (Warrensville Hts.) and Cynthia Coley-Anderson (Chicago), both retired teachers. He is the proud grandfather of five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. Coley began his teaching career in 1955 in the Cleveland Public Schools system as a fourth-grade teacher at Wade Park Elementary. Moving forward, he continued his career in the East Cleveland City Schools as a science teacher, retiring as an administrator in 1984. He continues to maintain contact with many of the students he has taught throughout the years.

Since 1964, Mr. Coley has lived in the Lee-Harvard Community. There, he served as an active member of the Harvard Community Services Center, a member of their Board of Trustees for 27 years and as president of the Walden Avenue Street Club for 30 years. In addition, he served as an Education Association Committee Chairperson. During his tenure, he was active in hiring several principals in the Lee Harvard area schools and spear-headed the track and field stadium renovation committee for John F. Kennedy High School. Mr. Coley has received numerous honors-- Harvard Community Services Center's Lifetime Achievement Award, Senior of the Year for Ward 1, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Black Diamonds Award, John F. Kennedy's Community Volunteer Award, and the Neighborhood Leadership Award, to name a few.

He has been an active member of the East Zion Baptist Church for over 60 years. As an avid gardener. he takes pride in harvesting vegetables to share with his neighbors. When asked what he loves most about Cleveland, he says, ``Cleveland gave me my wife, which makes me love it the most.''

Happy birthday to Mr. Coley.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my wonderful colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this session tonight.

I join them today in recognizing the significant contributions of Black women to the advancement of the equal rights amendment.

Of the more than 12,000 Americans who have served in Congress, only 58 have been Black women. Remarkably, despite our historic and continuous small number among the Members of the House, Black women have often been the driving force behind significant policy shifts that have paved the way for change.

Among those achievements are landmark bills like the equal rights amendment, championed by Black women since its inception. A hero of many Americans inside and outside Capitol Grounds, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was a relentless advocate for equal rights in America. Nicknamed ``Fighting Shirley,'' she stood on this very floor in her first term and decreed that the ERA was destined to become the law of the land. Today, we honor her legacy by advocating for the long-overdue ratification of the ERA.

Congresswoman Chisholm did not stand alone in her fight for equal rights. From educator and activist Mary Church Terrell in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to Congresswoman Barbara Jordan in the 1970s, Black advocates for women's suffrage helped drive the ERA forward.

In recent years, we have seen leaders fight for State ratification of the ERA, including our newest colleague, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who along with two Black female colleagues--State Representative Jennifer Carroll Foy and fellow State Senator Mamie Locke--led the final charge that resulted in Virginia being the 38th State to ratify the amendment in 2020.

That legacy lives on, as my colleagues in the 118th Congress maintain and build on the work of our predecessors. With Representative Pressley's efforts to remove the constitutional deadline for ratification and Representative Bush's leadership of the first-ever Congressional ERA Caucus, we are closer to ratification than ever before.

I stand in awe of the power, strength, and contributions of these trailblazers and icons, both past and present.

As we continue the fight today, it is an honor to walk alongside my Democratic Women's Caucus colleagues to enshrine the ERA in the Constitution, continuing the legacy work started by the Black women who came before me.

Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm envisioned the ERA as the law of the land

in 1969. She once said she wanted to be remembered as a woman who dared to be a catalyst of change, and she will always be known as just that.

Like our ancestors Terrell, Chisholm, Jordan, and more, Black women will continue to help lead the charge, but we cannot do it alone.

To my colleagues who have yet to join us in championing equal rights, I say to you: Dare to become a catalyst of change with us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today ahead of National Entrepreneurship Week and during Black History Month to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable contributions of Black business owners.

Entrepreneurship drives economic growth and creates jobs, yet too few Black businesses have the capital and connections to start and scale successful companies, contributing to the racial wealth gap through entrepreneurial inequity.

Here are the facts. Of the 6 million employer businesses in the U.S., just 130,000 are Black owned, barely more than 2 percent.

My district's entrepreneurs are helping drive our region and Nation's economy forward, and I will share their stories as we celebrate Black Americans' past and present achievements.

That includes people like Kanisha Harwell, owner of Balance Cheer and Gymnastics in my hometown of Warrensville Heights. Kanisha started her gym after experiencing the lack of support for diversity in gymnastics, taking on multiple jobs to fund the creation of an inclusive environment for Black athletes.

Minority entrepreneurs are a vital asset to our economy, and I urge my colleagues to work with me to build a more equitable economy for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to emphasize the importance of closing the disposable e-cigarette loophole to continue our progress in reducing youth e-cigarette use.

The danger disposable e-cigarettes pose to our young people cannot be underestimated. Currently, it is estimated that more than 700,000 middle and high school students vape on a daily basis--more than 700,000.

Use of disposable e-cigarettes by our youth has increased by more than 2,000 percent since 2019. Although disguised with flavors like apple and strawberry, the truth is that a single e-cigarette can have the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

A loophole left by the previous administration excludes e-cigarettes and disposable e-cigarette products from the tobacco flavoring guidelines, which are at the heart of this epidemic.

Closing the Trump-era loophole will ensure the flavor ban applies to disposable e-cigarettes. Keeping America's youth safe and healthy depends on it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the extremists in this Chamber to stop playing political chess with the lives of working people and families.

In 2021, 85 percent of Americans over the age of 50 opposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare to reduce the national debt.

Clearly, the economic scheme proposed by the GOP is in direct opposition to the people's will: slashing Social Security and Medicare for the working class while giving tax breaks to the wealthy.

The GOP scheme also proposes a ridiculous 30 percent--yes, 30 percent--national sales tax, a huge setback for working families, increasing the cost of everyday essentials and raising gas prices.

As if that wasn't enough, this scheme is holding the reputation of our Nation hostage to extremist demands for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats stand with the people. Dismantling Medicare and Social Security will never be up for debate.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Grijalva for his leadership and for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7618, a bipartisan bill to recognize the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial as a national memorial.

H.R. 7618 was unanimously voted out of the House Natural Resources Committee on July 20, 2022, and its bipartisan Senate companion, S. 4121, led by Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, favorably passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on July 21, 2022.

Mr. Speaker, this bill recognizes and honors a memorial in my district with a remarkable history. In 1961, surviving victims of the Holocaust erected the Kol Israel Memorial, dedicating it to the 6 million Jewish victims of the Nazi regime, its allies, and collaborators.

From 1939 to 1945, the Holocaust touched all corners of Jewish life from east to west, from Africa to Northern Europe. Thriving Jewish life in mainland Europe was decimated. The genocide wiped out entire Jewish communities, villages, and towns in a campaign that Nazis carried out with ruthless precision. They did so with mass shootings, concentration camps, and death camps like none the world had ever seen.

The trauma, pain, and suffering inflicted on the Jewish community were not confined to their side of the Atlantic. Many members of our American Jewish community were touched by profound loss, and survivors found refuge in many communities across the United States.

One such group of survivors made its way to northeast Ohio, putting down roots in Bedford Heights, a thriving part of Ohio's 11th Congressional District. They never forgot the horrors of the past and began planning a memorial to the 6 million as early as 1959, only 14 years after the end of the Second World War.

Since the memorial's dedication on May 28, 1961, survivors and their families have continuously cared for what is likely the oldest memorial of its kind in the United States.

On the memorial's exterior walls, the survivors engraved the names of their family members and loved ones. At the foot of the monument, the survivors also buried firsthand artifacts and keepsakes and ashes of victims from three concentration camps.

Given its historical significance, the Kol Israel Memorial deserves to be recognized by Congress. Designating the site as a national memorial ensures that future generations understand the true legacy of a very dark chapter in history.

This legislation comes at no cost to taxpayers and does not establish the memorial as a unit of the National Park Service. The Kol Israel Foundation will retain oversight and responsibility for the memorial, as it has for six decades.

Members of the Ohio community, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, the Ohio General Assembly, and prominent local and national stakeholders, have all supported efforts to recognize the Kol Israel Memorial.

The bill also enjoys wide support from a coalition of organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Jewish Committee.

I thank all the cosponsors of this legislation, including our seven co-leads from both sides of the aisle: Representatives Kaptur, Ryan, Beatty, Joyce, Balderson, Gonzalez, and Carey. They, too, have a deep understanding of the importance of the Kol Israel Memorial and this legislation, particularly at a time of rising anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world.

Let me take one moment, Mr. Speaker, to speak about the dangers of Holocaust denial and distortion. Last night on ``60 Minutes,'' we watched in shock and disgust as the President of Iran denied the existence of the Holocaust and pretended to seek more information on its veracity.

Today, let us all speak in a loud and clear voice: The Holocaust happened. It was devastating. We must work every

day to remember so that we may honestly say ``never again.''

I am honored to represent one of the country's most celebrated Jewish communities, which happens to reside in Ohio's 11th Congressional District. Now is our opportunity to honor the victims of the Holocaust who call this country home and remember their bravery, dedication, and everlasting legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my House colleagues for taking swift action on H.R. 7618 so we may send a strong signal of support for our Jewish community.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, House Democrats have been fighting to lower costs for hardworking American families every day. From the gas pump to the grocery store checkout lines, we have reclaimed our commitment to our mission of creating a fair and balanced economy where Americans can thrive, and our efforts are starting to pay off in some areas.

For example, gas prices continue to drop across the Nation, which leaves a little more money in the pockets of American families, allowing them to spend more on necessities like putting food on the table.

We have passed a series of bills to lower everyday costs for Americans, including the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act and the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act.

However, we need more.

We must continue to put people over politics and pass more comprehensive legislation to help Americans thrive.

Madam Speaker, our Nation thrives because of the strength of our families, and when our families succeed, our economy succeeds.

For this reason alone, Congress must continue to pass powerful bipartisan legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act.

The act demonstrates our commitment to putting money back in the pockets of Americans. It addresses critical issues like inflation and strengthening domestic supply chains in ways that could impact our economy and national security for generations to come.

The stresses of the last 2 years took a huge toll on our country. However, recent progress, including a growing job market, and declining costs of some critical goods and services prove that we are on the right track.

Voting for the CHIPS and Science Act will help ensure we ease the financial burden carried by American families and boost our economy because a Nation's backbone is its family. When they thrive, America thrives.

Madam Speaker, when President Biden took office, we wasted no time getting to work to rebuild a devastated economy.

From the Build Back Better Act to the American Rescue Plan, we have taken bold steps to make possible the incredible economic progress we see today. Progress that made the United States the first major economy in the world to recover and exceed prepandemic levels of its GDP, and 2021 saw the most jobs created in American history, while keeping 3.7 million children out of poverty.

Whether it is more good-paying jobs or the cost of groceries and gas, our goal remains the same, to create a balanced economy so that Americans can thrive.

Together with President Biden, we are fighting every day to make it a reality.

Mr. Speaker, imagine waking up one morning to a sharp, debilitating pain ripping through your lower abdomen that is so excruciating it brings you to your knees, then going to your doctor seeking relief, only to be told that while the medicine exists, because of a new anti-contraception law, you will simply have to endure; endure the unbearable pain that is so all-consuming it limits your daily activities.

By threatening access to contraception, this is the new reality extremists propose for tens of thousands of Americans.

Americans who rely on contraceptives to manage health challenges like menstrual cramps, hormone imbalance, and even acne, are now grappling with the fear of no access as the far right continues its war on reproductive healthcare.

Today, I proudly voted for the Right to Contraception Act because all Americans should have the right to access and use birth control, regardless of the reason why.

Madam Speaker, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, I have been overwhelmed with powerful testimonies from my colleagues, family, and friends about their reproductive health journeys.

They have shared their fears and concerns for their daughters, granddaughters, and nieces now living in a post-Roe America. They offered firsthand, intimate accounts detailing some of their personal and sometimes painful experiences, wanting me to know

how critical it is for Congress to make Roe the law of the land.

These moving, shared memories spoke of very private life situations, from sexual assault to personal family planning decisions. Yet, they still told me in hopes of uniting in our fight against attacks by far- right extremists, extremists who are determined to strip women of their reproductive rights and criminalize abortion care in all 50 States.

To these women, I say thank you. Thank you for your bravery, your honesty, and your courage. Your stories were not told in vain and will serve as inspiration to continue our fight to protect, defend, and restore the right to decide.

Madam Speaker, a woman's fundamental healthcare decisions are hers alone to make and should never be mandated by politicians.

This week, I stand proudly with my fellow House Democrats to reaffirm my support, and I will vote for the Right to Contraception Act.

Reproductive healthcare should be available to everyone regardless of where they live. This week, we are another step closer to restoring critical access for all.