Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the horrifying reality is that, in a matter of weeks, we could live in a post-Roe country, a country where women no longer have the fundamental right to make decisions about their own bodies; a country where women no longer have control over when and how to start a family; a country where women will suddenly face government interference in their personal lives, their privacy, and their freedom.

Overturning Roe will not eliminate the need for abortion; it will simply eliminate access to safe, legal abortion care. And it will take the worst toll on poor women, women of color, and others who already face countless barriers to healthcare.

Decisions about a woman's body are deeply personal. They should not be controlled by politicians. Every person, no matter where they live, how much money they make, or what they look like, deserves the right to make their own decisions about their health, life, and future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Library Week.

Libraries are the cornerstone of our communities. They provide access to knowledge and services. They expose us to ideas and information that help us better understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us. They connect our children to literature, media, and tutoring services. During the pandemic, they have played a critical role in ensuring access to the internet and technology.

I am so grateful for the exceptional libraries in my district, from the Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Cleveland Public Library to the Akron-Summit County Public Library, and all the libraries in between. I am grateful for their dedicated library workers who support northeast Ohioans from all walks of life.

This National Library Week, I thank our libraries and librarians for all they do to support an informed, connected community. I urge my colleagues to support robust funding for these centers of learning and opportunity.

Madam Speaker, put simply: insulin is too expensive for millions of Americans.

Here are the facts: From 2014 to 2019, the average retail price of insulin rose by 54 percent. And in America, people pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to other countries.

What is the result of these high prices? Around one in four Americans who rely on insulin have cut back or skipped doses due to costs.

No person should have to choose between paying rent or buying the insulin they need to survive. And no person should be forced to skip or ration doses.

Last week, the House passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month. Insulin is a lifesaving drug, but it must never be a wallet-wrecking drug.

We must continue to work to lower costs for families everywhere from the pharmacy counter to the gas pump.

Mr. Speaker, today the House will take a historic step toward restoring American manufacturing leadership by voting to go to conference on the COMPETES Act.

This bold bill makes much-needed investments in research, innovation, and manufacturing that will ensure America can outcompete any nation in the world now and for decades to come.

The package will accelerate domestic production of semiconductor chips, the key component of everything from cars and computers to communications and clean energy systems. It will strengthen the supply chain to make more goods in America. It will create jobs and support new skill-building apprenticeship programs, and it will support strong labor and environmental standards.

What's more, the bill and its provisions have received bipartisan support, both here in the House and over in the Senate. You heard that right, Congress is delivering investments that will prepare our country for the next generation of success.

Madam Speaker, last year, we achieved the best year of job creation in history.

The bipartisan infrastructure law will build on this historic growth, putting Americans to work, rebuilding our roads, bridges, water systems, and more. And the COMPETES Act, which invests in American research, innovation, and manufacturing will capitalize on this investment in our infrastructure and ensure the technologies of the future are made right here in America.

The COMPETES Act will accelerate the production of semiconductors. It will strengthen our supply chain. It will boost our scientific leadership. And it will support good-paying domestic manufacturing jobs. Intel's recent $20 billion investment in a new computer chip plant in Ohio shows the path to the future.

As President Biden said in his State of the Union, it is time to bury the term ``Rust Belt.'' With the COMPETES Act, we can make more in America. And I know Ohio workers stand ready to lead the American manufacturing comeback.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the CROWN Act. This long-overdue legislation would finally ban hair discrimination in schools, in the workplace, and in other public spaces.

No worker should be denied employment because of their natural hair. No child should be sent home from school because they choose to wear protective hairstyles like Bantu knots or braids.

Discrimination against Black hair has been and always will be a form of racism. Every person deserves to be their true, authentic self, and crowns of all types should be embraced.

I was proud to wear braids on the day of my swearing-in, just as I am proud to wear braids as I speak on the House floor today.

It is time to end hair discrimination in America. It is time to pass the CROWN Act.

Madam Speaker, in just the last few weeks, Congress has sent a number of critical bills to President Biden's desk.

This includes legislation to finally make lynching a Federal hate crime, after more than 200 attempts across a century.

It includes sweeping legislation to reform and repair the Postal Service, ensuring every American gets their mail on time.

And it includes the government funding bill signed into law by the President today. The law reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, sends critical aid to Ukraine, cuts childcare and education costs for families, supports our veterans, launches President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, and so much more.

What is more, this flurry of activity comes on top of the historic bipartisan infrastructure law.

Together with President Biden, we are delivering results for the people--results not rhetoric, solutions not sound bites, headway not headlines.

Madam Speaker, 1 year ago this Friday, amid the darkest days of the pandemic, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. It got shots in arms and money in pockets. It helped families keep roofs over their heads and food on their tables. It helped schools reopen safely and kept small businesses afloat.

The American Rescue Plan laid the foundation for last year's unprecedented growth. More than 7 million jobs were created, the economy grew at the fastest rate in four decades and a record 5.4 million small businesses were started.

We still have work to do to lower costs for families, but we are stronger this year than we were last year thanks to the American Rescue Plan, and we will be stronger next year than we are this year thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Equitable growth, more jobs, better infrastructure, that is what I call building a better America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Candice Eberhardt, who recently made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead the Akron-Cleveland Association of Realtors, also known as ACAR, across its 100-year existence.

Throughout her 20 years in realty, Ms. Eberhardt has held many titles: youngest minority real estate broker in Akron, emerging leader, and entrepreneur. Now, she adds one more: glass ceiling breaker.

I am most grateful for the ways Ms. Eberhardt gives back to our community. She helps to develop young agents. She speaks to community groups about homeownership. She has held key roles in local government. She serves as the Akron NAACP housing chair, and she mentors high school students.

Through her impressive career and considerable contributions, Ms. Eberhardt has paved a path that more Black women in northeast Ohio will follow. I would like to congratulate Ms. Eberhardt on her new role and thank her for serving as a trailblazer, a change-maker, and a role model in northeast Ohio.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and also the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres) for hosting this Special Order hour. I would like to thank my sister Chair Beatty and all my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues for their continued work to shine a spotlight on racial health disparities.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.'' Madam Speaker, what was true in Dr. King's time continues to be true in our own. Communities of color have long experienced inadequate access to healthcare, housing, healthy food, and economic opportunity.

These inequalities independently, and working together, increase the prevalence of a host of dangerous health conditions, including diabetes, asthma, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

One of the most shocking examples of health inequity is our Nation's maternal and infant mortality crisis. Infants born to Black mothers are nearly twice as likely to die compared to those born to White mothers. Continuing after birth, minority Americans face far higher rates of illness and death from an array of conditions.

And what does this lead to, you might ask? Well, I am glad you did. Black Americans have a life expectancy that is 4 years--I repeat, 4 years--shorter than White Americans.

The COVID pandemic's disproportionate impact on minority Americans exacerbated and exposed these disparities and the underlying inequalities driving them. Black and Brown Americans have faced far higher rates of hospitalization and death during the pandemic, and a growing body of research confirms what we have suspected--no, what we have known, what we have known for years--and that is there is an undeniable link between historical racism and the present-day medical health problems Black Americans face.

Health disparities that disproportionately impact Black Americans, from heart disease to maternal and infant mortality, are not merely an aberration. No, they are a direct result of structural, systemic, and institutional racism that has been passed down from generation to generation.

To build a healthier America for all, we must address the generational injustices that drive the racial inequities we continue to see today. That is why I was proud to declare racism as a public health crisis as a county council member, and that is why I am proud to work today with my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to improve health outcomes for minority Americans and to address injustice in healthcare and throughout our society.

As Dr. King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. That is our power and our message.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my friend.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Payne for those remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, last night President Biden delivered a powerful speech on the state of our Union in this very Chamber. He outlined the historic achievements of the past year and spoke directly to the American people about his vision to continue building a better America.

Despite the progress we have seen, too many of our fellow Americans still cannot make ends meet. Too many families are struggling to afford rising food, childcare, housing, and gas prices. And too many of our neighbors remain locked out of the promise of America.

I stand with President Biden in his call to continue building our economy from the bottom up and the middle out. It is time to lower costs for families by reducing prescription drug prices, expanding access to affordable healthcare, and investing in pre-kindergarten education.

It is time to increase pay by raising the minimum wage and protecting the right to organize. And, yes, it is time to extend the child tax credit.

Last night, I was honored to host Shaneice Ball of Cleveland as my guest for the State of the Union. As a State-tested nursing assistant and a mom of three with one on the way, Shaneice is the epitome of resilience, tenacity, and the American people's ability to persevere through tough times.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams, who passed away peacefully on January 19, 2022. I extend my sincerest condolences to her daughter, Donna, her extended family and friends, and all who knew and loved her.

Born in Louisville in 1918, Dr. Williams made remarkable contributions to academia, the church, and her community across her inspiring 103-year life. Her trailblazing legacy is a testament not only to the progress of America but also to the ability of bold individuals--specifically brave Black women--to drive the change they wish to seek.

Across her decades-long teaching career at HBCUs, including Ohio's own Wilberforce University, Dr. Williams made key contributions to rhetorical studies, a field long dominated by the study of white male orators. In fact, her dissertation on Thurgood Marshall's Arguments before the Supreme Court in the Public School Segregation controversy was published in 1959 by the Ohio State University, where she was earning her Ph.D.

In addition to her academic career, Dr. Williams was a lifelong member of the A.M.E. church. While remaining active in her local church, Dr. Williams served as a board member of the National Council of Churches and later as editor of The A.M.E. Church Review, the oldest African American literary journal. She also helped to break glass ceilings by supporting Vashti McKenzie's election as the first female A.M.E. bishop.

A tireless community activist, Dr. Williams moved from early involvement in the civil rights movement to later serving as a member of the NAACP's Executive Committee. In 1999, she received the organization's Presidential Award for her critical contributions.

Dr. Williams' legacy of service, activism and education will live on through the students, colleagues and countless individuals she touched. Her commitment to doing her part to advance justice and equality for women and people of color serves as a shining example for us all.

Today, may we honor the memory of Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams, a loving wife, an impactful educator, a committed community activist, and a lifelong church leader.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for an extension of the critical child tax credit.

Here is the truth: Before expiring at the end of 2021, the expanded child tax credit was working. Payments lowered hunger. They kept nearly 4 million children out of poverty. And they helped countless people make ends meet.

The child tax credit was a critical lifeline for more than 35 million American families. This includes more than 70,000 in my district, which has some of the highest poverty in America.

Shaneice, a mother of three from Cleveland, used the payments to pay rent and afford basic necessities. But now, 2 months after the payments stopped, Shaneice says she is just getting by, and she is looking for side jobs to support her family.

It is time to extend the child tax credit. We cannot--we must not-- let families down.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight how the bipartisan infrastructure law will accelerate last year's record job growth.

In Cleveland and Akron, more than 50 percent of roads have pavement in poor condition. The infrastructure law will help to repave these roads and reduce commute times. The law allows public transit agencies like the RTA and Akron Metro in my district to replace outdated vehicles, build new garages, and expand services.

Ohio has more lead pipes than almost every other State in the country. The infrastructure law will help to ensure every child and family in our region has access to safe drinking water. The law will expand access to safe drinking water, and the law will expand access to high-speed internet to the roughly 30 percent of Cleveland households that currently lack it.

These projects will create thousands of jobs across our State, jobs that come on the heels of last year's record economic job growth. In 2021, we had the greatest year of job creation in history. Unemployment is down, and wages are rising.

Make no mistake, the Biden agenda is creating jobs and delivering results, real results, for the people.

Thank you to the co-leaders, Barbara Lee and Sheila Jackson Lee, my sisters and colleagues.

Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, I rise today to join my CBC colleagues and my CBC sisters in honoring the life and trailblazing legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

Before me, it was her. Before my predecessor, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, it was her. Before the record-setting number of 27 Black women in Congress today, it was her.

My career in public service rests on the shoulders and the contributions of the iconic Shirley Chisholm. In 1969 she became a political pioneer and shattered racial and gender barriers by becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Her signature slogan, ``unbought and unbossed,'' spoke to her audacity, her sheer sense of will, and her fearlessness in the face of established norms and institutions. And it spoke to her rise as the people's politician, someone willing to speak up and speak out for those embattled by poverty, discrimination, and injustice.

In Congress, she fought for low-income families, for hungry schoolchildren, and for single moms. She was critical to the creation of the national school lunch program. She was critical to the growth of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, and she was critical to the creation of the Women, Infants, and Children's program, known as WIC. Then, as now, these programs reduce the hunger facing American children and families. Today I am proud to carry forth her legacy by fighting for their expansion.

Fifty years ago, Shirley Chisholm made history once again by becoming the first African American and the first woman to run for President. But more than being a mere political first, Shirley Chisholm is best remembered for her grit, her willingness to push on the pedal of progress, and her ability to not just see America for what it is, but for what it could be.

Chisholm understood the challenges women, particularly Black women, were facing in America, and she created a path for women like me. She passed the baton, and now it is up to us to continue the race.