Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose this resolution, a deeply partisan, messaging tactic from House Republicans who are more focused on inflaming divisions in our country than on working for the American people.

If Republicans cared about public safety, they would work to address the gun violence epidemic in our Nation, which even law enforcement says is out of control.

If they really cared about law enforcement, they would not try to defund agencies like the ATF and FBI.

This resolution is harmful and misleading. Violent leftist extremists and progressive politicians do not want to defund law enforcement. This characterization is a corrupt narrative that runs counter to the real conversations that Americans want to have about the issues their communities face.

The true irony here is that in the same breath that they denounce these so-called violent leftist extremists, they stay silent on the extremists from their own party that stormed the Capitol and attacked the United States Capitol Police, men and women still working here today, disrespected every single day by my colleagues.

Silence on this issue.

Republicans are wasting time with empty bills and malignant rhetoric.

Yes, absolutely, we should be investing in people's livelihoods. Why is that wrong?

How come we cannot support good public safety and work to keep people alive, all people?

A study just came out yesterday that said Black people are twice as likely to die than anyone else just because we are Black, and that includes interacting with law enforcement.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that we vote ``no'' on this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a vision for our Nation that values the well-being of the communities we serve.

As a new Member of Congress, I have plans for what I want to accomplish for the people of California's 37th District which is to LEAD, to focus on land, economic justice, art, and democracy.

Land means finding ways to mitigate the climate crisis to put us on a sustainable path for the future. Focusing on economic justice means ensuring that marginalized communities can access economic opportunities.

The ``A'' refers to art and education. I will always be an advocate for the future of the arts and the unique stories artists tell.

Lastly, I am laser focused on safeguarding our democracy. The past couple of years have taught us it is fragile, vital, and worth fighting for.

My priorities are not the GOP's priorities. So far, the GOP has put forward bills attacking our education system, parents, and immigrants, as well as plans that would be catastrophic for our environment and economy.

I am committed to my plan for Angelenos and to lead us to this moment fiercely hoping we can push toward progress together.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3091.

We need to address police brutality and work on police accountability as our country continues to reckon with instances of brutality and distrust of law enforcement officers.

Tyre Nichols, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd's legacies demand more of us.

I am disappointed to see the exclusion of two key measures from similar legislation introduced by Val Demings last Congress.

I offered an amendment that would disqualify an officer from purchasing their weapon after retirement if they have instances of misconduct or unethical behavior in their personnel file. The good- standing qualification in this bill is too subjective to accurately protect Americans, but my commonsense amendment was not accepted, and Republicans are not bringing it up for a vote.

We need increased police accountability and community-based ideas around policing. We need to keep people alive, including law enforcement, and rebuild community trust.

Mr. Chair, I hope my GOP colleagues will join me in finding ways to create safer communities for everyday Americans because that is what all Americans want. They want to live and work and worship in communities that will keep them safe and build relationships, new relationships with law enforcement that understand and see them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against attacks on parents across our Nation.

Parents and adult guardians play a critical role in children's lives as nurturers, providers, and confidants.

However, how can they protect or provide for their children when their elected officials choose time and time again to disregard the will of the people, ignore legislation that could save lives, slash funding to critical programs for our children and families, and then defame them for being who they are.

Let me tell you who they are. In the United States, there are over 200,000 foster parents. Forty percent of married couples with children are stepcouples. Sixteen percent of children live in blended families. There are over 100,000 adoptions each year, and 4 million Americans are adopted. All of these statistics represent parents, and it is not up to any of us to define what a parent is.

As a mother, I am appalled by the state of our country. MAGA Republican legislation confuses guidelines around abortion care, threatening the lives of mothers across the country.

Our children aren't safe to go to the grocery store, school, houses of worship, or the mall. They can't turn around in a driveway or retrieve a basketball. Our children go hungry when the government decides to cruelly slash programs like SNAP and WIC that put food on our families' tables.

This Sunday is Mother's Day, and I will be celebrating with my family, but the voice in the back of my head will ask me, what kind of world are they growing up in? This is not what our country is meant to look like.

Every bio-parent, stepparent, adoptive parent, foster parent, or guardian who loves their child is a parent, and we are all scared about the world our children are set to inherit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 2, House Republicans' child deportation act.

Yes, our immigration system is broken, but instead of productive, bipartisan legislation that would work to fix it, Republicans want to double down on immoral, cruel, and inhumane Trump-era policies that hurt children and families and stoke fear and greater division.

With title 42 set to expire today, we should take this opportunity as a chance to address the humanitarian crisis at our border by focusing on solutions that alleviate pressures at our border and fundamentally change the dysfunction and chaos that is happening.

Instead, this bill would make our immigration crisis that much worse. H.R. 2 would require expedited deportations and expanded detention for unaccompanied children; impose new restrictions on asylum while threatening to end the asylum system as we know it; detain even more migrant families in facilities with poor and unacceptable conditions; resume President Trump's failed policy of building a border wall; and so much more.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people heard some of the statements made by my Republican colleagues when this bill was heard in committee.

Republicans dog whistle, fearmonger, lie, and resort to conspiracy theories about our border to hide the fact that they have no real solutions to this growing crisis. Harmful policies meant to exacerbate confusion, waste more money, and hurt people fleeing dangerous situations are not the answer. Many are fleeing war zones; areas of conflict; countries that employ torture, violence, rape, and ethnic cleansing as tactics of control.

What are we proposing to do with H.R. 2? Be a cruel neighbor and throw them back into harm's way while telling Mexico to shoulder much of this burden.

America is supposed to be a nation of immigrants. We are supposed to have compassion for those seeking asylum. Republican policies like H.R. 2 run counter to those very fundamental values.

Unlike some of my GOP colleagues, I do not for a second believe that immigrants from Mexico are a threat to us. If anything, the threats we face are homegrown. They take the form of xenophobic, transphobic, and hateful individuals who twist the meaning of the Constitution to fit their own political agendas.

Mr. Speaker, as for the drug myth, over 80 percent of drugs smuggled into our country are done by Americans, not immigrants.

Let's get serious and talk about meaningful steps toward immigration reform that include what it means to be a global partner in this space, not this wildly inappropriate and ineffective bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn Republicans' attack on our workers. The GOP's surprise billing our workers act would allow States to send surprise bills to workers for unemployment benefits overcompensation paid to them during the pandemic for as long as 10 years after the overpayment was issued.

Is it the job of the American people to keep the receipts of 10 years past of UI payments so that they don't go to jail?

People who applied for these benefits and were overpaid did not know they had been overpaid. These were the result of a government mistake.

To add salt to the wound, Republicans want to cut fraud prevention programs by $400 million over the next 5 years. Unbelievable.

This legislation hurts our State employee unions by allowing States to contract out jobs, which is what led to this mess in the first place.

Let's be clear: This is an old trope from the Republican playbook. Blame and demonize poor and Black women, insinuating they are gaming the system, when Republicans have their own welfare queen to deal with.

How can you possibly lecture Americans about paying their bills when you fail time and time again to come together and meet your financial obligations as a country?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the chaos the Republicans have created by playing with our debt limit. The GOP's default on America plan is disastrous for American families and our economy.

There is no reason why we should debate whether America should honor its obligations and pay its debt on time. Extreme Republicans would even prefer us to default for purely political and partisan means.

Instead of bringing a serious proposal that could be passed in the Senate and signed by the President, Republicans brought a bill to the floor that would threaten Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and veterans benefits.

Time and again, we have asked Republicans to show us their budget and to present us with a comprehensive plan for our Nation. They can't do it. Instead, they come to the table with extremist policies that fail to do the one thing it is supposed to do: pay our bills on time.

President Biden and leaders Jeffries and Schumer have all made it crystal clear that we must pass a clean debt limit and honor our commitments. There is no other option.

As we get closer to June 1, I implore my Republican colleagues to see how much they are hurting the American families they claim to serve and present us with a real solution for the debt limit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the terrifying regularity of gun violence across this country.

The tragic shooting in Allen, Texas, is part of a near-daily pattern of gun-related tragedies in America. This year alone, there have been almost 200 mass shootings in our country, more mass shootings than we have had days in the year.

I feel for the Allen, Texas, community and empathize with the pain that too many American families understand. I also feel for the survivors of gun violence that have to relive their own trauma every time another shooting occurs and watch as Republicans fail to act. Over 4,800 lives have been lost at the hands of gun violence this year. It is sickening because it is stone-cold preventable.

Every time a shooting rips apart a community, all we can offer are thoughts and prayers with hollow solutions that only kick the can down the road. No more thoughts. No more prayers. Action.

No, this is not God's divine order. This is Republicans too cowardly to stand up and solve the damn problem. We have got to talk about guns. We have got to talk about guns. We have got to talk about guns. Unfettered access to guns, compounded with other challenges, is what creates these horrific scenes of death and devastation.

Republicans must gather the courage to work with us and make our streets safer instead of hiding behind antiquated interpretations of the Second Amendment because the majority of Americans want gun reform legislation because they want to live.

Democrats have come together to offer a ban on assault weapons that Republicans have yet to bring to the floor or even consider. AR-15s shred anything in their wake. They are not used by hunters. They were designed to be used by snipers.

Last Congress, Democrats and Republicans passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This legislation supports red flag laws, enhances background checks for those under 21, cracks down on gun trafficking, disarms convicted domestic abusers, invests in violence prevention violence and mental health initiatives, and funds school safety programs. President Biden signed this valuable legislation into law, but it is not enough to save the lives of our children. We can and should be doing more.

The House Republican majority is playing games, wasting precious time bringing legislation to the floor that has no chance of being signed into law. If they cared about the life of every child, then they should deal with the public health epidemic of gun violence because everyone's child is worth a life.

We need an assault weapons ban, stronger background checks on gun ownership, gun storage. It must be stated that instead of working on these policies, some Republicans choose to inflame our gun violence epidemic with toxic, racist, or bigoted rhetoric.

The Allen, Texas, shooter reportedly espoused white supremacist ideology before his attack. The shooter had a fascination with mass shootings and fascism. If you are amplifying hate, if you are amplifying xenophobia, then you are complicit in these deaths.

Stop, for example, saying that white nationalists and white supremacists need mental health services while making racist comments about gun violence in Black and Brown communities or saying that those neighborhoods are worse than war zones, as the former President has repeatedly done, because everyone's child is worthy of life.

We must come to the table on gun violence to save our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Harry Belafonte, who passed away this week at age 96. This is a hole in the soul of goodness.

He broke barriers in Hollywood, becoming one of the first Black faces on-screen. His unique sound led him to success in the music industry, with classics like ``Day-O,'' ``Banana Boat,'' and ``Jamaica Farewell.''

His artistry spoke to the soul of many Black Americans who did not see themselves represented in music or on-screen. He touched the West Indies diaspora of New York and lent that island sound to his top hits.

He had great success with his ``Calypso'' album when it topped the charts for 31 weeks straight before a man known as Elvis Presley came on the scene.

He also took up the mantle of civil rights to work alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and others to promote racial equity. He will be remembered as a multitalented entertainer who shattered barriers while continuing to battle racial prejudice and help clear the way for those who came after him.

May we remember his powerful legacy and his remarkable efforts to progress justice, equality, and civil rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring greater awareness to triple-negative breast cancer and to talk about the pressing need for increased funding for triple-negative breast cancer research. Breast cancer is a devastating disease that overwhelmingly affects women, especially women of color. Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of breast cancer.

Women with triple-negative breast cancer often face a worse prognosis and limited treatment options. We need to increase funding for research into this disease so that we can find better ways to detect it early and to develop new treatments that will give women with triple-negative breast cancer a fighting chance.

But funding for research is not enough. We also need to ensure equitable access to treatment for all women with breast cancer, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Women from marginalized communities often face barriers to accessing care, and we must work to break down those barriers.

No woman should have to fight breast cancer alone, and no woman should be denied the care she needs because of where she comes from or how much money she makes. We must come together as a community to ensure that all women have access to the care and treatment they need.

I urge my fellow lawmakers to join me in supporting increased funding for triple-negative breast cancer research and ensuring equity and access to care for all women with breast cancer. Together, we can make a difference and save lives.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to strongly oppose this attack on trans women and girls, known as the Republicans' politics over participation act.

Americans are concerned about gun violence, paying rent, climate change, and reproductive rights, but Republicans are once again stoking culture fires, putting lives at risk, ignoring everyday kitchen-table issues, and searching for votes rather than solutions.

This legislation would make it a violation of Title IX for federally funded institutions to allow trans women and girls to play sports, potentially setting gender equity back decades and undermining the true purpose of Title IX.

This bill is so vaguely written that it would subject every single girl to undergo a medical evaluation to prove their femaleness. Did I wake up? Are we in Iran? Is this what we want to subject our girls to?

This bill is assaultive, dehumanizing, and tantamount to rape. To its core, this bill is issue-deflecting and cloaked in misogyny, and it is a true disgrace because I don't think you would do this to a man to prove their maleness. This is sick.

Vote ``no'' on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida and the gentleman from Illinois for managing this very important Special Order hour.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the blatantly antidemocratic and, frankly, racist expulsion of Tennessee Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson.

In response to the Covenant School shooting that claimed the lives of three innocent children and three staff members, Representatives Jones, Pearson, and Johnson protested on the floor of the Tennessee House. They were calling for long-overdue commonsense gun reform that would help save the lives of children and keep our communities from becoming war zones.

They engaged in good trouble, similar to what Congressman John Lewis did when he sat on this very floor to demand action to end gun violence.

What the ``Tennessee Three'' did was righteous, yet instead of joining the calls to keep our communities safe, extremist Republicans retaliated by expelling Representatives Jones and Pearson, two young Black male lawmakers.

Actions of civil disobedience by Black men and women have been the impetus of change in our Nation, from boycotts to peaceful protests to sit-ins. I know we like to romanticize the civil rights movement, but let's be clear: It

was not long ago that dogs were sicced on young people for wanting the right to vote, and their disobedience was in nonviolently persisting.

Representatives Jones and Pearson's only ``disobedience'' was in being vocal and unapologetic about gun violence in this Nation and about being Black.

Unfortunately, throughout our history, Black people fighting for a stronger democracy and a more perfect Union have been silenced and shut down by white supremacy. When asked to make a choice between democracy and white supremacy, those in the Tennessee Legislature chose white supremacy, ignorantly presuming that this could happen without any attention, but they were wrong.

There is a long history of attacks against Black legislators going back to the Reconstruction era or even the case against civil rights advocate Julian Bond and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell.

Tennessee Republicans managed to expel two duly elected Black legislators, but the vote against Representative Johnson, a White woman, failed.

We cannot ignore the racial undertones of this incident and the efforts to temporarily disenfranchise Black voters and muzzle Black voices. Was it the color of these young men's skin, their age, their hair?

As a Black legislator, I know what it feels like to have to explain my very presence in these spaces. Sadly, my story is not unique. It is the story of individuals in Black and Brown communities everywhere.

That is why I introduced a resolution to immediately condemn the actions of the Tennessee Legislature and to recognize this as an attack on the very heart of our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for joining the resolution with me. He is a true advocate for the people of Tennessee.

In addition, I am proud to work with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus who reached out to Representatives Jones and Pearson and assured them that they have our support.

My colleagues stand by me today as we demand more from a country founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all because it is clear that we live in a nation where liberty and justice are only granted for some.

I am glad that both Representatives Jones and Pearson have been reinstated as interim representatives so that they can continue to serve their constituents. Their municipal governments saw the importance of getting them back to work. They have it right. The Tennessee House had it wrong. The fact that it took national outrage and the shaming of the legislature of Tennessee is absurd.

I will continue to work with my CBC colleagues to call out attacks on our democracy in Black communities across the country as we work to advance racial equity and address the needs of Black Americans because these young men were fighting to end gun violence.

As you have heard, guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens, and Black men are 10 times more likely to be killed by gun violence. They were speaking truth to reality, and they were silenced.

I don't know why the truth is so scary, but that is why I am so proud to be part of the CBC, to make sure that we are reminding people of the truth every single day.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1, House Republicans' polluters over people act.

When the House Democratic majority passed the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, they delivered key environmental safeguards to bolster our clean energy economy and lower costs.

The legislation that Republicans are bringing to the floor attempts to undermine those promising provisions because of political animus. Instead of trying to meet the needs of the American taxpayer, they are working to line the pockets of fossil fuel tycoons and exacerbate toxic mining projects that directly harm communities like mine.

H.R. 1 is not about the people, it is about a political win, and it is hooey. This legislation would undo significant environmental regulations central to our public health and environmental protections at a time when people are facing an alarming pattern of severe weather, lack of access to clean water and air, and blatant pollution across the country.

Pollution kills people. I can tell you that no one here is breathing dirty air. No one here is drinking dirty water. No one here is growing anything in dirty soil. If we are not, that means that no one else should be forced to do so.

It would roll back the environmental review processes under NEPA, putting community health and safety at risk while worsening pollution and the health risks associated with toxic chemicals such as PFAS, the same forever chemicals that are killing our firefighters.

I urge you to listen to the committee hearings where you will hear them say there is no need for community engagement, polluters can self- monitor.

That is why I was so disappointed but, oh, not surprised when Republicans voted down my amendment to include an environmental analysis and review of how oil and gas development will impact community health and safety because it will.

Instead, Republicans are so eager to rush into free-for-all oil and gas development that they are unable to reckon with the serious health consequences they are pawning off onto our constituents. You would have more respect for a bill if they cared enough about the health and safety of your community, if they wanted to protect your child or your grandmother's health.

Unfortunately, we know that the Black community is disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution. I have talked about what is going on in my district every single week. Black Americans are three times more likely to die of asthma after continued exposure to polluted air, a result of historic, systemic racism.

This legislation makes it virtually impossible for impacted communities to file lawsuits against corporate polluters for environmental and public health damages, so it is killing your lungs and silencing your voice.

It continues to put mining rights ahead of the interests of the community, especially in indigenous communities where mining was used to settle the West. This bill declares that indigenous communities shouldn't even be consulted about what is going on on their lands, to rip away lands from indigenous communities in favor of our own traditional, patriarchal, American individualistic interests.

Even more than that, we have seen ties between environmental racism and increased rates of gender violence at these mining sites where indigenous women and girls are attacked by employees at the man camps. Now they don't even care about the safety of women and girls.

Polling shows that two-thirds of Americans want legislation that addresses the climate crisis, proving once again that Republicans answer to special interests and not the will of the people. This is all about dirty money, profits over people, and it is disgraceful.

Shame on them, Mr. Chair, for deliberately ignoring the health of our people and the environment. I oppose this bill and any other fossil fuel cash grabs the Republicans send our way.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my brother and friend, Congressman Jackson from the great State of Illinois, for managing this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour and standing with his sisters.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the work that my CBC colleagues are doing as we continue fighting to enshrine the equal rights amendment into our Constitution.

The ERA was sent to the States for ratification in 1972. As we reflect on the 100 years since the ERA was first proposed in 1923, attempts to ratify the amendment each year have faded. What is old has become new again, but the state of gender equality in our country has sadly remained unchanged.

Why all the controversy and why such difficulty in giving women the protection of the Constitution that should have been given to us long ago?

It is 2023. There is no reason that an arbitrary deadline should prevent women from having basic fundamental rights under the Constitution.

Around the country, women, especially women of color, continue to face discrimination in healthcare, in the workforce, in the boardroom, in the schools, and in everyday life.

Enough States have finally ratified the ERA, but it is past time that it becomes an official part of our Constitution and gives every woman in America full protection under the law.

If you support women, you should support the ERA. If you don't support women, stand up and say why you don't think your mother, daughter, sister, aunt, or grandmother deserves equal rights.

My colleagues, Representatives Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley, have led a renewed charge to add a 28th amendment to our Constitution and enshrine the ERA into law. I thank them for their commitment to confronting gender equality in the face of disheartening challenges.

The first ever Equal Rights Amendment Caucus is dedicated to this cause, and as vice chair and co-lead of Representative Pressley's resolution, I stand arm in arm with my colleagues as we bring this battle home.

I am going to say this. This charge is being led by Black women. Historically, we are the ones who take up the mantle of equality and fight to not only uphold our democracy but to move it forward.

Abolition, suffrage, civil rights--all of these movements supported Black women even though they were not always recognized for their leadership and courage. A glaring irony of gender discrimination.

I am going to say the names again. Mary Church Terrell, Shirley Chisholm, Pauli Murray, Nevada Senator Pat Spearman, and even our own Jennifer McClellan. These activists have led fierce fights for gender equality to uplift Black women and women across the country.

In fact, Pauli Murray once said: ``If anyone should ask a Negro woman in America what has been her greatest achievement, her honest answer would be, `I survived.'''

We must recognize the work of these pioneers as we continue their fight today. The ERA would allow Congress, Federal agencies, and courts to address the needs of women as they relate to pay equity, pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, abortion access, and LGBTQ protections because women are insulted, harassed, demeaned, demoted, and assaulted just for being women.

Enshrining these rights brings our Constitution into the 21st century. We might have been written out, but don't count us out. We will persevere until we can finally celebrate the addition of a 28th amendment to secure equal rights and a better and brighter future for our children and the women that we love.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a mother of a Loyola Cub, a formidable rival to the Mater Dei Monarchs, but I have the courage enough to say that Mater Dei is a world-class high school that prepares young men for the highest echelons of sports, academic, and life achievement.

They own that accolade in part to the legendary coach, Bruce Rollinson.

Coach Rollo, as he is affectionately known, has been as committed to winning high school national championships as he has been to developing these students into productive young men.

Some famous Monarchs heralding from this fine school including USC's--my alma mater--Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley, and Todd Marinovich. They are all success stories in different ways.

I do want to add that the JV football is looking pretty Division I ready this year, and they are a daunting lineup for anyone who is trying to oppose them.

This is, as was mentioned, the only high school to produce three Heisman Trophy winners.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share and have included in the Record a quote from Heisman Trophy winner, powerhouse, and Pasadena-bred Bryce Young, one of the best quarterbacks college football has seen in the past decade. Yes, I said it.

Congratulations to Coach Rollo, who has had such a positive

impact in my life. From when I first entered his program, he

always believed in me and pushed me to be the best version of

myself on and off the field.

While he is retiring from coaching football, I know he will

always be there for the young men who had the privilege to

call Coach Rollo their coach.

I am honored to have played for him and now call him a

friend.