Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak on the amendment and in strong opposition to H.R. 5.

Today, I spoke with teachers, principals, and superintendents who have all gone to school to learn how to educate, manage, and supervise the education of our young people. They oppose this bill and the usurping of their expertise in their field and their ability to teach.

H.R. 5 declares that we have now decided that we don't trust our teachers.

I have to say the title of this bill is a lie. It is a Trojan horse when it comes to what is best for educating our children. It is really about the evisceration of public education.

I am a parent. I know what is best for my child, but that doesn't mean I know what is best for your child. This bill will take the participation of parents out of the decisionmaking process and truly create anarchy in our education system.

Earlier today, I was in a committee hearing listening to Republicans talk about China, and this is what I heard them say:

They said, shame on China. China is bashing access to education, stifling access to free thought, and banning access to information. The hypocrisy in that talking about bashing China, this bill does exactly what they say they don't want to see happen.

The poison pill in this bill will actually promote violence and bullying in our schools and of our young kids who are finding themselves and trying to learn who they are.

If you support mob rule, then you support H.R. 5. If you support autocracy, then you support H.R. 5.

The Americans that I know, the constituents in my district, support democracy, and that is not H.R. 5.

Democracy is about everyone having a voice. Hypocrisy is about silencing people.

No one is suggesting that parents can't and shouldn't be involved in the education of their children and in the activities that are going on in schools.

Absolutely.

In fact, if more parents were engaged, teachers would feel supported, principals would feel empowered, and communities would thrive. But that is not what H.R. 5 is about.

So I am here to defend our education system and ensure that our students and our teachers go to school unencumbered by political agendas so that they can live and learn freely about who they are and the history of this country and the world.

I thank Representative Moore for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with all of these other fabulous women in Congress to celebrate female trailblazers in Congress. I am going to speak to many of those trailblazers who hail from California. This is a shout-out to some bad sisters.

I am here to honor former Representative Karen Bass, the now-mayor of Los Angeles. Mr. Speaker, you have to love the people if you want to lead people, and Mayor Karen Bass loves Los Angeles. Stepping into her shoes in Congress has been an incredibly humbling journey.

Ms. Bass has a long history of public service working in the California State Assembly before coming here to Congress. In fact, she was the first female speaker--let alone the first Black woman--but the first female speaker of the California State Assembly--an incredibly powerful body. California, after all, is the fifth largest economy in the world.

When she was first elected to the assembly, she was the only Black woman in the entire State legislature. She then came to Congress and eventually served as the chair of the mighty, moral Congressional Black Caucus from 2019 to 2021 before launching her mayoral campaign.

Mayor Karen Bass is a champion for the people in every single way, leading the charge on foreign diplomacy, criminal justice reform, foster youth, and environmental justice. Karen Bass worked and works in a quiet, forceful, and bipartisan way, and Ms. Bass found results for the people while she was here in Congress.

Following in her footsteps, I support the same issues that matter to Angelenos and Americans across the country.

It is important to note that her work ethic stems from her own journey. She was a caretaker, she was a nurse, she was a nurturer, and she was a problem solver. She started her journey, actually, as a nurse. She eventually became a social worker. She got her degree in that. Then she started Community Coalition, a nonprofit organization that rose from the ashes of the 1992 riots focused on equity, access, and opportunity.

Karen Bass is now the first female mayor of Los Angeles, and she is the second African American to hold the position since the founding of the city. She continues to break boundaries and passionately serve the people addressing critical issues now with laser-like focus, issues like homelessness, affordable housing, and increasing opportunity for all.

Mayor Karen Bass is bringing a new direction to Los Angeles with a vision that advances equity and progress for the people. So I am proud not just to

call her my mayor, but a friend, a mentor, and a guiding light in the fight for justice.

I would be remiss as a Californian if I also didn't pay homage to fellow trailblazers like former Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. She was a Congresswoman who dared to be the first woman in Congress to have and raise a child while in Congress.

Former Congresswoman Diane Watson also served in this very seat and was a staunch advocate for education. She fought against xenophobia, and she was a vocal leader on issues related to reparations for descendants of African-American slaves.

I have to say that I come from a lineage of Black women in this seat, Black women who can't be beat.

They are sheroes mostly because they are ordinary women who dared and continue to dare to do extraordinary things sometimes just by showing up, standing tall, leading with constitution, and not taking ``no'' for an answer.

I am proud to be part of this group of women that celebrates the power--the female power--that comes to us in Congress in these hallowed Halls.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the realities of the climate crisis as seen in my district and across the State of California.

Earlier this year, Los Angeles County issued its first blizzard warning since February 4, 1989.

Unfamiliar wintry conditions resulting in up to a foot of snow with 80-miles-per-hour winds overtook many parts of Los Angeles County, leaving Californians with flooded homes and no power.

In my district, the Baldwin Hills neighborhood was hit with a local state of emergency as a disastrous rainstorm demolished daily rain records from over 100 years ago causing fatal mudslides. Today in Los Angeles, we suffered a tornado.

This is not normal.

Madam Speaker, I cannot stand idly by while Republicans continue to deny the validity of the crisis before us, seen firsthand by my district experiencing disastrous weather patterns not seen for over three decades.

I have fought for the protection of our environment my entire life and will do everything in my power to work against the actions taken in this very room by my colleagues across the aisle to propagate the climate crisis that, if not addressed, will destroy Mother Earth and her inhabitants.

We must take the lessons we are learning in California to heart because this is only the beginning.

Madam Speaker, if this isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is.

Mr. Speaker, I rise during Women's History Month to celebrate an incredible woman from California's 37th Congressional District, Aiyanna Zakia Sanders. Aiyanna was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1997. In just 25 years she has made incredible strides. In 2015, Aiyanna was an honored graduate from the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies High School; In 2019, she graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and African American Studies. Recently, in 2022, she and her family celebrated her graduation from the prestigious Harvard Law School.

While pursuing her rigorous education, Aiyanna went the extra mile to serve her community. While at Emory University, she was a member of the local NAACP chapter, the Head Step-Mistress of Ngambika, Co-founder and President of the Black Pre-Law Society, and a member of Black Mental Health Ambassadors. Proudly, Aiyanna also became a member of the illustrious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. while at Emory. While studying law at Harvard University, Aiyanna was the Secretary of the Black Law Student's Association and an editor of the Black Letter Law Journal. Her many extracurricular activities and roles demonstrate her immense talent and leadership capabilities.

In addition to her extensive leadership, Aiyanna has earned numerous awards for her commitment to public service. She was awarded the Dr. Herman L. Reese Community Service Award, the Delta Research and Educational Foundation Golden Anniversary Award, and the 2018 NAACP Peoples Award. In 2019 she was honored as a California Change Lawyers Scholar and received the Graduating Woman of Excellence Award. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the achievements and dedication of this incredible woman.

Beyond her academics, Aiyanna is a cherished daughter, granddaughter, and friend. Her parents, Mr. Aaron L. and Mrs. Chawn B. Sanders, her grandparents, Mr. Clifton Byron Ray, III and Mrs. Willa Ray, and countless friends and sisters have rooted for her along the way. I stand here today, proud. When we talk about representation, this is what we mean. Aiyanna is a trailblazer, an inspiration, and a role model for many. I thank her for all she has done and look forward to what she will accomplish.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Anthony Lowe, Jr., a doting father, uncle, brother, son, and friend, who was tragically killed earlier this year at the hands of the Huntington Park Police. Today, I stand here to honor Mr. Lowe's life and the joy he brought to his loved ones and to the South Los Angeles community.

The center of Mr. Lowe's life was family. He was a loving, caring father to his children and never hesitated to crack a joke to cheer them up. Mr. Lowe was committed to keeping his family strong. Whether he was helping his nieces and nephews with their schoolwork or taking his children to the park, Mr. Lowe was always there to support his family and friends. He spread his infectious joy easily, always laughing, dancing, and bringing positive energy to those around him.

Mr. Lowe was close with his mother and sisters. He looked out for others and jumped at the chance to helped loved ones. His laughter and kindness are what I hope he will be remembered by.

We should be celebrating Mr. Lowe's sincere love for his family and friends and his devotion to his children. Instead, we must confront the tragedy of his death at the hands of our police.

Mr. Speaker, I am saddened to recognize the life of Anthony Lowe ended under these circumstances. Today, I rise to honor the memory of Mr. Lowe and to reaffirm my commitment to working to eliminate police brutality and injustice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Keenan Darnell Anderson. Mr. Anderson was a father, a life partner to his fiancee, a teacher, and a proud Angeleno. Mr. Anderson was taken from us earlier this year by the brutality and violence of the LAPD. Today, we stand here to honor Mr. Anderson's life, legacy, and contributions to his family and his city.

Mr. Anderson grew up in Los Angeles and from a young age, demonstrated his commitment to his family across Southern California. He was known as the ``life of the party,'' always livening up family cookouts and picnics. Mr. Anderson was a linchpin of his close-knit family. From the time that he was young, Mr. Anderson knew he wanted to dedicate his life to helping others. In college, he focused this dedication on a career in law enforcement, double majoring in criminal justice and sociology. Later, he translated this desire to do good for the world into educating, earning a graduate degree in education.

Mr. Anderson's passion for teaching led him to dedicate his career to educating his community's youth. As a teacher, he taught English to juniors and seniors in high school and even chaired the English department. Mr. Anderson was also invested in the creativity of his students, teaching drama classes that served as an introduction to the arts to many Angeleno youth. He was also a charismatic member of his church where he led family game nights and injected his infectious energy and enthusiasm.

At the time of his untimely death, Mr. Anderson had just moved to Washington, D.C. to teach at Digital Pioneers Academy. Washington, D.C. will forever miss out on the contributions, energy, and inspiration he could have brought to the young people here.

Washington, D.C. students are not the only ones that will forever miss Mr. Anderson. He is survived by his fiancee, Domonique, to whom he was deeply devoted, and his 5 year-old son, Syncere. Mr. Anderson doted on his son, proud to be a father and proud to have his son by side. Mr. Anderson's wrongful murder robbed Syncere of years with his father. On February 7, 2023, Domonique joined me as my guest at the State of the Union, where we continued to highlight the unjust and tragic death of this doting and dedicated father, partner, friend, educator, and member of my community.

Today, we should be celebrating Mr. Anderson's great achievements as a father and a teacher, and the strength and resilience he imbued in his communities. Instead, we must confront the tragedy of his murder at the hands of the LAPD.

Mr. Speaker, this commemoration of the life of Keenan Anderson, a life gone too soon, adds yet another name to America's tainted legacy of violence against the Black community at the hands of individuals charged with protecting and serving. I honor the memory of Mr. Anderson and commit to working to eliminate the inhumane violence and brutality that took him from us too soon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the extraordinary Jacquelynn Hawthorne, who devoted her career and life to serving the people of Los Angeles. Ms. Hawthorne constantly sought to help those around her through her public service in local government, her volunteer work in civic life, and her leadership in her church. Today, we are honoring the indelible mark she left on her family, friends, and her fellow Angelenos.

Ms. Hawthorne was a true product of Los Angeles. Growing up, she attended Los Angeles public schools, then went on to LA City College, UCLA, and Pepperdine University. Ms. Hawthorne married her college sweetheart, Addison Hawthorne. Together, they had three children: Addison, Valery, and Hillary.

Thriving in her professional life, Ms. Hawthorne worked for 28 years for Los Angeles County, where she retired as chief of the agency's Health Care Systems Development Division. Throughout her tenure, she modernized the county's Health Services and Mental Health and Public Health Departments, ensuring that crucial services could reach all Angelenos in the digital age. Through her hard work directing project managers in designing, implementing, and maintaining online systems, she became a mentor to many at the Health Department.

Ms. Hawthorne threw herself into volunteer service and community action outside of work, seeking to give back in every aspect of her life. She served as president of United Methodist Ministries and was a board member of Vision for Voices. Believing in the good that local government could do, she served on the Los Angeles Commission on Community and Family Services, was a delegate for Assembly District 55, and was a member of then-Congresswoman Karen Bass Congressional Leadership Council.

Serving and strengthening Los Angeles' Black community was of the utmost importance to Ms. Hawthorne. She was a proud lifelong member of the NAACP, a founding member of the African American Public Policy Institute, and president of the Los Angeles African American Political Action Committee. Ms. Hawthorne served as a mentor and friend to countless Angelenos and inspired many to follow in her footsteps of community service.

Perhaps the strongest force in Ms. Hawthorne's life was that of her faith. She was a proud member of Crenshaw United Methodist Church, where she was a soprano in their choir. She traveled the world singing and even performed for the pope. Ms. Hawthorne's favorite scripture is ever present as we celebrate and remember her remarkable life. She was fast to recognize Micah 6:8--``And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God''--as her guiding light.

On behalf of my constituents in Los Angeles, I share my condolences to Ms. Hawthorne's daughter, her extended family, and her friends. As we recognize Ms. Hawthorne, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring her rich life and legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the last day of Black History Month to celebrate the remarkable contributions of Black businessowners.

Business ownership leads to higher incomes and more wealth, but decades of systemic bias, redlining, lending discrimination, and inequity in wages have created an ever-widening wealth gap for minority communities.

According to the Alliance for Entrepreneurial Equity, Black-owned businesses are three to five times more likely to be labeled as a high credit risk, which sets up barriers to affordable financing and slows growth. During the height of the pandemic, minority-owned firms were more likely to be completely shut out of credit and capital resources, receiving none of the financing they sought out.

This Black History Month, I met with entrepreneurs in my district who drive our economy forward, people like Malik Muhammad, owner of an independent bookstore in Baldwin Hills. Malik is passionate about investing in the community and does so by hosting bookfairs at local schools because he knows that in order for his neighborhood to thrive, more people of color need to start businesses in the community.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in Congress to recognize the great strength that is Black entrepreneurship and work with me to build a more equitable economy for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 132 to respond to the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria.

Three weeks ago, the world watched in horror as one of the deadliest earthquakes of the century hit southern Turkiye and northern Syria, causing destruction of epic proportions. The damage affected 20 million people in Turkiye and 8 million in Syria.

Amidst the tragedy, I recognize the heroism and courage of the nearly 240,000 rescue and aid workers who have responded to this disaster. I am deeply proud that an urban search and rescue team from my district in Los Angeles was deployed to Turkiye to assist in USAID's relief efforts just 18 hours after the earthquake first hit. Eighty personnel from the L.A. County Fire Department and eight members of the L.A. Sheriff's Department led the search for survivors and assessed over 6,000 buildings to determine their safety for residents.

As is always the case when disaster strikes, those who suffer most are the vulnerable and marginalized among us: civilians in rebel-led Syria who have endured the horror of Russian airstrikes and Assad's weaponization of aid; Syrian refugees seeking safety in Turkiye; and pregnant women, children, the elderly, and disabled people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Keenan Darnell Anderson. Mr. Anderson was a father, a life partner to his fiancee, a teacher, and a proud Angeleno. Mr. Anderson was taken from us earlier this year by the brutality and violence of the LAPD. Today, we stand here to honor Mr. Anderson's life, legacy, and contributions to his family and his city.

Mr. Anderson grew up in Los Angeles and from a young age, demonstrated his commitment to his family across Southern California. He was known as the ``life of the party,'' always livening up family cookouts and picnics. Mr. Anderson was a linchpin of his close-knit family. From the time that he was young, Mr. Anderson knew he wanted to dedicate his life to helping others. In college, he focused this dedication on a career in law enforcement, double majoring in criminal justice and sociology. Later, he translated this desire to do good for the world into educating, earning a graduate degree in education.

Mr. Anderson's passion for teaching led him to dedicate his career to educating his community's youth. As a teacher, he taught English to juniors and seniors in high school and even chaired the English department. Mr. Anderson was also invested in the creativity of his students, teaching drama classes that served as an introduction to the arts to many Angeleno youth. He was also a charismatic member of his church where he led family game nights and injected his infectious energy and enthusiasm.

At the time of his untimely death, Mr. Anderson had just moved to Washington, D.C. to teach at Digital Pioneers Academy. Washington D.C. will forever miss out on the contributions, energy, and inspiration he could have brought to the young people here.

Washington, D.C. students are not the only ones who will forever miss Mr. Anderson. He is survived by his fiancee, Domonique, to whom he was deeply devoted, and his 5 year-old son, Syncere. Mr. Anderson doted on his son, proud to be a father and proud to have his son by his side. Mr. Anderson's wrongful murder robbed Syncere of years with his father. Today, February 7, 2023, Domonique will join me as my guest at the State of the Union, where we will continue to highlight the unjust and tragic death of this doting and dedicated father, partner, friend, educator, and member of my community.

Today, we should be celebrating Mr. Anderson's great achievements as a father and a teacher, and the strength and resilience he imbued in his communities. Instead, we must confront the tragedy of his murder at the hands of the LAPD.

Mr. Speaker, this commemoration of the life of Keenan Anderson, a life gone too soon, adds yet another name to America's tainted legacy of violence against the Black community at the hands of individuals charged with protecting and serving. I honor the memory of Mr. Anderson and further commit to working to eliminate the inhumane violence and brutality that took him from us too soon.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour. It is the first of the 118th Congress and my first in this body.

We have a problem, America, a big problem. The problem is the rampant disregard for Black life at the hands of law enforcement.

For too many years now we have seen snuff videos--death at the hands of police--of our Black men and women and our Black boys and girls. These videos become dissected, the victim in death is persecuted as a way to justify excessive force, and it goes on and on and on.

The more this happens, the more desensitized we become, and as a culture, we enter into a culture of deflection: deflecting accountability, deflecting truth, and deflecting uncomfortable conversations about the value of Black life.

Why are we always looking for the perfect victim in these circumstances?

If they were perfect--if any of us were--they wouldn't be victims. They also probably wouldn't be victims if they weren't Black.

We certainly spend a lot of time victim blaming, deflecting, and not talking about the kind of public safety all of us should have and how we reimagine it in a way that makes it safe for everyone.

It is sad to say but police shootings in Black communities have become as American as baseball. In baseball, Mr. Speaker, you have something called balk. Pitchers commit balks, and the lower the balk number, the better your success.

In law enforcement we also have something called BALKS, although it means something different. B, background; A, age; L, lethal force; K, knowledge, S, seriousness of a crime. Once again, the lower the number of deaths, the higher the use of BALKS, something American, something we should be discussing.

How can we incorporate BALKS more deeply into our public safety system so that all lives can be saved?

What we are seeing with these shootings is un-American. I would also argue that it is unconstitutional because shootings like this are equivalent to summary executions. Law enforcement has become judge, jury, and executioner. Meanwhile, the 14th Amendment declares that we all have a right to due process. But these shootings have stolen due process from so many men and women in our Black communities.

These videos, once again, that we see, the images as horrific as they are, have become symbols of today and what Black America has to experience. The symbols of today become the reality of tomorrow, and the recordings of these shootings are important because they keep us honest. But they also become symbols of police brutality and police violence. We have gotten used to these symbols, and that is a problem.

This is Black History Month, but, Mr. Speaker, you would be flawed in thinking that the issue of police shootings and police violence is a Black issue, or that it is not an issue because it is not happening in your community. It is an American issue, and it must be addressed.

I think we should be talking more deeply about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and how we reimagine law enforcement. When law enforcement officers are trained to understand and take all of these pieces into account, we see much better outcomes of police interaction.

Once again, I would just like to share some of the symbols that are propelling us towards the values of tomorrow. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile--we must carry their memories with us as we fight to address the epidemic of police violence.

We have an obligation to the family of Tyre Nichols who was beaten to death in Memphis, to the family of Takar Smith who was shot seven times by the LAPD while on his knees, to the family of Oscar Leon Sanchez cornered and shot while suffering a mental

health crisis, to the family of Anthony Lowe shot in the back multiple times by LAPD--I might add a double amputee and someone living in a wheelchair--and to the family of Keenan Anderson tased to death during a routine traffic stop.

I am honored that Dominique Hamilton, Keenan's fiancee, will join me tomorrow for the 2023 State of the Union Address. As one of the far too many people impacted by police brutality in 2023 alone, her bravery shines through.

I hope that we can all take inspiration from her and all of the families of those killed at the hands of police this year. We must do more to hold our law enforcement officers accountable and stop this epidemic of State-sanctioned murder.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our chair for his commitment and strength on this issue.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. Chair, today, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21.

Once again, Republicans are selling out the American people to their Big Oil friends. Oil companies are not even using the thousands of permits to drill on public lands that they currently hold, and Republicans want to add another 300 million acres to this oil carnage.

Big Oil rakes in record profits while poisoning the Earth and anyone who lives and works near their oil fields.

The Inglewood Oil Field is in my district and has been toxifying the predominantly Black and Brown communities near it for decades. There is literally oil bubbling up through the sidewalks.

Back in April, more than 1,600 gallons of oil spilled from the field, spewing toxins into the air, and Republicans want more of that everywhere. Not caring if people literally have clean air to breathe doesn't sound very pro-life to me.

This ``drill, baby, drill'' attitude isn't making the United States any safer or more economically competitive. It is killing Mother Earth and us.

H.R. 21 is derelict to the American people, and I urge my colleagues to protect what is left of our public lands and vote against H.R. 21.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 26.

We didn't hop in a time machine back to the 1970s. It is 2023, and we all know what this is about. It is not about the protection of newborn children. It is about control. It is about Republicans' continued desire to control

women, take away their freedoms, limit their bodily autonomy, plunge poor women deeper into poverty, and further marginalize those already not seen.

It is about intimidating, silencing, and criminalizing doctors. It is about the nationwide abortion ban that Republicans have been itching to enact since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, bans that the American people have said loudly and clearly that they do not want.

We cannot continue to let the extreme Republican Party attack and erode the rights of women across this country. We have a responsibility to put an end to politicians inserting themselves into the doctors' offices and uteruses of women across this country.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this measure.