Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of an American hero, Fannie Lou Hamer. A leader in the Civil Rights Movement, Fannie Lou Hamer faced down racism, violence, prison, and more in her fight for the right to vote. This week marks what would be Hamer's 100th birthday, giving us an opportunity to reflect on Fannie Lou's legacy, her persistence in the face of adversity, and what her story means for our country today.

For those of you who are not familiar with Hamer's story, Fannie Lou was born in 1917 in Mississippi, the youngest of 20 children. Her family worked as sharecroppers in Mississippi, and at the age of six, Fannie Lou joined them picking cotton.

It was in 1962, after nearly forty years of working in the fields that Fannie Lou Hamer tried to register to vote. For African Americans in Mississippi during the Jim Crowe era, registering to vote was an act of extraordinary courage. This was a time when black men and women, mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons were beaten and lynched by white mobs with no legal repercussions.

Fannie Lou knew these dangers, but nevertheless, she persisted. In August of 1962, she traveled to Indianola, Mississippi to register to vote. When she returned home after registering, she was fired by the owner of the plantation she worked on, who had warned her against registering.

But nevertheless, she persisted. Leaving the plantation, Fannie Lou traveled the South, working with the Civil Rights movement, teaching African Americans to read and helping them register to vote. One day, on her way back from a literacy workshop, Fannie Lou was arrested on false charges and jailed. In jail, police beat Fannie Lou to within an inch of her life with a blackjack. It took Fannie Lou more than a month to recover, and the beating would scar her both mentally and physically.

But nevertheless, she persisted. Over the next decade, Fannie Lou Hamer took her fight for the right to vote to the national party. From humble beginnings, she challenged the President of the United States, Members of Congress, the Democratic Party, and lawmakers at every level to confront the realities of racism in the United States and to build a democracy inclusive of all Americans.

Time and again, she faced violence and she faced institutions built on decades of racism. But nevertheless she persisted.

Today, I stand, not only to honor the courage and accomplishment of Fannie Lou Hamer, but to offer her story as inspiration to the Americans today who are fighting to make our country a better place to live. As we work to turn back new discriminatory voting laws, as we speak out for a more affordable health care system for all Americans, as we take a stand on issues like police brutality, we must persist.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Thompson for organizing Members today in honor of Fannie Lou Hamer. We can never allow her work or her legacy to be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in opposition to H.R. 2792, the misleadingly titled Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017, which would prohibit the payment of Supplemental Security Income benefits to anyone with an unresolved arrest warrant for an alleged violation of a condition of probation or parole or an alleged felony offense.

H.R. 2792's title falsely claims to target fugitive felons. In fact, fugitive felons are already prohibited from receiving benefits under current law. If this bill were enacted, some of our country's most vulnerable low-income seniors and disabled Americans, who are neither fugitives nor felons, would not be able to get their SSI benefits.

While proponents of H.R. 2792 continue to claim that the bill only targets violent fugitive felons, H.R. 2792 threatens many other individuals, like those who received arrest warrants because of an inability to pay court fines or fees. Just last week, the United States Commission on Civil Rights published a report, titled, ``Targeted Fines and Fees Against Low-Income Communities of Color: Civil Rights and Constitutional Implications,'' which found that many local jurisdictions rely on court fees or other fines to support their municipal budgets, including fees charged to those under court supervision.

Some of the people charged with these fees are elderly or disabled SSI beneficiaries who are unable to work and have no way to pay court costs. When they cannot pay, a warrant is routinely issued for their arrest. If this bill were enacted, these people would lose their SSI benefits, which is the only source of income for many of these low- income disabled individuals.

During the markup of H.R. 2792, I offered a commonsense amendment which would have prevented SSI benefits from being cut off if the result would be the loss of benefits for individuals whose arrest warrants were issued for nonpayment of court costs. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues rejected the amendment, as well as all other Democratic amendments to this bill.

I stand united with over 119 national, State, and local organizations who oppose efforts to cut SSI benefits, and I urge opposition to the final passage of this bill.

Further, I would like to go on the record to say that we should have a clean reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, MIECHV, which expires on September 30. The majority's decision to tie home visiting to this harmful cut for our most vulnerable citizens only makes this harder to accomplish.

MIECHV programs are proven programs, evidence-based programs that work. We actually should reauthorize these programs, but we should not tie it to this horrible bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

First, I would like to thank Chairman Brady as well as Chairman Smith for honoring their commitment to work with me to ensure that the most needy rural communities are not neglected in this bill.

I am glad to see that the language I proposed during the committee markup last week has been included in the Smith amendment.

Both my friend from Nebraska and I represent rural America, and we understand the obstacles that our rural constituents confront on a daily basis. Moreover, we both believe in the mission of the MIECHV Program, and we see how effective it has been in both rural and urban communities.

One of the reasons why the MIECHV Program is good policy is because of the program's flexibility. While models like the Nurse-Family Partnership can be successful in urban and suburban areas, other evidence-based models like HIPPY--or Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters--can be incredibly effective in rural areas that tend to have fewer resources.

This amendment language, which I offered during the committee markup, ensures that rural communities with little resources are not skipped over. This is a simple and commonsense fix that has bipartisan support as well as the support from the Home Visiting Coalition.

While I appreciate my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for working with me to fix this language, I have to say that I am disappointed that none of the other commonsense amendments offered by my Democratic colleagues were accepted during the markup.

For years, the MIECHV Program has enjoyed bipartisan support, but I am afraid that Republican changes in the underlying legislation we are considering today, I believe, will hurt the MIECHV recipients in the long-term viability of the program.

While I oppose the final passage of the underlying bill, I, again, want to thank my friend from Nebraska, as well as Chairman Brady, for accepting my markup amendment language, and I urge my colleagues to support the Smith amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee for accepting the amendment I introduced with Ranking Member Bobby Scott earlier this week. My amendment would prevent the flow of Child Care Development Block Grants to any child care providers with a record of health and safety violations that have resulted in injury or death at their centers. This amendment was drafted following the tragic death of five-year old Kamden Johnson at an unlicensed daycare center in my home state of Alabama.

For those of you who have not heard his story, Kamden Johnson died this August after being left in a hot daycare van at the preschool he was attending. His body was found later that day dumped at the side of the road.

Kamden's story is heartbreaking. First, because a young life was cut tragically short. Secondly, Kamden's death was preventable. Due to a state exemption for religious affiliated daycare centers, Kamden's daycare center was not subject to state oversight or inspections. As a matter of fact, the driver who was responsible for Kamden when he died had an extensive criminal record.

Despite Kamden's death, and despite the failure of Kamden's daycare center to meet commonsense safety standards, the childcare provider and other unregulated childcare centers like it can be eligible today for federal grant funding. After one of their children was discovered dead by the side of the road, this daycare center can still receive Child Care Development Block Grants.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, safe childcare centers which care for their children and are subject to regular inspection are struggling to make ends meet. Just this year, available slots at Head Start Programs were cut in four counties in my district. Each of the slots cut represent one more child who will not receive an early education, or who may be forced to attend an unlicensed daycare facility that puts their health and safety at risk.

I am a believer that Congress should act to increase funding for Head Start and that funding early learning is one of the best investments we can make in our country's future. But at a time when funding for early learning is limited, it is our responsibility to ensure that federal resources are going to the best possible daycares and preschools.

As of last year, there were 943 daycare centers in Alabama exempt from basic licensing standards. Over 30 Alabama legislators have come together to support a bipartisan bill extending licensing requirements to facilities currently exempt.

Right now, we have an opportunity to ensure that not one more federal dollar goes to a daycare center like the one that Kamden died at. We have a chance for both parties to work together and ensure that federal dollars for early learning are headed to child care centers that parents can trust meet basic health and safety standards.

My amendment is a commonsense fix following a tragedy that we cannot and should not allow to happen again. Kamden's death this August was not the first child death at an unregulated daycare center in my state, and it will not be the last so long as we continue to fund centers that violate health and safety standards. For our children, for our parents, and for kids like Kamden, I know that we can and must do better.

I am proud that Congress has taken a step in addressing this major oversight in the funding of our nation's day care centers.

There is nothing more important to me than seeing our children learn and grow, and that starts with making sure our resources for early learning are going to the right place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my excitement that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together to add two million dollars to the Historic Preservation Fund grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the FY18 appropriations bill passed on the House floor today.

Last year, Congress appropriated $4 million for grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities under the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund. Unfortunately, this year President Trump's FY18 budget eliminated all funding for this program. I was glad to see that both Democrats and Republicans strongly disagreed with President Trump's misguided cut, and ultimately decided to increase the total funding of HBCU grants to $5 million for FY18.

My district, the 7th Congressional District of Alabama, is well-known as the Civil Rights District. The State of Alabama is also home to fifteen Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the most in the country. These important grants will provide assistance to repair and restore historic buildings on our HBCU campuses. Our HBCUs are rich with history that deserves to be preserved for future generations, and I can think of no better institution than our Nation's storytellers, the National Park Service, to do the job. Moreover, this funding will help revitalize our HBCU campuses, and help stimulate economic revitalization in their communities.

Again, I would like to thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for working with me in the past, as well as Assistant Leader Clyburn for offering an Amendment to increase HBCU Grant funding by $2 million. This is an important program for our HBCUs, and I will continue to work across the aisle to ensure that these funds are protected in the final FY18 budget.

Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to bring greetings to the Sixth Councill Training All-School Reunion. As the first black Congresswoman from Alabama, I know I owe a debt of gratitude to the Councill Training School family.

As Huntsville's only school for African Americans before desegregation, Councill Training School represents an important piece of civil rights history in Alabama. Until desegregation in 1970, the school educated the entire black population of Huntsville, servicing students from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

Councill Training School is near and dear to my heart. Both of my parents began their careers as educators at Councill Training School after graduating from Alabama State University. My mother, Nancy Gardner was the school librarian while my father, Coach Andrew A. Sewell, was the basketball, football, and track coach. It was on the hallowed grounds of Councill Training School that my parents met and fell in love. In June of 1963, they married and bought their first house. My mother often tells me the story of how when I was born a few years later, the head cheerleader at the time named me, and I immediately became the ``Councill Training School Baby''. Councill Training School was our family's first home, and will always hold a special place in our heart.

The legacy of Councill Training School is one of excellence and pride, and will live on in the hearts of the students, faculty, staff and community that it shaped. I am honored to be able to join the classes of 1948 through 1970 in celebrating the Sixth Councill Training School Reunion and hope there are many more to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the history and continued legacy of LAMP High School in Montgomery, Alabama. This Magnet school remains a significant testament to the success of public education in America, especially in the historic city of Montgomery.

LAMP, originally an acronym for Lanier Academic Motivational Program, had its origin in 1984 as a magnet program in Lanier High School. As the Montgomery Board of Education saw that white flight away from integrated schools continued to increase, public education leaders affirmed that retaining racial balance in schools would allow for quality education for all students.

The first director of the program, Mary George Jester, brilliantly led this school to continually be the number one ranked public school in Alabama, a top 50 public school nationally, and the number one ranked magnet school in the nation in 2013, according to Newsweek and US News and World Report. What started as an idea by the Board of Education to combat white flight turned into a program with the philosophy that any student, regardless of background or race, could get the highest quality education in Alabama. Mary George Jester relentlessly took that attitude into a community that was all too familiar with innovative ideas, a fervor for change, and the desire for equal opportunity. Montgomery remains the backdrop of LAMP High School today as it boasts it's racial, religious, and cultural diversity.

However, as the 2017 to 2018 school year approaches, LAMP will move locations for the third time in four years. After LAMP formed in an already existing high school in 1984, it finally received its own building in 1999. That facility, built in 1923, housed the first junior and senior high schools for African-American students, and was named after Henry Allen Loveless, a founding member of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Subsequently, LAMP changed its acronym to what it is today: Loveless Academic Magnet Program--reflecting the name of that building. As students and faculty grew accustomed to their new surroundings and strived to get national recognition, the building they worked in slowly deteriorated. Finally, after 13 years, that building was deemed severely unsafe for a school, and the school was promptly moved in November of 2014 to a temporary, unused elementary school building a couple miles away downtown.

Nevertheless, LAMP persisted, with students, faculty, and administrators scrambling to get situated; this was not the first nor the last time LAMP would have to adapt to a new environment. The timeless philosophy Mary George Jester instilled in the program that ``excellence in education does not limit itself in the classroom; rather, it encompasses the student's entire world.'' After being present for LAMP's second move, Ms. Jester retired after returning that year to be the principal. Ms. Jester's philosophy remained as LAMP was informed that it would be moving again to a renovated portion of the closed down and vacant Montgomery Mall building. The brand new facility will reopen for students and faculty in August of 2017, which will complete its fourth and final move.

It took the push of education leaders in 1984 for LAMP's success to transcend buildings thirty-three years later. Through community support early on, LAMP stands as a testament that public education creates developed

minds with the ability to adapt to adversity. As current Principal Matthew Monson leads the school onward, Ms. Jester's philosophy is clearer than ever: education is ``always believing in, and always nurturing the mind, body and soul, no matter the hindrances.''

On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, and the nation, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing LAMP High School in Montgomery, Alabama for demonstrating the pinnacle of public education in the face of adversity.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express deep concern about the recent Federal Court decision on the Trump Administration's Presidential Advisor Commission on Election Integrity. The partisan commission led by Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach sparked controversy on June 28th when they requested the names, date of birth, party registrations, partial Social Security numbers, and voting history of more than 150 million registered voters across America.

Immediately following this request, voting rights groups and civil liberty activists challenged the Commission on Election Integrity in Federal Court. Earlier this week, a D.C. federal judge ruled that the White House is exempt from federal privacy review requirements, permitting the Trump Administration's commission to move forward with collecting voters' personal information throughout the country. This decision is a setback to democracy, because it legitimizes the voter suppression efforts of this commission.

The creation of the Commission on Election Integrity is based on an inaccurate claim by President Trump that he would have ``won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.'' It is also upsetting that the commission is using tax payer money to promote this false narrative.

Fortunately, the D.C. Federal Court's decision will not be the final ruling on the legitimacy of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Many other groups, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, have filed lawsuits in federal courts across the country to challenge the commission's efforts.

With the seemingly constant attacks on voting rights, it is easy to become discouraged and disengaged. I challenge every American to draw inspiration from the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Movement who risked their lives in the pursuit of unfettered access to the ballot. As old battles become new again, we must re- double our efforts to ensure equal access to the voting booth. That is why I proposed H.R. 2978--The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017. By restoring the full protection of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we can address the problem of voter discrimination and help ensure all Americans, regardless of race and economic status, are able to exercise their right to vote.

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to speak in support of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act and the Megan Rondini Act. During August recess, students across the country will return to their universities, some will be freshmen, going to college for the first time. Therefore, I hope that Congress can take decisive action and pass these bills when we return in September. It is our responsibility to ensure all students are safe and secure when they are away from home and pursuing their college education.

We cannot ignore the rise of sexual assault on college campuses across this country. RAAIN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, reports one in six women in our nation have been the victim of rape or attempted rape. College-aged women are three to four times more likely to experience sexual assault. Unfortunately when many of these women seek medical attention and justice through their universities, they find neither.

I have the privilege of representing the University of Alabama, the fastest growing flagship university in the country. As our universities grow and the number of sexual assault victims grow, it is imperative that universities become the allies of all students, especially victims of sexual assault.

I am proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the Campus Accountability and Security Act. The proposed legislation would increase accountability and transparency between universities and students and ensure safer university environments. Schools will be responsible for providing essential resources for victims, like confidential advisers and well-trained campus personnel. This training will teach campus personnel the neurobiological effects of trauma and stress on the victim and their memory, ensuring that the students receive victim-centered, trauma-informed interviews.

For every one-thousand rapes in the United States only fifty-seven reports will lead to arrest; only six of these will result in the incarceration of a rapist. This bill would require that campus authorities coordinate with local law enforcement and share information when a crime occurs. Pursuant to the Cleary Act of 1990, universities are required to keep and make public information about assault cases and other crimes. This current bill will create stronger penalties for universities that do not comply with their responsibilities laid out by the Cleary Act.

Likewise, my colleagues Representative Maloney and Representative Poe introduced H.R. 3415, the Megan Rondini Act of 2017 this week. This bipartisan bill requires hospitals to have a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner, also known as a SAFE, or an alternative plan that gets victims to a nearby hospital with access to these resources. Requiring that SAFEs are available to victims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week results in both the proper medical attention and the preservation of the evidence necessary to litigate the assault.

I urge all the members of Congress to support the Campus Accountability and Security Act, the Megan Rondini Act and any other legislation that would protect victims of sexual violence on our college campuses.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Selma 15U All Star baseball team for winning the 2017 Dixie Baseball World Series. It has been 45 years since a team paraded the World Series trophy through the streets of my hometown, Selma, Alabama, but this losing streak finally came to an end on Sunday, July 23, in Independence, Louisiana.

After falling short of winning last year's title, the team was ready for a taste of redemption. In a hard fought, 8-3 win against Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Selma 15U All Stars secured their place in history and brought home the gold. An enthusiastic crowd of family and community members was waiting to welcome their hometown champions back to Selma.

The team is comprised of 14 boys: Dione Allen, Alex Colquitt, Tevin Craig, Matthew Davis, Trovonn Davis, Joseph Estes, Xavier Green, Jeremy Lee Jr., Amarion Molette, Octavious Palmer, Jacob Peavy, George Turner, Milam Turner, and Richard Allen Waters.

They come from a combination of Dallas County High School, Meadowview Christian Academy, Morgan Academy, and Selma High School. Built on a foundation of diversity, this team showcases what can happen when communities are united in a common cause. Through their hard work and dedication, these boys displayed what it means to be a leader in their communities. Selma is often portrayed as a city lacking in opportunities for civic engagement, but the Selma 15U All Stars is a direct antithesis to this misguided characterization.

The man behind this remarkable group of young men is Head Coach Ricky Waters. I had the great privilege of going to grade school with Ricky in our hometown of Selma. I know that this victory is of special importance to him since he took the field against the same opponent, Hattiesburg, at the Dixie Baseball World Series when he was a player, 38 years ago. Although Ricky's time at bat ended in a loss, he was able to lead this team of Selma 15U All Stars to victory in 2017. Ricky, along with Coaches Richard Davis, Jake Peavy, and Jason Foti, created a winning team of boys that everyone in Alabama should be proud of.

As every sports fan knows, behind every great team is an even greater community. A raucous crowd of over 100 cheering fans and the blaring sirens of police cars and firetrucks welcomed the team of champions home. It was a bright day for Selma as the city came together to celebrate these young athletic ambassadors and their competitive triumph.

This extraordinary group of young men and their dedicated coaches are a shining example of the positive impact sports can have on a community. I am proud to represent these local heroes, and I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the 2017 Dixie Baseball World Series champions, the Selma 15U All Star Baseball Team. Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to express my strong support for reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act (CNR). Every 5 years, we are provided with an opportunity to strengthen child nutrition and school meal programs so they meet the nutrition needs of our children. The last time we reauthorized Child Nutrition programs was in 2010 when President Obama signed the Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This Act included a number of improvements to the quality of school food and created a national afterschool meal program, in addition to several other positive provisions that have helped to address food insecurity since its passage. That law expired in 2015. Financial problems plaguing the CNR cannot be addressed unless Congress takes decisive action in reforming this legislation.

The issues of food insecurity and nutrition in this country impact far too many families. According to the USDA, 13 percent of American households are food insecure. Families in my district are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. For example, this inadequate access to food is a stark reality for individuals in Wilcox County, where thirty-three percent of the population has uncertain access to food. In Dallas, Greene and Sumter Counties, the food insecurity rate is higher than 29 percent.

Most troubling, though, is the alarming percentage of children in my district affected by the issue of food scarcity. In Tuscaloosa, 23 percent of children faced food scarcity in 2016. Furthermore, sixty-six percent of students in Tuscaloosa City Schools rely on free or reduced lunch programs. For these children, federal programs provide essential nutrition that they would not otherwise have access to.

Hunger can have serious, harmful effects on a child's health and ability to learn. Childhood hunger is associated with behavioral, attention, academic, and emotional problems. These struggles can lead to lower test scores, higher levels of school failure, other potentially lifelong health problems, and learning deficits. Prioritizing this issue is necessary to revitalize the crucial nutrition programs that many children in this country rely on. We cannot afford to leave our most vulnerable citizens without access to the proper resources they need in order to thrive and contribute to our society. That is why I am urging Congress to take action and renew the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the founding of The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and welcome them to Birmingham, Alabama for their 98th International Holy Convocation. Since its founding in 1919, the church has strengthened communities across America, and diligently worked towards uniting all of God's Children.

Beginning in 1914, the late Bishop Lawson was drawn to the ministry, and began to tenaciously spread the word of God. A few short years later in 1919, Bishop Lawson moved to New York City and founded the Refuge Church of Christ, which ultimately transformed into the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The congregation grew rapidly and is still welcoming new members from across the world into its family with open hearts.

Faith based communities were central in advancing civil rights and voting rights in our country 50 years ago, and continue the fight for social justice. I have the honor of representing Alabama's 7th Congressional District, which is also known as the Civil Rights District--including historic cities such as Birmingham, Montgomery, and my hometown of Selma. While in Congress, I continue to derive inspiration from the faith leaders and foot soldiers of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Movements, many of whom are my constituents.

Again, I want to extend my congratulations to The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ for 98 years of faith based service, and I hope that during their visit to Birmingham, they are inspired by the great civil rights history of the Magic City.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for H.R. 3178, the Medicare Part B Improvement Act.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of the bill introduced by Reps. Black, DelBene, and Thompson included in the underlying bill. This policy modernizes Medicare payment policies for the use of telehealth for ESRD related visits.

My home state of Alabama and the neighboring states of Mississippi and Tennessee are home to the highest rates of kidney disease in the country. Expanding opportunities for home dialysis and telehealth is very important to these patients and their families.

I've visited with kidney disease patients in dialysis facilities across my district, from small dialysis clinics to the ESRD unit at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. The treatment is taxing for patients and families, who have to go to their clinic to receive treatment 3 days a week for 4 hours at a time to simply sustain life.

For patients and their families, this bill will have a substantial impact on their quality of life, by expanding access to home dialysis therapy. Technology has allowed for the creation of home dialysis devices. Our Medicare dialysis patients deserve access to these advanced technologies. I strongly believe we must modernize our dialysis payment policies to keep pace with the rapid pace of innovation in so that Medicare patients are not left behind.

I support the underlying bill and urge my colleagues to vote yes on the Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on the passage of the fiscal year 2018 Intelligence Authorization Act under suspension of the rules.

Unfortunately, I strongly oppose its passage today, not because it is a bad bill. On the contrary, I voted for it out of committee. But today I disagree on how this bill is presented on the floor. The Intelligence Authorization Act should be on regular order and rule and not on suspension.

This critically important piece of legislation is the most substantial oversight mechanism that Congress has over the intelligence community, and it deserves full consideration and robust debate. The American public and our intelligence community deserve nothing less.

Before authorizing tens of billions of dollars for the United States intelligence community, our lawmakers should carefully consider and debate the issues our intelligence community faces, many of which directly impact our national security. Instead, today's consideration of the IAA has been fast-tracked, and debate has been cut short.

Most of the work of the intelligence community and our committee happens behind closed doors, which means that debate on the House floor over the Intelligence Authorization Act is one of the few times the public can engage with the issues facing our intelligence community. By limiting debate on this bill, we cut public engagement off as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the bipartisan way in which our committee worked to craft this year's Intelligence Authorization Act. I am excited that this year's IAA includes a provision that I drafted that provides our lawmakers, election officials, campaigns, and the public with additional information and resources to defend our democracy against emerging cyber threats. Additionally, we will continue to be able to provide a summer internship program to students from the existing Centers of Academic Excellence in intelligence. This year's IAA will also hold the IC accountable for creating a more diverse and inclusive working environment.

Nevertheless, I will oppose today's bill not because I don't support the underlying bill, but because I believe that national security issues raised by this legislation are too important to be fast-tracked.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose today's vote under suspension of the rules and to stand with us in demanding full debate and consideration under regular order.

Mr. Speaker, governmental transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy, and the American people deserve nothing less than the full disclosure of the Trump campaign's Russian contacts. It seems like every week, we find out more information about meetings between Russian contacts and individuals within President Trump's inner circle. Advisors in President Trump's White House have been forced to revise applications for security clearance because of repeated failures to report meetings with officials connected to the Kremlin.

In addition, the Trump Administration's refusal to acknowledge the vast scope of Russian interference in the 2016 election is leaving the United States vulnerable and exposed, opening the doors for future Russian attacks against our electoral system. The CIA, the FBI, the Director of National Intelligence, the NSA, and the other intelligence agencies in the intelligence community all agree that the Russians directed the hacking of the 2016 election. It is time that the Trump Administration unequivocally denounces the Russian government's meddling in our electoral process. The longer they delay standing up to Putin, the longer our country remains susceptible to further cyber- attacks.

The integrity of our elections is at stake. It is time for the Administration to stop pretending that the hacking did not happen, and start working to ensure that it does not happen again. Many Americans had to traverse a long, arduous path in their fight to secure the right to vote. I represent the 7th Congressional District of Alabama, the home to some of the greatest battlefields of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Movement: Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery. My constituents overcame insurmountable adversity in order to secure their right to vote. They shed blood and sacrificed their lives so that future generations would never be turned away from the ballot box or denied their sacred, constitutional right to vote. We are doing them a gross injustice if we do not take action against the Russian government's blatant interference in our election.

The American people deserve to know the truth, and they deserve the assurance that their government is working on their behalf to remove barriers to the ballot box. We cannot afford to sacrifice the integrity of our elections, nor impugn the veracity of our intelligence community and our law enforcement agencies. I urge the Trump Administration to accept the facts in front of them so we can begin to move forward and ensure that no foreign entity ever has the ability to attack our democracy again.