Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a legend of St. Louis who passed away last week.

Mama Reed knew no strangers in her community. She lived a life of service.

As one of the first Black teachers in the Hazelwood School District, a committeewoman, a mentor, mother, sister, auntie, she led through her example, her advice, and her unconditional and sometimes tough love.

As I think about the term ``rest in power,'' its meaning, as I stand here, I have a moment of clarity because I stand here feeling an intense obligation to honor her and send her off right, and as I am going forward, a desire to make her proud although she is no longer with us. That is power.

Mr. Speaker, may Mama Gwen Reed rest in it, and we love her.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent for recorded votes due to a personal commitment. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: YEA on Roll Call No. 71, H.R. 6329; YEA on Roll Call No. 72, S. 2503; NAY on Roll Call No. 73, Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1075; NAY on Roll Call No. 74, H. Res. 1075; YEA on Roll Call No. 75, motion to recommit on H.R. 4626; and NAY on Roll Call No. 76, Passage of H.R. 4626.

Mr. Speaker, each month I recognize a St. Louis all-star, someone who represents the very best of our city. During Black History Month, I have been highlighting Black leaders who helped shape St. Louis and expand opportunity for everyone.

However, this week is bigger than one name. That is because long before the great Bill Clay was elected to Congress, Black Missourians were fighting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation just to cast a ballot. They were told their voices didn't matter. They organized anyway.

Countless leaders pushed from the streets, as well as leaders like our beloved Frankie Muse Freeman, who fought in the courts.

When I see new efforts to make voting more restrictive, more complicated, and more conditional, I am reminded why their work matters. Black History Month isn't just about remembrance. It is about vigilance.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here because they fought to open the door, and I won't let anyone quietly close it.

Mr. Speaker, we are debating this bill because Donald Trump is still trying to overturn an election that he lost 6 years ago. Some in this body are helping him do it.

The SAVE America Act is built on the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. That lie has been investigated, litigated, audited, and debunked over and over again. Instead of accepting reality, the authors of this bill are using that lie as an excuse to take control of our elections. This is not on the level.

Let's be honest about where this is coming from. It is coming from the President himself. We are being asked to trust Donald Trump and his allies about elections while he is actively trying to subvert them. That is dangerous, and Congress should not be a willing partner in it.

Mr. Speaker, our democracy does not need a takeover. It needs truth, and this bill has none of it.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, it feels right to honor someone who has spent a lifetime making sure Black history in St. Louis was seen, recorded, and remembered.

After more than 40 years, Wiley Price is retiring. For decades, Wiley documented St. Louis through the lens of The St. Louis American. That matters because Black St. Louis has not always been seen clearly or treated as central to this city's story. Wiley made sure it was.

Wiley was there for the joy and the grief, from church basements and street corners, and for Presidents, moments of celebration, and moments of strife. While others passed through, Wiley stayed, year after year, building trust, bearing witness, and creating a record that cannot be erased.

If someone wants to understand Black St. Louis over the last 40 years, they won't start with official reports or headlines written elsewhere. They will start with Wiley Price's photographs, which tell a story that could never be written.

As he retires, he leaves behind more than images. He leaves behind a history of this city, told honestly and with care. His work will never fade, and St. Louis is a better place because of him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because working people in St. Louis and across this country are getting squeezed from every direction. Groceries cost more. Rent costs more. Childcare costs more. Healthcare costs more. For too many families, every month feels like a math problem they can't solve.

For generations, the American Dream meant that if you worked hard, you could build a stable life, you could afford a home, you could raise a family, and you could retire with dignity. Today, that dream feels farther away for millions of people, not because they stopped believing in it but because it is becoming impossibly unaffordable.

Affordability is not just an economic issue. It is a trust issue. People don't just feel broke. They feel shut out.

Under President Trump, influence isn't just whispered behind closed doors; it is put up for sale. Money flows in and policy flows out. That is not normal. That is not acceptable. In this administration, access is bought instead of earned. If you are a billionaire or a special interest, you get a seat at the table. If you are a nurse, a warehouse worker, or a parent juggling two jobs, you are out of luck. That is how we end up with policies like tariffs that raise costs for Missouri families by $600 a year. It is how we end up with an economy that works great for the people at the top and barely works for everyone else.

When President Trump talks about a great economy, it is clear he is talking about an economy he has never had to live in, one where you don't worry about grocery bills, prescription costs, or childcare, because those concerns have never touched his life, and they don't guide his decisions.

When decisions are driven by money instead of the public interest, the result is higher costs, weaker protections, and a growing sense that the American Dream is slipping out of reach.

It doesn't have to be this way. We can build an economy where the American Dream is affordable again, where housing is within reach, healthcare is accessible, and childcare doesn't bankrupt you.

We can stop giving billionaires yet another tax break and start giving working families some breathing room. Because when government works for working people, the American Dream stops slipping away and starts feeling possible again.

That is what House Democrats are fighting for, not an economy built around pay-to-play politics or shady closed-door deals but one built around dignity, fairness, and that simple idea that the American Dream should be within reach for everyone, not just the well-connected.

Mr. Speaker, today I was absent for recorded votes due to travel. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: YEA on Roll Call No. 49, H.R. 980--Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement Act of 2025, as amended, and YEA on Roll Call No. 50, H.R. 3123--Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act, as amended.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, on June 22, 2020, while serving as St. Louis County prosecutor, we were notified of a crime scene at a local restaurant by homicide detectives. Myself and our outreach director at the time, Captain Clay Farmer, responded to that scene to support the investigation that shortly after would be issued by our office.

What I witnessed at this scene still haunts me to this very day. I had intended this to be more celebratory to honor posthumously the great Demetrius Johnson and the legendary St. Louis American photographer Wiley Price on his retirement, and I will in the near future. In light of the conviction secured in this case yesterday, my thoughts are with the family of Kimberly Pelton and my friends, Lakeshia Finch and Arlydia Bufford.

Arlydia is a remarkable young woman, full of energy, and she beat me in UNO. Lakeshia, who has documented her heroic recovery from this atrocity, exemplifies courage, resiliency, and an unrelenting determination.

These three victims are our St. Louis stars.

Madam Speaker, as the holidays roll around, I want to say this to folks across the St. Louis region: This season isn't just about what is under the tree. It is about who we show up for.

There is a lot happening in the world right now. Some of it is heavy. At home, I see a community that still believes in looking out for one another, especially our children. Not every child has the stability they deserve, through no fault of their own. When families can't carry that load alone, the rest of us have to help.

That is what organizations like the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition do every day, and it is what Annie Malone has done for generations, helping young people aging out of the system find their footing.

As we celebrate with the people we love, I hope we also think about how we can help others. That is how we make this season matter.

Madam Speaker, I wish St. Louis happy holidays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Washington University women's soccer team, who just secured their second-straight Division III national championship. These student-athletes reflect the best of St. Louis.

What they achieved this season didn't happen by accident. It came from years of work, a culture of accountability, and a shared belief that success in the classroom and success in competition strengthen each other.

St. Louis is proud of them, and WashU is proud of them. Their run reminds us that our city grows stronger when we invest in our young people.

I congratulate the players, coaching staff, and entire community. I will admit, a lot of us are already looking forward to the three-peat next year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2550, the Protect America's Workforce Act.

Mr. Speaker, we all count on a Federal workforce that shows up every day to serve, not to bend to political pressure or wonder if speaking up will cost them their jobs.

That is exactly the risk if collective bargaining rights are wiped out. It pushes aside a system that has been built over generations to protect workers, protect taxpayers, and keep politics out of public service.

Taking away the voice of Federal workers doesn't make government stronger. It makes it easier for retaliation, harder for whistleblowers, and worse for the people who we represent.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do right by the people who serve our country every day by restoring basic fairness and bringing us back to a system that has worked under both parties for decades.

Mr. Speaker, winter is here, and families across the St. Louis region and the country are opening their utility bills with a knot in their stomachs.

Right now, reckless tariff policies and economic uncertainty out of the White House are driving up costs across the country and squeezing working people who are already stretched thin with higher prices at the grocery store, higher rent, and stagnant wages.

That is why, now more than ever, programs like the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, are so critical. Yet earlier this year, the Trump administration wanted to eliminate LIHEAP, a program that supports over 200,000 people in my home State of Missouri.

We should be focused on lowering costs and strengthening essential programs, not cutting critical, lifesaving programs that people rely on to stay warm in the winter.

Heating a home is not a luxury, and families in St. Louis should not be left out in the cold.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during the time of votes today due to minor health concerns. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 306 and YEA on Roll Call No. 307.

Mr. Speaker, the State legislature may have forced through their partisan map, but in Missouri, the final word belongs to the people. Our constitution gives Missourians the right to check the politicians through the petition process.

No one asked for this map. Communities didn't demand it. Voters didn't vote for it. It was written to serve the administration, not Missouri. When politicians get it wrong, citizens have the chance to make it right.

That is why the petition process is so important. It is a chance for Missourians across the State--urban, rural, north, south, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian--to come together and say our voices matter, our votes matter, and we will decide what representation looks like.

This is bigger than party politics. It is about who holds the power in our democracy. I believe the power is in the people of Missouri-- more specifically, in the pen and signatures of the people of Missouri as we petition to save our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I come from Missouri, and the people I represent have serious concerns. They are worried about paying for healthcare. They are worried about the cost of food and affordable housing or raising families with some measure of security. What they are not worried about is a mid-decade power grab in Jefferson City, but that is exactly what is happening.

This isn't about fair representation. It is about politicians trying to lock in their power by carving up Kansas City and silencing voices they do not want to hear. These include voices like Congressman Cleaver, a man of integrity, who has served this Chamber, our State, and our country with dignity and distinction for decades.

No one asked for this, not the stakeholders, not the business community, and, most importantly, not the people of Missouri.

Let's not mince words. This is cheating. It is cowardice. If we allow it, we are telling Missourians that their voices don't matter. Our democracy doesn't belong to partisan mapmakers. It belongs to the people.