Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on March 22, 2018, I was unavoidably detained and missed recorded vote No. 123. Had I been present, on Roll Call No. 123, On Ordering the Previous Question: H. Res. 796: Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1625) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons within the definition of transnational organized crime, I would have voted NO.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. I thank the Congressional Black Caucus chairman, Cedric Richmond, for his leadership in this effort.

For the next 60 minutes, we have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus and the millions of constituents whom we represent. Tonight's Special Order hour topic is Women's History Month.

Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we salute phenomenal women who refused to sit on the sidelines of history. After the passage of the 19th Amendment, millions of women have continued to march like the women who came before them.

For generations, women, particularly Black women, have been on the front lines fighting for key rights for America's women, including the right to equal pay, the right to equal access to educational opportunities, and the right to equal access to opportunities in the workplace.

In that spirit, I rise today on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus in reclaiming 2018 as the Year of the Black Woman. 2018, the Year of the Black Woman--I like the sound of that. Black women are a force to reckon with, and we shall not be moved.

New York, my hometown, has a longstanding and illustrious legacy of leading the way to advance women's rights, from Seneca Falls to the United States Congress, and even on the road to the White House. It was where Madam C.J. Walker and Billie Holiday laid down their roots. It was the home of the late great Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to serve in this distinguished House and whose congressional district I represent today.

``I am not a candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not a candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. . . . I am the candidate of the people of America.'' These are the words she spoke.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Shirley Chisholm's election to the House of Representatives as the reformer from Brooklyn and the 46th anniversary of her historic bid for the Presidency. In doing so, Shirley Chisholm blazed a pathway for millions of girls and women to dream unthinkable dreams.

Shirley Chisholm's labor and contribution to Brooklyn, Congress, and the Nation continues to bear fruit today. She paved the way for many of the women, myself included, to run for elected office at all levels.

Shirley Chisholm opposed war, racism, sexism, and inequality. She stood up to Republicans and demanded more from her own party. She won; she lost; she never backed down.

Forty-six years ago, the unbossed and unbought Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for President of the United States, making her the first woman in history to run for the highest office in the land. I can because she did.

Congresswoman Chisholm used the authority of her experience to create nutrition assistance programs, expand healthcare services for parents and children, increase the minimum wage, support the veterans of our Armed Forces, and provide opportunities for women in college, graduate school, and collegiate and professional sports with the enactment of title IX.

But that is not all. Shirley Chisholm pushed this country forward. I can recall growing up in Brooklyn and just being so proud as a young girl growing up knowing that there was a woman who looked like me who came from my neighborhood, who came from my origins, sitting here in the House of Representatives. She was somewhat of a rock star in Brooklyn.

Her intellect, her ability, her savviness was something that she exuded in every environment that she found herself. She was pretty stylish as well. But it was, indeed, her strategic thinking and her ability to be a voice for the voiceless that really propelled Shirley Chisholm into the hearts and minds of all Americans.

Shirley Chisholm pushed this country forward, and for this and other reasons, she deserves a permanent place among other figures of United States history right here in the Capitol.

In January, I introduced H.R. 4856, what I have named the Shirley Chisholm Statue Bill. The bill would do just that, honor Shirley Chisholm's legacy with a permanent statue among those statues in our hollowed Halls. H.R. 4856 directs the United States Joint Committee on the Library, which is responsible for oversight of the operations of the Library of Congress and the management of Statuary Hall Collection, to obtain a statue of Chisholm

for permanent placement in the United States Capitol. I am very pleased to say that over 70 Members of the United States House of Representatives are cosponsors.

My sister, colleague, and friend, Senator Kamala Harris of California, in late February, introduced the companion bill. Among Senate cosponsors are the CBC members Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, in addition to Senators Warren and Sanders, and my Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well.

Senator Harris and I agree, Shirley Chisholm created a path for Black women Members of Congress who have served after her. ``Her legacy encourages us to keep up the fight for our most voiceless and vulnerable,'' Senator Harris stated.

Mr. Speaker, Rosa and Sojourner, giant figures in American history and the only two African-American women cemented permanently here in the Capitol, are lonely. Mr. Speaker, I hope that you will join us in this effort. Let's pass the Shirley Chisholm Statue Bill right away.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), one of the staunch supporters of women's rights here on Capitol Hill and co-chair of the Bipartisan Women's Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her extraordinary comments this evening, really highlighting the triumphs and the challenges of both race and gender when we talk about Black women.

This is Women's History Month. We want to bring a unique lens to the conversation of Women's History Month because oftentimes, indeed, Black women tend to be the hidden figures.

Having said that, it is now my honor to yield to the gentlewoman from California, the honorable Barbara Lee, one of the outstanding mentors and Black women here in Congress who has done extraordinary work, whether it is in leading the conscience of this Congress around the Iraq war or many other causes that we have seen her leadership as a north star to really making this Nation the best that it can be. It is my honor to yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for her eloquent presentation this evening.

It is now my honor and privilege to bring to the floor the gentleman from the great State of Pennsylvania, the great city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, the honorable Dwight Evans of the Second Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for really bringing to the fore all of these extraordinary Black women in Philadelphia. It is unfortunate that our history, when it comes to gender parity, does not extol the virtues of everyone who is really laboring in the vineyard, oftentimes trailblazers and making things happen for communities, municipalities, and States across this Nation. Again, we are illuminating hidden figures this evening, and I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for doing such a tremendous job.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my honor and privilege to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), who is just across the river from the district that I represent in New York.

The gentleman has been an extraordinary advocate for communities of color in the State of New Jersey. He has done a tremendous job in work on the Committee on Homeland Security. I know he has been an advocate for promoting and putting forth Black women in leadership positions. He was responsible for electing the very first Black woman to be Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey. The Honorable Donald Payne, Jr., represents of the 10th District of New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, I, once again, thank the gentleman from New Jersey for highlighting all of the ways in which Black women have excelled beyond expectation, despite all the challenges and the obstacles that they have faced.

We continue to see Black women rise, and I want to thank the gentleman for his observations, for his experience, and his interactions as part of this Special Order hour. We know that, again, these are hidden figures, but today I say hidden no more. They are in the Congressional Record, and I thank the gentleman for adding such richness to the Record this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee will be sharing with us her insights

during this Special Order hour as we highlight the accomplishments and we speak to the concerns in the Year of the Black Woman.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for bringing to the floor so many of the issues that Black women have been in the lead on or have been fighting for, such as social justice and criminal justice reform, which is the hallmark of the leadership of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. We are grateful to her for expressing today all of these obstacles that we must overcome and that we are focused on here in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for sharing those quotes with us this evening.

It is so important, in terms of inspiration and motivation, that we are able to pull from the work that is being done by Black women and those who have preceded us.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this moment, because I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to honor another distinguished woman from New York, the dearly departed Congresswoman Louise Slaughter from New York's 25th District.

Words cannot adequately express the sense of sadness that I and many in my delegation feel to have received word of the passing of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, the dean of the New York delegation.

Ms. Slaughter dedicated her life's work to the people of western New York and, indeed, all Americans across our great Nation. She embodied a spirit of strength, wisdom, grace, and beauty, inside and out.

She represented the very best of the American spirit, our values, and our ideals. She was a trailblazer. She was the first woman to serve as chair and ranking member of the powerful House Rules Committee. She commanded the respect and admiration of her colleagues.

Having had the honor of serving with her has enriched my passion for service and my commitment to fight for the most vulnerable amongst us. She is, indeed, a woman on whose shoulders I stand. The United States Congress has lost an esteemed leader, the New York delegation has lost a beloved dean, and I have lost a cherished friend and mentor.

My thoughts and my prayers are with her three daughters, Megan, Amy, and Emily; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In this time of their bereavement, we extend our deepest condolences.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, for anchoring this very important Special Order this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in solidarity with my colleagues in this very important

discussion about fair share fees for union workers.

In 1977, the Supreme Court, in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, decided that fair share fees were constitutional, full stop. This decision allowed unions to be paid fair share fees by nonunion members in order to negotiate on their behalf.

Fair share fees have become increasingly significant and important, as unions continue to fight for worker protections in the workplace.

Now, 40 years later, the Supreme Court is poised to hear this issue yet again in Janus v. AFSCME.

So what has changed? What has changed?

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned that this is yet another attempt to put big business above working people and weaken organized labor as effective representatives for the working class.

I, therefore, ask the Court to be thoughtful. I ask that they think of the consequences that will follow by reversing this law. I ask the Court not to be used as pawns by the Republican conservatives, millionaires and billionaires, to weaken organized labor and unions of the 21st century.

If it were not for organized labor, many of us would not be standing here representing our constituents today. My mother was a member of DC 37, a part of AFSCME, and it was through her labor union, her local, that she was able to put money aside for my brother and me to go to college, to make sure that our healthcare was taken care of.

And here we are in the wealthiest Nation in the world where millionaires and billionaires are lining their pockets with profits, and, at the same time, we have workers who are before the Supreme Court just seeking dignity to be organized through labor and labor unions.

This is a time for all Americans to remember their roots. Organized labor is part of the bedrock of this Nation. It is my hope that the Supreme Court will remember that in their deliberations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to a great man, a loving husband and father, a visionary entrepreneur, a philanthropist and humanitarian, my beloved and dear friend, Mr. Lowell Hawthorne of the Bronx, New York.

Lowell Hawthorne immigrated to the United States from the beautiful island nation of Jamaica in 1981 and, like most immigrants to our country, began his pursuit of the American Dream.

After working his way up the administrative ranks of the New York City Police Department as an accountant handling police pensions, he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and started a home-based business doing tax returns for coworkers and friends on the force.

Determined to provide for his family a life that he never had, in 1989, inspired by his father and sisters, who were bakers, and with the financial support of his wife and siblings, he would go on to open the first Golden Krust Bakery, on East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, New York. His specialties included the Jamaican beef patty, Caribbean baked goods, and other culinary delights.

From there, his entrepreneurial talents, work ethic, and dogged determination allowed him to soar, methodically expanding his empire to include over 120 stores in nine States across the country. Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill would become the first Caribbean-American- owned business in the United States to be granted a franchise license. Producing more than 50 million beef, chicken, and vegetable patties a year, Golden Krust is also the largest Caribbean-American-owned business in the Nation.

Lowell has been described by his employees as a nice boss, a wonderful guy,

a God-fearing man, also, as someone who cared deeply for his staff, his family, his community, and the beloved land of his birth, Jamaica.

He leaves to cherish his legacy his devoted wife of 34 years, Lorna, and his four children, who all worked for the company: Daren, Omar, Monique, and Haywood.

I admire Lowell for bringing our shared love of Jamaican culture to life on a larger scale through food and fellowship. His success story is an inspiration to all who continue to dream the American Dream. I personally was honored to have known him.

As part of a tight-knit Caribbean diaspora and Jamaican community, he was considered a beloved part of my extended family, so much so that my mother adopted him, as mothers often do, and took him under her wing and into her heart. Lowell was more than a friend; he was a brother.

Today, I honor his life and living legacy. I will miss my friend and will cherish him always. On behalf of the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York, the Clarke family, and myself, I wish to express my most deepest, profound condolences to the family and friends of the honorable Lowell Hawthorne.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my fellow New Yorkers in honoring and celebrating the life of our colleague, Congressman Maurice Hinchey. Congressman Hinchey embodied what it means to be a true public servant and patriot with a vocation to serve his country and the people of New York.

From his 18 years serving in the New York State Assembly to his 10 years in Congress, Congressman Hinchey remained a steadfast champion for working people, American families, and the environment.

During the Congressman's time in the New York State Assembly, where he served as Chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, he sponsored the nation's first ever acid rain prevention bill. His passion for the environment followed him from New York State to Capitol Hill, where he famously sent President Reagan a tree and a gallon of acid rain water to draw attention to environmental pollution.

The Congressman represented some of New York's most beautiful land, from the Hudson Valley to the Finger Lakes, and we can attribute much of the preservation of New York's natural beauty to Congressman Hinchey's tireless dedication to conservation.

While on the House Appropriations Committee, the Congressman served as a staunch advocate for progressive policies and innovation to help American families and veterans.

My thoughts are with the Congressman's wife, Ilene, the Hinchey family, and all those who loved him as we honor his legacy of activism, advocacy, and passion for public service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my outrage over the administration's unconscionable decision to terminate Haiti's temporary protected status designation on July 22, 2019.

This decision, which came just days before Thanksgiving, will force over 50,000 Haitians to return to a country that is still struggling to recover from the devastating effects of the 2010 earthquake and reeling from a cholera epidemic and food insecurity caused by Hurricane Matthew that decimated Haiti's agricultural sector.

Although Haiti has made extraordinary strides to overcome the impact of the deadly earthquake and subsequent events, including the cholera epidemic, food insecurity crisis, and Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Maria, it has killed over 10,000 people and hampered the recovery efforts.

The devastation of these events should have made the decision to redesignate Haiti for 18 months without setting an end date an easy call, a no-brainer. However, last week's disastrous decision to terminate Haiti's TPS status did not occur in a vacuum.

In the past few weeks alone, this administration has also announced its decision to terminate temporary protected status for Nicaragua and Sudan. These actions demonstrate the administration's clear departure from the bipartisan consensus that has always surrounded the TPS program which exists to protect human life. Instead, this administration has chosen to sow fear and division in our society to distract from its failed policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the vast majority of Americans.

Faced with this clear and credible threat, we must come together to pass bipartisan legislation that protects all TPS-eligible individuals from being forced to return home to countries experiencing famine, natural disaster, and outright civil war. That is why I have worked with Representatives Ros-Lehtinen and Jayapal to introduce the bipartisan ASPIRE-TPS Act, which would provide meaningful protections to all TPS-eligible individuals.

I urge my colleagues in this body to cosponsor our legislation. I also urge House leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote as soon as possible so that we can grant meaningful protection to the 300,000 TPS-eligible individuals at risk of being sent back to life-threatening conditions abroad. Now is the time to act for the sake of 300,000 TPS- eligible individuals and our standing in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This egregious bill would penalize families for having multiple children, reduce incentives for affordable housing units, hurt the sick by eliminating the medical expense deduction, harm commuters by limiting the benefit of the transit tax credit to employers, and harm New York in particular by limiting the state and local tax deduction, which helps New York provide valuable benefits to people of all income levels.

Most importantly, this bill would add $1.5 trillion to our national debt, essentially paying for tax cuts to America's wealthiest citizens today on the backs of our children tomorrow. This bill exposes the moral bankruptcy of the Republican agenda and I hope the American people will remember these actions in the future.

I ask all of my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2874, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act. At a time when oceans are rising due to climate change, this Chamber wants to hike up the cost of flood insurance premiums on lower- and middle-income Americans. As if that were not enough, this bill would also exempt corporations from the requirement to buy into the system, thereby limiting the availability of flood insurance in numerous markets.

As the representative of Gerritsen Beach and other areas that were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy, I know the importance of ensuring that all Americans have access to quality flood insurance. While we need to ensure that our insurance programs remain solvent, we must do so in a manner that protects the most vulnerable among us. This is not the way and I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the U.S. Virgin Islands for her leadership on this matter, serving as co- chair for the Caribbean Caucus, and being an outspoken advocate and fighter on behalf of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands who are still reeling from the two hurricanes that wreaked havoc on the three islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands. I want to thank the gentlewoman for organizing us this evening and really moderating what we all have to say here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern for the more than 300,000 temporary protected status beneficiaries who are under attack from this administration.

Temporary protected status was signed into law with bipartisan support by President George H. W. Bush as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. Since then, it has been used in roughly equal numbers by Democratic and Republican Presidents alike. This program is based on a simple idea that we can all agree upon: the idea that it is immoral to send someone back to a country suffering from famine, disease, war, or governmental collapse where they could reasonably expect to perish.

Today, instead, we, as a society, decided long ago as a humanitarian gesture to extend ourselves as a safe haven and to temporarily allow such people the ability to lawfully remain in the United States for up to 18 months at a time and seek gainful employment as conditions in their home countries would improve.

This is not citizenship, and this is not amnesty. Rather, it is a way of protecting human life while allowing eligible individuals from Haiti, Yemen, Honduras, Nicaragua, and numerous other countries across the world to earn wages for themselves and their loved ones abroad. Unfortunately, this administration's antipathy toward immigrants-- particularly immigrants of color--has found its way to some of the most vulnerable amongst us and threatens the existence of this commonsense program rooted in human decency and respect for life.

This program of agreement is now being totally undermined with real lives hanging in the balance. For example, while it would seem obvious to extend Haiti's temporary protected status in light of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, subsequent cholera epidemic, food insecurity crisis, and the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Maria, this administration only extended Haiti's status for 6 months in the month of May, while, at the same time, the administration insinuated that Haitian TPS recipients were criminals.

The administration now appears ready to ignore the advice of Haiti experts in the United States and the request of the Haitian Ambassador by forcing some 50,000 Haitians to subject themselves to life- threatening conditions in Haiti. This would not just be tragic for those forced to return, it would also be detrimental to Haiti's economy which benefits significantly from the hard-earned remittances that Haitian TPS beneficiaries send back to their loved ones. It is also no way to treat a neighbor that is located less than a 2-hour flight away from American soil, the most impoverished nation of the Western Hemisphere. Indeed, such a decision would be cruel and unusual punishment.

For this reason, I have worked with Congressman Cedric Richmond, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus in sending a letter to Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, signed by the entire Congressional Black Caucus, requesting a full 18-month extension of Haiti's TPS status. I also asked that Acting Secretary Duke take the Haitian Ambassador up on his invitation to visit Haiti and to see the conditions for herself.

However, Haiti is not the only country that clearly merits an extension. Nearly 60,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans currently await news of their fate, as will thousands of other immigrants from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

While I hope that Acting Secretary Duke will do the right thing and make an evidence-based decision in light of the human cost to her actions, our experience teaches us that we must also prepare for the worst.

Where this administration refuses to respect decades of bipartisan agreement, Congress must assert its constitutional powers and act to safeguard human life and American interests. I, therefore, call upon my congressional colleagues to come together and pass bipartisan legislation that will protect the hundreds of thousands of TPS beneficiaries from around the world--Black, brown, Asian and other--who are, at this moment, relying upon us for their very lives.

Although we live in times of great division, now is the moment to come together and recommit to the basic values that unite us all. This country was founded upon the idea of human dignity, and TPS is yet another test of whether we will be true to that idea or fall painfully short. We must not fall short, but instead we must rise to the occasion.

Mr. Speaker, TPS is something that falls within our purview to address. It is my sincere hope that we will address this impending crisis.

When I think about Haitians who are living here, many who, at this stage, had children born in the United States, and many who are here during the most productive time of their lives when they can work because of their strength, their ability, and their intellect, it would be a travesty to begin separating families and to wrench from these individuals the opportunity to add value to our civil society while undergirding the nation of their birth, the nation that many hope to return to at the appropriate time by summarily excusing them from our civil society.

Having said that, I, too, stand with my colleagues to extend on behalf of Chairman Richmond, the executive officers, and members of the CBC a heartfelt condolence in this season of bereavement to our dear colleague, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, on the loss of her sister. She remains in our prayers at this time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the U.S. Virgin Islands, once again, for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to be removed from H. Res. 220.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 3388, the SELF DRIVE Act. As you may know, autonomous vehicles are the wave of the future, and they are here now.

As innovative technology for these vehicles develop, our Nation's transportation system will be transformed, decreasing the number of traffic collisions, enhancing mobility for the elderly, disabled, and poor, and lowering fuel consumption.

My constituents in the Ninth Congressional District of New York will benefit greatly from autonomous vehicles, which will allow for smarter, faster, and more fuel-efficient travel.

I am pleased that proper cybersecurity protections are included in the legislation. As you may know, cybersecurity protections for self- driving vehicles is of great interest, particularly in today's environment, to ensure that these vehicles not only meet technological challenges, but there is a plan in place to meet public safety standards and prevent and tackle potential hacks and/or terrorism.

I am so pleased that H.R. 3407, the legislation I introduced with Congressman Adam Kinzinger is included in H.R. 3388. The cybersecurity portion of the bill requires manufacturers to develop a written cybersecurity policy. Within the cybersecurity policy, manufacturers would address the following: one, a process for identifying, assessing, and mitigating reasonable foreseeable vulnerabilities from cyber attacks or unauthorized intrusions; and two, a process for taking preventive and corrective action to mitigate against these vulnerabilities, including incident response plans, intrusion detection, and prevention systems that safeguard key controls, systems, and procedures through testing and/or monitoring.

This legislation requires companies to develop a more comprehensive cybersecurity plan, which can mitigate, correct, intersect, and identify imminent threats. Fostering consumer confidence will include ensuring an established system built to protect sensitive information in our technological age. I am pleased to be a Member of this committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to the administration's cruel and inhumane decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

President Obama first implemented DACA in 2012, to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of immigrant children, many of whom are young adults and have lived in the United States for years and known no other home other than the United States, have a place here in America. This program was rooted in the best of our political tradition and intended as a temporary fix until Congress chose to take action.

In 2013, the Senate rose to the challenge and passed a bipartisan reform proposal. However, this Chamber callously refused to even consider the Gang of Eight proposal and instead let it die a slow and painful legislative death.

We are now being called upon to resume the fight, and we must not squander this opportunity. What my colleagues need to understand here and now is that this is not a game. The fate of nearly a million people hangs in the balance. Today's coldhearted decision will impact their health, wellness, families, and earning potential for years to come. DREAMers are generally beginning the most productive years of their lives.

This is not a hypothetical question. It is real. We need to get to work, Mr. Speaker, right away.

Mr. Speaker, on July 17, 2017, I was unavoidably detained and missed recorded votes No. 379 to 381. Had I been present,

on Roll Call No. 379, H.R. 2210, Sergeant Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center, I would have voted YEA;

on Roll Call No. 380, H.J. Res. 92, Granting the consent and approval of Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to amend the Washington Area Transit Regulation Compact, I would have voted YEA; and

on Roll Call No. 381, H.J. Res. 76, Granting the consent and approval of Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to enter into a compact relating to the establishment of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the United States Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my Caribbean-American sisters and brothers across this country. For

hundreds of years, Caribbean Americans have contributed to the artistic, legal, literary, diplomatic, business, athletic, and medical--you name it, there is not an endeavor where you won't find a Caribbean American who helped shape American society.

Alexander Hamilton grew up in the Leeward Islands of St. Kitts and Nevis and went on to found our economic system. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, whose family came from Barbados, served honorably as the first Black Attorney General. General Colin Powell, whose own parents immigrated from Jamaica, became our Nation's first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black Secretary of State.

Constance Baker Motley, whose parents were from Nevis, drafted the complaint in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education before serving as our Nation's first Black female Federal judge.

Shirley Chisholm, my predecessor and role model, served in Congress for seven terms and became the first Black woman to seek a major party's nomination for President. Her family was from modern-day Guyana and Barbados.

Who can forget the unmatched contributions of such notable performers as Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis, Jr., and even Beyonce?

Let me add Rihanna. I could go on.

But by any measure, Caribbean Americans have enriched the United States beyond their numbers. They have made the United States better, stronger, and more vibrant while serving as a credit to the Caribbean region and the United States of America.

I, myself, am the proud daughter of Jamaican immigrants. My mother, Dr. Una Clarke, served as the first Caribbean-born female member of the New York City Council. In fact, she was the first foreign-born female to serve in the New York City Council.

For those reasons, I am proud to represent one of the largest Caribbean diaspora communities in the Nation and to serve as one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus.

However, unfortunately, the Caribbean region stands at a crossroads today. Many of the nations face high energy prices, environmental degradation, public health challenges, and economic challenges imposed by the correspondent banking crisis. Haiti, in particular, has been beset by numerous challenges over the past few years through no fault of its own.

I believe that the United States must not be silent in the face of those challenges. The Caribbean region is known favorably as the third border of the United States. Instead, it should aid our Caribbean neighbors to help ensure a vibrant future in the region.

Indeed, the State Department's recent report to Congress on the U.S.- Caribbean strategic partnership marked a step in the right direction. However, we must continue making strides on the road to full diplomatic engagement in accordance with our values and as befitting our friends and neighbors in the region.

I find it quite fascinating that so many other nations around the world have found this region in the Western Hemisphere to be partners with, and, we, right on its borders, have given it short shrift. When you look at the level of investment that China is making in the Caribbean region right now, it should give us all pause in the United States as we are concerned about the expansion of their influence into the Western Hemisphere.

So, Mr. Speaker, as I speak with pride today, I want to mention the name Susan Rice, former Ambassador to the U.N., another proud Caribbean American; and Patrick Ewing, formerly of the New York Nicks, another proud Caribbean American. The list goes on and on. We have deeply benefited from their contributions to our life, enriching society here in the United States of America.

I would be remiss if I left the floor this evening without adding my voice to that of my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus in condemning this horrible healthcare bill that has been put forth in the United States Senate. It is a companion to the horrible bill that was put forth by United States House of Representatives.

I am a Christian and I practice my faith regularly. There is something said in the Bible about wickedness in high places. I have to speak to the wickedness within this bill that we, as a civil society, would remove the ability for people to just have human dignity, to have life, to be able to see their doctors, to be able to make sure that their children are well taken care of, that their parents can live out their days in dignity and in as best health as possible is really a blot on this Nation.

We have been through generations of challenges. We have reached a point where, in this Nation, we have made a lot of progress in really doing our best for our neighbors as we would do for ourselves. This is totally a step back.

Our children are going to ask us where we were when this vicious bill was proposed that Americans would be stripped of the ability to access healthcare in the United States of America in the 21st century.

I stand shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to say that we stood on the floor of the House and we fought. We fought for human dignity. We fought to make sure that this would not be something that would not rest on the mind and the conscious of our colleagues, that they would reflect on how they would feel if this bill were to impact them personally.

I find it really ironic that in many of the districts that this healthcare bill would impact, our colleagues are basically stripping away the well-being of their own constituents--people who voted and sent them here. It is truly unfortunate that we value wealth over human dignity; that we value giving money to people who haven't even asked for it over making sure that we can stop pandemics, that we can continue research into cures for those who may be ill, and that we can continue to move along the path of preventive health, which is, by far, the best way for us to conduct our lives in the United States of America. To see emergency rooms, if they remain open, filled with those who are uninsured in this day and age is not worthy of who we are as a nation.

So I stand with my colleagues to say that we will fight until the last person standing to bring dignity to our Nation--to all people--but we fight, in particular, as a Congressional Black Caucus for those who have been most victimized and are the most vulnerable amongst us, and those are the people of the African-American communities here in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, I received a letter from a third grade student at the Brooklyn Friends School and the Kane Street Synagogue Hebrew School named Elijah.

Elijah wrote: At our synagogue, we learned that welcoming a stranger is an important mitzvah, and I know that my people were immigrants and sometimes refugees trying to find a new home in the USA. So it is important to me that we extend our welcome to refugees from Haiti.

Elijah is right. The people of Haiti have suffered through numerous tragedies over the past few years alone. They have experienced a devastating and catastrophic earthquake, tragic cholera epidemic, ongoing food scarcity crisis, deadly hurricanes, and continued flooding.

For these reasons, the Obama administration designated Haiti for temporary protected status in 2010, and redesignated it four times thereafter. However, Haiti's TPS designation will expire in July if the administration does not act immediately.

That is why I organized with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus and called for DHS Secretary John Kelly to redesignate Haiti for an additional 18 months of TPS.

We also asked DHS to issue a new TPS designation that would include the tens of thousands of Haitians who are in the United States but are not covered by the existing TPS designation.

The continuing humanitarian crisis on the ground in Haiti should make this an easy call. But news reports indicate that the acting head of USCIS, James McCament, is looking for evidence of crimes committed by Haitians to use as a pretext for ending Haiti's TPS designation. Such actions are part of the Trump administration's attempt to depict immigrants as criminals. They are also part of a flagrant effort to obscure the fact that TPS is based on the conditions on the ground in Haiti rather than the actions of some TPS beneficiaries here in the United States.

I call on Director Kelly to ignore these misguided voices and instead listen to people like Elijah. Human decency demands that the Department of Homeland Security extend temporary protected status to all Haitians present in the United States prior to November 4, 2016, as the country continues to rebuild.