Alma Adams

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, I respectfully challenge my colleague and would certainly invite him to go to the Community Resource Center in Mecklenburg County to see the work that they do every day, to see how they stabilize families and help reduce the need for those seeking social services to travel multiple times to access Federal programs. The last thing we should be doing is burdening working Americans by increasing their costs to receive the helping hand that programs like Medicaid and SNAP provide. Madam Chair, I would just, again, urge support for the amendment, as our most important job as Members of Congress is to make the lives of Americans better. The CRCs do that work, and let's do ours and ensure that they have the resources they need to continue that progress. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, I have an amendment made in order by the rule, and I ask for its consideration.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, there was no Federal agency dedicated to protecting consumers from predatory and abusive practices, so I am grateful to my chair for bringing this issue before us. I am not exactly sure why my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been so resistant to protecting consumers and to restoring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to its original intent. My amendment would restore the relationship between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education. Specifically, it would reestablish an interagency agreement concerning the sharing of student borrower complaints and allow for cooperation in the supervision and oversight of student loan servicers. It is critical that the Department of Education work with the CFPB on student loan oversight. Currently, the Department of Education is refusing to share information about loan servicers and student borrower complaints, which is making it more difficult for the CFPB to conduct its investigations into the lenders' bad behavior and deceptive practices. In fact, last Thursday, it was reported that the Director of the CFPB, in response to Senator Warren's inquiry, stated that Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education were blocking efforts to conduct proper oversight on the student loan industry. Because of the stance the Department of Education has taken, many student loan servicers and lenders are not complying with CFPB's request for information as well. These companies that manage student loans are refusing to share information that the CFPB needs to perform proper oversight. This is unacceptable. The national student loan debt has reached crisis levels. The American people are getting crushed by more than $1.5 trillion in student debt. Moreover, we have seen countless lawsuits allege that widespread wrongdoing by student loan companies is costing some borrowers thousands of dollars. This critical amendment would put borrowers back at the center of the Bureau's consumer protection work. Our constituents have elected us to look out for their best interests, to protect them from harmful policies, and to provide them recourse when they get into difficult situations. Dismantling, undermining, and weakening the CFPB is not in our constituents' best interests. I thank Chairwoman Waters for her leadership in restoring the CFPB to its original intent. Let's do the right thing for the American people. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to help student borrowers and to support H.R. 1500. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, I appreciate the comments from my colleague from North Carolina. But we want to make sure that private loan services who collect payments, or those who collect payments from students, are doing their job. Now, yes, students want choices. I taught for 40 years on the campus of Bennett College. I know the difficulty that students have, and I know that they leave college with a lot of debt, but we should not hold them hostage. They are asking for a choice to resolve the problems, and they need someone there who will speak for them. That is what this bill will do. That is what was done before, and we need to restore that kind of confidence back into these students so that they know that they can get some help when they need it. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, let me just say this: This is a good amendment. This is a great bill. It is an opportunity for us to restore some confidence and integrity into this process. We should not hold our students hostage and penalize them because of something that the Congressman said the government has done. Madam Chair, we have an opportunity to fix this, and I would certainly encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring Judge Damon J. Keith, who passed away last month. The grandson of slaves, Judge Keith served more than 50 years on the Federal bench, where he consistently ruled to uphold civil rights and civil liberties. Judge Keith leaves behind a legacy of fostering equal opportunity and fighting for the little guy. Unfortunately, this legacy is under threat. The Trump administration is proposing yet another idea that will hurt working families. The administration wants to change the way poverty is measured to artificially reduce the number of people who are considered poor. That means fewer people will be eligible for programs like SNAP and WIC and Medicaid. I am disappointed, but I am not surprised. The latest attempt to gut the social safety net just goes to show how out of touch this administration is with the needs of everyday Americans. This administration has proposed cutting nutrition benefits for an estimated 755,000 people just because they cannot find jobs. They have threatened to take money away from the Pell Grant Program that provides a pathway to higher education for millions of low-income students. The President has consistently tried to cut funding for essential programs like Medicaid, public housing, Head Start, and more. And while passing a tax cut to benefit corporations and millionaires, the little people have been left out. We need serious solutions to combat income inequality. Pretending that poor people don't exist is not the solution at all. Instead of changing the way we measure poverty, we need to strengthen programs that help people who are struggling. We need to raise the minimum wage. We need a living wage. Working hard is not enough if you don't make enough. We need to expand access to quality nutrition and housing, and we need to make sure that students have equal access to higher education. I am proud to stand tonight with my colleagues against the administration's ongoing attacks on working people and families and so proud to praise and honor Judge Damon J. Keith, who worked so hard to preserve our rights. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing our efforts to make sure that working families and low-income Americans have access to all of the services that they need.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding and for his support on this issue. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 987. We must reverse the administration's attempt to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare should not be a partisan issue. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, or unaffiliated. If you get sick, you need to see a doctor. Your body certainly doesn't make the distinction about what your politics are. The ACA has given millions of Americans, including 500,000 in my home State of North Carolina, access to quality and affordable care. That is huge because people need healthcare. No one should worry about losing access to quality, affordable health insurance because of a preexisting condition. We all have them. Black women shouldn't have to worry about dying in childbirth because they don't have equal access to healthcare. I am proud to support H.R. 987 to invest in quality healthcare for the American people, a healthcare system that works for everyone.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the victims of the shooting in my district last week on April 30 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The campus was terrorized by gun violence. Two promising young men, Ellis ``Reed'' Parlier and Riley Howell, lost their lives. Four other students were injured in this act of senseless violence. As a mother, grandmother, and retired professor, my heart goes out to the loved ones and the entire UNC community. Too many people fear for their safety in their schools, on their campuses, and even in their places of worship. Enough is enough. We can and must do more to stop gun violence. UNCC and the Charlotte community will never forget last week's tragedy, and we will never forget Reed and Riley. We will honor their memories with action and continue working to keep our communities safe. I ask all Members and guests in the gallery to rise for a moment of silence.

Ms. ADAMS

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

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today as the founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. I want to take this time to briefly speak about the importance of Black maternal health. Our country is in the midst of a national public crisis. Black mothers are dying. Across the country, Black women from all walks of life are dying from preventable pregnancy-related complications at three to four times the rate of non-Hispanic White women. Sixty percent of maternal deaths are preventable. Their infants are twice as likely to die by their first birthday as infants born to White mothers. Black women are 50 percent more likely than non-Hispanic White women to give birth preterm, accounting for more than half of the disparity in infant mortality rates among Black and non-Hispanic White women. Reducing this gap through interventions like better medical care and increased social support can improve maternal outcomes for African American women, while also reducing racial disparities in infant mortality. Research suggests that the cumulative stress of racism and sexism undermines Black women's health, making them more vulnerable to complications that endanger their lives and the lives of their infants. Unfortunately, current healthcare practices are inadequate in addressing the health consequences of living with the stress. As a Black mother and as a grandmother, this issue is very personal to me. That is why Representative Lauren Underwood and I founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus, with the goal of closing the racial disparities gap. The caucus aims to raise awareness about this crisis, to educate Members of Congress, and to find meaningful legislative solutions to improve maternal health outcomes. We intend to amplify the voices and needs of mothers and families all across this Nation. I have been working closely with healthcare providers and with stakeholders and policymakers to begin identifying a comprehensive path forward for eliminating these disparities. On average, African American women receive lower quality healthcare than their non-Hispanic White peers. This disparity in care quality starts as early as birth, with African American infants in neonatal intensive care units receiving lower quality care than non-Hispanic White infants. This continues throughout adulthood with three out of four Black women giving birth at low-quality hospitals where their risk of poor maternal health outcomes is the highest. More than a third of Black women undergo cesarean sections, C- sections, even for low-risk pregnancies. This is 4 percent higher than the U.S. average, higher than any other racial or ethnic group. Although a C-section can save lives when a pregnancy is high risk, it is, nevertheless, a major surgical procedure accompanied by risks, including surgical injury to either the mother or infant, infection, and heavy bleeding. Here we have a few areas that we need to focus on. We must improve access to critical services. We must improve the quality of care provided to pregnant women. And we must address maternal and infant mental health. May is Mental Health Month. Too often, however, maternal and infant mental health problems go unrecognized or unaddressed, particularly for women and infants of color, with devastating consequences. We should also enhance supportive services for families before and after birth. All families need support to thrive, but not all have the support that they need. Adjusting to parenthood can be especially difficult for families experiencing economic insecurity. As a consequence of structural racism, many families experiencing this insecurity are in lower-income communities of color. Programs that help families meet their basic needs--including nutrition assistance, housing assistance, and other social supports-- are underfunded, and the application and enrollment process can be difficult and time-consuming. We must also improve data collection and oversight. Collecting and sharing reliable, consistent data on maternal and infant mortality is essential to developing solutions. Although some progress has been made, such as H.R. 1318, which helped to provide States with resources for maternal mortality review committees, there is still more work we need to do. To address these problems, Federal policymakers should help States standardize and improve the quality of the data being collected and ensure diversity among stakeholders who serve on mortality review committees. There is no easy fix for this issue. It is going to require many steps to begin closing the gaps. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin implementing some of these important strategies to save our mothers. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), my good friend who is co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the congresswoman from Michigan, not only for her work with the Women's Caucus but all of her work in this area. Of course, when we can improve the quality of health for women, we are going to make our families much more sustainable. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome someone who has been a leader on the issue of health, who chairs the CBC Health Braintrust, and who has continued to lift her voice in the area of health. She is a member, as well, of the Energy and Commerce Committee. She is also the founder of the Black Women and Girls Caucus. I am pleased to have my colleague from the State of Illinois, Robin Kelly, join us this evening to speak on this issue. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Illinois, not only for her comments tonight but for all the work that she has done in this area. It is a preventable issue and something that we can do something about. That is why we are here tonight to shed some more light on this, Madam Speaker, and to try to make sure that we are all educated so that we will know. This comes right on the heels of Mother's Day. As we think about our mothers, our grandmothers, and all of those who have been mentors to us, this is an issue that we want to try to make right. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to welcome the congresswoman from California, who is a senior member on the Appropriations Committee, has been a champion of reproductive rights, and sits on the Budget Committee. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), my colleague.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Lee. Black lives matter, and Black mamas' lives matter. As you talked about your mother giving birth to you and the story that she told, I thought--I was reminded of 13 years ago, my daughter giving birth to her daughter who, they both almost didn't make it. She had a very difficult pregnancy, right at the end. She had to have a Cesarean, what we call a C-section, and she had to give blood. All kinds of things started going wrong at the last minute. And once she did return home--because the baby was premature, 2 months early, once she did go home, probably less than 10 days, she had to go back, she was having complications. So the problems that our women have don't always occur while you are in the hospital, so they need to have that support, not only before the baby is born, but even after. I thought about that, and it was a very difficult time for us. But now you wouldn't believe my granddaughter is taller than I am, and she is a really healthy young lady, a beautiful young lady. But you have to think about that, that it does not matter. I think I may have heard the gentlewoman or one of our other speakers say, even your socioeconomic status, all those things really don't matter. Sometimes doctors don't really listen to women.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and for all that she continues to do. I appreciate that very, very much; and thank her for being here as we kick off this Mother's Day. I am missing my mom. I know the gentlewoman is missing hers because they passed away very close to each other.

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for being here and for her support of what we are trying to do collectively here in Congress. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure at this point to introduce another warrior, a champion here in the U.S. House, a member of the Judiciary Committee, Homeland Security Committee, who has continued to lift her voice over and over and over again. Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues for being here, and I yield back.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I was absent for the votes listed below due to a tragic school shooting event in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted: Roll Call No. 172, YEA; Roll Call No. 173, YEA; Roll Call No. 174, YEA; Roll Call No. 175, YEA; Roll Call No. 176, NO; Roll Call No. 177, NO; Roll Call No. 178, YEA; Roll Call No. 179, YEA; Roll Call No. 180, YEA; Roll Call No. 181, YEA; Roll Call No. 182, YEA; Roll Call No. 183, NO; and Roll Call No. 184, YEA.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairman Scott for his leadership and Representative DeLauro for bringing this bill to the floor. I rise today in strong support of the Paycheck Fairness Act because, like Fannie Lou Hamer and Representative DeLauro, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of paycheck inequity. For three decades, from the North Carolina House to the United States Congress, I have been fighting to close the gender wage gap. As the new chair of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, I am very proud to support this bill. It takes the average woman an additional 91 days to earn what her male peers earned in 2018, and that is unacceptable. In my district in North Carolina, women still only make about 82 cents for every dollar a man makes. It is even worse for women of color, who are even less likely to make as much as their male counterparts working the same job. Black women earn only 61 cents for every dollar a man makes; Hispanic women only 53 cents. When we shortchange women, we shortchange our children, our families, and our economy. In fact, women are shortchanged $500 billion every year. Fifty-six years have passed since the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, and it has been 10 years since President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Yet, our work remains unfinished. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives speaks loud and clear, and we will no longer wait while women continue to do the same work and not get the same pay. The time is up for that. Madam Chair, I include in the Record a letter from AFSCME which states that the Paycheck Fairness Act is integral to ensuring women earn the same amount as men for equal work.

Ms. ADAMS. By passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, we will strengthen the Equal Pay Act. We will bolster the rights of working women, and finally, we will put an end to gender-based wage disparity.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 75th anniversary of the United Negro College Fund. UNCF was founded in 1944 by Frederick Douglass Patterson to help increase the number of black Americans enrolled in college. In honor of UNCF's remarkable achievements, last week I joined with my colleague and Bipartisan HBCU Caucus Co-Chair Representative Bradley Byrne to introduce a resolution honoring UNCF as a strong organization that has a profound mission to build a robust and nationally recognized pipeline of students that will become leaders in our 21st century workforce. In the past 75 years, UNCF has raised over $4.8 billion in scholarship aid for students and annually awards scholarships and internships to more than 10,000 students nationwide. Due to the work of UNCF, more than 445 thousand students have earned college degrees and proven true their old adage of ``a mind is a terrible thing to waste--but a wonderful thing to invest in.'' Happy anniversary UNCF Here's to another 75 years of proven, effective advocacy.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of my colleague, Representative Walter Jones, Jr. For 24 years, Congressman Jones represented the people of North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District with pride and integrity. In his quarter century in service to our great country, Congressman Jones was a steadfast voice and advocate for North Carolina. He was unafraid to put people before politics. He was a dedicated public servant. And he was a principled leader. He stood firmly for what he believed--and wasn't afraid to admit when he made a mistake. 2 Corinthians 5:8 reminds us that `to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.' I pray that my friend has now found the peace he sought. To his wife, Joe Anne, and his daughter, Ashley--please know that Walter left an indelible mark upon our state and nation. Let all Members of the estimable body learn and profit from the example of Congressman Walter Jones, Jr. He will be missed.

Ms. ADAMS

Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my colleague, Representative Walter Jones, Jr. For 24 years, Congressman Jones represented the people of North Carolina's Third Congressional District with pride and integrity. In his quarter century in service to our great country, Congressman Jones was a steadfast voice and advocate for North Carolina. He was unafraid to put people before politics and was a dedicated public servant. He was a principled leader. He stood firmly for what he believed and wasn't afraid to admit when he made a mistake. Second Corinthians 5:8 reminds us that `` . . . to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.'' I pray that Congressman Jones has now found the peace that he sought. To his wife, Joe Anne, and daughter, Ashley, please know that Walter Jones left an indelible mark upon our State and Nation, and he will be missed.