Jamaal Bowman

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Caribbean American Heritage Month. New York's 16th Congressional District is a rich bastion of many Caribbean communities and cultures. I am proud to represent constituents from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Grenada, Haiti, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and many more. The vibrancy and brilliance of this community have shaped the essence of our district and this Nation. The impact of Caribbean heritage on the State of New York and our country is tremendous. I specifically recognize the impact of three organizations that celebrate Caribbean culture in our district. The All Islands Association, the Jamaican Progressive League, and the Dominican Cultural Association of Yonkers have been critical in empowering neighbors and delivering critical resources and services. I am proud to represent such a diverse community of people and honored to continue making New York 16 a better place for all as we work for better housing, immigration, workers' and care rights, and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Omar for continuing to be a champion on this issue, and I thank the Congresswoman for being here this evening. As it was said before, we are the wealthiest nation on Earth. We should be able to feed every child and every person, period, point- blank. We have the resources--financial, natural, and intellectual--to help feed every child on the planet. The fact that we are choosing not to do so is a policy choice. It is not a choice based on a lack of resources. As we focus on school lunches and children in our schools, we often talk about education. The conversation that has been happening over the last several decades is a conversation that focuses on something called the achievement gap. We often look at the achievement gap through the lens of race. We say that Black and Latino students are outperformed by their White and Asian counterparts. What we don't often talk about is the achievement gap through the lens of economic distress and poverty. What we know is children who suffer from poverty and live in poverty do more poorly in school than their middle-class and upper-middle-class counterparts. Poverty is obviously related to food insecurity and hunger. Poverty and everything that comes with it is a complex trauma. Hunger is also a complex trauma. Children will not thrive in a school setting if we continue to allow them to be hungry. This is not just about their academic performance. This is about their physical development. This is also about their social and emotional development as well. It is also about their mental health both in school and out of school. This is not something that is only confined to what happens in our schools. We have to look at, consider, and think about what happens in their post-graduation environment. Children who are hungry and children who suffer from the complex traumas that I mentioned before will have lower or less positive health and economic outcomes over the course of their lives. It is our duty and responsibility as the United States Government, with the power of the purse and the power of the intellectual and natural resources, to make sure we have preschool lunches in our schools and to make sure our children are fed. I also want to mention a few other components that take place in schools that we don't often talk about as it relates to school lunches, poverty, and hunger. When we look at the school-to-prison pipeline, when we look at school suspensions, and when we look at school expulsions, when we look at these things, when we look at who is placed in special education, these are children who come from challenging circumstances rooted in poverty and also rooted in hunger and the trauma in their communities and in their homes. Again, it is our duty and responsibility to get this done. To use language used by some of my more conservative colleagues, this is a national security issue because if we are not feeding our children, then we are not educating our children. If we are not educating our children, then we do not have a healthy society and we do not have a healthy democracy. The well-being of our children is a pillar of our country going forward, and in order for them to receive the nourishment and education that they need, we must make sure they are fed and fed well and are not food insecure.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution, H. Res. 1152, to condemn the great replacement myth, which is a delusional white supremacist conspiracy theory. I am honored to be joined by my co-leads: CBC Chairwoman Beatty, CHC Chairman Ruiz, CAPAC Chairwoman Chu, LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus Chairman Cicilline, CPC Chairwoman Jayapal, Congressman Takano, Congressman Raskin, and the Representative from Buffalo, New York, Congressman Higgins. We are joined by more than 140 of our Democratic colleagues as original cosponsors. On May 14, a self-described white supremacist and anti-Semite drove more than 200 miles to Buffalo, New York, where he killed 10 people and injured 3 others, 11 of which were Black. In a 180-page manifesto that he posted publicly online, he cites the great replacement myth as his motivation and cause to target Black people. The great replacement myth is a racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, nativist, and hateful lie. It is 2022, and Black people are still being hunted down and killed in America. The same goes for every person of color, Jewish people, the LGBTQ-plus community, and every marginalized person in this country. We remember the lives of Aaron Salter, Ruth Whitfield, Pearl Young, Katherine ``Kat'' Massey, Heyward Patterson, Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackneil, and Geraldine Talley, all who should still be here with us today.

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, our Nation has been mourning since this country was founded. We cannot continue to carry on as if this hatred is an undeniable part of American culture and cannot change. We must combat white supremacy. I refuse to be complicit in this hatred because we have failed to take a stand as a Nation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand together and condemn this myth as the white supremacist conspiracy theory that it is and vote ``yes'' on the rule.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 190.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 126.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I seek recognition to remove myself as cosponsor of H.R. 2748.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility to ensure that our veterans have the resources they need to access care after serving. Every year, brave men and women enlist in the military, seeking to serve their country, pursue a better life, and obtain benefits and security for their future. This means being able to afford college and having access to housing, healthcare, and other opportunities. Our troops are deployed into active war zones that too often leave veterans with PTSD, suicidal ideation, anxiety, addiction, depression, and other mental health challenges. Regardless of what congressional district you live in, you will always take what happens in your service back home with you. But when they return, our government has failed to provide them with the care and support they deserve. The outcome is a veterans suicide crisis. The suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times higher than the rate of nonveteran adults, and I see this in my district. I have had veterans call my office as a last resort after not being able to access the healthcare they need at the VA. My constituent services team has had multiple cases of veterans struggling with suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges who have expressed an immense frustration that no one in our government seems to care about their well-being. Our veterans deserve better, and we must do better. I am grateful for incredible organizations in my district like Black Veterans for Social Justice, Veterans for Peace, and The American Legion who are leading with care, working to support our veterans' mental health by destigmatizing mental health care and connecting veterans to mental health professionals. They regularly host support groups for veterans with mental health challenges, advocate for a stronger VA system, and provide one-on-one opportunities for veterans to learn about benefits available to them. Our amendment to H.R. 1836 builds upon their work to ensure that when transitioning to civilian life, veterans receive information about what healthcare and mental healthcare services are available to them, including how to access the Veterans Crisis Line and seek mental health support. This amendment also specifies that this information should be provided to veterans in a manner that helps destigmatize mental health and encourages veterans to reach out. These are important steps toward creating a society in which every single veteran has access to universal, high-quality healthcare and is empowered to seek out the mental health support they need to thrive. If you are a veteran who is struggling with mental health challenges, please know that you are not alone and that seeking out mental health support is an important step toward feeling better. During these especially difficult times, we must care for ourselves and for one another.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, we know that about 1.5 million Uyghur and Kazakh Muslims have been detained in reeducation camps and that products made in the Xinjiang region have been made with forced labor-- in other words, slavery. The House considered the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, led by Chairman McGovern, that would ban the import of goods made with forced labor and sanction people responsible for modern-day slavery. This is ethnic cleansing happening here. The world cannot look away from one of the most egregious and deadly incidents of ongoing Islamophobia, genocide, and slavery. I was proud to vote ``yes'' on this legislation and hope to ensure that we hold China accountable for this egregious human rights abuse.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, today, we are focused on Federal student loans. This global pandemic, which is very much still with us, has been hard on Americans in so many ways. One source of relief the Federal Government has been able to provide is the pause on Federal student loan payments. That pause is scheduled to end after January, and tens of millions of Americans will have to resume monthly payments on their loans. Millions of people will yet again be faced with terrible choices between paying off their loans and putting food on the table, paying for childcare, or paying medical bills. Student debt is a national crisis. It was a crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic and it is an even bigger one now. I can't think of a better opportunity to cancel student loan debt. Today, over 40 million borrowers owe a combined $1.8 trillion in loans, and the share of people who are able to make payments high enough to reduce their principal balance has been rapidly declining. That means for years people have been doing all they can to make monthly payments but can only afford to keep up with the interest that accrues. If someone took out a $30,000 loan to go to a public State university but can only afford the minimum monthly payments to cover interest, they can be paying hundreds of dollars every month for years without seeing the total amount they owe go down at all. In fact, many borrowers see their debt increase because they can't even keep up with the interest. Far too often it can take a borrower over a decade to pay off their loans, and many borrowers end up defaulting because they simply cannot make ends meet with such high payments. This can have lasting impacts on a person's financial, mental, and physical health which taken all together makes it harder for people to fully participate in the economy over the long-term. For example, Madam Speaker, you can't get a Small Business Administration loan if you have defaulted on any loan in the past 7 years. So many of our family members, friends, and neighbors face additional barriers to starting businesses because of student debt. They face additional barriers to save for retirement, buying homes, taking care of their health and putting off doctors' visits or necessary prescriptions, starting families, or pursuing a career they are passionate about. Students took these risks in their pursuit of the American Dream through obtaining a college degree. Students across America are doing exactly what we asked them to do; work hard, study and learn deeply, grow your mind, develop your skills, and expand your world view. Students across America took these steps because we told them that education, particularly higher education, would be the great equalizer. We told them their hard work would open doors for the rest of their lives. Instead, we have shut those doors in their faces one by one, and we have disproportionately done this to Black and Latino, indigenous, and poor students. We have preyed upon our most vulnerable kids. The student debt crisis is a racial justice issue, and we cannot talk about the problem nor the solutions without centering the experiences of students and families of color and others who come from marginalized communities. Canceling student debt would mean putting money back into people's pockets and improving the overall economy. This is money that can be used to pay for childcare so that parents can reenter the workforce and actually use the degree they went into debt for in the first place. This is money that can be used to start a business or buy a house or pay for necessary healthcare. This newfound freedom will open the door to pursue a passion or a purpose like teaching, nursing, or public service rather than one that just pays the bills. This freedom will improve one's quality of life and provide the self-determination necessary for quality, long-term planning. Canceling student debt would go a long way in reducing the racial wealth gap and the racial homeownership gap and would help address many of the systemic barriers Black and Brown families face. It is time to cancel this predatory student debt to give the American people a fresh start and accelerate both the economic and social well- being of our Nation. Our predatory debt is an unfair and unjust burden that has been hanging over the heads of borrowers since they decided to pursue an education. That is why I, along with many Members you will hear tonight, Madam Speaker, have been calling on President Biden to use his executive authority to cancel Federal student loans. This authority is already being used right now to cancel the interest owed on all Federal student loans during the pandemic. Now it is time to use that same authority to cancel all Federal student debts. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), who will highlight many ways canceling students loan debt is urgently needed. Congresswoman Jayapal will address this House on this very important issue.

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jayapal for her remarks, and I thank her for her congressional leadership as the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. I thank the gentlewoman for lending her voice and vision to this very important issue. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), who represents the Boogie Down Bronx right next door to me.

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

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Espaillat for his kind words. Before he goes, I want to underscore what he said about people investing in their own communities when they have more money in their pockets. The gentleman just made me think of all the young children who want to take art classes, drama classes, and swimming lessons, and receive tutoring, and all the things that families cannot afford because they are trying to pay down their student debt. They can reinvest in their communities, reinvest in their children, and their children will be much less likely to commit harm to themselves or their communities because they have been developed and nurtured from an early age. I thank the gentleman so much for his remarks, my brother representing the Bronx, Manhattan, and the historic Washington Heights. We cannot forget that, Brother. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Williams), my sister and fellow freshman.

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Williams for participating. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio- Cortez), who represents the Bronx and Queens.

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for taking me back to when I was 17, a senior in high school, trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do. I decided to go to college. We didn't have any money, so they offer you all this free money and say: There you go. You could take out as much as you want, as much as you need. Just come to our school, and we will take care of you. Then what happens is, you take on all of this debt, and then you get out, and you are underpaid in terms of the employment you receive. Then the rent is too high, and the groceries are too high, and the childcare is too high.

Mr. BOWMAN. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. BOWMAN. And health insurance is too high. It is unbelievable. We need to cancel student debt and end the predatory practices on our young people, completely end the practice. It is my honor to now yield to the distinguished gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Pressley for her words. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Tlaib so much for her powerful words. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. BOWMAN. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Jackson Lee. You made me think of the hundreds or even thousands of students and families that I have met throughout my career in education who in elementary school have already made the decision that their children are not going to attempt to go to college despite their brilliance, despite them being artists and scientists and architects and engineers and athletes and musicians and all of those things. Because of the crippling impact of student debt and cost of college, they have already made the decision when kids are as young as 5, 6 years old. That is unconscionable, that is un-American, and the President has the authority and the moral responsibility to cancel student debt right now. Thank you so much for your words. I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gomez), the last speaker of the evening. I thank him for being here.

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Gomez for his powerful and inspiring words. President Biden and his administration have made some important strides to improve student loan debt for many people who are enrolled in public service loan forgiveness. 30,000 people getting loan forgiveness is a big step in the right direction. Now we need loan forgiveness for the more than 40 million other people in this country. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today because the maternal health crisis in this country is dire, with the United States being the only developed country in the world experiencing a rise in maternal mortality rates. It is even more dire for Black women, who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. This is no coincidence. For centuries, systemic racism has harmed the mental, physical, and economic well-being of Black and Brown people. Thanks to the leadership of Black women in Congress, Congresswoman Underwood, Congresswoman Sewell, Congresswoman Adams, and more, who are driving the momnibus, this body is working to bring us out of a Black maternal health crisis. Madam Speaker, I rise for my sisters and their babies who are more than a statistic and deserve to be holistically treated and cared for. Black moms matter. I urge my colleagues to support the momnibus and join us in our effort to protect Black women and Black mothers.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, prior to coming to Congress, I worked in education for 20 years. I served as a public school elementary teacher, a high school counselor, and a middle school principal for 10\1/2\ years, and I can tell you without a doubt that the Build Back Better Act is going to be transformative for our democracy for generations to come. The reasons are many, including climate change and investments in home care; however, our investments in our children, particularly in early childhood education, focusing on expanding the child tax credit, universal pre-K programs, and making sure we have almost universal childcare, will prepare our children--our babies--to enter kindergarten hitting the ground running. As we know, when we invest in early childhood education, we have much better health, education, and economic outcomes with decreased costs in prison as well as healthcare. So this is an exciting time, and I am blessed to be a part of this Congress during this time. I just want to celebrate the Build Back Better Act's investment in our youngest, most precious resource: our babies and our children.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to emphasize how important our actions today are for domestic violence survivors everywhere. Domestic violence is yet another pandemic in this country. In my district, we have seen a rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst teenagers. Survivors of domestic violence carry their experiences with them every single day, experiencing fear, chronic stress, self-doubt, depression, and so much more. This emotional trauma can prevent survivors from accessing and maintaining safe housing, employment, and supportive relationships, leading to feelings of isolation that only worsen their mental health. Organizations in my district, like Safe Horizon, Westhab, Family Services of Westchester, and the YWCA are a lifeline of support for survivors of domestic violence. The Federal Government should support groups on the ground like them doing this important work. Madam Speaker, I strongly believe that together we can prevent all violence and create a culture of care for one another. This legislation, which will authorize funding for preventative and culturally responsive services, is an essential step toward this vision. Madam Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this bill, and I rise in support of its passage.

Mr. BOWMAN

Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the lives of those lost due to senseless violence in my district: Leon Wayne, age 26, gun violence. Chevor Williams, age 28, gun violence. Cori Lowe, age 31, stabbing victim. Richard Black, age 39, gun violence. Joseph Ramirez, age 43, gun violence. Wray Harding, age 55, gun violence. Aliyah Waiters, gun violence. Marilyn Cotto Montanez, age 18, gun violence. Guy Vanlew, Jr., age 18, gun violence. Jeremy Logan, age 32, gun violence. Omari Ellis, age 18, gun violence. Warren Clahar, age 35, gun violence. Olivia Green, age 15, fentanyl overdose. Madam Speaker, I ask that we observe a moment of silence for the lives lost in my district due to senseless violence. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the pandemic of senseless violence is not new. If you live in a poverty-stricken community and if you are Black or Latino in these communities, you are more susceptible to acts of senseless violence. When I was in high school, trying to just be a good student and play on the football team, I ended up caught up in a situation where I was almost shot and killed. A few months later, at a party with some friends, just trying to go out and have a good time, I ended up in a situation where I was almost shot and killed. If it weren't for sheer luck, I would not be standing here as a Member of Congress today. Thankfully, at that time, I was able to move out of my community and move to a suburban community where it was much less likely for me to end up in a situation where I could be shot and killed. I have so many friends and family members who did not have the luxury of moving out and the privilege of moving out of their community. As a result, they ended up dead at some very young ages, some 18, some 21, some even younger. Oftentimes, when we have these conversations, we point to the perpetrators of these acts of violence and of these crimes and we identify them as bad individuals and we say that we need law enforcement to respond to remove those bad individuals from these situations, and we think that that method is enough to end the violence in these communities. But we have invested in law enforcement for decades; the 1994 crime bill being one example of how we have made such investments and targeted highly violent communities. But the violence hasn't gone away, and the violence has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has isolated many and has also created a mental health crisis. So I ask and I beg this Chamber to recognize that this is not just about individual bad actors in communities. Poverty is a policy choice, and the trauma related to poverty and the lack of opportunity in so many of our communities will continue to lead to increases in violence that we see in poverty-stricken communities. We have to invest in education, healthcare, jobs, housing, mentorship, and so many other programs that could literally save the lives of our children before they ever decide to pick up a gun. Lastly, and very quickly, we passed H.R. 8, commonsense gun reform legislation, in the House this year, and the Senate still has not acted on that legislation. Seventy percent of the incidents of gun violence that take place in New York are done with guns that come from outside of New York. So we have to move this gun legislation in the Senate.