Joyce Beatty

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Housing for the 21st Century Act. First, let me thank Ranking Member Waters and Chairman Hill for their leadership. This landmark, bipartisan package represents a major step forward in addressing the Nation's challenges in housing, and I am especially proud that six of my bills are included in this legislation. My HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act will make it easier for local organizations to fund affordable housing projects, while another provision strengthens coordination between the Departments of Housing, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs. The package also includes key banking measures that will help community banks and minority depository institutions grow and compete. I started my professional career in public housing and working as a consultant for HUD, so I know too many families are being priced out of the housing market. This legislation delivers practical solutions that expand opportunity and increase homeownership. Again, let me thank Chairman Hill and Ranking Member Waters for their support. It is time to make homeownership more than a dream. It must be a reality.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3234, the Keeping Deposits Local Act, which I am very proud to co-lead with Congressman Emmer. This bill modernizes the treatment of reciprocal deposits to help small banks and midsize banks improve liquidity, increase local community lending, and better compete for larger accounts, all without jeopardizing the safety and the soundness of our financial system. Following the bank failures in 2023, we have seen many banks turn to reciprocal deposits to meet consumer demand, to increase their insured deposits, and, really, to prevent capital flight. However, community banks across the country and regional banks like in my home district, banks like Huntington, Fifth Third, and KeyBank are quickly running up against the current $5 billion or 20 percent threshold that was established in 2018. This means that they are limited in their capacity to attract deposits from nonprofits, small businesses, and local governments and municipalities that want to support economic and community development. To solve this problem, this bill replaces the current cap with a tiered system to ensure that the greatest benefit goes to the banks that need it the most: minority depository institutions, MDIs; community development financial institutions, or CDFIs; and inner-city, rural, and small banks at the front lines of providing financial services to underserved communities. Mr. Speaker, increasing nonbrokered treatment of reciprocal deposits will greatly support these institutions by allowing them to access stable funding to help finance affordable housing projects, small business loans, and community infrastructure. That is why I am proud to say that this bill has the support of the Ohio Bankers League and the Ohio regional banks. It is a bipartisan bill. Mr. Speaker, I thank our chairman, Congressman Hill, and I thank my ranking member, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, for supporting and pushing this bill forward. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Adelphi Bank, a Black-owned bank in Columbus, Ohio, in my district, led by my dear friends, President and CEO Jordan Miller and its founder, Commissioner Kevin Boyce. Adelphi continues to reach new heights, as they were just named by Columbus Business First as the number one bank in central Ohio with the fastest-growing deposits. It is for this reason that I have worked to pass my bipartisan bill, the Advancing the Mentor-Protege Program for Small Financial Institutions Act, which passed unanimously on Tuesday. This bill will provide critical resources to minority depository institutions just like Adelphi. I thank Ranking Member Waters and Chairman Hill for bringing my bill to the floor. I also thank Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, and KeyBank for their support, alongside CitiBank, an early supporter of the mentor-protege program that recently provided technical assistance to Adelphi Bank.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3709, the Advancing Mentor-Protege Program for Small Financial Institutions Act, which supports small banks, credit unions by codifying the Financial Agent Mentor-Protege Program at the Department of the Treasury. This program, as you have heard from our chairman and our ranking member, pairs up small rural financial institutions with large banks and credit unions providing resources, training, and technical assistance to help them better serve their communities and become financial agents to Treasury themselves. Small financial institutions include, as you have heard from both our chair and the ranking member, they include MDIs, Minority Depository Institutions. I am very proud to take this moment and personal privilege to say, like Adelphi Bank in my district in Columbus, Ohio, president and CEO, Jordan Miller, and the founder, Kevin Boyce, every day in this bank they are helping low-income, underserved constituents and the community at large. These institutions know the financial needs of their communities best, and they provide essential financial services like mortgage credits, small business, and auto loans, investment banking and more. Mr. Speaker, these are all the things that we talk about in this very Chamber when we talk about working folks and jobs. The chairman mentioned housing. Great point. But if you aren't financially able to do it, and if we could only have our larger banks participate in this program, which this legislation would do, it would help accomplish all of the things that we have heard today. Mr. Speaker, MDIs, small banks, and credit unions, and rural financial institutions generally have higher expenses and are often forced to merge with other institutions to survive. Codifying the Mentor-Protege Program at the Department of the Treasury will go a long way toward preserving and strengthening these institutions and ensuring that they can continue to survive and provide the critical banking services that the community needs. Mr. Speaker, why should we do this? Who supports this? Those are great questions if you were asking that. I am proud that this bill, which has passed on suspension twice before, has the support of the Independent Community Bankers of America, or ICBA; the American Bankers Association, ABA; the America's Credit Unions, ACU; and the National Bankers Association, or NBA. Mr. Speaker, I have been working on this bill for the entire congressional session because it is so important, and I am so proud that it is a bipartisan piece of legislation. Let me also just share this: My bill has been endorsed by Ohio regional banks like Huntington Bank, which is headquartered in the capital city of the great State of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio; Fifth Third Bank, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio; and KeyBank, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on this, I am sure we can all agree: Supporting small, mission-driven credit unions and community banks directly benefits American consumers and the economy overall. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Representative Beatty for her steadfast work on this important bill. This is one of the several bills today that I am glad we are considering to strengthen MDIs, CDFIs, community banks, and credit unions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Clyburn for yielding. I thank Mr. Clyburn for not only giving us information about Blacks serving in the military, but also reminding us of our rich history and how everyone benefits. Thus, Black history is American history. Mr. Speaker, let us be clear that America cannot move forward by erasing the people who propelled it forward. Currently, this administration is looking to erase the impact of women and Black Americans from our military. From brutal attacks on Black history to Secretary Hegseth's attempt to remove women from combat roles, the message is clear. Clearly, President Trump does not value the contributions of Black Americans or women in our Nation's military, but still, they rise. Still, we rise because we understand that an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere. Today, that legacy lives on through the more than 350,000 Black Americans currently serving in uniform and the more than 2 million Black Americans who are veterans. They served with that same courage, that same resilience, and that same excellence as those who came before them. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Clyburn for reminding us about being woke because the opposite is being asleep, and I am sure we don't want anyone to not be woke when they are fighting for our freedom, when they are fighting for our justice. As we move forward, Mr. Speaker, in this Congress, I ask that we remember the things that we shared and that we move forward with an open mind and a mind of the words that we so frequently say: ``Freedom and justice for all.'' I thank Mr. Clyburn for yielding.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, tonight, we stand here, and while we talk about the celebration of Black history and Black military men and women, we remind everyone that Black history is American history. I am sure when Carter G. Woodson was thinking about Black history 100 years ago, I know he was not intending it to be for only 1 month, but for us to kick it off in February and continue it for the rest of the year. Tonight, we are reminded that Black military history is not a footnote. It is foundational. From the Revolutionary War to today's All-Volunteer Force, Black servicemembers have defended this Nation with courage, discipline, and sacrifice, even when this Nation did not fully defend them in return. Their service helped win wars. Their leadership strengthened our institutions. Their resilience expanded the promise of American democracy. As we observe Black History Month, let us commit not only to remembering this history but to protecting it, teaching it, and honoring those who continue to serve today. The strength of our military and our democracy depends on truth, inclusion, and the respect of those who have carried the burden of service. Black Americans have served in the United States military since the Revolutionary War, with over 350,000 currently serving on Active Duty or in the Reserves, making up approximately 20 percent of enlisted personnel. As of 2025, 21 percent of Army soldiers, Black or African American, while represented in the enlisted ranks, are underrepresented in the highest leadership levels, although 40 percent of the total Active-Duty Force consists of people of color. You have heard about Robert Smalls becoming the first Black captain in the United States Navy during the Civil War. You have heard about Colin Powell, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the list goes on and on. We have heard a lot about men and women who were out there in the fight during the early years, fighting for our democracy and freedom. I was reminded when Mr. Clyburn talked about the Tuskegee Airmen that, yes, it was during World War II that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt used her platform as a military advocate to challenge segregation and to elevate excellence in the Armed Forces. She publicly championed the Tuskegee Airmen, whose skills and discipline shattered the lies used to justify exclusion, and proved that racism, not readiness, was the real barrier. You see, they were Black, for anyone who might not know that, and by flying with one of them as her pilot, Roosevelt sent an unmistakable message that standing with Black servicemembers was an act of patriotism and putting country over hate. That leads me to someone who lived much of her life until she died in my hometown, Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, whom I finally called Aunt Charity. She mentored me and taught me much of what I know today. She always reminded me of barriers and challenges, but always said to move forward and go forward and do those things that will make a difference. She was the first Black woman officer in the Women's Army Corps, commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all- Black, all-female unit deployed overseas during World War II. Stationed in Europe, her battalion was tasked with clearing a massive backlog of undelivered mail, millions of letters and packages that carriers hoped servicemembers who were far from home would receive, but this wasn't an ordinary task. It was warehouses for miles and miles. It was given to them because no one else had been able to do it, and certainly, those White officers felt that they would not be able to do it either. It was punishment. Mr. Speaker, they didn't know the power of Black women. I thank Charity Edna Earley and all those who served with her and their families because they completed the mission not only on time but in record time, delivering those messages from parents, children, friends, and loved ones and restoring morale in the midst of war. Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley was the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. They were honored just recently here in Congress with the Congressional Gold Medal for her extraordinary work during World War II service. I am so proud that I could be there that day to witness her family, her two children, Judith and Stanley, as we stood together while she and others were honored. Mr. Speaker, the statistics are long and strong about what we have done. I thank Mr. Clyburn for being our historian, for reminding us that, from the earliest days of this Nation, Black Americans have stepped forward to serve even while enslaved, segregated, and denied basic rights. During the American Revolution, Black patriots fought in the Continental Army. Just this summer, as our Nation marked the birthday of the United States Army, we also lifted up Black heroes too often left out of history, men like Mr. Clyburn mentioned: Salem Poor, Peter Salem, James Armistead Lafayette, who served in the Continental Army where it all began. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Clyburn for allowing me to share a small part in this. We could go on and on, but certainly I would be remiss if I didn't mention that, during the Civil War, Black service and leadership continued, including the extraordinary contributions of Harriet Tubman. Tubman served as a nurse, an intelligence operative, and a scout. She was part of a movement, part of an Army, providing crucial information on Confederate movements in supply lines. In 1863, she planned and guided the ferry raid, destroying Confederate supplies and freeing more than 700 enslaved people, becoming the first American woman to lead a military operation. Mr. Speaker, her leadership saved lives, weakened the Confederacy, and reshaped the meaning of military service. I thank Mr. Clyburn for allowing me to share that part.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to rise today to co-anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour alongside my distinguished colleague, Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina. You see, Mr. Speaker--and to all those who are listening and watching tonight--it is not only our 100th anniversary of Black History Month, but it is just that, it is our history, as Mr. Clyburn has so aptly outlined. For the remainder of our first hour, you will hear from us. We will speak directly to the American people on an issue of deep importance to our caucus, to the House, to the communities we represent, and to our Nation. As we observe Black History Month, today's Special Order hour is dedicated to recognizing the contributions, achievements, and sacrifices of Black military servicemembers and veterans. I cannot think of a better person than our leader, the woman who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, who hails from New York's Ninth District to speak on this. Tonight, we will speak a lot about legacies, Black legacies. We will speak about challenges and barriers, about how we have prevailed. When I think about Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, I think about Black legacy. When we talk about how Black servicemen and -women stood on the shoulders, I think about our leader, Yvette Clarke, who stands on the shoulders of her constituents in Brooklyn, New York. I think about Yvette Clarke, who stands on her mother's shoulders, a pioneer and someone who understood what we need to do to preserve our Black history. Mr. Speaker, I ask everyone to listen carefully as this powerful Black woman comes to us and presents why we are here, because she leads us as we honor Black legacy, Black founders, and we honor the legacy that she will leave. Let us listen to the stories of Black military servicepeople, stories too often overlooked or erased.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver), who is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. Mr. Cleaver, along with Mr. Flood, worked hard to reauthorize and reform HOME, which is in this bill.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act. I certainly applaud Ranking Member Waters and Chairman Flood for working together and for the inclusiveness of this package. I am proud to have five affordable housing bills included in this overwhelmingly bipartisan package. One of my bills makes key provisions to the HOME program at HUD to ease compliance for small properties and to recognize community land trusts as eligible HOME fund recipients. The package also expands foreclosure mitigation counseling to delinquent borrowers and raises the public welfare investment, or PWI, cap to 20 percent to free up capital for historic investments in affordable housing and community development. Among other community bank reforms, H.R. 6644 includes my bill to modernize the treatment of reciprocal deposits to help small- and mid- size banks, like Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, improve liquidity and better compete for large accounts. Finally, Mr. Speaker, it includes a measure that I have long championed in Congress, a bill to codify the financial agent mentor- protege program at the Treasury to help small banks and minority deposit institutions, or MDIs, survive. We also have one AdelFi bank in my district, and I thank them for all the work that they have done with that. It will also help them survive and thrive. Lastly, again, I thank Ranking Member Waters and Chairman Hill for their leadership on this package, and I urge my colleagues to support the package. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. H.R. 6644 represents an important first step, a strong bipartisan one, in our fight to ensure affordable, decent housing for everyone in America. It provides a critical foundation for us to end the affordable housing and homelessness crisis. This bill would update and improve existing Federal housing programs by expanding local development opportunities and modernizing existing housing programs in communities across the country. It will also support community financial institutions to meet the housing needs in their communities. I am pleased to advance this legislation to the floor with Ranking Member Waters, Chairman Hill, Mr. Flood, and Mr. Cleaver, and I am proud that it includes 20 housing provisions and five banking provisions championed by committee Democrats. This bill is a true testament, Mr. Speaker, to bipartisanship. I, again, urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3682, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Foster. Let me start by thanking the bill sponsor and our ranking member for our Financial Institutions Subcommittee for his leadership on these matters. Representative Foster has helped raise the alarm regarding the financial stability threats posed by the AI boom. He has introduced additional bills that would strengthen our financial stability, including one to reverse Trump's dangerous budget and staffing cuts to the Financial Stability Oversight Council and Office of Financial Research. Mr. Foster introduced another bill to close a regulatory gap to oversee third-party vendors used by credit unions and the GSEs. I know Republicans have some concerns with the former, but the latter bill has bipartisan support in the Senate and is timely. Given how our community financial institutions increasingly rely on these vendors, helping them access technology to compete, the least we can do is ensure that there is good oversight to address vulnerabilities like cybersecurity threats. Turning to this bill, H.R. 3682, let's step back and remember why we have a Financial Stability Oversight Council in the first place. Congress established FSOC following the 2008 global financial crisis to close regulatory gaps and enhance oversight of large, nonbank financial firms like AIG or Lehman Brothers that can pose a threat to our financial stability. Congress gave FSOC various tools, including the power to designate a large nonbank company as a systemically important financial institution for enhanced oversight and regulation. In Trump's first term, they severely weakened the nonbank designation process. In a letter, former Treasury Secretaries Geithner, Lew, and Yellen, along with former Fed Chair Bernanke, warned: ``These changes would make it impossible to prevent the build-up of risk in financial institutions whose failure would threaten the stability of the system as a whole.'' Biden's FSOC addressed these concerns and improved procedures for designations, while importantly ensuring there is due process and opportunities to consider alternatives to designation that might better mitigate systemic risks. They also made clear that the Council should not prioritize designation over other options. Mr. Foster will make sure that FSOC gives a company and its primary regulators an opportunity to present alternatives to be promptly considered by the Council; otherwise, they may proceed and follow the regular procedures to designate a firm if need be. The bill also allows FSOC to revise and waive these considerations if doing so would promote financial stability. Given all of that, Mr. Speaker, I will support H.R. 3682, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and the sponsor of this bill.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, at a time when threats to our financial stability are growing, Congress should be doing more to address these concerns, including closing oversight gaps regarding third-party vendors, advancing deposit insurance reform and, yes, holding the President accountable for all of the ways his corruption and chaos erodes trust and stability. Again, I thank Representative Foster for his leadership on promoting financial stability. I also appreciate the way he improved this bill, which I will support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3390, the Bringing the Discount Window into the 21st Century Act, sponsored by Representative De La Cruz. It has been almost 3 years since we saw the dramatic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank, representing the second, third, and fourth largest bank failures in United States history. Silicon Valley Bank was the fastest bank run ever, with $42 billion of deposits withdrawn on a Thursday and customers trying to pull out another $100 billion the next morning when the bank failed. Upon learning of Silicon Valley's failure, Ranking Member Waters organized Member briefings with the Treasury Secretary and banking regulators. We encouraged Biden's regulators, led by former Secretary Yellen, to use their emergency tools to mitigate the damage, which they successfully did. We worked with our former chairman, Mr. McHenry, and launched a bipartisan investigation to conduct oversight and understand what went wrong. We received reports and supervisory documents, and hearings were also held. Based on the lessons we learned, I and my Democratic colleagues, including Representatives Waters, Sherman, Lynch, Green, Casten, Tlaib, and Pettersen, introduced a wave of commonsense bills to promote safety, soundness, and accountability. Since then, we have been pushing for action that is long overdue, and I am glad that Chairman Hill agreed to include several of our post- Silicon Valley Bank bills in the housing package. We have other good reforms for community financial institutions in that packet, but another most critical issue Congress must address is the need to update our deposit insurance framework. I appreciate that Chairman Hill recently held a hearing on Representative Waters' bill, H.R. 4551, the Employee Paycheck and Small Business Protection Act. We have had a good discussion on the pros and cons of different approaches. After Silicon Valley Bank's failure, community banks watched small businesses move their deposits to the biggest banks to make sure that they could pay their workers in good times or bad. There have been at least 37 bank failures since 2007, including a recent one in Oklahoma, that were too small for regulators to use emergency tools, and unlike Silicon Valley Bank's customers, small business depositors lost money through no fault of their own. Representative Waters' bill would take the data-driven approach that Chairman Hill prefers to study and then update our deposit insurance framework to allow more business payment accounts to be insured based on that research. This effort has strong bipartisan support, including that of the Vice President and Treasury Secretary, so I hope we can advance those reforms soon for community financial institutions, midsized banks, and small businesses and their workers. Turning back to the bill that we are considering here, H.R. 3390, I have heard from minority deposit institutions and other community banks about various challenges that they have had in accessing Fed facilities, including the discount window in 2023. This is a commonsense bill to ensure the Federal Reserve improves its discount window to provide emergency liquidity to banks when they need it. I appreciate that the chairman and sponsor worked with Representative Waters and Representative Foster to include our amendments to help ensure that we learn how technology may require faster emergency liquidity deployment, as well as understanding barriers like stigma that need to be addressed to improve the functioning of the discount window. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support H.R. 3390, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), who is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this bill will help ensure smaller banks can access the Federal discount window when they need it, which may be sooner rather than later, given that Trump's policies are once again raising the threat of another crisis. Therefore, I urge Members to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1531, the PROTECT Taiwan Act, sponsored by Representatives Lucas and Gonzalez. China continues its provocations toward Taiwan with increasingly hostile rhetoric and actions. This includes military incursions into Taiwan's airspace and territorial waters. Thus, I agree with the sponsors of this bill that Congress must stand up for Taiwan and its people as they confront this threat. This is especially true, given the Trump administration's naive, waffling actions regarding Taiwan's status. It is important that this body continue to stand up for our decades-long relationship as allies and trading partners. This bill is a sensible measure to warn China that the United States is poised to act should it escalate its aggression toward Taiwan. If China chooses to do so, the United States would be required to oppose China's participation in a number of international financial organizations, including the Bank for International Settlements and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, we share economic security and democratic values with our friends from Taiwan. In the face of increasingly hostile words and actions from China and predictably flimsy support from the President, it is important that Congress stand strong for the Taiwanese people. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3190, the BRAVE Burma Act, sponsored by Representative Huizenga. In February of 2021, Burma experienced a military coup that overthrew the country's democratically elected government. The military has carried out mass violence against civilians, including genocide, mass displacement, and other crimes against humanity. This is particularly true for the nation's Muslim ethnic minority, which bears the brunt of the illegitimate government's violent and regressive persecution. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes several economic levers available to the United States. This includes potential sanctions and restricting Burma's access to support from the International Monetary Fund. These are sensible steps to demonstrate Congress' continuing support for the people of Burma. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, in closing, this bill aims to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Burma by cutting off revenue sources for the country's ruthless and illegitimate leadership. Congress must do whatever is possible to protect human rights, stand for democratic values, and object to the atrocities committed against the Burmese people. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BEATTY

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say happy Black History Month and to remind all that Black history is American history. I honor Rosa Parks, an American hero, on her birthday. Rosa Parks' courage was not confined to a single act when she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on that bus. Known as the mother of the modern civil rights movement, she was an advocate for justice and a public servant who devoted her life to the NAACP, strengthening our democracy, and serving 20 years as a congressional staffer. Since her death 20 years ago, I have saluted her and made Ohio the first State in the Nation to recognize December 1 as Rosa Parks Day. As America celebrates our 250th birthday, we must honor not only our Founding Fathers but also the mothers of our democracy, women like Rosa Parks. Mr. Speaker, I wish Rosa Parks a happy heavenly birthday. May she rest in peace.