Anthony Brown

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Smith for unprecedented bipartisanship in bringing this bill to the floor. This year's NDAA provides the strategic funding we need to maintain a robust military that can tackle our global challenges, reversing the President's soft stance on Russia by bolstering the European Deterrence Initiative with our NATO allies, and collaborating with our allies to contain North Korea and counter China's expansionist moves throughout the Indo-Pacific. It makes greater investments in training, equipping, and providing for our Armed Forces, funding a 3.1 percent pay raise for servicemembers, the largest in a decade. In this year's NDAA, we have the opportunity to increase research capacity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We empower the Department of Defense to identify the scope of white nationalism, extremism, and violent misogyny in the military, and we pursue a new diversity and inclusion strategy within the DOD to ensure minorities are more fully represented in our officer corps. We also rise to the challenge set forth before us and reverse some of the administration's worst policy decisions. We deny the increase of low-yield nuclear warheads that would lower the threshold for nuclear war. We prevent the President's use of the military as a piggy bank for his border wall. With additional amendments, we will allow transgender Americans to openly and honorably serve our country in uniform, and we will ensure that the President cannot put us on the path to war without congressional approval. It is clear that we will pass, perhaps, the most progressive and robust defense authorization in years, and I am proud to support it.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Congresswoman Speier's amendment. As an African American veteran, my service and my background lead me to believe that all Americans who want to serve and can meet our military standards should be afforded the opportunity to serve. This amendment, which codifies the military's existing nondiscrimination standards for all Americans, would end President Trump's ban on transgender servicemembers and would realize President Truman's promise of the equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve in our country's defense that he made when he desegregated the Armed Forces. Those who argue against transgender service often say it disrupts unit cohesion, erodes morale, and reduces effectiveness. These arguments, regrettably, were used to keep African American, women, lesbian, and gay members from serving. Transgender servicemembers, we need their service; we need their skills; we need their experience; we need their courage; we need their patriotism; and they need our support.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Speaker, it is time to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. The Treasury has had this design in the works for years, and now, all of a sudden, it is backpedaling. It takes 10 years, they say, to complete this work. During a 10-year period, Harriet Tubman made 19 round trips on the underground railroad to lead over 300 slaves to freedom; and, in less time, Treasury can't put this American hero on a piece of paper. How long must it take to reflect our Nation's rich diversity on our currency? How long must it take to recognize an icon of freedom and courage? How long must it take to rightfully acknowledge the work of a woman who helped countless enslaved Americans of African descent? How long must it take when the American people overwhelmingly selected her as the face of the new $20 bill? Harriet Tubman embodies the American spirit of strength and hope. It is time to put a woman on the $20 bill. In this year, the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, we want to guarantee that Treasury will follow through on this promise and this commitment.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I inadvertently cast a ``yea'' vote on roll call No. 372, on an amendment during consideration of the Commerce, Justice, and Science division of H.R. 3055. I would like to change my vote on the amendment to ``nay.'' The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species iconic to the Eastern seaboard of the United States. We should be empowering the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to implement regulations to protect this species based on scientific, consensus recommendations, not disarming the agency. The North Atlantic right whale Risk Reduction Decision Support Tool is a critical piece of NOAA and NMFS' regulatory framework, and preventing its use undermines their decision-making process. My record of fighting for the Chesapeake Bay, preventing off-shore drilling, funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, protecting the Arctic, and being an ally to the environmental activists and wildlife conservationists in my district and around the country speaks for itself. My recorded vote is inconsistent with my lifetime record in both state and federal office on matters and policies pertaining to wildlife preservation.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Aja Giovanni McLeod, a resident of Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Born on August 10, 1996, Aja was one of our brightest and most promising young people. Only 22 years old, she will be remembered for her tenacity, perseverance, and love for her family and friends. Faced with health challenges from birth, Aja remained committed to her education and living a full life, pursuing a career in communications. Her potential was evident, as she earned several scholarships during her educational career. Less than one month before her passing she celebrated her graduation from Bowie State University with a BS in Communications. The many remembrances of Aja have emphasized the special place in her heart for her brother and best friend, Zion, who will carry the memory of her love and devotion. In her time on earth, Aja's smile and laughter brought joy to those fortunate enough to have known and met her. On June 8, 2019, Aja passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind her loving parents Andre' and Kimberly, and her brother Zion. I ask the House of Representatives to join me in remembering the life of Aja Giovanni McLeod.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier), I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise to offer this amendment on behalf of Congresswoman Jackie Speier from California, who has been a determined leader and partner in pushing back on this administration's ban on transgender servicemembers. Madam Chair, this amendment is very simple. It states that no money appropriated in this Defense appropriations bill will be used to implement the President's ban on transgender servicemembers. No money shall be used to ask whether or not a servicemember has transitioned: to force them to remain closeted in a Don't Ask, Don't Tell environment; to force them out to their colleagues before they are ready to outwardly express who they are; and to ultimately force them out of the service. The President and his administration wrongfully argue that it is about military readiness and unit cohesion, but these arguments are the same ones that were made to keep the military racially segregated. Madam Chair, my service in an integrated armed service did not harm readiness, and neither does the service of the more than 14,000 transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Transgender servicemembers increase lethality and readiness. They have served honorably and have received prestige commendations. They are proof that anyone who can serve should be afforded the opportunity to serve. This legacy of honorable service will outlast this administration, this transgender ban, and this administration's attack on transgender Americans everywhere. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to do what is right: Put country before party; defend the thousands of Americans who are making the greatest sacrifice they can make for our country. Defend the brave and patriotic servicemembers who all came before Congress to talk about their service and the service of other transgender servicemembers. Defend them unquestionably. Defend the thousands of transgender servicemembers impacted. Defend them as they have defended us. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, no one would argue that military readiness and deployability are paramount, but transgender servicemembers do not inherently impact either. Every service chief testified that transgender service would not disrupt unit cohesion or readiness and emphasized soldier deployability and not their gender identity. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar).

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Building Safety Month and the men and women of the International Code Council (ICC) for their dedication to public safety and our communities. Year round, building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, builders, tradespeople, design professionals, laborers, and others in the construction industry work to ensure the safe construction of buildings. They are dedicated members of the International Code Council, a national standards developing organization, that brings together local, state and federal officials to develop voluntary consensus codes that protect Americans in the buildings where we live, work, and play. The International Codes, the most widely adopted building safety and fire prevention codes in the nation, are used by most U.S. cities and counties, and in all 50 states, including the State of Maryland. With natural disasters expected to increase in frequency and severity, building codes include important safeguards to protect the public from hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, fires, floods, and earthquakes. In January 2019, the congressionally-established National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) released a study finding that adopting modern model building codes saves $11 for every $1 invested through earthquake, flood, and wind mitigation benefits, with a $4 to $1 wildfire mitigation benefit. These benefits represent avoided casualties, property damage, business interruptions, and insurance costs, and are enjoyed by all stakeholders--from developers, titleholders, and lenders, to tenants and communities. This month is Building Safety Month, during which we should recognize the critical role our communities' code officials in assuring us safe, efficient, and livable buildings. Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking International Code Council Board President, and my constituent from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, William R. Bryant, as well as ICC's Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, the International Code Council leadership, and ICC's Members and staff as they recognize Building Safety Month.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3\1/2\ minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment and the underlying legislative effort that would lower the cost of prescription drugs, crack down on junk insurance plans being encouraged by the Trump administration, and reverse the administration's irresponsible sabotage of the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, my amendment would require the HHS Secretary to conduct educational outreach to communities with high health disparities and would thereby expand outreach efforts to increase coverage among African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, low-income families, and rural communities. Our effort to help more Americans get access to affordable healthcare comes just as we are seeing the impact of the Trump administration's effort to undermine our healthcare system. This week, we learned that more than 1 million Americans lost their health insurance in the past year, and the number of Americans in high- deductible plans reached an all-time high. Black and Latino Americans and families living at or near the poverty line are particularly impacted by President Trump's sabotage. These communities are the most at risk of being uninsured, and these communities have always faced the greatest barriers to obtaining care and have reported the poorest health outcomes. Before the Trump administration, we saw large gains in coverage for low-income individuals and people of color under the Affordable Care Act. Finally having that health insurance made a key difference in determining when people got care, where they got their care, and, ultimately, how healthy they could be. However, this progress has been rapidly reversed over the last 2 years. My amendment would ensure that we aren't leaving behind those with predictably poor health outcomes, like those with lower life expectancy or children born with lower birthweight. Families in high-disparity areas suffer from low levels of healthcare, literacy, language barriers, and limited awareness of the Affordable Care Act's coverage options. In this uncertain environment, in our complicated healthcare system, in this constant fight for access to healthcare in this country, knowledge is half the battle. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. Help all Americans attain the knowledge they need and win their healthcare battles. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi).

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan).

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the underlying bill that will preserve protections for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders and Americans who, like me, have a preexisting condition. And I rise in support, of course, of my amendment to protect States which are acting to strengthen their insurance marketplaces, lower premiums, and expand access to high-quality care by preserving their reinsurance programs that they have established. For more than 2 years, the President, in concert with Republicans in Congress, have tried every trick in the book to undermine the Affordable Care Act. They tried repealing it, taking it to the courts, and now want to allow States to gut protections for those the Affordable Care Act helped most. These attacks jeopardize healthcare for Americans with chronic conditions like asthma, high blood pressure, and diabetes and threaten to bankrupt thousands of families with a loved one who has fallen ill due to no fault of their own. It is not just bad policy. It is fundamentally cruel. That is why, in the face of this onslaught by the Trump administration to make the Affordable Care Act less effective, we must provide States with every tool in the toolbox to keep premiums down, while preventing the Trump administration from giving States the power to gut essential protections. I firmly believe that States should have the power and flexibility to innovate and find healthcare solutions that work best for them. The Affordable Care Act always envisioned a critical role for States. States design their own exchanges, shape their Medicaid programs, and take the lead in enforcing patient protections and reviewing rate increases. These waivers took on new importance after President Trump and the Republican Congress failed to repeal ObamaCare and, instead, sought to undermine the Affordable Care Act by eliminating the requirement to obtain health insurance, ending cost-sharing payments for low-income individuals, passing regulations that encouraged short-term and junk insurance, and defunding advertising and outreach during open enrollment. This sabotage has caused more families to pay higher premiums and made fewer people able to get the high-quality care they deserve. States acted to counteract these efforts by establishing reinsurance programs and applying for State innovation waivers. Reinsurance programs protect insurers from very high, unpredictable medical expenses incurred by their Members. Alaska, Minnesota, Oregon, Maine, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and my own State of Maryland have all received Federal approval to establish reinsurance programs. These are the very programs my amendment seeks to protect. These programs work and meet the shared goal of making health insurance affordable and accessible to all Americans, including those with preexisting conditions. Reinsurance programs have been able to cut premiums by 20 percent, on average, and save the Federal Government nearly $1 billion. Maryland saw the biggest savings, lowering individual premiums by more than 43 percent. These lower premiums will help entice younger and healthier individuals to get insurance, making healthcare more affordable for everyone. While we have a President in the White House and Republicans in Congress who have made healthcare prohibitively expensive and stripped protections for those who need it most, it is imperative that this Congress protect our partners at the State level who are working with us to protect healthcare for all Americans. My amendment will protect these innovative reinsurance programs and encourage more States to adopt them. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, I join my colleague, the gentleman from Oregon, in acknowledging the great work that is happening in the States of Oregon, New Jersey, and Maryland in establishing these reinsurance programs. It is my amendment that seeks to protect these very strong programs, so I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I am a cosponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, and I believe that this is the most important bill that this Congress will pass to protect thousands of women against violence and demonstrate that we value the dignity of every human being. I was proud to work with the committee to close three potentially fatal loopholes that allow abusers to possess firearms. We closed the stalking loophole by treating stalking similarly to other domestic violence crimes. Currently, 76 percent of women who are murdered by their partner were first stalked. We closed the dating partner loophole by expanding restrictions on dating partners convicted of domestic violence from buying a gun. We closed the temporary restraining order loophole by prohibiting an abuser from getting their hands on a gun when a court issues a temporary order, because this is when an abuser is most likely to lash out and retaliate. When domestic violence kills three women a day, we have a moral responsibility to act. Mr. Chairman, we cannot let the gun lobby scare us into putting their interests above the lives of thousands of Americans. We must reauthorize VAWA now with these increased protections.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to first recognize the hard work of my colleagues--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler; my colleague from California, Congresswoman Karen Bass; as well as all the members of the Judiciary Committee--on the underlying bill. My amendment would create a grant program for States, localities, and nonprofits to establish and operate a lethality assessment program. The lethality assessment program was developed in my home State of Maryland in 2005 by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence. Research shows that for one-third of victims of domestic violence, homicide or attempted homicide was the first act of violence in that relationship. Research also shows that in the year prior to the homicide, more than 44 percent of abusers were arrested, and almost one-third of the victims contacted the police about the abuser. The lethality assessment program was developed to reduce the number of missed opportunities to identify victims of domestic violence who are at risk of being killed, and it enables them to take steps that might save their lives. The lethality assessment program is an evidence-based homicide prevention tool. Because intimate partner homicides are predictable in many cases, they are preventable in many cases. This program is used in 37 States by law enforcement, nurses, social workers, hospital personnel, caseworkers, and court personnel. By simply asking the lethality screening questions, the trained person conducting the screening educates the victim about the signs of increased risk of homicide. The trained person then further educates the victim as to how to remain safe, what options are available, and what resources are in the community. The victim feels empowered to make choices that increase their own safety. The lethality assessment program is one of only two models of evidence-based intimate partner homicide prevention to be recognized and honored as a promising practice by the Department of Justice. During my time as Lieutenant Governor, I supported expanding and fully funding the lethality assessment program in Maryland because I understood then, just as I understand today, that domestic violence and violence against women is not just a woman's issue. Domestic violence impacts all of us, families, neighbors, and entire communities. As we stand here debating my amendment and whether to reauthorize legal protections and resources for women, one in four women continue to experience abuse or stalking by their current or former intimate partner. One woman of the thousands who are killed by a current or former intimate partner every year was my cousin, Cathy. She was a 40-year-old woman and a teacher. She loved her work, and she loved her schoolchildren. On the weekend before she was going to begin her classes, in 2008, she was stalked; she was ambushed; she was tormented; and she was shot and killed by her former intimate partner in front of two police officers. While there is nothing that will bring Cathy back, we have the opportunity, right now, to pass commonsense legislation that safeguards women and families from the horrors that Cathy and my family experienced, and so many other families. Domestic violence does not discriminate, and it is up to us to ensure that our wives, husbands, partners, mothers, and children live their lives free from violence. Mr. Chairman, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this amendment and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, and I yield back the balance of my time.