Shontel Brown

Ms. BROWN of Ohio

Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for her remarks; Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence; and my leader, my friend, my sister, and my mentor who is the chairwoman of the CBC, Joyce Beatty. As I rise to make my first CBC Special Order hour speech, I would first like to thank my esteemed Congressional Black Caucus colleagues for welcoming me with open arms after I was sworn in as their newest member days ago; for playing a critical role getting the bipartisan infrastructure bill across the finish line, and for shining the spotlight today on another critical piece of the President's agenda, the Build Back Better Act. Madam Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus is often called the conscience of the Congress for good reason. The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law today by President Biden is a historic win for our economy, our communities, and the people of my district and from across this Nation. Its provisions, from rebuilding our roads and bridges to expanding broadband access and ensuring every person has access to safe drinking water, are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. That is why politicians have talked about getting infrastructure done for years. But today, with critical support from the CBC, we are delivering results--real results--for the people. But our work does not end there. We know the many challenges that have been holding families and our economy back for generations: high healthcare costs, lack of access to affordable childcare, rising prescription drug prices, students locked out of higher education opportunities, and shameful increases in food and housing insecurity. We know that Black communities have been disproportionately impacted by these many challenges for far too long. The answer to these challenges is not just more failed tax giveaways for huge corporations. The answer is to make investments in families to improve their lives, boost their paychecks, and lower their kitchen table costs. The Build Back Better Act delivers desperately needed action to tackle these challenges and lower the everyday costs that burden working families. It lowers healthcare costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs for seniors and expanding the ACA to bring down rising premiums. It provides universal preschool for all 3- to 4- year-olds giving every student a chance to have a head start. It expands access to higher education by raising the maximum Pell grant and making large investments in HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions. It includes critical provisions to ensure no child goes hungry and every American has a roof over their head. Our task now is to pass a bill that reflects the President's agenda and our values: to promote equity, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to find a good-paying job, and to put money back in the pockets of American families by lowering the costs of living. Together with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Build Back Better agenda is going to create millions of jobs, reduce poverty, and rebuild the backbone of our country--the middle class. This is what delivering for the American people looks like.

Ms. BROWN of Ohio

Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kaptur for her kind introduction. I rise as the newest Representative for Ohio's 11th Congressional District. First, I thank my family, including my mom and dad; my siblings, Ray and Nick; my nieces and nephews; aunts; uncles; cousins; and a special birthday shout-out to my cousin, Stephanie. I am guessing this is the best birthday present she has ever received. I also thank my friends Azuree, Lisa, and Kelly, and their parents; my team; and all of my incredible supporters who helped me along the way. But most importantly, I thank the great people of my district for placing their trust in me. I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of serving you, the people of Ohio's 11th Congressional District, in the House of Representatives. I take this responsibility seriously. I ran for Congress because I believe in the resilience of the community I love and call home; because I believe that public service is always about putting the people first; because I believe that now, with the eyes of history upon us, it is time to build a more just and more equitable future. These are the values I promise to hold close every day as I make your voice heard in Congress. I enter these hallowed Halls on the shoulders of my predecessors, leaders like Louis Stokes; Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones; and my mentor and my friend, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge. I vow to do the same work that she did as I vow to work for the people and be a voice of the people. As a proud Clevelander, I know that we are strong and that our work is to emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever. Our work is to rebuild an economy that puts the dignity of working people first, to protect the most vulnerable among us, to ensure every child has access to quality public education, to fight for a day when every person has a roof over their head and food on their plate, to protect the right to vote, and to tackle the other great challenges of our time. I cannot wait to get to work with my colleagues in Congress to deliver results for the people of northeast Ohio and this great country.