Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, the Trump administration is engaged in one of the most unprecedented coverups since Watergate, and it is not just about Russia. It is so much broader than that. This coverup spans across numerous investigations, and it extends from the White House to multiple Federal agencies of government to completely separate outside parties. The administration officials now question the fundamental basis of Congress to conduct oversight. They object to committee rules and precedence that have been in place for decades under both Republican and Democratic leaders, and they make baseless legal arguments to avoid producing documents and testimony. The Trump administration is challenging the very constitutionality of congressional oversight, and it is happening in broad daylight. Several weeks ago, President Trump vowed, ``We're fighting all the subpoenas.'' Since then, he has refused to work on legislative priorities such as infrastructure until Congress halts oversight and investigations of his administration. He wants us to forgo our responsibility under the Constitution as a condition of passing laws to help our constituents and his constituents. The President's arguments are baseless. He suggests that all subpoenas that Congress puts out are partisan and somehow related to the Russia probe, but that is simply not correct. In the Oversight and Reform Committee, we have issued eight subpoenas: six of them are bipartisan and none of them are about Russia. They involve issues like the census, immigrant children being locked in cages and separated from their families, and the President's finances. This entire year, the White House has not produced one document to the Oversight and Reform Committee. Let me say that again: In all of our investigations, the White House has not produced one single shred of paper in response to our requests. The hurricanes in Puerto Rico, the White House has produced nothing. Security clearance abuses, the White House has produced nothing. Efforts to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, the White House has produced nothing. Hush-money payments, the White House has produced not a thing. Even on issues like spending taxpayer dollars to pay for private jets, the White House has produced absolutely nothing. Over and over again, it does not matter what the topic is, the tactics are the same. This begs the question: What are we covering up? Tomorrow, our committee will vote on whether to hold the Attorney General and the Secretary of Commerce in contempt of Congress for refusing to produce documents relating to the Census. Again, these subpoenas are bipartisan, and this issue has nothing to do with Russia. Yet, the Trump administration has delayed, stonewalled, obstructed, and challenged the authority of the Congress on even those questions. I support today's resolution because it makes clear that in addition to seeking criminal contempt on the House floor, committees may seek authority to enforce their subpoenas directly in civil court actions. Nobody is above the law.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I know that Representative Joyce Beatty would join me today in what I am about to say. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a great American and a distinguished man of God, the Reverend Dr. Charles E. Booth. Dr. Booth transitioned from this earthly plain on Saturday, March 23, 2019, after a valiant battle with cancer. Dr. Booth's life and mine moved along many of the same paths. Through those shared experiences, we developed a deep personal bond. He was born in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, on February 4, 1947, to Hazel Willis Booth and William W. Booth. He attended the same high school as I did, Baltimore City College High School in Baltimore. We also attended the same college, Howard University. Dr. Booth went on to earn a master's of divinity degree from Eastern Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then earned a doctorate of ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. As a testament to his commitment to Christian education, Dr. Booth served as a member of the board of trustees of that institution from 2011 until his recent passing. At the age of 23, Dr. Booth pastored his first church, St. Paul's Baptist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1978, he became pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he remained the faithful leader for 41 years. Dr. Booth proudly made Columbus his home, but he never forgot his roots. He visited Baltimore often to preach at various churches and spend time with family and friends. In fact, he preached revival services each year in my own church, the New Psalmist Baptist Church, where Dr. Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, Sr., is the pastor. When I was not in Washington, I was at church to listen to his prolific sermons. As the son of two preachers, I understand the power of the preached word, and Dr. Booth could deliver like none other. They often called him a preaching machine. He had a commanding presence in the pulpit with his towering stature and baritone voice. He studied the Bible voraciously and had the uncanny ability to make Biblical text relevant to the issues we face today in our daily lives. At a time when people are turning away from traditional religion, Dr. Booth made Christianity accessible and inspired people to deepen their faith. Dr. Booth was a pastor's pastor. He traveled the world to preach the gospel, and he was tremendously respected by his peers. He found joy in mentoring young preachers and made time to listen to their concerns and offer his counsel. In 2011, Dr. Booth founded the Charles E. Booth Preaching Conference, which focuses on the tenets of keeping passion in one's preaching, Christ-centered preaching in contemporary life, building relationships with preachers, strengthening the preacher's devotional life, and remaining true to the sermonic ingredients of information and inspiration. Education was central to Dr. Booth's life. Not only was he continually learning, but he also encouraged others to use education as a key to open doors of opportunity. In 1994, he founded the Gloria S. Friend Academy, a fully accredited elementary school at his church that emphasized academic excellence and cultural enrichment centered on African American history. Dr. Booth also authored several books focused on Christian education. A pillar in his community, Dr. Booth used his position as a faith leader to be a strong voice for the voiceless. He worked tirelessly to help create solutions to issues such as poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and access to quality healthcare. As I mourn the loss of my friend, I am comforted by the inspiring legacy he leaves for all of us. In the New Testament book of Titus, the Apostle Paul writes: ``Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech.'' Dr. Booth lived this creed. Through his example, he encouraged everyone he encountered to do the same. He leaves to mourn his wonderful wife, Crystal. He was a tremendous blessing to his family, his church, his Nation, and, indeed, the world. He will be sorely missed, but we give great thanks that God allowed our lives to eclipse with his.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, thirty years ago today, on April 10, 1989, one of the most critically important federal ethics laws in our history, the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA), was enacted. As we mark the anniversary of the WPA, I would like to give special recognition to this federal statute that has empowered Congressional oversight and assisted our work over the years. The WPA protects whistleblowers who work for the federal government from retaliation for reporting activity constituting a violation of law, rules, or regulations, or mismanagement, fraud, waste, and abuse, or substantial danger to public health and safety. A federal agency violates the WPA if it takes or threatens to take a retaliatory personnel action against an employee who makes a protected disclosure. On this 30th anniversary of the WPA, we honor the contributions of the brave men and women who report wrongdoing despite great risks to their careers and personal lives as a result of retaliation. Without the WPA, very few whistleblowers would be willing to come forward. Congress relies on the WPA to fulfill its Constitutional duty to provide checks and balances on the Executive Branch--the very root of our democracy. This past February, my Committee issued an interim staff report raising serious concerns about White House efforts to rush the transfer of highly sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the Atomic Energy Act and without Congressional review as required by law. The Committee's investigation was based on information that we received from multiple whistleblowers. We also rely on the WPA to help safeguard our national security. Recently, a whistleblower working inside the White House Security Office was interviewed by the Committee about the dysfunctions in the White House that presented dangers to national security. This whistleblower ``informed the Committee that during the Trump Administration, she and other career officials adjudicated denials of dozens of applications for security clearances that were later overturned.'' She explained the reason she came forward, stating: ``I would not be doing a service to myself, my country, or my children if I sat back knowing that the issues that we have could impact national security.'' My Committee would not have been able to conduct these oversight investigations without these whistleblowers, and these whistleblowers would not have come forward if they did not have the protections of the WPA. We have made significant progress in protecting public servants who shine a light on corruption in the federal government, but we are not satisfied with the status quo. Congress must continue to ensure that agencies are following the existing law and also identify ways to improve the law to better serve the needs of our country.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Electronic Message Preservation Act. I introduced this bill with the goal of modernizing the Federal and Presidential Records Acts. This bill would require the Archivist of the United States to issue regulations mandating that all federal agencies manage and preserve their email records electronically. This bill would help ensure that email records from federal agencies and the White House are preserved. According to a September 2018 report from the National Archives and Records Administration, approximately 35 percent of agencies continue to print and file hard copies of email messages. This means that these records are more likely to get lost and that they are harder for the agency to retrieve during records searches under the Freedom of Information Act. This bill would put into statute what agencies are already required to do under a directive issued by the Archivist and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2012. In 2016, the National Archives issued a document for agency records officers titled, ``Why Agencies Need to Move Towards Electronic Recordkeeping.'' The National Archives identified a number of reasons including long term cost savings, information security, and more efficient and effective implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. This bill would also require the Archivist to establish standards for the preservation and management of email records that are presidential records and to certify annually that the White House has records management controls in place that meet those standards. Under this bill, the Archivist must report one year after the president leaves office on whether the controls used by the president met the required standards. This legislation would provide accountability to encourage every president to have the controls in place that are necessary to preserve emails and other electronic records. This bill has passed the House with bipartisan support several times before, including last Congress. I urge my colleagues to support the bill again today and I hope the Senate will act on the bill and send it to the President's desk before the end of the year.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend, Congressman John Sarbanes, for his vision and for his tenacity in introducing this bold and historic reform package. He has given his blood, his sweat, and his tears, and I thank him. This sweeping legislation would clean up corruption in government, fight secret money in politics, and make it easier for American citizens across our great country to vote. I have heard this bill dismissed as a ``power grab.'' In fact, it is a power restoration. H.R. 1 would restore power to the American people and break the hold of special interests. For example, title VIII includes a bill that I introduced, the Executive Branch Ethics Reform Act, which would ban senior officials from accepting bonuses and other payments from private-sector employers in exchange for their government service. H.R. 1 would have prevented Gary Cohn, President Trump's former economic adviser, from receiving more than $100 million in accelerated payments from Goldman Sachs when he left to lead the Trump administration's efforts to slash corporate taxes. Title VIII also includes another bill that I introduced, the Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act. This legislation would require Presidential transition teams to disclose to Congress the team members they submit to receive security clearances and which team members receive security clearances. This legislation also would require transition teams to have ethics plans in place and to publicly disclose those plans. H.R. 1 gives people the power to freely exercise their right to vote. I have said quite often that when my mother died, at 92 years old, her last words were not, ``Elijah, I love you.'' This former sharecropper, her last words were: Elijah, don't let them take away our right to vote. I believe that we should be doing everything in our power to make it easier, not harder, for American citizens to exercise their constitutional right. Unfortunately, some oppose our efforts. They think we should make voting more difficult by cutting back on early voting, eliminating polling places, and taking other steps to reduce the number of people who do vote. In some cases, they have even engaged in illegal efforts to suppress the vote and target minority communities. Just look at what happened in North Carolina. In 2013, State legislators requested data broken down by race on how residents engaged in a number of voting practices. They then used that data to enact legislation that restricted voting and voter registration in five different ways that disproportionately affected African Americans. You do not have to take my word. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals found that this legislation was enacted with discriminatory intent. In fact, the Fourth Circuit said that in North Carolina legislation targeted African Americans with--they said this--``almost surgical precision.'' We are better than that. In Georgia, we saw actions just last year by officials to remove people from the voter rolls and prevent them from registering in the first place. H.R. 1 would establish procedures to automatically register people to vote, extend early voting, absentee voting, and give additional funding to States to maintain polling sites so that they can do their job. This legislation would help make it easier for hardworking Americans to find the time to vote by making election day a Federal holiday and encouraging the private sector to follow suit. Federal court after Federal court, there are ongoing efforts to stop people from voting. So I will fight until my death to make sure that every citizen, whether they be Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green Party, or whatever, has the right to vote. The American people gave this Congress a mandate to restore our democracy, and we will clean it up.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor my constituent, Filmore William Hart. Mr. Hart was born on December 20, 1928 in Wheeling, VA to Gretchen Hart Morton. Filmore graduated from Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. and attended Morgan State University in the great city of Baltimore, MD. He remains an active member of Morgan State's Alumni Association. Mr. Hart served his country with honor. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant and later from the Social Security Administration as well. He married the late Marion Kahn White on May 17, 1953. During their forty-six-year union, they were blessed with four children--Sandra Lynn Hart-Harris, Jocelyn Kahn Hart-Lovelace, Philmore James Hart, and Gerard Roderick Hart--as well as nine grandchildren and four great- grandchildren. The Lord smiled on Filmore again and he married Elaine Harris on June 3, 2017. The family circle has expanded with the inclusion of Elaine's four adult children--Larry Harris, Cathy Harris- Blackwell, Michael Harris, Allison Harris-Owens--and eight grandchildren. Filmore has been an active member of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD for over sixty years and continues to serve in numerous capacities including Chairman of the Deacon Ministry, member of the Samuel B. Redd Scholarship Committee and Triple L Senior Ministry, Sunday School teacher, and van driver. His favorite scripture is Psalms 27:1, which says ``The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear.'' His favorite song is ``On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.'' He actively participates in several community sponsored programs such as scout troop master. He has been a leader of the Forest Park Baseball Little League, serving as team coach, league President, Vice President, and Treasurer. His commitment was evident as he continued to volunteer his services for years after his sons' participation in the league. Mr. Hart served four years as President of the Troy B. Lewis Layman's League, an Auxiliary to the United Baptist Convention of Maryland, Inc., and continues to participate in this organization. He has also been Regional Coordinator for the National Baptist Association's Deacon's Ministry, provides training to various church Deacon Boards in the Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania area and served in several leadership roles with the Caucus of Black Aging through the Maryland State Department of Aging. Mr. Speaker, Deacon Hart has a deep love for family. He is a devoted father and husband.Throughout his life, he has had a ``heart'' for helping others. He is the recipient of several awards and recognitions as a result of his military and civilian employment, church work, and community volunteerism. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring him on the occasion of his 90th Birthday.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize February as National Children's Dental Health Month and to raise awareness around the critically important issue of access to quality dental care for our Nation's children. The most prevalent chronic infectious disease among children in the United States is tooth decay. This disease is responsible for countless health problems in children and more than 51 million hours lost at school every year. However, this disease is preventable with basic dental care. Sadly, even with improvements in recent years, too many children are not able to access the quality dental care they need to simply stay healthy. I have a long history of advocating for increased access to dental care for all, particularly our Nation's young people. I have often said that our children are the living messengers we send to a future we will never see. That means that we must do everything in our power to ensure that they are healthy and given every opportunity to succeed. Today, I also rise to share the story of a young Maryland boy named Deamonte Driver. He died because of a lack of access to basic dental care. In February of 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver came home from school with a simple headache, which had started as a toothache. His mother worked hard to make ends meet with all kinds of low-paying jobs. She searched for a dentist who would accept Medicaid for her children, but she found no dentist who would care for children's teeth. Deamonte's mother took him to the emergency room, where he received medication for pain, a sinus infection, and a dental abscess. Unfortunately, that was not enough. The bacteria from Deamonte's cavity spread to his brain, and, at 12 years old, Deamonte Driver died--12 years old. Deamonte could be alive today if it were not for the lack of a simple procedure and the early removal of one tooth. Deamonte's story is one we must never, ever forget. We must imprint it in the DNA of every cell of our brains. Fortunately, we have made great strides in access to dental care, particularly for children, since Deamonte's death in 2007. Passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act and the Affordable Care Act have filled the gaps in dental care for children who are eligible for these programs. This has given many children across this great Nation access to dental care and many families greater peace of mind regarding their children's health. Maryland has also made significant progress in access to dental healthcare over the last several years and now stands as a national model thanks, sadly, to Deamonte Driver. Through the work of many groups and organizations, more Maryland children are visiting a dentist, and dental health is a priority in our great State. In 2017, almost 70 percent of the Maryland children enrolled in Medicaid received at least one dental care service. The Maryland Department of Health also funds specific programs, such as the Oral Disease and Injury Prevention Program and the Dental Sealants Program, that cares for and educates thousands of children, including right there at the schools. Yet, even with these improvements in access to education, there is more that must be done to protect dental health in honor of that little boy, Deamonte Driver. That is why I am proud to rise in support of dental care during Children's Dental Health Month and encourage everyone to take advantage of oral health education, screenings, preventive care, and restorative services in their community. It is also why I plan to reintroduce my Comprehensive Dental Reform Act this Congress, which, among other things, would provide comprehensive dental coverage to all Medicare, Medicaid, and VA beneficiaries and make dental care an essential health benefit for adults under the Affordable Care Act. Dental services must no longer be thought of as an optional health benefit for children or adults.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2019 to make the process of raising money to build presidential libraries more transparent. I thank Representative Mark Meadows for joining me in sponsoring this legislation. Right now, a president--while still in office--can raise an unlimited amount of money for a presidential library from private donations, and the identities of all the donors can remain secret. It is time to enact this bipartisan legislation to require the disclosure of donor information. Presidential libraries are built using private funds accepted through a private, non-profit organization. The costs of building modern presidential libraries can be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The George W. Bush Presidential Center, for example, cost an estimated $250 million to build, and President Bush raised several hundred million dollars to build the facility. President Obama has also raised hundreds of millions of dollars for his presidential library. President Obama has voluntarily disclosed the names of donors who have given $200 or more. While I applaud President Obama's efforts at transparency, we cannot rely on every president to voluntarily disclose donor information. This bipartisan legislation would require the disclosure of information about every donor who gives $200 or more for a presidential library and establish penalties for false reporting and non-compliance. This bill would make these vital changes to the law to deter inappropriate behavior. Former Republican Representative John Duncan of Tennessee first sponsored a bill to improve the process for building presidential libraries 19 years ago. Representative Duncan also sponsored the same legislation we are considering today with me last Congress. The bill had bipartisan support and passed the House last Congress without opposition. It is past time for us to enact this bipartisan reform and shed light on an otherwise opaque system.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 10th Anniversary of the African American Firefighters Historical Society. The African American Firefighters Historical Society was founded in Baltimore, Maryland on January 23, 2009 by two, now-retired, members of the Baltimore City Fire Department: Firefighter George Collins and Lieutenant Michael Jenson. It was started as part of an event celebrating the 55-year reunion of the first African Americans appointed to the Baltimore City Fire Department. While researching the history of African-American firefighters in Baltimore, it did not take long before they discovered that nearly every fire department around the country had its own story of African Americans contributing to their ranks. The mission of the African American Firefighters Historical Society is to collect, preserve and disseminate historical data and information relating to the contributions made by firefighters of color, and others who have contributed to such history. This material is used to educate and mentor firefighters and the communities that they serve. The Historical Society is also a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and it hosts an annual Salute Dinner. This dinner honors African- American firefighters, entities, individuals, and dates that are significant to the fire service history of African Americans. It is the only event of its kind in the world, and they are proud that the dinner has become their signature event. All the honorees over the last 10 years have been extremely deserving of their recognition. Most have never had their contributions acknowledged. These individuals are humble men and women, who would tell you that they were just doing what needed to be done. Whether it be to acknowledge a heroic act or some other significant act, such as being the first to reach a rank or position, accomplished by firefighters, the African American Firefighters Historical Society is always interested in finding these individuals. The organization also welcomes information about organizations who have reached historic milestones or anniversaries relevant to African-American firefighters. To show just how relevant The African American Firefighters Historical Society has become, I would like to take a moment to share the stories of some of its honorees. Stories of people like Edward Collic, who faced significant hurdles to becoming Baltimore City Fire Department's First African American Lieutenant Pilot. During promotion testing, Collic was given ten additional navigation questions by his Coast Guard examiner, effectively turning what is normally a 4-hour test into an 8-hour exam. Still, he passed and was reluctantly given his 100 Ton Masters Licenses. Collic worked as an Acting Lieutenant for thirteen years, being passed over for promotions several times despite consistently scoring first or second on the promotion exam. In some cases, he was deliberately removed from the top of the list. Collic was finally promoted, possibly becoming Maryland's first African-American Fireboat Lieutenant. With a reputation for being the best Lieutenant Pilot, one night he was sought out by his Battalion Chief to respond to a train that had derailed with hazardous material on board. He took his fireboat up the Susquehanna River to Port Deposit, Maryland, on what would become the longest run in BCFD history. The Society has also honored people like Mrs. Carrye Brown, on the 20th Anniversary of her appointment to the highest fire service position in the country. In January 1995, Brown was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be our Nation's first woman and first African American to head the U.S. Fire Administration. In that role, she was responsible for legislation, regulations and standards for all fire departments in the country. To this day, Mrs. Brown holds the record for the longest serving person in that position. They also paid tribute to civil rights lawyers Kenneth L. Johnson and Gerald A. Smith. On December 6, 1971 they filed suit against the City of Baltimore to address discrimination in hiring and promotions within the city's fire department. This landmark decision changed the hiring and promotions processes in both the city's fire and police departments, benefiting countless individuals. Their 1973 victory cemented the legacy of their clients and rendered their firm a dominant force in civil rights litigation on the east coast. The Society has also honored the Gorham Family. A tragic fire in August 1946 destroyed the home of Leroy and Lillian Gorham. Tragically, the couple lost three children: Jean, who was 5, Ruth who was 2, and Leroy Jr., who was only 11 months year old. In response, the community came together to establish Chapel Oaks Volunteer Fire Company in Prince George's County, Maryland. Without any knowledge or experience, men from all over the area started Maryland's only African-American Volunteer Fire Department. By the year's end, they purchased a fire engine and equipment and began providing fire protection for the Deanwood Park/Chapel Oaks Community. They have serviced Prince George's County ever since. The African American Fire Fighters Historical Society has presented approximately 200 flags flown over the U.S. Capitol for honorees on significant dates of their accomplishments; obtained almost 1,0000 Citations, Proclamations, Resolutions, Certificates of Recognition and Letters of Acknowledgment for honorees; successfully advocated for legislation to have a fire house named for an honoree; been instrumental in building partnerships, financing the design, and advocating for local government to establish The Racheal M. Wilson Memorial Park and Garden at the location of Racheal M. Wilson's death, the first woman killed in the history of the Baltimore City Fire Department, and sponsored Baltimore High School students' trips to Washington, D.C. for Capitol Hill tours and to visit my Braintrust panels at The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. As the African American Firefighters Historical Society reflects on their many accomplishments, they ask, ``what's next?'' George Collins, Founder and President states: ``We are looking forward to creating a brick and mortar entity in the form of a fire fighter museum. This will showcase the unknown and often buried contributions of so many African Americans in the fire service. Yet we will always fulfill the purpose of our organization. Give people their flowers while they can smell them, show them acknowledgments of their accomplishments while they can see it, and tell them how much you appreciate them while they can hear it.'' For these reasons, we stop to highlight the endeavors of The African American Firefighters Historical Society over the past 10 years.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 790.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 790, the Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act of 2019, along with my fellow colleagues of the local delegation. I pay special thanks to Chairman Connolly and Majority Leader Hoyer for their leadership on this very important piece of legislation. H.R. 790, as amended, would authorize a 2.6 percent pay raise for Federal civilian workers for 2019, the same raise that our military servicemembers are receiving this year. Historically, Congress has tried to ensure parity in pay increases between Federal civilian employees and military servicemembers. This bill would continue this longstanding tradition. The bill would provide the pay raise to Federal employees in the competitive and excepted services, blue-collar workers, members of the career Senior Executive Service, and employees in the scientific and senior-level positions. The men and women of our civil service deserve this small increase in pay because they have endured so much during the last several years. They were subjected, Mr. Chair, to repeated and unrelenting attacks on their pay and on their benefits. They have suffered through pay freezes, hiring freezes, higher pension costs, and furloughs due to sequestration and government shutdowns. Since 2011, Federal workers have contributed nearly $200 billion to help reduce our country's deficit and to fund other government programs. These hardworking, dedicated Federal workers include the 800,000 employees who were furloughed or forced to work without pay for 35 days during the longest shutdown in our great Nation's history. The men and women of our civil service were held hostage to a political dispute over funding for a border wall that the President had stated over and over again would be paid for by Mexico. There is something wrong with this picture. They include members of the Coast Guard, TSA screeners, Department of Agriculture workers who help farmers and ranchers, FAA air traffic controllers and safety inspectors, FDA food inspectors, the FBI, EPA pollution inspectors, Border Patrol agents, and Secret Service agents. Given all the hardship Federal employees have experienced, they deserve a modest pay increase to help make up for the years of freezes and negligible increases and to help offset the cost of inflation. The pay increase also would help the Federal Government compete against the private sector to recruit and retain highly qualified candidates to serve the American people. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, let me be clear that there are many Federal workers who are suffering and who have suffered. The message that we send to them is that we care about them, and we know that they give their blood, sweat, and tears over and over again. That is one of the messages we send. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the chairman of our Subcommittee on Government Operations.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our distinguished majority leader. (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me make it clear, Mr. Chairman: this is not about a border wall. This is about building people and allowing them to sustain themselves. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), who is the very distinguished leader of our caucus.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me say this, Mr. Chairman. Yesterday we had our organizational meeting, and I made it clear that the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina has been truly a person who has worked very hard in a bipartisan way trying to come up with commonsense resolutions. So in no way do I want the gentleman to feel as if that is not being recognized, and we appreciate it. It is just that we have a lot of employees who aren't making those very high salaries. They are the ones who are living from paycheck to paycheck. Mr. Chairman, one of the saddest parts is when they go from paycheck to paycheck it is almost like no check because when they look at their bills, the bills are so much higher than their net pay. All we are trying to do is make sure that they keep up with the cost of living. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch), who is the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on National Security.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentleman from Massachusetts an additional 1 minute.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia an additional 1 minute.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today we are zeroing in on Federal workers whose average pay is $60,000. We are zeroing in on folks who are, in many instances, barely making it. I don't want us to get it twisted. We have a situation where a lot of times we discuss a whole lot of other things but don't necessarily concentrate on the subject matter at hand. Yesterday, Mr. Chairman, in our committee, we had a lady who came in and told us that her daughter died. She died because she couldn't get $333 worth of insulin a month. That happened in America. What is my point? These dollars mean a lot to these Federal employees. I am not going to pit our military against our civilian employees. They are all very important. I want them all to be well paid. But right now, we need to concentrate on, again, building people and making a difference in their lives. Speaking of building people, Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton), a cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I insert in the Record an article from The Washington Post that reports the Federal Salary Council, the official monitor of Federal pay, found that Federal workers make an average of 30 percent less than their private-sector counterparts. [From the Washington Post, Nov. 14, 2018] Federal Employee Salaries Lag by Average of 31 Percent, Pay Group Reports (By Eric Yoder) Federal employee salaries on average lag behind those of the private sector by almost 31 percent, an advisory council said Tuesday, while splitting between union and non-union members on whether to recommend potential changes in the way it arrives at that figure. The average salary difference of 30.91 percent reported by the Federal Salary Council is somewhat smaller than the 31.86 percent it reported at a special meeting it held April. The figures of prior years were in the 34 to 35 percent range. Those figures, based on two Labor Department surveys covering some 250 occupations, stand in contrast to assessments of some conservative and libertarian organizations that have concluded that the advantage is about the same or even greater in favor of federal employees. The Congressional Budget Office last year essentially split the difference. It found an average advantage for federal workers of 3 percent, although within that average it said there is a wide range by educational level: from a 34 percent advantage for federal workers with a high school education or less to a 24 percent shortfall for those with a professional degree or doctorate. Under a federal pay law, the ``pay gap'' as measured by the Salary Council is to be used in setting annual raises varying by locality for federal employees under the General Schedule, the pay system covering most white-collar employees below the executive levels. However, that law never has been followed due to the potential cost of paying such large raises and disagreements over how the figure is calculated. In an August message to Congress, President Trump said that following the law's formula would result in locality-based raises in January 2019 averaging 25.7 percent plus an across- the-board raise of 2.1 percent, at a cost of $25 billion. ``Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,'' Trump's said in backing a pay freeze that he originally proposed in a budget plan early this year. A House-Senate conference underway on a spending bill will decide between a freeze and a Senate provision to pay an average 1.9 percent raise. Unless Congress passes, and Trump signs, a bill specifying a raise, salaries will be frozen by default. If the raise is enacted, it would vary slightly among 44 city areas and what is called the ``rest of the U.S.'' locality everywhere else; employees working in the Washington-Baltimore area would stand to receive one of the larger raises, probably around 2.3 percent. The long-running controversy over comparing salaries flared at Tuesday's meeting of the Salary Council, a group of federal employee unions and compensation experts whose decisions typically are unanimous. A ``working group'' document produced since the April meeting laid out a series of potential changes for consideration by a higher-level body called the President's Pay Agent. Those options included adding more detailed data on salaries by occupation and level of work, taking into account other data such as attrition rates, switching to a ``total compensation'' approach taking benefits into account, and conducting a very detailed review only once every four or five years--the latter two of which would require a change in law. Council chairman Ron Sanders, a longtime career federal personnel official who is now a clinical professor at the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs, argued in favor of exploring those options. ``I think it's obvious to all of us that the current methodology is problematic,'' he said. ``That methodology does not tell the whole story,'' Sanders said. ``It's nice to say there's a 30 percent gap. If OMB [the Office of Management and Budget] doesn't believe it, the White House doesn't believe it, the Congress doesn't believe it, what good does it do?'' He pointed to the testimony of officials of federal agencies from several urban and rural areas not now receiving higher city-based locality pay, who told of their difficulties in recruiting and retaining employees despite using special hiring authorities and incentive payments. However, the current process doesn't support specific salary rates for them, he said. Two other members supported exploring the options: Katja Bullock, associate director of presidential personnel, and Jill Nelson, who leads an advisory committee on pay for blue- collar federal employees. However, members from federal unions argued against changing the calculations and questioned whether the group even has the authority to raise new options for consideration. ``I don't think the methodology is broken,'' said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees. ``The elephant in the room is the Congress and the president over time not funding the pay system'' as the law intended, said Randy L. Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. Anthony M. Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, expressed concern that including the value of federal benefits ``will be used as a justification to reduce those benefits.'' The council adjourned without voting on whether to recommend that the Pay Agent consider different approaches. Afterward, Sanders said that in the annual report to that higher-level body to be made by year's end, individual members of the Salary Council could express their own opinions.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chair, it is so important that we do everything in our power to support our Federal employees, and I want to thank Mr. Connolly and Mr. Hoyer. They have given their blood and their sweat and their tears for Federal employees: constantly standing up for them, trying to make sure that they are treated fairly and given their due. Just today, I spoke to two people who were telling me about how Federal employees at NIH basically saved their lives--saved their lives. One told me that the person who saved their life was making about $65,000. This is a doctor. Come on now. And the other said it was about, maybe, $70,000 at best. These are people who could have been doing other things, could have been making a lot of money, but they decided to give their efforts to a greater cause. Their names will probably never appear on the front page--or any page--of The Washington Post. They won't be on ABC News. They will not have the mansion that they could have gotten, but they have done something that will have fed their souls. They have come to the job with passion, compassion, and the desire to make things better, and they are the ones who have determined that they want to put their fingerprints on the future of generations yet unborn. Then there are the others, like the TSA workers--you know the ones-- earning $28,000 a year and coming to work, by the way, during the shutdown when they couldn't even afford the gas to get there. What about them? So we can make example after example after example, but one thing is for sure, and that is that they are working hard and they deserve our utmost support. Now, if any message is going to be sent today, I pray, Mr. Chair, that that message goes to our Federal employees that we care about them and that they are not unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated, and unapplauded. No. I hope the message goes out that we are upholding them and we realize that it is just not about them. We realize, when they don't get their raise, their family doesn't get their raise. When they don't get their raise, maybe that little girl they wanted to send to ballet lessons can't get them. We get that. Or maybe that little vacation that they wanted to take, they can't get that. They are not trying to get to Disney World. They are just trying to get to the nearest amusement park with some tuna fish and crackers. Come on now. And that is what this is all about. We can talk about fences all we want. Right now, we are talking about the building of people and making their lives the best that they can be. We only have one life to live. This is no dress rehearsal, and this is that life. I applaud the gentleman from North Carolina. I know his heart is right, but right now, I want to concentrate on those folks, the ones like people who live on my block, who get up at 5 in the morning, catch the early bus to get to Social Security and places, and trying to serve the public. I am talking about them. Mr. Chair, I pray and I ask the Members to vote in favor of this great legislation. I thank Mr. Connolly, Mr. Hoyer, Ms. Wexton, and all of our cosponsors, and I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows). Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.