Joe Crowley

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a great New Yorker, Norman Lau Kee. Norman Lau Kee was one of the pioneers of the legal profession in New York's Chinatown. He was a grandson of Chinese immigrants, a successful academic, a World War II veteran and most significantly, was part of a very small vanguard of Asian lawyers who first provided legal representation for Chinatown residents beginning in the 1950s. However, these accomplishments only tell part of the story of the lifelong achievements of Norman Lau Kee. He was born 90 years ago in 1927 to Sing Kee and his wife Ina Chan-Kee in New York's Chinatown. His father was a decorated veteran of World War I who was awarded the United States' Distinguished Service Cross and France's Croix de Guerre medal of honor. Norman Lau Kee attended Brooklyn Tech High School, and then served in the Navy during World War II. He later received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While in Boston, he met and fell in love with Esther Goon. They were married shortly thereafter and raised a family of five children who gave their parents eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. During his early professional life, Mr. Kee gravitated to law. While working fulltime with an engineering firm, he attended Fordham Law School at night from which he received his J.D. degree in 1955. Mr. Kee was only Chinatown's third lawyer when he hung out his shingle to open his law practice in 1956. Chinatown's residents had many legal needs, and Mr. Kee developed a specialty in immigration law. He provided much-needed legal advice to families and their businesses, helping them navigate through a complex and foreign legal system. At the same time, Mr. Kee helped to bring many family members of Chinatown residents into the United States during a long period of great political and cultural upheaval in China. By bridging that gap, Mr. Kee fostered an enduring cultural connection. Mr. Kee also played an important role in government as demonstrated by his long and impressive record of distinguished public service. Among some of his many contributions, he served on the New York City Human Rights Commission from 1969 to 1973 and was chair of the Federal Advisory Committee of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1979 to 1980. Mr. Kee left his indelible mark not only in the local arena but also in the international domain. In 1979, Norman and Esther Kee created the Washington D.C.-based U.S.-Asia Institute, chartered to improve relations between the United States and Asian nations. He led many official delegations of the Institute to Asian countries. Further, he served as its chair for many years, and then as chair emeritus. In 1980, he was a member of the Madrid conference that convened to help implement the first Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In 1980, he organized a dinner for President Jimmy Carter at the Silver Palace restaurant in Chinatown. It was the first and only time a sitting president attended a function in the neighborhood. Mr. Kee's reputation and experience in U.S.-Sino relations were esteemed and appreciated by leaders in both Washington, D.C., and China. Despite his national and international endeavors, he never lost sight of his formative local roots and he remained active in community services. He helped found the Chinese-American Planning Council, became a board member of the highly-regarded Hamilton Madison House and helped found and served on the Board of Trustees of Confucius Plaza. Mr. Kee also served on the board of the YMCA of Greater New York. There, his efforts and financial support helped to establish the foundation of the YMCA in Chinatown, and he ensured that Chinatown was given its first swimming pool in its local Y. The YMCA ultimately conferred its highest honor on Mr. Kee, inducting him into the prestigious Order of the Red Triangle. In 2010, Mr. Kee and his son Glenn Lau-Kee were recipients of the Honorable George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award conferred by the New York State Bar Association's Federal Litigation Section. In further recognition of Mr. Kee's pioneering services as an early Chinatown lawyer that extended to a lifetime of commitment, the Asian American Bar Association of New York established the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award in his honor. Norman Lau Kee closed out his professional life at the age of 89 after 60 years of practicing law and becoming a local icon who also had a national and global reputation. Norman Lau Kee touched so many lives in a positive and beneficial way. He was a paragon of the American Dream and is more than deserving of the highest praise.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. We must provide the assistance that our territories need. We must fully fund Medicaid as the islands recover. We must eliminate disparities in the law that are holding back that recovery. We must stand up for not the people of the Virgin Islands, not the people of Puerto Rico, but the United States citizens who have fought in our wars, who have defended our freedoms, for the United States citizens of the Virgin Islands and the United States citizens of Puerto Rico. They deserve no less than how any other State is being treated after a disaster like this. They deserve no less. They deserve more than they are getting in this bill.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding me this time, and I thank her for her work. I thank Mr. Frelinghuysen, as well, for his work and my colleagues on the other side, but I have reservations, strong reservations about this bill. I appreciate the very real needs of those still recovering, our American citizens and friends and family in Florida and Texas, and that concern is genuine. I have always supported aid to other parts of the country, even when some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refused to help New York and left New York hanging after Superstorm Sandy. I have never let that get in the way of my wanting to be helpful to my fellow citizens anywhere in this country who are under duress. But I can't, in good conscience, vote for this bill. It leaves some of the hardest hit and most vulnerable Americans, American citizens, without the help that they need. It treats Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as second-class citizens--not second-class people, but second- class, literally, citizens--and will stall the efforts there to rebuild. I appreciate Mr. Culberson saying that the people of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are a long way from recovery. I am paraphrasing what he said. I do appreciate those words. I do hope that it is an insight for my Republican colleagues and the leadership on the other side of the aisle that more help will be on the way for the people of Puerto Rico, but simply not enough is being done in this bill to help the men and women of Puerto Rico and the children of Puerto Rico today. Our fellow citizens of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are no less American than those in any of the 50 States. I wonder if anyone would argue that point as to whether they are citizens of the United States or not. I would argue they are no less citizens of the United States than any other individuals in the rest of the 50 States, and they should be treated the same and with the same respect. The people of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands suffered direct hits not from one, but from two massive hurricanes, the likes of which we have never seen before, not in our modern history. Maybe you have to go back to Alexander Hamilton and the hurricane that he wrote about back in the 1700s that rocketed him to stardom. Here we are 3 months later. Millions--not hundreds, not thousands, but millions--of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands are without power. Far too many still, because they are without power, lack clean drinking water. Thousands are unable to receive adequate healthcare, and earlier this week, the Governor of Puerto Rico ordered a recount of the storm's death toll, which could number, now, into the thousands. If that is not a sign of how neglectful the response has been to this disaster, then I don't know what would be.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, Republicans have moved on from doing nothing to help middle-class America, to actively undoing everything America's middle class relies on. First, they cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy, instead of lifting up the middle class. And they did it twice. Now they're kicking the can down the road while millions of Americans suffer through the holidays. They've left millions of kids in the lurch for months by letting the Children's Health Insurance Program expire instead of protecting sick children in need of care. They have woefully underfunded recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Florida and Texas instead of guaranteeing clean water and electricity to our fellow Americans. And the icing on the cake: Republicans would leave 800,000 DREAMers-- Americans in every way but on paper--wondering whether their Christmas gift will be deportation papers. I cannot support Republicans' heartlessness. I cannot support Republicans' recklessness. I cannot support this bill without a fix for DREAMers.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, a revote--a revote--within less than 24 hours of original passage. This proves that this bill is rotten to its core. But here is what the Republicans aren't going to fix: They didn't fix the fact that this bill won't provide economic security to hardworking families. They didn't fix the fact that this bill will subsidize mansions for the wealthy, not renters or first-time home buyers. They didn't fix the fact that it won't help families save for education or their retirement. They didn't fix the fact that it will saddle our grandchildren with $2 trillion of debt. Mr. Speaker, this bill is not an investment in hardworking men and women or Americans. In fact, it rips healthcare from 13 million Americans. It is an investment in the GOP's base--corporate special interests--the wealthiest among the wealthiest, and the entire Trump empire. This bill is a political calculation they think will get them a win on election day. But be warned: Americans are fed up and fired up. They know their cronies are laughing all the way to the bank. But the American people are organizing all the way to November.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, the Republican bill is unaffordable, with a $2.3 trillion price tag. It is inequitable, costing working families more, while cutting taxes by $200,000 for the top 0.1 percent. It is a scam, and the American people know it. Is this bill about helping people who are living paycheck to paycheck? Hell no. Is this bill going to bring back jobs and lift up the middle class? Hell no. Is this bill going to make life better for cops, firefighters, nurses, truck drivers, students, veterans, teachers, and shift workers? Hell no. Do you know who this bill is going to help? Corporate special interests, the wealthiest Americans, and, yes, the Trump family. My colleagues, if it looks like a scam, quacks like a scam, it is a scam. Can you vote for this bill with a clear conscience? Hell no, you can't.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I must have missed something in my religious training. Were there 11 Commandments by God? I know about the first 10, but I missed that 11th one that thou shall have the ability to bear arms. I missed that one, that God-given right. Was it a God-given right for someone to take that God-given right and execute 58 people at a concert? Was that a God-given right? Mr. Speaker, the American people have spoken with nearly a unanimous voice. They want Congress to keep their families safe by passing commonsense gun safety legislation, legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals; protections that will keep those who want to cause terror in our churches, in our schools, at concerts, and in our communities from getting those firearms. The bill before us does the exact opposite. It would force States like New York to weaken their own gun safety laws and allow concealed carry. It puts families like yours and mine at risk. And for what? To appease the NRA? That is shameful. In the 66 days since the Las Vegas massacre, Congress has done nothing, absolutely nothing, to address the clear loopholes in our laws that allowed one man to kill and injure so many. It has been 66 days since numerous Republicans denounced the bump stocks and promised a fix, only to turn around and do this bill. At a time when we have seen one horrific mass shooting after another, Republicans are forcing through a bill that will put each and every American in harm's way. What is more, this egregious proposal comes days before the fifth anniversary of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook. This will put us in further danger of another Las Vegas, another Orlando, and another Sandy Hook. The American people are sick and tired of this. They want this Congress to protect them, not enable criminals.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from New York for yielding me this time. I thank the chair, as well, for his work on this effort. I thank my friend and colleague from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) for his work on putting this resolution together. I know Mr. Levin, Ms. McCollum, and others, have also expressed a tremendous interest in this issue, and I am very pleased and happy about that. In late August, after attacks on outposts, Burma's military and security forces launched a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya in Burma. The response has been grossly disproportionate. The attacks by the military against the Rohingya civilians have been systematic, organized, and ruthless. Amnesty International says: The Myanmar military has killed hundreds of Rohingya women, men, and children, including babies; raped women and girls; and carried out targeted burning of entire villages. And that is just what we know of. The authorities have terrorized the Rohingya people so cruelly that more than 600,000 Rohingya people have fled Burma to neighboring Bangladesh. Even before the attacks, the Rohingya were often effectively denied access to proper healthcare and education, as the chairman has indicated, many just barely getting by. But the most disturbing thing of all, at least so far, there is no light at the end of this tunnel. Still today, Burma's authorities are blocking adequate humanitarian aid to many who need it, denying critical food aid to many men, women, and children. As a result, those Rohingya who do remain in Burma are getting hungrier, they are getting weaker, and they are becoming even more vulnerable. But instead of trying to resolve the issue, many authorities are denying that this has happened at all. So, Mr. Speaker, I have had enough. I think we have all had enough. The United States certainly cannot solve every problem in the world, but there are some things that we can and that we must do. Imposing sanctions against the perpetrators of atrocities in Burma is one of the things that we must do. Doing so will send an important signal that we are watching and we are not standing by idly. It will signal that we want to see the recommendations of former Secretary General Kofi Annan carried out. It will signal that there is a cost to pay for carrying out atrocities. It will signal that the world won't simply turn away.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recently released an important report on the Rohingya, called, ``They Tried to Kill Us All.'' The title should say it all, ``They Tried to Kill Us All.'' What clearer message do we need before we act? The time for action is now. I also want to thank the Government of Bangladesh for the humanitarian relief to the Rohingya people that they have offered. I want to call on our friend, Aung San Suu Kyi, to do everything that she can to protect the Rohingya from further ethnic cleansing and genocide. I want to thank Pope Francis for his courage in speaking out and using the term ``Rohingya.'' I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure. I thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee for giving this issue the attention that it needs and deserves.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out to my colleague and friend from Texas that the specifics he is talking about are temporary as they are applied to personal income tax, but they are permanent for corporations. All of your tax cuts are permanent for the corporate world, but not for individuals. He talks about a family of four. Take it for $1,100 a year, divide it by four, it is $250. They are going to borrow $1.5 trillion. Divide it by 300 million, and that is $5,000 per American. Do the math. They are spending the future of our country to give the biggest tax cut to corporations and the wealthiest--$4 billion alone to the Trump family. You do this on the backs by double taxation in places like Pennsylvania, New York, California, and New Jersey, where you are double taxing through the SALT provision, State and local taxes. This is going to have an incredible impact on the lives of your constituents. How anyone with a conscience on the Republican side of the aisle could support this bill in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and all the other tax States in this country is unconscionable.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding me this time. This bill before us today, H.R. 1699, as I understand it, would eliminate the safeguards for manufactured homes that were put in place to protect consumers through the Dodd-Frank legislation, which included the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The American people are looking at us and asking: What is Congress doing? After everything went down after the 2008 crash, we saw how irresponsible folks on Wall Street were, many within the banking industry, the nonbank banks, and what they were doing. And the answer here is to take away even further protection for the American consumer. The attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an attack on everything America stands for. More than 12 billion in ill-gotten gains have been returned to the American taxpayer through the CFPB. The CFPB stands up for them when others have let them down. So, naturally, from its inception, the Republicans have done everything they possibly could to knee-cap this important agency. Now a Republican White House is attempting to destroy it from the inside out. The Great Recession brought millions of Americans a foreclosure notice and a pink slip, through no fault of their own. They were victims of a financial system that didn't look out for consumers. There weren't enough referees on the playing field, but they did look out for big banks.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I am grateful to all the women who have come forward with their own story of sexual harassment and to my own colleagues in Congress who have shared their own very, very personal stories. Thanks to their courage and strength, it has become clear how pervasive this problem truly is across our Nation. That must stop. Today starts the beginning of much-needed change. Sexual harassment and assault comes in many forms, but none of it has a place here in Congress or in any other work environment, period. Stop. That is especially true here in the Halls of Congress. We must not set the gold standard. We must set the platinum standard. We must be that beacon on the hill. That is why we must pass this resolution. This is an important first step in our national conversation to change our culture of harassment, but this is not and cannot be the last stop. We must reform the entire reporting system here in Congress. We must make sure victims are heard and are cared for. We must shine light on the settlement process. Then we must work to ensure that, from Congress to Hollywood, to media and to every kitchen table across our great Nation, men and women know that when they go to work, they will be treated with respect, especially here in the Halls of Congress. It will take time and commitment to make that meaningful change, and I stand ready to help fulfill that commitment with this important, yet vital, first step.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I have to give it to Speaker Ryan and to President Trump and all of my Republican colleagues. I have to give them their due. They announced earlier this year they would cut taxes for corporate special interests, and today they are following through on that promise. The problem is, in order to do it, they are raising taxes on middle class families. Don't take my word for it. Listen to them. The Republicans started this process by saying that every American, everyone in America, will get a tax cut. Now they are saying, on average, people will get a tax cut, and even that is incorrect. It is time to be honest with the American people. What we have before us today isn't a bill, it is a scam--a scam that will hurt homeowners in Irvine, California, in Mrs. Walters' district; a scam that will hurt seniors in Lancaster, New York, in Congressman Chris Collins' district; a scam that will hurt students in Toms River, New Jersey, in Tom MacArthur's district; a scam that will hurt veterans in Barrington, Illinois, in Pete Roskam's district; and a scam that will absolutely hurt the middle class in every congressional district in our country, 36 million people to be exact. In my district, a quarter of all homeowners will lose the ability to deduct their taxes, but corporate special interests, they can still deduct their taxes under the GOP plan. Mr. Speaker, 20,000 students in Queens and the Bronx, in my district, will lose one of the most effective ways to pay down their student loan debt. That is right. Republicans are eliminating the ability to deduct the interest on student loan payments. This scam eliminates the assistance for small businesses to hire veterans here at home, but it continues the tax breaks to ship American jobs overseas. Yes, you heard that correctly. Republicans and President Trump are doling out tax breaks for companies to move overseas but will take away benefits to hire American veterans right here at home. These aren't the values of my constituents, but, apparently, they are the values of Speaker Ryan, President Trump, and the entire congressional Republican caucus. So how did we end up here? It is because when the Republicans sat down to write this bill, they didn't have the average American in mind. They had their wealthy donors and corporate friends in mind. Republicans started tax reform with this question: How do we get the corporate rate down? Democrats would have started with the question: How do we raise up the middle class? Republicans wrote a bill, a tax scam, that benefits people who own second and third homes, but they left behind average American homeowners. They left behind teachers, who use their own money to buy school supplies. They left average Americans behind, because they never had you in mind to begin with.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of hardworking Americans throughout this country, I say, vote ``no'' on H.R. 1, vote ``no'' on H.R. 1 percent.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the words of my young constituent, Anastasia Tsakonas. Her thanks and words of praise for our brave men and women in service ring loud and true. Veterans Day is courage, sacrifice, and patriotism all rolled up into the uniform that an individual wore when they decided to protect this wonderful country. Veterans Day is our reminder that we need to honor and celebrate all the men and women who have served or are currently serving in our military. Veterans are volunteers who offer their lives to protect and die for this country. It takes a lot of courage and strength to enter the military and purposely leave behind everything you love. Many Veterans leave behind their homes, families, and careers knowing that it will be a long time before they see them again. Unfortunately, with this type of sacrifice, many Veterans also know that they may never return to see any of them again. Through a Veteran's selfless sacrifice, we as citizens receive freedom, a freedom that many people in this world would like to have but are not allowed. This freedom lets us enjoy peace, prosperity, the right of speech and religion, the right to education and most important-opportunity; all values and beliefs that this country was originally founded and built on and which continue to exist to this day because of our Veterans. Let us take time to reflect on these men and women who receive nothing in return for protecting our country and be grateful to them that we still have our values and beliefs intact. President Coolidge said: ``The nation which forgets it defenders will itself be forgotten.'' Thank you Veterans, without you, I could not be me!

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to delay the cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments that went into effect on October 1, and to protect our nation's safety net hospitals from financial ruin. Medicaid DSH hospitals serve a high proportion of Medicaid recipients as well as underinsured or completely uninsured Americans. These hospitals bear the risk of caring for the most vulnerable members of our districts because they recognize the inextricable value of healthy communities: when we are healthy together, we thrive together. It is our duty to return the favor to the hospitals that ensure our communities have a secure health care safety net. If Congress does not act soon to delay Medicaid DSH cuts, safety net hospitals across the country will face a twenty percent cut in federal funding. In my home district in Queens and the Bronx, Medicaid DSH hospitals stand to lose over $409 million over the next ten years. I cannot stand by as Congress throws our safety net hospitals into an economic upheaval. However, I also cannot stand by as Congress brings forth a proposal-- the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act (H.R. 3922)--to pay for a delay of Medicaid DSH cuts for two years by imposing steeper cuts on those same hospitals in future years, among other flaws. This legislation is an example of how this Republican-led Congress has championed partisan gridlock that threatens the vitality of our safety net hospitals. Within a package to delay Medicaid DSH cuts and extend federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and community health centers, Republicans proposed several problematic offsets that would ultimately set our health care system back. For example, certain changes to Medicaid would inhibit access to pediatric providers, and cuts to the ACA's Prevention and Public Health Fund would undermine the value of preventive services delivered at community health centers. Furthermore, the package would lead to higher premiums for certain seniors receiving Medicare benefits and shorter grace periods for individuals who receive their health coverage through the individual market. In other words, this package would slash benefits and protections for one group of beneficiaries to extend services for another. Democrats will not stand for any packages that would rob Peter to pay Paul. I cannot in good conscience vote for a package that starts a food fight amongst different groups of beneficiaries. And I cannot in good conscience vote for a bill that would be so irresponsible to the long- term financial viability of the hospitals that are a flagship for the most vulnerable constituents in my district. I urge my Republican colleagues to drop this partisan exercise and work with us on a compromise to extend these long-standing, successful, bipartisan federal health programs. The job of our nation's safety net hospitals is much too important to bear the brunt of needless political games.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to address the imminent financial crisis that is facing our nation's community health centers. Last week, when I was back home in my district, I had the opportunity to visit the Institute for Family Health Center for Counseling in the Bronx. This is just one of New York's 29 Federally Qualified Health Centers operated by the Institute for Family Health, which is committed to improving access to high-quality, patient-centered primary health care targeted to the needs of medically underserved communities. The Center for Counseling highlights the importance of integrated behavioral health as part of the primary care continuum for all Americans, regardless of where they live. My visit was a reminder of the important role community health centers play in our nation's health care system. They are driven by a commitment to reduce health disparities and assure every American has access to high-quality health care. Congress must not stand in the way of this vital role. However, this Republican-led Congress has championed partisan gridlock that threatens the vitality of our community and teaching health centers. As of today, we have watched 24 days go by since federal funding for the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Community Health Center Fund expired at the end of September. These federal health programs have steadfast bipartisan support, yet the majority's partisan approach is holding up the essential federal funding these centers rely on. Within a package to extend federal funding for community and teaching health centers as well as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Republicans proposed several problematic offsets that would ultimately set our health care system back. For example, certain changes to Medicaid would inhibit access to pediatric providers, and cuts to the ACA's Public Health and Prevention Fund would undermine the value of preventive services delivered at community health centers. Furthermore, the package would lead to higher premiums for certain seniors receiving Medicare benefits and shorter grace periods for individuals who receive their health coverage through the individual market. In other words, this package would slash benefits and protections for one group of beneficiaries to extend services for another. Democrats will not stand for any packages that would rob Peter to pay Paul. I urge my Republican colleagues to drop this partisan exercise and work with us on a compromise to extend these long-standing, successful, bipartisan federal health programs. The job of our nation's 10,400 community health centers is much too important to bear the brunt of needless political games.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on October 2 and 3, I was absent for recorded votes No. 544 through 547. Had I been present, on Roll Call No. 544 I would have voted YES; on Roll Call No. 545 I would have voted YES; on Roll Call No. 546 I would have voted NO; and on Roll Call No. 547 I would have voted NO.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman, my friend and colleague from Kentucky, for yielding. Mr. Chairman, the Republican budget proposal is just cruel. It isn't just cruel; it will set our country backwards. It is worse than cruel. It puts more than $5 trillion in cuts on the backs of working and middle class Americans. At the same time, it doles out billions of dollars in tax breaks to wealthy individuals, while leaving everyday Americans emptyhanded. Are you a senior who relies on Medicare or Medicaid for important healthcare needs? Too bad, says the Republican budget. Your care will simply be cut. Are you a student looking to get a good education and launch your career? Tough luck, says the Republican budget. Pell grants are on the chopping block, if Republicans have their way. Are you struggling to recover after a natural disaster? Forget about it, says the Republican budget. Grants from FEMA and other programs that help rebuild our Nation will be eliminated. The facts are clear: this Republican budget does nothing to invest in America, the American people, or our future. It cuts funds for our crumbling infrastructure, rather than rebuilding our schools and roads and putting millions back to work. It slashes investment in green energy technology, rather than preparing a new generation of Americans to lead us into the economy of tomorrow. Worst of all, it ramps up funding for endless wars overseas while gutting programs that help the brave veterans who served their country so well. Eighty years ago, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke of a national nightmare when he saw a third of our Nation ``ill-housed, ill- clad, and ill-nourished.'' When you look at this budget, it is not hard to see why FDR's words haunt us to this day, because this budget would take us back to that terrible time when dreams were dashed, futures were uncertain, and hope was all but lost, put back to a time when people were hurting. That is not the America I want. That is not the America our constituents deserve. They deserve a better deal for all Americans.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Chairman, Democrats believe that our constituents deserve a better deal, a better deal for all Americans, a plan to bring better jobs, better wages, and a better future to everyone, and a vision to give every American the opportunity to prosper and to succeed. That is the kind of America we should be working towards. That is the better idea that America should be working towards. That is why I will vote ``no'' on this terrible plan.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on September 12, I was absent for recorded vote No. 485. I would have voted yes if I had been present.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I look at the pictures of Houston, Galveston, and parts of Texas, and Louisiana, and elsewhere, and I harken back to the same images I saw in New Jersey, New York, throughout New England, and other parts of the Northeast after Sandy. I want to also note that the NYPD and the FDNY were amongst the first responders to head down to Texas to help our fellow Americans at a time of crisis and need. I also would like to point out that I have no clue where the town is that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) mentioned, and I may never ever go there. I may never go to that town, but I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, I don't need to go to that town to help those people. They are Americans, and I will help them at any opportunity I get when they have a storm like this that hits them. I don't ask questions. I never asked you if you knew where Edgewater in the Bronx was. I was prepared to vote immediately to help my constituents on Sandy. I wasn't going to have to wait until next week or 30 days from now, or 60 days from now, or 90 days from now. And I think it is important we have to point out the hypocrisy. We are not going to stop this funding from going through. We need to point out that 20 members of the Republican caucus, some from Texas, all but one, Mr. Culberson, voted against Sandy relief. It must be understood that we are all Americans, and I will stand to help every American who needs help.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time, and I want to thank, as well, the cosponsor--actually, the lead sponsor--Mr. Roskam, for his work here today. Today is a good day for the American taxpayers as, hopefully, the House of Representatives will soon, once again, pass the Clyde-Hirsch- Sowers RESPECT Act to enact vital reforms to the Federal Government's civil asset forfeiture process. Civil asset forfeiture is an important tool that the IRS and other Federal agencies use to go after ill-gotten funds from drug dealers, human traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals. This bill will not weaken that vital law enforcement tool one iota, and that is an important point to make. But this legislation will codify into law much-needed reforms to the process to stop what we believe is an abuse of the asset seizures practiced, abusive seizures such as the government's ability to take a person's bank account without ever charging them with a crime. The Oversight Subcommittee on the Ways and Means Committee, under the guidance of Chairman Peter Roskam, undertook a painstaking, multiyear investigation to get to the bottom of these abusive practices. This investigation included holding a series of congressional hearings--that doesn't always happen anymore around here, Peter, as you know--meeting with officials from a number of Federal agencies, including the IRS. I want to thank Commissioner Koskinen for his input and frankness as well, as the ranking member has just indicated. The subcommittee continued keeping pressure on the IRS and the Justice Department to proactively reach out and return any assets seized from people who were never, ever charged with a crime. These actions culminated in this bipartisan legislation that passed the Ways and Means Committee unanimously. This bill, the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act, aims to take what we have learned and fix the system to better protect all law-abiding citizens. Specifically, it prohibits the IRS from taking any asset related to structuring unless the funds are from an illegal source or the funds were structured to conceal other criminal activity. Additionally, to provide due process to affected taxpayers, the bill requires the IRS to notify an account holder of a seizure within 30 days--fairly reasonable. Once an account is seized, the bill allows the person whose assets were seized to seek a hearing within 30 days. Now, we know that those engaged in illegal activity and illegal actions will usually not contest the seizure. But for those who committed no crime, this bill simply levels the playing field for them. My colleague, Mr. Roskam, and I will continue to keep the pressure on the Federal Government to quickly return the assets of those innocent taxpayers--those who are not charged with any crimes but whose bank accounts and other items are still being held by their own government. But passage of this bill isn't the last part of the fight on wrongful asset forfeiture. This bill is expected to pass this House unanimously, as it did last year, because we all recognize and believe in the basic American judicial premise of innocent until proven guilty. However, I am concerned by the Trump administration's statements and those of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in particular, that the government intends to increase these asset seizures without any intention of charging affected Americans with crimes. Let me be clear: I support civil asset seizures when the government can make the case that the money was derived from illicit activity. As I said before, nothing in this bill hinders the ability of the government to do just that. But we must fight any effort by the Trump administration to expand wrongful civil asset forfeiture and continue to take innocent people's own money without charging them with a crime. Finally, as I close, I want to remind my colleagues of the importance of a larger discussion on much-needed criminal justice reform and an issue I hope this Congress can begin to tackle this year. Just like the Clyde family, the Hirsch family, and the Sowers family who we named this bill after, far too many American families have seen the U.S. justice system unfairly work against them rather than for them. We need to address that issue of criminal justice reform in the same bipartisan way that Chairman Roskam and the entire Ways and Means Committee dealt with this particular issue. With that, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to passage of this bill. I thank Mr. Roskam, again, for the sponsorship of this legislation working together in a very bipartisan way to get this bill out of committee to the floor and pass the House.