Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Right.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chair, is the gentleman ready to close? Is the gentleman ready to learn if a President has debts to Russia before he can count the money?

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

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Today, I had the opportunity to attend the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau celebration that was held at the United Nations. It was a stirring program with testimony from two survivors who told of the awful situation they had to survive, the loss of their parents, the atrocious conduct of the Nazis, and a systematic attempt to destroy the Jewish community. There were survivors, a lady and a man, and the lady said: ``Hitler did not win.'' She had her family with her, and she said that her family is a sign that Hitler did not win. And he did not win. But there is anti-Semitism in this world and in this country that is in greater numbers and greater volume and greater threats than any time since the Holocaust. We must stand up to it. Many of the speakers talked about the importance of education and, indeed, that is important. In 1984, I passed a Holocaust education program in the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, which exists to this day and is now a standing program. We need those programs in States, and we also need education in the classroom. The bill we passed today was important and good. But we need to do more than just talk about it. When the Klan raises its ugly head in Charlottesville, Virginia, and other places, we have to condemn the Ku Klux Klan whose whole basis is against African Americans and against Jews because of their race and because of their religion. Every person who is against anti-Semitism should be against racism, should be against all kinds of intolerance and discrimination because it starts with the Jews, but it never ends with the Jews. The Jews are, indeed, a canary--African Americans have been, too--of other problems in the society and the ugly head of racism and ethnic oppositions based on xenophobic conduct, so we have to be concerned. When the Klan speaks up, we can't say in any way at all that there are fine people among the Klan's people. Nor can we do that with other groups. And when David Duke speaks up, we have to realize that David Duke hates Blacks and hates Jews and needs to be condemned by all people on both sides. I want to read a quote that I saw on social media. I am not a big fan of social media. I use it to some extent, but much of it is hateful. But this is from a man who goes by the name of Julius Goat. I think his real name is A. R. Moxon: ``Historians have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews, but out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or greed. ``That word is `Nazi.' Nobody cares about their motives anymore.'' The motives which brought about the Nazi Party and the Holocaust need to be confronted in its nascent stages, and we need to do it when the Klan speaks, when David Duke speaks, and others. So I want to thank everybody who has participated in this Special Order and Mr. Weber for sponsoring it. It was an honor to be in New York with so many distinguished speakers, and an emotional program about the Holocaust. ``Never again.''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to give special recognition to the Bruce 3, the three first graders who integrated Bruce Elementary School in Memphis in 1961, and to the artist who so thoughtfully depicted that historic event in a mural on the school's cafeteria walls. Harry Williams, Dwania Kyles and Menelik Fombi were the courageous pioneers, part of the Memphis 13, who integrated the Memphis school system that year. Memphian Jamond Bullock's mural of the Bruce students was unveiled in a ceremony on January 17 at which I was proud to speak. I reminded the current students, teachers, Shelby County School Board officials, other alumni and school supporters that it was my friend, the late Civil Rights advocate and longtime judge Russell Sugarmon, who came up with the idea that it should be first graders integrating Memphis' public schools. This was unlike the practice at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, in 1957, where older students who were integrating the school incurred the taunts of angry mobs and federal troops were called in to keep the peace. Judge Sugarmon said that escorting the Malone twins, Sheila and Sharon, into Gordon Elementary School in 1961 was one of his proudest moments. The Bruce 3 endured the loneliness and ostracism of being the only African Americans in the otherwise all-white school, and did not even share the same classrooms. They were heroes and so were their courageous parents. Menelik Fombi's father, A.W. Willis Jr., was a leading Civil Rights advocate and Russell Sugarmon's law partner at the time. A.W. Willis Jr. and Russell Sugarmon were the first and second African Americans elected to the Tennessee General Assembly since Reconstruction. Dwania Kyles' father, the late Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, pastor of Monumental Baptist Church, was one of the last to speak with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in April 1968. Artist Jamond Bullock, founder of AlivePaint, is a nationally recognized mural designer and painter who has enlivened the walls of buildings in Memphis with uplifting imagery. His Bruce Elementary painting, which he completed over two and a half months during school holidays and off hours, was inspired by the courage of the three Bruce students, and he has said he is proud that current students will be reminded of their predecessors' courage and sacrifice. He has done our city a great service. I was pleased to speak with the Bruce students, young and old, and to celebrate this important chapter in Memphis and American history.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of my friend Kevin Andrew Gallagher, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I had the opportunity to attend a service ``celebrating the life and antics of Kevin Gallagher'' at the National Ornamental Metal Museum last Sunday at which my friend was honored by his many friends, relatives and colleagues. It was his opportunity to see, and for his children to see, how he will be remembered. Kevin, 48, a masterful public relations and government relations consultant, was my campaign manager and put together a great team for my election victory for Congress in 2006, one of the first elections in which we were able to get beyond race and gender. Kevin also worked on A C Wharton's first campaign for Shelby County Mayor and later served as his director of public affairs. He also worked on Jim Strickland's first run for the Memphis City Council. He was appointed to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth by Governor Don Sundquist and was involved in reforming the juvenile justice system. He served on the Center City Commission and on the boards of the Memphis Redbirds, the Riverfront Development Corporation and the National Ornamental Metal Museum. In fact, Kevin is a blacksmith and bladesmith who said that when he got tired of talking to people, ``I go beat on metal.'' The museum where the service was held has created a scholarship program in his name to support the development of emerging blacksmiths and metalsmiths. At the service, one friend recalled that he was ``fueled by a sense of humor,'' but never punched down; he targeted political authority and had a funny way of speaking truth to power. Another recalled the work he did to get the criminal records of past offenders expunged so they could find work and how he helped struggling artisans through addictions and hard times. Kevin also liked to cook and catered dinners for various groups. He had a food blog and recently published Always Have A Chicken: A Cookbook For My Kids with 75 family recipes. Kevin's wife, Stacy, and his three children, Clayton Stone, Molly Gallagher and Spencer Gallagher, attended Sunday's service to express their love and saw that love returned. Kevin has led a wonderful life and has made a difference in the lives of so many others. He will be forever remembered.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the ``Black January'' killings which is one of the most tragic events in Azerbaijan's history. On the night of January 20, 1990, approximately 26,000 Soviet troops stormed Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku in tanks and armored vehicles. That night, the Soviet military bulldozed innocent Azerbaijanis and opened fire indiscriminately on peaceful demonstrators, including women and children. As a result of these merciless acts 147 people were killed, around 800 were injured, 841 were arrested, and 5 went missing. The Human Rights Watch report ``Black January in Azerbaijan'' states that ``among the most heinous violations of human rights during the Baku incursion were the numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances, and even hospitals.'' The report concludes that the violence used by the Soviet Army constituted an exercise in collective punishment and that the punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers may have been intended as a warning to nationalists, not only in Azerbaijan, but in other Republics of the Soviet Union. I offer my thoughts and prayers to the families of those who gave their lives for the independence of Azerbaijan. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize independence and fully established diplomatic relations on February 28, 1992 and the relationship between our two countries endures to this day. The United States and Azerbaijan are strategic allies and share common interests in the region and globally. As the co-chairman of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, I urge my colleagues to recognize the sacrifices of the Azerbaijani people in their steps toward a free market economy and encourage a recommitment to the democratic values for which many Azerbaijanis sacrificed their lives.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Whitehaven High School math teacher Nathan Kirsch. He won the Milken Educator Award. This award is given to only 40 early- and mid-career teachers across the United States, and there was only one in Tennessee who won it. Mr. Kirsch was surprised with the award at a school assembly Wednesday morning, where the entire student body applauded him for being the only teacher in Tennessee to receive the national distinction, which some have called the Oscar award for teaching. It could be the Nobel Prize for teaching. In accepting the award, Mr. Kirsch called it one ``for all of my students,'' past, current, and future. The Whitehaven High School community is rightly proud of this accomplishment, and I am, too. It is very encouraging that a program known for being an athletic powerhouse is also recognized for its excellence in academics. The principal at Whitehaven, Vincent Hunter, posts the names of the scholars, the ones who have gotten the best scores and the most scholarship offers, on the wall outside of his office--not athletic awards, of which there are a plethora, but academic awards. Mr. Kirsch embodies both traditions that Whitehaven has--as a coach of teams and a great teacher who has raised their calculus scores. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mr. Kirsch and all the Whitehaven Tigers on this exceptional achievement.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the President's most recent reckless actions. The killing of General Soleimani was a provocation to war that made Americans less safe for years and maybe decades to come. The President has put his own ego over the strategic interests and safety of Americans. What he has accomplished with these actions is to make Soleimani a martyr for a generation of militant Middle Eastern foes that we have. It has united the Iranian people, not against their government, but against us.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of the President and Congress to keep us safe, and the Founding Fathers knew that the collective wisdom of the people's Representatives was better at doing that than one person. I just visited the SCIF and there is still not any report on any imminent danger claim that might have been made. The American people and Congress deserve to know what the threat allegedly was, given the inevitability of Iranian retaliation. The two greatest powers Congress has are impeachment and declarations of war. We are here today on both of those issues because of a reckless, lawless, and impetuous President.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Whitehaven High School math teacher Nathan Kirsch for winning the Milken Educator Award and its $25,000 honorarium. Mr. Kirsch was surprised with the award at a school assembly Wednesday morning where the entire student body applauded him for being the only teacher in Tennessee to receive the national distinction which some have called ``the Oscar Award for teaching.'' In accepting the award, Mr. Kirsch called it one ``for all of my students,'' past, current and future. The Whitehaven High School community is rightly proud of this accomplishment. It is very encouraging that a program known as a powerhouse in athletics is also being recognized for its excellence in academics. Mr. Kirsch embodies both traditions as the coach of the school's cross- country and track teams and for being credited for raising the school's AP Calculus scores. I also commend Whitehaven High School Principal Vincent Hunter for recognizing the importance of providing excellent educational opportunities across the board. The Milken Award is given to 40 early- and mid-career teachers across the country, often jump-starting careers while inspiring educators and their communities. I congratulate Mr. Kirsch and all the Whitehaven Tigers on this exceptional achievement.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a heartfelt tribute to Lisa Powers Cooper, wife of my good friend and former Tennessee State Senator Jerry Cooper, who died last Friday at her home in McMinnville. As chief of the Consumer Services Division of the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission since 2009, Lisa Cooper showed her dedication to public service. As a law student over seven years, she showed her perseverance, graduating from the Nashville School of Law in 2009 while working full time. But as the inseparable wife of Jerry, she showed the kind of love and support that inspired all of us who knew them. Their marriage was bigger than the sum of its parts and showed that two really can become one. As a valued friend, Lisa was always supportive of me when I served in the state Senate and since I have been in Congress. She often offered wise counsel over the phone, but also sent her love and prayers. A graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University, Lisa worked in government relations before going into state government, all while raising a family and doting on her grandchildren. I want to express my deep condolences to Jerry; Lisa's parents, Larry Powers, Sr. and Linda Pritchett; her daughter Holly and her husband Ward Bushart of Nashville; stepdaughters and their spouses Elisa and Barry Luna, Sally and Mike Pack and Faith and Chase McGee; her grandchildren; her extended family and her many, many dear friends and colleagues. She lived a good, virtuous and remarkable life and will be missed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, from our founding, the United States has been a special nation, a city upon a hill. Our values are enshrined in our Constitution: liberty, equality, and opportunity. We are a self- governing people where every person is equal before the law. In the United States, we don't have a king. We choose our leaders. We vote. Generations of Americans have fought, and some have died to secure these inalienable rights. The Constitution begins: ``We the People of the United States.'' That is us. It is not ``we the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, or China'' or ``we the Democrats'' or ``we the Republicans.'' It is: ``We the People of the United States.'' All Americans--and only Americans--get to have a say in our elections. Donald Trump used the high power of the Presidency to pressure a foreign nation to besmirch his perceived primary political opponent. He corrupted our elections and compromised our national security so that he could keep power--not power for the people, power for himself. In 2016, Candidate Trump called for foreign interference when he said: ``Russia, if you are listening. . . .'' In 2019, President Trump sought foreign interference when he needed a favor from Ukraine to intervene in the 2020 election. President Trump attacked and is a continuing threat to our system of free and fair elections. Like all of you, Mr. Speaker, I took an oath to support and to defend the Constitution. I urge my colleagues to abide by that oath and stand up to President Trump's abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I appeal to your patriotism and implore you to defend free and fair elections and preserve the Constitution. God save the United States of America.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I ask for unanimous consent so that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) can take over the remainder of the time, I would just like to comment. I have been in this Congress for 13 years now, and before these sections were added that the Republicans oppose, there was simply the Voting Rights Act with a new coverage formula, sponsored by Mr. Sensenbrenner, and it had but less than 10 Republicans on it. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), and I ask unanimous consent that he may control that time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge), who is an invaluable part of this work in the House Administration Committee and had a special committee to work on this. This is very close to her heart.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019. This critical civil rights bill, the result of strong leadership by my colleagues, Ms. Terri Sewell and Ms. Marcia Fudge, will restore the most important enforcement mechanism of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, its preclearance provision, by establishing a new coverage formula to determine which jurisdictions will be subject to preclearance. The Supreme Court, when it struck down the previous preclearance requirement in 2013, asked Congress to come back with a new preclearance requirement. That is what we are doing. This formula is self-updating because it requires a continuous, 25- year look back to determine whether, at any given moment, a jurisdiction has engaged in such pervasive discrimination so as to justify imposing a Federal preclearance requirement on any changes to voting laws that it may make. This formula reflects the substantial evidentiary record developed in numerous hearings before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, of which I am honored to serve as chair, and other committees of this House. In short, it reflects current conditions and demonstrates the current need for preclearance. It is, therefore, responsive to the Supreme Court's reasoning in Shelby County v. Holder that wrongfully, in my view, struck down the VRA's previous coverage formula. Maya Angelou told us: ``When somebody shows you who they are, believe them. . . .'' This is what the court does with the preclearance. When they show you that they are going to discriminate against people and try to make it harder for people to vote, believe them and make it more difficult and make them come on the front end and show what they are doing is right. We have heard from my colleagues some of the egregious examples of continuing and perverse voter suppression efforts by States and localities since Shelby County, particularly those that used to be subject to preclearance under the old formula. These include poll closures and relocations, changes in district boundaries, voter purges, and barriers to voter registration that target racial and language minority voters. I want to take this opportunity to respond to one of the main arguments my Republican colleagues have raised. We keep hearing from them that H.R. 4 would represent an unconstitutional Federal takeover of State and local elections. Born in the South, I can tell you that this argument is old wine in a new bottle. It is what previous generations called ``States' rights,'' a loaded term that was used by segregationists and, before them, by the defenders of slavery to justify a legal regime of white supremacy and racial ideology that said African Americans were, at best, second-class citizens and, at worst, less than human beings. From slavery, to Jim Crow, to what we have today: States' rights. The Civil War and the 14th and 15th Amendments that followed settled the question that the other side raises by fundamentally reordering the relationship between Congress and the States, making it clear that Congress not only had the power, but the duty, to intervene against States when they engaged in racial discrimination to deny racial minorities the right to vote. And States did it and did it and did it, and most of them were in the South, and most of them screamed, ``States' rights.'' Do not be fooled by the argument that H.R. 4 somehow exceeds our constitutional authority to address racial discrimination in voting. The other side will say that the Reconstruction Amendments prohibit only intentional discrimination and that, to the extent that H.R. 4 also addresses discriminatory effects of voter suppression tactics, we are not allowed to address those in this bill. The Supreme Court, in City of Rome v. U.S., made clear that our authority under the 15th Amendment allows us to do just that, and that is what we should do. H.R. 4 represents exactly what the Reconstruction Amendments contemplated: Congress intervening against States in the face of overwhelming evidence of continuing racial discrimination in voting. We must not shirk our constitutional duty. We must pass H.R. 4. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Joseph Alton Sweat, Jr., a journalist, longtime civil rights and good government advocate and a friend, who died Friday at the age of 83. I knew Joe as a lobbyist for and executive director of the Tennessee Municipal League, which he represented when I was in the state Senate. He was highly respected as a lobbyist and was always well-informed and he wrote a regular column on politics and legislation for the municipal league newspaper that members of the General Assembly always appreciated. Before that, he had been a respected reporter for The Associated Press, covering Elvis Presley's return to Memphis in uniform; the plane crash that killed country music star Patsy Cline in 1963; and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. Joe also created the news bureau at Vanderbilt University and edited The Vanderbilt Hustler and later was the first lay editor of The Catholic Register. As a representative of the Tennessee Municipal League, he twice served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities. Later, representing the National Democratic Institute, he was sent to Bulgaria and Ukraine as the former Soviet satellites transitioned to democracies. After retiring in 1998, Joe joined his good friend Hedy Weinberg in lobbying for the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and became a board member of both the Tennessee and national ACLU. Joe and I shared a love of Memphis State University and Memphis politics as well as a devotion to justice. I want to express my sincere condolences to his wife Marilyn; his sons Joseph, Stephen and Michael and daughter Cynthia and their extended families; and his many friends and colleagues. His was a life well-lived.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, we are in interesting times. I think it was Confucius who said to live in interesting times is a great opportunity. It is. Unfortunately, the rule of law and democracy are at stake. And as they are and as the Intel Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Oversight and Reform Committee have hearings--and later, there will be public hearings--we are seeing American heroes emerge. Today, an American hero, a lieutenant colonel who earned a Purple Heart, will be testifying. Colonel Vindman listened to the conversation between President Zelensky and President Trump, and he will testify as to what happened. It won't be a memorandum; it will be what really took place on that call and why it alarmed him so much. The administration doesn't want Colonel Vindman to testify, but he is testifying because he is a patriot, because it is his duty, and because he knows what is at stake. What is at stake is democracy. What is at stake is our Constitution. What is at stake is our Republic. We have had other people testify, the Ambassador who was removed 2 months early because she refused to go along with what was taking place, and Ms. Fiona Hill. These are heroes. These are patriots. Unfortunately, on some news networks that are mouthpieces for the administration, they have had their patriotism questioned, and they have been vilified. This is the beginning of despotism. When heroes who come forth with proud careers of service in the State Department or the military, without a blemish on their record, and without trying to benefit financially from anybody at all, except doing their job for the United States of America, are questioned because they come forth to testify as to information that threatens our Constitution, that shows abuse of power and an effort to not comply with our Constitution and carrying out congressionally-mandated spending to protect a country fighting Russian aggression in their own territory. These are not people like Manafort, and Flynn, and Carter Page, who wanted and got money from Ukrainians, and Turks, and Russians, and others to benefit themselves from countries that do not have our interests at heart. So, as we live through these interesting times, let us appreciate the heroes that are emerging, giving testimony, and putting their jobs and their future security and their reputations at risk because, unfortunately, rather than being hailed as the heroes that they truly are, they are being vilified; and that is dangerous, and it is concerning to me. Some of the people that vilify them praise people like Flynn and Manafort, who sold our country out for their own personal advancement and riches. America, beware, and honor those who stand up for you.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, when I was a freshman, in 2007, I was the only Member of the House who chose Judiciary as their first committee choice, at least the only Democrat. That gave me the opportunity to be on John Conyers' committee, him being my chairman for 10-plus years, and that was a blessing to me. He taught me much. I would consider him my mentor. He taught me about life; he taught me about Judiciary issues in the Congress. He taught me about life. John Conyers was a spirit. I sometimes thought of him kind of as like a hippie because he had these ethereal thoughts about the way people ought to be, and about caring about people, and about justice, and about civil rights that was unlike thoughts you would hear from most people. But he was ahead of the hippies. He was ahead of Bernie Sanders. He was ahead of so many people. And we talk here today, so many people, about him being--which is all true--the longest serving African American Member of Congress. But it was more than that. He was a voice for truth on this floor before people realized the truth was the truth. He was a voice for truth when people just thought it was an African American guy talking about African American issues. But it wasn't African American issues, it was human issues. It was the essence of America, about justice, and freedom, and opportunity, and right, and he espoused it at an early time, when a lot of people didn't get it. People get it now. Dr. King got a holiday. Dr. King was great, but people hated Dr. King for years. People didn't know about Rosa Parks, per se. He gave her a job, and he put her on a pedestal, which she deserved to be. I will tell you a story about John Conyers. When I was a freshman, and I have an African American district, and some people weren't so crazy about me being up here. John Conyers took me under his wing from day 1. I had a resolution to apologize for slavery and Jim Crow. I had that resolution because I had suggested it to Bill Clinton in 1997 and wrote him a letter when I was a State Senator and suggested he should sponsor such a thing and have a dialogue about race in America. I got a response from Bill Clinton, but it was gibberish and he didn't act upon it. But when I got elected to Congress and I was going through my letters as a State Senator in my office, I came across that letter; and I said to myself, I am a Congressman now and I can do something about it. I don't have to write Bill Clinton and get a meaningless response. So I introduced that resolution, heartfelt, and appropriate. Some people didn't want it to come to the floor. Some didn't want a White person to sponsor it. Some thought I was using it for politics to get re-elected. The fact is, my political consultant told me not to do it. He said: ``You've got this race won. Don't do it. It can only hurt you.'' I said: ``You don't get it. I'm doing this because it matters to me, to make it happen. It has mattered to me since 1997 when I was a State Senator.'' So one day, I had my cell phone, low on power; and I had a staffer bring from Longworth, where my office was, a charger, and I charged it up in the Judiciary Committee. I went back to Longworth and I couldn't find my cell phone. I had forgotten where I had left it. I realized I left it charging in the Judiciary Committee, so I went over there at the end of the day. That is the only time that ever happened to me. It was about a week or 10 days before my election in August, just to put it in perspective. I went there, and John Conyers was having a meeting with his staff on what to do the next week. We were in the midst of interviewing people on the Bush team, Alberto Gonzales, and some lady from Liberty University who had done some stuff that was questionable; and we were taking on the Bush Justice Department which had done some egregious things. I was a freshman, and pretty much in awe of John Conyers, and so I was in the back room and he was in his office and he said: ``Steve, come on in.'' Well, I was 10 feet high. I was going into a meeting with John Conyers of what was going to go on that next week. They were tossing about ideas about maybe bringing up an impeachment of George Bush and some other issues. And I decided to throw out kind of a Doug Flutie Hail Mary pass. I said: ``Well how about if we have an apology for Jim Crow and slavery?'' And without a blink, John Conyers said: ``That's a great idea. Put it on for next week.'' That is how it got scheduled. We came here, John Conyers managed the time. It passed on a voice vote. I regretted that because I wanted to have everybody vote on it, but John Conyers said, and properly so, take your victory when you can get it. We had a man on the other side, a Republican, who brought up some insane babble about some Christians being thrown off a boat in the Mediterranean by some Moroccans or something. What this had to with slavery and Jim Crow was beyond any of us, and I wanted to respond to it. Mr. Conyers said: ``Let him be. Let's just pass this and move on.'' And he was right. My proudest accomplishment as a freshman, and one of my proudest accomplishments in this Congress, was the passage of that resolution. It would not have happened but for John Conyers' sponsorship and support. So I thank him for being a mentor, and teaching me so much, and giving me that opportunity. He did love jazz. We talked about jazz all the time. He played jazz in his office. He had jazz musicians come up to any proceedings he had in Washington and had them perform. And I learned about different jazz people that I had previously not known about. He came to Memphis to support me in my first term as the first Congressperson to come there. He was honored with an April 4th Foundation award, which goes to great, courageous leaders in civil rights on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. He was given that award. He came to Memphis also just to support me. He was a proud Kappa, coming in his red coat. And all the Kappas were there with him, and the Kappas loved him. He was a Kappa, and they loved it. I thanked him for his service. I think about him almost every day up here. We used to sit here together on the floor. He would ride the escalators when he would leave the Judiciary Committee. Sometimes I ride the escalators now, and I think about John Conyers. It is not really the quickest way to go, but John Conyers did it, and I do it. So thank you, John Conyers, for teaching me so much, and for being a great leader, a man beyond his years in terms of his knowledge, and his spirit, and ahead of his time with his ideas of civil rights and justice and fairness for all people. God bless you.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 693) to amend title 36, United States Code, to require that the POW/MIA flag be displayed on all days that the flag of the United States is displayed on certain Federal property.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), who is the author.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline) said, this is a straightforward bill that rightly requires that the flag be flown effectively every day at certain locations at great significance to our country and to our Armed Forces and veterans. It is an appropriate way to honor all those who served, and particularly, those who have been held prisoners and who remain missing because of their service to our Nation in wartime. Therefore, I urge prompt passage of S. 693. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) for his work on the bill, and Senator Warren. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 693, the National POW/MIA Flag Act. This bill would effectively require that the National League of Families POW/MIA flag be flown every day at certain specified locations. Under current law, the flag must be displayed on six designated days: Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day. In addition, the flag must be flown at the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and post offices on every day the United States flag is displayed. Current law requires that the POW/MIA flag be displayed on these designated days at the Capitol; the White House; the World War II, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials; each national cemetery; the buildings containing offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Selective Service System; each major military installation; each Veterans Affairs medical center; and each post office. This bill simply strikes the provision designating days for display of the POW/MIA flag from current law and replaces it with the mandate that the POW/MIA flag be flown on all days on which the United States flag is displayed. Enacting this bill into law would be an appropriate tribute to all those who have served our Nation in uniform, and especially those who made the sacrifice of being held prisoner by our Nation's enemies in wartime and for those who remain missing as a result of hostile action. The POW/MIA flag not only reminds every American of these individuals' sacrifices, but also acts as a symbol of the Nation's commitment to achieve, as the statute says, ``the fullest possible accounting of Americans who, having been prisoners of war or missing in action, still remain unaccounted for.'' I will look at this flag in future years and think of Sam Johnson, a great Member of this House, and John McCain, a great American, an honest American, and a great leader. I applaud Senator Elizabeth Warren for introducing this bill which passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I also congratulate Representative Chris Pappas, who introduced an identical bill in the House and has worked tirelessly to shepherd this legislation through House passage. I thank him for his hard work and leadership on this meaningful measure that recognizes these heroes. Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to pass this bill and the President to sign it into law, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I was just walking back to my office and I saw on the video this memorial service, this celebration of life, and I wanted to come listen. It has been inspiring for me, so many appropriate remarks made about this great man. I feel privileged just to stand here at the podium where he spoke and next to his photograph just as I felt privileged to know him and become a friend, and where we spoke over here when he was in the wheelchair and in the Speaker's lobby before votes and during votes. When I was home this weekend, more people came up to me in Memphis, and people on social media, and expressed their condolences, their appreciation of his life and their knowledge that the Congress had lost a person who was irreplaceable. Elijah Cummings was one of the great people that I have had the opportunity to interact with in my life, in Congress, and in other places. Truly, a giant has fallen. He had grace. He had knowledge. He had judgment. He had character. It has been spoken, and I remember seeing him on television walking in Baltimore at some risk to himself, during the riots, to help bring calm to Baltimore, leadership where he put his community first and his safety second. He talked about: We are better than this. Well, we are better than this, and, hopefully, one day, we will be as good as him. He knew that we were only here for a minute and you should make that time worthwhile, and he made it worthwhile. Friday, a week ago, the last Friday that Elijah was in our caucus, we had a caucus conference call, and the discussion toward the end was about the Congress' issuance of subpoenas and the attempt to get them enforced through the courts. I believe Elijah was the last person to speak on the call, and when he spoke, it was like hearing the voice of God. He said that these cases will go through the courts, and they will be appealed, and they will eventually be appealed to the Supreme Court, and, at that point, our democracy will be in the balance. He was right, and those were his last words to the caucus. He cared about democracy. He cared about this Congress. He cared about the Constitution. And even when President Trump degraded his city, he was gracious in his response and never was in any way defensive or attacking the President. Elijah Cummings would stop you and give you a word of encouragement to keep going. He was one of the great people to serve in the Congress. I am just blessed to have my life interface with his. I will miss him greatly. I also extend my condolences to his family, and I hope I get the chance to serve along with his wife.