Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Second District of Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Frost).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. McClellan).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), our chairman.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing us to address the floor this evening, and thank you to the Congressional Progressive Caucus for holding this Special Order hour. I rise today on behalf of the millions of Americans whose student loan debt balances are at risk of escalating due to the rightwing reactionary judiciary. Hundreds of borrowers from across the country gathered in front of the Supreme Court on February 28 to express their discontentment. West Palm Beach resident Kayla shared: I think President Biden's loan forgiveness plan is a good thing for college students who don't have funds to pay for college. Indeed, this is a good thing. One important aspect of the debt relief program is that it addresses the unequal burden that student debt has placed on borrowers of color. Mr. Speaker, 40.2 percent of White undergraduate students use student loan debt to pay for their school, while 50 percent of Black students use student loan debt. In addition, approximately 72 percent of Latinx students take on debt. By providing up to $20,000 in debt relief to borrowers that received a Pell Grant, President Biden's plan would allow one in four Black borrowers to see their debt fully eliminated, and nearly half of all Latinx borrowers to be entirely debt free. This is so important because Black and Brown college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than their White counterparts. Furthermore, Black bachelor's degree holders have an average of $52,000 in student loan debt. Over 50 percent of Black student borrowers report that their net worth is less than they owe in student loan debt. The disparity between the amount owed by Black and White borrowers quadruples 12 years after graduation. Four years after earning their degrees, 48 percent of Black students owe an average of 12.5 percent more than what they borrowed. After that same time period, 83 percent of White students owe 12 percent less than what they borrowed. In addition, women hold nearly two-thirds of outstanding debt in this country. Black women carry the highest student loan debt burden of any race or ethnicity. We must address the unequal burden that student loan debt has had on borrowers of color. I ask the majority of the Supreme Court to turn against the right-wing, reactionary agenda and to deliver for the 40 million people in June. We rely on our education systems. Education and higher education is one of the pivotal equitable points that we have in this country. We must protect it for everyone. The destiny of our country is dependent on everyone being able to matriculate through school, pursue their education, and give back to this country that we love so much. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for holding this Special Order hour. To the Congressional Progressive Black Caucus, and the anchor, the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee), it is an honor to be here this evening to speak on behalf of the student loan borrowers. But it is also a special honor to be here tonight with my Howard University alumna.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. 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 the subject of today's Special Order, which is voting rights.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor the CBC Special Order hour along with my distinguished co-lead, Representative Jackson. For the next 60 minutes, members of the CBC will have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on voting rights, an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, constituents we represent, and all Americans. In 2018, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4, with more than 64 percent of the voters. This historic constitutional amendment automatically restored voting rights to most Floridians with past convictions who had completed the terms of their sentence. Before this vote, Florida was one of only four States that enacted permanent felony disenfranchisement, which affected about 1.7 million felons. However, in June 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a misguided law that prohibited returning citizens from voting unless they pay off certain legal financial obligations imposed by a court pursuant to a felony conviction. This abhorrent, undemocratic law has created a pay-to-vote system in the State of Florida and overwhelmingly targets Black and Brown communities. Florida has no centralized system to tell what a person might owe, so it is often impossible for people with past convictions and election officials to know who is eligible to vote. Last year, the DeSantis administration started prosecuting people with past convictions for making honest mistakes about their eligibility, intimidating potential voters, and further undermining the rights that Amendment 4 gave to millions of Floridians. Many of the people arrested were told by local election officials that they were eligible to vote. Due to the confusing law that Tallahassee Republicans put into law, these officials mistakenly misled these individuals by telling them that they were eligible to vote. Armed with the new election police unit, the DeSantis administration arrested 20 people who were among the 11 million Floridians who voted in the 2020 election. The Republicans in Tallahassee and Washington are using fear and misinformation to disenfranchise millions of voters because they know their policies are not popular. It is time that Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature honor the will of our constituents and implement Amendment 4 as it is written. It is now my privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Horsford for spearheading our Special Order today. I now have the privilege of yielding to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), my co-anchor.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey, the Honorable Donald Payne, Jr.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank so much Representative Troy Carter for his words. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Emilia Sykes. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lee for her words. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson).

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Jackson for his remarks. I ask, Mr. Speaker, that we secure voting rights for all Americans. We must honor the legacy of civil rights advocates like John Lewis and those who came before by standing strong in the face of adversity. Every American deserves to be able to vote freely without the fear of reprisal. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and say a special thank you to the Congressional Black Caucus, Chairman Horsford, and also my colleagues for having this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, my heart is broken for the family of Tyre Nichols, another Black man who lost his life to senseless police overreach and violence. The horrifying footage of his untimely death displays why the United States must pass comprehensive police reform and public safety legislation. Tyre Nichols' murder occurred in Memphis, the city where Dr. King lost his life fighting for a dream that we still are reaching for today. Our country must reckon with the longstanding and fraught legacy of racism and violence against Black people. Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and so many more Black men, women, and children should be alive today. Their deaths were preventable. Black Americans constantly find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of grief. Mr. Speaker, 3 decades after the heinous beating of Rodney King, Black communities continue to bear the deadly consequence of a culture of policing that allows law enforcement officials to dehumanize, debase, and victimize individuals without consequences. As a mother of two Black children, it is heartbreaking to shoulder your kids with the responsibility of a double-consciousness of how you as a parent see them, but also as the whole world sees them. Our Black children go from being viewed as innocent to future convicts in the eyes of society and in the eyes of those who are charged with the responsibility of protecting them. It is terrifying to not know if your child will return home after they step out that door. Mothers and fathers planning their children's funerals cannot become a standard in our great Nation. It is simply unacceptable. In the 117th Congress, House Democrats introduced a George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House but failed in the Senate, ultimately failing all Black families. In a humanitarian call for action, I urge the House to pass public safety legislation. Mr. Speaker, I end by saying their names: Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and so many more Black women, men, and children would be alive today.

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the Biden administration to close the disposable e-cigarette loophole. I commend this administration's work to curtail youth e-cigarette use. Youth usage of cigarettes and vaping is at a historic low, but the FDA's guidance issued by the previous administration in January 2020 that prohibits flavored e-cigarettes does not apply to any of the disposable e-cigarette products currently on the market. It is important to note that nondisposable products with cartridge inserts are already banned by the FDA, but the loophole on disposable e-cigarettes has allowed a surge in youth usage, according to the Centers for Disease Control 2022 National Youth Tobacco Study. The study shows that usage is up by 2,000 percent since 2019. It is a dangerous oversight that can easily be fixed by closing the Trump-era loophole. Disposable e-cigarettes are single use. They are not meant to be refilled or recharged. Right now, in smoke shops and corner stores around the country, you might see dozens of disposable e-cigarette products in flavors like iced apple mango, strawberry, pineapple, and even lemonade. These products are sleek, affordable, pocket-sized, and highly accessible to our youth. The President can take immediate action by closing this Trump-era loophole. The future and safety of American youth depends on this. Rejecting African-American History is Wrong