Chaka Fattah

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the Lone Star State. He is a good friend, and I know that we have had an occasion to work together on water systems in Texas in my role as a member of the Appropriations Committee. We were able to work successfully on aiding communities that needed access to clean, safe water. We had a hearing yesterday on the Hill on Flint in which we heard from the mayor and a host of other people. It is a circumstance in which, I think, we should have the utmost urgency and that the Army Corps should move aggressively. I would even hope that the President would take action, if necessary, to nationalize the Guard to make sure that people in Flint get water. I am rising today in honor of the birth of the NAACP. This is the most loved, most hated, the largest, the oldest, the boldest civil rights organization ever created. It has been at the forefront of efforts to have our Nation become the more perfect Union that the Founders had envisioned. At every point, it has agitated, both in the streets and in the suites, to make changes. Here on the Hill, there is not an organization that has more consistently let their voice be heard on a whole range of issues. So I rise to thank those who have been a part thereof and who will continue to be. The local NAACP in Philadelphia had an antiviolence march all the way across a major thoroughfare in our city, 52nd Street. It was great to see an organization that obviously has a lot of sophistication, but it also has the touch at the neighborhood level to reach out to people and to have people understand that individual responsibility to make communities safer is as important as public policy initiatives that might be generated in halls of the legislature like here. So I want to thank the NAACP for all it has done. We hosted the National Convention in Philadelphia. I had a chance to open up the convention and to fly in with the President when he came to address our criminal justice reform. We have so much to do in our country. And we have the understanding that in order to do complicated work, we need organizations to do it. It is difficult for individuals themselves to achieve a lot, but when working together, we can achieve almost anything. We are in a range of dates here of import. Just the other day, we acknowledged the announcement date in which President Barack Obama announced he was going to run for President. Yesterday was the day that Nelson Mandela walked free from a prison cell in Robben Island for over two decades. So February 12th is when people of different ethnic backgrounds, different racial backgrounds got together--people like Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. DuBois got together and said that there was going to be an effort to put together a membership-based organization, rooted in neighborhoods, rooted in individuals who would come together in their local communities and who would fight on a variety of levels--on the policy level, in the courts, and also work in neighborhoods at a neighborhood level to improve the lives of people of our country, particularly people who had been disproportionately ill-served by government institutions and people of color in our country who had to work for years, in fact, centuries without a paycheck and who were prohibited by law to do basic things like marry, or own a home, or own land, who had to bear the brunt of a criminal justice system that, even to this day, is yet to be perfected. So we have a history, but it is made better because of the NAACP. So I wanted to come and thank my colleague for holding this Special Order here on the House floor. I don't usually speak in Special Orders. I think, over my 20 years, it is a very unusual thing, but I came today because the NAACP has laid the foundation under which so much of the progress we have made as a country has been made possible. I look forward to an opportunity to continue to work with him on issues of importance to his State, to our country, and to this world.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Let me thank the gentlewoman who has organized this Special Order. There is no greater cause that could be the focus of our attention in this august body than that of future generations of Americans. Too much time is focused on the next election, so I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for focusing the House today on the next generation. Mr. Speaker, with certainty, we know that early childhood, quality daycare, and early education are the fundamental building blocks. We as a nation are competing with countries like China and India, which have very populated nations. We need to make sure that every single American child has the ability to rise up to his potential so that our Nation can remain number one in the world. I serve on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. In the last couple of weeks, we have done our work and have passed the appropriations bill, and, this year, we have made some progress. I first want to talk about the good news. We did appropriate $2.7 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and we increased it over last year, FY15, by $326 million. Now, that is the good news. The problem, of course, is that we still are a far cry away from providing for every family that will be eligible opportunities at affordable child care. Let me give you a ``for instance'' closer to home. I represent the birthplace of our democracy, Philadelphia. I think it is one of the greatest cities in the world. We spent about $300 million this year on Head Start and childcare activities, almost all of it Federal money; $190 million are coming out of the Child Care Block Grant I referenced earlier, some $300 million. We are only providing for 33 percent of the families in Philadelphia who would be eligible for child care through this effort. So we need to do more. Hopefully, the city and the State will be partners in this effort, but our Nation has to see this, as President Nixon once said, as a national imperative, that is, that we have a national interest in every one of these children living up to their potential. Now, 2 years ago, in a series done by WHYY and NewsWorks, they focused on child care. They told this story on one occasion about a young lady by the name of Queen Muse who was getting her degree from La Salle University, taking graduate courses. She was working very, very hard. She was rising at a very early hour to drop off her young daughter at a family member's home because she couldn't afford appropriate child care and affordable child care. Now, here is someone doing what we want them to do, getting a college education, getting a graduate degree. We need to be doing more to provide those early rungs on the ladder of opportunity for those who are in the early stages of family formulation and, in some cases, who are raising children as single parents. So there is much more that we can do. In Philadelphia, we have a system that, even though not perfect, is working very well. I know through CCIS out on Greene Street in northwest Philadelphia, there is an opportunity where families and parents can get access to quality child care, federally funded as a contractor with the Urban League. Again, we need to do more, and that is why I came here to the floor this evening. Now, I know that the Nation is preparing for the President's town meeting on guns tonight, and that is another issue related to families and family safety. We totally support the President's efforts in that regard, and I am going to work with the administration as a member of the Appropriations Committee to help fund those gun safety activities. In terms of child care, this is about families also, and making sure that the youngest among us have every opportunity to learn and to grow. In fact, we know through the work we have done on brain science now that, as the Congresswoman from New Jersey says, this is the period of time in which the brain is like a sponge. It can learn almost anything. We should be doing so much more in our early childhood efforts, in our childcare efforts to develop the language skills and the reading skills for these young people as the basic building blocks for their lifelong education So I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and much more importantly, I thank her for her extraordinary leadership on the most important issue in our Nation, and that is the preparation of future generations of American leaders.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, over 50 million Americans suffer from a neurological disease or disorder, over 1 billion worldwide. I authored language that created an interagency working group that brought together dozens of federal agencies years ago, and we have laid out a map, a plan, over the last 4 years now including mapping the human brain with the BRAIN Initiative and funding a host of specific efforts. I am so pleased that the bill that we will pass today will have a historic level of funding for neuroscience, over $7 billion in efforts at the National Institutes of Health, a historic investment at the National Science Foundation, and now we have brought together our national labs to create a national brain observatory. I want to thank my colleague from Oklahoma, Tom Cole, for working with me as the chair of our Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. And in my role on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, there is so much more for us to do. But I am convinced that if we have the mind to work, we, indeed, can rebuild the walls.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, and I thank Chairman Rogers and the work of the staff. Mr. Speaker, I think we have a bill here that the House can fully embrace. The point that I want to make is that we have in this bill major spending programs that are going to help tens of millions of Americans improve their life chances. On the health side, on education, and on housing, I particularly want to indicate how pleased I am that we were able to increase very significantly our investments in brain science and brain research. We were able to almost double the President's request on youth mentoring. There are areas--everything from Commercial Crew to efforts to combat drug addiction--that would commend this bill for favorable support here in this House. I want to thank the committee for all of its great work. I want to particularly thank my staff for the work that they have done. We will have a chance to indicate, as we go forward after the holiday, some of the particulars, but I will single out one right here right now. There was a young police officer who was in a gun battle in my district trying to protect life and property. Our commissioner said it was the most courageous act he ever saw of a police officer. In this bill today, we name a program in the Department of Justice, a program focused on lessening violence against police officers, after this young officer, Robert Wilson III. It is not an effort in which we want to just think about money. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their cooperation in this effort because I think it, in symbol and in substance, says to those who protect our communities that we, indeed, care about them and we understand the dangers that they face.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the fact that the American opportunity tax credit is going to become a permanent law as part of the tax extenders package. I introduced, as the prime sponsor, this legislation many years ago as part of the economic recovery efforts. It has provided well over $20 billion to millions of families, a $2,500 tax credit in which 40 percent is refundable. Over the next 10 years, the Congressional Research Service suggests that well over $60 billion will be provided to families to help meet higher education costs. So I want to just take a minute to pause and reflect on the fact that the work that we do here can, in fact, impact many, many lives. I want to thank my colleagues for their initial support of this program and for, today, our efforts that will be successful to make it permanent, along with the earned income tax credit and a number of other very important tax credits for American families.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, on the following rollcall Nos. I would have voted: ``no'' on rollcall 626, ``yes'' on rollcall 627, ``yes'' on rollcall 628. personal explanation

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, on November 13, 2015, administrators of the Simpson House, the oldest existing retirement community in the world that is historically related to the United Methodist Church will celebrate its Sesquicentennial Anniversary; a significant milestone for the Simpson House and the City of Philadelphia. Founded in 1865, in Philadelphia, wounded Civil War soldiers needed care. Memorialized in the Ladies' United Aid Society meeting minutes is the sentiment that compassionate Methodist women found themselves, called to work in spheres of which they had never dreamed or had the remotest idea. At the end of the Civil War, in 1865, Jane Henry, Simpson House Foundress knew experienced empowered volunteers could capably address other issues of their era. When she felt a call to ensure that aged individuals who had no money, no family and no means of supporting themselves had a safe and secure place to live, she did not sit idly by. Rather, she took decisive actions which would lead to a meeting on June 14th 1865, and the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Home for the Aged, today known as Simpson House. Dedicated volunteers and staff have led and guided the Simpson House since the beginning. They include its Founder, Jane Henry, Mrs. Ellen Holmes Verner Simpson and her husband Bishop Matthew Simpson who served as the second president and member of the Advisory Committee; Arthur & Anne Flanagan, unpretentious and generous donors; Margaret McKay Gerhart, volunteer and executive director; and The Rev. David W. Powell, Executive Director. Richard Coyle, RN, NHA, Simpson House Executive Director and Kim W. Williams, Simpson House Senior Services President and CEO are their successors and guardians of the mission. Generous and ongoing support from many donors helps make commitment to high quality and dignified housing and health care services to the women and men of the Greater Philadelphia Region possible. The Simpson House continues its commitment to benevolent and charity care, a promise since its founding. Today the Simpson House offers independent living apartments; personal care apartments; memory support and skilled nursing care, serving an average of three hundred senior adults per year. A committed and dedicated staff of more than three hundred employees provides these service and care. The Simpson House Sesquicentennial Anniversary celebrates the fifteen decades of service. They are honored to serve residents who wish to share their lives and common interests in a caring and active setting. I urge this body to join with me in celebrating the Simpson House and the quality affordable care and accommodations it provides for Philadelphia's older adults.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I am one who comes to this floor to support this agreement. It means the great work that we are doing on the Appropriations Committee--working with my colleagues, like Chairman Rogers and Tom Cole from Oklahoma--the work we are doing on brain health-related issues, the creation of a process to map the human brain, to create a national brain observatory, to help lead the world in an area in which we can finally find answers to a whole range of diseases going forward. We will be able to move our appropriations bills on a whole range of issues--from youth mentoring, to housing, to health care--because the Congress and its leadership have come together. So I commend both sides, and I commend the White House. I am pleased that this agreement has happened. Yesterday I announced a $10 million TIGER grant for Philadelphia. This agreement means that there will be other Members who will be making said announcements out in the future because we will be doing the work that helps keep America number one in the world. For all of our challenges, we have the most powerful Nation in the world. This agreement helps to move us forward, and I am here to applaud it and to vote in favor of it.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, I rise in favor of the underlying bill and in opposition to this poison-pill amendment.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, this is a special day. This is probably the first day that I would have preferred to have been a member of the chairman's committee rather than of the Appropriations Committee. The committee should be congratulated for its great work on this bill, and I am happy to be an original cosponsor. I rise in support of the amendment. It is critically important that we have serious outreach to all of our universities and medical centers, including African American, Hispanic, Native American universities, and those in the most rural parts of our country. I thank the gentleman and Diana DeGette and all of those who worked on this great piece of legislation.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. I think it is critically important that we understand that the President requested an increase in capital allotments for Amtrak. Not only was that not honored, but we actually went with the wisdom of the majority: we actually cut last year's number by over $250-plus million. This is a move in the wrong direction for our country, and I hope that through the gentlewoman's amendment, we can reverse that. So I stand in support of it, and I hope that the majority would allow us to proceed to a vote.

Mr. FATTAH. Let me thank the ranking member. The fact of the matter is, notwithstanding what was offered to the House as the picture of America, we actually live in the greatest country in the world. We have the strongest economy. We are the wealthiest country. There is no country, based on the IMF, that would want to trade our position vis-a-vis debt-to-wealth ratio. I hear the gentleman saying, Woe is America, and we can't afford to subsidize rail. I think the ranking member makes it clear that there is no form of transportation that is not subsidized. I heard this utterance that we don't subsidize airplane travel. This is nonsensical. Just the facts of this bill itself outline some of our country's subsidies for our airline industry. But I want to talk about Amtrak. When it is said that there is a $1 billion subsidy and that somehow we can't afford that from last year, I want to remind this House that for each and every month we have been in Afghanistan, we have been spending $2 billion a week for well over a decade, as a Nation. The idea that we can't afford to have a first-rate passenger rail system defies logic. It is just a matter of political will. We need to make a decision about America's place in the world, and our economy is dependent on our ability to transport not just freight but human beings, and Amtrak is critical to that. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding me time. I hope this House will reconsider this thrust of the majority to move away from passenger rail. I heard some talk from the gentleman that we have got to stop this runaway train, but we tried to stop a train in Philadelphia, and if we had made the investments, there would be people who would be alive today. We need to make these investments, and we need to move our country forward. It is not about political philosophy. It is about practicality. Our economic competitors are subsidizing rail. And if we want to make our economy work, we are going to have to make Amtrak work. And we can do that through some of the efforts on this bill today.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I would be happy to concur with the chair's every utterance on this amendment that we will work together and help facilitate what I think is a very righteous effort on behalf of Congressman Jeffries to protect the rights of all Americans to have privileged conversations and interactions with their attorneys so that their rights can be fully protected. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. FATTAH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chair, an amendment was passed, King No. 077, and passed by a voice vote. I requested a recorded vote. I ask unanimous consent that my request for a recorded vote on the amendment that it be withdrawn and allow the voice vote on which it passed to be the fact.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa), my great colleague here.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment even though my opposition is not as apparent as it might otherwise be.

Mr. FATTAH. Let me restate my question. Is there legislation coming forward that would end the practice?

Mr. FATTAH. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer) for purposes of a colloquy. Since the Republicans are in the majority, you have held hearings on this. Is there legislation that is coming forward to end these practices? I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. FATTAH. We have arrived at our final moment in this bill where my colleague from New York, who is an extraordinary Member, has a very important amendment to offer. I yield back the balance of my time. Amendment Offered by Mr. Jeffries

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, now I think that there may be some mutuality of interest if what the gentleman says is true about what is at stake here. However, this is not a process in which we can discern all of that at this moment. This is an appropriations bill. I think that this is probably an area where the Congress should hold some hearings and look into it, take some testimony and figure out exactly what is going on before we would shut down what might be a very important program. It may be, as the gentleman describes, that is something where DOJ is just moving in ways that make little or no sense. But I think that to come at the final point in the bill and seek to restrict DOJ in this way, I would be reluctant to support it, and therefore, I stand in opposition to it. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.