Al Green

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for allowing the time and commend her for her many years of service and her efforts, in a bipartisan way, to establish the NFIP program such that it would be responsible, such that it would take care of the needs of the many people across the length and breadth of our country. I also thank the chairperson of the committee for his years of service. I know this is not the last time that he and I will be on the floor together, but I do want to thank him now for his years of service. Mr. Speaker, the NFIP is important to families because if the family cannot get the flood insurance, they cannot purchase the home. It is important to Realtors because if the home can't be purchased, the Realtors, obviously, cannot sell the home. It is important to the builders because the builders are the people who rely on home sales to make determinations as to what the market will bear and whether they should construct homes in a given area. So this really is about people in terms of their families, but it is also about people and the economy. It is about whether this economy will continue to grow. It is about whether or not we will provide a program that will give builders some sense of stability such that they can move forward with their construction projects. My hope is that this 1-week extension will be granted. I pray that my colleagues join us and vote for the extension. But my hope also is that we will have a long-term program developed, because the Realtors are depending on us; the contractors are depending on us; the families are depending on us; and the country is depending on us. The National Association of Realtors estimated that, if the program lapses for 1 month, about 40,000 home sales might not close nationwide. This is a significant number of homes in a market that currently needs an additional shot in the arm. Mr. Speaker, we are here for the families, the builders, the Realtors, and the economy.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise because I love my country. I rise because I care about people. And because I love my country and care about people, I rise on behalf of those living and deceased who have suffered grave injustices associated with hate. I rise on behalf of those who have suffered the injustices associated with sexism, racism, nativism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia. I rise on behalf of the slave mother who had her baby torn away from her at the auction block. I rise on behalf of the mother at the border of the United States of America who had her baby taken from her as her baby cried to be in her mother's arms. I rise on behalf of the many who have been persecuted for religious beliefs, those who have suffered religious persecution. I rise on behalf of the women who have been denied opportunities because of their gender. I rise on behalf of the LGBTQ persons who have suffered simply because of being who they are. Mr. Speaker, I rise and I stand in the well of the Congress of the United States of America against bigotry and hatred. I rise and stand against the bigotry emanating from the Presidency, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I refuse to allow it to be reduced to his being a jerk. I refuse to allow it to be reduced to something simply political. Mr. Speaker, bigotry in our country has hurt too many for too long. Mr. Speaker, I let others do what they may. I am not angry with anyone, Mr. Speaker. Let them do what they may. But it is in my DNA to oppose this bigotry, and I rise and I stand against it. I will not let the Record show that when I was elected to Congress, I did not do something about the circumstance that is changing the culture in this country: persons running for office claiming that they somehow can say that it is okay to go to a hanging; persons running for office talking about monkey business, knowing how that relates to those of African ancestry. Mr. Speaker, I refuse to accept it. I rise to take a stand for the many who have suffered from bigotry and hatred emanating from the Presidency. I rise.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise. I am always proud to stand in the well. It is an honor to have the preeminent privilege to speak to the Nation from this point, from this very place in Congress. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call to the attention of the American public, the American people, an article that was printed in The New York Times yesterday. It is styled: ``I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.'' I cannot vouch for this article, but there is one passage that I can speak of with some degree of credibility. It reads: `` . . . we believe our first duty is to our country. . . . `' Regardless as to what else in this article may or may not be true, this is true: Our country should come first. I love my country, and I stand here today because I do. It goes on to say: ``and the President continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our Republic.'' This is true. I think there is little debate about some aspects of the things that the President has done that are detrimental to the health of the Republic. We know that it was detrimental to the health of the Republic for the President to say there were some nice people among the racists and bigots in Charlottesville where a person lost her life. We know that it is detrimental to the Republic for the President to institute a policy that separates babies from their mothers and not find a way, to this day, to put them back together. We know that that is detrimental to the Republic. But what we also know is that there are great talking points about what the President has done, great talking points about how he is harming society, great talking points about how he is unfit to be President--great talking points. But here is the question: Where are the action items? It is not enough to have great talking points. I hear them all the time, if you will, on various shows on television. You hear people talking about how this is not American; this is un-American--great talking points. But at some point, we have to go from talking points to action items. At some point, we have to deal with the problem. It is not enough to identify it. We have got to also identify the solution. There is a solution to an unfit President. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be in Congress, and I will not let my record show that I was here, and when there was a scourge, if you will, on the country by virtue of the way the President is behaving, I will not let my record show that I didn't take advantage of this opportunity to stand in the well and denounce what this President has done. There is a solution. Everybody knows it. And we are going to get there. But I will say this to you. We cannot allow political expediency to stand in the way of the moral imperative to remove a President who is doing things that are detrimental to the country. This is not about Democrats. This is about democracy. It is not about Republicans. It is about the Republic. And if we are going to save this Republic, we have got to remove this President from office. I have filed Articles of Impeachment to do so. I stand on what I have done, and I stand on this: I will not allow this to continue without a challenge. I will challenge him again. I will challenge this House. I will challenge us because this is our country that is in jeopardy, and we are doing very little to stop it. And we have the power. The Framers gave us the means. It is not a question of whether there is a way. The question is, do we have the will to stand up for justice and stand up for our country? There is one solution. Article II, Section 4 speaks to it. There will be an impeachment of this President, or at least an attempt to get him out of office by way of impeachment. I stand on it.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight as a proud American. I am proud of the country's due process laws. In this country, you don't go to jail indefinitely. In this country, you don't just get picked up. In this country, you are entitled to have a lawyer upon realizing that you are being charged. I am proud to be an American. Tonight, I rise on a mission of mercy, understanding that one of our own, an American citizen, is being detained without charges, no lawyer, and little knowledge of what has happened to him. Imagine, if you will, Mr. Speaker, a wife anticipating her husband's arrival. He is supposed to arrive at the airport with a friend on July 16. She finds out that her husband is not on the plane. She contacts the airline. They indicate that he was not among those to be on the plane. She then panics, as anyone would, and she uses every means necessary to try to ascertain what has happened to her husband. She finds out by way of social media that, on or about July 6, he was detained and that that detention is something that she can get very little information about. She is upset. She and her children are upset. They don't know what has happened to this husband, this father. So they reach out to their congressional Representative--who has done an outstanding job, I might add. Congresswoman Walters immediately did that which is necessary to protect an American citizen. She contacted the necessary authorities, contacted the Secretary of State, contacted the Ambassador, wanted to know what his condition was, and wanted to know if he was in good health. She found out that he is okay, but has not been charged. Mr. Speaker, we, in this country, understand that when one of us is being detained unjustly, every one of us has a responsibility to do what we can to get that person released. Any American being held is something that every American is concerned about. Every Member of this House will take the position, I am confident, that an American being detained unjustly should be released immediately. So I rise tonight, Mr. Speaker, on a mission of mercy asking the Government of Vietnam to release this American citizen. He has not been charged. He has no lawyer. He has friends and family who are waiting for his return. He was there as a visitor seeing friends. This is something that he has done on previous occasions. I ask that he be released so that he may be returned to his family. In this country, we protect our own. He is one of us, and we want him back. And we want him back right away. I commend all of my colleagues for what they have said tonight, and we will shine additional light on this issue. We will not rest until he comes home where he belongs.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise. I am proud, once again, Mr. Speaker, to stand in the well of the House. I am proud to do so today, Mr. Speaker, in defense of liberty and justice for all. Mr. Speaker, if we know the truth, it can set us free. A truth: A Quinnipiac Poll, Mr. Speaker, as of July 3, this month, this year, a poll indicates that 49 percent of Americans believe that the President of the United States is a racist, 49 percent, nearly 50 percent of the country. Wonder why? Could it be because of Charlottesville? Could it be because of a Muslim ban? Could it be because of the way this President has instituted policies, such as the one that has impacted Latinos at the border, taking babies from their mothers, segregating them such that babies don't have contact with their parents? Forty-nine percent of the people believe that the President is a racist. Mr. Speaker, in the same poll, 55 percent believe that he has emboldened people who hold racist beliefs to express those beliefs publicly. The President of the United States is having an adverse impact on society. He is causing people to do ugly things. Mr. Speaker, the polls also show, this is a Harris Poll, that 42 percent believe that the President of the United States of America should be impeached. That number would be higher, by the way, if, not but for, the effort to suppress impeachment. And I must compliment the people who are engaged in that effort. They have done exceedingly well. Some people dare not say the word ``impeachment.'' I am so glad, however, so thankful, so grateful that Dr. King was not guided by polls, because there are some polls that would cause persons to do what they should not. If you are waiting on the polls to tell you that the President ought to be impeached, you may be waiting a long time. If you are waiting on the polls to get to 60, 70, 80 percent, you may be waiting a long time. I am so glad that Dr. King did not wait for the polls to tell him to protest segregation and discrimination. The bus boycott probably wouldn't have taken place in Montgomery if there had been a wait for the polls. They probably wouldn't have crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge if there had been a wait for the polls. I am so glad that people of goodwill will stand up to bigotry, will take a stand. They don't let political expediency trump the moral imperative to speak out and speak up. I am so glad that there are people who put the moral imperative above political expediency. And finally, this: For those of you who worship at the altar of polls, when President Clinton was impeached, 29 percent of the people thought that he should be impeached, 29 percent. There are some people who are not guided by polls. I am one of them. Bigotry emanating from the Presidency is impeachable because of the harm that it is doing to society. Impeachment is not dead.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I, too, am not enthralled with the idea of a temporary fix. My preference is a long-term remedy. While we have different reasons for being opposed to a temporary fix, the truth is we have no choice at this point. In about a week, the program will expire. I know what happens when we are, unfortunately, coping with hurricanes such as Katrina, which cost us $160 billion. I saw what happened in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Katrina. The ranking member and I were there on the ground to see how people who had been quite prosperous were now having to abandon what was their home, and they had to move to other places. The Astrodome in Houston, Texas, became the home for many thousands of people who were fleeing the aftermath of Katrina. I saw what happened after Harvey and how people were suffering and trying to go back into homes that were completely devastated. They had nowhere else to go. So we have no choice. We must reauthorize. And 4 months, while it seems like it is an inappropriate amount of time, does give us some additional time. My hope is that we will come to some conclusion that will be acceptable such that we can have a long-term extension. The Realtors are constantly calling to my attention the need for certainty in this program. It helps the economy to have certainty. My belief is we can have certainty, and we must extend.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. My belief is we must have certainty and we must extend. My belief also is this: If not us, who will extend it? If not now, when will we extend it?

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I rise because I love my country. I am proud to say that I am an American. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I believe that, when democracy is at risk and the Republic is on the line, you have to take a stand. I rise today because to be silent could be concluded as being acquiescent. To be silent can be said to be complicit. To be silent, according to Dr. King, at some point can be said to be seen as betrayal. I rise because I love my country. Because I love my country, I will not allow myself to be driven by polls. I thank God that the great freedom fighters, the great wrong-righters were not driven by polls. If Dr. King, Rosa Parks, the great freedom fighters, had been driven by polls, I wouldn't be standing here today. They drove the polls. They didn't adjust to the polls. They had the polls, the people who gave their thoughts, to adjust to righteousness. So I rise today to speak truth to power, not driven by polls, not driven by political expediency. I rise today to let the world know that our country is better than what we saw in Helsinki. I rise today to say to my colleagues: We have to act. Yes, we can talk about all of the atrocities imposed upon our society by this President, but that is not enough. At some point, we have to act, and more and more people are starting to say what that action is. More and more of the people who present the news and give commentary are starting to say what that action is. It is unfortunate that we haven't gotten to the point where we are going to act not withstanding the polls, we are going to act notwithstanding political expediency, we are going to act because there is a moral imperative to remove a President from office who puts democracy at risk and the Republic on the line. There is a moral imperative for us to take a stand. And we can do all of the things that can lead up to what the Framers of the Constitution afforded us. We can do many things, but Article II, section 4 of the Constitution was created for a time such as this and a President such as Trump. Mr. Speaker, there is a solution to a President who puts himself above his country. The Framers of the Constitution knew that we would have this moment in time, and they gave us the solution. We but only have to have the courage, the intestinal fortitude, to stand up for our country and impeach this President. The time has come. No more political expediency. No more driven by the polls. Stand for our country on a moral imperative.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I am proud to stand in the well of the Congress of the United States of America. I am not proud to stand here today for the reasons that I shall articulate. Mr. Speaker, we live in a world where it is not enough for things to be right; they must also look right. Mr. Speaker, when the Federal Government separates children from their parents, indeed, mothers from their babies, it does not look right. Some may argue that it is right because of various laws and legislation that might exist, but it doesn't look right for this country, the country that believes in liberty and justice for all. It doesn't look right for the United States of America to separate babies from their mothers. Where is the moral compass? There ought to be an inner voice within us that says there is something wrong here. We are taking a baby from the baby's mother, and we are going to put the baby in a location separate and apart from the mother. The baby needs the mother. The mother is there to nurture the baby. How can we do this in good conscience? We live in a world where it is not enough for things to be right; they must also look right. And this doesn't look right to the world. I have gone to visit these children. I went to Brownsville. I saw the children. They are caring for the children, but the missing element, the most important thing that these children need, was not there: their parents. I went to three other sites before going to Brownsville and, Mr. Speaker, I, as a Member of the Congress of the United States of America, went to a site in my congressional district, and I went to other sites. I could not see the children, and I was asked to leave the premises. I behaved in an orderly fashion. I had two forms of identification. But not only could I not see the children, I was asked to leave the property. There is no transparency. This is the Federal Government holding children and not allowing open access to these children by Members of Congress. It is not enough for things to be right; they must also look right. When the Members of the Congress of the United States of America cannot see the children who have been secreted in various locations around the country and separated from their parents, not only does this not look right, it isn't right. At some point on this infinite continuum that we call time, we will all have to account for our time. At some point, when the omnipotent, the omnipresent, and omniscient are one, we will have to answer to what is happening to these children today. These children belong to all of us in the sense that they are children of our world, and we must answer and account for what is happening today. So I stand here in the well, a proud Member of Congress and proud to be an American, but sad to know that we have not done enough to reunite these children with their parents. Mr. Speaker, if you separate children from their parents, if you take babies from their mothers, then you must have a plan to reunite them. When you do not, you are failing not only those parents, but you are failing the future of a great country, because it gives us the appearance of not caring for people who are in harm's way who have come asking for help. It gives us the appearance of not being that Good Samaritan who not only helped the person who was in harm's way who had been beset upon by thieves, it gives us the appearance of not being that Good Samaritan who said: I am going to help you. I am going to take you to the inn. I am going to leave; I am coming back; and I will pay more if you need more. This is the United States of America. We can do better.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the House of Representatives today to announce the reintroduction of the LGBTQ Pride Month resolution. This resolution encourages the celebration of the month of June as LGBTQ Pride Month. I am very proud to say that we are introducing this resolution because we want to commemorate the historic Stonewall uprising that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969. The resolution has 95 original cosponsors, and I would dearly like to call each name; but, of course, time doesn't permit, and I might omit a name. So, Mr. Speaker, please know that it is well supported, and I am proud to have talked to a good many of the cosponsors who are very proud to be associated with this resolution. Mr. Speaker, this resolution celebrates the accomplishments of many persons in the LGBTQ community, among them, Mayor Annise Parker, who was the first lesbian elected as mayor of the City of Houston--and who did an outstanding job, I might add. It also celebrates the hard work of the transgender community and what it has done to spread awareness about tolerance and inclusion to make sure all people are celebrated in this great country. It recognizes the protesters who stood for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. It recognizes them as some of the pioneers of the movement. The resolution celebrates the creation of gay rights organizations in major cities in the aftermath of the Stonewall uprising. It highlights the importance of the American Psychiatric Association removing homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in December of 1973. I want to pause and just say a word about this. Mr. Speaker, this was a significant accomplishment. It might seem like a small thing to a good many people, but when your very being is defined as a mental illness, and that is removed, it means something to people. It means that people can be themselves and not thought to be ill. So I am very proud to highlight this and the importance of it. It recognizes Elaine Noble as the first LGBTQ candidate elected to a State legislature in 1974, and Barney Frank, whom I had the honor of serving with in the House of Representatives on the Financial Services Committee, as the first Representative to come out as an openly gay Member of the Congress of the United States in 1987. It highlights the importance of the Civil Service Commission eliminating the ban on hiring homosexuals in most Federal jobs in 1975. Imagine not being hired simply because of who you are. It celebrates Harvey Milk having made national headlines when he was sworn in as an openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. It also highlights the importance of 1980, the Democratic Convention, where Democrats took a stance in support of gay rights. It celebrates Vermont becoming the first State to legally recognize civil unions between gay and lesbian couples in the year 2000. The resolution highlights the importance of the Supreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas in June of 2003, which held that, under the 14th Amendment, States could not criminalize the private, intimate relationships of same-sex couples. It highlights the significance of Congress approving and President Obama signing the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It celebrates 2012 as the first year in which all 50 States had at least one LGBTQ-elected official. It celebrates Senator Tammy Baldwin being the first openly gay United States Senator in January of 2013. It highlights the importance of the ruling in the United States v. Windsor, which found section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, to be unconstitutional. It highlights the Equality Act, which was introduced on July 23, 2015, by Congressman David Cicilline--with bipartisan support, I might add--as the first comprehensive civil rights bill, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. It also celebrates Eric Fanning being sworn in as the first openly gay Secretary of the Army. Mr. Speaker, Presidents have acknowledged this month as Pride Month. President Clinton was the first to do so in 1999. President Obama followed. It is unfortunate, however, that this President has not done so. This President has not honored the month of June as Pride Month, although he has honored it as a reason to celebrate many other things. We hope that the President will have a change of heart and will recognize June as Pride Month because there is good reason to do so. On June 28, 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn decided to rise up. It was a seminal moment in time for the LGBTQ community. The movement was born out of the necessity to live and thrive in a country where, at the time, it was neither accepted nor safe in many places to do so. Stonewall is recognized by most people as the moment in time when persons decided that they had had enough. It was not unusual for members of the police department to come in. It wasn't just in Stonewall, not just into New York, but they would go into places where LGBTQ persons would congregate and harass them. It was something that was not accepted, of course, by the community. But officers, for whatever reason, thought that they could do so with impunity and, in fact, did do so with impunity in a good many places. Well, on this date, the members of the community decided that they would not take anymore. There was a pushback from the community in the form of persons just absolutely refusing to allow the harassment to take place. An uprising, a riot if you will, took place. As a result, many cities across the country adopted LGBTQ organizations and pride became something that persons wanted to exhibit. This was something that has metamorphosed from that moment in time to today, when we have Pride celebrations across the length and the breadth of the country. In Houston, we had a significant Pride parade. Literally scores of thousands of people were assembled and had the opportunity to celebrate with pride the fact that they were members of the LGBTQ community or they were allies of the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ community has many allies in Congress, allies across the length and breadth of the country and the various statehouses, in police departments, allies who are willing to stand up and stand with the LGBTQ community. I count myself as an ally of the community and would hope that, as an ally of the community, what we are doing today will further the understanding that we, regardless as to who we are, should be proud to be associated with the LGBTQ community and proud to work with the LGBTQ community to acquire the additional rights that we all enjoy, to a certain extent--I say ``we all'' because there are still some things that are being denied persons of African ancestry-- but to receive the rights that the Constitution accords all people. I would use, as an example, the right to simply have a job. There are places in this country where persons are still fired because of who they are. Once it is known that a person is a member of the LGBTQ community, they are terminated with impunity. We have to do something about this. This is the United States of America. It is the greatest country in the world, and as such, we ought not discriminate against anyone because of who they happen to be. Here in Congress, we have the LGBTQ Caucus. I am proud to be associated with this caucus. It has taken a stand not only for the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, but also for the rights of members of other communities. It has taken a stand when it comes to immigration, taken a stand when it comes to integration. The LGBTQ Caucus in the Congress of the United States of America has a very broad reach, a very good understanding of the notion that human dignity is something that should be accorded all people. Human rights are not to be denied people because of who they are or who they happen to love. I am honored to be associated with the caucus, and I am a very proud American who stands here tonight to say: Let's continue to celebrate June as LGBTQ Pride Month, and let's encourage the President of the United States of America to do what other Presidents have done. This is a noble thing, it is an honorable thing, and we ask that it be done. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I am proud to rise and stand in the well of the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of those who have called for civility. I compliment them for calling for civility. I think civility is appropriate at all times, Mr. Speaker. But, Mr. Speaker, I do have to ask: Where were you when the President of the United States of America stood before law enforcement officers and said: ``You don't have to be so nice when you have a person within your care, custody, and control?''--paraphrasing him, of course. Where were you? Where was your compassion for the many people who have been victims of brutality at the hands of the constabulary? Where is your compassion for all of the people who understand that that was a message, whether intended or not, to the constabulary, to the police, that you can abuse people who are in your care, custody, and control? Where were you? Why didn't you speak out? Where was your sense of outrage as it relates to the President of the United States of America encouraging persons to assault people who were within the care, custody, and control of the police? Encouraging people to do something unconstitutional, it would have been and is still unconstitutional to assault people who are in your care, custody, and control if you are a peace officer. So where were you? Where were you when the President said there were some nice people among those at Charlottesville, among those who happened to be in the KKK, the neo-Nazis, those who were espousing harm to people? As you know, a woman lost her life in Charlottesville. Where were you? Why didn't you come out strongly against the President of the United States of America? Where were you? And then, my dear brothers and sisters, my friends across the aisle, why is it that you can find reason to condemn others and propose a resolution, but you propose not one single resolution for the President, who has consistently and persistently created levels of incivility that have emanated to the extent that some people may have been harmed already? Where were you? Why is it such that you can be outraged now, but you couldn't be outraged then? Where are you now as he is putting his bigotry into policy? Where are you? Why won't you stand up to this President? Are you aiding and abetting? Are you a part of the President's support system to implement the bigotry that he is putting into policy? It is being done when the President met with those persons at the White House to talk about immigration and then called certain countries in Africa s---hole countries. Now, ironically, he wants to do away with the diversity visas, which happen to impact people who may be in Africa. Where were you? Why won't you stand up? Why would you want to implement this level of bigotry into policy? I commend you and I am proud of you for wanting civility. I stand for civility. But I also know this. Those who make peaceful protests impossible make other forms of protest inevitable.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, this bill does many things, but the one thing that it does not do is heal the wound in the soul of America. It does not provide a pathway for these babies to return home to their parents. This bill is about as bad as it can get if you care about what you see in this picture. Children should not become the tools of the trade for politicians. This bill will legitimize children as the tools of the trade. We cannot pass it. We should not pass it. We must rethink what we are doing to this country.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise because I love my country, and I have great concern for where it is headed. I am very much concerned, Madam Speaker, because I have seen, and the multitudes have seen, photographs of children who have been separated from their parents. I have here one such display; a child who is separated from a parent, a child that is distraught. And my concern emanates from the notion that if you can tolerate this, if you can look at this, and if you have the power to do something about it and you won't, if your heart is so hardened that you can look at this picture of this baby and conclude that this is just a part of a process, then that says to me I should be concerned about the direction of my country. We have come a long way in my lifetime. I had to drink from colored water fountains. I had to sit in the back of the bus. I had to go to segregated schools. I know what segregation looks like. I know what it smells like. I have had to go to these filthy colored restrooms. I know what it sounds like. I was called the ugly names. I know what it hurts like when you have people who would chase you just because of who you are. So we have come a long way, and that concerns me because I am not sure where this says we are going. But I do know this: I don't want to see us go back to that dark past because, Madam Speaker, for those who don't know, here is what it looks like. This is a picture from Little Rock, Arkansas. This is a picture of a child merely attempting to go to school, committing no crime. This is a picture of what hate looks like. Children ought not be subjected to this level of hate and vitriol. This is a past that I don't want to revisit. For this young lady and others to get into this high school--that was being paid for with their tax dollars, I might add--President Eisenhower had to send in the 101st Airborne Division of the Army. It took the Army to integrate Central High. It is an unpleasant thing to have to endure and to have to visit, but for some of us, it is about more than just a process. For some of us, it is about a way of life that we endured and that we suffered. For some of us who have felt the sting of discrimination, this is a painful thing to see. For those who would say: ``Well, we will never go back there. You will never see that again,'' well, I never thought I would see a day when a President of the United States would ban people from the country who happen to be of a certain religion. I never thought I would see a day when a President of the United States would say: ``There were some nice people'' among the bigots, the xenophobes, the White nationalists, and the Klansmen in Charlottesville. I never thought I would see that come from the Presidency, from the President of the United States, not in my lifetime. So to those who say: ``Worry not. We won't go back,'' I say: We should be warned, and we should not allow ourselves to be deceived.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, I missed votes. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: on H.R. 5687--SOUND Disposal and Packaging Act, I would have voted ``YES'' on this bill; on H.R. 5676--SENIOR Communities Protection Act of 2018, I would have voted ``YES' on this journal vote.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, this is what it has come to. We stand here in the well of the House appealing to--in a sense, begging--the President to acknowledge the undeniable truth, the undeniable truth that this is a crisis that he can end with the stroke of a pen. This is a crisis that he has created, and it is a crisis that he can eliminate. The undeniable truth is that, if a President can see these babies crying and pleading for their parents--momma, father, papa--if the President can see this and not take action, his heart has hardened to the extent that he is unfit to be President.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, I missed the following votes: H.R. 5327, Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act 2018. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on this bill. H.R. 5041, Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on this bill. Journal Vote. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on this bill.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the well of the House, I am proud to be an American, and I am proud to say that today I rise because I believe that separating children from their parents because they are fleeing violence is antithetical to American values. Mr. Speaker, I rise because I do not believe that this is consistent with the golden rule and that this is not doing unto others as we would have them do unto us if we were similarly situated. I rise because I believe that this is not what the good Samaritan would do. The Good Samaritan not only provided immediate aid and comfort, but also took the person who had been harmed to a place where that person could receive additional aid and comfort and went so far as to say: I am leaving this amount with you. If this is not enough, I will come back, and I will give you more. This is antithetical to our values. Separating children from their parents, be it mother or father, is still a separation of a child from the person whom the child has grown to believe will be there to protect him or her. This is antithetical to what we believe in. It is antithetical to the notion that we are our brother's keeper, that we look out for others; that there is but one race, and it is the human race; and that all of God's creation was meant to live in harmony as it relates to humans. Mr. Speaker, this is not being one's brother's keeper. You cannot be your brother's keeper without keeping your brother. We have become a country who would like to see those who are in harm's way helped--but by someone else. If you are fleeing violence in Syria, let's make sure that someone else can help you. Mr. Jose Escobar, my constituent, was fleeing violence. He was brought up from El Salvador by his mother, trying to save her son, and now he has found himself separated from his wife and his two children with $20 in his pocket and sent back to El Salvador. I went there to see him. I know of what I speak. Mr. Speaker, this is antithetical to our values, and it is detrimental to our existence as a great nation. It is time for us to take a stand and demand that this administration that can find reason to criticize football players, that can find reason to say there were some fine people among those in Charlottesville, and that can find reason to call women names, it is time for this administration and this President to end this antithetical policy as it relates to American values. I proudly stand here as a proud American.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, I missed the following votes: 1. Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2851, H.R. 5735, and H.R. 5788. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this motion. 2. H. Res. 934, Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2851, Stop Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017, H.R. 5735, Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act, and H.R. 5788, Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I am proud to rise and stand in the well of the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I salute the flag, I sing the national anthem, and I believe in what the flag stands for: liberty and justice for all. But, Mr. Speaker, I find now that the flag is being used as a tool to suppress what it stands for: liberty and justice for all. Mr. Speaker, peaceful protest is how I arrived in the Congress of the United States of America. If not but for peaceful protest, I probably, most likely, and believe in the sincerest corners of my heart that I would not be in the Congress of the United States of America. Peaceful protest has brought about positive change in this country, but peaceful protest is now under assault from the highest office in the land: the Office of the President. Peaceful protest is under attack, and I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to defend peaceful protest. I rise especially to defend it as it relates to the flag because the flag stands for liberty and justice for all. Peaceful protest is about liberty and justice for all. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share a very shocking piece of information, perhaps not shocking to some, but it should shock our consciences. This piece of information was compiled by The Guardian and reported by Vox. The information is as follows: racial minorities make up 37.4 percent of the general population--some things bear repeating: 34.7 percent of the general population--and 62.7 percent of the unarmed people killed by police; 37.4 percent of the population, 62.7 percent of the people who are unarmed and killed by the police. Why wouldn't we protest this? Why wouldn't somebody decide that this is unacceptable and I will peacefully protest it? Why wouldn't someone take a knee at a football game to protest this? Why would the President of the United States find reason to link that peaceful protest to disrespect for the flag when the flag stands for liberty and justice for all? That has to include these people who have been killed by the police. By the way, it doesn't matter how great the economy is; their lives will not be brought back. It doesn't matter how many jobs people have; those lives will never return. So being comfortable and being able to say ``I have a great job'' won't bring back people who have lost their lives. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad commentary when the President of the United States brings peaceful protest into dispute as it relates to the flag. I believe that we have a duty and an obligation to protest wrong when we see it. It is as old as the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, it is as old as the Boston Tea Party, and it is as old as the farmers coming to Washington, D.C., in their tractors to protest. Peaceful protest is at the foundation of this Nation. And for us to allow the President to assault and attack peaceful protest by and through the flag, which stands for liberty and justice for all, is an insult to the country. So here is what I propose to do by way of standing against what the President seems to stand for. He has brought Mr. Kaepernick into disrepute; that is what the President would do. I plan to salute him. I will have a flag flown over the Capitol of the United States of America to salute him for his courage, for his willingness to suffer the slings and arrows that have been thrown at him by the highest office in the land to protect liberty and justice for all, which is what the flag stands for.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I thank all of my colleagues who have been associated with this amendment. Mr. Chair, this has been a bipartisan effort. Mr. Culberson and I have worked together not only on this effort, but also to serve people. We do have people who are still living in temporary shelter in Houston and we have people who are still awaiting FEMA's assistance. With some 4.7 million people in the area having been impacted, it is exceedingly important that this amendment be adopted. Mr. Chair, I am appreciative that the chairman has indicated his support of it, and I thank Mr. Culberson, Mr. McCaul, and other colleagues for bringing this amendment to the floor.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment by Mr. Olson. It is a bipartisan effort. But it is also an effort to save lives, because in 2015 with the Memorial Day flood we had 7 people lose their lives; and, in 2016, with the tax day flood, we had 8 people lose their lives; and, of course, Hurricane Harvey claimed 68 lives across the State of Texas. This is not only about dollars and cents, it is about saving lives, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again I rise as a person who loves this country. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a person who refuses to go along to get along. I rise as a person who will speak truth to power and truth about power. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, because in our country, our children are being murdered in schools. Our children are prognosticating that eventually it will come to the school that they happen to attend. Our children are concerned about their safety in what should be one of the safest places for them on Earth: the schools that they attend. I rise, Mr. Speaker, because there are parents who have sent their children to school and never have had them to come home again. I rise because these parents are suffering, because our Nation is suffering. There is great pain within the population. People of goodwill understand that we must do more than have moments of silence, words of prayer, expressions of condolences. People expect those of us who have been elected to the Congress of the United States of America to do what they sent us here to do, that is, have legislation brought to the floor, allow for some debate, and then take a vote. It is expected that we would vote on the legislation that is pending. We have more than 100 pieces of legislation dealing with gun safety pending before the House, and it is not being acted upon. I rise to ask, Mr. Speaker, that you bring this legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives so that the people can express their voices, can express their concerns, can take their positions by and through their legitimately elected Representatives. It is time, Mr. Speaker, for you to act, for you to bring the legislation to the floor so that we may vote on it. If there is someone who truly believes that the solution to this violence, to this killing, to these murders, if there is someone who believes that the solution is a good guy with a gun, put that solution into legislation, Mr. Speaker, and let's vote on whether the solution is a good guy with a gun. Mr. Speaker, I will not go along to get along. Mr. Speaker, you have indicated that you won't be returning to Congress. Well, Mr. Speaker, if you are not going to do your job, if you are not going to brin legislation to the floor--by the way, all of it, not Democratic legislation, not Republican legislation. This is not about Democrats; it is not about Republicans. This is about our children, who are being murdered in schools. If you are not going to bring that legislation to the floor, you ought to just step aside. This is bigger than you. It is bigger than all of us. It is about our children and how they are being murdered in schools. It is time to take the courage that has been embedded within your soul and your constitution and bring that legislation to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I speak truth to power. I speak truth about power. There is a problem. Mr. Speaker, you are the problem.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am amazed at what I am hearing today, because I was there, and I understand that at the time we entered the financial crisis, the banks were not lending to each other. There are many aspects of this to focus on, but today I will simply focus on the $163 billion that the banks made last year. A better name for this bill would be ``Too Much Is Not Enough.'' $163 billion, but that is not enough. The banks would have us now eliminate the Volcker rule, which prevents the banks from using the money on the consumer side, taking that money and moving it over to the investment side, and go to Wall Street and gamble. If they win, they keep the profits; if they lose, they can socialize the losses. This bill is not a bill that benefits consumers. It is a Big Bank bonanza. Too much is not enough, and too much is too much for me. I will vote against it.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we only had four Democrats shooting. Somewhere along the way, we have to do better recruitment. You and I both know we are term limited as co-chairs, and my replacement next year will be another Texan. Where is my Texan? Okay. Congressman Mark Veasey, and I know he shot better than I did, so maybe he will improve our lot next time. It is a lot of fun, the camaraderie is great, and I just am honored to have that time to be the vice chair, now the co-chair of it, and so thank you.