Steven Horsford

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend, my colleague, the gentleman from the great State of New York (Mr. Jeffries) for his leadership and for coanchoring this hour, and for focusing the efforts of the Congressional Black Caucus and the attention on such an important and pressing matter as the issue of the decline of opportunities for millions of Americans. So often people ask the question, why do you have to talk about race? Why do you have to raise issues in the context of the disproportionality of issues as it applies to race? If there is any question about why that is the need or why there is a need to do that, unfortunately, the events over the last week and the comments by individuals over the last week indicate why these issues are still so prevalent in our country. They talk about the original sin being slavery in this country, and the fact is so much of the disparate treatment of color is based on some institutional issues that are so pervasive in a number of different areas. For me, it is necessary because I represent a district that is very diverse, like many Members in this body. My district is home to Cliven Bundy, the rancher that has received so much national attention, not just because of the issues around his use of public lands, even though he had failed to pay the grazing fees and was prohibited from being on that land, but because of the racist, hate-filled words that he talked about pertaining to African Americans. The fact that he said that people didn't take the time to understand his way of life in a town in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District, but yet he would profile another community based on the fact that he just drove by and looked and observed their situation and then judged and made the judgment that maybe they were better off under slavery. Maybe it is the recent remarks by the owner of the L.A. Clippers, the fact that, in a private conversation, he would talk about what his true feelings are about the people who have made him such a wealthy individual; and yet it is that hate-filled racist view that we are here to expose today. So when we talk about opportunity, it is fundamental. It is a fundamental tenet of our great Nation, and we still are trying to live up to that ideal of an equal opportunity for every individual. So just like I advocate for constituents who live out in Bunkerville and Mesquite, in Moapa Valley, in Virgin Valley as part of my congressional district, in rural areas that may not have a lot of diversity, just as they are concerned with the armed militia that are still in their communities tonight--and I have spoken up and asked law enforcement agencies to help remove those armed militias from that local community that just wants to return to normal--I am also here to speak up for communities throughout my district that are very diverse, that have Latino communities and African American and Asian American communities that are faced with this opportunity gap issue that we are here to talk about. This is not a one-way conversation that we are having. We want to invite those of you who are watching on C-SPAN or those of you who are following us on Twitter at #CBCtalks to get involved in the conversation. Tweet us your comments about what this opportunity gap means to you. The ability to work hard and achieve success, no matter what part of society you were born in, this is what has produced the world's largest middle class and has propelled all of us to be the most powerful and wealthy country in the world; and it has also been an economy that works for everyone, in that it grows wealth from the middle out. That has produced our country's most prosperous times, and that is what we are here to defend tonight in this conversation. But in the past two decades, in particular, and particularly during our Nation's recovery from the great recession, as my colleague from New York (Mr. Jeffries) illuminated, the promise of opportunity is not materializing for millions of Americans. It is not because these individuals don't want that opportunity. It is not because there is a lack of willingness or hard work on behalf of individuals. The question is: What is keeping so many people from that same opportunity? More and more Americans are falling out of the middle class and into poverty while those in poverty are unable to climb beyond the first rung of the economic ladder. Just last week, we learned from The New York Times that America no longer has the wealthiest middle class in the world, falling behind our neighbors to the north, Canada; and this should not come as a shock to anyone, given the troubling economic trends of the past decade or so. We have to recognize that these income inequalities and a shrinking middle class is a crisis for our Nation and one that will not go away if we do not act. In fact, it is a crisis that will only grow worse and will ultimately catch up to our ability to sustain our position as the world's wealthiest country. Now, as my colleague from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the ranking member, just said, it is not an easy crisis to solve, and no single policy will address all of the factors that are contributing to the growing opportunity gap, but one issue that I want to speak about specifically is the fact that experts have consistently and nearly universally identified the area that will go the furthest in providing expanded opportunities for all, and that is education and particularly early education. Positive social and cognitive development starts very early, and children who are encouraged to actively learn, starting from when they are as young as 3 or 4 years old, experience tremendous long-term benefits. Research also shows that high-quality early childhood education can provide children from poor working class backgrounds with the similar early learning experiences as children from wealthier backgrounds. Now, why is this important? The enrollment and graduation rates by race matter. For those individuals who belong to the Asian American community, they have the highest graduation rates, at nearly 70 percent. Among the White population, it is about 62 percent. Among the Latino community, it is 51 percent. But for African Americans, according to the 2005 cohort, we have just a 39.9 percent graduation rate compared to enrollment. So if we are going to change these statistics, we have to start at the beginning, and that is an investment in education, in early childhood education. Now, we can't do that by supporting the budget by Congressman Paul Ryan, which would cut investments in Head Start, which we know greatly helps all children develop social and cognitive skills that they otherwise might not receive at home. In addition to early education investments, it is critical that we invest in our middle schools and high schools, so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and to be prepared to go to college and ultimately graduate with a college degree. Still, to this day, schools are not even close to receiving equal amounts of funding; and that is why groups, such as the Children's Defense Fund, talk about be careful what you cut and that our budgets reflect our values, that if we don't invest properly in education, in early childhood education, then we are not going to get the type of return on investments and improved outcomes through high school graduation and college. Low-income African American students, in particular, suffer the consequence from these circumstances. If I could talk about this chart for just a moment, dealing with the access to a full range of courses in math and science among the White, Asian, Latino, and African American population--again, this is an issue of access. If students aren't being exposed to a curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and math, then they are not going to be able to learn or perform or graduate in these areas. In this chart, we see an incredibly reduced rate for African Americans when it comes to math and science courses. Only 57 percent of African American students have access to a full range of math and science courses. These are subjects that have major impacts when it comes to college readiness and achievement scores on standardized testing. Now, in my home State of Nevada, the graduation rate discrepancy between White students and students of color is striking: 72 percent for Whites, 55 percent for Latinos, and a staggeringly low rate of 48 percent for African Americans. Nevada's high school graduation rate is the lowest in the Nation. In fact, today, they just released the most recent high school graduation statistics for every State in the country, and Nevada was at the bottom. It contributes greatly to our State receiving the lowest opportunity score in the country by Opportunity Nation, which factors in economic, educational, and community conditions that affect people's ability to succeed and climb the economic ladder. So if we don't address education and invest in education, then we are never going to really be able to truly close this wealth gap that exists. That is why the CBC and the Democratic alternative budgets both propose investing billions of dollars--in fact, reinvesting because, under the budgets that were passed when we were in the majority in this House, the funding was there for school and the training of our teachers to properly address the growing opportunity gap between high- income and low-income students; but under the GOP here in the House, they have slashed those budgets. It is time for us to reinvest. The Republican budget ignores the long-term opportunity gaps that arise in our Nation's low-income schools. It would pull the rug out from under as many as 3.4 million disadvantaged students and 8,000 schools across the country. It cuts 29,000 teachers and teacher aides, educating disadvantaged students by 2016. The GOP budget cuts 170,000 vulnerable children out of Head Start, as I said. So it is pretty clear to me that the differences between the House Republican budget and the Democratic priorities stand when it comes to investing and providing opportunities to the next generation of middle class workers, but it starts with education. That is why we need to fulfill that promise of opportunity for all and allow those who work hard and who play by the rules to climb that economic ladder and to achieve economic stability in their lives, no longer living paycheck to paycheck.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. First, I would like to extend my appreciation to my colleague, my good friend, and the ranking member, Mr. Levin, from the great State of Michigan, for hosting this critically important Special Order hour on extending unemployment insurance benefits for over 2.2 million people who have been cut off since the end of last year. Thank you for your leadership and tenacity in making sure that this issue remains a priority here in this House. I commend you, sir, for your leadership. The timing of this Special Order hour in this session is not coincidental. The Senate is well on their way towards passing a bipartisan bill to restore this critical financial lifeline that the people in this country depend on while they search for work. I want to commend my Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, from the great State of Nevada, and the other great U.S. Senator from Nevada, Dean Heller, a Republican, who have worked in a bipartisan manner with Senator Jack Reed to get to the point they are in the Senate. I want to go further in recognizing Senator Dean Heller in calling Speaker Boehner just recently to ask him what it would take to bring up a clean vote on extending unemployment insurance benefits, because this is not a partisan issue--at least it shouldn't be. Helping 2 million Americans who rely on unemployment insurance as a bridge while they search for work is basic, fundamental, and should be supported by Members on both sides of the aisle, extending the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program through May and restoring the financial bridge to nearly 2.8 million Americans. These are our neighbors. They are people that we know. Now, the Democratic Caucus in the House comes to the floor today with a unified voice to respectfully ask the Speaker of this House for a vote. We have heard the calls from our constituents, and they cannot wait another day for the Republican leadership to continue to play political games. My colleague, Representative Sanchez, just said it has been 17 weeks since these unemployment insurance benefits have expired. For each week, that is $300, on average, that family members who use this to pay the rent, to keep the utilities on, to put some gas in the car so that they can search for work have been lost. So we come here today to talk about the lives that have been affected by this Congress' inaction at a time when the American people expect us to act. We are here to put the face to the numbers, because there are real people behind the 2.8 million Americans who are suffering, to give voice to those who are being ignored while they struggle to stay in their homes and to put food on their table for themselves and their family. Now, I am from Nevada. In our State, we recently had our numbers released today, and fortunately the numbers are getting better. Now we are the third worst in unemployment. So that is good news, but it is still not good enough. Nevada, along with other States like Rhode Island, continue to face higher unemployment in the Nation, not because the people in our States don't want to work, but because the environment in our States hasn't recovered fast enough from the recession. Now, in Nevada, we like boasting more about being the entertainment capital of the world and the fact that we have some of the most magnificent natural resources anywhere, but, unfortunately, the prolonged recession has hit our State and the people of Nevada to our core. As I said, it is because, in large part, our economy was a growth economy. For nearly 20 years, year over year, we had double-digit growth, and people were moving to the great State of Nevada to help us build and to grow. But during the recession that changed, and so now over 100,000 Nevadans are unemployed and have been primarily from the construction, engineering, and architecture sectors of our economy. These aren't people who don't want to work. There is an environment that is not allowing them to go to work. Now, if we pass the Senate bill, 31,500 Nevadans would see their unemployment benefits extended. It is not a lot of money. As I said, it is not enough to live off of, but for these families and the stories that they have told us, it can make all the difference between being on the brink and literally falling off. Now, I want to share a couple of stories of constituents whom I have met over the last few weeks as we have tried to bring attention to this issue. Before coming to Congress, I ran an employment and training agency that helped thousands of people get training to go to work in Las Vegas. I know what it takes to put people back to work. So I went and visited one of our workforce centers and met with a group of unemployed workers to hear directly what they are facing and what it has meant to lose their unemployment insurance. They told us that they didn't know where else to turn. And they surely, if Speaker Boehner could hear from them, they want him to know that they want to do right by our fellow citizens and return to work. Now, among the Nevadans who have been cut off from unemployment insurance is Monty. He was laid off from his job on December 4, 2013, and he lost his benefits on December 28, 2013. When he called my office in February, his life had gone from bad to worse. Monty told my staff: I've had to basically pawn everything of value that I own to try and stay in my apartment. That came to an end last week when I couldn't afford to stay there anymore and I was evicted. Right now, I am sleeping on rocks outside of a brick wall at night with a blanket to keep me warm, and during the daytime I go out and look for work. Prior to losing unemployment benefits, I was able to pay my rent on a weekly basis, have bus fare to get around and look for jobs, and provide a little bit of food for myself and keep looking. Monty hasn't given up because he is determined to get back on his feet. He has never been in this situation before and, Mr. Speaker, he is not a lazy person. When he was employed, he hadn't missed a day of work in 25 years. Now he just can't understand why Congress has turned its back on him. Unemployment benefits were providing him the opportunity to keep looking for work and to stay in his home so that he could have a bed to sleep in and a hot shower before he goes on work interviews. Now, there was recently some good news for Monty. He recently signed up for Medicaid because of the Affordable Care Act. It is a small victory for him, but his story of losing his home is the same as thousands of people around this Nation. That is why I am proud to be a lead sponsor of the Stop Foreclosures Due to the Congressional Dysfunction Act introduced by Congressman Matt Cartwright from Pennsylvania. The legislation would impose a 6-month moratorium on foreclosures for individuals who have lost their unemployment insurance compensation due to the recent congressional inaction. Until we do the right thing, Mr. Speaker, by extending unemployment insurance, we must do everything that we can to keep families with a roof over their heads. Congressman Cartwright and I have also sent a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt requesting that he take action and use his regulatory authority to establish the 6-month moratorium if Congress fails to act to pass this important legislation. Another constituent who I talked with recently is Elizabeth. Like my colleague Representative Sanchez said, many of these workers, or unemployed people who want to work, happen to be older Americans who feel that age has something to do with why they are not able to get back into the workforce. She lost her job with the Nevada Division of Insurance last year after suffering a stroke and two severe concussions. She has been searching every single day for work. She, like Monty, was uninsured until receiving coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Her unemployment benefits helped pay her premium and for the expense of medications that help prevent her seizures. After losing her benefits, she had to cut down on taking her medication, now taking it every other day instead of daily, and now risks suffering another accident. Given her new condition, she made it her goal to become a caretaker and companion for senior citizens, which requires she attend classes and trainings. The unemployment benefits that she was receiving helped pay to put gas in her car to attend those classes. When she lost her benefits, she had to stop taking the classes, which was devastating, because this was part of her goal and the transition that she was trying to make to return to work. But like many people, she had tough choices to make. She told us it wasn't a lot of money when she had a job, but now her family barely has enough to stay in their home and to pay their bills. Elizabeth wants to work. She told us: Do you think it is fun sitting around every day feeling like you are worthless, like you are nothing? She told us that most of all she wants to be able to get back to work to help provide for her neighbors, for those senior citizens that need that care and attention, for those who are worse off than she is. One of the hardest parts of being in financial straits, for her, is not being able to give to charity. That is true citizenship, Mr. Speaker, and House Republicans could learn a lot from Elizabeth. These are the personal stories of those who have been hurt by Congress' failure to act. If Republicans don't want to extend unemployment insurance because it is the right thing to do for our fellow Americans, then maybe--then maybe--you will do it because it is the right thing to do for the economy. Overall, failing to renew the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will cost the economy 200,000 jobs this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office, including 3,000 jobs in my home State of Nevada. Failing to extend unemployment insurance has drained, already, nearly $5 billion from our State economies, including $70 million from Nevada's economy, at a time when economic growth is needed the most. For every $1 that is spent on unemployment insurance, it grows the economy by $1.52. So, whichever way you look at it, there is no excuse for inaction. When the Senate acts next week, the country's attention will turn to the House, and I am here with my colleagues today to urge the Speaker to listen to the Americans in this country who are desperately depending on us to act. At the end of next week, we will go into a work period for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks, Americans will suffer if we don't act. Mr. Speaker, we must be ready to act, and I urge my colleagues to do the right thing by extending unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans who need it now. Again, I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan and my other colleagues who have joined for this Special Order.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15 to demand a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that unites our families, keeps our families together, moves our country forward. We demand a vote, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the subject of our Special Order hour.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, this month is Women's History Month, and the Congressional Black Caucus is pleased to come during this Special Order hour to bring attention to the important issues that particularly face women this month, but we shouldn't be fighting for equality just 1 month out of the year. It is a constant effort. We are here tonight to encourage everyone to get engaged in making equality a reality. As President Obama made clear during his State of the Union Address, when women succeed, America succeeds. So tonight, we, the Congressional Black Caucus, gather to discuss the ways in which we can help women succeed, rather than continuing to turn back the clock on women's rights. I am pleased to start this hour with our chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, the person who brings these issues forward each and every day on behalf of her constituents in Ohio and on behalf of constituents all across America, the gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Fudge.

Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus for your dynamic leadership as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. It has been my honor to serve with you this legislative Congressional session and look forward to the many achievements ahead on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. Speaker, so much of the focus tonight is on the history that women contribute to our great Nation. We have many dynamic women who serve in our delegation in the House of Representatives. It is part of that representation that ensures that these issues that are important to women, as they are important to all Americans, are brought forward. We have none other than a champion for women in her district in the northern part of California, but also around the world. She is someone who needs no introduction because she brings so much experience and education and knowledge to these issues. I would like to yield now to the gentlelady from California, Representative Barbara Lee.

Mr. HORSFORD. Thank you to the gentlelady from California. Thank you for that great historical overview and perspective and for bringing those profound remarks to the floor this evening. I would also like to yield to a dynamic colleague. We have had the great honor and privilege to get to know each other as freshmen in this congressional session. She is the gentlelady from Ohio. She brings so much talent and perspective, energy and focus to the issues that she works on here in the House of Representatives on behalf of her constituents and those around the country. I would like to yield now to the gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty, for those illuminating topics that were covered, and for highlighting all the various ways, both historically and currently, that women make a huge impact in our society, in the home, in the workplace, in education, and throughout all aspects of life. So thank you, Representative Beatty, for your ongoing contributions to these important issues. I am so proud to be joined here by the Representative from New York (Mr. Jeffries), my coanchor of this hour. I look forward to his remarks. I want to also highlight in addition to all of the national leaders and women who have run for office, whether it be here in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, or as President, we also have many unsung women who toil everyday but who make a huge impact. It is only fitting, Mr. Speaker, that during Women's History Month that I recognize a Nevada leader, an icon, Ms. Ruby Duncan, who is an inspiration in my home State to many. Ruby to me is the personification of the word fight. She is someone we can all learn from each and every day. Her history is a lesson in never giving up and staring down the specter of inequality. Nothing was ever handed to her, but much was taken. Ruby's life began in the middle of the Great Depression. Where she grew up in rural Louisiana, people were already poor for a long time. Ruby had three brothers and a sister, all but one passing from accidents or illnesses. She lost her parents before she was 4. She spent most of her youth moving around Tallulah, living with relatives. The school that she attended, a school for Black children, was located in a church miles from home. There was no transportation. She walked every day until she left school after the ninth grade for full- time work. Actually, it was more than full-time work. For years she was a waitress making about $9.50 a week. Yes, that's right, $9.50 a week. Her work weeks were long, over 80 hours a week. When she heard her aunt in Las Vegas was making $40 for similar work, she moved there. When she arrived, she discovered her aunt living in a cardboard shack in the desert, sharing a community wash house with others. She discovered a de facto segregated community there, separate schools, housing, and zoning in the community resulted in a system of clear disenfranchisement. Blacks were not welcome at the Las Vegas Strip hotels. There were colored sections designated in movie theaters. Still, Ms. Ruby Duncan persevered. She survived. She did day work as a maid in homes around the area. In 1959 she worked as a hotel maid but was fired later for attempting to organize other maids to protest the inhumane treatment and workload. For a while her only income for herself and her children was the aid to dependent children grant that she received from the State welfare system. Like those struggling today, she did not rest. She was not lazy; she worked. She searched for work and was hired in the pantry of one of the Strip hotels in Las Vegas. After an accident, she learned she could no longer do the heavy work that she was performing. When a State program that was supporting her was cut, she was contacted to join a group of mothers going up to Carson City, our State's capital, to protest substandard grants from the Nevada Legislature. Ruby marched and spoke at a hearing with no prior experience in public speaking. She did it because someone had to say something for those who were struggling. Someone had to stand up for what was right. After Mrs. Duncan's trip to Carson City, she was elected president of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization. As president, she led the nationally publicized 1971 marches on the Las Vegas Strip, protesting the purge of thousands of needy Nevada families from programs designed to help the poor and allow them to keep their heads above water. From that she has fought to provide basic necessities to families in need--food, shelter, health services, and education. Her organization that she created, Operation Life, has had an impact on health screening centers, libraries, food programs for women, infants and children, child care, and the list goes on. Ruby Duncan represents hope. In a country plagued by inequality and discrimination of the worst forms, Ruby fought and won many decisive battles that affect the lives of so many in Nevada and across this Nation today. Not everyone wins their battle with poverty. For so many, circumstances beyond their control take over their lives. For many born poor, they stay poor. For many born just above the poverty line, they dip below and enter a cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, if they can even find one. The poor are not poor because of a weak character. They are not lazy. Many are poor because no one ever gave them a chance. It is people like Ruby Duncan that I am here to represent. The people who had less than a hand up, but they still persevered. She is strong, and she is an inspiration to me, and someone who I wanted to recognize during this recognition of Women's History Month. Congratulations to Ms. Ruby Duncan. I would now like to yield to the coanchor for this hour, my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries). It is always great to be here with you, to bring this hour of power of information to the constituents throughout the United States who are listening. I thank you for your friendship, for always working hard, for including me, and it is great to serve with you in this 113th Congress. I yield to my good friend.

Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentleman from New York. Thank you for that very insightful background on your district and the leadership of the district. It speaks to why there is so much impact that comes from Representatives from your district and the area and the neighborhoods that you represent. I know that you cannot fully fill those shoes, but you are doing your part in bringing forward the message that so many others carried and that we follow now on their shoulders, so thank you for that historical perspective. In addition to the historical perspective that women offer in this country, the House Democrats also have a legislative agenda that focuses on when women succeed, America succeeds. It is an economic agenda for women, and it is one that was created by the women in the House Democratic Caucus that is sponsored and supported by men. As a man, I support this economic agenda for women because, as a husband and a father, I want for every woman what I want for my own wife and my daughter. As a brother and a son, I want for other women what I want for my two sisters and my mother. So this economic agenda for women focuses on a number of areas. The first, of course, is equal pay for equal work. It is appalling, Mr. Speaker, that in the year 2014, we are still struggling to pay women the wages that they deserve. They are still not receiving equal pay for equal work. That, on its face, is wrong. Women in my home State of Nevada are paid about 85 cents for every dollar paid to men; and while that is better than the 77-cent national average, we still have a long, long way to go. As my colleagues have already explained, for African American women and Latinas, this pay gap is even larger. African American women, on average, earn only 64 cents; and Latinas, on average, earn only 55 cents for every dollar earned by White, non-Hispanic men. In my home State of Nevada, the pay gap between men and women is, on average, $6,316 per year. Now, that is real money, and it makes a real impact in the lives of families. Nevada women lose approximately $2 billion per year because of this wage gap. Now, what can $6,316 pay for, for families in my home State of Nevada? $6,316 is about 46 more weeks of food. $6,316 per year is 4 more months of mortgage and utility payments. $6,316 per year is 7 months of rent. $6,316 per year is an additional 1,681 gallons of gas. So if we thought that the wage gap was just some rhetoric that was being talked about out there, all you have to look at is the real impact of lost economic benefit to women. If we closed the wage gap between men and women, we could cut the poverty rate in half for working women and their families. It is the right thing to do, to treat people equally, to pay them equal pay for equal work. That is why 125,000 households in Nevada, who are headed by women, expect this Congress to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, invest in job training and educational opportunities, and make sure that we protect pregnant workers from discrimination in the workplace. Now, another area that we have to address is raising the minimum wage and giving America a raise. Mr. Speaker, low-income workers continue to struggle to provide for their families, while the rich continue to make record profits in the millions. It is important to remember who earns the minimum wage in this country. They are women. Women make up the majority of low-income workers. In fact, nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. These are our mothers. They are our sisters and our daughters. Can we really expect for women to provide for their families when they are making the minimum wage? Let's talk about what $7.25 really means as a national wage for women. That is $14,500 a year. Can people really survive on $14,500 a year? Particularly, more than a majority now of women who are the head of their household, the primary breadwinners, can they provide for themselves and their families on $14,500 a year? That is why House Democrats, in this economic agenda for women--when women succeed, America succeeds--we understand that by lifting the Federal minimum wage to $10.10, that if it were adjusted for inflation, compared to what it was in the 1960s, it would be well past time, Mr. Speaker, to address this pay gap for women. In addition to increasing the minimum wage to help 1 in 3 adult women who are currently living in poverty or on the brink of it, this would help lift those women out of poverty, helping 30 million Americans see an increase in their wage, a million Americans being lifted out of poverty. These are the real impacts and the benefits on the economic agenda for women. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, to elaborate further on these points, and then I can close us out.

Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentleman, my coanchor, for joining me this hour. Mr. Speaker, as we come to a close, to just highlight some of the major reasons why the Congressional Black Caucus along with the House Democrats believe that, if we are really going to honor the role of women in this country, then we need to start by honoring them through equal pay. We need to honor them through an economic agenda that supports their needs and the needs of their families. And as my colleagues have already ably laid out, women now make up half--47 percent--of the general workforce and some 62 percent of the minimum wage workforce, which is up from about 30 percent in the 1950s. Twelve percent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers, and fewer than 40 percent have access to personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance. So one of the other cornerstones, in addition to giving women equal pay for equal work, for increasing the minimum wage, is providing a work-family balance by allowing women to be able to take off work when necessary to care for a loved one without losing their earnings and a paycheck. Laws providing paid family leave and medical leave allow workers to continue to earn a portion of their pay while they take time away from work to address serious health conditions, including pregnancy, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, and to care for a newborn, newly adopted child or a newly placed foster child. You know, we should be encouraging the growth of strong, healthy families. And so often my colleagues on the other side talk about family values. Well, if you won't pass legislation that allows workers to spend time with their families, then what kind of a family value is that? Over the average lifetime of a woman, by the age of 65, they will have lost $431,000 because of the earnings gap. That is something that the House Democrats, along with the Congressional Black Caucus, are working to address. We have legislation, When Women Succeed, America Succeeds, the economic agenda for women that we have laid out here tonight that would close this earnings gap, provide women the support they need to make more, helping their families and helping our economy as a whole. So in closing, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about Women's History Month, we hope that it will resonate in this Chamber and in the Halls here in Washington that the decisions that we make impact the lives of all of our constituents. And it is time that women have a fair shot to the full opportunity that this country has to offer, and it starts by providing them with the earnings that they deserve. This is good not only for that woman and her future, but it is good for the family as a whole. As I said earlier, I want for every woman what I want for my wife and my daughter: to be able to have the same opportunities and to be treated the same way as a man is treated in this country. I want for every woman what I want for my two sisters and my mother: to have the same equal opportunities to pursue their dreams and to be paid the same for pursuing that dream. So these are the issues that we have laid out tonight, Mr. Speaker. We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues on the other side. We would like to thank the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Fudge, and all of the members of the CBC and those who were able to speak tonight. When women succeed, Mr. Speaker, America succeeds. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to congratulate the two Senators from my home State--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dean Heller--for putting together a bipartisan unemployment insurance benefit extension. I am thankful on behalf of the 2 million Americans who are depending on UI benefits that the Senate is expected to act soon. But here we go again, Mr. Speaker. The pressure is now on the House. I think it is wrong that one person in the House out of 435 can hold hostage a financial lifeline for 2 million Americans, including 26,000 Nevadans. Every Member of Congress now has a choice to make: sign the discharge petition to bring up unemployment insurance in a vote; or don't and abandon the Americans who desperately need our help. I have signed, and I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same. Moderate House Republicans can do something before they leave today. Sign the discharge petition. Show your constituents that you stand with them and bring up a vote to extend unemployment insurance benefits.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, right now, thousands of Nevadans have the full-time job of looking for work. It has gotten worse for many since December 28 of last year, when emergency unemployment insurance benefits for many expired. There are now over 2 million Americans, Mr. Speaker, who have been cut off from unemployment insurance because of Congress' failure to act. That includes 26,023 Nevadans. These are not numbers; these are real people. Every week that Congress fails to act, it is projected that an additional 842 Nevadans will lose their benefits each week during the first half of 2014. Nevada's economy has lost over $54 million because Congress has stalled; but I, along with many of my colleagues, have not forgotten about our constituents. Today, Democrats will sign a discharge petition to force Speaker Boehner and the House Republicans to bring up a bill to extend unemployment benefits for all Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. These benefits are used to put food on the table, to put gas in the car, so that they can go look for an interview and to pay for rent. Extending these unemployment benefits used to be bipartisan. On December 14, 2002, in his weekly radio address, then-President George W. Bush scolded Congress, saying, ``No final bill was sent to me extending unemployment benefits for about 750,000 Americans whose benefits will expire on December 28.'' He went on to say, ``These Americans rely on their unemployment benefits to pay for the mortgage or rent, food, and other critical bills. They need our assistance in these difficult times, and we cannot let them down.'' The unemployment rate in December 2002 had just hit 6 percent. Congress then extended unemployment benefits by a vote of 416-4. If it was an emergency then, it is an emergency now. It is time to do the right thing and extend unemployment insurance benefits for Americans. It is an emergency for my constituents, like Alfordeen, who I met at a local Workforce Connection center as she searched for work. It is an emergency for Monty, who recently signed up for Medicaid because of the Affordable Care Act. He is homeless now; and because Congress failed to act, his unemployment insurance has been cut. It is an emergency for Tamika, who I brought as my guest to the State of the Union. She is an electrician, and she knows what it means to work hard, but has fallen on hard times and can't find work. The Nevadans on unemployment insurance that I meet are scrambling to make ends meet, and no one wants to live on unemployment insurance; and no, Mr. Speaker, they are not lazy. Despite repeated Democratic efforts, Republicans in Congress refuse to listen and have callously rejected restoring this vital economic lifeline that serves as a financial bridge for those who are looking for work, so this discharge petition is an extraordinary step. But for my constituents, there is no time for politics, and there is no time for waiting. Action to create jobs and build an economy that works for everyone must start with renewing unemployment insurance benefits for those Americans who were laid off at no fault of their own. It is time to extend unemployment insurance now. I encourage the Speaker, after this discharge petition is signed by Members, to bring up a vote so that we can provide this important lifeline to 2 million Americans, 26,000 Nevadans, families, and veterans who desperately need this benefit.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today to commemorate my home State of Nevada's upcoming birthday on March 21, which will mark 150 years since Nevada was admitted to the Union in 1864. On that historic day, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation allowing the Nevada Territory to draft its own constitution and form a State government, making us a true ``Battle Born State.'' Throughout its history, Nevada has embodied the rugged and adventurous spirit of the West. People from all walks of life have journeyed to our State to seek new opportunities, eventually settling down and contributing to Nevada's rich diversity. On March 21, Nevada will come together to celebrate our State's history and achievements, but we will also be looking toward the future. Nevada's best days are yet ahead, and I look forward to seeing what comes next. Happy birthday, Nevada.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. HORSFORD. I am in its current form.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. This Republican bill represents the 50th attempt to undermine and repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic motion to recommit lowers out-of-pocket costs, secures tax credits and rebates, and ensures no discrimination against those with preexisting conditions. The bill would delay the individual responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act to purchase health care by 1 year, which would directly impact the out-of-pocket costs of consumers and threaten the ability of millions of Americans with preexisting conditions to have health coverage. The nonpartisan CBO estimates that the enactment of the Republican H.R. 4118 would increase the number of uninsured by 1 million in 2014, by 2 million in 2015, and by 1 million in 2016. That is 4 million Americans who would not have access to health insurance otherwise. The White House pointed out this morning that the individual shared responsibility provision is essential to ensuring that 129 million Americans with preexisting conditions can get coverage without being charged more or losing coverage when they get sick. Mr. Speaker, this bill is just another example of House Republicans playing political games rather than working together to get things done for the American people. This is no longer about helping people. It never really was for the Republicans. These repeal votes are about ideological purity. They are about politics for the sake of politics. That is why people across America are frustrated and disappointed by this Congress--because this Chamber has become a bubble, and Republicans have stopped listening and have stopped working on anything productive. It is not just on health care. It is on giving Americans a raise by increasing the Federal minimum wage. It is the refusal to bring up comprehensive immigration reform even though there are votes in the House to pass it. It is on unemployment insurance and on the failure of this Congress to extend benefits to now more than 2 million Americans who have lost coverage. It is about creating jobs and helping to improve and grow our infrastructure. Now, this vote may seem routine. It may seem like this is just Congress' continuing Groundhog Day, but this is the 50th time that we have done this. We are wasting time, and we have a full docket of things that we need to be doing. This vote is a symptom of something very wrong in Washington, and it is time to wake up and to do something more than play Tea Party politics in this House. The bill offered by my colleagues on the other side would increase out-of-pocket costs to American consumers. It would increase health premiums and the number of uninsured Americans, and it hurts those with preexisting conditions. Last year, I underwent a six-way bypass. Open heart surgery--no question--was terrifying, and when you are on an operating table in an emergency room, the last thing you should be focusing on is becoming medically bankrupt. You should be focusing on taking care of yourself and your family and on getting them the best care that you can. Whether it is heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or any other preexisting condition, people shouldn't go bankrupt because of an illness or a disease in this country. Thankfully, my surgery went well. I was able to afford it. My heart condition is now a preexisting condition. There are thousands of my constituents who are in the same or worse boat but who are not financially well off. If we repeal or delay the Affordable Care Act, what are they supposed to do? There is no solution being offered by the House Republicans. It is not repeal and replace. It is repeal and return to a broken health care system. That is it. That is the Republicans' plan. Last year, they passed H.R. 2668, a virtually identical bill to the one we are considering today. They have run out of ways to repeal this law, so now we are stuck on repeat. We should, instead, be focusing on renewing unemployment insurance benefits for 2 million struggling Americans, on passing comprehensive immigration reform so that we can fix the system that has got families torn apart, and on giving 30 million Americans a raise. My motion to recommit would protect three of the most important provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are overwhelmingly supported by the American people: lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers, tax credits and rebates to purchase health care, and ensuring that no one in America can be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition in America. It is time for this Congress to wake up and to do the right thing--to protect Americans and their health care. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. HORSFORD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our chairman from the Natural Resources Committee, and I am proud to be here on behalf of the minority to speak in favor of S. 23, which is a locally driven conservation initiative that will make the management of a national park unit more efficient and will create the first new acres of wilderness enacted into the system since 2009. Adding approximately 30,000 acres of wilderness will protect the special character of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The passage of this bill is going to make a lot of people very happy, and I hope it is a sign of change to come. Congress should not stand in the way of locally driven conservation initiatives, and we look forward to working with the majority to identify more opportunities in which to work together and to move legislation that merits our attention. There are a lot more wilderness bills, monument designations, and wildlife and scenic river bills that the House should consider. We happily support the adoption of S. 23. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, just to reiterate, we fully support S. 23. I look forward to its passage, and I look forward to one day visiting this beautiful location in Michigan. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2259 will protect an important watershed and recreational resource west of Glacier National Park, and we are glad to see it on the suspension calendar. It is a widely supported initiative in Montana that will conserve a treasured landscape that belongs to every American. Some places are just too special to allow short-term commercial considerations to potentially harm their long-term viability. Stakeholders in Montana identified the importance of the North Fork watershed, an area that supports the recreation-based economy, provides clean drinking water, and allows wildlife to thrive. H.R. 2259 guarantees that this area will not be threatened by unfettered energy development. I support this bill, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise again to reiterate our support for H.R. 2259, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. I thank my good friend and colleague from the great State of New York, Mr. Jeffries, and for your leadership in anchoring this hour on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, and to bring the American people into a very important conversation about what the House of Representatives should be doing as you talked about tonight, and that is, Mr. Speaker, raising the debt ceiling and averting another crisis. We are here tonight to urge our colleagues on the other side to work with Democrats and the administration to pass a clean and swift debt ceiling expansion without delay. The Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Lew, emphasized in a letter to Congressional leadership last Friday that ``no Congress in our history has failed to meet that responsibility,'' and ``it would be a mistake to wait until the last possible minute to act.'' Why should we act, Mr. Speaker? Why should we delay in acting? This Congress, unfortunately, being known as the ``do-nothing'' Congress, has failed to pass more bills than other previous sessions of Congress at a time when the American public expect their elected officials to work together to get things done. Under the leadership of the majority, fewer than 60 bills that have been passed by Congress have ultimately become law in the last year. Now we are here facing yet another self-imposed, self-inflicted crisis. As my colleagues, Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Payne, have said, this is nonsense. The American public is looking at Congress and saying, Do your job. The Treasury Department has made clear that it will exhaust all extraordinary measures in meeting our country's final financial obligations by February 27. The House--this House--is only in session for 5 more days between now and then, Mr. Speaker. That is why we are here to urge our Republican colleagues to act to raise the debt ceiling now, to do it swiftly, to do it without putting our country's full faith and credit of the United States at risk. As my colleagues have said, we have to raise the debt, and it is not for negotiation. Let us remember that the debt ceiling has been raised 45 times since President Ronald Reagan took office. It doesn't grow our deficit by a single dime. All it does is allow the Treasury to pay for what this Congress has already spent and the obligations previous Congresses have already made on behalf of the United States. There has already been much talk about Speaker Boehner turning something that could be very simple into a hostage situation with sweeping concessions. I would hope that my Republican colleagues remember the damage that was caused the last time we debated increasing the debt ceiling. The fact that House Republicans are debating among themselves another demand to hold our full faith and credit of the United States hostage is outrageous. As we stated before, Mr. Speaker, House Democrats agree with President Obama that the full faith and credit of the United States is nonnegotiable. I stand with House Democrats in support of a clean debt ceiling increase that ensures the full faith and credit of the United States of America and avoids having this Congress play political games and brinksmanship. We have said it before and we will say it again: we should be representing the people's best interest, not punishing them. There are drastic implications to not passing this debt ceiling increase by February 27. I want to yield to my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, for us to be able to highlight some of these damaging consequences. I know in my home State of Nevada, it would mean an average increase in mortgage rates, leaving the average home buyer to pay an additional $100 a month, costing families $36,000 over the lifetime of a typical 30-year mortgage. 85,267 Nevada residents took out a home mortgage or refinanced their existing mortgage in the past year. All of them would be subject to these increases in mortgage interest rates. So this is just one example of one State and the families that would be impacted. This is the type of impact that would happen across our Nation. The consequences are real. It is time for our colleagues on the other side to stop playing games, increase the debt ceiling, and meet our obligations.

Mr. HORSFORD. Thank you. I appreciate my good friend for yielding. The remarks by the former President, President Reagan, speak to the reality of the consequence of Congress failing to act and what that will mean to our economy, to average Americans, to businesses, to the global economy because of the role that the United States plays, and to the value of the dollar, and to somehow hold this process hostage because Members on the other side have still not come to terms that the election is over, the President won, and it is time for this Congress to work with him to move our country forward, not to use this as another means to extract more concessions or demands in order for you to do your job. You don't have to agree with President Obama on everything, but what you do have to do is your job on behalf of the American people that elected you. While no one knows with certainty the full extent of the damage to the economy should the U.S. default on its debts--and we don't know because it has never happened because every other Congress, regardless of party, regardless of which party controls the White House or the administration on a given time, did its job to extend and raise the debt--what we do know is that the average American family will feel a significant negative impact. We are not here to scare our constituents. Our constituents are going through enough every day trying to survive to make ends meet, to put food on the table, working hard for themselves and their families. But what we are here to do is to talk about what some of the potential impacts might be, so let me highlight that. If you look for a moment at this chart, this graphic provides some explanation. What are the debt ceiling deniers missing? Household wealth would increase by $1 trillion if we fail to raise the debt ceiling. Retirement assets would drop by $800 billion at a time when people are trying to provide security for themselves and their future. A decision by this Congress to fail to raise the debt ceiling could result in $800 billion of retirement assets declining. We have talked about an increase in interest rates for borrowers at a time when our housing market is beginning to recover from the prolonged recession. Why would this Congress fail to act and the consequence of that result in increased mortgage rates for homeowners and borrowers? And a huge hit, a huge hit, for financial markets around the globe causing the Dow Jones and the S&P to plummet. Families' retirement savings and 401Ks would drop as the stock market plummets. 3.4 million veterans who could not receive disability payments; 10 million Americans not receiving Social Security checks on time in just the first week alone; delayed tax refunds for up to 110 million Americans; and drug reimbursements under Medicare stopping and doctors and hospitals not getting paid, all for what? So that our colleagues on the other side who don't like the results of an election can use the debt ceiling as another attempt to get more concessions and more demands for things and ideas that have already been rejected by the American public. So, Mr. Speaker, we are here to say enough is enough already. Let's get to work. Let's make 2014 a year of action, not obstruction. It starts by increasing the debt ceiling, by meeting our obligations and not doing harm to an already fragile economy and to an American public that expects its Representatives to act in its best interest, not in more political grandstanding or gamesmanship.