Steven Horsford

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Posthumously awarding her the Congressional Gold Medal is a tribute to her achievements and the recognition of her legacy to advance equality and justice. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor this remarkable American and vote ``yes'' on S. 4243.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, first, let me commend the ranking member, our chairwoman, Maxine Waters, for her leadership on this issue and the courtesy of the chairman, Mr. McHenry, for working in a bipartisan way on this important issue. I rise today in support of S. 4243, the Shirley Chisolm Congressional Gold Medal Act. Representative Shirley Chisolm was an advocate for justice in American politics. In 1968 she broke through barriers as the first Black woman elected to this body, representing New York's 12th District. She declared herself unbought and unbossed, and in her time in Congress, she introduced over 50 pieces of legislation, fought to end the Vietnam war, and championed civil rights, women's rights, and economic justice. She was one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, but the only woman. Today, the CBC has 60 members, the largest in our history, with 31 Black women. It is because of the legacy of progress of Representative Shirley Chisolm that we posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Shirley Chisholm.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice of my intent to offer a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1500, censuring Representative Glen Clay Higgins of the Third Congressional District of Louisiana. Whereas on September 25, 2025, Representative Higgins used his official account on X to publicly slander, insult, and demean all Haitians and Haitian Americans in an overtly racist post, referring to Haiti as the ``nastiest country in the Western Hemisphere,'' falsely accusing Haitians of ``eating pets,'' denigrating Haitians as ``slapstick gangsters'' and ``thugs'' and threatening Haitians to ``get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20.'' Resolved, that-- The House of Representatives censures Glen Clay Higgins, Representative from the Third Congressional District of Louisiana; Representative Glen Clay Higgins will forthwith present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of censure; and Representative Glen Clay Higgins will be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker.

Mr. HORSFORD

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I am attempting to give notice that I intend to bring a censure resolution upon return to this House of Representatives, and I would hope that every Member of this body understands that no person, particularly those who contribute to communities, who are entrepreneurial, who give to our communities by being nurses and first responders and teachers, that those individuals, those children, no longer have to live in fear or intimidation because of any words or posts that come from Members of this body, that it is time to end hate and the rhetoric of hate, and that it is not becoming of any Member to continue to push this type of rhetoric on any platform, let alone from the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to accept my motion to censure Representative Clay Higgins for violating rule IX by bringing discredit and disgrace to the House of Representatives.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I am submitting by resolution a motion to censure Representative Clay Higgins for violating rule IX by bringing discredit and disgrace to the House of Representatives. There is an official motion, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, earlier today a gentleman from Louisiana posted on his official X account: ``LOL. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the Western Hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters, but damned if they don't feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.'' Mr. Speaker, under rule XXIII, the Code of Official Conduct for the 118th Congress states that a Member shall behave at all times in a manner that reflects credibly on the House. These words on an official post do not reflect credibly on the House. In fact, they are inciting hate. They are inciting fear. Because of that, it is time for this body to stand with one voice and to ensure that there is accountability. Mr. Speaker, I move to refer this matter to the Committee on Ethics and that we bring this Member up for censure.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I made a motion based on rule XXIII--point of parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, that is why I made the motion to refer this matter to the Committee on Ethics so that they can fully deliberate and determine whether the gentleman from Louisiana violated rule XXIII of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, what is the proper motion for me to refer this matter to the Committee on Ethics?

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I am not asking for you to make a determination of an advisory opinion. I am asking for the matter to be referred to the Committee on Ethics based on the violation of rule XXIII Code of Conduct before the House of Representatives.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, at what time would it be in order? After someone--there are children who are feeling threatened in this moment, based on the actions of the Member from Louisiana.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, may I ask of the Parliamentarian whether these--the rule XXIII Code of Conduct applies against the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, point of inquiry.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, is it appropriate for a Member to use their official equipment in violation of rule XXIII?

Mr. HORSFORD. Yes.

Mr. HORSFORD. My parliamentary inquiry is: Is a Member allowed to use their official equipment of the House of Representatives and platform in violation of rule XXIII?

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I make a motion that this gentleman's words be stricken from the official record that he used by using official property and platform of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, point of inquiry.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, so the gentleman from Louisiana, had he stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and said these words on the House floor, the body would have been able to remove his words from the Record? Is that not correct, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that on the last day of this body's work on behalf of the people, after we came together just last week in a bipartisan way to protect and to provide dignitary protection for our national party candidates, that we have a Member who is choosing to use an official platform, and therefore, it is my intention to bring to this body a motion of censure.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, therefore, I move to censure Representative Clay Higgins for violating rule IX by bringing discredit and disgrace to the House of Representatives, and I am submitting this motion.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to censure--I am entering this as a resolution.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire under rule XXIII whether this is a violation of the official Code of Conduct before the House.

Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I made a motion.