Hakeem Jeffries

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining on our side?

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Maryland (Mr. Mfume), the former head of the NAACP as well as the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for yielding and for his great leadership. Madam Speaker, we have a national problem here in America of police violence, police brutality, and the police use of excessive force. It requires a national solution. That is why Congress should pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Here in America, every Black mother and every Black father has to have the talk with their child about what to do when approached by the police because any encounter can turn deadly, not because of criminal conduct but because of the color of their skin. Just ask the family of Amadou Diallo, the family of Sean Bell, the family of Eric Garner, the family of Tamir Rice, the family of Walter Scott, the family of Oscar Grant, the family of Stephon Clark, the family of Breonna Taylor. Just ask the family of George Floyd, who narrated his own death for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and called for his mama. It is a difficult conversation. I had to have the talk with my two sons, and I knew what to say word for word because my father had the same talk with me decades ago, and nothing has changed. So all of us in this Chamber, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, should want to make sure that people like our good friend and colleague Cedric Richmond shouldn't have to have the same talk with his beautiful Black son, 6-year-old little Ced. We have an opportunity to change things today, and that is what we should do. To the protesters: We hear you; we see you; we are you. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. America is a great country. We have come a long way. We still have a long way to go. We are tired of police violence in a country where the Declaration of Independence promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are tired of police violence in a country where the Pledge of Allegiance promises liberty and justice for all. We are tired of police violence in a country where the Constitution promises equal protection under the law. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. That is why we should act. It is time to end racial profiling, time to criminalize the chokehold, time to demilitarize the police, time to end qualified immunity, time for a national standard on the excessive use of force, time for a database on brutal officers, time to expand the Justice Department Office of Civil Rights' jurisdiction, and time for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act so we can continue our country's long, necessary, and majestic march toward a more perfect Union.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I have no additional speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me begin by thanking the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the prime sponsor of this legislation, Karen Bass, for her extraordinary leadership on such a critical issue during such a critical moment in time. I also want to thank the distinguished chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerry Nadler, for his tremendous leadership in ushering this bill through committee and to the floor of the House of Representatives. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi and the entire House Democratic Caucus for rising to the occasion at this particular moment in time. I want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for participating in the debate and sharing their ideas, though I will note that many of my Republican colleagues spent this debate talking about antifa, talking about the autonomous zone, and talking about abolishing the police, which appears nowhere within the four corners of this legislation. They know what this bill is really all about. It criminalizes the chokehold, because it is about George Floyd, who was strangled to death with a knee to his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while handcuffed. It is about being handcuffed while Black, about George Floyd. They know this bill, its really about Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was gunned down while playing in a Cleveland park. It is about Tamir Rice because the bill will establish a registry for brutal officers so that jurisdictions will have some visibility into whom they are hiring. The officer who murdered Tamir Rice, this 12-year-old boy, had been fired by a neighboring department for brutal behavior, and then he was hired by the Cleveland Police Department with tragic consequences because they had no visibility into his record. This bill is about Tamir Rice. They know this bill is about Breonna Taylor, sleeping while Black, gunned down because of a no-knock warrant in a drug case that was falsely executed in Louisville. Now a husband has lost his wife. It is about Breonna Taylor. They know that. This is about countless individuals in this great country of ours killed by police officers without justification. Yes, we know that the majority of police officers--certainly the ones I interact with at home in Brooklyn--are hardworking individuals who are in the community to protect and serve. But there are violent officers, there are brutal officers, and there are abusive officers; and far too often they are not held accountable because of a toxic culture that exists and that cannot be denied--not month after month, not year after year, but decade after decade after decade. We know the names. Many of those names were called today from the floor of the House of Representatives, but the names are too numerous to mention. That is why we are here, to do something transformative about it. I am thankful for all of those peaceful protesters who have gone out all throughout the four corners of America, yes, led by young African- American women--I love that--and young African-American men, but joined by every other race, Black, White, Latino, Asian, Native American, multiracial, multigenerational, and multicultural, coming together and saying, ``Enough.'' We need to deal with systemic racism in America, and we can start with the cancer of police brutality. That is what the George Floyd Justice in Policing bill is all about. It is not about antifa or some autonomous zone or defunding the police, which they know doesn't appear in this bill. I don't want to question anybody's good faith, but let's have a real debate. You are entitled to your own opinion; you are not entitled to your own facts. Those words ring true to this very day from the moment that President John Adams uttered them. So I am thankful to the House Democratic Caucus for rising to the occasion. We collectively have said to the protesters of every race throughout America: We hear you, we see you, and we are you. Many of you know that the death of George Floyd was not called to my attention by a fellow Member of Congress, by my chief of staff, or by my legislative director. It was called to my attention by my young son, who said: Dad, it has happened again. What are you going to do about it? Those words, of course, ran through my heart. But I say to him, and I say to all of those other Black children throughout America: We are here today as House Democrats to do something about it. Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I respect those police officers in every community who are there to protect and serve and those who have fallen in the line of duty, but we cannot tolerate police violence, and we cannot tolerate police brutality. George Floyd was murdered by an out-of-control police officer. When will it end? Amadou Diallo, 42 shots, police officers found not guilty. Sean Bell, 50 shots, police officers found not guilty. Eric Garner, choked to death, police officers let go by the grand jury. Decade after decade after decade, when will it end? This time must be different. Those perpetrators must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and Congress must do everything in its power to stop this type of tragedy from ever happening again.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for her leadership. More than 80,000 Americans dead, 35 million unemployed, the economy in recession--there is pain; there is suffering; and there is death throughout the land. Congress must act to provide relief to the American people. We must support our State and local governments. We must strengthen unemployment insurance. We must provide an additional round of direct stimulus payments to everyday Americans. We must provide hazard pay to our heroes and our essential workers. We must increase access to testing, tracing, and treatment. There is pain; there is suffering; and there is death throughout the land. Congress must act with the fierce urgency of now--not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, now. Vote ``yes'' on the HEROES Act.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for his tremendous leadership. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this emergency spending legislation. More must be done, but it is a strong step in the right direction. The COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging America. Small businesses are shuttered. Thousands have died. Millions of Americans are unemployed. Rome is burning. We can either put out the fire or watch our great Nation go down in flames. This bill will help family-owned businesses, help women-owned businesses, help minority-owned businesses, help small family farmers, and help our hospitals and our nursing homes. Yes, it is not perfect, but we cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. We are here to legislate, not just pontificate. Vote ``yes'' and live to fight another day.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, America is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. We also have assembled the mightiest military. But you cannot judge the greatness of America based on our wealth or our military might. We should only judge the greatness of America based on how we stand up for the least, the lost, and the left behind. The CARES Act is legislation that will help provide relief to the most vulnerable amongst us. It will provide relief to everyday Americans. It will provide relief to small businesses. It will provide relief to displaced workers. The coronavirus is a silent assassin and has targeted the American people. But we are a resilient nation. We defeated the Great Depression. We defeated Nazi Germany. We defeated Jim Crow. We will defeat COVID-19 as well.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island, for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4508, a bill to expand the pipeline of women and girls in Pakistan entering higher education. At home and abroad, women and girls face barriers to obtaining education, hindering their ability to fill their potential. Barriers include the cost of education, inadequate infrastructure, violence, cultural norms, and gender discrimination. As a result, today at least 500 million women and girls across the globe struggle with literacy. In Pakistan, the hurdles that women and girls face when seeking education are especially pronounced. In late 2008, Malala, whose name this bill is in honor of, began making the case for education for women and girls in Pakistan. Despite objections from the Taliban, she continued to advocate this cause at great personal risk. On October 9, 2012, Malala was on the way home when the Taliban ambushed her bus and shot her in the head. Remarkably, she survived. Instead of stopping her efforts, she continued to speak out, to stand up, and to step out, becoming a world-renowned figure in the fight for education. As she said before the United Nations General Assembly: ``So, let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. . . . Education is the only solution.'' In October 2014, Malala became a corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. To this day Malala continues her work in this area. Still, despite all the progress that has been made, only 32 percent of primary school-age girls are in school in Pakistan. After primary and secondary school, the rate of higher education enrollment for girls drops down to just 9 percent. Less than 6 percent of women 25 and older attain a bachelor's degree or equivalent in Pakistan. The U.S. Agency For International Development's Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship program currently funds full tuition and stipends for financially strained Pakistani youth to complete a bachelor's or master's degree at partner universities across Pakistan. This legislation would ensure that at least half of those scholarship recipients go to Pakistani women. Empowering girls with access to education is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do for Pakistan and for the global community. I want to thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their leadership. I also want to thank Congresswoman Ann Wagner for her tremendous leadership and for her partnership on this legislation to support every girl's right to an education. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, the distinguished gentlewoman from the Seventh Congressional District of the great State of New York and the chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, for yielding and for her tremendous leadership. I rise in support of H.R. 5065, the Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act. Here in America, we have a mass incarceration epidemic. Last Congress, we worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass the First Step Act to help propel formerly incarcerated individuals toward success when they return home, to reduce recidivism, and to save taxpayer dollars. But the First Step Act was just that, a first step. That is why, together, we introduced the Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act, to address one of the many challenges faced by returning citizens. This bill is designed to make sure that formerly incarcerated individuals can use their God-given skills, talent, and ability to bring business and entrepreneurial activities to life in their communities. Throughout our Federal Bureau of Prisons system, there are incarcerated individuals who have the same intellect, the same ability, and the same resiliency as some of the most successful people on Wall Street back home in New York. The difference between them can often be as simple as a lack of opportunity, not a lack of entrepreneurial spirit. That is what this legislation is designed to change. This bill will make sure that we provide opportunities to those who have been left behind. It is designed to make sure that the American Dream is accessible for formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities. This effort, of course, is consistent with our core values here in America, where we believe that hard work and dedication should be rewarded and that opportunities should be available to everyone. H.R. 5065 directs the Service Corps of Retired Executives, otherwise known as SCORE, to provide mentoring, workshops, and training videos for formerly incarcerated individuals on how to launch and grow a small business. It would provide individualized business mentoring to support the development of business plans and entrepreneurial growth for recipients of prison-to-proprietorship services up to a year after their release, connect these individuals with small business networks and resources, and identify opportunities to access capital. Madam Speaker, I thank, again, Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Chabot of the Small Business Committee for their tremendous leadership in this effort. I also thank the lead Republican, Representative Burchett from Tennessee, for his great leadership. A philosopher once said: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. That is what this effort ultimately is all about. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5065 and lift up formerly incarcerated returning citizens by providing them with entrepreneurial resources.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, George Washington, in his farewell address to the Nation, counseled America that the Constitution is sacredly obligatory upon all. It is in that spirit that we proceed today. Donald Trump pressured a foreign government to target an American citizen for political gain and, at the same time, withheld, without justification, $391 million in military aid to a vulnerable Ukraine as part of a scheme to solicit foreign interference in an American election. That is unacceptable. That is unconscionable. That is unconstitutional. There are some who cynically argue that the impeachment of this President will further divide an already fractured Union, but there is a difference between division and clarification. Slavery once divided the Nation, but emancipators rose up to clarify that all men are created equally. Suffrage once divided the Nation, but women rose up to clarify that all voices must be heard in our democracy. Jim Crow once divided the Nation, but civil rights champions rose up to clarify that all are entitled to equal protection under the law. There is a difference between division and clarification. We will hold this President accountable for his stunning abuse of power. We will hold this President accountable for undermining our national security. We will hold this President accountable for corrupting our democracy. We will impeach Donald John Trump. We will clarify that, in America, no one is above the law.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, the right to vote is precious and central to the integrity of our democracy. It is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It is an American issue. The Republican party used to support the unfettered right to vote. In fact, every single time the Voting Rights Act has been reauthorized, it was signed by a Republican President: 1970, Richard Nixon; 1975, Gerald Ford; 1982, Ronald Reagan; 2006, George W. Bush. The unfettered right to vote should be a bipartisan issue, but the party of Lincoln is gone. The party of Reagan is gone. The party of McCain is gone. Voter suppression is not a legitimate electoral tactic. It is a stain on our democracy, and it must be crushed. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, the House impeachment inquiry is about abuse of power. It is about betrayal. It is about corruption. It is about national security. It is about the undermining of our elections. It is about defending our democracy for the people. The House is a separate and coequal branch of government. We don't work for this President or any President. We work for the American people. We have a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. Our job is to ask difficult questions on behalf of the American people. What we are doing right here is consistent with the words of James Madison who, in Federalist 51, said the House should be a rival to the executive branch. Why did Madison use the word ``rival''? The Founders didn't want a king. They didn't want a dictator. They didn't want a monarch. They wanted a democracy, and that is exactly what we are defending right now. No one is above the law.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, President Trump urged his Republican defenders in this House to focus on substance. That is exactly what House Democrats have been doing from the very beginning of this impeachment inquiry. We will continue to proceed in a serious, solemn, and somber fashion. That is what the Constitution requires at this moment. House Democrats will continue to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and present the truth to the American people. President Trump said focus on substance. What is the substance underlying this impeachment inquiry? Well, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, allocated $391 million in military and economic aid to Ukraine at a time when Ukraine is under attack by Russian-backed separatists. Ukraine is in a vulnerable state. Ukraine is a friend; Russia is a foe. Ukraine is a democracy; Russia is a dictatorship. The United States is probably the only thing standing between Vladimir Putin and Ukraine being completely overrun as part of Putin's fantasy to reconstruct what he views as the glory days of the Soviet Union. We allocated that money because it is in the national security interest of the United States of America. What happened to it? In February, the Trump administration wrote to Congress and said the aid is on the way. But it never showed up. And then in May, Trump's Department of Defense wrote to Congress again and said the aid is on the way and all necessary preconditions to release the aid have been met, including the implementation of anticorruption protocols. That was a letter written by the Trump Department of Defense in May. That is the substance. Twice Mitch McConnell during this summer called up the Trump administration and said, ``Where's the aid?'' Mr. McConnell couldn't get a good answer. And then on July 18, we know that the Office of Management and Budget in the White House held a meeting where it was made clear that the reason the aid had been held up is because of a directive from the President of the United States. A week later, on July 25, the President made a phone call to the Ukrainian leader and pressured a foreign government to target an American citizen for political gain and solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election. That undermines our national security. The American people have a right to ask: Is that an abuse of power? That is what the impeachment inquiry is all about, Mr. President. That is the substance. It doesn't look good. No one is above the law.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2426) to amend title 17, United States Code, to establish an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, we will vote on H.R. 2426, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the CASE Act, a bill that will allow creators to protect their copyrighted work under law. Copyright infringement is not a victimless crime. Photographers, illustrators, visual artists, authors, songwriters, and musicians all rely upon their protected works to put food on the table, clothing on their backs, and support their families. When their copyrighted work is used unlawfully or pirated, that is the functional equivalent of a burglary. But small creators victimized by infringement often find themselves in a tough spot. They have a right to enforce their work under copyright law but are often unable to do so in a practical sense. On the one hand, you have the notice and takedown process that can be inefficient, cumbersome, and, as many small creators will tell you, often pointless. On the other hand, there is the Article III Federal court system that can be expensive, time-consuming, and often out of reach for many working-class and middle-class creators. For instance, the average cost of litigating an infringement case in Federal court is approximately $350,000, but the total amount of damages that can be awarded, for instance, in a CASE Act-eligible matter cannot exceed $30,000. In that instance, the cost of litigating a case could be more than 10 times the damages that are at issue. According to a survey by the American Bar Association, which supports this legislation, most lawyers will not take infringement cases with damages at or lower than $30,000. As a result, many petitioners are functionally unable to vindicate their rights under law. In other words, these creators are given a right without a remedy. The CASE Act will provide a viable alternative. This legislation would establish a voluntary forum for small copyright claims housed within the Copyright Office. Disputes would be heard by a new entity called the Copyright Claims Board made up of intellectual property experts with experience representing both creators and the users of copyrighted material. Unlike Federal court, the cases before the board will have limited damages. Parties would not have to appear in person and can proceed, if they choose, without an attorney. These provisions address the significant burdens that currently exist, imposed by Federal court litigation, making this system more user-friendly for all, regardless of your side, but inclusive of working-class and middle-class members of the creative community. Both sides must agree to participate in order for the small claims tribunal to have jurisdiction. It is a voluntary system where either side can opt out. Simply put, the legislation allows for copyright disputes to be resolved in a fair, timely, and affordable manner. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Virginia (Mr. Cline) for his leadership as it relates to the CASE Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the distinguished chair of the House Judiciary Committee.