Pramila Jayapal

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 6678. Instead of putting forward real solutions to fix the immigration system, my Republican colleagues are once again looking for a way to scapegoat and fearmonger about immigrants. We have had no hearing or testimony in the Judiciary Committee this Congress where Social Security fraud amongst immigrants has been identified as a problem that even needs fixing. What we did hear instead was about how immigrants are engines of growth for this country and how they often pay billions into Social Security, even though they are not eligible for benefits from the program. We discussed how in 2019 alone, undocumented Mexican workers contributed $14.5 billion to Social Security and Medicare through the taxes taken out of their paychecks. Despite these facts, my Republican colleagues have put forth a bill that is a dangerous solution in search of a problem. Under current law, Social Security fraud already makes a person deportable, but we require a conviction. This bill sets a dangerous precedent by allowing a person to be deported with absolutely no due process whatsoever. Let me start by going through how this bill is not needed. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, one of the many ways that someone can become deportable is if they are convicted of something called a crime involving moral turpitude for which a sentence of 1 year or longer may be imposed. The Social Security-related offenses in this bill carry maximum penalties between 1 and 30 years, which clearly meet the 1-year minimum required for deportability. Likewise, the offense of falsely making, forging, counterfeiting, or altering a document that can be used as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States is specifically defined as aggravated felony if the crime carries a sentence of 1 year or more. Conviction for an aggravated felony makes a person deportable. None of these facts seem to matter to the authors of this bill, my Republican colleagues. H.R. 6678, however, sets a very difficult and dangerous precedent by eliminating the requirement that we first charge and convict a person for Social Security fraud before deporting them. This is not consistent with current immigration law, and most importantly, it violates the bedrock principles of fairness, due process, and the rule of law. Now, my Republican colleagues seem to say that they don't care about due process for all people, but we do. By not requiring a conviction, H.R. 6678 would vastly expand the ways in which a green card holder could become deportable, and it would lead to serious unintended consequences. With minor exceptions, the criminal grounds for deportation under the INA require a conviction to make a noncitizen deportable. That is just basic fairness. Can you imagine a world in which you can simply be ejected from the country that you have lived in for decades without ever being convicted of a crime or separated from your family without ever being charged? That is not who we are as a country. Due process needs to apply to everyone. We are better than this. I hope my Republican colleagues will realize how absurd and shortsighted this bill is and will instead get to work with us on finding real solutions to fix our immigration system instead of constantly targeting immigrants through xenophobia, racism, and fear. I urge all Members to vote ``no'' on H.R. 6678.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 5585. Once again, the majority is moving a bill that is a solution in search of a problem. H.R. 5585 adds duplicative and unnecessary immigration consequences. It amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new ground of deportability and inadmissibility for any noncitizen who admits fleeing from Border Patrol while operating a motor vehicle. Sound interesting? Well, however, right now, being convicted of fleeing Border Patrol or any law enforcement already makes a person deportable and inadmissible. The key word here, though, is ``convicted.'' Most existing law requires a conviction before a person can be deported for a wide variety of crimes. By not requiring a conviction, this bill makes it easier to deport someone for fleeing Border Patrol than for more serious crimes, like murder. Let's remember that when we talk about deportation, we are also talking about people who are here lawfully. Many of them are green card holders, and they have lived in the United States for decades. If we are going to deport them, we need to require a conviction and provide for basic due process and a day in court. Further, the new criminal penalties in this bill are largely already covered in another statute, which makes it a crime for individuals to flee or evade a Border Patrol checkpoint. We don't need another criminal statute with another mandatory minimum sentence on top of current law. Instead, what has long been needed is policy reforms. After an increase in fatalities of those being pursued during high-speed chases in 2021, CBP undertook a review of its vehicle pursuit policy. In 2023, after this detailed review, CBP overhauled the vehicle pursuit policy, adopting an ``objective reasonableness'' standard that is consistent with most law enforcement agencies across the United States. That was an important reform, and one that I am hopeful will better protect the safety of agents and the public. What we should be doing in this body is pursuing and strengthening commonsense solutions like this. We don't need to waste time passing a bill that makes someone deportable for fleeing law enforcement, that is already a deportable offense. We certainly don't need a bill that would make someone deportable without even having a conviction. This legislation is not needed. It is overly punitive. We have already wasted a lot of time on this floor because the other side couldn't get their act together to get the votes to pass the rule through. Let's just be clear. This is another waste of time, and it is deeply detrimental. It burdens border communities that are already often fearful of Border Patrol and the impact that it has on their daily lives. I urge my colleagues to oppose this unnecessary, unneeded, and harmful legislation.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and contributions of Mr. Wier Harman who sadly passed away on December 11, 2023, at age 57. Wier leaves behind a legacy as a champion of arts, culture and civic engagement in Seattle, Washington. Wier grew up in Virginia, attended the University of Pennsylvania and studied directing at the Yale School of Drama. In the early 1990s, he directed plays and was the marketing manager at Seattle's Annex Theatre. He left Seattle for jobs in Atlanta and New York before returning to serve as Executive Director of Town Hall Seattle for 17 years. In 2015, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine named him one of ``15 People Who Should Really Run Seattle.'' Wier will live on through his contributions to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. His passion was evident in his love for community, commitment to arts and culture, and tireless efforts to shape Town Hall Seattle into an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone in the region. Wier's enthusiasm and dedication to providing a platform for the people of Seattle to come together and forge a deeper understanding of one another garnered the trust and admiration of so many of us who experienced his work at Town Hall. Not only did he expand the landmark Town Hall's event offerings to include civics, arts, music, and sciences, but he also insisted on keeping ticket prices affordable and making attendance free for many young people. Wier positioned Town Hall at the intersection of so many different communities and conversations. He was a connector--Wier seemed to know everyone, and everyone seemed to know Wier--and he used this capital to encourage new bonds and friendships to the benefit of our entire region. Wier was an advocate for young artists and cross-disciplinary collaboration. He championed civic participation, bold ideas, conversation and debate, empathy, kindness and generosity. Wier's dedication to a robust civic life and his support of arts and culture will serve as a model for years to come. As he put it in describing Town Hall's essential work: ``Our role is simple and profound--to remind us that some things must be experienced together, and that `coming together' is often its own reward.'' His enduring spirit will live on in his wife, Barbara Sauermann, his children Stella and Ruby, and all of us who admired him so greatly in his community.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Washington Huskies' remarkable 2023 football season. The Huskies reached the College Football Playoff, secured the greatest number of wins in the football program's history, and won the Pac-12 Championship. Under the leadership of head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Huskies put a well-deserved national spotlight on the university's football program and concluded the regular season with a perfect 13-0 record. The University of Washington continues to bring immense pride to Seattle and Washington State. It is a leader in both academic and athletic excellence in the Pacific Northwest and the United States. I would like to commemorate the amazing work of the coaching staff and the student-athletes as they prepare for another excellent season. Congratulations on a phenomenal season and go Dawgs.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H. Res. 957. Today, the Republican majority has brought up a pointless resolution that does nothing to address the situation at the border and repeats the same tired and untrue talking points about the border. I, too, want to be clear: The border is not open. No matter how many times the Republicans repeat it, it doesn't make it true. Every time Republicans go on television with these false claims, the only people that are being empowered by those false claims are the cartels who use those false claims to then entice families to come to the border believing that it is open. The fact is that Republicans have not had any interest in doing anything to fix the border because they want to keep chaos at the border until the election. They want to use immigrants as a political tool to ramp up fear and xenophobia in the run-up to the election. Don't just take it from me, Mr. Speaker. Take it from my Republican colleagues themselves. On the issue of immigration, Representative Nehls said: ``I'm not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden's approval rating.'' On the issue of holding Ukraine aid hostage for unworkable border policies, Representative Crenshaw said: ``Some might even be afraid of giving up the border as a campaign issue. They don't want a solution.'' That is from Republicans, not from Democrats. That is the truth. There are real changes that are needed to immigration policies that haven't been updated in 30 years. Some even have bipartisan support, but none of them have moved because Republicans don't really want a solution to this. That is why time and time again when Republicans had a chance to support more resources and personnel for the border, they voted ``no.'' In 2021 and 2023, nearly every current House Republican voted against providing additional funding to increase staffing and resources at ports of entry to combat smuggling of people and drugs. When my colleague from Arizona says that everyone is coming to the border, he is not wrong in that we have taken away all of the legal pathways for people to actually be able to come here and the only one that seems to be remaining open is now the border. When he says that agents aren't out there, it is because they are processing; then you should want to fund agents to be able to process so that we can have border agents that are out in the field doing the work that they need. The President's supplemental funding request for the border actually does include more money for immigration judges and asylum officers that would help process people in a legal and orderly fashion. It has money for cities to be able to help people work and support themselves as they wait for their immigration papers to be processed. Furthermore, we could pass the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Worker Modernization Act, which are both bipartisan, to help bring real solutions to a broken immigration system.

Ms. JAYAPAL. However, Republicans won't agree to that. Why? Because it would help make the situation at the border better, and they don't want that under any circumstance. They would rather continue the cruelty: The cruelty of seeing migrants fleeing horrific circumstances thanks to Republican Governors who use their own military to block Border Patrol agents from doing their jobs and saving lives; The cruelty of blaming immigrants for everything just to try and win elections; The cruelty of separating mothers from their babies. That is the extreme Republican playbook. Let's stop wasting everyone's time with this empty rhetoric and work on some real solutions. Vote ``no'' on this fact-free resolution.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the appointment of Hamdi Mohamed as the President of the Port of Seattle Commission. Commissioner Mohamed's tenure and appointment are historic. She is the first woman of color and immigrant to serve as Commission President. When Commissioner Mohamed was elected to the Poll of Seattle Commission in 2021, she became the first Somali woman elected to public office in Washington State and the first Black woman elected to the Port of Seattle Commission. Commissioner Mohamed embodies the values of public service. As the Director of the City of Seattle's Office of immigrant and Refugee Affairs, she helps create pathways to achieving the American Dream for underrepresented and marginalized communities. Her work at the City of Seattle builds on her more than decade of experience fighting poverty and empowering immigrants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped lead King County's initiatives to invest in small businesses and community organizations while simultaneously working to uphold public health. I am also proud to have worked alongside Hamdi for many years, first when she joined the organization I founded, OneAmerica, as a college intern, and during her time in Congress as my Deputy District Director. As a Port of Seattle Commissioner, Hamdi has served as a champion for South King County and communities throughout the Puget Sound region. Her work to spur economic development through increased funding for workforce development, institutionalize equity in budgeting, lead innovative initiatives for climate action, uplift small businesses and enhance regional infrastructure have been integral to the success of the Port of Seattle. As she begins her tenure as the President of the Port of Seattle Commission. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Commissioner Mohamed's historic appointment and service to our country.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Northeastern University on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of establishing a campus in the City of Seattle. In 2013, Northeastern opened its doors in Seattle with two programs, 32 students and 500 square feet of space in South Lake Union, A decade later, the campus has nearly 1,800 graduates, a dozen graduate-degree programs, hundreds of industry and community partnerships, and is among the largest of Northeastern's 13 global locations. Northeastern has worked to bring programs in high-growth fields to the Pacific Northwest, such as computer science, data analytics, global studies and project management. Each program is designed to help students thrive in careers through classroom learning and real-world experiences. On the occasion of this milestone, I am proud to recognize Northeastern University as a partner and valued member of the Seattle community.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, extreme MAGA Republicans in the House are on a Donald Trump-directed fishing expedition. In fact, they have been on a fishing expedition for months with embarrassing results--nothing-- no bites, no evidence for anything that justifies impeachment. There are no fish to catch in this Republican swamp, and good luck to all these Republicans who have to go home and justify a sham impeachment to their districts while telling them that we haven't passed the budget, haven't reauthorized the farm bill, haven't done a single thing that helps Americans live their lives. Instead, we are wasting time on bogus censure resolutions and bogus impeachment inquiries. We have 1\1/2\ legislative business days left in the year. We should be passing bills to help working families, but that is not what we do under extreme Republicans' control. Vote ``no'' on this new fishing expedition.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Bowman is a brilliant, committed, progressive Member who has dedicated his life to equity and opportunity for kids. He is a leader in economics, education, and racial justice. He is a leader of the Green New Deal for public schools, and legislation to pay artists what they are worth. He made a mistake. He apologized. He paid the fine. The Ethics Committee declined to further investigate this matter. That should be the end of this. However, what are we doing here? Republicans would rather waste time with political stunts and demonizing a Black Member. They want people to forget that they want to strip healthcare from Americans. They want people to forget that they want to cut Social Security and Medicare, the two most important and trusted programs in the country. They want people to forget that they are denying election results on that side, your right to vote. Right now they will do anything to distract from what they are really doing. There is nothing to show for the majority but chaos, infighting, and cruelty.

Ms. JAYAPAL. I just have to end with this. Just a few weeks ago, Congressman Chip Roy stood on the floor of this Chamber and called for his fellow Republican colleagues to ``come explain to me one material, meaningful significant thing the Republican majority has done. . . . `' The answer is obvious. Nothing. Oppose this resolution.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is one of only two Muslim-American women elected to this body, and the only Palestinian-American in Congress. She has fought tirelessly and successfully to get clean drinking water for her constituents and to ensure that people have housing and environmental justice. If we truly want Congress to be a diverse body that represents the diversity of views across this country, then we have to be willing to stand up for those diverse views to be expressed. We don't have to agree with them, but we do have to protect the right to the freedom of speech which this body is absolutely required to do. Our country and our world are in crisis. People are suffering everywhere. Historic and present traumas for Jews, Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, Sikhs, and so many others are playing themselves out, and we as the elected Representatives of the people should be working together to protect the rights of every American to say what they believe and ensure that we preserve our democracy. Vote ``no'' on this terrible resolution.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to honor my constituent, Megan Rapinoe, who is retiring from professional soccer after an inspiring 17-year career. Over her distinguished career, Megan's athletic prowess and activism for equity have inspired Washington's 7th Congressional District and the world. Megan helped lead the United States to victory in two FIFA World Cups, received Olympic gold and bronze medals, and was named The Best FIFA Women's Player 2019. In addition to being a superstar on the field, Megan has courageously utilized her platform to advocate for social justice. She is an outspoken champion for equal pay and gender equality, knelt in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and continuously stands up for LGBTQ+ rights and other critical social justice issues. Through her sacrifice and hard work, the U.S. Soccer Federation now guarantees equal pay to men's and women's soccer teams and the state of women's soccer in the United States is in a much better place than when her career began. As she enters retirement, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Megan's accomplishments and service to our country. Her achievements on the field, coupled with her fearless and unapologetic advocacy, have set an incredible example for young athletes everywhere. She changed the way that not only little girls could see themselves in soccer, but she also showed everyone what it looks like to be who you are and to fight for the things you believe in. Her legacy will continue to inspire those in Washington's 7th Congressional District and beyond.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Chair, my bipartisan amendment would prevent funding from this bill to be used to carry out the Defense Department's ``unfunded priorities list.'' This list that the DOD is required to send to Congress is simply a wish list of things that individual commanders and generals would like to fund and by definition have been determined nonessential to our national security. This practice does not serve the national security interests of the United States, and it was not mandatory until the passage of the fiscal 2017 NDAA. Mandating these wish lists only serves special interests in the defense contractor industry eager to grow their profits by selling expensive equipment that was not important enough to make it into the Pentagon's own budget. This is corruption and a waste of taxpayer dollars. This practice has long been criticized by DOD officials and lawmakers of both parties. Bush-appointed Defense Secretary Robert Gates all but banned the list, strongly discouraging his generals from submitting wish lists to Congress during his tenure. Senator John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, publicly stated his skepticism of the practice. In fact, in response to a letter that I sent to the Department of Defense on this practice, Under Secretary of Defense Michael McCord said on behalf of Defense Secretary Austin: ``Therefore, the Department supports your proposal to repeal the requirement in 10 U.S.C. 222a''-- that is, to send Congress an unfunded priorities list. These wish lists are packed with billions of dollars of excessive line items, this year totaling more than $17 billion on top of the $842 billion requested by the White House. The Space Force alone requested half a billion in unfunded priorities, almost all classified. Meanwhile, we cannot verify that the money that we authorize for DOD is even spent responsibly because the Department of Defense has never passed a budget audit. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues, especially those across the aisle who are interested in fiscal conservatism, to vote ``yes'' on this bipartisan and commonsense amendment. I thank my Republican colleagues, Congressman McClintock and Congressman Davidson, as well as members of my own party, Congressman Garamendi and Congressman Moulton, who understand that this is wrong and have worked in concert with me to rein in this wasteful spending that has no benefit to our national security. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the letter from Under Secretary of Defense Michael McCord that I quoted from earlier. Under Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC, March 20, 2023. Hon. Pramila Jayapal, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Jayapal: I am responding on behalf of Secretary Austin to your letter of January 31, 2023, regarding the submission of unfunded priorities lists (UPLs) to Congress. The Department appreciates your sustained commitment to our service members, their families, and our entire work force. We are grateful for your leadership, and we share your commitment to maximizing the impact of every dollar Congress appropriates. The practice of senior military leaders providing to Congress a list of unfunded priorities was initiated by Congress, first as a request and, since 2017, as a statutory requirement. This process was created by Congress and we agree the Congress should reconsider the merits of this approach. Every Department of Defense (DoD) budget supervised and submitted by Secretary Austin is built to implement his National Defense Strategy and represents the Department's highest priorities. The current statutory practice of having multiple individual senior leaders submit priorities for additional funding absent the benefit of weighing costs and benefits across the Department is not an effective way to illuminate our top joint priorities. Although Secretary Austin follows a similar practice to that of former Secretary Gates by requiring that these lists are submitted for his review, that process alone does not effectively address the underlying issue of requiring individual leaders to submit proposals with no necessary connection to the Secretary's global priorities. Therefore, the Department supports your proposal to repeal the requirement in 10 U.S.C. 222a. In contrast to the UPL requirement, in November 2022, after the Congress had already decided to increase the Department's budget, and in response to multiple Congressional inquiries as to how higher than expected inflation was impacting the Department, DoD provided the congressional defense committees, as drafting assistance for conference, our best assessment of the highest priorities for additional funding, with a focus on addressing unbudgeted inflation. This document was in lieu of, not in addition to, any unfunded priority list submitted under 10 U.S.C. 222a. That list included upward adjustments for various fact-of- life increases including service member's Basic Allowances for Housing and Subsistence rates, health care costs, additional costs to complete military construction projects, and fuel price impacts. The list also included other critical emergent requirements such as the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan you noted, as well as additional funds to increase capacity to enable the Defense Industrial Base to accelerate the replacement of defense articles being drawn down and provided to Ukraine. I hope that this information is helpful and look forward to working with you in the 118th Congress. A similar letter is being sent to the other signatories of your letter. Michael McCord

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Chair, I close out by saying that we know that the Department of Defense is necessarily a hierarchical institution where the top leaders identify the most important priorities across a very vast swath of departments within the Department of Defense, and they are the ones who we confirm, frankly, to be in charge of that appropriations request and budget. What is happening now with this unfunded priorities list--and we have had testimony on this in the Budget Committee and other committees--is that these lists are just coming from people who simply do not have any authority to determine the importance. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. JAYAPAL

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material in the Record.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, we have seen workers standing up to corporate greed and fighting for better rights on the job, good benefits, and fair wages. Today, our Congressional Progressive Caucus Special Order hour is devoted to this topic and to our solidarity with striking workers at UAW plants across the country. This week, the United Auto Workers authorized a strike. As a long- term organizer myself, and as the chair of our 103-member strong Congressional Progressive Caucus, a caucus that has been at the center of championing labor issues, I am proud to stand in solidarity with the nearly 150,000 United Auto Workers across the country. Let me start today by thanking all the workers who have had the courage to organize, the courage to use their collective power to stand up for better pay, cost-of-living adjustments, increased job security, and many other critical benefits that they deserve to live with dignity. Unionization is fundamentally about workplace democracy, about the engagement and the priorities of workers; your benefits, your hours, your pay, your priorities. Nobody tells you what those are except the workers themselves. UAW workers are showing us what it means to have collective power to stand together and to demand better. Over the last decade, CEOs at the Big Three automakers have seen their salaries skyrocket by 40 percent, and these companies have made close to $250 billion in profits over the last decade. Let me just say that again: A quarter of a trillion dollars in profit for these three automakers, while workers in the auto manufacturing industry have actually seen their wages drop by more than 20 percent when adjusted for inflation. Just listen to these numbers. At Ford, the CEO makes 281 times that wage of the median worker. At General Motors, the ratio is 362 to 1, and at Stellantis, which makes Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram, the ratio is 365 to 1. Do these CEOs work hundreds of times harder than their lowest paid workers? The answer is, there is nothing at these companies without the workers. There would be no profits without these workers. Why is it that they cannot share in the profits in an equitable way? It is workers who have built the successes of these companies and led them to these record profits. Yet, these same workers have reported being forced to work 12-hour shifts for 90 days straight without a single day off. That is just unconscionable. It is unacceptable for these CEOs to be raking in multimillion-dollar salaries while their workers are forced to strike for the pay raises and the benefits they should be entitled to. UAW has been clear about their demands for months. We are in this situation because the Big Three automakers, their CEOs, have refused to even come to the table in meeting workers' demands halfway. These companies need to come to the bargaining table in good faith. They cannot expect workers to continue working unreasonable hours without job security to make cars that they cannot even buy. In spite of the failure of the Big Three to grant workers' demands, the unionization movement is not slowing down. When their contract expired on Thursday, September 14, UAW president Shawn Fain announced initial strikes at three plants that include nearly 13,000 workers. Still awaiting a fair contract, a new strike deadline of this Friday, September 22, at noon has been announced if Ford, General Motors, or Stellantis haven't made progress toward a new agreement. Many of these CEOs frame UAW's demands as unreasonable, but let me be clear about something. Labor costs make up only about 5 percent of the costs that goes into a vehicle. These companies could raise worker wages to the levels they are asking without raising costs to consumers and still rake in billions in profits. Let's not forget who stepped up and sacrificed during the recession. These companies actually got billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts, and autoworkers were the ones who took life-changing cuts to benefits and wages just to keep the industry alive because they cared about that industry. For the Big Three, this is a huge opportunity to lead and to repay the American taxpayers and the autoworkers who made the sacrifices to keep those companies afloat. These big corporations should be standing with instead of against the very workers who built their companies from the bottom up, and any management that says otherwise does not understand what workplace democracy means. It is clear that President Biden understands what is at stake. He just recently said--and it is quite unprecedented for a President to say this--the Big Three ``should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the UAW.'' We agree. House Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus understand this, too. That is why we in the House have passed the PRO Act multiple times, despite it dying in the Senate because of a Jim Crow legacy filibuster. That is why we are bringing manufacturing union jobs to America in every corner of this country. Unions keep our economy strong. They protect our workers. The power to come together and organize is so important, and it is a right that I will always defend in Congress. As workers at UAW and other unions across the country push for fair pay and better benefits, we at the Congressional Progressive Caucus, we in the Democratic Caucus, will be standing with them in solidarity today, tomorrow, and forever. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), who has been a champion for labor issues and of justice in general.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus executive board who has really been on the front lines of this fight, who has been telling us for months that we need to pay attention to this, and who has been fighting at every turn for workers.

Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, before the gentlewoman leaves, I would engage in a colloquy with her for a couple of minutes. I know she has been on the picket lines with workers. She has talked to striking workers. Can she tell us some of what she is hearing about what people have been giving up, just in terms of their own security, their own ability to take care of their families?

Ms. JAYAPAL. I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan.