Daniel Kildee

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for arranging for this opportunity for the Ways and Means Committee to come together to honor our brother, John Lewis. Just listening to my colleagues gives me a greater sense of just how privileged we all have been. I think we often take for granted the people who are around us, and I don't think we can ever take John for granted, but to a certain extent, when I arrived here, I got used to seeing him on the floor. And it is hard to come to this floor without having a little bit of anticipation that, of the many privileges that come with serving our country in this place, the one privilege that I could always count on was that, even on those tough days when the job wasn't so great, we could always plan on seeing John Lewis and getting some encouragement from him. I met John before I came to Congress, just about 8 years ago, through my Uncle Dale. Dale Kildee served here for a long time. He served almost a quarter of a century with John and loved John--still does. I have talked to Dale about John quite often. That was a relationship that led to me wanting to make sure that I tried to develop that same relationship and, of course, becoming a member of the Ways and Means Committee. We spend so much time together, despite the fact that we haven't been able to the last couple of months. As a committee, we spend an enormous amount of time working together and having meals together and talking to one another. It felt like I had a chance to get so much closer to John, and I will never forget that. As big and monumental a life as he led, as important a voice as he was, as such a soldier for justice and a figure in American history, as good and decent as a man he was in that respect, as we all know now, of course, is that he was that good a friend. He was that good a human being. He was that generous a person. For me, the last couple of months, obviously, it has been hard, but it has been special, because John, under our temporary rules, John, of course, hasn't been able to be with us in these last couple of months as he was battling a sickness but asked if I would be willing to carry his proxy and cast his votes here on the floor. I don't know that a greater honor could ever be bestowed upon me by him, but he was always grateful to me. I had to speak to him before each vote series, and he was always so grateful. I thought to myself: John, I am grateful to you that you have given me this honor to cast a vote for the person who is most known for the sacred right to vote of anyone in our generation, perhaps anyone in our Nation's history. The way we honor him, though, is with moments like this; but the best way that we honor him is to carry his work forward, to continue to do his work. And so the way I view it, while, for a couple of months I did carry his vote to this floor, even though John is gone, I think we can all continue to carry his vote, carry his voice, carry his work to this place and all across the country. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for giving us this opportunity.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano for yielding and for his leadership, along with Representative Lee, on this issue. If only it were true that no servicemembers or no veterans were taken advantage of, were never put into a junk program by one of these organizations. If only that were true. But we know it is not, and this legislation intends to address that. The GI Bill loophole is real. It has incentivized for-profit colleges to aggressively target veterans into these junk programs. Not all, but any organization that can't stand up a program without relying 100 percent on the funding that we provide has to face some scrutiny. This is a rule that has worked, and it is a rule that ought to be extended to protect those people who have made the most significant sacrifice that Americans can make by putting on the uniform of their country and serving us. They deserve no less. This amendment would come to their aid, and I support it. I commend my colleagues for offering it.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Oregon, for yielding, but especially for leading us to this moment where we have the opportunity to do something big and meaningful that will put millions of Americans back to work in a meaningful way and stimulate this economy and also position us to lead in the 21st century. I will say this, however. We have been through this before. I have been here 8 years, and every year somebody from the other side comes down to this floor to offer the same amendment to take away an important protection that is actually quite simple. It just simply says people who work for a living ought to be paid a fair wage, a wage that is consistent with the prevailing wages in the community so that people don't have to work full time and live in poverty, as tens of millions of Americans do right now. It is pretty straightforward. Thankfully, even when the Democrats were not in the majority, there were enough thoughtful Republicans on the other side who would join with us to protect workers. But I do find, and I know this is an issue that is very difficult for many of our Members to take, and it is an emotional subject because it is the same Republican leadership that pushed through a tax bill that granted huge economic benefits to a very small number of people at the very top who now want to pull the rug from under working families. This can't stand, and it won't.

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Tlaib, for her leadership and for bringing this amendment to the floor. I am proud to join her in it. As many of you know, I represent my hometown of Flint, Michigan. Flint is the community that really brought national attention to this issue of lead in drinking water. Fifteen thousand children were impacted in Flint, Michigan, because of lead leaching into their drinking water. Those lead service lines were the source of that contamination. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Right now, we have a rule that allows for a certain level of lead. Many communities exceed it, but there is no safe level of lead in drinking water, and we need to do everything we can to eliminate it. This is a big step forward in dealing with it. And let me just remind my friends, yes, of course, this sort of initiative comes with a price tag. But if you really want to know the price of this issue, come to Flint and you will see the price of failure, the price of lead exposure. It is not just measured in the half a billion dollars that it has cost to remediate a problem that could have been solved if this program had been in place before, but the cost is measured in the effect that that lead exposure has had on developing small brains and the effect on the trajectory of the lives of those kids forever. You are not going to get a CBO score that measures the quality of life and the trajectory of the life of a child whose brain has been affected by exposure to lead. We have a chance to do something about this. We have a chance to prevent the next Flint, Michigan. My people at home are tough, and they have been through a lot. They don't want Flint to be an anomaly. It should be an example to the rest of the country. This is an important amendment that will make even better this bill that I support that invests in the future of our country. I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Tlaib, for her outstanding leadership on this.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleagues for adding additional funding for our nation's tribal governments. This bill adds $20 billion to aid tribal governments who have been devastated by this pandemic, including tribes in my home state of Michigan. It is critical that tribal governments be given the flexibility to spend this money in a way that addresses the health and economic challenges they have endured. In many parts of Indian Country, tribes are among the largest employers of non-natives in their communities. We must ensure that tribal governments have the financial support to address the needs of their tribal members and those who are employed by the tribes. I am also pleased that language was included in this bill that would ensure these federal dollars would only go to the 574 federally- recognized tribes. I want to thank my colleagues and Speaker Pelosi for including these provisions in this legislation.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, it is the intent of this chamber that States, Tribal governments, and local units of governments use the funds in the Coronavirus Relief Fund to recover any necessary monies that they would have otherwise collected or generated in order to pay their employees and cover costs but for the COVID-19 pandemic. As the legislation indicates, these funds are specifically targeted towards expenditures incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020. I agree that it is important to try to keep American workers employed and paid during this time. And, I agree with the assessment that these governments rely on the collection of taxes and generation of revenues to pay the wages of these employees, and those costs were an anticipated expenditure to be allowable under the Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding. This is an unprecedented moment for this country, and it is important that this Congress respond in a way consistent with this threat. We have differences about this bill. There are things in it that many of us don't like, but this moves us forward. This gives the American people the support they need in order to follow the medical advice that they are given without putting their families at risk. It supports small businesses. It puts money in the hands of Americans so that they can take care of their families financially while they are taking care of their families. I support this legislation.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Wounded Warrior Program, which is a bipartisan initiative that provides opportunities for injured veterans and servicemembers to continue their service to our country by working right here in the United States Congress. I am proud to have passed legislation, supported by Republicans and Democrats, to expand the Wounded Warrior Program. By investing in these paid fellowships, we can expand job opportunities for veterans and bring, importantly, their critical insight to the work that we do right here in Congress. For the past 2 years, I have had the distinct privilege of having a Wounded Warrior fellow, Danielle Stevens, in my office. Throughout her time in my office, she has served my district by advising me on important legislation and, very importantly, being an advocate for veterans in casework that she has been involved in, including veterans who lost earned benefits, had them taken away from them due to clerical errors. Danielle Stevens was able to work to get those benefits restored, changing the lives of those families. Later this week, she will be leaving my office to continue her public service at the U.S. Marshals Service. I thank her for her service to our country. This is an example of the success of this program.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I stand in strong support of Representative Lee's resolution to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq. The Constitution is unambiguous; it is clear: Congress has the power to authorize war. In 2002, Congress passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force to address the ongoing threat from Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq to this country. With the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S. military forces and the establishment of a new Iraqi Government, this AUMF became obsolete; but we continued, Democratic Presidents and Republican Presidents, to use the Authorization for Use of Military Force ongoing, as if the same conditions existed then. If there is a need for the authorization for the use of military force against any threat, we should bring it up and have a full and fair and open debate on what that threat is constituted of and, as a Congress, exercise that constitutional authority to declare war. This language does not prevent a President from defending America. Don't let anyone tell you that. It is important that we exercise our constitutional role.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Chairman, I thank Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Chairwoman Maxine Waters for their leadership on this legislation and for advocating for consumers. The credit reporting system in this country is not consumer focused and is in need of a major overhaul. Consumer complaints about their credit reports are one of the most frequently reported issues submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Over 40 million Americans have errors in their credit reports. In fact, just last week one credit reporting company announced it was changing the credit scoring model which could arbitrarily reduce credit scores for millions of Americans without allowing any public input whatsoever. Having poor credit makes it harder and more expensive to borrow money, buy a home, or own a car. It also negatively impacts a person's ability to be approved for an apartment, get car insurance, and even to get a job. The lack of transparency and accuracy in the credit reporting system leaves borrowers at the mercy of credit reporting agencies, which is holding American families back. The Comprehensive CREDIT Act is a much-needed, comprehensive overhaul of the credit reporting system. This bill would enhance consumer rights and increase the accountability and transparency of consumer reporting agencies. Specifically, the bill would help rehabilitate credit for student borrowers with private loans. Right now Americans are experiencing a student loan debt crisis. Student loan debt is now at $1.3 trillion. This is the largest source of debt in the U.S., even more than credit card debt. This is delaying young people from making critical investments in their own future like buying a house, starting a family, or saving for their own children to go to college. The Comprehensive CREDIT Act would combat this by requiring a credit reporting agency to remove a delinquent or defaulted private education loan on a borrower's consumer report if they have shown a good history of loan repayment for 10 consecutive months after the delinquency or default. If a borrower has demonstrated a good faith effort to resume loan repayment after a delinquency or default, then they should not be punished with a lowered credit score. I also support the underlying legislation very strongly, and I have introduced an amendment that I think would strengthen the bill even further. My amendment would provide a 6-month grace period to preserve the credit score of borrowers living and working in an area impacted by a major disaster or emergency if there is an interruption in their 10 consecutive months of loan repayment. In 2016 in my own hometown, the people of Flint experienced a drinking water emergency. I know many of you have heard me discuss this on many occasions. During that period people were not able to access safe drinking water, families were saddled with unexpected medical bills, parents and children poisoned by their water experienced adverse health conditions, and homeowners and businesses were negatively affected. People whose livelihoods were damaged by this crisis or any other natural disaster or emergency should not be penalized for failing to pay back student loans until they get back on their feet. When experiencing a crisis, borrowers should be provided flexibility to repay their loans when they are able to without affecting their underlying credit score. This relief would be provided to people living and working in an area experiencing a major disaster or emergency. My amendment and the underlying bill will help decrease the burden of student loans on Americans and improve their credit scores, especially those people living in areas impacted by emergencies or natural disasters. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my friend's expression. We served together my first 6 years on the Financial Services Committee. And if the event occurs that we need to pursue this relief in another fashion, I would look to forward to working with him. But it is my hope that we can act on this within this legislation. I do disagree with his assessment of the underlying legislation, but that is fine. That is the nature of this place, that we have disagreements sometimes over issues like this. In this case, where we do have a chance, as the gentleman described, to deal with a specific set of circumstances affecting specific individuals, we ought to take that opportunity and do something. I didn't know when I was elected that the community that I represent was going to face the crisis that it did, and nobody serving in this body knows whether or not their community, in the next month or year or 10 years, will face a similar circumstance. So let's take the opportunity we have, as small as it may be in terms of the way the gentleman describes it. It is not small when it happens to you, and it is not small when it happens to your community. So I appreciate the gentleman's willingness to work with me in the future on this. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank Congresswoman Susie Lee and Chairman Bobby Scott for their leadership on advocating for America's students. In the economy that we are in today, some kind of postsecondary training, whether it is an associate's degree, an apprenticeship program, or a 4-year program, is necessary in order to get the skills that are required in order to support a family and earn a decent living, and that is what education should be about in this country. Sadly, in order to get that education, too many young people and people transitioning into their next job are taking on mountains of debt. Student debt is now $1.3 trillion, more than credit card debt in this country. As a result, these students, these graduates, often, or some who drop out are holding back from making other necessary investments to support their families, holding back on buying a home, and holding back on starting families and putting away money for their retirement because they are so saddled with debt. One of the contributors to this huge increase in student debt has been the effect of predatory for-profit colleges. They have exploited potential students with false promises of high-paying jobs; and, particularly shameful, they have recruited the most vulnerable low- income individuals: first-generation students, veterans. They have recruited them into junk programs. Education should always be a vehicle to opportunity. Instead, these students are left with a bag of promises and crushing student debt. This is a real problem. This a real issue. That is why President Obama's Department of Education enacted the borrower defense rule to outline a clear, transparent process for student loan relief and to institute protections for those students and protections for taxpayers as well, because we are often talking about taxpayer-backed loans. The Obama borrower defense rule would help defrauded students get the loan debt relief that is owed to them under the law. Secretary DeVos, however, has refused to implement this rule, and as of December 2019, 240,000 defrauded borrowers are still waiting for her to act on their claims. That includes 6,000 people from my home State. This rule further underscores why Secretary DeVos is unsuited for this position. We have to protect students from these for-profit colleges that have defrauded them, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule and the legislation that will be coming to the floor.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. I appreciate the gentleman's concern. I think we may simply have a disagreement as to whether or not there is a legitimate Federal role in ensuring that this information is readily available. I understand the point about States, but I believe this is a national interest in part because it is the Federal Government very often which is the biggest culprit here. The community, for example, that I represent in Oscoda, where so many individuals had their private wells affected, they were affected by the Federal Government's poisoning of the groundwater.

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. One community I represent is Oscoda, a small town in the northern part of my district. It was once the home of the Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Even though that base closed more than two decades ago, the Oscoda community is now dealing with PFAS contamination from the base that is leaching into their drinking water and the nearby lakes. For years, I have been fighting to help the people of Oscoda clean up PFAS contamination. In January of last year, 1 year ago, I, along with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, founded the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force to bring Republicans and Democrats together to address this growing and urgent public health threat. We now have 50 members up from the 14 members that we started with. As more Members of Congress learn about contamination in their districts, they are joining this movement. We are beginning to know the problem, and we know that we have to do more urgently to act to clean up and address PFAS in the environment. That is why I am a strong supporter of the bipartisan PFAS Action Act, a bill pushed through the Energy and Commerce Committee with the support of many Members, but most importantly, my Michigan colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. According to the Environmental Working Group, over 100 million people are exposed to PFAS in their drinking water. This isn't acceptable. Every American deserves clean drinking water. The PFAS Action Act will help protect families from PFAS in their drinking water, lakes, rivers, and streams and in the air by requiring PFAS to be listed under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. It will also require polluters and corporations to clean up their PFAS contamination through CERCLA. It is important that Congress acts, because the Trump administration has not. While the EPA and the Defense Department both have had authority to protect the public from PFAS, they have so far failed in their responsibilities to address this public health crisis. The EPA has run a public relations campaign to convince us that they care about PFAS but has failed to act to regulate these dangerous chemicals, even missing their own promised deadlines to act. Just this week, the White House signaled that it would likely veto this legislation. In threatening to veto this bill, President Trump and his administration clearly are siding with polluters instead of protecting the health of the American people. This act represents a continued push by this bipartisan group of legislators for much-needed legislation to clean up PFAS and to safeguard us from these chemicals. Some of the provisions in this bill were taken out of the recently passed NDAA by Senate Republicans, who sided again with President Trump and the administration on behalf of corporate polluters to block these provisions from becoming law. While we were able to include many good PFAS provisions in the NDAA, including phasing out of firefighting foam, requiring polluters to report when they release PFAS into the environment, and allowing for a nationwide study of PFAS contamination, many of these critical provisions were ultimately blocked by Senate Republicans. The House will continue to act to protect public health and urge action for Oscoda and so many other places around the country. I also, obviously, urge the passage of my amendment, which would promote transparency and streamline EPA resources to help people potentially exposed to PFAS and other contaminants to understand better what their test results mean. In the U.S., well water is essentially unregulated. For the 43 million people in our country with well water, when they get testing results back, it is hard for them to understand how it could impact their family's water supply. Under this amendment, the EPA website would be simplified and streamlined, making it easier for millions of American families to understand the threat they face. Madam Chair, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Kind from Wisconsin and Congressman Gallagher, for supporting me with this amendment. I encourage its adoption. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to adopt this. Just to be clear, I support the underlying legislation, obviously. The amendment simply requires that we provide an opportunity for people who are potentially going to be affected by PFAS, particularly in drinking water but also from other sources, to be able to understand easily the threat they face. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this. Ultimately, this amendment is about making sure people are armed with the information that they need to protect their families. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KILDEE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KILDEE. You raise an excellent point. The issue is, we could mandate, if you would choose to, that States provide information on a website that is easily discernible. The problem is that while wells and other sources may be tested--I don't know if you have had the opportunity to read the published tests from those examinations. The idea of the amendment is not just to see that the information is somehow available somewhere but available in a fashion that is easily discernible by people who are not scientists.

Mr. KILDEE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Engel, for yielding. I am troubled by aspects of this debate. I think it is fine that we have different views, but to hear some on the other side characterize the position of those who support this resolution as somehow not loving the country as much as they do when it is our country, as well, that we have pledged to defend--it is the same veterans on this side of the aisle who put themselves in harm's way as the veterans on the other side of the aisle. There is no distinction in the battlefield. We love our children and want to defend them as much as we know you do as well. So let's stop the demagoguery regarding patriotism. This comes to a simple question. It is not even a question as to whether or not there was justification to take out Mr. Soleimani, because clearly there was. The question is: Who gives the justification? Who authorizes military action in this country? We can all have our opinions.

Mr. KILDEE. We ought to consult the Constitution, which clearly vests that authority in this Congress. We ought not fear that authority and outsource it to the executive branch. We ought to embrace that authority and be willing to make that decision and follow the Constitution.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, this is a sad day for our country and for our democracy. The President has abused the powers of his office, betrayed the public trust, and undermined America's national security by pressuring a foreign government to interfere in our elections for his own political gain. In this moment in our history, the Constitution is clear: The remedy for such misconduct by a President is impeachment. I didn't come here to Congress to impeach a President of the United States, but, sadly, the President's misconduct leaves us no choice but to follow the Constitution. I have two grandchildren. My granddaughter, Caitlin, is 8, and my grandson, Colin, is 4. Some day a long time from now, they will ask me about this day. They will ask about the time a President put himself above the law, and they will want to know what I did to stop him. And I will have an answer for them. Today, I vote to uphold the Constitution. I will vote to impeach Donald Trump.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my friends, Mr. Suozzi and Mr. King, for offering this resolution, and particularly Mr. Suozzi for his leadership on this issue. Like many Members who have spoken, I am proud of my own Irish heritage. It is a heritage that continues to this day. My sister lives in Ireland with her husband, Daithi, and their children, Siofra, Paddy, Ciaran, and Fiach. Those four children are part of the first generation alive that have been able to live with the guarantee of some sort of peace on that island. It is important that we recognize that, as much as many of us have this familial connection to the people of Ireland, this question is so much bigger than that. This is really a question as to whether or not we are going to support a negotiated peace, which is an achievement not just of the people of the U.K. and the island of Ireland but as an achievement of the American people as well because we are a guarantor of that agreement. It even goes beyond that, however. What message does it send to the people of the world, especially in those places that continue to have longstanding conflicts, if in the name of a hasty decision to implement Brexit, we were to set aside this achievement that says to the people of the world, not just the people of that island, not just to the people of the U.K., not just to the people of the U.S., but to the people of the world that peace can be achieved through face-to-face negotiation? That is a powerful message that goes beyond the direct impact that its reversal would have on the people of Ireland. Finally, as my friends have said, nobody in the U.K. or in the U.K. Government should expect that the United States would pursue and willingly sign any U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that does not respect the principles that the Good Friday Agreement implemented. So, the question is: Are we going to deal with this now? Will we ensure, as the people of the world want, that we protect this important peace? I think we should. The people of the world think we should. Mr. Speaker, I hope my friends join me in supporting this really important resolution.

Mr. KILDEE

Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was World Diabetes Day. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of Americans, including my own daughter, Katy, who was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic when she was 8 years old, almost 20 years ago. We have to do more to make sure that hardworking families have access to affordable prescription drugs, often, lifesaving drugs. Sadly, under the Trump administration, the President has rolled back access to healthcare and undermined the Affordable Care Act, raising prices for lifesaving drugs and eliminating protections for those with preexisting conditions. That is the aim of this administration. One in five Americans are skipping doses, cutting pills in half, and skipping their insulin because they just don't have the money it takes to keep themselves healthy. It costs about $5.60 to produce a vial of insulin. Americans sometimes have to pay hundreds of dollars just to have that drug that was brought into this country, invented in the 1920s, and hasn't changed substantially. We have to make sure to pass H.R. 3, which will make sure that Americans have access to prescription drugs at an affordable price. It is the right thing to do. Congress has to act.