Andy Levin

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Oakland Literacy Council. Since the Oakland Literacy Council was formed in 1984, volunteers have helped thousands of adult learners improve their literacy skills with the simple method of one neighbor helping another. The dedicated and trained volunteers of the Oakland Literacy Council provide free basic literacy and English language instruction to adults who live in Oakland County, Michigan. For 35 years, the efforts of the Oakland Literacy Council have helped residents, students, and workers improve their English language skills so that they may communicate with their child's teacher, enhance their skills for a GED or to become a citizen of the United States, and improve their reading to receive promotions at work. I commend the tireless work of the Oakland Literacy Council as it continues to improve the lives of Oakland County residents and strengthen the fabric of our southeastern Michigan community.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to amendment No. 32, which represents an unfortunate attempt to protect the influence of dark corporate money in politics. I am so proud of the package of bills included in H.R. 1, because I believe that the work we are doing here will transform our democracy. One of the bills included in H.R. 1 is my Transparency in Corporate Political Spending Act, which will reverse a law that prevents the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, from requiring corporations to disclose political spending to their shareholders. The only reason that the law my measure will reverse is even on the books is that for years, conservatives in Congress have misused the appropriations process to enact anti-transparency measures, contrary to our most fundamental democratic values. This amendment would keep that anti-transparency law in place. I cannot for the life of me understand why my colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem so keen on helping corporations keep their political spending a secret. How is that good for our democracy? Indeed, Justice Scalia, in another case after Citizens United, wrote: ``Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed.'' The situation could not be simpler. Americans deserve to know which corporate interests are donating money to influence our elected officials. Corporations should play by the same rules as Michiganders in my district in Macomb and Oakland Counties and that the rest of Americans play by and disclose their political contributions because secret corporate spending poses a threat to our democracy and to investor confidence. Since the disastrous decision in the Citizens United v. FEC case allowed corporations to make unlimited political contributions, investors and citizens concerned about the future of American democracy have looked to the SEC to require corporate disclosure of political spending. We need to untie the hands of the SEC so that it can move forward with finalizing a crucial rule requiring corporations simply to disclose their political spending. Requiring public corporations to be honest with their shareholders, customers, and the public about the political donations they make is essential to taking our democracy back from the hands of special interests. This is why I rise in vehement opposition to this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it as well. Madam Chair, I reserve the remainder of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chairwoman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chairwoman, I am glad to hear that some corporations are good citizens. However, we cannot leave our basic functioning of our democracy to the whims of individuals. Some corporations protected the safety of their workers before we had the OSHA laws. Some corporations didn't use child labor before we had our child labor laws. We need fundamental rules to make sure there is sunshine in this area. Now, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), my friend.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chair, I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 1, the For the People Act. This historic package of democracy and anticorruption reforms will put power back in the hands of the people and restore the American people's faith that government works for the public interest, not the special interests. I am pleased that my bill, the Transparency in Corporate Political Spending Act, is included in H.R. 1. I am also proud today to present an amendment to prohibit violators of our Federal election campaign laws from serving on critically important redistricting commissions in the States. Our democracy has been under attack from foreign interference, gerrymandering, hidden corporate money, and voter suppression. Today, the time has come to reform our system and restore faith in our political process. I believe we have a duty to transform our democracy from a spectator sport into a true dialogue in which we all participate to debate the issues, defend our interests, and demand our rights. By passing H.R. 1, we will move one step closer to that transformation by breaking the grip of special interests and ensuring that the American people come first in our democracy. Among its many important provisions, this historic democracy reform package includes my Transparency in Corporate Political Spending Act, which will eliminate the policy rider that lets corporations keep their unlimited political spending secret. In addition, I look forward to this Chamber's consideration of my amendment to H.R. 1. This amendment would protect our democracy by prohibiting campaign finance law violators and their immediate family members from serving on redistricting commissions. Congress needs to ensure that we set out commonsense minimum criteria for people who will serve on redistricting commissions in States across the country. My amendment will ensure that redistricting commissions nationwide are free of individuals and immediate relatives of individuals who have knowingly and willfully committed a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act. In November 2018, the people of Michigan overwhelmingly passed Voters Not Politicians, a ballot initiative that sets up a nonpartisan redistricting commission to create State legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 census. About seven or eight States have already done this, and more are considering it. If we are going to transform our democracy, we need to do it right. I could not be more proud to vote to end the dominance of big money in our political system, to guarantee free and fair elections that are open to all, and to ensure public officials work for the public interest. I would like to thank Congressman Sarbanes and the members of the Democracy Reform Task Force for their unrelenting efforts to reclaim our democracy as one for and by the people. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the For the People Act and to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chair, I deeply appreciate the gentleman from Illinois' kind remarks. I will absolutely give my dad his regards. I will call him tonight and tell him, seriously, that the gentleman said that. I really appreciate the incredible honor and opportunity to be here working with the gentleman to do the people's business. I really hope we will get a chance to work together on any number of bills to perfect and expand our democracy. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chairwoman, I am proud to cosponsor the Enhanced Background Checks Act, H.R. 1112, and I am also proud today to present an amendment that will make sure we can track and learn from the good that this bill will accomplish once it becomes law. In 2017, 39,773 Americans died from gun violence. This is a public health epidemic. Under current law, if a background check is not completed within 3 business days, a federally licensed firearm dealer may move forward with a firearms transfer or sale. The devastating reality is that many horrific acts of gun violence, including the massacre of the Emanuel Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, which ended nine lives and left several people wounded, could have been avoided. Today, we will vote to close the loophole that allowed for that tragedy by closing what has become known as the Charleston loophole. The Enhanced Background Checks Act will provide the background check system with additional time to make a final determination on a potential firearm purchaser before a licensed dealer can transfer a gun. We have an obligation to the American people and to the victims of the shooter at the AME church to pass the bill before us today, and I am proud to be part of this effort to protect our communities from gun violence. My amendment to H.R. 1112 will require the Government Accountability Office to submit a report to Congress 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years following the implementation of this law. These reports will analyze the extent to which the changes made by this law will prevent firearms from being transferred to prohibited persons. I am proud that this amendment has broad support from all stakeholders that have been involved in making this bill a reality. We must strive for effective, evidence-based policies that promote public health and protect our communities. My amendment will cost us nothing, but it will help build the evidence base around the effectiveness of good gun violence prevention policies like this one. This amendment is all the more important, given the regrettable lack of Federal funding for gun violence research. My amendment will finally help us demonstrate with data that gun violence prevention measures like the one before us today will prevent firearms from ending up in the hands of people who should not have them. I came to Washington because the people of southern Macomb and southeastern Oakland Counties sent me here on a mission, and that mission includes protecting our communities from senseless gun violence. I stand today in solidarity with the courageous people of Michigan's Ninth Congressional District's Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. We have a responsibility as Members of Congress and as human beings not just to talk about the horrors of gun violence, but to do everything in our powers to end it. Today, we will take the critically necessary step to do just that. I would like to thank Congressman Jim Clyburn, Peter King, and Joe Cunningham for their leadership to ensure that we close the Charleston loophole. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1112 and support this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, as we recognize Black History Month, I rise to celebrate the life and contributions of a remarkable Detroit community activist. While I was at the Macomb County Celebration of Black Excellence last Saturday, the Michigan activist community received news of the loss of Mama Lila Cabbil. A close friend of Rosa Parks for 30 years, Ms. Cabbil was a national leader in the fight against racism and a powerful Detroit activist, particularly in the struggle for clean and accessible water. At Rosa Parks' funeral service in 2005, Ms. Cabbil invoked Matthew 7:16: ``You shall know them by their fruits.'' When I read those words today, I think of Mama Lila's commitment to Michigan's Black community and to all communities that have suffered the theft of their voting rights and the unjust loss of their homes and their water. During Black History Month, it is my honor to highlight Mama Lila's contribution to Detroit and our region and the example she sets for all of us as a passionate servant leader.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Engel for his incredible leadership on this issue. Mr. Chair, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of Congressman Khanna's resolution. The Saudi-led war in Yemen has led to a staggering crisis, and it is happening on our watch. This bombing campaign would not be happening without the active involvement of the United States military with the Saudis. More than 75 percent of Yemen's population needs humanitarian assistance. Yemen has one of the highest maternal death rates in the region. Its health infrastructure has crumbled, and tens of thousands of pregnant women are at risk of serious complications. The list goes on and on. It is long past time to bring U.S. involvement in this calamity to an end. Mr. Chair, I want to thank Congressman Khanna for his leadership and Chairman Engel for making this a top priority. We have a responsibility not just as Members of Congress, but as human beings not just to talk about these horrors, but to do everything in our power to end them.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding the additional time. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I say to the gentleman from St. Joseph, in this Special Order, we are a little different from Michigan. I say to the gentleman from St. Joseph, if Kildee went to the dark side, Levin will come over to the Energy and Commerce Committee. So I appreciate that. We will get that all lined up, so we can take care of that right here.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I am ready to diversify things in Michigan again. I really want to pick up where the gentleman left off, because I don't want to talk about John's unbelievable legislative record. I want to talk about two families, the Levin family and the Dingell family, and really about what the Dingell family has meant to my family for almost 80 years. My dad has been interviewed about this, and my Uncle Carl. But my dad has not revealed the beginning of his relationship with the Dingells, and that is about John's dad, John Dingell, Sr. My father, Sander Levin's first political memory, aside from listening to fireside chats all around the living room radio coming from President Roosevelt, is of campaigning for John Dingell, Sr., in his knickers. My dad would have been maybe 10 years old, so this is going back to the late 1930s or the early 1940s. In 1946, I think, John Dingell, Sr., recommended to President Harry Truman that he appoint a lawyer named Theodore Levin to the Eastern District of Michigan to be a Federal judge, and Harry Truman did that. I was looking at the Record, and with all the time things take these days, the President nominated Uncle Ted on July 3, and he was sitting on July 27 of either 1946 or 1947. Things happened at a different speed in those days. Theodore Levin served for many years, and he was the chief judge of the Eastern District of Michigan. Earlier than that, before he was chief judge, I think, John Dingell's son, John D. Dingell, Jr., clerked for Judge Levin. It made a profound impact on the chairman. He told me about this all the time. Imagine getting to go see this very senior Member of Congress to find out about your own great uncle. What was he like? Mr. Dingell loved Uncle Ted. Then many years later, John Dingell--I don't even know how this happens--he did whatever you do to name the Federal courthouse in Detroit after my great uncle. He did not tell Congressman Sander Levin and he did not tell Senator Carl Levin about this at all until it was a done deal. He didn't want any sense, I guess, of conflict of interest or whatever. He was doing this for his own sake. This was his mentor. So if you go to downtown Detroit, the courthouse is named after Theodore Levin. Over the years, my dad served here for 36 years. All 36 years, his beloved senior colleague was John Dingell. My dad rose to be the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Mr. Dingell was the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. They worked together on so many things, things that people from other States wouldn't know about, like cleaning up the Rouge River, a symbol of industrialism that now is a much cleaner river, a really clean river, and working to save the auto industry, of course. Imagine what it meant to my dad to be the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee when we passed the Affordable Care Act, and getting to work with his legendary and beloved senior colleague from Michigan who had introduced universal healthcare in this country every Congress since he entered in 1955, to get to work together to advance the ball, not achieving universal healthcare, but achieving so much through the Affordable Care Act. I don't know how to say good-bye to Mr. Dingell. Like Mr. Kildee, he scared the heck out of me. He was gruff. He was big. But for the sparkle in his eye, I am not sure I would have even approached him. He was always willing to sit down, no matter how big and powerful he was. He was always willing to listen. The advice he gave was unfailingly honest and direct. A lot of times, you couldn't repeat exactly the advice, all of the words in the advice he gave, but it was really special to me. I am not sure I am willing to say good-bye to Mr. D. I will just say Godspeed to someone who, to me, will always be the dean of the House and represent what this body is supposed to be: down to Earth and sophisticated at the same time, highly principled, and expert at making the sausage. This is the people's House, and John Dingell was the people's Representative.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, while the longest government shutdown in our country's history finally ended over the weekend, its effects continue to plague working families. For 35 days the President held hostage the paychecks, financial security, and health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of Federal workers, including 5,200 from Michigan. The President's stunt did nothing to advance real border security discussions and resulted in a colossal waste of time and resources. He cost the American economy $11 billion; ironically, nearly twice as much as he wanted for an ineffective border wall. As the President threatens another shutdown, I rise today to demand that he never again use this cruel tactic, and to, instead, come to the table, the negotiating table in good faith. Democrats support effective border security solutions, and we are here to talk so long as working families are not used as pawns in the political process.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, while Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act went down in flames, their Texas v. United States lawsuit seeks to subvert the will of the American people and take our healthcare away. In December, a judge ruled in favor of Republicans, issuing a decision that would strike down the entire ACA. If that ruling stands, every American will lose vital protections, like those for people with preexisting conditions. I have cosponsored Congressman Colin Allred's H. Res. 14, which authorizes the House to intervene in this case and defend the law of the land, because my family and I, like so many others, are no strangers to the costs of preexisting conditions. Madam Speaker, I am a two-time cancer survivor. Two of my four kids have Crohn's disease, and they have been living with it for 14 years. Bills upward of $10,000 are not unusual in my household. Despite all this, I consider us lucky. Why? Because, thanks to the ACA, my sons and I cannot be turned away or charged more because of our medical histories. All of that will change if Republicans and President Trump got their way. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas, Congressman Allred, for introducing this important resolution.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Garamendi's leadership on this issue. I don't think there is--I have not been able to find--another democratic nation in our world that shuts down its government over policy arguments, wasting $1.2 billion of GDP a week for no purpose. Madam Speaker, I want to share a few stories of the impact of this senseless shutdown on workers, on people in my home State. When we went home on Friday, I organized a meeting at our airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, with a range of Federal workers who have been affected. We just wanted to listen to them and hear their stories. We invited Fred Upton and my Democratic colleagues from Michigan, and those who traveled home were able to make it. I just want to share a few of those stories. There is Dave, a biologist at the NOAA research lab in Ann Arbor. He has been furloughed, not getting paid. They study the water currents in the Straits of Mackinac. Line 5, our locally famous pipeline that literally just goes in the water in the bottom of the Great Lakes underneath the Mackinac Bridge, if that breaks or has a rupture, the research of this group is what determines how we would fight that oil spill, which would devastate the economy of the Great Lakes. That supercomputer is shut off. It is just not working. And if we have that, if there was an accident there, the whole Midwest would be out of luck. They run an experimental weather computer that supplements the basic work of the National Weather Service and contributes to our weather forecasting. God forbid we have a huge storm somewhere in the United States where we get it wrong because they are not doing their work; they are not able to work. Just imagine some huge pileup of cars on one of our interstates that happens because we are not doing our best weather forecasting. We heard from Mark, who is the president of his local. He works at the EPA lab in Ann Arbor. That lab is shut down. They are the ones who determine the fuel efficiency of the cars you buy. Our auto companies right now are not able to move their cars forward toward the market because they cannot begin to sell a car until it has the EPA rating. That EPA lab also does enforcement of fossil fuel companies in our region. That is not happening. We heard from Wanavira, a TSA agent for the last 2\1/2\ years. She is a veteran. So many of these people were veterans. She is a veteran. She was a Detroit cop for 10 years, and now she is a TSA agent. She had to go to the food bank to make sure she had food for her family because she is not getting paid. She is being forced to work without pay. We heard from Jennifer, another TSA agent. She and her husband--I forget which was which--one of them is 11 years and one of them is 16 years working for TSA. Friday was a pay-less payday for the whole family, no income coming in at all. Her comment was: We have got this week figured out. But next week-- meaning, the week we are in right now--they don't know how they are going to put food on the table. We heard from Youssef, who works for the Customs service. He said his friends think he is on vacation because he has been furloughed by our government. But his comment was that he didn't think a vacation included calling your mortgage lender and your car loan creditor to beg for a month of forbearance. He never thought that he would get rich as a public servant, but he also didn't think he would have trouble buying formula for his 5-month-old daughter. We heard from Angel, a computer programmer for the IRS. She has twin girls in college. They just started a new semester. She has no money to buy their books. She has no money to buy their other supplies. She is another veteran. She herself has student loans. She tried to go on edu.gov to figure out if she could get a month off. Website closed. So we need to work hard to break through to the Secretary of Education to work with her to give forgiveness for student loans for Federal employees who are affected by this. And, finally, I have got to share the story of Tim. It is a frightening one because he inspects our planes, and half of them are working and half of them are furloughed, and they are not inspecting our planes to the extent that they normally do. This is no joke. I do not want this shutdown to end because our friends finally come to their senses after some horrible thing happens to a plane, our cars, or our food supply or something that isn't being inspected. But Tim is a Navy vet who went to work for General Motors. He lost his job in the Great Recession. Madam Speaker, in a previous life, I created and ran something called No Worker Left Behind. I ran the workforce system of the State of Michigan, and I created, essentially, the largest experiment by any State in actually putting workers back to school who were unemployed or underemployed. We put 162,000 Michiganders back to school. This gentleman, Tim, was one of them. He studied IT. And out of that program in Oakland County, Michigan, he got a job with the FAA. And here he is, working without a paycheck now. And so many of his coworkers are furloughed. He just wants to serve his country. He has two kids in college, again, and they need funding for tuition, books, and so forth. Madam Speaker, there is no reason that 820,000 Federal workers are forced to work for no pay or are simply off without their livelihood. And so many more government contractors are being victimized, and so many small businesspeople who run a restaurant or a barbershop near a government facility are robbed of their income. The economic effects are devastating. There is no reason for it. I appreciate Mr. Garamendi's leadership on this. I just wanted to come down and join him in calling on our colleagues in the Senate to join with us in voting to reopen our government right now. After all, we passed what they had passed, what our Republican friends had passed. It is not our appropriations, how we would want them, as Democrats. We passed their appropriations. And in a bipartisan spirit, let's reopen our government, and we can have all the negotiations we want over policy matters.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, on Friday, several of my Democratic colleagues and I met with hardworking Americans who are living with the consequences of the ongoing Trump shutdown. We met an FAA employee, working without a paycheck, who has two kids in college, and they need money for books as the new semester begins. We met a Customs and Border Patrol employee who said his friends think he is on vacation, but a vacation does not include calling your mortgage lender and your auto loan company to tell them you may not make a payment. He said he never expected to get rich as a public servant, but he thought he would be able to buy formula for his 5- month-old daughter. We met a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee who told us weather forecasts for the Great Lakes will be impacted for months, which will, in turn, impact shipping. We are on day 24 of the longest government shutdown in American history. Estimates say we are letting GD growth take a hit of $1.2 billion every week. The President has to stop holding the health, safety, and paychecks of the American people hostage and reopen the government immediately, because 5,200 Federal workers in Michigan are working without pay or are furloughed. I guarantee you that every one of them has a story like the ones I shared.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I rise as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, a bill to implement universal background checks as a critical first step towards ending the public health crisis of gun violence. Today, I speak up in honor of the Moms and Students Demand Action leaders from Michigan's Ninth District who have inspired me. I speak up because it is unacceptable that far more people per capita are shot and killed annually in our country than in other wealthy nations. And it is unacceptable that in 2016, more than 1,200 Michiganders died from firearms-related injuries. I speak up because the American people are counting on us to save lives, and this bill is a commonsense way to do that. I feel privileged to cosponsor this bill as one of my first actions in Congress. We owe it to families everywhere to get this done.

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, last night, the President went on television in an attempt to justify his decision to shut down our government and plunge our country into chaos. He claims that we are in the middle of an emergency, and I actually agree with him on that. I just don't agree on what the emergency is. It is an emergency that more than 5,200 Federal workers in Michigan are working without pay, or are furloughed. It is an emergency that the Environmental Protection Agency has halted inspections of our drinking water systems. And it is an emergency that our President is ready to spend, in his words, ``years'' prolonging this shutdown and hurting American families for the sake of an ineffective and expensive border wall. On day 1, House Democrats took the first steps to clean up this mess by passing a complete funding package to reopen our government. Now we are preparing further action to reopen all government agencies, one by one, and remove any doubt that hardworking Americans will receive their tax refunds and the services they depend on. Enough is enough. Michiganders can't afford one more day of the Trump shutdown.