Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on H. Res. 275.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleagues, Representative Chu, Representative McBath, and Representative Bourdeaux, for their thoughtful and important resolution. The House of Representatives must take a stand against anti-Asian bigotry and hate, and condemn the terrible shootings in Atlanta. H. Res. 275 does just that. I urge every Member on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 275, condemning the horrific shootings that led to the tragic loss of eight American lives in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16. The people of the United States mourn the eight innocent lives lost, six of whom were women of Asian descent, and several of whom were immigrants. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Judy Chu for her leadership on this issue and for introducing this important legislation. Over the past year, Asian-Americans have been attacked and harassed because of misinformation and xenophobia that wrongly blamed them for the coronavirus pandemic. And, sadly, incidents of violence against Asian-Americans are on the rise across our country. The heinous shootings in Georgia was a wake-up call for the public to the reality the Asian-American community is facing each and every day. Acts of violence like these demonstrate why we must always call out bigotry and hate whenever or wherever we see it. We must all speak out against it. In New York City, the number of anti-Asian hate crimes reported to the police increased by 833 percent last year, the most out of any major city in America. This is simply unacceptable. By voting to pass this resolution, the House of Representatives will clearly state our condemnation of the heinous and inexcusable acts of gun violence that led to the tragic loss of eight lives in Georgia on March 16. The resolution also condemns any racism and sexism that contributed to the shooter's targeting of the Asian-owned businesses and murder of seven women, six of whom were of Asian descent. This resolution honors the memory of the victims and the loved ones they leave behind. The healing process will be long and difficult for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, and all communities impacted by this tragedy. Importantly, the resolution affirms the commitment of the Federal Government to combat hate, bigotry, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and to prevent tragedies like this in the future, a commitment I hope all of my colleagues can agree on. I am proud to stand in solidarity with the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander community in calling for an end to the targeted attacks like the one we saw in Atlanta. Madam Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, I urge all of my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), who is the chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and sponsor of this important resolution.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Mfume), who is a distinguished member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), a distinguished member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a distinguished member of the Oversight and Reform Committee and the chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath), a co- leader of this resolution.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Bourdeaux), co- leader of this resolution.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), a distinguished member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that just passed this House of Representatives. Pregnancy discrimination holds working parents back and threatens financial stability, with women of color being disproportionately harmed by the lack of workplace protections. It is long past time we ensure that every worker is entitled to reasonable accommodations to support a healthy pregnancy. We just celebrated Mother's Day. What if, in addition to flowers one day a year, we make sure that during pregnancy, workers have fair working conditions and are never in the position of risking their safety to continue providing for themselves and their families? This bipartisan bill simply requires reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers, like adequate breaks, and protects them from discrimination that can drive them from the workplace. No pregnant worker should have to choose between their and their baby's health or their job.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the York Theatre Company as it works to fully reopen. The York Theatre Company was founded by Janet Hayes Walker in 1969. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the York Theatre produced nearly 200 musical theater performances each year, reaching over 37,000 patrons. During the coronavirus shutdown, the Theatre streamed an online series, so that its patrons could continue to experience and enjoy musical theater. Unfortunately, on top of an already difficult year for New York City theaters, the York Theatre Company's physical home was devastated by a flood caused by a municipal water main break in January. The unique mission of the York Theatre Company is two-fold as it aspires to produce new musical works, as well as rediscover musicals of the past. The York Theatre hosts several programs and activities that encourage musical theatre students to engage in Off- Broadway productions, greatly impacting the Off-Broadway scene. With programs such as the Mainstage Series, Musicals in Mufti Series, Developmental Reading Series, internship offerings, and a volunteer program, the York Theatre has made its mark on New York City's vibrant theatre community. Since 2015, the York Theatre Company has offered its Musical Theatre Training Program that brings together working professionals and dedicated theatre students. This program offers training in singing, acting, and movements, as well as master classes with New York's top theater artists. The York Theatre's intensive sessions are offered to students from middle school to college. Many of these intensives offer students an opportunity to perform on the York Theatre's Off-Broadway stage at the conclusion of the program. In the fall of 2014, the York Theatre celebrated its 100th Musical in Mufti with the production of Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night. The York Theatre's Musical in Mufti ensures that lesser-known musicals of the past are performed and brought into new light for the enjoyment of modern audiences. All New York City theaters have faced unprecedented challenges over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the important public health restrictions put in place, but the York Theatre also had to face the unexpected and heartbreaking flooding of their physical home. Faced with these ``slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,'' the York Theatre has shown its adaptability. It has produced and streamed an incredibly popular online series. New York--its people and its institutions--are resilient, and I am confident that the York Theatre will soon be able to reopen its doors once again and introduce new audiences to the joys of musical theater. The York Theatre Company has long been an incredible company that makes musical theatre accessible to New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds, and I look forward to its full reopening. Off-Broadway theatre has played a pivotal role in making New York City the theater capitol of the world. The York Theatre Company has had a substantial impact on this great city's history. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise in recognition of the York Theatre Company, a principal in shaping New York City's theatre culture, as they celebrate the inauguration of their new theatre seats.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 330, I call up the bill (H.R. 51) to provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia and my dear friend, Congresswoman Norton, for her years of dedicated leadership on this bill. She is not only the author of the bill, but of this moment in history. Today, for the second time in 2 years, the House will vote to overturn the wrongs of over 200 years of political repression in the District of Columbia. We will vote to honor the most fundamental principle of this Nation--that all people have a right to full and equal representation in their government. Our Nation has not always lived up to its promise of full and equal representation, but that has not stopped those dedicated to equality from fighting to ensure that all people are fully represented in their government. This fundamental right is denied to the more than 712,000 Americans living in the District of Columbia. For more than 200 years the District has been fighting for equal rights. Despite 86 percent of its residents voting for statehood in 2016, Congress has still not acted to ensure that the District shares in the blessings of liberty promised by the Founders in the U.S. Constitution. The United States is a republic, but the people of its Capital lack representation. The United States is the only democratic country that denies both voting rights in the national legislature and local self- government to the people of its Capital. That is wrong and violates everything we stand for as Americans. The District pays more in Federal taxes than 21 States and more per capita than any State. Think about that. It pays more than nearly half the States in this country, yet D.C. residents have no vote in Congress. That is wrong. Unfortunately, so far Republicans have opposed our efforts to ensure equality for District residents. But let me be clear what Republican opposition is really about: partisanship. They would rather deny voting rights for hundreds of thousands of American citizens than even consider the possibility that Representatives from the new State could possibly be Democrats. Think about that argument. They are willing to violate the core principles of our democracy merely because the new State might elect Representatives from a different political party. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge every Member in this House to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 51, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), who is the author of this bill and moment in history.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, in this historic moment, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the first female Speaker of the House in history.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify that this should be a bipartisan issue. Republicans used to support voting representation in Congress for D.C. residents. Then-President Eisenhower called for equal political rights for D.C. residents in three State of the Union Addresses. Then-President Nixon said: ``It should offend the democratic senses of this Nation that D.C. residents do not have voting representation in Congress.'' In 2007, then-Representative Mike Pence said on the floor: ``The fact that more than a half a million Americans living in the District of Columbia are denied a single voting representative in Congress is clearly a historic wrong.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), the chairman of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, today, for the second time in two years, the House will vote to end centuries of political repression in the District of Columbia by granting the District statehood. For too long Congress has denied more than 712,000 Americans in the District the fundamental right to full representation in government. Today we say no more. All 37 states that have been added to the union were admitted by legislation with a simple majority vote. There is no reason admitting the District should be any different. The United States is a republic, but the people of its capital lack representation. The United States is the only democratic country that denies both voting rights in the national legislature and local self-government to the people of its capital. Today we say no more. My Republican colleagues would rather continue to deny voting rights for hundreds of thousands of American citizens because they may vote for Democrats. Today we say no more. We say no more to taxation without representation. No more to unequal rights for the District's residents. No more to this Nation failing to live up to the foundational principles that make us who we are.