Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, under the Admissions Clause of the Constitution, Congress has the authority to admit new States. That is why all 37 new States have been admitted by simple legislation. No State has ever been admitted by a constitutional amendment. The Republicans want D.C. to use an admissions process that has never been used in the history of this country. The District Clause of the Constitution gives Congress authority over the Federal District and establishes a maximum size of the Federal District, 100 square miles. It does not establish a minimum size. H.R. 51 would maintain a 2-square mile Federal District. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), the senior chief deputy whip.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), a champion for equality and the 51st State and House majority leader.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), the chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on each side?

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, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman describes this, as many on the other side, as a political issue, a power grab. He cites all these other political actions, but the real power grab is denying 712,000 taxpaying American citizens the right to vote. That is the power grab. This isn't about politics. It is a fundamental voting and civil rights issue. And it is outrageous that Republicans would play partisan politics just to block 712,000 Americans from having full equality in our democracy. Every American deserves a voice in their government, not taxation without representation, fundamental beliefs in our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer), the chair of the Joint Economic Committee.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on both sides?

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens), chairwoman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology's Subcommittee on Research and Technology.

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, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), a distinguished constitutional scholar.

Ms. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Ms. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, statehood for D.C. is about fairness, justice, and ensuring that all Americans have an equal stake in our Republic. It is not unconstitutional. It is constitutional. And this is not about politics. It is a fundamental voting and civil rights issue. The real wrong is denying 712,000 taxpaying American citizens the right to vote. Our Nation is founded upon the principle that all people should have a voice in their government. No taxation without representation. But without voting representation in Congress, the people of D.C. are denied that most basic fundamental right. Today's debate forces us to confront the fundamental question of who we are as a nation. Do we believe in the right to full and equal representation? Or are these just empty words? D.C. residents are Americans, and they deserve the equal rights our national ideals promise them. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the outstanding Congresswoman for her tireless and selfless advocacy to ensure that D.C. residents finally gain full representation that they deserve. I join many in thanking the leadership of the Democratic Caucus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Whip James Clyburn. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote in favor of this critical civil rights bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, the Muslim ban enacted under the previous administration is a stain on our country and our Nation's history. As we work to rebuild a humane and just immigration system, we must start by outlawing any type of this State- sanctioned religious bigotry. We do that today by passing the NO BAN Act. This bill strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act by banning discrimination on the basis of religion. Importantly, it will prevent any future President from enacting something like the Muslim ban in the future by placing appropriate checks and balances on the President's authority in this area. Discrimination based on religion is not who we are as a nation. Today, we can take the first step towards a more just and humane immigration system, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the NO BAN Act.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on a commonsense bill I introduced to promote accountability for America's opioid crisis. The opioid epidemic has taken almost as many lives as the COVID-19 crisis. The Sackler family has amassed billions of dollars, in large part, through the sales of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin. Members of the Sackler family have been directly involved in the company's efforts to flood our communities with this dangerous painkiller and to mislead the public on the danger it poses to their health. Purdue has declared bankruptcy, and members of the Sackler family are seeking legal releases from individual lawsuits brought against them by government entities. My bill, H.R. 2096, the SACKLER Act, ensures that individuals accused of wrongdoing by government actors, like the Sacklers, are prevented from evading responsibility through bankruptcy proceedings. I ask my colleagues for their support in this crucial effort to ensure accountability for the harm the Sacklers have inflicted on our communities, and to promote justice for lives lost to the opioid epidemic.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Paycheck Fairness Act. On average, women are paid just 82 cents for every dollar paid to men. The gap is even larger, almost double, for women of color. Compounded over a lifetime, the pay gap becomes a wealth tax, costing women thousands and thousands of dollars in lost wages. Longstanding workplace discrimination sets women back in pay, benefits, hiring, and promotions. Closing the pay gap will provide more financial stability for women, especially those who are hardest hit by the pandemic. At a recent Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Equal Pay Day, soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe testified: ``One cannot simply outperform inequality.'' Combating pay discrimination requires deliberate action, and that is what the Paycheck Fairness bill does. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this important bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the millions of Dreamers who call America home and contribute to the rich tapestry of our country, yet have seen their dreams of a permanent home deferred over and over again. These Americans, in every way but on paper, deal with uncertainty each day that we fail to act. Now that the House has acted, the Senate must immediately pass the American Dream and Promise Act. In our melting pot of a city, New Yorkers have shown again and again that it is our diversity that makes us strong and that immigrants and the American Dream are linked. So, today, the House made clear that immigrants are welcome here and that Dreamers deserve to know their home will not be taken away. I thank all of my colleagues who voted ``yes'' to providing this commonsense pathway to citizenship, and I urge the Senate to do the same.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, today, we will vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, one of the most important bills in history to protect women and girls. This photograph is of then-Senator Joe Biden, myself, and other women leaders when we introduced this important bill in 1994. It is still important. We need to reauthorize it. There is no doubt he will sign it into law. We live in a world where 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence. Reauthorizing VAWA is about creating a future where all those experiencing dating and gender-based violence feel supported to seek help, and where survivors are given the tools they need to heal. It is about ensuring a better, safer future for the next generation. I urge a ``yes'' vote by all of my colleagues.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, there is no time limit on equality. The equal rights amendment passed the needed 38 States, including the great State of New York. Enough is enough. It is long past time for women to be in the Constitution. We may not always be able to control, nor should women's rights be dependent upon who controls State governments, who is in the White House or Congress, or who sits on the Supreme Court. Our rights shouldn't be determined by these types of things. It should be in the document, the document they interpret and that they are bound by. It is long past time to spell out equality in our Constitution with the ERA. Unfortunately, we are seeing the effects of gender inequality acutely during this pandemic. An estimated 1 million more women than men have lost their jobs, and a disproportionate number of those suffering are Black women and Latinas. We need to pass it. It is urgently needed. Let's just imagine if the ERA had been ratified in the 1970s, as it should have been. Would we have needed today a dramatic Me Too, Time's Up movement with hundreds of thousands of women having to tell their often painful personal stories in order to get justice? Or would the Violence Against Women Act and other legislation addressing sexual assault have been passed, if it had been passed much sooner, without the risk of a Supreme Court ruling limiting a woman's right to sue? Women could sue directly if they were in the Constitution. We have the opportunity to make equal rights under the law a reality for our mothers, our daughters, our granddaughters, and ourselves. We must recognize that there is no time limit on equality and vote to pass today's resolution now.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Lawrence for her extraordinary leadership. In 1921, exactly 100 years ago, just after ratifying the 19th Amendment, the suffragists set their sights on another constitutional change. The vote was not enough for them. They knew we needed to put gender equality into our Constitution. So, these women, among them my relative Alice Paul, wrote the equal rights amendment. It was first introduced in Congress in 1923 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention in our country. It was introduced in the House by Representative Daniel Anthony, nephew of the great suffragist leader, Susan B. Anthony, to honor her work, as well as the work of many others, like the great suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also of New York. Today, during Women's History Month, we honor these women as constitution-makers. But verbal praise alone is not enough. We must also carry out their wishes. Because now, a full 100 years later, the equal rights amendment is still not part of the U.S. Constitution. I thank Jackie Speier and all the women and like-minded men in this Congress that voted to move the equal rights amendment forward. Eighty-five percent of U.N. member states have constitutions that explicitly guarantee equality for women and girls. These constitutional guarantees have enabled national legal reforms that eliminated discriminatory laws and helped usher in new laws protecting girls and women. Where once the U.S. was a leader on gender equality, when it comes to our Constitution, we are now far, far behind. Today, we must fulfill the hope of our suffragist foremothers and make equality a reality in our Nation's most fundamental document. I must say, throughout this struggle I have always said: Where are the women? When I walk around the Mall, they have museums for everything, but not women. It is hard to empower women if we don't even recognize them. So this Women's Caucus put in a bill to create a national women's museum on the mall. I thought this would be easy. It took us two decades to finally pass it last year, but it is now going to be built. It was a priority of this caucus, and we made it happen. I just want to close by saying that our Smithsonian Women's History Museum will inspire visitors of all ages and all genders for generations to come. I am so glad to join my colleagues for tonight's Special Order to celebrate the historical achievements of women and to look forward to creating a more equal future for all and preserving this history and the contributions of women in the new Smithsonian women's museum, which is now going to be built on the mall due to this Congress and this Women's Caucus. I thank all of my colleagues that helped this happen and helped the passage of the ERA today.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, more than 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks for those purchasing guns. Today, I urge my colleagues to do the same by supporting H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446. These bills will keep guns out of the hands of those who aren't allowed to have them in the first place. For years, I have introduced a bill to prevent people from skirting the background check process by purchasing guns at gun shows, and I am very glad that H.R. 8 accomplishes this. If you can't buy a gun from a licensed dealer, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun anywhere, especially at a gun show. H.R. 1446 closes the Charleston loophole, which allows individuals to buy guns before their background check is completed. Ensuring community safety shouldn't have a 72-hour clock. With gun deaths and gun sales surging in 2020, we must act now to close these loopholes and meaningfully combat gun violence. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on these two votes today.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill. The Oversight Committee, which I chair, is responsible for the provisions in this package that provide funding to States, local governments, Tribes, and territories. When we began our work, hundreds upon hundreds of community leaders reached out to us asking for help. They told us the relief in this bill would mean recovery instead of recession. Democrats answered that call, and, today, we are delivering $362 billion in dedicated aid to cities and localities across this Nation, and they need it. 1.4 million essential workers have already been laid off due to State and local budget shortfalls that threaten the very fabric of our society. This relief means that our first responders, our teachers, transit workers, sanitation workers, other public servants, everybody who is working continue serving our children, helping our neighbors, and protecting our communities as we see the fight against the pandemic through to the end. This bill will provide local governments dedicated support for the first time since the pandemic struck. It can be used for vaccines, increased testing, and countless jobs. Cities and States across this Nation have lost billions in expected tax revenue. This bill helps. The Oversight Committee also delivered a provision providing emergency paid leave for Federal employees to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as critical oversight prevention to ensure transparency of this full $1.9 trillion package. The American Rescue Plan will rebuild our pandemic-torn Nation from the ground up and stronger than ever. Everybody should vote for this bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our Nation's greatest asset, our workers, our essential workers--nurses, teachers, mail carriers, transportation, sanitation, and food industry workers, among so many others--who have lifted the Nation with their sacrifice and bravery. Just as they have supported us, we must support them by supporting unions. Attacks on unions, and a series of significant actions by the former administration, have weakened worker protections and, in turn, destroyed the middle class. That is why I was proud to just vote to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the most significant upgrade for workers' collective bargaining rights in more than 80 years. If we are to fully recover from this deadly pandemic and build back better, we must invest in and protect the rights of our workers to unionize. American workers and their families are depending on us.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, Eric Garner, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, all Black men and women who were killed by police. It is in their memory that I rise today in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, because we cannot live up to our ideals of justice for all while BIPOC Americans are disproportionately killed by police. We need to pass this bill to save lives, to reform qualified immunity, to ban no-knock warrants like the one that contributed to the death of Breonna Taylor, to end the use of choke holds that killed Eric Garner and George Floyd. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting to pass this long overdue bill, to join me in this work to make this country a safer, more just place for all Americans. I urge a ``yes'' vote.