Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this amendment, which contains my bill to crack down on terrorism financing and the illicit use of anonymous shell companies, called the Corporate Transparency Act. This is one of the most pressing national security problems we face in our country because anonymous shell companies are the vehicles of choice for money launderers, criminals, and terrorists. Unfortunately, the United States is the world's capital of anonymous shell companies. Madam Speaker, my bill would correct this by requiring companies to disclose their true beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. This information would only be available to law enforcement and financial institutions so they can comply with know-your-customer rules that were strengthened after 9/11. Madam Speaker, I have been working on this bill for over 10 years, and it would plug a huge hole in our national security defense. It would also be the single most important anticorruption reform in decades. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters for her steadfast support, as well as Congressman Cleaver and my Republican partners, Congressmen King and Blaine Luetkemeyer. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary leadership on H.R. 2. I thank my colleague on the other side of the aisle, but I am urging a ``no'' vote on his amendment. We are in the midst of a national emergency caused by the coronavirus, and it is having a dire effect on the Postal Service. Despite better-than-expected revenues in recent months, the Postal Service is still at risk of running out of money. It could be forced to cease operations if it does not receive financial assistance from the Federal Government soon. This amendment would eliminate the critical funding that the post office needs. Throughout the pandemic, the Postal Service has continued to deliver lifesaving medications and vital supplies, especially to rural America. If the Postal Service ceases to exist, rural Americans will suffer the most, because it is the only delivery company that serves them. If any issue should be bipartisan, it is this one, because the post office affects every American and is critical to many of us. The Postal Service helps bind us together and delivers to every address in the Nation, no matter how remote. But the dedicated staff that braves the coronavirus pandemic every day cannot continue to do their job without reliable transportation or funding. We must fulfill our constitutional duty and act now to save the Postal Service. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose this amendment.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his extraordinary leadership on H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, and I support it. Mr. Speaker, this is landmark legislation that would make investments not only in highways, transit, and bridges but also for schools and housing. Importantly, it would set America on a path toward a greener future by encouraging investment into zero-emission technologies. The bill would authorize $25 billion for the Postal Service, which has bipartisan support to modernize their aging fleet. It is critical that the Postal Service begin replacing its fleet of small trucks, most of which are now over 25 years old, and the bill includes $6 billion for this. The bill would require the Postal Service to purchase zero- emission vehicles and to install publicly accessible electric charging stations at Post Offices to help expand the infrastructure needed for electric vehicles. Mr. Speaker, these measures will help the Postal Service meet its mission and advance sound environmental policy, and I urge a strong ``yes'' vote on H.R. 2.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act. Through no fault of their own, New Yorkers and Americans across this country are struggling to pay their rent or make mortgage payments. Even worse, people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence have seen their limited options for safety and shelter dwindle due to the pandemic's impact on social services. The bill is a bold and necessary step toward providing economic and housing relief for millions of Americans. It expands the eviction moratorium to protect all renters and the foreclosure moratorium to protect all homeowners. It creates a $100 billion emergency rental assistance fund and provides nearly $13 billion targeted money for homeless grants, housing choice vouchers for people experiencing homelessness, and survivors of domestic violence. Nobody should lose sleep about how they are going to keep a roof over their head while they are suffering through a pandemic. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this necessary and important bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and my good friend, for her years of leadership on this bill. She is not only the author of the bill, but of this historic day for our democracy. For the first time in a generation, the House will vote today on whether hundreds of thousands of American citizens will finally have their voices counted in Congress. We will vote to honor the most fundamental principles of this Nation and for which a revolution was launched: no taxation without representation and consent of the governed. I can think of no more honorable or patriotic endeavor than taking up this legislation today to give the people of the District the same rights enjoyed by hundreds of millions of other Americans across our country. The United States is a democracy, but its capital is not. 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 the capital. That is wrong and violates everything we stand for as Americans. The District pays more in Federal taxes than 22 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, and that is wrong. The people of the District have been fighting for equal rights for more than 200 years. In 2016, an overwhelming 86 percent of D.C. residents voted for statehood. President Trump's recent decision to deploy thousands of Federal law enforcement officers in D.C. against residents peacefully exercising their constitutionally-protected right to protest, and without the consent of the District's elected officials, demonstrated the urgent need for full local government and congressional representation. Unfortunately, so far, Republicans have opposed our effort, and the President made clear exactly why: 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 be Democrats. Now, think about that argument. They are willing to violate the core principles of our democracy merely because they may be from a different political party. This argument is anti-democratic and un-American.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. The questions for Republicans are these: Do they truly believe in taxation without representation? Do they truly believe in States' rights? Do they truly believe the Federal Government should stay out of local affairs? If they do, then join us and act on these beliefs today. This bill should be bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge every Member to vote on H.R. 51 for the soon-to-be 51st State of our great country.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and her leadership, along with the Congressional Black Caucus, in moving this important bill to the floor. I rise today with Americans across the country who are demanding change. I rise in strong support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This vital reform package addresses police brutality, law enforcement accountability, and racial injustice. It creates data collection standards, bans racial and religious profiling, ends the use of chokeholds that killed Eric Garner and George Floyd, and bans no-knock warrants like the one that took the life of Breonna Taylor. It ends qualified immunity to allow full accountability. This bill is a critical first step toward a more just nation. We cannot be a country that declares Black lives matter if we fail to make lasting change to protect the lives of Black people. We are facing a historic moment, and we must deliver historic change. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 7120.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 6800, the HEROES Act, an urgently needed response to the COVID-19 pandemic designed to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people while preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions on which our nation relies. Among its provisions are those that will ensure our 2020 decennial Census is full, fair, and accurate. This bill grants the Administration's request to extend data delivery deadlines for apportionment and redistricting, while requiring greater transparency from the Census Bureau to Congress on the schedule and progress of 2020 Census operations. These provisions also grant colleges and universities the flexibility to respond on behalf of their students who have been sent home due to the coronavirus. In addition, these provisions would ensure that in preparing and releasing information related to the 2020 Census or redistricting, the Bureau focuses its efforts on information that is being collected in the 2020 Census, without distractions or unnecessary diversion of resources from new, potentially inaccurate data products that are not required by federal law. These provisions would require the Bureau to maintain high standards of data quality. To be clear, none of these provisions are intended to impact or interfere with the Census Bureau's efforts to protect the personally identifiable information of respondents, as required under Title 13. These provisions are commonsense measures that reflect this difficult and challenging period in our history with the narrowly focused goal of achieving a full, fair and accurate count of all- American residents in the 2020 Census. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly consider and pass the HEROES Act so that American families and businesses receive the relief they need while ensuring an accurate 2020 Census.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York for yielding. I rise in strong support of the HEROES Act. This bill will provide over $67 billion in emergency relief to New York State, emergency aid that is desperately needed by a State that is on the front line of our national fight against the coronavirus. There is more than $17 billion that will flow directly to New York City, whose people continue to inspire the country with their resilience, courage, and compassion. The act includes crucial support for renters, which is especially important to my district. For people who have lost their jobs, the Federal Government will pay their rent for them out of a $100 billion fund. As chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee, I helped lead a bipartisan effort to save the Postal Service from financial ruin. This bill will provide $25 billion to ensure that it can continue serving the American public. Mr. Speaker, I thank the numerous Members on both sides of the aisle who have joined me in fighting for this and supporting this funding. This emergency assistance will mean that we can avoid drastic service cuts at a time when American lives depend on the mail more and more every day. Recognizing that Congress has a constitutional responsibility to ensure a fair and accurate Census, this bill extends certain reporting deadlines. The administration has asked for this delay as a result of the coronavirus crisis, which caused key operations of the 2020 Census to be postponed. The bill would also enhance congressional oversight of Census operations. This administration has fought legitimate oversight tooth and nail, and the bill has added protections for this essential function. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this crucial legislation.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I support this bill, which provides an additional $310 billion for PPP loans. And while this is desperately needed, it almost certainly will not be enough. I am glad that an additional $60 billion is being set aside for community banks, credit unions, minority banks, and CDFIs. And as chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I promise I will watch the $60 billion like a hawk to make sure that it goes to the communities that we intended. But I also want to mention another key priority: The postal service, which is running out of money and must be funded soon.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution which establishes a new select subcommittee on the coronavirus within the Committee on Oversight and Reform. I look forward to working closely with the distinguished majority whip from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn, on this very important effort. As the Speaker has explained, this new subcommittee is modeled directly after the Truman committee which saved billions of taxpayer dollars during World War II and helped mobilize our Nation, our industries, and our entire population for war. Harry Truman explained at the time that it was critical during this effort to conduct oversight, to prevent the waste of taxpayer funds, rather than waiting until after they were spent. Catching problems early and correcting them immediately saved not only money but lives. Today our Nation, our economy, and our people, face a similar mobilization effort as we engage in this war against the coronavirus. Microbes are killing more people than missiles. And let me be clear. Right now, we are only in the first battle. This week the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that we could face a second, more deadly wave of coronavirus this fall. He warned that it could, ``Actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through.'' But our national stockpile is nearly depleted. We need protective equipment, we need critical medical supplies, we need tests, and we need new vaccines and treatments. We need all the supplies and materials necessary not only to safeguard our current medical workers but to restore our stockpiles and to build them up, so we are ready for the next battle and the one after that and whatever comes next. This is something we all should be able to agree on. This should be a bipartisan effort, and I encourage all of my colleagues to come together, to protect the interests of the American taxpayers, and to promote the most efficient, effective, equitable, and transparent mobilization in history in response to this deadly crisis.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, my home is again an epicenter for a national disaster. Today, New York City is the frontline of the war against the spread of coronavirus; the United States now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world, and New York City has, by far, the most cases in the United States, reaching more than 23,000 as of this morning. New Yorkers are facing this crisis with strength and optimism and we, as we have so often, are providing a model for the other cities and states that will confront similar challenges in the days and weeks to come. My constituents always come first. If I thought that I could help them at this time by breaking every bit of expert medical guidance on containing the coronavirus, then I would travel to the Capitol in a heartbeat. But with the outcome assured, I can best serve my constituents and New York by following best practices and staying here, facing down this crisis with the strength for which New Yorkers are justly known. Had I been present, I would have voted to pass this emergency relief legislation to get immediate help to our hospitals, small businesses, and individual Americans. Let me be clear: this is disaster relief to address the immediate crisis in front of us; there is much more that needs to be done to help restart the economy, and we will be turning our efforts to that as soon as this $2 trillion relief package is signed into law. This bill is not perfect, but it is essential that we act now. With this bill, more than $40 billion will flow to New York--not just for the state and city but directly to our hospitals and healthcare workers and small businesses, particularly for employee retention. There will also be direct payments to individuals and significantly more resources for those who have lost their job because of this crisis. This bill includes important wins for progressive policy proposals that Democrats fought for, including: a large investment in hospitals, our health system, and state and local governments to give them the resources they need during this emergency; a massive increase in unemployment insurance benefits so that these benefits match the average paycheck of laid-off and furloughed workers; a significant expansion of fast relief for small businesses, including making rent, mortgages, and utility costs eligible for Small Business Administration (SBA) loan forgiveness; billions of dollars for emergency education funding and the elimination of income tax on student loan repayment assistance by an employer; and accountability and oversight by preventing secret bailouts and adding special oversight requirements. Importantly for New Yorkers, this expansion of unemployment insurance covers all workers, whether they work for small or larger business, are self-employed, or work in the gig economy. Of the $260 billion dedicated for this proposal, $15 billion is projected to come home to New York. Additionally, a relief fund for state and local governments is projected to send at least $5.8 billion to New York State and more than $1.4 billion to New York City. This legislation puts workers first by banning stock buybacks and limiting executive compensation for the duration that a company is receiving government assistance plus one year for any company that receives a government loan from this bill. It also establishes robust worker protections attached to most federal loans for businesses. There will be real-time public reporting of any transactions by the Treasury Department under this bill, including terms of loans, investments, and other assistance to corporations. Democrats also added a retention tax credit for employers to encourage all businesses to keep workers on the payroll during this crisis and removed the ``secret bailout'' provision of the initial Republican proposal that would have allowed bailouts to be concealed for 6 months. As Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I am proud that the committee will be at the forefront of fulfilling Congress' vitally important Constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of the distribution of funds to corporations under this legislation. The bill includes important provisions to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently, including dedicated funding and enhanced authorities for Inspectors General and the independent Government Accountability Office to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in the government spending that will happen under this bill. The bill includes several provisions that I, along with my counterpart in the Senate, Senator Gary Peters, offered. Among the provisions we are adopting today are, as follows: Pandemic Response Accountability Committee: The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee will be made up of independent Inspectors General who will conduct and coordinate audits and investigations to provide accountability and identify waste, fraud, and abuse in spending under the Act and the response to the coronavirus crisis. This provision will help ensure that Inspectors General have the authorities and funding necessary to conduct oversight, including access to documents and testimony from government officials and private sector entities. The bill requires extensive public reporting through Oversight.gov on what the Inspectors General find during their oversight, and it requires agencies to report information about spending under the bill. $20 Million for Government Accountability Office: The bill allocates $20 million to enable the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) to help Congress conduct oversight of the spending under this bill and other efforts to respond to the crisis. The bill provides GAO with the ability to conduct oversight and inspections of private entities receiving funding under the bill to protect against fraud. The bill also includes several other oversight initiatives including: Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery: The bill establishes a Special Inspector General to conduct oversight over stimulus spending by the Department of the Treasury. The bill requires the Special Inspector General to track all loans, loan guarantees, and other obligations and expenditures made by the Treasury Department under the bill. The bill provides $25 million for the Special Inspector General and authorizes the position for five years. Congressional Oversight Commission: The bill includes the establishment of a Congressional Oversight Commission to oversee stimulus spending by the Department of Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. The Commission will be tasked with evaluating issues such as the impact of loans, loan guarantees, and investments made under the bill on the United States people, economy, financial markets, and financial institutions. The Commission will be required to submit reports to Congress every 30 days. Finally, the bill includes mechanisms to prevent the airline industry from using taxpayer funds for purposes Congress never intended, as the industry did after 9/11. To prevent a repeat of these abuses, the House and Senate worked together to establish clear requirements for expectations and accountability, including: Required Assurances from Air Carriers: The bill requires air carriers to agree to certain conditions in order to accept loans or loan guarantees from the Secretary of the Treasury. These conditions impose limitations on the ability of air carriers to buy back stocks, pay dividends to shareholders, layoff or furlough employees, and increase executive pay. In closing, I want to offer my deepest appreciation to the Democratic negotiating team, led by our peerless Speaker and Minority Leader Schumer, which so dramatically improved the legislation from the original bill that Senate Republicans initially tried to pass. The achievement of this legislation is not the speed with which it was assembled, but the breadth of its vision to focus on direct assistance to individuals and conditioning so much of the aid to companies on keeping our friends and neighbors employed. Getting through this moment in history will be eased for many because of the hard-won provisions of this legislation achieved by the Democrats.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge passage of H.R. 6020, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6020) to require an evaluation by the Government Accountability Office of the social, economic, and historic contributions that Minor League Baseball has made to American life and culture, as amended.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6020.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Minor League Baseball has been part of the social fabric of America for over 100 years. Today, there are 160 minor league teams across the country, including the Staten Island Yankees and the 2019 New York-Penn League Champion Brooklyn Cyclones. This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the social, economic, and historical contributions that these teams have made to American society. Minor League Baseball provides family-friendly entertainment to millions of Americans. It is also an important economic influence in many communities, employing thousands of individuals, and often serves as an important source of charitable giving. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Lori Trahan and David McKinley for their leadership on this bipartisan effort. I also recognize the members of the Committee on Oversight and Reform who have cosponsored this measure, Representatives Comer, Haaland, Keller, Miller, and Welch. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Haaland), a member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support, and I thank Chairman Pallone for his incredible leadership on this. Madam Speaker, I also want to thank Congressman Krishnamoorthi, who has been a leader on the youth vaping epidemic as the chair of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy on the Oversight Committee. He has led a months' long investigation into e-cigarette companies, which revealed mountains of evidence that these companies are illegally targeting children in advertising campaigns. And the way they target children is by selling flavored tobacco products with kid-friendly flavors like mango and mint. This is despicable and will cause long-term damage to countless children's lives. This bill is very important because it will ban the manufacture and sale of all flavored tobacco products, which will make it much more difficult for companies to target children. This is extremely important. It will save lives. I strongly support the bill and urge my colleagues for a ``yes'' vote.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler and Jackie Speier for their historic leadership on the equal rights amendment. Madam Speaker, first introduced in 1923, the equal rights amendment is still as relevant and necessary as ever because we know that equality for women will always elude us when it isn't etched into our Constitution. We have seen it when the Supreme Court gutted the Violence Against Women Act; we have seen it when judges don't enforce equal pay for equal work or when a Federal judge ruled that Congress didn't have the authority to outlaw female genital mutilation. But if your rights are in the Constitution, then they can't be rolled back by the changing whims of legislators, judges, or Presidents. Women are long past due equal treatment under the law, and we will persist until it is firmly guaranteed. There is no deadline for equality. We demand our equality be spelled out in the Constitution, and we spell it E-R-A. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important vote for equality.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, Zoe Lofgren, for her leadership in so many ways and for being part of this success today. It would not have happened without the gentlewoman, and I am deeply grateful. There is a saying that women hold up half the sky. I would say that is an understatement. Women have made an incredible, lasting contribution to our country since its founding, yet there is not one comprehensive women's museum dedicated to women's achievements and their contributions to our great country anyplace in America. We have sliver museums like an arts museum or First Ladies museum or an Annie Oakley museum or Women of the West, but not a comprehensive museum, which the Smithsonian is planning with research and the ability to have exhibits across the country to tell the story of American women. Under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, we will be changing that today by voting on H.R. 1980, the Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act. This is a bipartisan effort. We have an overwhelming number of cosponsors--293--thanks to the efforts of all of my colleagues, including Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who is the lead on the other side of the aisle; Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is chairing a committee meeting now; and the Problem Solvers Caucus led by Josh Gottheimer and Tom Reed--bipartisan-- Congresswoman Susan Brooks; and many, many others. I am particularly grateful to Congressman Fitzpatrick for reaching out to me before this Congress even began to tell me he wanted to be a leader--as his brother was--on this bill and get it across the finish line. I also express my appreciation to Michael Fitzpatrick, Brian's brother, who supported this bill as a leader for many years. He is greatly missed. He was a great statesman, and he is part of the success with us today. The journey of this moment started for me with a walk around the National Mall. I was looking at all the museums, and I saw them dedicated to air, space, spies, law enforcement, textiles, the Postal Service, arts--all enriching institutions. But I found myself asking: Where are the women? Where is half the population of this country? Today, with the passage of H.R. 1980, the House is taking a step toward changing that. Unfortunately, women have been left out of the telling of our Nation's history. Sadly, if you walk around this Capitol, Madam Speaker, and you count the over 100 statues, only nine are of women. If you look at our 2,500 National Historic Landmarks across our Nation, only 5 percent of our national landmarks honor women. And studies have shown women are underrepresented in the textbooks that we use in our public schools. Getting to this point has been a very long road that took from 1998 to 2014 for Congress to finally pass my bill that I worked on for years with then-Representative Marsha Blackburn to create a congressional commission to study the establishment of a women's museum. This bipartisan commission was appointed by Republican and Democratic leadership and chaired by Jane Abraham, a Republican, who has become an incredible partner in this effort. Eighteen months later, the commissioners submitted a unanimous report that the U.S. needs and deserves--and it is long past due--a Smithsonian women's history museum and set out a vision of how to build it. We took those recommendations and put them into a bill, with the Smithsonian's input, that is before us today.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, today we will pass this important bill, and I hope the Senate will quickly do the same. I am grateful for the leadership of Senators Collins and Feinstein who are leading this effort in the Senate. My response to those who ask why this museum is so important is, if we do not even recognize women, how can we empower them? We need the efforts and the ability to excel, but from all of our residents, male and female, to win in a competitive world. That is why this bill should be supported by every Member of this House and, hopefully, the Senate. This is not about politics, it is not about partisanship, and it is not a Democrat or a Republican issue. It is an American issue recognizing the contributions of our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters. This is about giving all women our rightful place in history. Madam Speaker, I thank Zoe Lofgren so much, and I urge a strong, strong vote in support of this bill.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5687. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, its entire electrical grid was destroyed and millions of its citizens were without power. It took years to rebuild a lot of that infrastructure and just when it was getting repaired, it was struck by another natural disaster, another huge earthquake on January 7. That led to yet another round of power outages and even more suffering and deaths in Puerto Rico. This bill will provide desperately needed disaster relief that will allow the island to rebuild its infrastructure and revitalize its economy. Puerto Rico is home to 3.2 million U.S. citizens, and when disaster strikes, Congress has a duty to step up and provide all the support our fellow Americans need. I want to thank Chairwomen Velazquez and Lowey for their passionate work on this bill and their help for Puerto Rico. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill. It is desperately needed.