Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, August 30th has been designated by the United Nations as The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. I rise today to talk about the history of forced disappearance and its impact on individuals, families; communities, and all of society in one country, El Salvador. Madam Speaker, I fell in love with El Salvador and the Salvadoran people during very dark days. As a young aide to our former colleague, Congressman Joe Moakley of Boston, my first trip to El Salvador was in 1983, and I have returned more than 30 times. During the civil war and afterwards, I have had the privilege to meet with so many Salvadoran families throughout the country. I've often met with nuns and local priests, listened to them describe the daily lives of their communities. They would introduce me to the people of their parish who had lost loved ones. The disappeared have always been with us. For decades they have haunted El Salvador. You can hear their voices in every corner of the country. Yet in all these meetings with individuals and families who have suffered such great loss--and who still suffer--what has struck me most is their generosity of spirit, their courage and resilience, their ability to embrace mercy and forgiveness, seek reconciliation and demand truth. Next year, El Salvador will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Peace Accords--a very important milestone in El Salvador's history--and reason for celebration, reflection and recommitment. But as we all know, peace does not come with the signing of accords. The work of building peace, of creating peace, of strengthening democratic institutions, of promoting reconciliation, truth and justice--all of that hard work begins the day the peace accords are signed. Much has been accomplished by the Salvadoran people over these past three decades--but so very much is left to do. Among the work left unfinished is an accounting for the disappeared. The past is never simply the past--it lives in the present, it echoes in the daily lives of thousands of Salvadorans whose family members, loved ones, friends; neighbors and colleagues disappeared during the civil war. There is nothing abstract about the suffering endured by these sons and daughters, these mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. They are haunted by memories and questions about their relatives: Where are they? What happened to them? Where are their remains? Will I ever be able to bury them with dignity and love? Will I ever know the truth? For thousands of Salvadorans and Salvadoran-Americans, the effects of the war are still felt in very real ways. It is no secret that the United States bears part of the responsibility to help find answers to these questions. Billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid was poured into the Salvadoran war. And during the twelve years of the war, the U.S. government tolerated terrible human rights abuses. We share accountability for its consequences, and we share the responsibility to help bind up the wounds that remain so long after the accords were signed. This is why I and so many of my colleagues in the U.S. Congress were so moved when we were approached in 2016 by American citizens who are the sons and daughters of Salvadorans who disappeared during the war. They asked us to help them in their quest to find out the truth about what happened to their parents. Working together, we asked the U.S. and Salvadoran governments to release all remaining documents that U.S. agencies have kept classified on the Salvadoran civil war. On the U.S. side, the good news is that most U.S. documents were declassified and released during the presidency of Bill Clinton and have long been available to human rights researchers. But some documents still remain classified, mainly those of U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. There's still more that could be released, and I and many of my congressional colleagues continue to press for further declassification. In 2010, El Salvador established a National Commission for the Search of Children Disappeared during the Armed Conflict--or the CNB. The CNB seeks to investigate and determine the whereabouts and situation for disappeared children, including finding children alive and promoting their reunion with their families of origin. The CNB also formally institutionalized decades of work to find missing children and help reunite them with their Salvadoran families and relatives carried out by my dear friend Father Jon Cortina at the University of Central America (UCA) Jose Simeon Canas. Equally as important, in 2017, the Salvadoran government established the National Commission for the Search of Disappeared Adults in the Context of the Armed Conflict in El Salvador, known as Conabusqueda. Its mandate is to investigate, locate, exhume, identify, and return the bodily remains of persons disappeared at the hands of the State during the armed conflict. I am grateful that President Bukele has continued support for the work of each of these two critical commissions. Forced disappearance is a crime of long-lasting pain and harm. Not only for the victim who so abruptly disappears, deprived of liberty and often made to suffer torture, beatings, rape, and other brutality before being killed and disposed of--but also because it affects the lives of their relatives and communities. Family members and those close to the victim always harbor the hope that someday they will meet the disappeared person again. They keep questions about what happened to them. Often faced by the denial of official authorities and society, the need to discover the truth and find closure means that the search for the missing is passed from grandparents to parents, to their children and grandchildren for generations until the events surrounding a disappearance are clarified. Last year, in August 2020, Conabusqueda released a seminal study on the disappeared of El Salvador: Forced disappearance in the context of the armed conflict in El Salvador: a first approach to the phenomenon. The report described how forced disappearance was a repressive practice used systematically by the State from the 1970s onward. The report also made clear is that forced disappearance is not something that happened several decades in the past, it is a painful reality of the present that continues to affect thousands of families throughout El Salvador. Many people continue to disappear as part of the violence ripping apart El Salvador's communities and families. According to the January 2021 Human Rights Watch Worldwide Report covering the events of 2020, from January 2014 to October 2019, ``the Salvadoran police registered over 11,900 disappearance victims, including more than 400 children.'' This exceeds the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 disappeared during the civil war (1979-1992). Today's disappearances are committed by a range of actors, including gangs and the police. Few cases are investigated. As in the past, they remain in impunity. How can we hope to stand up for these latest victims and their families if we fail to confront and resolve the issue of the past disappeared? The denial of past disappearance, the lack of cooperation by authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding the forced disappearances of thousands of victims in the past, and the failure to pursue legal action perpetuates the crime and the impunity that has always surrounded it. In both El Salvador and the United States, we must do more to support efforts to advance the search for the disappeared and provide thousands of families the closure and healing they have been so long denied. It is the right thing to do; it is the moral thing to do; and it is the humane thing to do.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Assyrian Memorial Day, which is observed annually on August 7 to honor the memory of all those Assyrians who have fallen victim to genocide, other mass atrocities, and persecution. I am very proud that the Second Congressional District of Massachusetts is home to a vibrant Assyrian- American community--a proud reminder of survival and perseverance in the face of mass atrocities and extreme injustice. The Genocide that we are commemorating today is a history of persecution and the systematic destruction of a people, based on their religion and ethnicity. It is a history shared with Armenians and Hellenes, or Greeks, perpetrated between 1914 and 1923. This is the period that began to form the world's modern-day understanding of crimes against humanity and genocide, culminating 20 years later in the atrocities committed against the Jewish people of Europe. Madam Speaker, today is a moment to remember the hundreds of thousands of Assyrians who perished during this horror were irreplaceable human beings. Each individual--man or woman, children or the elderly--were part of a family, with dreams and hopes for the future--and all those hopes, all of those dreams, all of those ``possibilities'' were erased. This was done deliberately. This was a choice made by leaders at all levels of the Ottoman Empire and those who took charge immediately after the empire's demise. The Assyrian people and the Assyrian Catholic Church have existed for over 2,000 years. In their ancestral homes of the Middle East--in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey--they lived and worshipped, established communities, and broke bread together, centuries before Islam was born in the region. Sadly, the minority religions and peoples of the Middle East are facing yet another test, as they are again being persecuted and targeted for extinction. Most of the world's 2 to 4 million Assyrians still live around their traditional homelands, although they are frequently displaced and fleeing violence and war like so many others in the region. It is estimated that some 60 percent of Iraqi Assyrians have been forced to abandon their homes and leave the country since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. Today, tens of thousands of Assyrians in Northern Iraq have fled persecution at the hands of ISIS, which has attacked Assyrian villages, killing or imprisoning hundreds. And with ISIS has come another form of genocide--the war against the history of mankind--with the destruction of archaeological sites, ancient books, artifacts, works of art, houses of worship, museums, centuries-old Bibles, and relics. Yet, we can take hope from the survival of towns like Alqosh in northern Iraq and the Nineveh Plains. People survive and the culture and memory survive. We cannot sit idly by and watch this destruction continue. We need to provide aid and protection to these communities, these villages and towns--certainly for the sake of the Assyrian and other Christian minorities defiantly surviving the bloodbath raging around them, but also for the sake of our shared humanity. And clearly, the Assyrian culture and religion survive within all of those who, over the centuries, fled the region and made new lives in strange lands, including right here in the United States and in Massachusetts. And what a wealth of history, culture, and religion they have brought to us, enriching our communities and our public life. Part of that history is St. Mary's Assyrian Apostolic Church which was built on Hawley Street in Worcester in 1924. I have read that it was built by about 30 Assyrian families who came to Massachusetts from southern Turkey. They were joined in later decades by Assyrians from Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria, and more recently, from Iraq. I knew that church. It was a wonderful place. But a couple of years ago, it moved to its new home in Shrewsbury, which luckily, is also part of my congressional district. And like the Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts Cultural Center in North Grafton, it is a place of community and a place of defiance, of resistance, in the best meaning of those words--a place where culture and religion and human potential are valued, remembered, renewed, and strengthened. So, while I rise to commemorate the tragedy of the past and to honor its enduring memory, I also celebrate the strength of the Assyrian- American community and the hopes of their future, and their children's futures. In 2015, the Assyrian-American community of Massachusetts dedicated a monument called ``Hope.'' Hope gives us life, gives us purpose, and a reason to look forward to tomorrow. For centuries, Assyrians have survived persecution and some of the greatest evils known to humankind. But far from being exterminated, the Assyrian people--their religion and their culture--continue to survive and thrive.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 555. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4502, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022, under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees. The rule self-executes a manager's amendment from Chairwoman DeLauro, makes in order 229 amendments, provides en bloc authority for the chairwoman or her designee, and provides one motion to recommit. The rule provides the majority leader, or his designee, the ability through July 30 to en bloc requested roll call votes on suspension bills considered on July 26 or 27. The rule also provides that requested roll call votes on suspension bills considered on July 26 or 27 may be postponed through September 22, 2021. Finally, the rule amends H. Res. 188 to provide recess instructions, suspension authority, and same day authority through September 22, 2021. Madam Speaker, if you care about protecting our seniors and taking care of our veterans and military families; if you care about fighting climate change and combating gun violence; if you care about closing health disparities and creating good paying jobs; and if you care about our economy not only rebounding from the COVID pandemic, but being strengthened for years to come, then the underlying measure is a lifeline. Because these seven appropriations measures provide landmark funding to deal with our Nation's most pressing issues. It turns the page on an era where the prior administration demanded disinvestment in seemingly everything that helped all but the wealthiest of the wealthy. And now we are working with the Biden administration to stand up for our workers and to rebuild the middle class. It is no secret that the appropriations process can seem a little arcane. But this measure is truly historic, Madam Speaker. I want to make two points here in particular. First is what is not in here. Finally, after more than 40 years, the Hyde amendment is nowhere to be found. And let me say, it is about damn time. Because however we feel about abortion, we should not deny health coverage just because someone is working to make ends meet. More than half of the women affected by the Hyde amendment are women of color. Nearly one-third are Black, 27 percent are Latina, and one- fifth are Asian American and Pacific Islanders, as well as indigenous women also covered by Medicaid. That is what inequality looks like, Madam Speaker, and I am proud that we are confronting it. The decision about whether to get an abortion is a deeply personal one. We don't know the circumstances. But I do know this: we should not defer to the politicians and special interest groups who want to impose their values on others. We should trust women and families to make their own decisions about what is best for them. It is about justice. It is about freedom. And it is about respecting women's personal autonomy. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro for leading the way on this, and I want to recognize the many Congresswomen, in particular, who have waged a sometimes lonely battle year after year after year to make this day a reality. Second, Madam Speaker, I want to recognize language that is included here, which will help combat hunger across America. This measure expands access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables to more than 6 million people through the WIC program. It ensures that more than 40 million people in SNAP-eligible families get benefits that they desperately need. And it also makes key investments in child nutrition programs, like school meals. This is incredibly important since we all saw the COVID crisis lay bare the truth about hunger in America. The lines outside our food banks included some of the most affluent cars from the wealthiest neighborhoods, because no one is immune from food insecurity. It is an epidemic in every State and every congressional district in this country. Even before the COVID pandemic hit, there were more than 35 million people who were going hungry in this country, including 10 million children. The United States is the richest country on the face of the Earth. That anybody--anybody--goes without food is unconscionable, Madam Speaker. I have often said that we have everything we need to end hunger in America. We have the food, the know-how, and, yes, the money. The only thing we lack is the political will. Hunger is a political condition. I think that is finally beginning to change, Madam Speaker. For the last several months, the Rules Committee has acted as a kind of select committee on hunger, holding hearings, roundtables, and site visits, all to develop a road map to eradicate hunger in this country by 2030, as the United Nations has called for. I am more convinced than ever that, with a holistic approach and the full weight of the Federal Government, a hunger-free America is within our grasp. This rule makes in order my bipartisan amendment to provide $2.5 million for a White House conference on food, nutrition, hunger, and health. The conference will bring together the heads of food banks, hospitals, government agencies, educators, farmers, the faith-based community, people with lived experiences, our business community, anybody who has anything to do with finding a solution, not to hold an event that is essentially a press release, but to develop a real plan to tackle this, something with benchmarks that better connects the dots between all the different Federal programs and expands successful local and State initiatives. The first and only time such a conference was held was the same year we put a man on the Moon, over 52 years ago. It developed and strengthened many programs we still rely on, like SNAP, WIC, and the National School Lunch Program. A hunger conference for the 21st century can finish what was started so many decades ago by Senators George McGovern, Senator Bob Dole, and others. Senator Dole wrote to Ranking Member Cole and me recently, saying: ``I remain proud of the work Senator McGovern and I did then, and I endorse your effort to secure a second White House conference to identify the next frontier of programs to finally end hunger in America.'' I believe we can do big things, and I hope that we can do them in a bipartisan way. Madam Speaker, we can combat hunger; we can confront climate change; we can stand up for women's reproductive rights; and we can take care of the most vulnerable among us. This bill is proof of that. I urge all of my colleagues to join with us in supporting this rule and the underlying measure so that we can build a more just and equitable future for every single American. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, before I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), I want to point out, for the record, the last time we had a government shutdown was when we had a Republican Congress and a Republican President, so I am not so much worried about that. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, think about what we are dealing with as we gather here on the House floor. We have a pandemic that we are trying to crush, we have a crumbling infrastructure, and what do my friends want to talk about? A FOX News talking point. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a July 23 ABC News article entitled: ``Martin Luther King, Jr., the KKK, and More May Soon Be Cut from Texas Education Requirements.'' [From ABC News, July 23, 2021] Martin Luther King, Jr., the KKK, and More May Soon Be Cut From Texas Education Requirement (By Kiara Alfonseca) Some lessons on the civil rights movement, white supremacy, the women's suffrage movement and Martin Luther King Jr. may soon be cut from Texas' public education requirements, according to legislation being considered in the state--one of several bills targeting critical race theory around the country. The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 3 in a continued effort to proscribe education on racial inequality in K-12 education. It removes several Texas Education Code lesson requirements that were proposed by Democrats in prior education legislation to be implemented in the upcoming school year. It also stipulates that lessons cannot teach that ``one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex'' or make students ``feel discomfort, guilt, [or] anguish'' about privilege or systemic racism. The concept critical race theory, an academic discipline that analyzes how racism is perpetuated in U.S. laws and policies, has become a lightning rod for conservatives around the country amid the racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's death. At least 26 other states have introduced or implemented similar legislation on race education by Republican lawmakers, echoing concerns about racial division. Opponents say that children should not be made to feel responsible for past injustices based solely on the color of their skin or be forced to accept the idea that the United States and its institutions are not only structured racially but perpetuate that racism. Some teachers interviewed by ABC News have said critical race theory isn't being taught in grades K-12 and instead is reserved for academic institutions. Some Texas educators told ABC they believe the fight against ``critical race theory'' is a veiled attempt to turn back the clock on racial equality. The new legislation, SB3, would remove several staples of U.S. history education from state requirements, according to Ovidia Molina, the president of the Texas State Teachers Association. The state currently requires teaching ``the history of white supremacy,'' ``the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong; the Chicano movement; women's suffrage and equal rights; the civil rights movement'' and more. However, SB3 would cut those requirements--a move that some teachers say signals a growing effort to remove specific lessons from classrooms. ``Specifically editing out that you can't teach that white supremacy is morally wrong--that is deeply concerning,'' said Jennifer Lee, a teacher in Killeen, Texas. ``I think the angle here is just . . . preserving the ideals behind white supremacy.'' Though the new legislation doesn't necessarily ban these lessons from being taught, removing them from the list of requirements means they may come under scrutiny due to the vague, anticritical race theory language of this bill. Gov. Greg Abbott already signed anti-critical race theory into law in June with HB3979--stating that teachers are banned from linking systemic racism to the ``authentic founding principles of the United States.'' But teachers and advocates say it is so vague that it could infringe on their ability to have truthful dialogue about history and racism with their students. SB3 was added to the state legislature's special session after Abbott signed HB3979 into law, saying said ``more must be done'' on critical race theory in schools. And SB3 has been called troubling by education groups including the National Education Association for its potential to censor teachers and students in the classroom. `Provide guardrails' against `animosity' Defenders of the bill, including Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes who sponsored the bill, say that some lessons on racial inequality blame white students for systemic racism and creates tension between students of different backgrounds. ``This bill is meant only to provide guardrails against imposing division and animosity on our students,'' Hughes said before the July 16 Senate vote. ``Since [critical race theory] is so prevalent in higher education and since we see it popping up in public schools, that's why it needs to be addressed.'' Other proponents of anti-critical race theory bills, such as Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, have said that some lessons on race could lead to the ``indoctrination'' of public school students toward progressive political leanings. Ovidia Molina, the president of the Texas State Teachers Association, said that students have so much to gain from education about America's racial history, including those that would be erased by this new legislation. ``We want to keep honesty in education,'' Molina said. ``We want to make sure that we teach our students the truth, the whole truth, the good, the bad, the failures, the successes.'' Molina said teachers have spoken up at hearings and called their local legislators to denounce the new legislation--but said lawmakers are not listening. ``They don't know what's happening in our public schools,'' Molina said. ``We still want to celebrate women's suffrage, we still want to celebrate the Chicano movement, we still want to celebrate people of color, so that our students see themselves in the history and so they see themselves in the future.'' The Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Molina said that Texas districts have yet to announce what punishment for teaching these subjects might look like for teachers. Concerning shift toward `patriotic' education Some teachers told ABC they are worried about retaliation, termination, or other forms of punishment. But others are more concerned about what this shift toward more ``patriotic'' education means for their students. ``One of the first things Hitler did was start to reform education and impact the way that history is taught. One of the first things Mussolini did was go through and incorporate patriotic education,'' Lee said. ``Education has always been that first line of defense in preserving a certain way of thinking.'' Former President Donald Trump, among several other conservatives, have become proponents of ``patriotic'' education in response to critical race theory and The New York Times' 1619 project--which dissects the founding of the United States of America and its legacy of slavery. Trump's proposed ``1776 commission'' aims to envision U.S. history in a positive light, instead of through a condemnatory, racial lens. A school bus is seen outside Condit Elementary School in Bellaire, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2020. San Antonio teacher Christopher Green said he believes that lessons on race, inequality and oppression are vital to helping children navigate the world and understand our society. ``Rather than adding a more diverse perspective to the teaching of history, it's eliminating things that really need to be in there to understand the full picture of the American story,'' Green said. The bill will now be headed to the state House, but it will likely be stalled due to protests from Texas Democratic representatives. They have fled the state in protest of new voting restrictions, meaning there won't be enough members to conduct business according to House rules.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by the direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 555 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a July 14 Media Matters article entitled, ``FOX News' Obsession with Critical Race Theory, by the Numbers.'' [From Media Matters, July 14, 2021] Fox News' Obsession With Critical Race Theory, by the Numbers (By Lis Power) Update (7/14/21): Following the publication of this study, Media Matters continued to track mentions of ``critical race theory'' on Fox News. In June, there were 901 mentions on the network, the highest number of any month and an increase from 537 mentions in May. In the past 3\1/2\ months there have been over 1,900 mentions of critical race theory on the network. Original Study Critical race theory, to those who can actually define it, is an academic and legal framework that examines the impact of systemic racism on American society. For conservatives however, it's the latest boogeyman they can use to scare people into thinking America's children are being ``indoctrinated'' by ``woke'' leftist teachers. And while that is not even remotely the case, this idea is exploding on Fox News and in Republican-run state legislatures, leading to legislative bans in many states and skyrocketing mentions of critical race theory on the network. As Media Matters has previously noted, Fox News' current obsession with ``critical race theory'' has been a year in making. What once was a slow trickle of monthly mentions has developed into a full blown assault. Since February, month over month mentions of the theory have more than doubled on Fox News as the network has begun to spin an illusion of what it is and where it's being taught (in reality, critical race theory is not generally taught in K-12). Coverage of the theory sharply increased in March, with 107 mentions on the network according to data from Kinetiq media monitoring service. The following month, network figures and guests mentioned it 226 times, and by May, the number had increased to 537 mentions. Not even halfway through June, there's already been 408 mentions on the network. Just last week, Fox mentioned ``critical race theory'' a record 244 times--an increase from the previous record high of 170 mentions the week before. Fox has admitted its reason for this souped-up coverage: the 2022 midterm elections. And in order to drum up outrage, the network has repeatedly amplified a lie that critical race theory teaches that one race is ``inherently superior to another.'' More recently, in its continued efforts to demonize it, Fox News has promoted a pamphlet that echoes the white nationalist ``Great Replacement'' conspiracy theory. Fox's obsession with what it defines as ``critical race theory'' has frequently crossed the threshold into the absurd and overly dramatic. Fox host Tucker Carlson called it ``a cult,'' while host Will Cain said it is ``modern-day Jim Crow.'' Fox contributor Miranda Devine claimed that teaching the theory would ``warp the minds of American children'' and ``is a recipe for social upheaval and mental illness.'' Fox's Newt Gingrich said it was being driven by ``people who want to brainwash your child.'' By labeling everything that has to do with race ``critical race theory,'' Fox is attempting to shut down conversations about race and racism--which is ironic given the network's claims that it champions free speech. And even though many conservatives who lambast it don't have a clue what the theory actually is, their efforts are working as 21 states are either introducing bans or have banned what they call ``critical race theory.'' Many educators in those states have argued that the bills and laws would essentially ``whitewash history'' and have criticized legislators for making it difficult to have necessary conversations about race. Methodology Media Matters searched transcripts in the Kinetiq video database for all original programming on Fox News Channel for the key phrase ``critical race theory'' from June 2020 through June 13, 2021. We counted each instance of the phrase as a single mention. Methodology update (7/14/21): Data now includes midnight episodes of Fox News @ Night (which recently shifted its time slot) and all new programming from June 14 through July 11, 2021.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, apparently my Republican friends and their allies in the media need a new scare tactic because they don't want to talk about things like the economy or how we put people back to work or how we crushed the virus. But we are not going to debate on whether racism exists in America because it does. We are not going to debate whether we should teach our kids racism is wrong. We should. We are not going to debate whether individual States and schools can decide what their kids learn. They can. And we sure as hell are not going to be lectured about racism by the party that is trying to dismantle the Voting Rights Act that Martin Luther King and John Lewis paid for with their blood. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, many of my Republican colleagues think they can interfere with everything from what our teachers teach in school to what happens between women and their doctors. This is from the party who pretends to be the party of local government. One of my colleagues on the Republican side in an interview yesterday said that we should have cameras in the classroom to monitor what teachers do every single minute. So the party that claims to be the party of liberty and the party of local government wants to be the party of super-big government and control everybody's life. Give me a break. Let me close with that. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say that I think that it will be a lot easier for us to be able to accommodate the gentleman if he could control members of his own party from trying to disrupt and derail everything that we try to do here. Suspension votes, which are really pretty noncontroversial, that usually pass overwhelmingly, we have had to impose a new rule to be able to consider them in order to be able to overcome their objection to every single one of them. And now they are even objecting to that; bipartisan bills, Republican bills. Unfortunately, there is a concerted effort on behalf of some in the minority to try to stop all of the people's business, and we are going to move forward and get the people's business done. That is what we are doing here today, and we will continue to do that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we can talk about polls. I have a poll here that just recently came out that shows the exact opposite of that. But rather than talk about polls, we should be talking about values, and a majority of Americans believe that women should not be denied reproductive healthcare because they can't afford it. They believe that people should not be denied healthcare because, you know, they are working hard to try to make ends meet. So, I mean, here's a poll that just came out that shows the exact opposite of that, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that Medicaid should, in fact, cover women's reproductive healthcare. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am very proud of this process. The shameful process was when my friend's party was in control of the House and the White House, and they shut the government down. That is what people don't want to see happen ever again. By the way, I mean, these bills do things like tackle hunger, they lift up our rural communities, they rebuild health and safety infrastructure, they invest incredibly important dollars in the National Institutes of Health and medical research to try to find cures for everything from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's disease, to get a better handle on how we can deal with future pandemics. It creates and sustains good-paying jobs, it grows opportunities through education. It advances equal treatment for women. There are so many important, good things in here that, by the way, I think are bipartisan everywhere in the country but in this Chamber, and so this is what the American people want. This is what they voted for. I am proud of the Appropriations Committee, Chairwoman DeLauro, and all of those who put the American people front and center on our agenda. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. People always ask: Why don't you work together? How do you work with that? To come down here and to lecture us about deficits or about budgets, give me a break. When the gentleman's party was in power, when they controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House, they gave us a $2 trillion debt because of a tax cut that went to wealthy people, to big corporations. When they controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House, they shut the government down. They couldn't even agree amongst themselves. It was the first time in history that we ended a Congress with a government shutdown. When they lost power, they gave Democrats a government that was shut down. We had to clean up the mess, and we continue to do that. In all of the years of disinvestment when they were in charge with Donald Trump, we are now trying to put the people first. That is what this is about. I am proud of this bill. I am proud of the investments in medical research, in our families, in our children, in our senior citizens, and in our veterans. That is what this is all about. These bills are being brought to the floor. I hate to tell the gentleman that is what we are doing; they are coming to the floor. He can vote ``no'' on them and go home and explain to his constituents why he voted against their interests, but that is what we are doing. And I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, earlier I referred to when one of my Republican colleagues came to the floor and had a meltdown. I commented: How do you work with that? Coming to the floor and yelling and screaming and scolding and distorting and trying to find the worst possible version of everything, that never accomplishes anything. It never does. Madam Speaker, I would never characterize my colleague from Oklahoma that way. When we get to a final product, he will be part of the solution because he respects this institution, and he understands the importance of give and take. We have some very strong disagreements in the Rules Committee but I never question his integrity, and he never questions my integrity or anybody else's on the committee. I wish there were more people like him, quite frankly, in this Chamber. Madam Speaker, to hear some of my friends on the other side today, you would think that the sky is falling. What is so controversial about trusting women to make their own healthcare decisions, free from politicians and special interest groups trying to control them? What is so controversial about confronting climate change, or making America the world's clean energy superpower? Or helping our farmers in our rural communities? Or making sure our veterans have the support and the care that they have earned when they return home? Apparently, since Democrats proposed it, this minibus is a bridge too far for some. But I have to tell you, to most Americans, what is included here is just common sense. I am proud that we are doing our work and keeping our government funded, and doing so in a way that respects women's autonomy and builds a more just and equitable future. Madam Speaker, too many of these issues can't wait another day, another year, another decade for us to act, so I urge all of my colleagues to support this rule and this minibus so that we can meet the scale of the challenges that we face today and put the building blocks in place to grow our economy for years to come. That is what these bills are all about. Someone earlier described them as bills filled with hope and love. They are. This is about putting our families first. This is about respecting our kids, understanding that our children are 100 percent of our future. This is about understanding that we have a climate crisis, and we have to do something about it. This is about respecting equity and justice and things that, quite frankly, should be shared values. Madam Speaker, I know that there are some disagreements here. We will all get through this, work it out, and get to a conclusion, but the final product will be much, much better because of what we are doing on this House floor today. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, 175 days ago, as we gathered here in this spot, the House floor became a crime scene. The U.S. Capitol, this temple of democracy, was ransacked. Property was damaged, and more importantly, lives were lost. Insurrectionists tried to stop our democracy in its tracks. A mob wanted to prevent the certification of a free and fair election in America, and they resorted to violence to do it. I will never forget that day. I was one of the last Members off this House floor, as we were being taken to a secure location away from the mayhem. As I was walking out, I looked over and saw these people--homegrown terrorists, I call them--literally smashing the doors with their bare fists and breaking the glass to try to get at us. They weren't here to peacefully protest. They were fueled by rage and here to cause harm. I looked in their eyes, and I saw hate. Many of my colleagues feared for their lives. Some called loved ones to say good-bye. The staff that worked here barricaded their office doors. They ran down these marble halls, trying one door after the next, just searching for safety. Others hid in closets, terrified. When those of us who are elected to Congress put our names on the ballot, we are prepared to take all kinds of incoming. But the staff here--the cafeteria workers, the cleaning crew, the people who make our democracy function day in and day out--they do not. But, still, they found themselves in danger, afraid for their lives. We must speak the truth of what happened that day, Madam Speaker. Shockingly, there is an effort by some in this Congress to whitewash and minimize what went on. One of my colleagues even suggested it was somehow just a normal tourist visit, as if facts don't matter, as if we all didn't see with our own eyes what happened. History will judge how we respond to the events of that day, and the glare of history should be cast most harshly on the minority leader, who worked overtime to prevent a bipartisan, bicameral commission from being formed to examine what happened on January 6. A bipartisan commission emerged out of the Homeland Security Committee with a bipartisan vote. Everything the minority leader asked for in this commission, he got it. He got it all. But then, I guess, Donald Trump called him, and he began walking back his support and whipping against his own ranking member's bipartisan deal. It has been 25 weeks since an insurrection in our country. A commission should be already at work right now, getting the facts about this attack on our democracy so it will never, ever, ever happen again. Sadly, a majority of Republicans objected to that happening. Now, they may have delayed uncovering the truth, Madam Speaker. But, Madam Speaker, the truth will not stay buried forever. That is why we are here today, because the facts matter. A select committee will finally get to the truth about the events of January 6. It is modeled after a select committee formed when my Republican colleagues were in charge. I hope I am wrong, but if past is prologue, many of my Republican friends will stand up today and say no. They will oppose this select committee and say they want a different approach. Well, let me again remind them: We already gave them exactly what they asked for with the commission, and even that wasn't good enough. I think, for some on the other side, nothing that gets to the truth will ever be good enough because they do not want the truth. Michael Fanone, a Metropolitan Police Department officer for nearly two decades, responded to the insurrection on January 6. In a letter that he wrote to all of us, he said: ``I struggle daily with the emotional anxiety of having survived such a traumatic event, but I also struggle with the anxiety of hearing those who continue to downplay the events of that day and those who would ignore them altogether with their lack of acknowledgment. The indifference shown to my colleagues and I is disgraceful.'' Madam Speaker, I include the full text of his letter in the Record. May 5, 2021. To All Elected Members of the United States Government, My name is Michael Fanone and I have been a sworn officer with the Metropolitan Police Department for almost two decades. On January 06, 2021, I participated in the defense of the United States Capitol and as a result of my efforts was severely injured. I was pulled out into the crowd, away from my fellow officers, beaten with fists, metal objects, stripped of my issued badge, radio and ammunition magazine and electrocuted numerous times with a Taser. I am writing to you so that you may better understand my experience that day. I am assigned to the First District's Crime Suppression Team and while my daily responsibilities involve combating violent crime and narcotics related offenses. I, like many other officers, took it upon myself to respond to the numerous calls for help coming from my colleagues at the Capitol Complex. Upon my arrival my partner, Jimmy Albright, and I searched for an area where we could be of most assistance and eventually found our way to the West Terrace Lower Tunnel entrance to the Capitol. The fighting here was nothing short of brutal. I observed approximately thirty police officers standing shoulder-to-shoulder maybe four or five abreast using the weight of their own bodies to hold back the onslaught of violent attackers. Many of these officers were injured, bleeding and fatigued but they continued to fight. In the midst of this fighting, I observed Commander Ramey Kyle, cool, calm, and collected giving commands to his officers. ``Hold the line.'' It was the most inspirational moment of my entire life. Even as I write this it brings me to tears. I tried to render assistance to some of the injured officers asking them if they needed a break. There were no volunteers, only those that identified injured colleagues who may be in need of assistance. I have never experienced such bravery, courage and selflessness. Since then I have struggled with many aspects of that day. As the physical injuries gradually subsided in crept the psychological trauma. In many ways I still live my life as if it is January 07, 2021. I struggle daily with the emotional anxiety of having survived such a traumatic event but I also struggle with the anxiety of hearing those who continue to downplay the events of that day and those who would ignore them altogether with their lack of acknowledgement. The indifference shown to my colleagues and I is disgraceful. It has been 119 days since 850 Metropolitan Police (MPDC) Officers responded to the Capitol and stopped a violent insurrection from taking over the Capitol Complex saving countless Members of Congress and their staff from almost certain injury and even death. The time to fully recognize these Officers actions is NOW! Sincerely, Michael Fanone.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 504, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 503) establishing the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).