Gwen Moore

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. In the middle of the shutdown, was it true that the Trump administration tried to fire nearly everyone in the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services?

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. The Office of Civil Rights was put in there through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This office is responsible for investigating thousands of allegations of discrimination each year, which includes enforcing Federal laws, ensuring equal educational access, and preventing discrimination. Gentlewoman from Connecticut, am I wrong about this? I think it is very important because what we have seen is that so-called disabled people or differently abled people have made such tremendous contributions to our culture and to our society. I am thinking of very famous people like Thomas Edison, Franklin Roosevelt, and Fannie Lou Hamer, people who have had polio, who have been in wheelchairs, and physicists who have contributed. It is important to leave nobody behind because the education of everybody is important to our national security interests and our economic interests. I am so happy that Mrs. Hayes has raised this in this Special Order hour, and I thank her for allowing me to participate.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for yielding me time. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote in support of renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Extension Act. AGOA is a critical program to advance prosperity for the people of sub-Saharan Africa and to maintain United States' leadership in the region. It is a program that has bipartisan support. AGOA is far from perfect, and so I understand concerns raised by a wide range of stakeholders, including labor, environmental, and other trade groups, about proposed changes to make this program better, stronger, and more effective moving forward. This is a straight reauthorization for 3 years, providing a runway for all stakeholders to weigh in on needed improvements. To appropriate the sage words of Frederick Douglass: ``Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.'' The U.S. must not cede power to China or any other world power by not curing the lapse of this vital, soft power tool. Madam Speaker, I urge support of the bill.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, let me just thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the reauthorization of the Haiti-specific U.S. trade preference programs. Haiti, of course, is suffering from grave instability and security risks. As we know, the ransom that Haiti paid to colonial France for its freedom continues to be at the cornerstone of its instability. I am telling you, Madam Speaker, that the least and the minimum that the United States can do to help stabilize the incredibly precarious situation in a land a stone's throw away from our shores, is to reauthorize these programs. President Trump has lifted up the need to fortify economic and security interests in our hemisphere, and I can think of no better way to buoy these interests than support the bipartisan HOPE/HEALTH programs.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. These programs are not without need of reform. However, reauthorization is crucial to the economic growth and stability and to protect our economic security and interests in our hemisphere. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Neal for the time. Mr. Speaker, time is up. The ACA tax credits are expiring December 31. The ACA premium tax credits have provided healthcare access for 15 years to over 20 million people who were previously uninsured. The ACA has saved lives, but time is up. America can't wait another 15 years for Republicans to offer a real healthcare proposal that provides full coverage to all Americans. ``Lowering healthcare costs'' may be in the title, but it is nowhere in this proposal today. I know that my own Senator, Ron Johnson, a millionaire, has told me he would be just fine reverting to the pre-ACA world of high-risk pools and plans with limited benefits. This bill carries us back to a time when millions have an insurance card in their wallets that covers little to nothing.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. The one big, beautiful bill transferred healthcare dollars--

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to see the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and I am certainly happy to support this 5-year extension of the hospital at home program, which, of course, includes a critical study to ensure additional information about the program. I am also happy to hear about the success of this program as people experience it. Mr. Speaker, the provisions, as the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee has pointed out, get extended every single year. Sometimes they get extended in short increments. Sometimes they move as a kind of tax package. As a matter of fact, this was just extended in the continuing resolution that we just passed and in previous funding bills before that. I am so delighted to be here this evening to see that my Republican colleagues are in the mood to extend current law. I will offer them the opportunity to maybe extend the Affordable Care Act to the 24 million Americans who are facing unprecedented enormous health insurance premium hikes since we are extending healthcare stuff today. In my own State of Wisconsin, Mr. Speaker, 279,000 people receive credits to help make insurance coverage affordable. In my State, for a 60-year-old couple not yet eligible for Medicare, earning $85,000 a year, they will see their premiums increase by $23,281 a year. A family of four earning $133,000 a year would see their premiums increase by $14,000 next year. Families are going to be asked to pay 20, 30, 40 percent of their income for health insurance premiums, and the majority just wants to ignore it. My constituents and your constituents, Mr. Speaker, Americans from coast to coast are going to be staring down these massive amounts of medical debt, massive insurance premiums, or the inability to access healthcare. If they are unable to afford it, they will just drop it. We have to act. It is December 1. We have to act. I am reminded, Mr. Speaker, of how fast the Ways and Means Committee and the majority moved to give tax breaks to the wealthy, but when it comes to regular families, we just don't seem to have the time. We could be doing that here on the floor now. This is a marvelous bill we are passing today, but I would much rather be securing the time for that purpose. Those hikes in healthcare premiums are not isolated, Mr. Speaker. They come on the heels of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that slashed more than 10 million Americans out of healthcare through the Medicaid program, cut over a trillion dollars in Medicare, and a half-trillion dollar liability in the Medicare fund. Hospitals will close, patients will suffer, and millions of American families will become uninsured all because the majority is refusing to act. Mr. Speaker, the majority was more than happy to make a whole host of tax breaks permanent for the billionaire business class, but not for these entrepreneurs and families who are facing these tremendous hikes in their premiums. This is part of a Republican economy, I think. Help the billionaires. It will all trickle down. We are going to heap the costs onto middle-class families from every angle. Rising numbers of Americans are falling behind on their utility bills. There is a recent uptick in mortgage delinquencies and a rise in serious delinquency rates for the first time in years. Consumer bankruptcies are on the rise, up 15 percent since last year. What are we doing? We just passed a $4.3 trillion tax break overwhelmingly for the wealthy. What else did the majority do, Mr. Speaker? They found $40 billion for certain people in Argentina, but no healthcare for American families. They found $300 million for a new gilded ballroom where the East Wing of the White House used to be. The ballroom keeps getting bigger and bigger, so I can't describe the dimensions of it, but it is going to have a marble bathroom in it and a fancy new patio, but no healthcare for families. We have higher electric prices, grocery prices, and housing prices. Half the people in my State who are renting are paying more than a third of their income for housing. These prices are going through the roof. American families, unless they are billionaires, are struggling to stay afloat in this economy. While President Trump and his family use the White House to haul in billions of dollars to line their own pockets, people will not be able to access healthcare. Mr. Speaker, while I support this bill, I object to how the majority and the President are making life worse every single day for most Americans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I congratulate Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Evans on bringing forth this bill. I certainly agree with them that people do better at home in many instances and ought to have this as an option. I look forward to the study that is involved in this iteration of the bill that will inform us about ways to improve the bill. As we look at healthcare as a whole, it is one of those sort of broken markets that we have. We have 60 percent of folks who get healthcare through their employer or government or labor unions. We have another group of people who are disabled who get healthcare. We have another group of people who are elderly, thank God they get Medicare, but then there is the rest of us out there. In a broken system of healthcare, we have got to be concerned about those people. We have talked a lot about children with cancer. What if you are 27 and you have cancer, and you are not getting healthcare through an employer? You don't have one of them good government jobs. You are not elected to anything. What do you do? While we are passing legislation, I hope that before we adjourn, we will not ignore the thousand-pound elephant in the room, and that is the Republican Party standing in the way of doing it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5284, the Claiming Age Clarity Act. I thank my colleagues, Mr. Smucker and Mr. Beyer, for their leadership on this important legislation. As Mr. Smith has described, these changes will better help seniors understand the advantages and disadvantages of claiming at different ages. I certainly know folks among my constituency who are faced with this confusion. This bill addresses that. I want to quote Mr. Beyer, who is not with us. He is an author of the bill, along with Mr. Smucker. He noted, in our committee report, this bill ``doesn't solve the big picture on Social Security, which this committee presides over, nor does it fix the data privacy, customer service, or staffing disaster that DOGE and this administration have put on this agency, but it will help on the margins, and I am glad that this little bill is seeing the light today.'' Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the Committee on Ways and Means with overwhelming bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a commonsense bill, and I am so happy that our colleagues thought it appropriate to bring it forward to help older Americans make better-informed decisions. As I indicated, I have had friends who retired at age 62 and thought that that would be a better time based on the misinterpretation of the language. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I certainly support H.R. 5345, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act, and of course, this passed the Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support. I think having a single person to deal with at the Social Security office is common sense, and it will enable a victim to unravel their problems a lot sooner. I just want to make note of the fact that, like some other Social Security bills that are under consideration today, this bill does not fix the crisis that this Trump administration has inflicted on Social Security when it comes to data privacy and customer service. Thumb drives went into our central data computers by DOGE employees, people who had not been confirmed by any Senate or anything else, and our Social Security information was captured--captured indeed--on thumb drives. Democrats are going to continue to fight to protect Americans from having their personal Social Security information politicized or bought and sold to the highest bidder or their Social Security benefits put at risk. It is very, very frightening, so frightening, Mr. Speaker, that as soon as our current Treasury Secretary was brought into office, I wanted to know what DOGE was doing and where the information was going. I don't think we have had any conversations of any substance regarding the location of that data. While this bill will have a modest but meaningful improvement to Social Security's customer service to the victims of identity theft, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this legislation, I want them to think more deeply about what we need to do in the atmosphere that we are in now to protect Americans' Social Security data that was mined by DOGE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank my colleague for introducing this very important piece of legislation. I am always happy, as are other Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee, for any initiative to protect our data, to protect and secure it, to protect people's privacy, and to streamline their ability to resolve their problem. I would hope that the authors of this legislation and the chairman of the committee would recognize that this will mean that they will have to stop taking the appropriations away from the Social Security Administration. We have shut down scores of offices. Many people have been fired, and that data and AI will not resolve the issue of having a single point of contact or a person to deal with. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It did pass out of committee with a strong bipartisan vote. I hope that there is bipartisan interest in protecting our data which, like I said, has been DOGE'd and stored somewhere in the cloud. I hope that this urgency around protecting data will continue to be a priority of the committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I certainly think that H.R. 5348, the Social Security Child Protection Act of 2025, which passed the Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, deserves to be supported by this body. As has been indicated, this legislation would direct the SSA to issue a new Social Security number to a child under 14 if it was stolen in the course of being mailed. The current policy brings nothing but misery upon a child and a new family, and I think that this is a commonsense effort to mend this grievous bureaucratic conundrum that parents have to face. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill, and it will strengthen customer service for children whose Social Security card has been lost or stolen in the mail. While Mr. Smucker described this as a very simple, commonsense bill, I think the importance of this is it demonstrates that on a bipartisan basis we can solve problems. You always start with the little things and work yourself forward. If providing greater customer service through the Social Security Administration is a goal that has strong bipartisan support, I think that that really gives us a runway to do bigger things. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for organizing this Special Order. As we get ready for Thanksgiving, families across our Nation are coming together. It's a time to celebrate and express gratitude for family. It's a time of reflection too. But as Americans gather, they are also worried about the family budget too. That Thanksgiving meal is going to be more expensive this year. For millions of families, individuals, small business owners covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), so is their health care. Which is why I am today with my colleagues. So we can lift up these voices as we work to help bring them relief and pass legislation to extend those ACA premium tax credits. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand in the gap for my constituent Wesley and his family from Milwaukee. Like millions of Americans, Wesley and his family depend on the subsidies provided through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Wesley wrote to me explaining that the extension of ACA subsidies has allowed him to afford healthcare for his entire family. Without them, he would likely be forced to make the difficult decision to insure only his daughter. He's one of over 300,000 Wisconsinites covered by the ACA. Another is Jeffrey from Milwaukee: I am self-employed and completely count on these credits in order to afford my own health insurance, without them I may be uninsured. The anxiety that I, and I'm sure others are feeling the same. Or Robert from Milwaukee: I was on Medicaid until I made just $200 too much, at which time I was kicked off. However, I was able to find a plan on the Marketplace that met my needs. After looking at all the options, I found out I could afford a silver plan because the monthly $900 premium was reimbursed by the government. Without the stipend, I cannot pay this premium and I would have to look at the bottom bronze plans. Very little is covered. My premiums would be lower but my deductibles would be astronomically high. I am an in-home senior caregiver working part-time so I can take care of my aging parents. Or Dennis from Milwaukee: For thousands of Americans like me, the ACA is not a political talking point, it is the wall between a bearable, if difficult, life and complete financial and medical ruin. I relied on the ACA's Marketplace for my health coverage, the only way I could secure a policy that didn't deny me for my age, that capped my out-of-pocket costs, and that allowed me to maintain my own health. Now, with funding cuts and legislative actions targeting the core of the ACA, that coverage is dissolving. The fear is a cold, suffocating blanket. My wife's cancer care is a complex, costly, and continuous reality. With the protections and financial assistance of the ACA gone, her medical bills--for chemotherapy, hospice, hospital stays, and medication--could easily become astronomical, costs that studies show quickly bankrupt families even with good insurance. This blatant assault on Americans' healthcare must stop. President Trump and Republicans have had over a decade to develop an alternative healthcare plan--ever since they began proclaiming their intent to dismantle the ACA. Well, guess what, America: They still have absolutely nothing. President Trump famously said he has ``concepts of a plan.'' Mr. President, and to my Republican colleagues, the American people cannot rely on a concept that exists only in your imagination. House Democrats stood firm for more than 40 days to support a budget that addressed the rising cost of healthcare. Now we stand on the precipice of a crisis caused by President Trump and Republicans who seem determined to make the livelihoods of the American people worse, not better. Again, they have no plan to help them. Across the country, stripping healthcare access from millions of Americans and driving up costs for everyone else. This is especially prevalent in minority and rural communities. So I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Why do you want people to suffer? The ACA tax credits ensure that families, seniors, young adults, and workers have access to quality healthcare. These tax credits provide critical financial relief for millions who rely on health insurance coverage. Affordability remains a top concern for Americans, and it baffles me that Republicans would cause such unnecessary harm to low- and middle- income households. I will continue fighting to protect your pocketbooks as we defend your right to affordable healthcare. We cannot claim to be the greatest country on earth when one side is willing to watch millions suffer or be kicked off plans they have relied on for years. Our Nation is already facing challenging times, and stripping away healthcare for political gimmicks only causes further harm. Therefore, we must continue working to extend the ACA tax credits to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable healthcare.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in agony about the severe flooding that recently struck southeastern Wisconsin, hitting my district and my constituents hard. On August 9, the so-called 1000-year flood dumped record rainfall across Wisconsin, bringing flooding and sewage backup that cost millions of dollars in damage, left thousands without power, and forced many from their homes. Recent reports indicate that this flooding has been responsible for a loss of life. I have no doubt that many more lives would have been lost were it not for the tireless work of our brave first responders. The fire department from Milwaukee, for example, responded to over 600 calls, rescuing people from their cars who were trapped by the surging floodwaters. At Governor Tony Evers' request, FEMA teams have worked alongside State and county authorities to fully assess the damage wrought by this flooding. With that work largely done now, the Governor has requested a major disaster declaration that would unlock Federal assistance for many households, businesses, and the public. We are still trying to put this all together and figure out how to pay for this. I urge our President to immediately approve Governor Evers' request for a Federal disaster declaration, a request supported by the entire delegation on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, this just shows us the irreplaceable role of the Federal Government in helping to put victims' lives back together.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment No. 233 to the FY 2026 Defense Appropriations bill. I thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for including it in the Amendments En Bloc No. 3. Our world is facing numerous water challenges. Climate change is making those challenges worse. Our military is not exempt. The Defense Department has previously identified water services failures as a growing risk, as they impact a military facility's ability to execute missions and maintain warfighter readiness. That is where my amendment comes in. My amendment would increase funding for ongoing research and work being done by the Army, with the help of some leading institutions of higher education like the one in my district, Marquette University. These partnerships with the Department of Defense (DoD), Marquette, and other institutions of higher education are being used to study technology and other solutions to water challenges facing our military and our service members that can also benefit our communities like improved sensing/monitoring of water pollution, and advanced water/ wastewater treatment technologies to facilitate reuse of pollution- impacted water resources. Thus, collaboration between DoD and civilian researchers on water contamination and resilience issues has the potential for many benefits, including positive public health impacts. With these additional funds, we can help unleash researchers to explore water sustainment and resiliency technologies that increase readiness and safety of military personnel in contingency bases and at military installations, that can address and improve water efficiency, and improve the conservation of water resources, and the resiliency of water infrastructure. I urge support for my amendment.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, if you are a Republican with misgivings about the massive debt that this bill creates or if you are worried about stripping 17 million Americans of healthcare access, I tell you that now is your moment. ``A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once.'' That is a quote from Shakespeare. Vote your constituents. Vote your conscience. This is how you will be remembered. Better to vote your conscience today and face an angry tweet than have your legacy be one of equivocation and cowardice. ``By their deeds you will know them.'' I urge all of my colleagues to oppose debt, death, and hunger. Oppose this cruel legislation.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning with a heavy heart to mourn the recent passing of Private First-Class Anna Mae Wilson Robertson of Milwaukee, a World War II veteran, devoted mother, and a truly revered figure in both our city and our Nation. I extend my heartfelt condolences to her loving family, dear friends, and the many individuals whose lives were touched by her remarkable spirit. Just a few weeks ago, I had the honor of joining the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, the House Minority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader in a ceremony in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on the Women's Army Corps 6888 Central Postal Battalion, in which Mrs. Robertson served during WWII. This was a woman of service to her country, to her community, and to her family. Her impeccable performance deserves to stand the test of time. Mrs. Robertson's life was nothing short of historic. Born in 1924 in Mississippi, she came into a world marked by segregation and injustice, yet she chose to rise above it all with courage, purpose, and a steadfast commitment to service. After the death of her mother, both Mrs. Robertson and her brother answered the call to service in the midst of World War II. On March 12, 1943, Mrs. Robertson entered active-duty service in the United States Army and was assigned to the Women's Army Corps 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion, known today as the legendary ``Six Triple Eight.'' This battalion, composed of 855 pioneering women, was the only all- Black and multi-ethnic unit in the U.S. Women's Army Corps deployed overseas during WWII. Upon their arrival in Birmingham, England, the Six Triple Eight were tasked with sorting through a daunting backlog of undelivered pieces of mail. These letters and packages represented a vital lifeline between American servicemembers and their families. Facing harsh working conditions and a severe lack of recognition, these women developed an innovative system and cleared the backlog in just three months, an achievement that was three months ahead of schedule. After the Birmingham backlog was cleared, the Six Triple Eight continued their work in Rouen and Paris, France, where they tackled similar backlogs and ensured that communication between soldiers and their loved ones was restored. In doing so, Private First-Class Robertson and her fellow soldiers lifted the spirits of millions, reminding us that even in war, love and connection endure. Their contributions were critical not only to the war effort but to the very fabric of American morale. After returning to the United States, Mrs. Robertson and her fellow soldiers of the Six Triple Eight received no welcomes, recognition, medals, or acknowledgment of their service. Both while deployed and returning home, they faced the harsh realities of racial and gender discrimination, segregated housing, separate dining facilities, and unequal treatment. Yet in the face of systemic injustice, Mrs. Robertson remained steadfast in her sense of duty, dignity, and quiet resilience. Her legacy is defined by grace under pressure and strength and resilience amid silence. After the war, Mrs. Robertson went on to continue her service to the community as a nursing assistant at Wood Hospital, renamed the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. She also worked for the Milwaukee County Hospital and St. Camillus Health Care in similar positions, caring for the sick. She was widely respected for her compassion, leadership, and tireless dedication to others. Her marriage to John Robertson, which spanned 38 years until his passing in 1983, and her role as a devoted mother to eight children grounded her in love and purpose. Mrs. Robertson drew strength from the deep love she shared with her family, especially her many cherished grandchildren. I first became aware of Mrs. Robertson's incredible story and that of the Six Triple Eight in 2013 when her family contacted my office for assistance in obtaining her service medals. My staff and I worked with the National Personnel Records Center to verify what awards she should have received. Nearly seventy years after her service, I was honored to present Mrs. Robertson with the Woman's Army Corps Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button. In 2021, I was proud to help shepherd the House bill that enshrined her legacy and that of her battalion by supporting the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act, alongside my colleague, Representative Jake LaTurner, finally awarding these sheroes the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress. I had the incredible privilege of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Mrs. Robertson's family, honoring her legacy and the sacrifices of the Six Triple Eight. This long-overdue recognition serves not only as a symbol of their valor but as a rectification of justice, restoring to the public record the full measure of their sacrifice, service, and achievement. Their story is further cemented into our Nation's collective memory through the 2024 American film, The Six Triple Eight, which honors the legacy of Mrs. Robertson and her fellow soldiers. Mrs. Robertson lived over a century, and throughout it all, she exemplified service, humility, and quiet heroism. I am proud to say that Mrs. Robertson and her battalion's service is now secured in our Nation's law and tradition. Mrs. Robertson's life reminds us that the fight for justice does not cease, even when justice is long overdue. Mr. Speaker, it is for all these reasons that I am deeply honored to pay tribute to this American trailblazer, Private First-Class Anna Mae Wilson Robertson. The people of the Fourth Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin, and the entire United States stand in gratitude for a lifetime of courage and selfless service. Her legacy will continue to inspire future generations, and her story will remain forever etched into the conscience of our Nation.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, did you grow up watching ``Clifford the Big Red Dog,'' or ``Sesame Street,'' or ``Reading Rainbow?'' Did you spend time in ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,'' Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, maybe you enjoyed watching ``Finding Your Roots'' with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, or ``FRONTLINE'' documentaries. If so, Mr. Speaker, you have the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to thank. However, now Republicans are trying to take them down. Yes, Republicans are trying to get rid of your favorite PBS stations, Mr. Speaker. They are coming for Big Bird again. Our youngest constituents, our babies, have so much to lose if PBS is gutted. PBS provides educational programs for our children and locally tailored content for families. It is free, and it doesn't require expensive cable or streaming subscriptions. PBS and its affiliate stations also provide emergency alerts that are quick and reliable, reaching 97 percent of households during natural disasters. Republicans' devastating cuts would mean many PBS stations would be forced to shutter, especially those in rural areas. They likely won't be able to fill the gap. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting needs and deserves support from Congress.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I missed the Roll Call today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 156, H.R. 2966.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I will just say this: The greatest trick that the devil plays is to convince you that it won't be you who he devours. It will be those others, those so-called illegals, those trans people, the welfare queens, and the boy in the basement who won't work. The majority justifies slashing hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid, undermining the ACA, cutting half a trillion dollars in Medicare, adding trillions to the debt, and facilitating the dismantling of care from hospitals, community health centers, and nursing homes to finance billionaire tax cuts. Then, the bell sounds, and they screech: ``For whom does the bell toll?'' It tolls for thee. Mr. Speaker, I will yield back, but I will not yield my soul. Do not vote for this bill.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. McClellan for yielding, and I thank Representatives McClellan and Clyburn for initiating this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order on education. Let me just say that I have been so inspired by previous speakers, including speakers on the other side of the aisle who held their Special Order before this one. I rise as a proud granddaughter, daughter, and mother of a public educator, and I rise today to vehemently oppose the Trump administration's actions to close the United States Department of Education. I rise simultaneously to denounce the President's executive orders that have closed the Smithsonian Institution for African Americans. I rise to oppose the President's deleting information from websites, such as to honor people like the Honorable Harriet Tubman. I rise to oppose book banning. I rise, Mr. Speaker, to oppose assertions that DEI are ``wicked ideologies.'' I rise to speak against the notion that diversity, equity, and inclusion cause division and hostility toward White males. I rise to oppose the idea that Pell grants are a part of the remnants of extremist education that is against, of course, the nuclear family. I rise against the notion that Pell grants are part of creating this hostile environment. I rise, Mr. Speaker, to say that education remains a great equalizer in our society. When Congress created the Department of Education in 1979, they did so noting that: ``Education is fundamental to the development of individual citizens and the progress of the Nation; ``There is a continuing need to ensure equal access for all Americans to educational opportunities of high quality, and such educational opportunities should not be denied because of race, creed, color, natural origin, or sex.'' Mr. Speaker, I am reminded that one of the Department's most important responsibilities has been to enforce various civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination through their Office of Civil Rights. The OCR is one of the Federal Government's biggest enforcers of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, investigating thousands of allegations of discrimination each year which deny African Americans, in particular, of an opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge and dedicate this poem to our great leader, the President of the United States, in honor of Maya Angelou, whose birthday was April 4. I dedicate to them a message from her from the grave about the importance of African Americans and our education in this society by Maya Angelou. It is entitled, ``Still I Rise.'' You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt, But still like dust I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? Because I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns With the certainty of tides, Just like folks springing high, Still I rise. Did you want to see me broken, Bowed head and lowered eyes, Shoulders falling down like tear drops Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard 'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I am a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Chair, no, 78 million people did not vote for this. Who do you think you are fooling? They are not fooled by your notion that somehow these tax cuts are going to pay for themselves, that they are backed up by all kinds of economists, the CBO, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.