Jerrold Nadler

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross), a new member of the committee.

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, how much time is remaining, please?

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard.)

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, we can have all of this, but we have to have accountability, too. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our distinguished majority leader of the House.

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 21, calling on Vice President Pence to invoke his powers under the 25th Amendment. We are in the midst of a national emergency and President Trump must be removed from office immediately, before any further damage to this Capitol--or to our Republic--can be done. Last week's violent attack on the Capitol took root more than 5 years ago when Donald Trump first descended the escalator at Trump Tower to announce his run for President. The hateful rhetoric, baseless accusations, and contempt for the democratic process were all on display that day. Later, they formed the foundation of his presidency. Last week, they reached a violent crescendo. After losing his bid for reelection--in decisive fashion--President Trump embarked on a campaign of misinformation aimed at delegitimizing the results of a free and fair election. When this failed, he tried to intimidate local election officials into reversing the results. When those brave public servants refused to do his bidding, he made one final desperate attempt to hold onto power by attacking the constitutionally mandated process of counting and certifying the electoral votes in a Joint Session of Congress. Although the President had willing volunteers to join him, Vice President Pence refused to exceed his limited authority and reject the results of the election. That is when the President unleashed his supporters to storm the Capitol. And the result--an armed insurrection--left in its wake lost lives, property destroyed, desecration of hallowed ground, and physical and emotional scars that may never fully heal. Vice President Pence upheld his constitutional duty and his oath of office that day. It is time for him to do so once more. Under the 25th Amendment, the Vice President, along with a majority of the members of the Cabinet, may inform Congress ``that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,'' upon which ``the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.'' This is not a step to be taken lightly--but it is the step that must be taken today. The President is clearly incapacitated and unable to exercise the powers of the presidency to protect the United States, as witnessed by the attack on the Capitol itself. Rather than immediately calling for an end to the violence and calling on his supporters to withdraw, the President waited several hours before releasing a half-hearted video that also expressed his ``love'' for the rioters who were ``special people''. All the while, he continued his efforts to subvert the election, seeking Senators who would object to the certification of as many as ten states' electoral votes, without a shred of evidence that there was any reason to doubt their authenticity. And reports indicate that the threat that our country faced on January 6th--from a president who would do anything to hold onto power--is ongoing. It is a national crisis. It demands immediate action. I thank the Gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Raskin--a constitutional scholar and a valuable member of the Judiciary Committee--for bringing forward this important resolution, and I call upon the Vice President to do his constitutional duty and to protect the American people from one more day of a dangerous presidency.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, today, as the Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, I join with Representative Karen Bass, Chair of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, in expressing our appreciation for Milagros Cisneros' work with the Committee over the past two years. Milagros came to us as a detailee from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, having worked for nearly sixteen years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Phoenix, Arizona, representing indigent clients in federal criminal cases. Prior to starting her career as a public defender, Milagros attended Bryn Mawr College and the Arizona State University College of Law. At the conclusion of her detail to the Committee, she will be resuming her work in the Federal Defender's office in Phoenix, Arizona. As counsel to the Committee's Democrats, Milagros provided indispensable analysis and advice concerning oversight hearings and a wide range of proposed legislation concerning various issues, such as criminal justice reform, prison reform, reforming our drug laws, com batting violence against women, immigration-related issues, tribal justice issues, and the federal death penalty. Her works was particularly instrumental in obtaining passage of the Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, and important provisions in the CARES Act and HEROEs Act to protect incarcerated individuals from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Committee continued its effort to reform our criminal justice system, Milagros' experience as a federal defender informed our legislative and oversight efforts, particularly with respect to issues related to the Department of Justice's implementation of the FIRST STEP Act. We have appreciated and benefited from Milagros' energy, enthusiasm, and insight over the past two years, during which she became an integral part of our team. We will miss her. We thank Milagros for her selfless service to the Committee, and we wish her the best as she continues her career.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have introduced H.R. 3884, the ``Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2020,'' or the ``MORE Act of 2020.'' This long overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color. The MORE Act would make three important changes to federal law: (1) remove marijuana, or cannabis, from the list of federally controlled substances; (2) authorize the provision of resources, funded by an excise tax on marijuana, to address the needs of communities that have been seriously impacted by the War on Drugs, including increasing the participation of communities of color in the burgeoning cannabis market; and (3) provide for the expungement of Federal marijuana convictions and arrests. For far too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of as a matter of personal choice and public health. Whatever one's views are on the use of marijuana for recreational or medicinal use, the policy of arrests, prosecution, and incarceration at the Federal level has proven unwise and unjust. This issue is not new to Congress. There have been many Members who have introduced bills upon which provisions in this bill are based. For instance, Representative Barbara Lee has sponsored bills that are the foundation of key provisions of the MORE Act, and I thank her for her longstanding leadership on this issue. Representative Earl Blumenauer has also been an indefatigable advocate and has supported everything we have done to get to where we are today. I thank him, as well. Federal action on this issue would follow the growing recognition in the states that the status quo is unacceptable. Despite the federal government's continuing criminalization of marijuana, 36 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use. I have long believed that the criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake, and the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana laws has only compounded this mistake, with serious consequences, particularly for communities of color. Marijuana is one of the oldest agricultural commodities not grown for food, and it has been used medicinally all over the world since at least 2700 B.C., but its criminalization is a relatively recent phenomenon. The use of marijuana, which most likely originated in Asia, later spread to Europe, and made its way to the Americas when the Jamestown settlers brought it with them across the Atlantic. The cannabis plant has been widely grown in the United States and was used as a component in fabrics during the middle of the 19th century. During that time period, cannabis was also widely used as a treatment for a multitude of ailments, including muscle spasms, headaches, cramps, asthma, and diabetes. It was only in the early part of the 20th century that marijuana began to be criminalized in the United States--mainly because of misinformation and hysteria, based at least in part on racially-biased stereotypes connecting marijuana use and people of color, particularly African-Americans and Latinos. In 1970, when President Nixon announced the War on Drugs and signed the Controlled Substances Act into law, the federal government placed marijuana on Schedule I, the most restrictive schedule that is attached to the most serious criminal penalties, where--unfairly and unjustifiably--it has remained ever since. As a consequence of this decision, thousands of individuals-- overwhelmingly people of color--have been subjected, by the federal government, to unjust prison sentences for marijuana offenses. It is time for this manifest injustice to end. The MORE Act would remove marijuana from Schedule I and the Controlled Substances Act altogether, thereby decriminalizing it at the Federal level. This is only fair, particularly because the same racial animus motivating the enactment of marijuana laws also led to racially disproportionate enforcement of such laws, which has had a substantial, negative impact on communities of color. In fact, nationwide, the communities that have been most harmed by marijuana enforcement are benefitting the least from the legal marijuana marketplace. The MORE Act would address some of these negative impacts, by establishing an Opportunity Trust Fund within the Department of Treasury to fund programs within the Department of Justice and the Small Business Administration to empower communities of color and those adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. These programs would provide services to individuals, including job training, reentry services and substance use disorder services; provide funds for loans to assist small businesses that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; and provide resources for programs that minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and employment for individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. The collateral consequences of a conviction for marijuana possession--and even sometimes for a mere arrest--can be devastating. For those saddled with a criminal conviction, it can be difficult or impossible to vote, to obtain educational loans, to get a job, to maintain a professional license, to secure housing, to receive government assistance, or even to adopt a child. These exclusions create an often-permanent second-class status for millions of Americans. This is unacceptable and counterproductive, especially in light of the disproportionate impact that enforcement of marijuana laws has had on communities of color. The MORE Act recognizes this injustice and addresses these harmful effects by expunging and sealing federal convictions and arrests for marijuana offenses. It is not surprising that over the past two decades, public support for legalizing marijuana has surged. In the most recent Pew Research Center poll--which was released at the end of 2019--67 percent of Americans now back marijuana legalization, up from 62 percent in Pew's 2018 poll. And just this November, there were ballot measures pertaining to marijuana in several states; they were all approved by voters. Indeed, the states have led the way--and continue to lead the way--on marijuana, but our federal laws have not kept pace with the obvious need for change. We need to catch up because the public supports reform and because it is the right thing to do. In my view, applying criminal penalties, with their attendant collateral consequences for marijuana offenses is unjust and harmful to our society. The MORE Act comprehensively addresses this injustice, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill today.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the updated Heroes Act (H.R. 925), a stimulus package that rises to the seriousness of the crisis that our Nation is facing. I am pleased that this legislation once again provides economic relief for American families by providing stimulus checks, restoring and expanding the weekly $600 federal unemployment payments through next January, improving unemployment benefits for contract and mixed income workers, bolstering housing assistance through direct rent relief, and strengthening food access for families disproportionately impacted by the pandemic through a 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits. The updated Heroes Act also includes robust support for small businesses by improving the Paycheck Protection Program and providing the hardest-hit small businesses, non-profits, and entrepreneurs with second loans. I am incredibly proud that this package contains two pieces of legislation that I cosponsored to provide additional targeted assistance for struggling restaurants and live venues--the Restaurants Act and the Save Our Stages Act New York City independent restaurants and live entertainment venues and theaters have been devastated by the economic impacts of the pandemic, and this bill will provide the immediate relief they need to ensure they can survive as the lifeblood of our city and our neighborhoods. After leading the call for robust funding for our public transit agencies, I am pleased that this package contains substantial assistance for the MTA, which will allow it to continue operations into 2021. The economic relief in the updated Heroes Act is vital to New York City's ability to rebuild and restore its economy. In addition to economic relief, the updated Heroes Act invests in the health and safety of the American people by providing an additional $75 billion for testing and tracing, an additional $28 billion to procure a safe and effective vaccine and strengthening worker safety protections. The package also includes provisions that will protect unemployed Americans losing their employer-provided health insurance by ensuring they receive the maximum ACA subsidy on the healthcare exchanges. The updated Heroes Act provides additional support by creating a special enrollment period in the ACA exchanges for unemployed Americans. After fighting for urgently needed funding for New York City's schools, I am proud that this package includes $182 billion for K-12 schools, $39 billion to higher education institutions, and $57 billion to support childcare for families. The package also includes desperately needed funding for museums and libraries and targeted funding to support research universities that are leading clinical research into improving COVID-19 management. Finally, I am proud that this legislation invests in safeguarding our democracy by fully funding the Postal Service, providing states with new resources to safeguard the safety and security of our elections, and ensuring the integrity of the 2020 Census. It's been more than four months since House Democrats gathered on this floor to pass a $3.4 trillion COVID-19 relief package that included urgent funding to protect the lives and livelihoods of American families. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans failed to pass that bill and chose instead to ``wait and see'' how much worse the pandemic could get. Well they waited and they saw, and they still did nothing, even as the pandemic spread and millions of Americans remained out of work. Since House Democrats passed the stimulus package in May, the U.S. COVID-19 death toll has more than doubled to top 200,000. The American people are demanding relief, and it is long past time for Congress to assist them. I urge my colleagues across this aisle to stop playing politics and accept this robust and reasonable compromise for the good of the American people. I urge my colleagues to vote Yay.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kim).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Malinowski).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time. They learned their lesson. They stopped using such terms. They learned their lesson. They understood what this House should understand. They understood that the use of such terms stokes racism, stokes anti-Asian sentiment, and they stopped using the term because they learned the lesson. All we are saying is the White House should learn the same lesson, and they should stop using the term. And for that matter, Members of this House should stop using the term because it deliberately stokes anti-Asian sentiment. The Washington Post learned that lesson and ceased using such terms. The Washington Post learned the lesson. We are not saying that everyone knew this initially, but it is clear. It is now clear. The Washington Post learned its lesson and stopped using such terms. The New York Times learned its lesson when they realized that it was stoking anti-Asian sentiment and stopped using this term. We are saying that the White House and Members of this House and anyone else should learn the same lesson and not stoke anti-Asian sentiment by continuing the use of terms that we know stoke anti-Asian sentiment. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bera).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, this is an important resolution that will put the House firmly on record against the insidious form of racism and racial scapegoating that we have seen since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It is completely unacceptable to use derogatory and prejudicial terms, like ``Chinese virus'' or ``Wuhan virus,'' as if they merely describe the factual reality of where the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 originated. First, this logic does nothing to justify the use of the term ``kung flu,'' another term often used by some to describe COVID-19, a term clearly designed to mock Asians and to associate them unfairly with this disease. Madam Speaker, the need for this legislation is clear. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Spanberger).

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1107, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 908) condemning all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NADLER

Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, that is why the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act moves away from proving discrimination and creates an affirmative right to accommodation. Using the framework and language of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the bill requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers, as long as the accommodation does not impose an undue hardship on the employer. Courts know exactly how to interpret that language. Employers know exactly what their responsibilities will be. But most importantly, women will have the certainty they can safely stay on the job. That is why over 200 organizations have endorsed the legislation and why 30 States have passed pregnancy accommodations laws similar to the PWFA. Providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers helps businesses, workers, and families. Passing this bill is long overdue. I thank Mr. Katko for working with his Conference on this bill and Chairman Scott, Chairwoman Bonamici, Eunice Ikene, and the committee staff for shepherding the bill to the floor today. I urge a ``yes'' vote.