Marie Newman

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez for all her great work on the Small Business Committee. I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, the HUBZone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act. This legislation is designed to expand contracting opportunities to millions of small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones. More specifically, it would clarify the program's price evaluation language to ensure adequate spending toward HUBZone small businesses, giving more communities the resources they need to build vibrantly. We must ensure that small business in every community is and can benefit from Federal contracting. By passing this legislation, we will take a crucial step toward a more equitable distribution of resources to small businesses throughout our country. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the critical work by the Argo Community High School administration to promote equity in their school. Argo Community High School is making history by erecting a bronze sculpture honoring the life and work of Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and a graduate of Argo Community High School. Mamie Till's brave decision to hold an open casket funeral following the brutal lynching of her son provided a spark for the civil rights movement and brought lynching to the forefront of social conversation. Argo Community High School's efforts to implement this project will serve as a road map for other communities to infuse equity in education. Through collaboration with individuals such as Reverend Wheeler Parker and Ollie Gordon, Emmett Till's cousins, to design the sculpture, Argo Community High School has incorporated the surrounding community into their project. Additionally, students have been an integral part of the process, and are currently documenting stories of living Till family members as well as community members who knew Mamie and Emmett Till. I am proud of Argo Community High School's leadership to uplift our civil rights heroes as we educate the next generation of American leaders. I commend the Argo Community High School administration for educating their students about our nation's history through the Mamie Till Memorial Sculpture. This sculpture will serve as a catalyst for immediate and continued education of students at Argo Community High School as well as members of the Argo-Summit community around the issues of social justice and civil rights. I thank Dr. William Toulios and Dr. Brandon Cotter for their leadership and am honored to have such outstanding educators in my district.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the selfless and heroic work of the nurses, doctors, and staff of MedGlobal, a humanitarian and health non-governmental organization based in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, on their recent medical missions to Ukraine. To date, MedGlobal, which is headquartered in Illinois' Third Congressional District, has helped train nearly 1,000 Ukrainian doctors in 8 hospitals in Lviv, Ukraine, and brought nearly $1 million worth of life saving medical supplies generously donated by the American people to help Ukrainians in need. On March 9, 2022, the MedGlobal team of health care providers departed Chicago, Illinois, and arrived in Warsaw, Poland, the following day. The group brought with them desperately needed medical supplies and medications requested by Ukrainian doctors working at hospitals in Lviv. The team traveled by bus from Warsaw to the Polish- Ukrainian border and completed a nearly 45-mile trek through Ukraine to reach Lviv. After a successful mission, the providers made their safe return on March 13. On April 4, 2022, another MedGlobal team deployed from Chicago to Lviv, and over the course of their mission provided training to Ukrainian doctors in mass casualties, chemical weapons, and management of trauma patients. After another successful mission, the team made their safe return on April 10. During each trip, Lviv endured multiple bombings from Russian long- range missiles, causing the MedGlobal teams to seek refuge in bomb shelters several times in response to sirens. But this did not deter these individuals from taking the risk to discharge their humanitarian duty and complete their mission. Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the following individuals who took part in these efforts and recognize their selfless acts of courage bringing vital access to care to Ukrainians caught in the horror of war. The members of the March trip include Dr. Hena Ibrahim, Azeen Ibrahim, Dr. John Kahler, Dr. Riley Jones, Dr. Irina Lelik, Dr. Susan Buratto, and Rita Vaitauskaite, RN. The members of the April trip include Dr. Judah Slavkovsky, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, Dr. Kathleen Galagher, Dr. Christopher Miller, Dr. John Peter McBryde, Dr. Tanya Bucierka, Dr. Mila Felder, Ismail Ajooka, Lauren Cohen, Tonya Sompalli, Erica Havelka, Tim Conley, Scott and Maria Ruden, and Jessica Szotak, RN. The teams were led by my dear friend, Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, the co-founder and president of MedGlobal and a respected leader in Chicago. Many of these health care providers also call my district home, while others live around the Chicago land region or other states. They reflect the very best of America, and I could not be prouder to represent many of them and recognize their service today.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to be here tonight, and I am so proud that the gentlewoman put this together for all of us. Mr. Speaker, to say that I am deeply disappointed is really an understatement. I have to tell you, many people in our country think that the word ``abortion'' is taboo, shouldn't be said, shouldn't be uttered. The Republican Senate reiterated that this week. But worse, it told women that we don't matter. It told women that we don't trust you. It told women that you should not have agency over your body. I have to tell you, I haven't spoken about my personal abortion ever publicly until this week, and the reason is because of all of those reasons, that are you shamed wherever you go. Even in this day and age, in 2022, women are still shamed. We have to stop that. One in four women in this country has an abortion. It is common and something that people do actually every day. It is a common health procedure. When I was 19 years old, I was barely halfway through college, and I found out I was pregnant. I was working two jobs, scrubbing floors and tables, to get through college. I did not have the wherewithal but, more importantly, I did not have the emotional ability to be supporting a child. Not only did I not have the infrastructure and the financial resources, but I didn't have the wherewithal. I recognized that, and it was a good decision. But it was still a difficult decision. When Republican Senators tell us that we shouldn't have agency over our bodies, it just reaffirms this taboo and this shame, and I have had enough. All done. I will not allow people to shame me or anyone else that has had a standard medical procedure called abortion. And I am going to use that word a lot more than I have in the past, I will tell you that. But I have greater concerns. In addition to having an abortion, having concerns about agency over body, I have real concerns for my trans daughter. She came down the night that that opinion was leaked and said: ``Mom, what does this mean?'' Do you know what? I didn't have a lot of really great words for her. When these reckless decisions are made by reckless people called Republican Senators and extremists in their various religions, they don't understand that they affect real people. That is the reason why I sent personal letters to all the Republican Senators, plus Mr. Manchin, who is in that boat of saying that everything is taboo, and we should be shamed, and we shouldn't have agency over our bodies. I let them know that we are people. My daughter and I are people, and we are all going to speak up. I just want to say one more thing about being people. We need people in this body who have the lived experience and have been fighting this fight for a long time. It is really important that we all speak up, but it is really important that we mobilize as a country and that all of these leaders in this body speak up. I have to tell you, I am so disgusted that I haven't slept very well this week at all. But here is what I do know: I cherish everybody, all of my colleagues, my pro-choice colleagues. I cherish Chair Maloney, our Progressive Caucus, all of our Democratic colleagues. I am so proud to be here. But we cannot let this happen. I know I am mobilizing. I know everybody in this body is mobilizing. But I refuse to receive shame, or to be told that I should have shame, or that I am a bad person because I had a regular medical procedure. I refuse to allow anyone to tell my daughter that she doesn't have agency over her body. I thank Chair Maloney for this opportunity tonight.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today for Matt Haller. Matt Haller was an Illinois resident who passed away in 2019 from stomach cancer that is believed to have been linked to the local EtO sterilization plant near his home. These same EtO cancerous chemicals are used today to sterilize an assortment of foods in the United States. While the chemical is clearly banned for food sterilization in other countries around the globe, it continues to be used in America for everyday food products like spices, dried herbs, dried vegetables, and much more. Food sterilized with EtO does not even require food labeling in the U.S. I am introducing the Matt Haller EtO Awareness Act to finally change that. This commonsense legislation would provide Americans the right to know if food has been treated by known carcinogenic substances through accurate labeling. Let's increase transparency around EtO, let's bring awareness to cases like Matt Haller's, and let's pass this bill.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, due to an error, my vote was not recorded. Please accept this form detailing my vote: YEA on Roll Call No. 65.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 65.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to our veterans who served in or near the Panama Canal Zone during the Vietnam war. Hundreds of these veterans came home with major health issues after being exposed to deadly herbicides like Agent Orange and Agent Purple. Yet, to this day, they are not eligible to receive Federal benefits and disability compensation. Madam Speaker, I am proud to say that we are one step closer to changing that. Today, I was proud to pass my amendment requiring the Department of Defense to study this issue, which is the first step to ensuring that these veterans finally will receive the care and benefits they deserve. Madam Speaker, these veterans honorably served our Nation. Now, it is our turn to serve them and get this done.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I was regrettably detained during the following votes in question. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 286, YEA on Roll Call No. 392.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there is a humanitarian crisis in Syria right now. For the past 2 years, there have been tens of thousands of Syrians in the Rukban settlement suffering from not only starvation but a lack of medical care. The last remaining UNICEF clinic in this encampment closed in March 2020, right at the onset of the global pandemic. Since then, thousands in the camp have tested positive but have nowhere to quarantine. They don't have access to vaccines. They don't have access to medical care. They do not have access to clean water. With Russia and the Assad regimes preventing aid from reaching the camp, I am calling on the U.S. to implore immediate action to intervene and help. We have a fundamental obligation to save thousands of Syrian lives.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate how the America COMPETES Act will empower manufacturing workers and small businesses on Chicago's southwest side and suburbs. For too long, America's supply chain has relied on countries like China to bring us critical goods and services. And who has suffered? Of course, it is not the CEOs who ship jobs overseas. It is America's factory workers, small businesses, and local manufacturers. This bill is for them. And that is exactly why I have introduced amendments to this bill to boost American jobs and strengthen the supply chain with new workforce development programs. Let's support American workers, invest in American businesses, and let's create millions of American jobs. By passing the America COMPETES Act, we will do just that.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jacobs for her kind remarks. I have one more speaker, Madam Speaker. We have Representative Al Green, who is an LGBTQ ally. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Pressley for all her great work. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Jacobs), who is a proud sister to a trans brother and gender nonconforming sibling.

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Cicilline, who is an amazing champion for the Equality Act and all things LGBTQI. I couldn't be more pleased to be his colleague. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus and the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs' Committee, where he champions legislation to serve our LGBTQ-plus veterans.

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Takano for all his advocacy and leadership. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley), who is a champion of LGBTQ-plus rights and whose intersectional approach is simply inspirational.

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the transgender Americans who must fight every day for their right to live as their authentic selves. This Saturday, November 20, marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor the memory of the transgender and nonbinary people whose lives were lost this year in acts of violence. Tomorrow, I am proudly joining my colleagues and fellow Transgender Equality Task Force co-chairs, Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Jennifer Wexton, to formally introduce a resolution to nationally commemorate this very somber annual observance. At least 375 transgender or nonbinary individuals across the globe have been killed this year--375. In our Nation alone, it breaks my heart to say that, so far this year, the Human Rights Campaign has reported at least 46 transgender or gender nonconforming people were killed by violent means. We say ``at least'' because we believe this number is actually much higher due to the unfortunate prevalence of underreporting or misreporting violence against this community. They were friends, family, loved ones, parents. They were taken far too soon. We must honor their memory with a commitment to fight anti- trans hate and violence anywhere it exists. It is with this commitment that I now read the names of each of these Americans into the Congressional Record. May their memory serve as a call to action for all of us: Tyianna Alexander Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin Bianca ``Muffin'' Bankz Dominique Jackson Fifty Bandz Alexus Braxton Chyna Carrillo Jeffrey ``JJ'' Bright Jasmine Cannady Jenna Franks Diamond Kyree Sanders Rayanna Pardo Jaida Peterson Dominique Lucious Remy Fennel Tiara Banks Natalia Smut Iris Santos Tiffany Thomas Keri Washington Jahaira DeAlto Whispering Wind Bear Spirit Sophie Vasquez Danika ``Danny'' Henson Serenity Hollis Oliver ``Ollie'' Taylor Thomas Hardin Poe Black EJ Boykin Aidelen Evans Taya Ashton Shai Vanderpump Tierramarie Lewis Miss CoCo Pooh Johnson Disaya Monaee Briana Hamilton Kier Lapri Kartier Mel Groves Royal Poetical Starz Zoella ``Zoey'' Rose Martinez Jo Acker Jessi Hart Rikkey Outumuro Marquiisha Lawrence Jenny De Leon Madam Speaker, may we honor their memory today and every day. Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), the chair of the congressional LGBTQ-Plus Equality Caucus.

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Green. He is absolutely right. All is all and love is love. That concludes our Special Order hour. I want to thank each of my colleagues this evening for their participation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the millions of older workers who desperately need our help. Last year, we saw older Americans leave the workforce more than we ever have before, in fact, more than in the last seven decades. We are seeing tens of thousands of workers with the right qualifications for a job being turned away all because they are 50, maybe even 40, and considered too old. In fact, 76 percent of older American workers reported seeing age discrimination when trying to obtain a job. Mr. Speaker, 76 percent. That is clearly unacceptable. We need to pass the Protect Older Job Applicants Act to ensure America's older workers are finally protected from discrimination. But before we can solve that problem, we have to fully understand it. That is why included in this bill is an amendment I put forth to ensure the Federal Government has the resources it needs to study just how many job applicants have been discriminated against based on age. By doing so, we can better provide recommendations and best practices to further prevent this issue because when we lift up all of our older workers, we lift up our entire economy.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of America's survivors of domestic violence, millions of whom live in every corner of this country and every single congressional district represented here today. Madam Speaker, I am proud to vote to pass the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act so that we can expand support, protection, and prevention for these survivors. But we must do more. In a recent survey of domestic violence service providers, 90 percent reported increased demand for mental health services; however, only 12 percent of respondents said that their program is very prepared to meet the needs of adult survivors with more severe or disabling mental health challenges. We need help with mental healthcare in this country. I don't think that is a secret to anybody. That is why my amendment would ensure domestic violence coalitions can partner with mental health and substance abuse providers for domestic violence programs. By passing this amendment, we can provide survivors with the mental health support they need and deserve, especially those from underserved communities, including: racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, seniors, and youth.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, it is good to see everyone here tonight. This is a very special evening, although I wish it wasn't happening. I wish we weren't saying good-bye to Rich Trumka. I remember the first time I saw him speak. I thought about, wow, there is a lot of intensity there, a lot of intention, and, yeah, he scared me a little bit. I was very inspired to join a picket line that day. I had been on many picket lines before that, but he delivered his comments and what he intended to do for labor in such a way that made me feel like things were actually possible, that it was possible to make change at an employer, it was possible to make change at a plant. And so specifically I joined a plant and their picket line. I didn't know anybody. I just showed up because I thought, wow, this guy is someone that I will follow, I will follow into fire. And I did, at least long distance for a long time. And I have to tell you one other thing about Rich. One of the things that is immediately obvious--and I frequently see this in friends of mine that are in the military--he is a servant leader true and true and through and through. And I think that is the best kind of leader to be. So I learned a lot from him and all of his work, but mostly I believe he inspired the movement to be stronger and more vibrant in the last decade. So we say good-bye to Rich with heavy hearts but thank him for his amazing work and his ability to inspire.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Leger Fernandez. We are excited to be here. This is a really important evening. Mr. Speaker, do you know why? It is because we are talking about why this is so important that we get Build Back Better accomplished. Like a great team that the Democrats are--and I want to talk about that, if I may, with our chair's permission. We are a team. I am frustrated with the media and anybody who is saying that we are not a team right now. We are ready to go. Ninety-nine percent now, as of today, and I do mean that number, 99 percent of us are on the same page. We just have to get a little bit more done. So I am asking the media to report accurately. I am asking all of the Americans who are watching me to understand we are ready to go. We are a team. I want to talk about how big this package is. It is trillions of dollars. So think of it this way, Mr. Speaker, if two trillion-dollar companies came together, it would take probably 2 to 3 years to integrate it. We are doing it in a matter of weeks and months. We are going to do it well and precisely, and we are going to get it done. So teams get things done in an orderly fashion, and we are going to get this done. But let me talk about something that is really frustrating to me and really irritating, and that is when folks talk about the labor shortage. The real issue is that we have a childcare shortage. We have a healthcare shortage. We have an affordable housing shortage. We have shortage of affordable pre-K. And there is a shortage of folks being paid properly for hard work. This is particularly frustrating when I hear that there is a labor shortage and then our friends across the aisle block every single possible thing we can do to make that better and to boost our economy, so that is super frustrating for me. By the way, Mr. Speaker, you can't say we have a labor shortage and then block immigration. It just doesn't work that way. You can't say immigrants are stealing jobs. It doesn't work. It is common sense. It is math. So it doesn't work. But let me say something else, Mr. Speaker, if we do things like expanding paid leave and medical leave, if we make sure that folks have access to childcare and have free childcare, guess what? Moms can get back to work because moms--let's be honest about it-- moms are frequently the primary caregiver. We can get them back to work. Mr. Speaker, 300,000 of our moms in this Nation have been forced to quit so they can take care of their kids. Someone mentioned something else that is astonishing, not that it is just 300,000 people who have left the workforce of the female nature, it is that in addition to that, about 70--when you take all of the sources of childcare, whether it is YMCA, moms and dads who are in other jobs and working three jobs at a time, or it is our school system, or just general daycare and childcare--about 70 percent of our childcare system was lost during the pandemic. So, of course, it is hard to get a break, because guess what? The reason we had this amazing package set up this way that we had roads and bridges that will be repaired, and broadband delivered, as well as childcare and healthcare and in-home healthcare and all of the things on the human infrastructure side, do you know why? Because when mom and dad go to fix a bridge, they need somebody to watch their kids all day. That is why this works so well together, and that is why we have to pass this. That is why we are doing this because it is a super practical thing to do. Every dollar in this package will get infused right back into the economy--right back. So this is really brilliant in every way. It is very practical, and it is founded within our great principles, our economic principles. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? It is founded in capitalism because supply and demand are working beautifully in this package, and we are going to get this done. I thank the gentlewoman for having us tonight. It is a joy to have my friend and everything she does.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to be here with all my colleagues from the Democratic Women's Caucus. I thank Representative Speier for hosting this Special Order hour tonight. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the millions of parents struggling to pay for childcare each and every day. It has become abundantly clear: our current childcare system is absolutely untenable. Just this past September more than 300,000 women left the workforce. As we all know, women are more likely to be the primary caregiver in a household. With a growing lack of affordable childcare options, we are seeing more women forced to quit their job in order to stay home and watch their kids. Let's be clear: no parent should be forced to quit their job because they cannot find childcare they can afford. But the reality for too many families is that this is definitely the case. They cannot afford childcare in their area, period. Just this week, NPR reported that one in three American families are struggling to find childcare they desperately need. I repeat: one-third of America's families cannot find affordable childcare. In Illinois, 58 percent of residents live in a childcare desert--58 percent. That is more than half. In fact, infant care in Illinois costs just $168 less than in-State tuition for a 4-year public college. So think about that, Madam Speaker. If you are a mom and a dad and you have kids of various ages, or you are getting prepared to have kids of various ages, you are thinking about childcare now, Madam Speaker, and you are paying effectively what you know you may have to pay for college in later years for your children. It is astonishing. We can and must fix this. Under President Biden's Build Back Better Act, we can finally ensure every American has access to quality, affordable childcare. This will provide mothers with the support they desperately need to return to the workforce. This is not only the morally right thing to do, but it is actually one of the strongest ways we can further boost our economy. I am tired of hearing some colleagues complain about a labor shortage while at the same exact time they are trying to block families from receiving the affordable childcare they need to return to work. I think that you don't have to go too far, Madam Speaker, to understand wherever you go on any block in America, women are saying: I can't afford childcare which is why I am going back. We have to stop blaming it on these fictitious things. Women need to have childcare so they can go back to work. Enough is enough. For far too long our country has worked for the largest corporations and the ultra-wealthy while working families have been left behind. Let's change that by passing the Build Back Better Act for working families, and let's deliver universal, affordable childcare. Let's get this done.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of the brave first responders of the Orland Fire Protection District. Chief Michael Schofield's team represents the best of Illinois' Third District that we can possibly ask for. These brave men and women are recognized not just as some of the best firefighters in Illinois but in the Nation. They exemplify what it means to be a public servant, and that is why I am honored to recognize them in the Congressional Record. When I met with the members of the Orland Fire Protection District, their dedication to serving their community shone through. They told me how they adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a first-of-its-kind response model. Their resourcefulness and innovation saved countless lives across the southwest suburbs. I honor their leadership. I honor their dedication. And I honor their bravery. Madam Speaker, I thank the Orland Fire Protection District for all they do, and I am proud every day to serve them as their Congressperson.

Ms. NEWMAN

Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I was regrettably detained during the vote in question. Had I been present, I would have noted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 240. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress Aderholt (Moolenaar) Carson (Butterfield) Carter (TX) (Nehls) DeSaulnier (Thompson (CA)) Fulcher (Meuser) Grijalva (Stanton) Horsford (Jeffries) Katko (Joyce (OH)) Kelly (PA) (Keller) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lowenthal (Beyer) Maloney, Carolyn (Velazquez) McEachin (Wexton) Meng (Jeffries) Napolitano (Correa) O'Halleran (Stanton) Payne (Pallone) Porter (Wexton) Rush (Underwood) Sires (Pallone) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Wild (Axne) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) Amendments En Bloc No. 3 Offered by Ms. Lee of California