Ilhan Omar

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life of a long-time civil rights activist, journalist, and my friend, Mel Reeves who passed away at the age of 64 from COVID-19 complications. Born in Miami, Florida, he was the youngest of 13 children and was adopted at the age of one. Bullied at a young age, Reeves grew up standing up for others and being an outspoken advocate for marginalized communities. Later in life he attended Northwestern College in Iowa, then moved to Minneapolis where he devoted his life to advocating for social justice. Mel Reeves was a journalist for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorded newspaper and never shied away from elevating the truth. He was a devoted and passionate man with a fighting spirit, always ready to support his community advocating for justice and accountability. Reeves did not just write about the many injustices happening around him, such as the horrific murders of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, he used his voice and platform to encourage the community to never stop fighting for justice. As a community leader, he advocated for racial justice, education reform, the working class and more recently the need to protect oneself from the pandemic by wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. Reeves is survived by his son Kellen Reeves and five grandchildren. Rest in peace, friend. I thank him for inspiring many to speak up for justice.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, today, I rise because we are in the midst of a staggering rise of anti-Muslim violence and discrimination around the world. At its worst, it is Uyghurs in concentration camps in China and genocide against the Rohingya in Burma. But those atrocities are part of a deeper fabric of violence against Muslims and impunity for violence against Muslims at a global level. In India, Prime Minister Modi's government has moved to strip citizenship from millions of Muslims. In Sri Lanka, anti-Muslim laws and violence have imposed terror on the community. In Hungary, Belarus, and Poland, politicians have stoked fear of Muslim migrants and refugees. In New Zealand and Canada, white supremacist violence has targeted Muslims, including at their places of worship. And, of course, we in the United States are not immune to this hatred. It is no secret that the previous President of the United States explicitly vowed ``a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.'' But Trump was simply taking advantage of a deeper culture of Islamophobia that has existed for the past two decades, from the PATRIOT Act to the CVE program to Abu Ghraib. None of these things are happening in isolation. We must understand that these problems are interlinked. In fact, earlier this year the United Nations commissioned a report and concluded that Islamophobia has reached ``epidemic proportions,'' and urged nations around the world to take all necessary measures to combat it. As a country that was founded on religious liberty, our leadership on international religious freedom depends on recognizing that Islamophobia is global in scope and we must lead the global effort to address it. That is why Representative Schakowsky and I have introduced this bill, to create a special envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia at the State Department. This bill also adds violence and incitement targeted at Muslims to the State Department's annual human rights report and international religious freedom report. There are cynics who would rather see us divided on racial, ethnic, gender, and religious lines because it suits their political agenda. But I believe as Americans we should stand united against all forms of bigotry. In fact, this legislation is modeled on the special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, and I was proud to cosponsor and vote last Congress on legislation to elevate that envoy to a cabinet-level position. Because it is important, Madam Speaker, that we live in a world where everyone is free of persecution based on their religious background and beliefs. And until everyone is free to practice their religion, no one is. I want to thank the colead of this bill, a partner in justice, Representative Jan Schakowsky, along with Chairman Meeks, Speaker Pelosi, and the leadership team for their commitment to this legislation. Madam Speaker, I also want to thank the Council on American-Islamic Relations for their advocacy on this, and all the groups representing a cross-section of human rights, civil rights, and faith coalitions, who fight for religious rights for everyone around the world.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Minnesotans who are facing the highest housing affordability and childcare affordability crisis, a massive racial wealth and education gap. I rise because Minnesotans spend an average of $16,000 a year on childcare, as much as they spend on mortgage payments, and Build Back Better would address it. I rise because the people of my district have faced the worst housing shortage in the entire country and Build Back Better would create a housing acquisition fund to address it. I rise because we need good union jobs and Build Back Better would invest in a civilian climate corps, AmeriCorps, and home healthcare workers being paid fair wages. I rise because the people of my district need the Build Back Better, and they can't wait any longer.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, this week we are considering critical legislation to invest in America and Minnesotans. We are investing in childcare, education, healthcare, housing, and so many other basics that my district so desperately needs. In the Fifth District alone, we secured over $46 million in transportation and community project funding. That includes the skills training for clean energy careers, funding for updated sprinkler systems, a new healthcare clinic on Lake Street, a new park in Brooklyn Center, and so much more. How we choose to invest our resources is a reflection of our priorities, and we, as House Democrats, are making our priorities clear: American jobs, opportunity, and working families.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her leadership and for including my amendment in the en bloc. Madam Speaker, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I travel around the world and hear so many of our diplomats emphasize the importance of balancing development, diplomacy, and defense. But in so many places, I don't see that balance. My amendment is about restoring balance to our foreign policy by moving away from military assistance and arms sales and toward development and addressing the root causes of conflict. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this en bloc.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have introduced four of the amendments in this en bloc. My first amendment would allow the Federal Government to start researching new economic metrics that would take into account the well- being of American families in a way that our current GDP measure does not. The second amendment addresses challenges posed by COVID to remittances and how the Federal Government could better facilitate these lifelines for fragile countries. My T-HUD amendment makes sure the Federal Government is helping manufactured housing communities cope with the pandemic. And, lastly, my Interior amendment ensures that the NEA prioritizes grants for projects that preserve civil rights art, such as the projects within the George Floyd Memorial site in Minneapolis. Thank you to the Appropriations Committee for including these amendments that will help my district and many more.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation. Whereas July 21, 2021, marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Columbia Heights, Minnesota; Whereas in the summer of 1847, individuals came to what was then known as Manomin to farm and build homes; Whereas Columbia Heights quickly became a prosperous trading route, where Minnesotans grew and gathered harvests that fed countless families throughout the region; Whereas Columbia Heights was formed as a village in 1898, became a city in 1921, and continues to be a community where all residents can feel proud to live, work, and raise their families; Whereas Columbia Heights has successfully balanced economic growth and business development with an enduring focus on community relationships and small town charm; Whereas, as of the date of agreement to this resolution, At only 3.5 square miles Columbia Heights boasts 15 parks, a first-rate education system, a thriving business district, accessible transportation, and the All-American City Award; and Whereas Columbia Heights is a city with a proud history and a strong place in the heritage of the State of Minnesota and the United States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--congratulates Columbia Heights, Minnesota on its 100th anniversary; and commends the Minnesotans who have made Columbia Heights, Minnesota the gem that it is today.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and I thank the distinguished author of this legislation, Congresswoman Lee, for bringing forth this legislation. Madam Speaker, for the past 20 years, the 2002 Authorization has been used to wage war and cause destruction around the world. While many in this Congress have participated in war, I am someone who has endured war and understands the impact it has on innocent lives. The act of war does nothing to make us safer. Engaging in endless wars has led us to undermining our most important morals: peace, liberty, and justice. Congress cannot sit idly by as we take more civilian lives and decrease our ability to build prosperity at home. The more we spend on endless wars, the less we are able to invest in our own people with education, housing, and employment opportunities. I am pleased that Congress is finally working on restoring its authority over matters of peace and war.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, as our country recovers from this devastating pandemic, it is critical we prioritize our families. All working families deserve to thrive, and that starts with ensuring high- quality, affordable childcare. This is a generational opportunity to invest in affordable, quality care for all children, and I urge my colleagues not to let it go to waste. Right now, the average cost of childcare for children under 5 is around $10,000 a year. This amount is even higher for infants. In my home State of Minnesota, we have some of the highest childcare costs in the Nation, ranking fourth in the country. A minimum-wage worker working full-time in my district in Minneapolis would have to work 30 weeks to cover the cost of childcare for one infant. This is unconscionable. As a mom, I know how difficult it can be to find affordable childcare options and how a lack of childcare impacts all aspects of life, including the ability to graduate from college while taking care of young children or even the ability to find a job and thrive. We need universal childcare and pre-K for all families, and we need to pay our childcare workers a living wage. Ensuring affordable, quality care for every child and family would stimulate the economy and have a lasting benefit for children's development and growth. The American Families Plan moves us closer to this goal by investing in universal preschool, ensuring childcare costs do not exceed 7 percent of income for working families, and guarantees childcare workers make a $15 minimum wage. I urge my colleagues to ensure that women and families are not left behind in our recovery. Families across America are counting on us to do the right thing.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I extend my gratitude to Marie Newman for helping lead this important discussion, and I thank all the Members who are here and showed up in solidarity. Mr. Speaker, as someone who has experienced war firsthand, I have a deep understanding of the suffering that comes along with it. As a child, I lived through a violent civil war that destroyed my home, ripped my family apart from each other, and killed many of my family and friends. I can still remember, at just 8 years old, hiding under the bed, hearing bombs go off outside my window, and wondering if we were going to be hit next. It is trauma I will live with for the rest of my life. So, I understand, on a deeply human level, the pain and the anguish families are feeling in Palestine and Israel at the moment, and the helplessness people feel here in the United States who have family in the region, including many of my constituents. And it is for this reason that I abhor violence. Whether rocket attacks or airstrikes, violence does nothing to make people more secure. It only furthers the interests of the powerful while costing lives, futures, and families. But we must speak out truthfully and forcefully about the seeds of this conflict and about what is happening today. The truth is that this is not a conflict between two states. This is not a civil war. It is a conflict where one country, funded and supported by the United States Government, continues an illegal military occupation over another group of people. This is not my description of it. This is the description of conservative Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, who, in 2003, said: ``To hold 3.5 million Palestinians under occupation is, in my opinion, a very bad thing for us and for them.'' ``It is occupation,'' he said. ``You might not like this word, but it is really an occupation.'' To understand what is taking place at this moment, we must understand how it began. In 1948, 700,000 Palestinians were forcefully removed and uprooted from their homes in what has come to be known as the Nakba, or the catastrophe. Seventy-eight percent of their land was taken from them. Now, consider that: 78 percent of their land was taken from them. Since then, 5.6 million Palestinians have been continually displaced from their homes in one of the largest and longest-lasting refugee crises in human history. For decades, the United States, the United Nations, and many Israelis and Palestinians have pushed for a Palestinian state in which the Palestinians can enjoy the same rights afforded to their Israeli counterparts. But in the past several years, that hope has increasingly slipped away. The Israeli Government and the far-right ethnonationalist leader Benjamin Netanyahu have legally razed Palestinians' ancestral homes, leveled entire neighborhoods, and violently suppressed any resistance. This is all to make way for illegal Israeli settlement outposts designed to displace Palestinians from their homes and prevent a future Palestinian state. Since 1993, when the first Oslo peace accord was signed, illegal settlements have increased by nearly 400,000. And Netanyahu has made explicit his goal to annex much of the West Bank, home to over 3 million Palestinians. On top of that, Palestinian movement, speech, and economic activity are severely limited. Palestinians are not allowed to leave the Gaza Strip except in extreme cases. Medical shortages are rampant. Youth unemployment was already at 40 percent before the pandemic hit. People who protest, including young children, are routinely shot by the IDF soldiers--often killed--with no consequences in Israeli courts. As a recent report by Human Rights Watch detailed, this can only be described as an apartheid. All of which brings us to the current crisis. This week, the Israeli authorities were planning more forced displacement in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem--home to Palestinian refugees who had already been displaced. On Thursday, settlers began harassing and attacking Palestinians who were breaking their Ramadan fast during a protest vigil in Sheikh Jarrah. The deputy mayor of Jerusalem joined to mock Palestinians, saying to one protestor: ``Did they take the bullet out of your ass?'' ``It is a pity it didn't go here,'' pointing to his head. Then, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli military forces stormed al-Aqsa mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, firing stun grenades, teargas, and rubber bullets. Over 300 people were injured; 200 of them were hospitalized. What happened next is well known: Hamas fired rockets into Israel, which has taken the lives of six Israelis. And the Israeli military launched air strikes into Gaza, targeting civilian buildings, which have already killed 69 people, including 16 children. Let me be clear: Every single death in this conflict is a tragedy. Every rocket and bomb that targets civilians is a war crime. I feel the pain of every child who is forced to hide under their beds because they fear for their life, and every parent who deals with that anguish. And I wish we, as a nation, treated that pain equally; but right now we are not. And instead of condemning blatant crimes against humanity and human rights abuses, many Members of Congress have instead fallen back on a blanketed statement defending Israel's air strikes against civilians under the guise of self-defense, without even a mention of the children getting killed, much less what happened at al-Aqsa or in Sheikh Jarrah. When the 15-member United Nations Security Council proposed a resolution this week calling on the Israeli Government to cease settlement activities, demolitions and evictions, and urging general restraint, the United States reportedly blocked it from happening. We are currently blocking the United Nations Security Council from calling on ceasefire. And to this day, we, as Members of Congress, have not had yet a hearing or a briefing on this conflict or gotten answers on whether our weaponry or money is being used to commit human rights abuses. So I must ask: When we defend the Israeli citizens' right to peace and security, how can we at the same time ignore the 5 million Palestinians living under occupation? When we say that Israel has the right to self-defense, how can we ignore the home demolitions, settlement violence, and forced annexation of Palestinian land that is happening? And how can we say they, themselves, do not have the right to defend themselves? How can we pay lip service to a Palestinian state, yet do absolutely nothing to make that state a reality while the Israeli Government we fund tries to make it impossible? I will end with this: Today is Eid, the final day of Ramadan, one of the joyous days in the Muslim calendar. And while I would rather be spending it with my family, I know there are families who are mourning the death of their children because of this, and I owe it to them to speak out on their behalf. So I am here today to stand for our common humanity, to say that every child deserves a life free of violence and oppression. Every child deserves advocates for their humanity, for their safety, and for their security. And it should not be controversial to say the same for Palestinian children. Eid Mubarak.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in solidarity with labor unions that, throughout history, have fought the greed of their bosses and corporations in order to have a better life. I rise in solidarity with workers in the Marathon Petroleum plant in Minnesota who are striking for safer working conditions and with the workers at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, and many more workplaces that have recently unionized in my district. I rise in solidarity with the 5,800 mostly Black workers in Alabama who are currently fighting one of the most predatory corporations in the world, Amazon, to form a union. Labor unions have been the driving force for all positive change for workers in modern history. As a former union member myself, I can attest to the power that workers wield when they exercise their right to organize. That is why we need the PRO Act and why we must pass it this week and pressure the Senate to do the same. The PRO Act puts power back where it belongs, in the hands of workers. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from National Nurses United. National Nurses United, Washington, DC, March 8, 2021. Dear Representative, The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act this week. On behalf of the 170,000 nurses represented by National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, we strongly urge you to vote YES on the PRO Act, which would implement critical improvements to current labor law in order to protect the right for workers to organize collectively and form a union. A union gives workers the ability to act together to advocate for safe working conditions, to improve their wages and benefits, and to protect their workplace rights through collective bargaining and concerted activity. For registered nurses, union advocacy and representation allow us to focus on what we do best: caring for our patients. Across the country, nurses have been subject to intimidation and retaliation from their employers because of their efforts to unionize. The PRO Act would provide critical protections for nurses who want to organize collectively. The dire need for this legislation has been made all the more clear during this pandemic as nurses have been forced to struggle together for the most basic safety protections at their hospitals and clinics. The formation of a union in the hospital not only offers protections to nurses and other health care workers, but just as importantly, it leads to health and safety protections that improve patient care. For example, union organizing has led to improvements in infectious disease protocols, staffing levels, workplace violence prevention programs, and safe patient handling programs, all of which directly improve patient care. Attacks on unions and the right to unionize have hurt efforts to protect patient care in the hospital, and to improve the lives of working families outside the hospital. While the latest Gallup poll shows support for unions at its highest point since 2003, with 65% of Americans approving of labor unions, these attacks on unions and the right to organize have continued unabated. The PRO Act would provide the legislative reform needed to protect American workers. The PRO Act would have a direct impact on registered nurses and all other workers by making the following improvements to current labor law: Prevent employers from interfering in union elections, including prohibiting employers from holding captive audience meetings; Facilitate first contracts by requiring mediation and arbitration to settle disputes; Strengthen support for workers who suffer retaliation and require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to immediately seek an injunction to reinstate employees while their cases are pending; Prevent employers from forcing employees to waive their right to collective or class-action litigation; Close loopholes in the federal labor law that allows employers to deny pay, benefits, or workers' rights to employees; Put an end to the misclassification of employees as supervisors or independent contractors; Enhance the right to support boycotts, strikes, and other acts of solidarity. This legislation is of high priority for registered nurses across the country, and we hope you will join with us in supporting it by voting yes. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Lead Legislative Advocate. Sincerely, Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director, National Nurses United. Deborah Burger, RN, President, National Nurses United. Zenei Cortez, RN, President, National Nurses United. Jean Ross, RN, President, National Nurses United.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I, like so many in my community of Minneapolis, are still traumatized. I watched horrified for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as George Floyd's life was taken from him, another innocent Black man murdered by the police in our community. Time and time again, we have witnessed the people who are sworn to protect our communities abuse their power. My city is not an outlier, but, rather, an example of the inequalities our country has struggled with for centuries. Brutality against unarmed Black men and women is not a new phenomenon. Today, we find ourselves at a crossroad. Will we have the moral courage to pursue justice and secure meaningful change? Or will we succumb to this moment?

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, this is not about one Member. This is about who we are as a body and what we are as a democracy. This is about whether it is acceptable to cheer on and encourage an insurrection against our basic democratic processes. This is about whether it is okay to demand Members swear in on a Bible of a religion they do not practice. This is about whether it is okay to hold an assault rifle next to Members' heads in a campaign ad and incite death threats against them. This is about whether it is okay to encourage the murder of the Speaker of the House. As a survivor of civil conflict and civil war, I know political violence and political rhetoric does not go away on its own. This is about whether or not we will continue to be a peaceful and functioning democracy.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Let us not mince words about what happened last week. It was a violent attempt to interrupt our democratic process. It was a targeted blow at the most essential process that makes us a democracy. It was directly and specifically incited by the President of the United States. For years, we have been asked to turn a blind eye to the criminality, corruption, and blatant disregard to the rule of law by the tyrant President we have in the White House. We, as a nation, can no longer look away. The President not only incited an insurrection against our government but has, in word and deed, led a rebellion. We cannot simply move past this or turn the page. For us to be able to survive as a functioning democracy, there has to be accountability. We must impeach and remove this President from office immediately so that he cannot be a threat to our democracy. I stand ready to fulfill my oath of office. I challenge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary Moriarty, who embodies what it means to be a public defender. For 30 years, Ms. Moriarty has dedicated herself to the Hennepin County Chief Public Defender's Office. Her tireless commitment to our community, providing quality representation to our most marginalized and vulnerable neighbors should not go unappreciated. Ms. Moriarty was appointed Chief Public Defender in 2014. Her leadership resulted in significant reforms, providing ample and often training to new lawyers, bringing in social workers for misdemeanor cases, and requiring lawyers to have knowledge in forensic science and DNA analysis. An evaluation from the National Center for State Courts Public Defender's Office under Ms. Moriarty's leadership validated that she runs one of the best public defender offices in the country, one that is as successful as a private firm. Dr. Brian Ostrom stated this: ``let me say unequivocally that Ms. Moriarty is the most accomplished, passionate, and articulate public defender I have ever met.'' In her tenure Ms. Moriarty has been a devoted champion in addressing the racial inequalities in the justice system: whether that be advocating for more awareness of implicit bias for jurors, or requesting data that shows police disproportionately stop and charge African American's with obstruction of justice, compared to Caucasians. Ms. Moriarty has first-hand seen the disparities that impact our community through the legal system and has worked diligently to reform them. To me, Ms. Moriarty represents what the standard should be for a public defender: someone who is committed to their clients and provides service to the highest of their ability, someone willing to call out the injustices and inequalities our neighbors endure, and working to reform them. Ms. Moriarty deserves the upmost admiration for continuing the good fight of improving our justice system, even in the face of considerable pushback. I thank Chief Public Defender Mary Moriarty for her service to our community. It has been an honor to work alongside her to make our state, country and justice system a better, fairer place.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I am here not only to defend my friend and colleague, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; I am here on behalf of women around the world. This is not just about one woman, one incident, or one verbal assaulter. This is about respect and fundamental equality. Like Alexandria, I was raised by a dignified man who told me that I deserved equality because I was an equal human being to my brothers. I am appalled often, like Alex was, when we hear men say: I would never do this because I have a wife, I have a daughter, I have sisters. Madam Speaker, you don't only respect women because they could be your mother, they could be your wife, and they could be your sister. No. You respect women because they are equal human beings to you. That is how my father raised me, and that is how Alexandria's father raised her. Nearly every woman in the world has experienced verbal abuse, not just once, but since they were little girls. We experience it on playgrounds; we experience it in workplaces; and we experience it in our social media feeds. We see it coming regularly from the President of the United States, and now we see it coming from his partisan lackeys. From birth, little girls are sent the message that they don't matter. In this body, we have seen men who are afraid of Muslim women like me and Rashida Tlaib because we say proudly that you cannot ban us from this country because we pray differently than you. They are afraid of women everywhere fighting systems of repression and sexual harassment through the Me Too movement. They are afraid not just of us but of losing their own power. It is no accident that Alex was verbally abused for speaking up for poverty in her district and its relation to unrest because when you push power, power pushes back. When we speak for people from marginalized communities, we understand, as people who come from those marginalized communities, that is a threat to those who wield power against marginalized communities. So, we are here to say that we will not allow sexism, misogyny, and patriarchy to hold us back. We will not apologize for advocating for women everywhere. We will not apologize for claiming the power that women deserved for centuries. And we will send a message to our daughters and their daughters that they deserve fundamental equality.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pride to rise today in support of the NO BAN Act. Our friends on the other side of the aisle might try to obscure the reality here by pointing to the Muslim countries that are not on the ban. The White House has tried to wrap their hateful policy up in a false story about national security, but we know the truth. I have spoken countless times, both before and since I have entered this office, about the hateful brutality of the Muslim ban. Today, I want to celebrate the work that brought us to this point. I want to celebrate the countless Americans who went to the airport the day the first ban was announced. I want to celebrate the thousands of State Department employees who signed the dissent memo and those who resigned in protest. I want to celebrate Congresswoman Chu and Senator Coons for their tireless work on overturning this ban. Today's vote is a culmination of all of their work, starting at the grassroots level. We have been in the struggle together, and we will continue to be in it until this ban is in the dustbin of history.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, if a President decides to deploy troops domestically, the very least we can do as Congress is demand the same level of transparency that we expect when our troops are sent abroad. It is true that the Insurrection Act was used to integrate Little Rock Central High School and the University of Mississippi. It is also true that it was used to crush slave revolts and labor organizing. This amendment will go a long way towards helping inform Congress and the American people how a President intends to use the authority. This is not an abstract conversation. When the President threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act recently, he was threatening my constituents and our constituents. Unmistakably, he was threatening people exercising their First Amendment rights. There can be genuine emergencies when these powers are needed. We must protect against all possible abuses in situations where the emergencies do not exist.

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, October of next year will mark 20 years since the war in Afghanistan started. That is a generation of devastation in Afghanistan, a generation of our men and women in uniform being sent to fight and die for a war with no exit strategy. And still, to this day, there are people saying that we shouldn't be too hasty in leaving. Too hasty? It has been two decades. Mr. Speaker, there will never be a perfect time to withdraw our troops. There will never be a time when making the right decision does not include some risks. Our obligation to Afghanistan's stability will not end when our troops leave. My amendment sets a clear timeline and clear Congressional intent that we must end our country's longest war. Mr. Speaker, we put this debate in context. I want to say this amendment was offered by my friend, Chairman McGovern, 7 years ago. It passed the House in 2013 with the majority of both parties voting in favor. During that debate, Mr. McGovern stood on the floor and said: ``The future and fate of tens of thousands of uniformed men and women deserve a vote.'' The House took that vote, and 305 Members of this body voted to end the war in Afghanistan. Yet, since then, we have had 7 years of fighting and sustained violence, 7 years of civilian casualties, 7 years of servicemembers being forced to say good-bye to their families and subjected to a terrible trauma. In many ways, it is baffling to me that I have to do this, but I echo Mr. McGovern's words from 2013: The future and fate of thousands of uniformed men and women deserve a vote. As a survivor of war, I can tell you that even 1 more minute of conflict comes with a cost that is too great for most to imagine. Finally, I say that I do not believe that the end of military engagement should be the end of our obligation to the Afghanistan people. Mr. Speaker, my amendment calls for a comprehensive peace plan that includes all sectors of civil society. It calls for renewed engagement on diplomacy and development. It calls us to fulfill our moral and strategic obligation but not to risk one more life of American servicemembers in a war with no clear objective.

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, the last time this amendment was voted on in 2013, again, it got 305 Members of this body to vote for it. Nothing has changed since then. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the only Member of the House to vote against the 2001 authorization for war.

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of an amendment I authored to strengthen the broadband provisions of H.R. 2. We often discuss the dangers of the digital divide, and I am proud of the investment we are making today to help close that divide. But as with most issues of economic inequality, its effects run deeper for communities of color, immigrants, and low-income families. So it is very important for us to quantify the impact that Federal broadband investments have had on socially disadvantaged communities, so that we can assure Federal resources are being invested fairly throughout the country or if these programs are inadvertently widening the racial and wealth connectivity gap. I hope my colleagues will join me in this important effort.

Ms. OMAR

Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of my city of Minneapolis, who are angry, who are sick, who are tired of being murdered at the hands of police. I rise on behalf of Jamar Clark, who was shot in the back and killed by Minneapolis police in 2015. I rise on behalf of Philando Castile, who was brutally murdered by police. I rise on behalf of Black mothers, like myself, who stay up worried every single night so that their sons can come home safe. I rise on behalf of Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Frederick Gray. I rise on behalf of George Floyd, who was brutally murdered, and his brutal murder touched our Nation. I rise because so many can no longer rise. When we build a system that provides equal justice for everyone here in America, we might finally all rise.