Nancy Pelosi

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I join Members of the Maryland delegation in praising a great man, Paul Sarbanes. The people of Maryland and all Americans have lost a leader and a public servant of dignity and principle, Senator Paul Sarbanes. His 40 years of tireless service as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, the House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate strengthened our Nation and made a difference in the lives of countless Americans. In Congress, Paul Sarbanes was respected by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for his humility, tenacity, and brilliant intellect. It was a source of great pride for me that his congressional career began in the same House seat which was held by my father years before. All Marylanders can take pride in Paul Sarbanes' leadership as a defender of our American democracy on the Judiciary Committee and his tireless work to bring integrity, transparency, and oversight to Washington as chair of the Banking Committee. May it be a comfort to Senator Sarbanes' children, Michael, Janet, and our colleague, Congressman John Sarbanes, and the entire Sarbanes family that Senator Sarbanes, Paul, is with his beautiful wife, Christine. They are together in Heaven. May it be of comfort that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him and Mr. Thornberry for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor in a strong bipartisan way. I am proud to support the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that honors our values, strengthens our security, and advances our leadership in the world. I, again, salute Chairman Smith. I congratulate Ranking Member Thornberry for his service in the Congress. I know this legislation is named for him. That is pretty exciting for all of us. I don't know if it is for him, but it is exciting for the rest of us. I thank the members of the committee for their patriotic, persistent leadership on this legislation; it reflects the brilliance and the collaboration we can have. Nearly half the members contributed to parts of this bill. While we would have liked to have seen the House version of this legislation, we can all take pride that the NDAA, again, will strengthen our national security for years to come. I am particularly pleased with some of the issues in the bill that are supportive of our troops. This NDAA, Mr. Speaker, incorporates key Democratic priorities, including supporting our troops' financial security, authorizing a long-overdue pay raise and hazard duty pay, extending paid parental leave to civilian employees who had not been included, and providing long-overdue benefits to Vietnam-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange. This issue has been an issue for a long time in our country and in this Congress, and it needed some expansion. I am glad in this legislation the exposure extends to hypothyroidism, bladder cancer, and Parkinson's. If you are there and you have this, it is connected. Mr. Speaker, I am personally interested in this because many years ago, before I was in Congress, in our community in California, we had a big--in LA, actually, we had a big hunger strike by Vietnam vets over Agent Orange. This was, like, 35 years ago, long before Congress acted on this. They were on a hunger strike, and I went to be sympathetic and show support. I was chair of the California Democratic Party at the time. Dick Gregory came. Dick Gregory had been on many hunger strikes for one thing or another, civil rights, this and that. He taught them that, if you are on a hunger strike, you must shower, you must hydrate, hydrate, hydrate; telling them how not to make themselves sick because they were on a hunger strike, but to control that damage. I was particularly pleased to be there with Dick Gregory because my brother and he served in the Army in Texas together. In those days-- that was in the fifties, a long time ago--my brother was Dick Gregory's friend, at a time when there wasn't so much, shall we say, integration among the troops. So we had that personal connection. Then, once again, with our Vietnam-era vets, when it came to Agent Orange. So I commend you all personally, patriotically, and in every way for taking care of our vets there. Then the families, defending their health and well-being and that of their families, improving housing and access to childcare, improving pandemic response, protecting military communities from dangerous PFAS chemicals, and addressing sexual assault in the military. Jackie Speier has been such a champion on that issue, and I thank her for that. Combating our adversaries and investing in our allies with important tools to deter China and Russia, fight transnational threats, and further strengthening our partnership with Israel. Bringing our defense further into the 21st century with reforms to make the Pentagon more efficient and innovative, important bipartisan provisions on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and key investments in military construction and base realignment. This NDAA is momentous in this respect, as Congress comes together on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to begin the process of changing the names of military bases and infrastructure named after individuals who served in the Confederacy. Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that this isn't names of things that, oh, my gosh, later we found out that so-and-so did this and that, that was so wrong. This was a decision made to name these bases after people, White supremacists, and those who were part of the Confederacy. The men for whom these bases were named are not heroes. They are named for traitors who took up arms against America and killed American soldiers in defense of slavery. As I have said before, there is no room for celebrating the violent bigotry of the men of the Confederacy in any place of honor across our country, whether in the hallowed Halls of the United States Capitol or on our military bases. Changing the hateful names of these bases is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people, by our Active Duty servicemen and -women, and by top military leaders. And now the President has threatened to veto this legislation. I hope not. I hope not. This bipartisan policy bill has been signed into law for 59 consecutive years. Let us urge the President to a show respect for the work of the bipartisan, bicameral Congress, and for the sacrifice of our military. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this legislation, which upholds our values, honors our troops, and keeps the America people safe. And I hope that it will be swiftly signed into law. I just want to make the further point that the strength of our Nation, of course, depends on our strength that we are talking about here, but it also depends on the health and well-being of the American people. So as we have our budget debate and the rest, let us recognize that the health and well-being of the American people, whether it is the education of our children, the security of our economy, and the rest, and so many other aspects of our budgeting here, that this is one element of the strength of our country. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote. I congratulate Mr. Thornberry for his namesake bill, and I acknowledge the great leadership of our chair, Adam Smith. I want to also acknowledge Anthony Brown, who did such a tremendous piece of work on the base renamings.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be on the floor today to support a bill brought to the floor by the distinguished chair of the Appropriations Committee, Nita Lowey from New York. Her service on that committee for decades has been a blessing to our country. I have seen firsthand her leadership for America's families, for our country, for our communities, and for our children. We have worked together on women's issues, HIV/AIDS, you name it, every subject, minority health issues and the rest. And here we are today with this legislation that is so needed for our country. It is really hard to understand what it is that people would oppose in the legislation. The Appropriations Committee has done a masterful job. You have been a maestro, Madam Chair, as well as your staff, for putting this legislation together. I am in Congress because of children. I am always here for the children. I wanted to start my comments by saying what this legislation would mean to a family of four. This is a lifeline for workers and families who are facing this coronavirus disaster. For a family of four earning $24,000, Heroes 2 would mean direct payments, a $3,400 direct payment; unemployment benefits of $600 per week in enhanced UI benefits; tax credits up to $5,920 through the EITC, and a fully refundable $4,000 tax credit, equaling an additional $1,200 in refunds. I mention that because some have said: Why don't you like this other bill and that bill? None of that that I just said, the tax credits, the earned income tax credit, the fully refundable child tax credit, none of that is in any of the Republican bills. None of the bills that you have seen other than this bill has that consideration for children. So when people say: Well, why don't you take a half a loaf? Because the children need more than the heel of a loaf of bread. They need the best we can do for them. It has an increase in SNAP benefits, an increase of $100 a month in most States, plus rental assistance and the ACA premium subsidy. This gives immediate eligibility for parents losing their jobs for the maximum health insurance premium subsidy under the Affordable Care Act, a benefit worth $1,386 per month. Now, we can't do everything in a bill that is coronavirus focused. We have challenges in our country that we must address in a bigger way. But what we have here is coronavirus-centric, and that is important to note because people are suffering in a different way. Many of these families are food insecure. Millions of children in our country are food insecure, and this Heroes Act addresses some of that. So in addition to thanking Nita Lowey for her leadership, I salute Bobby Scott for our children and for our workers. We want our children to go back to school. We want them to do so in a way that is safe. And Bobby Scott has provisions in here for that, whether it is actually in school, whether it is virtual, whether it is hybrid, or whether it calls for the ventilation that is needed. And, again, for their fathers and mothers to go to work in a safe atmosphere by having strong OSHA language in here to protect workers. That is not in the Republican bill. That is not in the Republican bill. We can come to terms on money, but the language is what is important. The Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Frank Pallone, 4\1/2\ months ago, and even before that, proposed a strategic plan that I am sure he will talk about, and I thank him for that, a strategic plan in order to crush the virus. The Republicans want to crush the Affordable Care Act in a time of a pandemic, going into the Supreme Court to crush the Affordable Care Act. Why don't we just come together, crush the virus? We can open our economy and our schools in a safe way. And I thank you, Chairman Pallone, for your leadership. The Natural Resources Committee, Chairman Raul Grijalva, what he has in the legislation is so important, especially addressing the needs of our Tribal communities in our country, which are so disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. I thank him for his leadership that in so many ways is in the legislation, but that being such an essential piece. I thank the Oversight Committee chairwoman, Carolyn Maloney, for her leadership for the Postal Service, and I think we have finally gotten the message across on the Postal Service. Hopefully, we will get some cooperation there. But not yet on the Census. The Census is so important. It is the life blood of who we are, the DNA of America, the people, and we are having a problem with that. It is not even about money. It is about policy. So I thank Representative Maloney for her ongoing leadership, 4 years culminating in this legislation now. Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez, so knowledgeable, for decades the chair or ranking member of the Small Business Committee. She knows about women and minority-owned businesses, and the most optimistic thing a person can do is to, I say, plant a flag for a small business. How more optimistic can you be than to start a business? Perhaps, get married, but you kind of know what your risks are there. But a small business, so needed the help in here for PPP, other help for hospitals--excuse me, for restaurants. Hospitals are in Mr. Pallone's section of the bill and the language for the healthcare providers is there. But back to Nydia Velazquez. This is a big piece of the bill. So what do we do for PPP? What do we do for restaurants? What do we do for arenas, small spaces around the country for entertainment and bringing people together--spatially distanced, of course. How do we balance all of this? That is language that we are trying to resolve in our negotiations. I am optimistic that we can get there, but we couldn't do the best job possible without the leadership of Nydia Velazquez. The Veterans' Affairs Committee, I thank Mark Takano for his important work for our veterans and the resources we have in the bill for our veterans. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richie Neal just has been brilliant in how we put money in people's pockets with direct payments and some of the other tax provisions that I talked about earlier for children that have no reference in the Republican bill as far as the children are concerned. And, again, my top priority is the children. I thank Peter DeFazio, the chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for his leadership and having the language in here, not just for the airlines, which is very, very important, and that is important because it is an essential--it is important, but people should know, when they say, ``Well, why should we help airline employees?'' well, we do because they have to have special certifications and special security clearances and the rest. If they lose a job and come back, it is months before they can come back, not like any other industry. So that is important. But Mr. DeFazio also has an important chunk of money in the bill for transportation, writ large and some other ways, that is urgent and coronavirus connected. And that is very important, as well, and I thank him for his leadership in that regard. But read the bill. I salute the chairs. This is about having scientific, institutional, academic bases for the amount of money that we are asking for. We had a bigger bill, 3.4. The other side said: We are not going there. So we came down a trillion dollars. No, not yet. We came down another $200 billion, not by violating any of our priorities, but by shortening the time, just shortening the timeframe and moving some issues to the other arena that Madam Chair works in and that are in our regular appropriations bills as we go forward. So this is really important. One bill is not as good as another. Why not take something instead of nothing? Why should that be the standard for America's children? We have to fight for the best that we can get for them, and I feel certain that we will have a level of success. People have to know. One of the problems that I have, the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue is, in the Republican bill, they have a $150 billion benefit for some of the wealthiest people in our country--$150 billion. In our bill, we strive to have $149 billion for our children for the earned income tax credit, for full refundability and the rest. No. So we took it down to $54 billion, and it was still waiting to see if we get acceptance of that. $150 billion for the wealthiest people in America, tax, net operating loss. 149 for America's working families, no. We took it down to 54. We took off $100 billion to gain agreement. This is not just a money debate and a language debate; it is a values debate. It is important for people to know what this fight is about. So it is called the Heroes Act, and it is called the Heroes Act because we are honoring our heroes. Everybody wants to wave and have cutouts at the game and all that. Honor our heroes by making sure they have their jobs. These are our healthcare workers, our police and fire first responders, our teachers, our transportation, our sanitation, our food workers and the rest who make our lives function. We couldn't do what we do without them doing what they are doing. Many of them are risking their lives to save lives, and now they may lose their jobs. Why? Let the States go bankrupt. That is what Mitch McConnell said. Let the States go bankrupt. And what did the President say? Well, those blue States, why should we send them any money? Because the people have needs, and we have to meet them. We lose all ability to thank them if we say: That is nice, but we don't care if you lose your job. You can go on unemployment insurance. What have we accomplished? We have diminished the services to people, probably raise taxes in some of these places, and people lose their jobs. Over a million, closer to a million and a half of State and locals have lost their jobs already, and it is predicted that 3\1/2\ million more will lose their jobs if we don't act on this. So this is an important pillar of this bill, supporting State and local government. That is one of the areas that we are, shall we say, negotiating. Next, crush the virus. Mr. Pallone has a plan. Crush the virus so that we can again open our schools, our businesses, our economy. And we are long overdue. Well, this bill is 4\1/2\ months old because, at the time we passed it, the leader in the Senate, Mr. McConnell, pushed the pause button. He pushed the pause button. We have got to wait and see. Since that time, over 100,000 people have died. Hundreds of thousands have become infected because he pushed the pause button and said: Let the States go bankrupt. So this is why we come here today, to debate policy on how we think we can best meet the needs of the American people. And we think we can best meet the needs of the American people with the provisions in this bill. I thought it was really important for us to formally put forth the work of our chairs, which is excellent, which meets the needs of the people. Representative Waters, you heard from her earlier. Families are on the verge of eviction. Families on the verge of eviction get support in this legislation. People who can't pay their mortgages are helped in this legislation. I thank Chairwoman Waters for that as well. It is her work on the restaurant legislation to help many more small businesses get help from this legislation. This is a tall order. People say, well, we should have a skinny package. No, we don't have a skinny problem; we have got a massive problem. Now, you don't believe so much more in the role of government than we do. Let's come together, find our common ground, but let's not just say let the children pay the price because we want to have a bipartisan bill. No, we don't want the children to pay the price so we can have a bipartisan bill. We want to have a bipartisan bill that supports the children. I feel confident that we can do that. But we can't do that if we take the path of least resistance and just say let's do whatever they put forth. That is doing their bill. That is not doing the people's work. So, again, over 200,000 people, we know 207,000 people have already died, more than 7 million affected. A million people in the world have died. We have legislation because of Chairwoman Lowey's expertise, respect in the world. We have provisions in the bill that affect our relationship in terms of how we fight the COVID virus globally, because none of us is safe unless we make sure that all of us are safe. So I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation. It goes a long way to doing what we need to do. It sets an example that, as I say, we cut a lot out by just cutting the time on it. Pretty soon, we will have to have legislation again. That will be probably next year. And this legislation goes to early next year rather than later next year, but the timing is really important to do it now. It is long overdue. It is what this country needs. And, again, I say thank you to our heroes. We thank you by making sure you have the job, the benefits, and the rest that you have earned, and by not just giving you empty gratitude but the gratitude of supporting you and the important roles that you play in our lives with assurance that you will have your job as you risk your lives to save lives. Your children will be able to go to school safely whether it is virtual, actual, or a hybrid, and when they do that, they will do so in a way that we have enabled, because education has some funds in here, but without State and local, the education function cannot be borne out to its fullest extent. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding me the time. I have great excitement because of the work of our chairs about the quality of this legislation and the necessity that we come as close to it in a negotiation for the children.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this important issue. He has brought his experience in the private sector, and the nonprofit sector to Congress to effectively address the climate crisis that we are facing. Madam Speaker, I join the distinguished ranking member of the committee in supporting this en bloc, and remind him that in 2018 we did have the fire budget act that readjusted--enabling us to spend money for fire prevention, and that was bipartisan. I welcome your support for the en blocs and work to address this. The description that you make of the fire impacts on the communities is a very, very serious one. We see it in California, but we have seen it a few years ago and before. Unless you have seen it, you cannot really realize how destructive it is. It just obliterates the area. And then the smoke from those fires, as we say, the smoke from those fires is not stronger than the love that we have for each other to come back from all of this. But this legislation and these amendments will be helpful, and I thank the gentleman for his strong leadership on this. The threat of wildfires in our communities and the ability to create clean energy jobs and innovation is an opportunity that we have here today. Across the country, extreme weather and climate events are being unleashed on our communities leaving tragedy and devastation in their wake. From wildfires in the West--which the distinguished ranking member referenced and that we have experienced--that are described as apocalyptic, which have killed at least 35 people, blanketed the entire country in haze, and burned an historic 3.7 million acres, more than 20 times the amount last year. Horrific hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, some of the most severe to hit the southern States. I spoke to the Governor of Louisiana, he told me that the hurricane that hit Louisiana was the most severe in the history of Louisiana. I said, Even more so than Katrina? He said, Yes. Katrina's damage sprang from the hurricane, but also the levees collapsing. This is about the severity of the hurricane. And then frequency, they have had more hurricanes since then. They are running out of names to label them. They said they may have to go to the Greek alphabet. Heat waves across America, with this summer being the hottest ever summer recorded in the northern hemisphere, and the second hottest summer around the planet. Scientists tell us that 2020, a year filled with climate disasters, will be among the two hottest years ever recorded. Madam Speaker, Mother Nature is sending us a message, a clear sign that the climate crisis is real, it is deadly, and it is accelerating. The American people elected a Democratic House majority that would honor the science and honor our obligation to build a more resilient, green, and sustainable economy, not only for future generations tomorrow, but for our children today. I am proud of the work that Democrats have taken since day one to combat the climate crisis in a way that creates jobs and advances environmental justice. This has been an all-caucus effort reflecting the energy of our freshmen, the expertise of our chairs, and the will of the American people, including: The Climate Action Now Act, keeping us in the Paris accords; the Moving Forward Act, making a strong downpayment in a clean energy future; the Great American Outdoors Act, the most significant conservation bill in a generation, strongly bipartisan; Solving the Climate Crisis, our congressional action plan led by Chairwoman Kathy Castor, the most detailed, sweeping climate plan in American history, which endorses a national goal with net-zero pollution as soon as possible, 2050 at the latest. This plan protects American workers, safeguards vulnerable communities, grows the economy, and advances our preeminence in green technologies. Now, today, we are taking the next step with the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. And, Madam Speaker, I say the next step. This is not exhaustive of our solutions, and we have a lot of ideas in our caucus to debate and to prioritize, but this is an important next step. I salute all the committees of jurisdiction and chairs for their strategic, science-based leadership on the bills in this package. Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone; Science, Space, and Technology Chairwoman, Eddie Bernice Johnson; Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva, along with Congressmen McEachin and Ruiz, for their collaborative efforts to include a transformative environmental justice title; Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Kathy Castor; Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, chairwoman on the Subcommittee of Health in Energy and Commerce, leading the legislation to study the direct connection of wildfire smoke on public health, as you suggested. And also, Members from the West for offering amendments, including the ones under consideration now, to improve wildfire research, resilience, and protect homes, communities, and public health. Again, I salute Congressman Mike Levin for his leadership in this very important area. His election to Congress took us way down the path in this fight to preserve the planet. Thank you, Mr. Levin. The legislation advances public health, financial, and national security, and environmental justice. It takes actions that scientists, researchers, and experts tell us is needed: By launching the research and development needed to unleash a clean energy revolution and reduce pollution in our communities; making a bold downpayment for future climate action by modernizing America's energy innovation infrastructure; phasing down dangerous HFCs, known as super pollutants, which many experts believe is the single biggest action that the world can take to reduce global warming; putting our country on the path to net-zero pollution no later than 2050; and, critically protecting local communities by requiring Federal agencies to better understand the impact of new projects on public health and the environment, and to provide meaningful participation for indigenous and environmental communities. This is so absolutely important to have our Indian Country involved in these decisions. As the League of Conservation Voters wrote today: ``This bill includes many great provisions to develop and deploy renewable and distributed energy resources; improve the efficiency of our homes, schools, and businesses; electrify our transportation sector; modernize the grid and enhance its resilience; prioritize the needs of environmental justice in communities; reduce climate pollution from industrial and traditional sources, and from ambient air.'' Then they go on to say: ``Though we do not support increased funding for projects that could extend the life of fossil fuel-burning power plants or aging nuclear power infrastructure or prop up undemonstrated new nuclear projects, many of the amendments would improve those areas and build upon the significant positive environmental aspects of the bill.'' This is very important, ``build upon the significant positive environmental aspects of the bill.'' ``We urge support for the amendments . . . that will make the bill even stronger by protecting our communities and environment while investing in clean energy research, development, and deployment.'' This important legislation is an important step--I keep saying it is not everything; it is a step--to advance climate action. But much more is needed. Unfortunately, many in our government continue to deny the science and refuse to act. As seen earlier this month, when I hosted the G7 Speakers' Meeting on ``Addressing the Climate Crisis With Economic and Environmental Justice for All,'' no other country in that mix of the G7 and the President of the European Union, who was also participating, no other country is in denial about the climate crisis and the impact that human activity has on it. Sadly, only in America is there contempt for science, public health, and the role of government. Madam Speaker, when I first became Speaker in 2007, the first bill we put on the floor was to establish a Select Committee on Climate and Energy. We passed that bill working with President Bush. It was the biggest energy bill in the history of our country. It was the equivalent of taking millions of cars off the road. We came to terms with an agreement, and he was delighted to have a signing ceremony for this bill. Since then, there has been denial about the climate crisis. After becoming Speaker again in this Congress, I established a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which Kathy Castor chairs. So this has been a very high priority. It is a high priority for public health, clean air, clean water, ending the pollutants, diminishing the pollutants. Secondly, it is a jobs issue. Jobs, jobs, jobs, clean energy jobs making us preeminent in the world. It is a national security issue. Our security experts tell us that drought and famine, so much is caused by the climate crisis. Increased competition for habitat, resources, and the rest cause mass migrations. It is a national security issue. It is a moral issue. If you believe, as I do, that this planet is God's creation, we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of it. This is believed by many in the evangelical community. But even if you don't share this belief from a religious standpoint, from a moral standpoint, we have a responsibility to pass the planet on to future generations as best we can. Again, the American people, including young people, scientists, faith leaders, grassroots environmental justice advocates, are demanding climate action now to protect their lives and protect their livelihoods. I urge Members, including the Republicans whose bills are included in this package, to listen to the public and pass this commonsense and science-based legislation and redouble our efforts to combat the climate crisis. Heed the message that Mother Earth is sending us. Lives are at stake. We have no time to waste. I urge an ``aye'' vote on these en bloc amendments and on final passage of the legislation.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) for yielding, and for bringing this important legislation to the floor and giving us a chance to honor our values in the most bipartisan way. One of the saddest things of all of this is how many people are suffering. One of the joys of it is that it has enabled us to work together over the years. Madam Speaker, I would ask the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) how many years--at least, 30, working together on this subject. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act, two strong bipartisan bills to send a strong message to Beijing and to the world that the U.S. Congress will not allow human rights to be sacrificed for commercial interest. As I have said many times, if America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interest, we lose all moral authority to speak out about human rights anywhere in the world. I salute Chairman Jim McGovern, chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a leading voice in the country and in the Congress for human rights. I thank Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, one of our new freshmen, for her early leadership and dedication she has brought to this priority. I thank, also, Mr. Smith, and I acknowledge our working together over the years. He is now the ranking member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and co-chair of the Lantos Commission. I salute our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel, and our leaders in the Senate, Senator Rubio and Senator Merkley. I thank our chairman, again, for this opportunity and so many of our Members who have spoken on this issue. Beijing's barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people continue to be an outrage to the collective conscience of the world. Across the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Uyghur people and other Muslim majorities are brutally repressed in a pervasive state of mass surveillance and predictive policing used to discriminate against and violate the human rights of minorities: incidents of mass shootings, extrajudicial killings, intimidation and suppression of journalists courageously exposing the truth, and the mass incarceration of more than--and this is a lower figure; I think it is higher, but it is a conservative figure--1 million innocent people with beatings, solitary confinement, deprivation of food and medical treatment, and extensively documented programs of forced labor. So if you are out there watching the Congress, know what this means to you. The exploitation of people in China has a direct impact on our trade policy and on our values, first and foremost. Tragically, the products of the forced labor often end up here in American stores and homes. In fact, roughly one in five cotton garments sold globally contains cotton or yarn from the Xinjiang region, the Uyghur region. We must shine a light on the inhumane practice of forced labor, hold the perpetrators accountable, and stop this exploitation. And we must send a clear message to Beijing: These abuses must end now. I remember years ago when Mr. Smith and Frank Wolf visited forced labor--I don't know if you call them prisons or whatever--in China. Their courage to go there was so overwhelming to the rest of us. They were able to document what we needed to know. Unfortunately, the challenge to the conscience that they brought to us was not heeded by all here. We could overwhelmingly win in the House and even in the Senate but not be able to override a veto, whether it was a Democrat or a Republican in the White House. But I remember how brave they were and how brave those prisoners were to show them the evidence of the forced labor so we could make the case to workers in America: You have been subjected to the exploitation of workers there; that is an exploitation of workers here. Again, we were proud, in May, to pass the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which uncovers the truth of China's abuses and ensures that those supporting labor camps, and urges the application of targeted sanctions against those involved in the oppression of the Uyghur people. Today, we build on that overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation with these two bills which, together, will ensure that goods made in the Xinjiang region and imported to the United States are not made with forced labor. Congress must and will continue to speak out against Beijing's other human rights abuses, like the decades-long abuse faced by the Tibetan people--the Chinese are there to crush their culture, eliminate their language, and suppress their religion; their assault on the honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by saying they will choose his successor goes beyond the pale and it is a challenge to the conscience of the world--the Hong Kong fight for democracy and the rule of law, which they oppress; and the jailing of journalists, human rights lawyers, Christians, and democracy advocates on the mainland. That is why the House is proud to have passed legislation, including the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, and the Tibet Policy and Support Act, which we urge the Senate to take up immediately. All of this was passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way because we respect the dignity and worth of every person. We have always said that we cannot look the other way when this oppression of millions of people is taking place, and we are acting upon those values and those beliefs that we have. In honor of the millions fighting for their dignity, safety, and rights in China and around the world, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act. Madam Speaker, I thank, again, Mr. McCaul, ranking member on the committee of jurisdiction, and everyone for their support.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the recognition, but I also thank Mr. Nadler, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for bringing this important statement of our American values to the floor of the House. I thank him and our colleagues from the Senate, Senators Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, and Mazie Hirono, three Asian- American Members of the United States Senate who were so instrumental in advancing this important, as I said, statement of American values. And yes, it is a good use of time for us in the House of Representatives to state our values, to remove all doubt that people in our country are respected, and that we are not using a pandemic to have people--I will go into that in a moment. But let me just say this. Before the distinguished leader spoke, the gentleman on the other side said: Where are you when you are talking about violence, this or that? We are there. We support peaceful demonstrations. We participate in them. They are part of the essence of our democracy. That does not include looting, starting fires, or rioting. They should be prosecuted. That is lawlessness. I am very proud that Joe Biden has presented the clarity of that, making a distinction that I don't think our colleagues quite understand but the American people do. In a poll released today, it said that the American people support congressional Democrats over President Trump in terms of dealing with the issue of crime in our country, for all of their misrepresentation. It is interesting to hear the revisionist history that the distinguished leader put on the floor of this House when he asked us what have we done. It is a very long list, and I will go into some of it. But I want to say to him, when you had the majority and the Presidency, the one thing that you did was pass a tax bill that put $2 trillion of debt onto our children and giving 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent in our country. And yet you resent the fact that we want to invest more money in making it safe for our children to go back to school; more money into crushing the virus, which is what we do in the HEROES Act; and that we want to help our heroes. That is why it is called that. Our State and local employees, our State and local governments that provide services to the American people, our healthcare workers, our first responders, our police and fire, our transportation, our sanitation workers, our food providers, all of those people working make life go on for us; without them, we couldn't. And our teachers, our teachers, our teachers, the custodians of our children for a good part of their day and of their lives. Yet the disdain that the Republicans have for our heroes is clear because that is the obstacle to our bringing the coronavirus legislation to the floor that is so needed. I hope that we can reach agreement on that. So when they talk about accomplishment, you had a President and you had two Houses of government. What did you do but take care of the top 1 percent to the tune of 83 percent of the bill that would put $2 trillion of debt to our children and their future? In terms of China, I have taken second place to no one in this body in my opposition to China for three decades. Sometimes I take pride in being called the most disliked American in China for my opposition to China; their trade policies which have been a rip-off of the American worker, and have fought them for decades, whether it is stealing our intellectual property, barriers to our products going into China and other violations; trying to stop their proliferation of weapons technologies of mass destruction to rogue countries, and delivery systems to make delivery possible of those weapons; to their human rights policies in Tibet and Hong Kong and now with the Uighurs and, again, all over China. So I have been on it every single day for over 30 years. I need no pontificating from the leader on the other side who seems to have newly arrived at this issue in order to deflect attention from the fact that the Russians are trying to, once again, infiltrate and jeopardize the security of our elections. Whoever interferes with our elections must be dealt with, whatever country it is; but all of a sudden it is all about China and not about Russia. I think the American people should decide who the next President of the United States is, not Vladimir Putin. So we come here today, and I say this about the legislation: We have had four bills that have been overwhelmingly bipartisan on COVID. Our first one on March 4 was testing, testing, testing; and still we do not have a commitment from this administration that we can crush the virus by testing, tracing, treatment, mask wearing, sanitation, ventilation, and separation--still. The solution is as plain as the nose on your face, which should be covered with a mask. Yet the President said he didn't want to cause panic, but he doesn't mind causing panic that will result in some terrible things happening to the Asian-American community in our country. He has brought about great angst as he shines a bright light on the injustices experienced by so many, including the surge of violence and discrimination being experienced by the Asian American/Pacific Islander community. So I thank the Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair, Judy Chu; the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair, Joaquin Castro; and the Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Karen Bass, for their leadership on this important resolution and this very necessary use of our time to condemn and combat anti-Asian sentiment. Grace Meng has led this drumbeat for justice for a generation. Together with the other leaders she has brought this legislation to the floor, and I salute her. As the resolution states--and we have all seen--at the same time that the coronavirus pandemic has broken out, so too has a disturbing epidemic of hate and discrimination against the AAPI community erupted. You may not have noticed it. You may have tried to ignore it, but it, in fact, exists. According to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, more than 2,500 recorded incidents of anti-Asian hate have been perpetrated against the AAPI community since March. These include both physical and verbal attacks, commuters spat on, racial slurs lobbed at passersby, community members shunned, store owners having businesses vandalized, and even little children being pushed and shoved, and families insulted in places of business. Many of these incidents represent civil rights violations, and that is a value for us to protect. It is particularly unconscionable that more than 2 million members of the AAPI community are fighting on the front lines against the COVID-19 virus, yet instead of being celebrated as heroes, they are fighting violence and bigotry. In February, during one of my visits to San Francisco's Chinatown-- which I am overwhelmingly proud to represent--I was heartbroken to witness the devastating impact that fear, stigma, and misinformation are continuing to have on its families and businesses. Nearly half of recorded incidents of anti-Asian hate, according to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, have occurred in California. For many of the bay area who remember the systemic injustices and discrimination perpetrated against generations of Asian Americans, this resurgence is a traumatic reminder of the lingering specter of xenophobia. Sadly, this bigotry is being fueled by some in Washington, D.C.--I thought there would be almost unanimous consent to condemn violence against Asian Americans--even from the White House itself, which uses dangerous, false, and offensive terms to describe the coronavirus. The World Health Organization and the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, have explicitly warned against linking infectious diseases to a specific ethnicity because of the stigmatizing effects which have serious impact on health and defeating the virus. As the CDC chief medical officer said, stigma is the enemy of public health. Anti-AAPI bigotry violates our bedrock American values and undermines our fight against the coronavirus, and it must end. That is why we must do our part to combat hate, and that is why I am proud to support this resolution and am proud to bring it to the floor as an appropriate and excellent statement of values and good use of our time, instead of giving tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country at the expense of our children and their future. It calls on public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form, and it recognizes that the health and safety of all Americans, no matter their background, must be of the utmost priority. We are none of us safe until all of us are safe. It condemns all manifestations of expressions of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance. It calls on Federal law enforcement officials working with State and local officials to investigate and collect data on hate crimes and bring perpetrators to justice. It recommits our leaders to diversity and inclusion, including in our response to COVID-19. This resolution has the support of hundreds of organizations, including from the medical and scientific communities. Now I know science doesn't mean much to you because you are anti- science, but the scientific community, the American College of Physicians, recently wrote a letter of support for this resolution, stating: It is an essential step to support the health and safety of our Nation during a national crisis. Hate crimes directed against individuals based on individuals' race, ethnic origin, ancestry, primary language, cultural background or nationality are a true public health threat. He goes on to say: It is imperative that physicians, and all people, speak out against hate and discrimination, especially during this national crisis caused by COVID-19. At this challenging time, our Nation's focus should be on respecting the dignity of everyone. That should always be the case. We cannot allow prejudice and discrimination to divide us. So let me just close by adding this: we had a tremendous opportunity, as I said, we passed four bills that were overwhelmingly bipartisan. The CARES Act has done some good things for our country. It also gave an enormous, practically $150 billion, tax break to the wealthiest in our country and made it retroactive. What did that have to do with the coronavirus, making a tax break for the wealthy retroactive? They can't pass a bill without doing something at the high end and then worrying when we want to help working class families in our country. Anyway, our counter to that bill was called the Take Responsibility Act. Those two bills came together. We were able to find our common ground, even though we had to swallow some bitter pills in order to help America's working families as well as small businesses in our country. Why does it have to be so hard? Because there is an anti-science attitude in this Congress and in this administration. There is an anti-governance; there is contempt of science; and there is disdain for State and local government which does so much for our country. Don't take it from me. The chairman of the Fed is saying that it recognizes that State and local government are an important part of our economy. Don't take it from me that we cannot open our economy unless we crush this virus. That is exactly what the Fed chairman said yesterday: it is essential to do this. But it takes money, it takes respect for science, and respect for the advice of scientific leaders in our country that has been absent. Instead, they play a blame game. Who pays the price? The Asian-American community in our country. That is why it is essential for us to follow Grace Meng's lead and that of the Hispanic, Asian-Pacific, and Black Caucus leadership today. I thank, again, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for his leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor. It is one of many. We have many bills that we have taken up and we will take up next week as we try to work together to find our common ground. One thing that we are working on right now is to keep government open, because while they may have an anti-governance attitude, we know that we have to make our compromises to keep government open. So, Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to use my Speaker's 1 minute to salute the leadership and thank the sponsors of this legislation. You bring luster to the House of Representatives when you enable us to associate ourselves with the great values of our country and to respect the dignity and worth of everyone in our country. It has never been more important than in this time of great crisis in our country.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her kind words of introduction, but I most importantly want to thank her for being the champion, the champion in defense of the Postal Service. I rise to join her in support of the Delivering for America Act, to protect lives, livelihood, and the life of our American democracy during a critical moment for our Nation. I thank you, Madam Chair, again, for the intellectual resource you have been in shaping the legislation, for making us current in terms of the reports from the Postal Service, what is at stake, and why this legislation, Mr. Speaker, is so important. I salute House Democrats for their enthusiasm, energy, and insistence on delivering for America. Since day one of the postal crisis, they have conveyed the concerns of their communities to Congress, holding events, accelerating a drumbeat, and shining light on this crisis. I am going to talk about three things, Mr. Speaker and Madam Chair and Mr. Ranking Member. This is about the provenance of the postal system and how important it has been to America, also what the challenges are in delaying service and, therefore, why this legislation is so necessary. First, let me say that, in the Constitution of the United States, it says that Congress shall have the power to establish post offices and post roads, Article I, Section 8. So the post office is there in the Constitution. But even before that, it has been a pillar of American democracy. It is an all-American institution, which enjoys the overwhelming support of the American people for a reason. Again, enshrined in the Constitution, an inseparable part of our national story, helping transition America from colonies to country. In the early 1770s, our Founders relied on the precursor of the Postal Service, the Committees of Correspondence, to educate people about the abuses of the British and to build support for independence. Even before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Continental Congress had established the Postal Service as one of the first and most important offices that would be part of the new government. Two of our U.S. Presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman, would proudly hold the title of postmaster. One of our Founders, Benjamin Franklin, was the Postmaster General. Actually, he established the Postal Service. So this goes to the heart of our country and the connection that the Postal Service, throughout our history, from the very start, has been in tying our country together. In the early 19th century, when visiting America to write his great book, ``Democracy in America,'' Alexis de Tocqueville praised the Postal Service as being the great link between minds, writing that not ``in the most enlightened rural districts of France there is an intellectual movement either so rapid or on such a scale as'' this, as the Postal Service. So it has been excellent from the start, part of the unity of America. As we all know, the postal motto states: ``Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.'' As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to ensure that those courageous couriers are not stayed from their constitutional duty to serve the American people. I join you, Madam Chair, in saluting the patriotic men and women who risk their health and safety to serve the American people every day: our postal workers, our letter carriers, and all who may bring us together. There is a second postal motto inscribed above the original Washington, D.C., Post Office, and this is really so clearly what the Postal Service has been about: Messenger of Sympathy and Love Servant of Parted Friends Consoler of the Lonely Bond of the Scattered Family Enlarger of the Common Life Carrier of News and Knowledge Instrument of Trade and Industry Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations. Our Postal Service is the beautiful thread that connects our country, delivering sympathy and love, news and knowledge, peace and goodwill. And as a grandmother, I will say, we have seen our children and grandchildren write their letters to Santa; we have seen messages come from the tooth fairy; we have seen photos and drawings of families taking joy in each other that no amount of social media can convey. So, again, we must honor their service with our full support and protection and gratitude for what they mean in our lives. Today, the Postal Service--and this is why this is so important that we have this legislation--provides critical services for Americans in every corner of the country: for our workers, delivering paychecks and tax returns; for our seniors, ensuring Social Security benefits; for small businesses, providing shipping and essential services; for millions of Americans, particularly rural Americans, delivering 1.2 billion prescriptions, including most of the medications delivered by the VA. In 2019, 1.2 billion prescriptions were delivered by the Postal Service, and that was before the coronavirus hit. That was before the coronavirus hit. And for voters: Delivering absentee ballots and election mail, which is essential, especially during the coronavirus epidemic. No one should be forced to choose between his or her health and the right to vote. Across the Nation, though, the Postmaster General is pushing sweeping new operational changes that degrade service, delay the mail, and threaten to disenfranchise voters, particularly in communities of color. Now the Postmaster says he will postpone any further changes until after the election, that is what he says. But this is about more than the election. This legislation is written in a timely fashion to be about the coronavirus, and these changes should be there until the end of January or the end of the raging epidemic, whichever is later. It is in that regard that I rise as Speaker to support the legislation. But as a representative of my district where I am not called Madam Speaker, I am called Nancy, this is what they have told me. Michael said, he is a veteran with epilepsy. He reports that prescriptions sent by the VA through the mail are taking twice as long to arrive. Walker says, he is a senior with debilitating health conditions, is now struggling to send and receive his mail after his closest mailbox was suddenly removed. Claire, an 83-year-old with serious chronic illness, who does not have a car and is afraid to use public transport during the pandemic, is in a panic because she is utterly dependent on USPS for her medication and other vital deliveries, and of course, her ballot. Another San Franciscan, Charlotte, warns that the Postal Service is vital to our country, not only when it comes to mail and voting, but also for fundamental needs of Americans. And as Mark, another constituent, puts it, not only does what Trump is doing put the integrity of the November elections at risk; people are suffering every day, and they are not receiving their critical medications. That is what I am hearing from my constituents, and they are told to go to the drug store. Well, they really can't in some cases. It endangers them to go to the drugstore, instead of getting it through the mail. Go to the drugstore. So, again, this is immediate in their lives. We are their representatives. That is our job title and our job description. In representing my constituents, I wanted to convey some samples of concern that we have heard. Earlier this week, in response to the activism of the American people, people have risen up, I have never seen anything quite like it. The Postmaster General announced changes that are wholly insufficient and do not reverse damage already wreaked. He said to me, frankly--and I have to give him credit for his honesty--he said, I have no intention of replacing the sorting machines that were removed from the post offices; I have no intention of replacing the blue mailboxes that have been ripped from our neighborhoods; and He has no plans for ensuring adequate overtime, which is critical, critical for the timely delivery of the mail. He said he has no intention of treating ballots as first-class mail. Now, yesterday he said something different, but that is what he told me a couple of days ago. And I said to him, We will have the provision in the bill that requires you treat ballots as first-class mail. And he said, Well, if it is in the bill, then I will have to do it. Hence, his change of attitude. He has not adequately addressed America's concerns about the slowdown and the delivery of medicine to veterans. He just didn't even seem to know about it. Really? Today, Chairwoman Maloney released new internal post office documents that expose the severity of the service declines and delivery delays caused by the Postmaster General's drastic changes. These documents make clear that the Postmaster General has deliberately misled Congress and the American people about the extent of the damage, brushing them off as a dip in service or as unintended consequences. These revelations show that we cannot have confidence that the Postmaster General is prioritizing the Postal Service or the millions who rely on it. Now, the House is moving forward with a, hopefully, bipartisan vote, and I think it will be, on Delivering for America Act, which will reverse the Trump damage and provided $25 billion to the United States Postal Service. Sadly, the administration has already threatened to veto this legislation, which contains the same amount of funding, the $25 billion, that was recommended by the United States Postal Service Board of Governors. They are bipartisan. They are 100 percent appointed by Donald Trump, and they unanimously recommended the $25 billion that is contained in this bill. So for the sake of every senior who is delayed in getting his or her Social Security check, every veteran who is delayed in getting his or her medication, every working family who is delayed in getting their paycheck, and every voter now facing the prospect of choosing between their vote and their health, we need to pass this bill. Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for H.R. 8015, the Delivery for America Act. Let's pass this under the leadership of distinguished Chairwoman Maloney for the people.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a tireless public servant, whose 35 years of service to the House of Representatives have left an indelible legacy for the People's House: Former Clerk of the House Donnald K. Anderson. Donnald Anderson's House career began in 1960, when he left home in Sacramento, California to spend his senior year of high school as a House Page. This transformative experience changed the course of his life, which he would dedicate to serving the House of Representatives. As a Page assigned to a post in the Democratic Cloakroom, Anderson had a front row seat to the workings of Congress. Following a brief conversation with Clerk of the House Ralph R. Roberts while making a delivery to his office one day, Anderson decided that ``being Clerk of the House has to be the best job in the world, and my fantasy as a 17- year-old high school senior was to be the Clerk of the House--little knowing that 27 years later I actually would become the Clerk of the House.'' Following his time in the House Page initiative, Anderson attended Sacramento State University and George Washington University, and spent eight years proudly serving his nation in the U.S. Army Reserve. While pursuing his Bachelor's degree in political science, Anderson continued to work for the House, starting as an elevator operator in 1961. The experience he gained and relationships he cultivated led him to a position in the office of Congressman Jimmy Morrison of Louisiana, then to a position as an enrolling clerk and, in 1969, he returned to the Democratic Cloakroom as a second managerial assistant. Anderson became an expert on procedure and scheduling, establishing a reputation as a sought-after resource for Members looking to navigate the complexities of the House Floor. In 1972, Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma appointed Anderson Majority Floor Manager, a position he held for 15 years. And on January 6, 1987, Anderson's lifelong dream became realized when he was sworn in as the Clerk of the House for the 100th Congress, a position he held for eight years until retiring in 1995. In all his positions, Anderson served with integrity and dedication, taking immense pride in placing the duties of his office before partisanship or political ideology, which became a cornerstone of his tenure as Clerk. As Anderson noted, he was committed to ``ensuring that my office was absolutely nonpartisan, that we treated all Members with the same courtesy, the same expediency, the same confidentiality, so that Members of the minority . . . could unburden themselves with me, even though I was a Democrat, knowing that I would never break their confidence.'' As Clerk, he was instrumental in the formation of the House Office of Employee Assistance and the Office of Fair Employment Practices, which continue to serve as vital tools for all House employees to receive the support and resources they need to effectively do their work on behalf of the American people. He also generously shared his deep knowledge of the legislative process and House protocol with new Members during Freshman orientation. One of Clerk Anderson's most lasting impacts on the House was his commitment to modernize the House. In the era before cellphones, Clerk Anderson's campaign to introduce electronic beepers was a great success, and he constantly sought new tools to ensure Members were kept up-to-date on House proceedings. By harnessing new technologies, Anderson helped the House set the foundation for doing business in the information age and in a world increasingly reliant on technological innovation. Clerk Anderson's love for the House and dedication to the institution stands as an enduring example for all those who will follow in his footsteps to serve the Congress and the American people. May it be a comfort to his friends, loved ones and the entire Anderson family that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Congressman Adam Schiff, to honor a musical virtuoso, whose nearly 80- year-long career was marked by extraordinary triumphs, profound struggles and inspiring perseverance: the incomparable Leon Fleisher. Born in San Francisco in 1928 to Jewish immigrant parents, Leon's life embodied the American Dream. At the age of four, he began listening to his brother's piano lessons before sneaking in afterwards to play everything he had heard by ear. It soon became clear that young Leon Fleisher was a piano prodigy. At age eight, he gave his first recital. At nine, he began training with the world-famous pianist Artur Schnabel. By sixteen, Fleisher was making his debut at Carnegie Hall. At 23, Fleisher became the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in Brussels and at 25, he released his first studio album. Leon Fleisher's career was meteoric, vaulting him to the top of the classical music world and making him a sought-after soloist for some of the world's most prestigious orchestras. Music critics of the time described Fleisher as ``transcendent,'' and that he had ``this kind of Apollonian perfection . . . When you hear something that he's playing, you think that is the way it needs to be played.'' But Fleisher's true greatness became clear when, at the age of 36, he received the catastrophic diagnosis of Focal Dystonia, which lost him the use of his right hand. While he faced many years of failed treatments and depression, he never lost hope. Instead, he found strength in the healing power of music. Harnessing his extraordinary talents, he continued the work he loved, becoming a master of the left hand repertoire; passing on his knowledge and expertise to younger generations of musicians as a teacher at The Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland; and forming the acclaimed Theater Chamber Players, now based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also served as Artistic Director of the Tanglewood Music Center, Resident Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. In 1995, more than three decades after his initial diagnosis, Fleisher found a course of treatment that allowed him to slowly regain use of his right hand that had eluded him for so long. In reflecting on his years of struggle, Fleisher noted, ``There are forces out there, and if you keep yourself open to them, if you go along with them, there are wondrous surprises.'' Fleisher received many awards and accolades over the years, including being named a Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture of the French government and a 2007 Kennedy Center Honor--fitting tributes to a remarkable career. Fleisher's musical brilliance and visionary career strengthened and enriched the artistic fabric of our nation. He leaves a profound legacy for his countless students who follow in his footsteps and for the millions of music lovers around the world who he moved, inspired and entertained. May it be a comfort to his wife, Katherine, his children, Deborah, Leah, Richard, Paula and Julian, and the entire Fleisher family that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for this legislation. I salute Congresswoman DeLauro for her leadership over the years, constant, persistent, dissatisfied, and relentless, in terms of looking out for our children. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Virginia, the chair of the Education and Labor Committee, for his leadership throughout all of this. I think he knows this issue, chapter and verse, over the years, and so I am so happy that we are coming to the floor for this. In our community, there is such a need for childcare. It is endless. We don't even come close. We have been thinking incrementally. We have to think transformatively. Even little children know. In our community, we have T-shirts, ``Children Learning, Parents Earning,'' the direct connection between quality childcare, where children are given a good start on where they are going. I rise during this devastating time for America, as the health and economic crisis of COVID-19 hurtles further out of control. Ten weeks ago, the Democrats delivered a solution by defeating the virus and safely opening the economy with the HEROES Act--it was actually 10 weeks ago today--supporting our heroes, crushing the virus, and putting money in America's pocket. Yet, for 10 weeks, we haven't had the action that we need on that. So, here we are. For all the statements that were made over time about need for childcare, this virus has really shown a bright spotlight on why it is so important. Parents know; children know; we all know. But this virus has been an instructor, because if parents are forced to go to work as essential workers, who is going to take care of the children if their schools cannot open actually and some are virtual? Again, when I ran for Congress, over 30 years ago, people said to me: ``Who is taking care of your children?'' My children were big. Four of them were already in college and one a senior in high school. But that was the question: Who is taking care of the children? And that is a question for our Nation: Who is taking care of the children? In order for us to succeed with this, we have to meet the needs of the children, their families, and childcare workers. Our childcare workers are the workforce behind the workforce, risking their health and safety on the front lines to ensure that parents can go to work. But they face a devastating situation. The childcare system needs at least $50 billion in the next 6 months in order to survive. Just one in five childcare programs believes that they can stay open for more than a year without Federal support. This is essential. An estimated 326,000 workers, nearly one-third of the sector nationwide, have lost their jobs since February--326,000 since February. Half of the providers have closed, and those that are open to serve children of essential workers are risking their health, too often without PPE, and parents are paying the price. We can't get people back to work until we have widespread access to safe, quality, and affordable childcare. Here is the situation in the childcare workers' own words. Terry from Wisconsin said: I have gone from 81 kids a day to two. I can't stay open with two, we are considered essential, but how can I stay open without the help needed? I love my kids, staff, and families, but to ask me to go under because all of a sudden I am essential--really? This is what we say: People are essential. We have to treat them as if they are essential. Traci from Pennsylvania says: We are a nonprofit center, mainly funded by families who pay out of pocket. We need a way to maintain payroll of staff so that they can be ready to return when we are allowed to reopen. We need help paying our rent and health insurance costs. We will need help understanding how to stay open safely and how to adjust to new regulations, how to afford related training, and what to do if our families can't afford to return. And Mary in New York says: Since COVID, my childcare center has gone from 89 percent to about 10 percent. Fifteen employees will lose their jobs. We are the only center in a 1-mile radius in a very low-income area. We are the only voice for our parents and children. Please help us be heard. And so action is needed now, which is why I am proud to support two bills that will be a lifeline for childcare workers and for the economy, while keeping our children safe and helping them and helping parents go back to work: H.R. 7027, the Child Care Is Essential Act, creating a $50 billion childcare stabilization fund to provide funding to childcare providers over the next 6 months and helping them safely reopen and operate during and after the COVID-19 crisis; and H.R. 7327, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, expanding access to quality childcare to help workers safely return to their jobs and stimulate the economy with Federal investments and tax subsidies. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Nita Lowey, a maestro of the legislative process, who has advanced immeasurable progress for generations of Americans. I thank Richard Neal for his leadership on the tax credit and Federal investments work. Mr. Speaker, I salute Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and the godmother of much of the work for families and children that we do in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, I also thank Chairman Bobby Scott and Senator Patty Murray, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for their leadership on this bill. Thank you, Mr. Scott, for every day reminding us and leading us on how we can help our children. And I thank and recognize the outside organizers who have been relentless, persistent, and dissatisfied, as is Rosa, as they have fought for the strong investments in the childcare sector that our children and workers need. When people ask me, ``What are the three most important issues facing the Congress?'' I always say the same thing and have for over 30 years. The three most important issues facing the Congress are our children, our children, our children: their health, their education, the economic security of their families, a safe environment in which they can thrive, a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment, and my motivation for even coming to Congress was one in five children in America who lives in poverty. But it isn't only families in poverty who are affected by this childcare issue; it is our entire society and entire economy, and that is why we have to think transformatively about this. As we observe the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote, as we observe the fact that we have over 100 women in Congress, many of them moms of small children, we do have to recognize that, for our economy to thrive, we have to have the full participation and leadership of women, because we do believe, when women succeed, America succeeds, for that to happen. And dads have this responsibility, too, so we want them to succeed as well. But for all of that to happen, we have to make sure that we know who is taking care of the children, and the role that we play is to facilitate all of that to make sure it is of the highest quality and safety for the children and ensure that they are served by the legislation that we are considering. For the sake of the children, their health, their safety, and our children's future, as we recover from COVID but learn from it, I urge our colleagues to support this important legislation.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, All week America has been in mourning--as we will be for so many weeks to come--as we grieve the passing of one of the greatest heroes of American history: Congressman John Lewis, the Conscience of the Congress. Thank you, Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, for arranging this tribute to John's beautiful life. John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement. His goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation--from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years. In the halls of the Capitol, he was fearless in his pursuit of a more perfect union, whether through his Voter Empowerment Act to defend the ballot, his leadership on the Equality Act to end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, his work as a Senior Member of Ways & Means to ensure that we invest in our values or his commitment to health justice as he fought for the Affordable Care Act. As John declared 57 years ago during the March on Washington, standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial: ``Our minds, souls, and hearts cannot rest until freedom and justice exist for all the people''--words that ring true today. How fitting it is that even in the last weeks of his battle with cancer, John summoned the strength to visit the peaceful protests in Washington, D.C. At Black Lives Matter Plaza, he stood with the newest generation who poured into the streets to take up the unfinished work of racial justice; helping complete the march that he began more than a half a century ago in Selma. His visit with the Mayor of Washington, D.C., painted an iconic picture of justice: an image that will endure, and will inspire our nation for years to come. John Lewis believed that every person had a spark of divinity making them worthy of respect. To honor John Lewis's life, we must maintain his fight, persisting and resisting until the rights and dignity of all are respected. What a perfect tribute it would be for the Senate to pass voting rights legislation to safeguard the right to the ballot that John risked his life and dedicated his strength to defending. Many of us remember how John, a man of goodness and faith, was so moved by the visit of Pope Francis to Washington and by his Joint Address to Congress, to which he felt a great link. John later said, ``Though I was reluctant to openly shed tears, I cried within to hear his words. I was deeply moved to realize I had a connection in some way with some of those he mentioned [including] Thomas Merton, a monk whose words I studied during non-violence training in the Civil Rights Movement.'' ``It was amazing that the Pope mentioned the Selma-to-Montgomery March because during the first attempt to March to Montgomery, now known as Bloody Sunday, I carried one of Thomas Merton's books in my backpack.'' Thomas Merton, a force for non-violence and peace, like John, once wrote, ``We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.'' But John Lewis was a heavenly man who was at peace--with himself, with his fellow man and with God. When I spoke with him the day before he passed, he told me that he was ready to go home. God truly blessed America with the life and leadership of John Lewis. Here in the Congress, John was revered and beloved on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol. We knew that he always worked on the side of the angels--and now, we are comforted to know that he is with them. May John's goodness be an inspiration that moves us not to hate, but to hope; may his strength inspire us not to fear, but to fight for what is right--and to, in the face of injustice, make ``good trouble, necessary trouble.'' And may it be a comfort to John's son, John Miles, his entire family, Michael Collins and his entire staff that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. Madam Speaker, I pay special tribute to Congresswoman Chu, the chair of the caucus in the House that represents the Asian Pacific American community, and Pramila Jayapal, a member of the Judiciary Committee, instrumental in bringing this legislation as well, the NO BAN Act, and, again, the right to counsel legislation. As I was thinking of this legislation today--I have a statement for the record, but I was thinking back to the ``rump'' hearing that we had under the leadership of the Judiciary Committee at the time the NO BAN was announced. The distinguished chair, Ms. Chu, talked about how people reacted at the airports and the rest--among them, John Lewis--going to the airport. But at this hearing, it was so remarkable, because people turned out. Diplomats showed up and spoke for their colleagues who were still in the diplomatic service, saying how wrong this was. They took professional risk as members of our diplomatic corps. There were around a thousand of them who signed a statement opposing this ban. The military was there, our men and women in uniform. They were there saying: You are hurting us. We have made promises to interpreters and others who have helped us in Iraq and Afghanistan--they were Muslim-- and now they can't come to the United States? It is wrong on its face, but we are not even keeping our word. Who will trust us? Who will trust us if we don't have respect for people? Some military who were Muslim--actually Khizr Khan was there, a Gold Star father, he came and was very brief in his testimony. He had some good advice about what we could do about this. But our men and women in uniform who are Muslim were hearing this, in Khizr Khan's case, a Gold Star family whose son had given his life for our country, a Muslim, and now we were saying there is going to be a Muslim ban. What was interesting, though, was that a leader of the evangelical community was there. And this bill is sending a strong message. It is repealing all versions of the Muslim ban, the refugee ban, and the asylum ban, rescinding each cruel version of the President's discriminatory bans, including his executive order mandating extreme vetting for refugees and asylum seekers. Well, the person who was there, and the record will show, representing the evangelicals, he said in his testimony that the United States Refugee Resettlement Program is the crowning glory of American humanitarianism, and here this President is rejecting that focus of who we are as a country and the model we should be. In fact, all this administration has done is diminish the opportunities for those who would come here--some for fear of persecution, others because they had helped us, and others because of the Statue of Liberty, again, a beacon of hope to the world that is constantly undermined by this administration. So, Madam Speaker, I salute the maker of this amendment, Chairwoman Judy Chu. I salute Pramila Jayapal, who has been relentless, persistent on this matter, and I thank all of our colleagues who fought so hard. Just to recall, we remember the day after the inauguration that women turned out in huge numbers not only in Washington, but all over the country and all over the world. They knew the power of their presence. So, when this came shortly thereafter, people understood the power of their presence, and people showed up at airports and wherever a manifestation of support for our Muslim community was needed. It was really quite a defining time for our country, because people knew their power and the power of their presence, being there, being there for everyone in our country. So, Madam Speaker, I am very grateful to the makers of this motion, to the Judiciary Committee. And to Chairman Nadler, I thank him for giving us this opportunity to honor what the Statue of Liberty means to us and to the world. Then just go look at Ronald Reagan's statements about the Statue of Liberty and the beacon of hope that it is to the world and contrast it to the attitude that we see coming out of this White House now. I hope we have a good, bipartisan vote on this repeal of the Muslim ban and the access to counsel that goes with this legislation. Madam Speaker, on the base of the Statue of Liberty, which is a beacon of freedom and hope for the world, are inscribed these words: ``Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/ Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.'' I rise to join my colleagues in support of the ``NO BAN'' Act to rescind the President's Muslim ban, which betrays everything the Statue of Liberty and our nation stand for. I salute Congresswoman Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the lead on this legislation--which is the first Muslim civil rights bill in our nation's history. Thank you also to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for her leadership to ensure that those unjustly detained have access to legal counsel. It is particularly senseless that the President continues to inflict his Muslim ban on the country as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. These bans harm the economy and public health by depriving our nation of the researchers, scientists, physicians and other medical professionals desperately needed to crush the virus. More than 100,000 medical professionals in our country are from just two of the countries included in the ban. Overall, the ban has led to a 15 percent drop in new physicians from Muslim-majority countries coming to America. These bans fuel anti-Muslim discrimination, which sadly, the White House is encouraging, when it misleads the public and says that the bans are needed to keep us safe--when in reality, the bans only weaken our response, by banning doctors and medical professionals from our shores. At the same time, the bans erode our national security and devastate families: separating families and preventing thousands from attending loved ones' births, graduations, marriages and funerals. One study finds that these bans have prevented more than 9,000 family members of U.S. citizens from entering the country, including more than 5,500 children. More than 400 national, state and local civil rights, faith-based, national security and community groups, from AFSCME and Amnesty International to United We Dream and Veterans for Peace, have spoken out to demand passage of the NO BAN Act to ``end the harmful Muslim Ban and put in place vital protections against future discriminatory bans.'' ``The NO BAN Act is a clear and unequivocal response to the Muslim Ban that would ensure no one can be banned from our country based on religious or nationality-based discrimination ever again. ``Regrettably, the Muslim Ban validates the worst stereotypes about Muslims; that they are inherently foreign and violent and pose such a threat to the United States they should be banned. ``The ban on Muslims comes after generations of politicians hostile to religious minorities have attempted to ban Jews, Catholics, and Latter-day Saints. Congress now has an opportunity to take action against the Muslim Ban and this troubling history by sending a strong message that our nation rejects religious bigotry.'' With this bill, Congress is sending that strong message. We are: Repealing all versions of the Muslim ban, the refugee ban, and the asylum ban--rescinding each cruel version of the President's discriminatory bans, including his executive order mandating ``extreme vetting'' for refugees and asylum seeking; Strengthening immigration law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on religion--and ensuring that it applies to non-immigrant visas, entry into the U.S. and the approval of any immigrant benefit; and Limiting executive authority to prevent any president from issuing future bans like the Muslim ban--imposing strict requirements before any future restrictions can be issued & enacting reporting requirements to Congress to create an oversight mechanism for the future. The Democratic House will always stand up to defend our values. As Pope Francis said, ``It's hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help.'' I urge a strong bipartisan vote to put an end to this act of callousness and discrimination from the White House. Madam Speaker, I urge a strong ``yes'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in bringing us together today, along with our distinguished leader, Mr. Hoyer; our distinguished whip, Mr. Jim Clyburn; Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass; Chairman Bennie Thompson; Congresswoman Barbara Lee; and Mr. Butterfield. I thank Mr. Butterfield for leading this critical effort, so important. Mr. Speaker, as our country knows, nearly 2 months after the murder of George Floyd, America remains gripped by anguish as racial injustice continues to kill hundreds of Black Americans and tear apart the soul of our country. Last month, inspired by the activism of the American people and led by the Congressional Black Caucus, the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to fundamentally transform the culture of policing, to address systemic racism, curb police brutality, deliver accountability, and save lives. On Juneteenth, I had the privilege as Speaker of the House, by my authority as Speaker of the House, to remove four paintings of Speakers of the House who were in the Speaker's lobby, to remove them because they were part of the Confederacy, three of them before they came to the Congress and one who came after his participation in the Confederacy. It was long overdue. When we were checking out the statues, we found out about the paintings, and on Juneteenth we said good-bye to those four. Now in Congress and in the country, we must maintain a drumbeat to ensure that this moment of anguish continues to be transformed into action. That is why, today, the House is proud to pass legislation to remove from the U.S. Capitol the 12 statues of Confederate officials and four other statues honoring persons who similarly exemplify bigotry and hate. Mr. Speaker, again I thank Leader Hoyer, Whip Clyburn, CBC Chair Karen Bass, Chairman Bennie Thompson, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and Chairman G.K. Butterfield for leading this effort. As I have said before, the Halls of Congress are the very heart of our democracy. The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and what we aspire to as a nation. Monuments to men who advocated barbarism and racism are a grotesque affront to those ideals. Their statues pay homage to hate, not heritage. Among the Confederate statues in the Capitol--can you believe this?-- are Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens, president and vice president, respectively, of the Confederacy, both of whom were charged with treason against America. Both were charged with treason against America, and they have statues in the Capitol. Now, think of this about Stephens--I hate to even use his words, but it may be important for people to know why the statues have to go in clearer terms. The infamous words of Stephens make as clear today as they did in 1861 the aims of the Confederacy. In his so-called Cornerstone Speech, Stephens asserted that the ``prevailing ideas'' relied upon by the Framers included ``the assumption of the equality of races. This was in error,'' says Mr. Stephens. Instead, he laid out in blunt and simple terms the awful truth of the Confederacy. He said: ``Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea.'' Imagine, exactly the opposite idea of equality of races. ``Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth''--and these are his words; I hate to even use them, but we have to face this reality--``the Negro is not equal to the White man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.'' He has got a statue in the Capitol of the United States. How can we seek to end the scourge of racism in America when we allow the worst perpetrators of that racism to be lauded in the Halls of Congress? This bill also removes the statue of John Calhoun, the unapologetic leader of the Senate's pro-slavery faction, who, on the Senate floor, celebrated slavery as a ``positive good.'' Mr. Speaker, I know Mr. Clyburn supports removing this South Carolinian. On the floor, John C. Calhoun made this vile assertion that ``in few countries is so much left to the share of the laborer, and so little exacted from him, or more kind attention paid to him in sickness or infirmities of age.'' What could he have been talking about? It removes from the old Supreme Court Chamber the bust of Justice Roger Taney. And this is because of the persistent leadership of Mr. Hoyer, who has been on this case for a long time. Justice Taney was the author of the Dred Scott ruling, which Mr. Butterfield very clearly laid out as probably one of the worst decisions of the Supreme Court ever, certainly a horrific stain on the history of our country, and certainly on the Court. How fitting it is that the Taney bust will be replaced with a bust of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a towering champion of equality and justice in America. Mr. Clyburn, as well as Mr. Hoyer, has been working on this. Mr. Hoyer is a Marylander. I am a Baltimorean. As we all know, the airport in Baltimore is named for Thurgood Marshall. So as one who was born and raised there, I take pride in his leadership and service to the country. Let us recall Justice Marshall's words spoken nearly 30 years ago but as true today. Justice Marshall said: ``Democracy cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage. America must get to work. In the chill climate in which we live, we must go against the prevailing wind. We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred, and the mistrust. We must dissent, because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.'' How much our great Elijah Cummings reflected the words of Thurgood Marshall, two Baltimoreans. The Congress now has a sacred opportunity and obligation to do better, to make meaningful change to ensure that the halls of the U.S. Capitol reflect the highest ideals as Americans. Mr. Hoyer, as our distinguished floor leader, had this planned for awhile that everybody would work together and bring this composite bill to the floor at this time. Little did we know when those plans were being made that, at the same time, we would be mourning the loss of our darling John Lewis. It is a death in the family for us in the Congress. But he knew that this was in the works, and he is up there looking down on us to make sure it happens in the most bipartisan way. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this important step for justice, reconciliation, and progress in America. As far as our John Lewis is concerned: Thank you. Thank you for bringing us to this place. May you rest in peace.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for being a lifelong champion of environmental justice and environmental stewardship as chair of the Committee on Natural Resources. Mr. Speaker, as a Californian, as an American, as Speaker of the House, I proudly rise in support of the Great American Outdoors Act, one of the most important conservation and public lands bills in decades. This legislation builds on the progress made here by House Democrats and others earlier in our majority when we passed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, named for our former colleague, a fitting testament to Chairman Dingell's legacy, which made permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Mr. Speaker, the Great American Outdoors Act--I love the title--takes the next step in our pro-conservation agenda, as it boldly protects our country's natural and cultural heritage for our children, our grandchildren, and generations to come. This legislation reflects the energy and expertise of our freshmen, and I particularly salute and thank Congressman Joe Cunningham of South Carolina. Congressman Cunningham is a former ocean engineer, now serving on the Committee on Natural Resources, who was the lead author on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, in passing this legislation, Congress is ensuring that America lives up to its conservation promises, as we finally permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at levels that were promised. Over 55 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has provided over $17 billion in funding for over 40,000 recreational and conservation initiatives in every county in the country, creating and protecting America's iconic landscapes like the Grand Canyon and historical sites like the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Some of California's most treasured natural areas benefited from the protection provided by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, including Joshua Tree, Lake Tahoe, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Land and Water Conservation Fund also addresses environmental injustice by creating green spaces near low-income communities and communities of color across the country, permanently. Funding the LWCF will ensure that we preserve our natural heritage in an equitable manner to ensure that all communities can benefit. The Great American Outdoors Act--I love the name, as I said--also makes an urgently needed investment in our national parks, which face a crippling $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog. Our parks are critical to preservation of our natural and cultural heritage, and we must ensure that they can be enjoyed for generations to come. The Great American Outdoors Act enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support both in the Congress and across the country. Nearly 900 national, State, and local groups representing small businesses, ranchers, sportsmen, veterans, outdoor recreationists, and conservation organizations have written in support of this legislation sharing these thoughts: ``The Great American Outdoors Act will ensure a future for nature to thrive, kids to play, hunters and anglers to enjoy. National parks and public lands provide access to the outdoors for hundreds of millions of people every year and habitat for some of our country's most iconic wildlife.'' It goes on: ``These treasured places also tell the stories that define and unite us as a Nation. Funds provided in this bill will secure these vital resources while preserving water quantity and quality, sustaining working landscapes and rural economies, increasing access for recreation for all Americans no matter where they live, and fueling the juggernaut of our outdoor economy.'' Indeed, the Great American Outdoors Act supports good-paying jobs and grows the economy. Nationally, outdoor recreation supports more than 5 million jobs and adds nearly $780 billion to the economy. House Democrats are proud to pass this bill and send it on to the President's desk. We hope to do so in the strongest possible bipartisan way, as it passed the United States Senate. As we do, we will continue our work to protect our environment and natural heritage by including calling on the Senate to take up H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which rebuilds America's infrastructure, while investing in a clean energy future, including by modernizing our energy infrastructure, boosting our commitment to renewables, building a clean transportation sector, and more. Also we want to implement the Select Committee on Climate Crisis' action plan, Solving the Climate Crisis, the most sweeping and detailed climate plan in decades, which sets out a vision of 30 by 30, conserving at least 30 percent of land and ocean in America by 2030 to confront the threats of the climate crisis, which the Great American Outdoors Act advances. And urging the Senate to take up H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, our strong response to the American people who are demanding climate action by keeping us in the Paris Agreement. That is not in this bill. We have a different bill here. We must invest in the future we want for our children. I just want to put this in a little perspective, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member. And thank you for your leadership in so many ways, Mr. Bishop. When our country was founded and when Thomas Jefferson became President, he tasked Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin to build the infrastructure of America, for an infrastructure plan that would follow the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was Erie Canal, Cumberland Road, all kinds of things, and build into the Louisiana Purchase that would follow. It was a great undertaking. Gallatin was the Secretary of the Treasury, and so many things happened at that time to build the infrastructure into the manifest destiny of America and as we moved west. You wonder why I am bringing that up. 100 years later, at the anniversary of that initiative, President Teddy Roosevelt did his own infrastructure initiative called the National Park Service. It was to build and respect and conserve the green infrastructure of America. It was quite remarkable. So much sprang from that initiative of Teddy Roosevelt, the great conservationist. And now, over 200 years later, this is a tip of the hat to all of that. But so much more needs to be done. It is a recognition of the importance of the great outdoors, to the quality of life, but also the juggernaut of our outdoor economy. So, I hope we will have a strong bipartisan vote. I once again thank the distinguished chairman, Mr. Grijalva, for his leadership in all of this over the years and for this bill. And I, again, salute Mr. Cunningham of South Carolina for bringing his expertise as an ocean engineer to bear as the lead author of this important legislation, the Great American Outdoors Act.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and appreciate her calling us together for this Special Order for a very special person. This big picture of John Lewis was just put up here. ``Rest in Power,'' it says. You can't see from the TV, but over here in the front row is a big bouquet of white flowers. It is in a place where John usually sat in the front row of a section that many of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held fort, conspired sometimes, plotted, and made progress for the American people. It is appropriate that we have those flowers there where John sat for so many years. Jon Meacham, who is writing a book on John Lewis, told us yesterday on a Caucus call that when John was born, he was born into a garden. He loved to be in the garden. He loved to be with the chicks, as we know, the little chickens, and he loved to see things grow. He loved to see things grow. He lived his life in that way. He loved to see progress grow. He loved to see love and peace grow. He loved to see ideas grow, and he loved to see a more perfect Union grow. Many of our colleagues will have many things to say this evening, and because it is a Special Order, I don't have my usual 1 minute, which is endless, so I will be briefer and save some remarks for another time. But here is what I will say. John has always been about nonviolence. That was his spirit in everything that he did. He was respectful of other views and respectful of other people. In the spirit of nonviolence, Reverend Lawson taught that to him, to Dr. King, and the rest, and much of it was in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi and much of the nonviolence that he put forth. In Sanskrit, Mahatma Gandhi's language, the word for nonviolence is ``satyagraha.'' That word means two things: Nonviolence, and insistence on the truth. And John Lewis, nonviolently, always insisted on the truth. Whether it was a lunch counter, the truth of equality, whether it was upholding the Constitution, the truth of our Founders, in everything that he did, it was about truth and peace and love. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record my statement, because, again, I am not used to not having endless time as the Speaker of the House, and I do know that our colleagues have a great deal to say. I will say one more thing: At the end of his life, end of his time in Washington, D.C., right before he was preparing to go back to Atlanta, just a couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the night, he decided-- early in the morning, 4 a.m.--that he was going to go, in the morning, to Black Lives Matter on the street. So one of the last official or public photos that we have of John Lewis is with the Mayor of Washington, D.C., and then alone, standing on that beautiful tapestry, ``Black Lives Matter,'' the connection from John, the boy from Troy, to Black Lives Matter, the future of a movement of which he was so much a part. May he rest in power. May he rest in peace.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and leadership of legendary progressive organizer Jane Morrison: an historic and trailblazing force for progress in America, beloved by all who were blessed to know her, particularly in our home city of San Francisco. Jane and her late husband, former San Francisco Supervisor Jack Morrison, lived their lives at the crossroads of some of the most pivotal moments in our nation's history. Jane helped elect some of our most transformational leaders, from President John F. Kennedy to California Governor Jerry Brown. In 2012, I had the great honor to appoint Jane, who was born before women had won the right to vote, to cast our district's vote in the Electoral College for President Barack Obama: a true measure of our progress as a nation. Forged in Depression-era Oklahoma, Jane was known by all for her optimism, perseverance and courage. She began her career as a reporter during the Second World War, at a time when women were rarely in the newsroom, and later joined KNBR, where she would work for more than 30 years to bring more women into broadcasting. The same spirit of justice, progress and commitment to the truth propelled her to enter political activism and action. Over five decades, Jane was a godmother of progressive causes in San Francisco. She was a grassroots champion who brought unwavering grace and good humor, boundless energy and extraordinary persistence to her life's mission to make our City and Country more just, equal and fair. Her home was a gathering place and a launching pad, where she masterfully wove together progressive coalitions for change in our city and country. She was a volunteer in the truest sense: dedicating every degree of her time, energy and passion to achieving social justice, from empowering women to combating homelessness to championing the environment and the economic prosperity of all San Franciscans. Jane advanced progress both from behind the scenes and from the center of the political arena. As she helped elect progressive leaders, she served in her own right, including as Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1960 and 1964, Women's Chair of the California Democratic Party in 1960, president of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, president of the San Francisco Democratic Women's Forum, Chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, longtime president of San Francisco Tomorrow and on the Chinese Newcomers Service Center. Her greatness was recognized in her many awards, including the California State Assembly's ``Woman of the Year,'' which she received several times. Jane was a mentor and friend to so many. Personally, I learned so much from her. May her lifetime of courageous leadership be a source of inspiration to all. And may it be a comfort to Gimmy Park Li and all Jane's loved ones that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and acknowledging my maiden name, D'Alesandro. In any event, Mr. Speaker, this is a special day. In the election, the Democrats said that we were going to increase paychecks by building the infrastructure of America with green, resilient, modern and job- creating infrastructure. Building infrastructure has always been a nonpartisan issue, a bipartisan issue. We have all taken great pride in the regions we represent and the great effort to meet the needs of those communities. Today, House Democrats are proud to bring to the floor H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, to deliver on our promise. Moving forward, that is exactly what this legislation will enable our country to do. H.R. 2 takes bold, broad, and transformational action to rebuild our infrastructure and make it smarter, safe, and built to last while addressing key injustices in America which have been laid bare in the COVID-19 crisis. Across the country day in and day out, the American people have been shining a light on those disparities and are demanding justice, racial justice, and also environmental justice, healthcare justice, justice in financial security, justice in transportation and more, which target communities of color. Transportation justice, people don't think of that as an injustice, but in many cases it is, and we can give you examples, Mr. Speaker. So here we are today with H.R. 2, an all-caucus effort strengthened by the intellectual resources brought by so many Members from across the country. The chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been our maestro in all of this. For decades he has served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but he has also chaired the Natural Resources Committee. So the combination of infrastructure and environmental protection, preserving our planet as we promote commerce, comes naturally to him. We are really blessed by his years of experience, knowledge, and strategic thinking on this subject. I thank Mr. DeFazio for being this person at this time so needed by our country. He is always thinking of when we build our infrastructure how we create jobs in the building, how we promote commerce and preserve jobs in the meantime, and how we save time in getting product to market, especially our agricultural products, which are so, shall we say, perishable and where time is important, how we clean the air by having more mass transit, bicycle lanes, and the rest. One way or another, this is a health issue, an environmental justice issue, a commercial issue, and in every way an important day for us. Again, he had a 24-hour marathon markup of the bill--that itself is a sign of the stamina it takes to build the infrastructure--following nearly 20 committee hearings on the transportation pillar of this project. Also part of all of this is Mr. Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee which has made a strong down payment on a clean energy future and upgrading hospitals, community health centers, and healthcare infrastructure to increase capacity and strengthen care during COVID- 19, and, of course, into future public health emergencies and the ongoing health needs of our country. Mr. Pallone was also instrumental in the infrastructure for building broadband for our country, another injustice that we want to rectify so that all children and all families in America have access to broadband in this time of distance learning, telemarketing, telemedicine, and the rest. Mr. Clyburn, our distinguished whip, is very much a part of addressing that issue as well. Bobby Scott is the chair of the Education and Labor Committee. I name these chairmen and it gives me an opportunity to use their names to praise them, but also to talk about what this bill does. We tell children that education is so important to their own self- fulfillment, to their communities, and to the competitiveness of America. Yet we send those children to school which gives them a different message about the importance of education if those schools are not up to par for these children to learn. They are not wired for the future, and they have contamination that is dangerous to their health. They are just not meeting their educational needs. So let's respect our children, as we tell them to study, to give them the tools to do so, increasing capacity and strengthening their ability to learn. Again, COVID-19 points out some of those disparities in our system as well. Richie Neal on the Ways and Means Committee was very much a part of some of the initiatives because the tax code is so important when we are trying to increase energy efficiency, increase climate resilience, and create many millions of good paying jobs. He was able to accommodate so many excellent ideas from our Members, including our distinguished chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Kathy Castor of Florida. Many of her proposals in her report are manifested in this bill, H.R. 2, some of them by way of the Ways and Means Committee. Maxine Waters we just heard from, Madam Chair of the Financial Services Committee, who is advancing justice and equality in housing in our country and expanding affordable housing across the country whether it is public housing or addressing issues that relate to homelessness and issues that relate in so many different ways. She has been a leader in all of this, and this infrastructure bill has a substantial infrastructure piece for housing. So whether we are talking about roads and bridges and the safety of all of that, whether we are talking about broadband or hospitals, whether we are talking about education and schools, whether we are talking about housing, whether we are talking about our labs, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan, who is assistant speaker, member of the leadership, Congressman Lujan is with that, also joining Eddie Bernice Johnson of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in advancing that. Mr. Peterson brought some things from the Agriculture Committee. Chairman Bennie Thompson brought so much from Homeland Security. Carolyn Maloney is protecting our Postal Service from her position on the Oversight Committee. The list goes on and on, including Mr. Grijalva in terms of the green infrastructure of America. So this is the product of so much knowledge, experience, and the intellectual resources of people outside with their magnificent mobilization at the grass-roots level for all of these things. I think that if there is any bill that comes together in the Congress it is this bill that shows that everything in our country is connected, from the education of our children to the technologies of the future, to the roadmap to get there. So I thank Mr. DeFazio for making this important occasion possible. I say to him sometimes in jest but always sincerely: Our hopes, Mr. DeFazio, are riding on you with this important transportation bill for the people, the Moving Forward Act. As Americans across the country demand justice, equality, and change, Congress must join them by taking bold action to deliver progress in their lives. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for the people on H.R. 2. I see Mr. Blumenauer there who has been a champion on infrastructure for so many years in the Congress and his many years on this committee, Transportation and Infrastructure, and now the Ways and Means Committee, but so many people, the intellectual resources of the entire Congress are manifested in this bill, and I urge a very strong vote on H.R. 2 as it moves our country forward.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Father Kenneth Westray, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in San Francisco and a civil and human rights champion in our city, who sadly passed away last week, on June 24, 2020. Father Westray was a pillar of the San Francisco community whose selfless leadership was a tribute to the mission of the namesake of our parish, St. Vincent. He ministered to the poor and the most vulnerable in our community with great love, respect and faith. We all will remember and be inspired by the unwavering compassion and courage he showed in the face of the AIDS epidemic, which brought strength and solace to so many during one of the darkest chapters of our city's and country's history. Personally, my husband Paul, my family and I were deeply saddened to hear of Father Westray's passing. Our family have been parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul for generations, since Paul's parents John and Corinne Pelosi became parishioners in the 1930s. We count ourselves blessed to have known Father Westray, beloved by all for his kind and gentle soul, who strengthened our church as he built community and inspired love for service and love for God. We enjoyed being with Father Ken in San Francisco and even in Washington. I had the privilege of welcoming Father Ken and his family to the U.S. Capitol for the visit of Pope Francis. His mother Jean was beaming with pride in him that day and on her visits to San Francisco. We shared a dedication to the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the San Francisco 49ers. Over forty years, Father Westray was a powerful force for good in our community, lifting up the lives of so many. Although born in our nation's capital, Father Westray was proudly claimed by San Franciscans as a son of our city. He completed his seminary studies at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park and dedicated the rest of his life to ministering to the needs of our Bay Area community. After-being ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Quinn at St. Mary's Cathedral, Father Westray began his first assignment as associate pastor at Sacred Heart Church in San Francisco. Over the next forty years, he would serve in parishes throughout our city: at St. Elizabeth Parish, on the Council of Priests, at Sacred Heart Grammar School where he would minister for 14 years, at St. Sebastian Parish in Greenbrae, at St. Isabella Parish in San Rafael, and at our St. Vincent de Paul Parish. He served several terms on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, a powerful force for healing and unity in our community, including on its inaugural Board. Father Westray served our community and country in so many ways, including both in the church and in uniform. Before entering seminary, he was a Merchant Marine and later served with the Military Vicariate as chaplain in the United States Navy Inactive Reserve. May Father Westray' s lifetime of compassionate leadership to lift up the least of these continue to be a blessing to our community. May it be a comfort to Father Westray's family, his mother Jean, sister Cecilia, brother Kevin and nephew Vonty, that Archbishop Cordileone, the entire St. Vincent de Paul Parish and so many others mourn their loss and pray for them during this sad time.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her exceptional leadership on behalf of America's working families. I especially salute her now for bringing the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act to the floor. It is urgently needed, and I rise in support of it because it is, as I said, an urgently needed lifeline for working families as COVID-19 exacts its devastating impact on millions of lives and livelihoods across America. I salute Chairwoman Maxine Waters, who, as the chair of the Financial Services Committee, is a relentless, persistent, and dissatisfied force for good on behalf of America's working families, and she is especially focused on their financial security, housing being central to that. I thank Denny Heck for his leadership on this important legislation as well. As we know, Mr. Speaker, there had been an affordable housing crisis in America long before this pandemic which challenges the conscience of our country and now has been exacerbated by COVID-19. Before the crisis, one-quarter of America's 44 million renters paid over half their income on rent, putting them just one financial emergency away from eviction and homelessness. For many, COVID-19 is that one emergency. Tens of millions of Americans have lost jobs, with rental households disproportionately affected. We cannot accept a situation in which millions of families are forced to make the devastating choice between paying the rent or paying for groceries, prescriptions, and other essentials, but even before COVID that was the challenge. That is why earlier today we brought legislation to the floor to lower the cost of prescription drugs, because it had such an impact on the financial security of families, and now helping with the rent. Thirty percent of renters could not make rent in June, exposing them to the threat of eviction, particularly as eviction bans that Democrats secured in the CARES Act end. Evictions are devastating, dismantling financial security, and exposing children and families to situations of financial instability that harm their health and well-being. Children who experience evictions are already vulnerable. They are more likely to live in families earning low incomes, belong to communities of color which have a disproportionate impact here, and have more special education needs than children who don't face eviction. I say this issue carefully because when I was a girl, my father was the mayor of Baltimore and my mother as first lady had, as her mission, affordable housing. She said: How can we teach children love and respect when we don't even show them that love and respect by giving them a decent place to live? I was so proud because when she passed away many years after that, The Baltimore Sun used that statement in her obituary. But this has always been important. When we did our Summit on Children, talking about their health, their education, and their financial security, health leaders told us that we must include housing in that because it has such an impact on the psychological well-being of children. So think of the children when you think of this, Mr. Speaker. Again, in May, the House passed the HEROES Act, which secured $100 billion in emergency assistance to help 44 million rental households remain stably housed, along with another $100 billion for additional housing support and homelessness prevention initiatives, all of this under the leadership of Madam Chair Maxine Waters. Again, she has been fighting this fight for a long time, reaching down into existing law and statute to find ways to take us forward. Yet after we passed the HEROES Act, Leader McConnell said that we had to take a pause--take a pause. The virus is not pausing, the rent demands are not pausing, and so we cannot pause. While McConnell is denying these families relief, the House will pass this bill to promote housing security. We continue to call on the Senate to pass the HEROES Act to secure lifesaving housing and homelessness prevention measures which include, as I said, the $100 billion, the $75 billion, and the $11.5 billion for assistance to people experiencing homelessness and for homelessness prevention, building on the $4 billion provided in the CARES Act. We need more now. It includes: The freezing of evictions and foreclosures, including expanding the moratorium in the CARES Act to cover all renters until March 2021. Rental assistance support for the most vulnerable in urban and rural areas, including seniors, persons with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, and people living in Tribes. I am so pleased that Madam Chair put the special rural housing initiative in here. It includes rural emergency vouchers to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including those fleeing domestic violence and assault. This COVID is a vicious and insidious virus. It is resourceful. It just is out there, and it attacks people, not only their lives, but their livelihood, their housing, their psychological well-being, and everything else. So there are other reasons we should be passing the HEROES Act, but right now I will stay focused on this. I thank Madam Chair also for having the provisions that relate to staving off foreclosures for those who will not be able to pay the mortgage. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act to safeguard America's housing and financial security during this time of crisis. Mr. Speaker, we are asking people to shelter in place, to shelter at home, and they should do that. But because of COVID they may be evicted, but not if Madam Chair Maxine Waters has her way. I urge a strong bipartisan vote for financial security for America's working families.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his tremendous leadership in bringing this important and historic legislation to the floor. He has been a part of advancing lower costs for healthcare and better benefits for all Americans in his career in Congress. I thank Mr. Scott for his tremendous leadership as chair of the Education and Labor Committee and for the opportunity he is giving us today. I salute the gentleman and Chairman Pallone, the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who has played such an important role in all of this, as well as Mr. Richard Neal, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, so much an important part. These three committees of jurisdiction and the members of their committees have been so essential to its excellence and to its success. I also salute our freshmen who have been leading the charge to lower healthcare costs and strengthen healthcare protections every step of the way from the first day they arrived in the Congress. In the election of this past 2018, Democrats made a pledge to the American people. For the people we would do three things. For the people we would lower the cost of healthcare by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and preserving the preexisting medical condition. We are doing that today. For the people we would not only lower healthcare costs, we had bigger paychecks by building the infrastructure of America in a green way with good paying jobs. We will be doing that the rest of the week. For the people we would be having cleaner government, and that is what we did the end of last week with the Justice in Policing Act, as well as part of our H.R. 1, voting for statehood for the District of Columbia. There is certainly more to come on the cleaner government front as we fight for voting at home and removing obstacles to participation. But here today we are focused on that first for the people priority. Access to affordable care is a matter of life and death. That is so self-evident as we see every day during the COVID-19 crisis which now has killed more than 125,000 Americans, infected over 2.5 million Americans, and left tens of millions of people without jobs. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and most inhuman because it often results in physical death.'' Yes. As lives and livelihoods are shattered by the coronavirus, the protections of the Affordable Care Act are more important now than ever, and this is a health justice issue. Democrats with this bill will strengthen America's health and financial security during this time of crisis and for years to come. It lowers Americans' healthcare coverage costs: Significantly increasing the Affordable Care Act's affordability subsidies to be more generous and cover more middle class families. It negotiates lower prescription drug prices: Drawing from our H.R. 3 legislation to ensure that Americans no longer have to pay more for our medicines than Big Pharma charges for the same drugs overseas. This has been a long-term goal of Democrats in the Congress. In 2006 when we were running and won the majority, our For the People equivalent agenda was a new direction for America, Six for '06, and we had six bills that we said we would pass immediately upon obtaining the majority. We passed all six of them in the House of Representatives. Five of them became law. Only one of them did not, the law enabling the Secretary of HHS to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. This has been a fight over the years we continue to make because it is central to not only the health but the financial health security of America's working families. In addition, this legislation expands coverage and pushes holdout States to adopt Medicaid expansion for the 4.8 million cruelly excluded from the coverage. It combats inequity in health coverage faced by communities of color, expands more affordable coverage to vulnerable populations, and fights the maternal mortality epidemic. And it cracks down on junk plans which are such a rip--let me just pay you all the time for my health insurance but you won't be there for me when I need care. So it cracks down on those junk plans and strengthens protections for people with preexisting conditions. What is interesting in this whole debate is to hear the President and Members on the other side of the side say that, oh, they are all for protecting preexisting conditions. Oh, really? Then why are you in the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn them? Now, just back to this bill. According to analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, our legislation that we have on the floor today will help lower the costs for well over 17 million more Americans and safeguard the Affordable Care Act's lifesaving protections for 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions. When they say they are for allowing people with preexisting conditions to get coverage, they don't say at what cost. This is one of the biggest differences--well, with stiff competition--but one of the biggest differences between Democrats and Republicans on healthcare for Americans. We guarantee affordability and protect the preexisting medical condition as not being an obstacle to access. They are in Court trying to overturn it. Sadly--and this is a stark contrast, as I point out--as Democrats unveiled our lifesaving legislation last week, President Trump went to the Court doubling down on his lawsuit to tear down the ACA and dismantle every one of its protections, including the preexisting medical condition benefit. At a time when families need healthcare more than ever, the President is trying to strip protections from about 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions and take coverage away from 23 million Americans. That does not even go into what he is trying to do to the enhanced benefits that all Americans with healthcare enjoy. We need to build on the progress of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to lower health costs and prescription drug prices, not rip away American healthcare in the middle of a pandemic. What sense does that make? On day one of this Congress led by Representative Colin Allred, the House voted to throw our full legal weight into defending this lawsuit. Yet more than 190 Republicans have voted against that resolution, choosing to be fully complicit in the President's attempt to tear away health protections. We continue to call on the President to abandon his lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care Act and urge him instead to call on the 14 States who have refused to expand Medicaid to do so. Doesn't it just make sense at the time of a pandemic? It is always important. It would have been amusing if this were not so deadly serious to hear Senator Cornyn say: Well, these people who have lost their jobs because of this pandemic could always sign up for the Affordable Care Act. Really? But he is trying to take it down. The administration has a responsibility to defend the law of the land, not to tear it down. Today, Members of Congress have a choice to strengthen America's healthcare protections and lower healthcare costs or to be complicit--once again, I use that word--in President Trump's campaign to dismantle families' healthcare. Make no mistake. A vote against this bill is a vote to weaken America's health and financial security during a pandemic. When I was growing up, I remember my mother used to always say: If you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Health is so central. As you see, the American people place a high value on it when they say they don't want to go out too soon to jeopardize their health or the health of those they have at home. So, in every language when people salute each other they salute people to their health. The Spanish say salud, the Dutch say proost, the French say sante, the Germans say prost, the Irish say--now, this is hard because Gaelic is a hard language--slainte, the Italian I can say better, salute, and in Hebrew it is l'chaim. It is all about life and health. That is the salute. Everybody knows it is centrally important. With this bill Democrats in the House are offering our salute to good health to the American people, and we hope the Republicans will join us in that salute to good health to the American people. Madam Speaker, I urge a strong vote for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act for the people, for the children, and for the future.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank you and him for making this important memorial possible for us today. I rise to solemnly join my colleagues to honor the 49 beautiful souls murdered 4 years ago in an unfathomable act of hatred and bloodshed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. I thank Congressman Darren Soto for giving us this opportunity of observing and for being a voice for peace and healing for all of those affected. Pulse was a peaceful haven where young LGBTQ Americans could enjoy music, dancing, and celebration, knowing they were in a sanctuary of safety and solidarity. Pulse was a monument to joy, a tribute to resilience and pride born out of the grief that Barbara Poma experienced after losing her brother, John, to AIDS. That was her motivation for starting that. May the grief that we experience now at the loss of 49 who were murdered move us to turn our pain into purpose. This poster is all of them. But some time after the terrible tragedy, we stood on the steps of the Capitol, holding their individual pictures. At that time, we said: We will never forget. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to keep that promise to turn pain into purpose. Shortly after the horrific act of hatred at Pulse, I had the solemn privilege of traveling to Orlando and meeting with survivors and families who had lost loved ones. Their message to the Congress, to a person that I met with there, was: Please, do something to stop gun violence. Yet, painfully, since that tragic night, the horror that we saw in Orlando has been replicated in countless other communities across the country. In too many places, the epidemic of gun violence has killed too many innocent people and left too many families suffering unimaginable pain and loss. As one of the first actions of our majority last year, the House took action to end the bloodshed by passing H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, H.R. 8 so designated because it had been 8 years since the assault on the life of our colleague Gabby Giffords. She survived. She is doing remarkable things, in terms of trying to end gun violence. But other people died. Hence, H.R. 8, as it was 8 years since. Then, H.R. 1112 was Mr. Clyburn's legislation to address what happened in South Carolina. 485 days, nearly 500 days, later, we continue to urge the Senate to take up this legislation, supported broadly, Democrats, independents, Republicans, gun owners, hunters, many of whom have had to pass background checks in order to have their guns and to enjoy their sport and protect themselves. They are not against background checks. Across the country, this has broad support, nonpartisan support. Yet, in the Congress of the United States, there is resistance to that safety of simply commonsense background checks. It isn't as if we were starting something new. This is just an expansion of the background checks that already exist to include gun shows and online sales, et cetera, just an expansion. I remind my colleagues that an average of 100 people die every day from gun violence. Let me restate, it has been almost 500 days since the House passed those bills and the Senate has failed to take it up-- almost 500 times 100 a day. We see the consequences. Not that all of them would have been saved, but some, many, would have. Many have been saved since the original background check legislation passed. Four years later, 4 years after Pulse, our grief remains raw. But our resolve to end the deadly scourge of gun violence and hatred-- discrimination, that it was about, too--remains unwavering. Strengthened by the memories of those who were lost to gun violence-- 49 souls here, and so many others--inspired by the spirit of hope that we celebrate during Pride Month, especially this weekend, let us never relent in our mission to end the horror of gun violence once and for all and end discrimination against anyone in our community. Madam Speaker, I thank and commend Mr. Soto, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her tremendous leadership over time to remove obstacles of participation to our democracy, whether it is a voting rights act for all, or whether it is observing the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote, and whether it is about giving full participation in our democracy to the District of Columbia. I am proud to join her in wearing this mask. It says ``51st,'' and that is why this legislation is H.R. 51, D.C. statehood, which I will talk about now. But Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has been brilliant, relentless, persistent, dissatisfied about the lack of full participation for her constituents in the work of Congress. So I salute her as the patron saint and guiding star of D.C. statehood, even before she came to Congress, but since she came to Congress, she has worked tirelessly and relentlessly to build historic support for this bill. She gives us the honor of participating in this historic vote, wherein the House of Representatives, for the first time, will vote for statehood for the District. D.C. statehood, Mr. Speaker, is both an official and a personal priority for me. My colleagues have heard me say this, but I will say it again. When I was born, my father was a Member of Congress from Baltimore, Maryland. He was on the Appropriations Committee, and he served as the chair of the D.C. appropriations subcommittee. At that time, they tell me, that person would be regarded as the mayor, unofficial mayor, of Washington because that Appropriations Committee made all the decisions, so many decisions, for the District of Columbia. He was a big supporter of home rule, seeing from that perspective the unfairness of it all, a big supporter of home rule. In any event, he did his job in a way to try to make a path, and it passed; then later, home rule; then later a mayor and the rest; and now, to where we are now. Yesterday, someone said: Can you find middle ground? This is middle ground, the status quo. We have to go forward. I later had the privilege of serving on the Appropriations Committee, on the District of Columbia subcommittee, and I saw the obstacles to home rule that some in our Congress would put forth, diminishing the self-determination that the people of the District of Columbia should have. Statehood for the District is about showing respect for our democracy. It is not just about the District. It is about our democracy, for the American people and for our U.S. Constitution, yes. The Constitution begins with our beautiful preamble, ``We the People,'' setting out our Founder's vision of a government of, by, and for the people of the United States. It doesn't say, ``except for the District of Columbia.'' Yet, for more than two centuries, the residents of Washington, D.C., have been denied their right to fully participate in our democracy. Instead, they have been dealt the injustice of paying taxes, serving in the military, and contributing to the economic power of our Nation, while being denied the full enfranchisement that is their right. Serving in the military, fighting, risking their lives for our democracy, fundamental to that democracy is representative government. They were willing to risk their lives for a principle, for a value, for our democracy, while where they lived was being denied that full opportunity. Today, by passing H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, to admit the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth--State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth--to the Union--that would be Frederick Douglass, from Maryland but who lived in the District of Columbia, an abolitionist and a suffragist, actually. He was in Seneca Falls at the Conference of Women, coming together for women having the right to vote, so much about our democracy and voting for all Americans. In doing so today, we will bring our Nation closer to the founding ideals that all are created equal and all deserve a say in our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I urge a bipartisan vote, I hope, again, but a strong vote in the House for this very important legislation, legislation important to our democracy, to our Constitution. I thank, again, and salute Eleanor Holmes Norton for her leadership, working with our distinguished leader, Mr. Hoyer, for whom this has been a priority. I am proud that this is on the floor today.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his stalwart support for justice in policing. Thank you so much for bringing this legislation to the floor, to you, Mr. Nadler, members of the Judiciary Committee, and the Congressional Black Caucus. Madam Speaker, exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words, ``I can't breathe,'' and changed the course of history in our Nation. I will never forget that, nor will many others. I will also never forget his calling out for his mama right there at the end. Since that horrific day in Minneapolis, Americans from every walk of life and corner of the country have been marching, protesting, and demanding that this moment of national agony become a moment of national action. Today, by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the House is honoring his life and the lives of all killed by police brutality by saying never again and taking action. The Congress and the country are well served by the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, the conscience of the Congress, as we call it, with John Lewis and so many other leaders, which has been developing these reforms contained in this legislation for decades, 49 years to be exact. We are blessed to be led by CBC Chair Karen Bass, who brings 47 years of leadership advocating for an end to police brutality. She brings extraordinary gentility, grace, and strength to this fight. As you know, Madam Speaker, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will fundamentally transform the culture of policing to address systemic racism, curb police brutality, and save lives, as it puts an end to shielding police from accountability. We don't paint all police with the same brush. But for those who need to be painted with that brush, we need to take the action contained in this bill. This legislation contains bold, unprecedented reforms, including banning chokeholds. People say, ``Well, why can't you compromise with the other side?'' Well, they don't ban chokeholds. We ban chokeholds. So are we supposed to come up with a number of chokeholds we will agree with? No. We ban chokeholds. Stopping no-knock warrants on drug offenses. Ending the court-created qualified immunity doctrine that is a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct. Our distinguished chairman enumerated all of these things just now. Combatting racial profiling, mandating data collection, including body and dashboard cameras, strengthening independent investigations of police departments, creating a publicly accessible national police misconduct registry. Publicly accessible, that is what the Senate bill does not do. We will take the data and keep it to ourselves? Well, what is the use? And establishing strong new standards for policing. This week, a coalition of more than 135 leading civil and human rights groups sent a letter stating their opposition to the Senate bill. We have our bill; they have their bill. And this is what 135 leading civil rights groups had to say: The Senate act is an inadequate response to the decades of pain, hardship, and devastation that Black people have and continue to endure as a result of systemic racism and lax policies that fail to hold police accountable for misconduct. This bill falls woefully short of the comprehensive reform needed to address the current policing crisis and achieve meaningful law enforcement accountability. It is deeply problematic to meet this moment with a menial incremental approach that offers more funding to police and few policies to effectively address the constant loss of Black lives at the hands of police. Passing watered-down legislation that fails to remedy the actual harms resulting in the loss of life is a moral statement that is inconsistent with a genuine belief that Black lives matter. Further, any attempt to amend or salvage the Senate act will only serve to check the box and claim reform, when in actuality no reform has occurred to combat police misconduct and to protect Black lives. 135 leading civil and human rights organizations said that. House Democrats hoped to work in a bipartisan way to create meaningful change to end the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality. However, it is disappointing that the Senate GOP has ignored the voices of hundreds of thousands of people peacefully calling out for justice and progress, day in and day out, week in and week out, for the past month. The Senate proposal mimics words of real reform but takes no action to make any difference. It is inadequate and unworthy of support. During this moment of anguish, which we want to turn into action, it would be a moral failure to accept anything less than transformational change. But it is clear that the White House has zero interest in real change. Yesterday, the White House went so far as to issue a veto threat, stating that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would deter good people from pursuing careers in law enforcement. No, Mr. President, good people are pursuing careers in law enforcement. Banning chokeholds is not going to deter good people from pursuing careers in law enforcement. That is a White House concern. Hundreds of people are dying. Vetoing this will make the White House what? Ignoring of this epidemic? The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a bill that American people are insisting on, that this moment in history demands. And what a shameful, bad-faith act to dismiss the will of the public out of hand. Two weeks ago, Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, testified so beautifully and powerfully before Mr. Nadler's committee, the Judiciary Committee, on this legislation. He said that day: ``The people marching in the streets are telling you enough is enough. Be the leaders that this country, this world, needs.'' That was his challenge to us. Then, he said: ``George's name means something. . . . If his death ends up changing the world for the better, and I think it will''--I think it has--``then he died as he lived. It is on you to make sure his death is not in vain.'' Today, with this bill, we have the opportunity and the obligation to ensure that George Floyd's death and the death of so many are not in vain. Their lives matter, Black lives matter. Madam Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Justice is for George by passing this bill. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for all of his leadership and work on these issues, not only today and this past month but over time. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. It is a sad day for us, but what a joy for all of us to have served with Sam Johnson, a bona fide American hero, to serve with him in the Congress. I appreciate that the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise) mentioned him and John Lewis in the same sentence, because I had the privilege-- John Larson set up a Heroes Night, a bipartisan Heroes Night, and I had the privilege of giving Sam the award that night as a true hero. He always beamed when he talked about Shirley, and he loved the children, his son, Bob. Now he is with them, with Shirley and Bob. This was a very special person. I was mentioning to the distinguished whip earlier that we were there when the room was named for him. We were there when his picture was hung. He always wanted us all around him to celebrate the recognition that he received so that he could boast of his bipartisanship and his patriotism, which we all admired. I was mentioning to the distinguished whip and Mr. Thornberry and others that on one of those occasions he had a fellow prisoner of war there with him, and that bond is something so beyond anything we can imagine. Imagine the strength, the courage, the patriotism, just the faith in God that he had. So I thank the gentleman for the opportunity to share some personal comments about a really great man; always friendly, always smiling, always teasing about political differences but, as always, just being a model of greatness to all of us.

Ms. PELOSI

Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him and Mr. McCaul, Mr. Engel, the chairman, ranking member, and senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee for bringing this important legislation to the floor. It is an honor to be here with all of them, and with Mr. Suozzi, who has been a champion for religious rights throughout the world. Madam Speaker, Mr. Smith and I go back decades in our fight for human rights in China, whether it is in Tibet, whether it is in Beijing, whether it is in Hong Kong. The list goes on and on. I thank Mr. Smith for his ongoing leadership. Madam Speaker, I also thank the chairman of the committee, Mr. McGovern, the chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Mr. Smith is the ranking member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and I thank Mr. Smith. Today in this House of Representatives, in a very strong, bipartisan way, we are sending a message to the persecuted that they are not forgotten. We are saying to the President of China: ``You may tell these people that they are forgotten, but they aren't.'' On the floor of the House of Representatives, in bipartisan, bicameral legislation, we are here in support of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, strong bipartisan legislation to address and defend the rights and dignity of the Uyghur people from China's oppression. Today, again, we are sending that message even as we are heartbroken as to what China's people are suffering in terms of COVID-19 and that crisis. We are sad about that. Madam Speaker, I thank Chris Smith, again, and Mr. Engel and Mr. McCaul. I thank Senator Rubio, also, for his leadership on this legislation. He has been a champion working with us on the China issues. Beijing's barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world. Across Xinjiang, a Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities face brutal oppression, as Mr. Smith was pointing out: A pervasive state of mass surveillance and predictive policing used to discriminate and violate the human rights of minorities; The mass incarceration of more than 1 million--and that is a small number, a very conservative, small number--innocent people, with beatings, solitary confinement, deprivation of food and medical treatment, and the number is probably much larger than that; Forced sterilizations and other forms of torture; Incidents of mass shootings, extrajudicial killings, and the intimidation and suppression of journalists courageously exposing the truth. Today, with this overwhelming bipartisan legislation, the United States Congress is taking a firm step to counter Beijing's horrific human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. In the House, when brought to the floor in December, this legislation passed on a nearly unanimous basis. In the Senate, it passed under unanimous consent, with more than 50 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. This legislation helps uncover the truth, requiring reports by the Director of National Intelligence, State Department, and FBI about the depths of the crisis and about China's campaign against journalists exposing the facts. It creates accountability and ensures transparency of Chinese and foreign companies involved in the camps, and it engages the full firepower of American law and leadership, including by urging the application of targeted sanctions against those involved in the oppression of the Uyghur people. We must continue to raise a drumbeat and shine a light on the abuse perpetrated by Beijing against the Uyghurs whenever we can--from this House floor, to the State Department, to our multilateral institutions. Last Friday, as Speaker, I had the honor of appointing Nury Turkel, a human rights champion who was born in a camp in the Xinjiang region, to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, largely focused, with Ambassador Brownback's leadership, on freedom of religion in many countries. There, I am confident that he will continue to be a powerful voice for the Uyghur people and for the cause of justice around the world. In just over a week--just think of it--the global community will mark the solemn milestone of 31 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, when students, workers, and citizens were gunned down as they peacefully defied an oppressive regime to demand their liberties and human rights. Sadly, today, Beijing's human rights abuses continue--blatantly continue--targeting so many, from the decades-long abuse faced by the Tibetan people--many of us have visited Tibet and seen firsthand what is happening there--to Hong Kong's fight for democracy and the rule of law, which has once again been targeted in recent days in a very shameful way, to the jailing of journalists, human rights lawyers, Christians, and democracy advocates throughout the mainland. To honor all who have been persecuted, we must renew our commitment to speaking out against China's human rights abuses. If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of some commercial interest, then we lose all moral authority to speak out on human rights violations anyplace in the world. It is a challenge to our conscience. We must do the right thing, and that is what we are doing today. In honor of the millions fighting for their dignity, safety, and rights in China and around the world, I strongly urge a bipartisan vote for the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020. I again thank those responsible, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Engel, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Smith, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mr. Suozzi, who has been a champion, as I say, on religious freedom throughout the world. I want to close by commending Mr. McGovern, again, for being relentless and persistent in terms of shining a bright light on human rights violations throughout world and especially in China. Madam Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote.