Donald Payne

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it may be in order at any time on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, for the Speaker to declare a recess, subject to the call of the Chair, for the purpose of receiving in joint meeting His Excellency Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Garamendi for his leadership and for bringing us together today on two very, very important topics. I have come to know him as a leader on issues that are impacting the American people, from California to New Jersey. The gentleman has demonstrated a concern for all people of this country and his constituents. For that, I am grateful. Today, the second topic on the Democratic agenda for the people, protecting preexisting conditions, is both timely and important. Yesterday, the Trump administration unleashed another assault on the Affordable Care Act. In Federal court, the Trump administration said that it agrees with the lower court's decision to overturn the Affordable Care Act. After campaigning on the premise that he would work to improve healthcare, President Trump wants to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions. President Trump wants to end the provision that allows young people to stay on their parents' health insurance plans. President Trump wants to bring back junk insurance plans that take people's money but refuse to cover their medical expenses. That is what will happen if President Trump wins in Federal court. It was not that long ago when Federal law allowed insurance companies to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions. Insurance companies could charge people with preexisting conditions extremely high rates and refuse to cover them at all. The Affordable Care Act eliminated legalized discrimination against people with preexisting conditions. But now the Trump administration is fighting to bring healthcare discrimination back. Well, there is no going back. More than 200,000 people in New Jersey, alone, who purchase their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace have preexisting conditions. Nearly 5 million New Jerseyans who get insurance through their employment could be harmed by Trump's attack on the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with preexisting conditions. New Jerseyans and all Americans deserve protection, not discrimination. In my district, 16,000 people, alone, with preexisting conditions would be at risk of coverage loss or premium increases if the Trump administration successfully rolls back the Affordable Care Act. Now, let me touch on the effects of this on women for a second. The Affordable Care Act's protection for people with preexisting conditions prevents insurance companies from charging women a higher premium on the basis of their being a woman. It keeps insurance companies from charging women a higher premium on the basis of them being a woman. Now, that is not something that they had very much of a choice in at birth, so it is immoral to hold that against them. What the Trump administration is trying to do would result in women facing significantly higher health insurance premiums simply because they are not men. That wasn't right before the Affordable Care Act, and it sure isn't right now. Let me be clear: The Trump administration wants to put lives at risk by undermining people's access to healthcare in this Nation. And let me be clear about this: I will keep fighting, along with the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), to ensure that all Americans' healthcare is protected. That is the least we can do in the position that our constituents have given us in this task to be their voice in this House. Mr. Speaker, I just want to once again commend Mr. Garamendi for always being timely in bringing these issues to light for the American people and for all the country to see, that we here in the House of Representatives do speak for them.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional dentist, Army Brigadier General Shan K. Bagby. General Bagby is the first African American Army dentist to be promoted to the rank of general. He is the first-ever African American to serve as chief of the Army Dental Corps. General Bagby was born in Newark, New Jersey. When he was 8 years old, General Bagby went to the neighborhood health clinic and met an African American dentist. That visit, more than 40 years ago, inspired him to become a dentist himself. When General Bagby graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, also in my district, he went to Rutgers University to study physics. Today, General Bagby is a rising star in the U.S. Army. He is an inspiration to young people across the country who dream of becoming a dentist. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Brigadier General Shan K. Bagby for his service to our country.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the great work of tuberculosis survivor Kate O'Brien. Kate visited my office in Newark earlier this month, along with the staff from the Global Tuberculosis Institute of Rutgers University. She shared with me her inspiring story about surviving TB and the need for global and domestic TB funding. Tuberculosis is a curable, airborne infection that kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. It is the leading killer of people with HIV worldwide. Tuberculosis is also a problem here in the United States. In 2016, the disease was reported in each of the 50 States, with more than 9,000 cases reported across the country that year. Though it is curable, TB has a huge economic impact. In my State of New Jersey, TB costs the economy $5.7 million a year. We have made tremendous progress to combat TB here in the United States. Because of the work of advocates and survivors like Kate O'Brien, we can raise awareness about tuberculosis, increase funding for research and treatment, and save lives at home and abroad.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a life well lived. Trish Morris-Yamba was an early childhood education visionary from South Orange, New Jersey. She passed away peacefully on March 8, 2019. Ms. Morris-Yamba was called to serve children and community at a young age. When she was in college, she established a campus child care center for adult students. After completing her master's degree, she opened the CHEN School and served as founding president of Newark, New Jersey's Early Childhood Coalition. Over the years, Ms. Morris-Yamba served as president of the board of trustees at the Newark Public Library, a trustee of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Women's Board Association, a board member for Newark Emergency Services for Families, and executive director of Newark Day Center and the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund, among other roles. Ms. Morris-Yamba was the epitome of a community servant, and the thousands of lives she touched are grateful for her visionary leadership. Ms. Morris-Yamba will be forever remembered for her belief that society must serve the total child. She had a love of learning and a passion for passing knowledge along to future generations. Throughout Newark, Essex County, and all of New Jersey, countless children grew into civic-minded adults because of Ms. Morris-Yamba's work. Trish Morris-Yamba was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt. I ask that my colleagues join me to celebrate Ms. Morris-Yamba and to honor her legacy.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, a year ago this week, our country lost one of its greatest legislators, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. In her 33 years in Congress, Louise Slaughter never backed down from a righteous fight. Here is just one example of Congresswoman Slaughter's grit. When she arrived in Congress, every single clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health was aimed at White men, so Congresswoman Slaughter secured the first $500 million of Federal funding for breast cancer research. My father and I both had the privilege to serve alongside Congresswoman Slaughter. We knew her as a fierce champion for women and workers throughout the country. There was something disarming about her Kentucky drawl that really made you feel at home. She was a thoughtful leader who could cut bad ideas down with her wit and determination. Every time I left her presence, I left with a smile. Congresswoman Slaughter was truly one of the best human beings I ever met in my life. Her lifetime of service to this Nation will be celebrated by the American people for decades.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I wonder if President Trump intended for his budget to be a joke. After all, he entitled it ``Better America'' but proposed massive cuts to education programs, the Special Olympics, Medicare, Medicaid, and AIDS programs. Nothing about that will make America better. In fact, it will make life worse for millions of Americans. Trump also likes to call himself the Builder President, but his budget includes not a single penny to fund the country's most critical infrastructure project, the Gateway project. Gateway is a nationally significant project to replace the crumbling tunnels that run under the Hudson River and connect New York and New Jersey. It is a critical project to truly build a better America. After all, Gateway is the linchpin of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which supports 30 percent of the Nation's jobs and produces 20 percent of our GDP. The Gateway project isn't just about connecting New York and New Jersey. It is about ensuring the stability of the national economy and the free flow of workers from North Carolina to Maine. Trump can't be the Builder President if he doesn't build anything.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Bard High School Early College science faculty for their work to advance science, technology, engineering, and math programs for their students. Earlier this year, one of their teachers, Maria Agapito, was only 1 of 35 science teachers in the country who was selected by the Society for Science and the Public to receive a $1,000 grant. Ms. Agapito and other science teachers will be using this grant to create a multiyear science program for student research. They will be able to use the funds to help buy equipment and materials, and for student projects. Science teachers at Bard and public schools across the country are doing great things to help their students prepare for an increasingly technological future. I am proud to represent such bright students and passionate educators. Mr. Speaker, I thank all of America's teachers in this country and wish them continued success.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, Wednesday marked the seventh anniversary of the death of my father, the late Congressman Donald Payne. My father was a tireless advocate in this House, but he lost his life to colorectal cancer too early. That is why each year I sponsor a resolution recognizing March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time to educate the public about the disease and the need for screening. I introduced that resolution on Wednesday, the anniversary of the loss of my father. I also introduced the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Screening Act, a bipartisan bill joined by Representatives Rodney Davis, Don McEachin, and David McKinley as co-leads. More than 100 Members have joined on as cosponsors, and I hope the remaining Members will join as well. Mr. Speaker, when people use Medicare to get colonoscopies, they are hit with an unexpected bill if polyps are removed. That is a monetary barrier to screening, and screening saves lives. My father, unfortunately, did not get screened for colorectal cancer. It wasn't something that people of his generation did. But we can honor his legacy by improving education and removing barriers to screening.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, when Speaker Pelosi took the gavel on January 3, she was surrounded by children, and as she brought down the gavel to commence the 116th Congress, these were her words: ``I now call the House to order on behalf of all of America's children.'' The importance of Speaker Pelosi's words cannot be overstated. Last year was horrendous for children in our country. If we look at gun violence or immigration or healthcare or poverty relief, children suffered last year under the Trump administration and a Republican Congress. On February 14, 2018, a gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to commit mass murder; 17 people were killed, another 17 were injured, and most of them were children. The Parkland shooting wasn't the first school shooting in our Nation's history, and it wasn't the last. But the Parkland students, standing on the shoulders of student leaders before them, stood up and marched. They bound together in an intersectional, nationwide movement to demand that Congress and the President do something to make our country safer. Unfortunately, their pleas fell on deaf ears. The President and his administration were too inept or too cowardly to confront the NRA. And because my colleagues across the aisle were too inept or too cowardly to confront the NRA, we witnessed preventable shooting after preventable shooting. Then, when the Trump administration finally did release its School Safety Comission report, it completely ignored evidence-based violence and prevention strategies. Instead, the report suggested rolling back civil rights protections for students and making guns more easily accessible in schools. Look, there is a commonality among the mass shootings in America's schools: easy access to firearms. But rather than address the root cause of school shootings, the Trump administration suggested that we put guns in classrooms, as if teachers are security guards and schools are prisons. Nobody thinks that is a good idea except for the NRA. Meanwhile, educators across the country are clamoring for funding to install new locks on classroom doors, harden school entryways, and secure school facilities. The 116th Congress was called into order on behalf of all children because Democrats will listen to teachers and students--not the NRA. That is why we passed two bills in February to institute universal background checks and close the Charleston loophole. That is why I introduced the Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act: to save children's lives. We were called into order on behalf of all children, including those who are at our borders. Under the Trump administration and Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, both of whom were empowered by my colleagues across the aisle, the United States of America ripped children away from their parents and put them in cages. Ripping children away from their parents and lying about it to the American people was evil, plain and simple, and it should have ended Secretary Nielsen's career. I feel Secretary Nielsen is incompetent, inept, and is not up to the task of securing the homeland's safety. Anyone who would put children in cages, fenced cages, taken from their parents can just not be trusted. President Trump's deplorable, inhuman attempt to change our immigration system has killed people.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the launch of a wonderful new group in my district, the Multiple Sclerosis Support Group of Hudson County. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive immune disorder. For people with MS, the internal systems designed to keep their bodies healthy wind up attacking other parts of their body. Their immune system eats away at the protective covering of their nerves. Severe cases of MS result in paralysis, vision loss, and diminished brain function. Nearly a million people in the United States are living with multiple sclerosis. The MS Support Group of Hudson County aims to bring people together to help support, encourage, and uplift people who are diagnosed with MS, as well as their caregivers, friends, and families. I am proud of my constituents' work on behalf of the people in their community. Groups like this serve an important role in society, and I am honored by their commitment to helping one another.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor America's health and wellness coaches. Approximately 70 percent of healthcare dollars in the United States are spent on lifestyle-related diseases; but health and wellness coaches can decrease those costs by helping people achieve their personal health and wellness goals. Far too many people suffer and struggle with poor health because they don't have the motivation and resources or sustained support needed in order to transform their habits. Healthy habits are not always easily achievable when a patient is working alone, but health coaches are there to ensure people succeed in taking control of their health issues. That is why, earlier in February, Congressman Mullin and I introduced a bipartisan resolution to express our support for health and wellness coaches. I am proud of our work together as co-chairs of the Congressional Men's Health Caucus, and I encourage my colleagues to join us in recognizing America's health and wellness coaches.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Samuel D. Roberts for his lifetime of service to the people of New York. Sam's career began with General Motors, where he was a union worker who served as chairman of the UAW Local 465 Education and Civil Rights Committees. While at GM, Sam served five terms as an Onondaga County legislator. Then the people of New York State's 128th Assembly District sent him to represent them in Albany. After 5 years in the State assembly, Governor Andrew Cuomo tapped Sam to serve as commissioner of New York's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, a $5.4 billion office that oversees more than 2,000 workers. Sam recently retired from government to serve as a special advisor to SUNY Oswego's president. Throughout it all, Sam has kept community first. He has created positive change that will last for generations both in Onondaga County and throughout the State of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating Samuel D. Roberts, a pioneering community leader.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, some of the greatest contributions to medicine have been made by African Americans in this country. The first open-heart surgery in the United States was successfully completed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a Black man. Not only was he a pioneer of this lifesaving surgery, but also, in the late 1800s, he opened the country's first hospital with an interracial staff, Provident Hospital in Chicago. Then, in the 1930s, Dr. Helen Dickens did her internship at Provident Hospital before becoming the first Black woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons. And then, while Dr. Dickens was doing her internship at Provident, a young Black girl growing up in segregated Arkansas dreamed of becoming a doctor. Sixty years later, in 1993, Dr. Joycelyn Elders became America's first African American Surgeon General. Mr. Speaker, Black history is not something that is in the past. It is constantly unfolding. It is American history. Our stories are being written and expanded upon all the time. That is why Black History Month is so important--not just to honor our past, but to celebrate our present and prepare for our future.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a trailblazing first responder from Roselle, New Jersey. On December 19 of last year, Rayna Latimer was sworn in as the first-ever woman firefighter in Roselle, New Jersey's history. She has been called a hero, not just because she is a firefighter, but also because she is paving a path for young girls who might one day become firefighters in their own communities. Rayna has lived most of her life in Roselle, and she has spent the past 5 years preparing to become a firefighter. That is because helping people has always been her passion, Rayna had told a local newspaper a while ago. Before setting her sights on the fire department, Rayna was a corrections officer. That gave her a greater appreciation for first responders. She didn't set out to become the first female firefighter in Roselle. Rayna just wanted to align her passions and her strengths. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Rayna Latimer for her service to Roselle, New Jersey, and for inspiring young people throughout her community.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the students, faculty, staff, and friends of Linden Public Schools in New Jersey for spreading holiday cheer while helping those in need. Each year, members of the Linden Public Schools load into buses with Santa Claus and travel through their town to sing carols and collect donations for a charity gift drive. Staff and students put their hearts into planning the event, which they call Caroling for a Cause. This year, they collected more than 1,000 gifts from across the community. Those gifts will help bring smiles to the faces of more than 300 children. Mr. Speaker, this is the season of giving, and the Linden Public Schools are leading by example. I thank the students, faculty, and staff who participated. And I applaud Superintendent Danny Robertozzi for supporting Caroling for a Cause. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing everyone who participated. They are helping make sure their friends and their neighbors in need have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor New Jersey City University Professor Yumiko Ogawa. Professor Ogawa is a registered play therapist. Along with current and former NJCU students, she is providing play therapy for immigrant children who are in the process of applying for asylum. Their play therapy program is currently being implemented at the Newark office of a nonprofit called Kids in Need of Defense. Since 2014, the United States has welcomed more than 240,000 unaccompanied minors who are seeking protection. Many of them have suffered from violence and child abuse. Some of them are escaping persistent trauma, including human trafficking and gang violence. Professor Ogawa's play therapy has already helped some of these children cope with their trauma. I am proud of Professor Ogawa's thoughtful leadership and the amazing research supported at New Jersey City University. It only takes an idea to change the world. I am proud to represent NJCU in Congress, and I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this wonderful initiative.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Aidan Miller and Kylie Lan Tumiatti for receiving the prestigious Fulbright scholarships this year. Aidan and Kylie are both recent graduates of Seton Hall University's School of Diplomacy. Aidan is a student of international relations, modern languages, and Eastern European studies. Over the next year, he will be teaching English at a university in Russia while learning about Russian traditions and culture. Aidan plans to enter public service when he returns home. Kylie also majored in international relations and modern languages, with a minor in economics. The Fulbright scholarship has given her the opportunity to teach English in Malaysia. When she returns from Malaysia, Kylie will finish her graduate degree in public affairs at Columbia University and then enter the foreign service. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating these bright young people who are committed to making our world a better place.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rashad Wright on becoming Jersey City, New Jersey's first poet laureate in more than a decade. Rashad is a 24-year-old Poetry Slam Champion and recent graduate of New Jersey City University. Rashad has spent the past 6 years performing poetry and inspiring people throughout my district. His poetry challenges society to improve lives. His spoken word and his written word are full of power that exceeds his 24 years of age. In a piece of prose, titled, ``Between Lines,'' Rashad writes: ``As a poet, it feels like the souls of black folks fire through my lips.'' He speaks truth through art and helps elevate everyone who listens. I am proud to honor a man whose creativity and passion pull people into poetry. Poet laureate Rashad Wright's story is just the beginning. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Rashad for his accomplishments.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John Keene, a Jersey City resident and chair of the Department of African American and African Studies at Rutgers-Newark. Last month, Professor Keene was awarded the $625,000 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. Professor Keene is one of only 25 people to receive the award this year. He is a groundbreaking author who has studied, taught, and written about the intersection of race, society, and the human experience. Professor Keene's work has inspired his students, and his community, and myself. I am so proud of Professor Keene and all of Rutgers-Newark for keeping our city and my district at the top of the academic field. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Professor Keene, and I leave you with his words: The most important thing is to read as much as you can, work on your writing, to try to engage in our community with people who you can share your work with and learn from.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honor of the retirement of a longtime public servant for the Social Security Administration, Deputy Regional Commissioner Bryant Wilder. On January 3, 2019, Mr. Wilder will retire from the Social Security Administration after a career spanning thirty-eight years. Mr. Wilder began his career in 1980 as a Clerk Typist in the New York Regional Office, Disability Programs Center. Over the years, Mr. Wilder has risen through the Social Security Administration, holding many important positions. In 2009, he was selected for the highly competitive Senior Executive Service Candidates Development Program. After completing the program, Mr. Wilder was promoted to Deputy Assistant Regional Commissioner for Management and Operations Support. In December 2015, he was promoted to his current position. Throughout his career, Mr. Wilder has been an impeccable leader. He led the national workgroup that helped enhance office safety throughout the country. And during an active shooter incident, Mr. Wilder courageously took action to protect his staff in the East New York Field Office. Because of his quick thinking, all of the employees were safely evacuated. I ask that my colleagues join me in honor of Deputy Regional Commissioner Bryant Wilder for his decades of service to our country. His advice and counsel will be missed. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking my colleague, Congressman Garamendi, from the great State of California for hosting this evening's Special Order hour on the threat climate change poses for our Nation and our constituents. Mr. Garamendi has done a great service by hosting timely and important Special Orders throughout the 115th Congress. Today's Special Order hour is especially important, as it comes on the heels of the Trump administration's attempt to bury its own climate change report and only a day after devastating fires in California were contained. Because of global climate change, the United States is going to suffer from more frequent and more devastating disasters like Superstorm Sandy, which caused massive flooding in my State in 2012 and the Camp fire, which is the deadliest and most destructive in California's history. Considering that Donald Trump thinks that climate change is an international conspiracy, a hoax concocted by the Chinese, it came as no surprise to me that he has released his own administration's climate change report on Black Friday when people are out with their families shopping and not paying attention to what is going on in the news. The U.S. climate assessment is damning. It gives President Trump and his GOP allies no cover to proclaim that climate change isn't real. The report took our country's top climate scientists 4 years to research and write. It is more than 1,000 pages long and represents work done by 13 Federal agencies. One of the authors, Katherine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University, summarized the evidence like this: Climate change is happening here and now. If the United States does not act fast, the effects of climate change are only going to get worse for the American people. We already have to deal with increasingly frequent and deadly wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events. That is going to get worse if we don't curb greenhouse gas emissions that are impacting our climate. Climate change also means that some areas will see more rains and more flooding. Our Nation's infrastructure is already suffering from neglect, as we have had a Special Order hour on that in the past. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our infrastructure a D-plus. The stress of more frequent and intense rain, flooding, and heat is likely to cause a great deal of damage to our already frail infrastructure. Flooding will overwhelm and erode our roads. It will stress and possibly bring down bridges. We will have to shut down major roadways, railways, and ports. People's lives and their livelihoods will be at risk. For my district in New Jersey, the economic impact will be devastating. My constituents work at Port Newark, the busiest in the East. They travel to and from jobs in New York City through the Nation's busiest tunnels and bridges, which are already overwhelmed. They live on or near the water. Our national infrastructure just wasn't built for the kinds of extreme weather we can expect if climate change goes unchecked. I have no doubt that the people of New Jersey are resilient, but the longer our Federal Government takes to address climate change, the more difficult it will become to adapt. But it is not just our infrastructure that is at risk if we don't take action on climate change. If left unchecked, climate change is going to hospitalize and kill our constituents. According to the 2017 New Jersey Climate and Health Profile Report published by Rutgers University, air quality changes, such as increased ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter changes in the air, will cause a rise in respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. Extreme heat and increasingly frequent heat waves will exacerbate people's existing medical conditions and cause more heat-related deaths. Changes to our ecosystem caused by increased humidity and higher temperatures will spread pests and infectious diseases. The vulnerability will not be equal. The people most at risk are people least able to migrate to safety. The elderly, young children, and people with existing medical conditions, poorer residents, urban residents, people of color, and laborers are all the people who are most at risk. The Trump administration and our GOP colleagues can keep their heads buried in the sand or they can work alongside countless people in government, academia, business, and civil society to mitigate the effects of climate change. To borrow a warning from a coauthor of the U.S. climate assessment: ``It's absolutely not too late to take action. But costs will really start skyrocketing if we don't start reining in emissions.'' Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues and I are ready to pursue a greener future for our people. We are ready to transition to cleaner energy sources. We are ready to make sure auto emissions standards reflect 21st century technology. We are ready to make sure all Americans have access to clean air, clean water, and high-quality healthcare. The question is: Will our Republican friends join us? Mr. Speaker, I want to once again commend Mr. Garamendi for always having these timely Special Order hours on issues that are critical to us at this time. The gentleman never misses a beat in terms of bringing issues to the floor that are relevant, important, and need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, flu season is upon us, and I rise today to raise awareness about the 100th anniversary of the deadliest medical catastrophe in history: the 1918 influenza pandemic. 100 years ago, the flu took the lives of more Americans in 1 month than in the entirety of World War I. The 1918 flu pandemic lasted for 15 months. During that time, the average American's life expectancy dropped by 12 years. 100 years later, there are still many outstanding questions about the flu pandemic, but what is certain is that the flu virus still poses an undeniable threat to our Nation. Last year, an estimated 80,000 Americans died from the flu. Investing in research and development for novel antivirals and ensuring people get the flu vaccine is crucial to protecting our Nation from another flu pandemic like the one we faced 100 years ago.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Alberta Daniels of East Orange, New Jersey, for her lifetime of service. Mrs. Daniels is like a mother to many of us in public life from Essex County, New Jersey. I know that she has helped me learn to be a better public servant. Mrs. Daniels spent 25 years at RCA in Harrison, New Jersey. In her late forties, Mrs. Daniels started a new chapter as a senior correctional officer. She spent 14 years in corrections working for the State of New Jersey and helping open the first halfway house for women in our State. Since retiring from her distinguished life in public safety and corrections, Mrs. Daniels has been an active community servant, and Mrs. Daniels keeps a busy civic schedule as well. Last week, I had the honor of speaking at a ceremony to rename a street in East Orange Alberta Evelyn Daniels Court. It was a well- deserved honor that she has received from her community because of her lifetime of achievement and service to that area. Mrs. Daniels, it is well deserved, and you are well loved.