Mark Pocan

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order hour is not just about the violence that has occurred in the last week in Israel and Palestine. It is not about the activities of the last month, including the displacement of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, that have been largely overlooked in this region. But, in many ways, it is about what has happened over the last year, the last decade, the last several decades that has dehumanized and violated the human rights of too many people in this important region. No one should have to face the reality of missiles shot at them. Hamas is causing great danger to the very people it purports to want to protect in Gaza by doing so, and those missile attacks should be condemned. But that doesn't make it a ``both sides'' issue. We must acknowledge and condemn the disproportionate discrimination and treatment that Palestinians face versus others in this region. No one should suffer the loss of life, liberty, or dignity that the Palestinian people have suffered under the Netanyahu and previous administrations in Israel during the 50-year occupation of the West Bank. When serious human rights abuses compound, such as the recent attacks on places of worship, like the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the forced removal of people from their homes, most recently in East Jerusalem, but ongoing in the West Bank for way too long, the jailing and military court trials for Palestinian children, the dehumanization of the lives of the Palestinians by having roads and entrances that are separate for some people--which all too often looks like a former South Africa, the blockade and open-air prison conditions for the people in Gaza, where food and clean water is often scarce. When those types of human rights abuses occur, we are not just putting the lives of Palestinians and Israelis at risk, but we are also putting the United States at greater jeopardy, and eventually, that could mean the lives of men and women from the United States getting involved in a greater escalation of violence in the region, which none of us want to see. Today, we want to talk about the very long-term problems that have been, for too long, ignored by U.S. policies in the region. Fortunately, now more and more Members of Congress are wanting to address peace in this region in a more forthright way. As human rights giant South African Desmond Tutu said, ``If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.'' We must treat everyone in Israel and Palestine with equal respect and dignity. That is the U.S. policy that we are speaking out for. I am pleased to be joined by a number of my colleagues tonight who have taken leadership positions in talking about peace in the Middle East for all people. I now yield to my colleague from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib), the first Palestinian American to serve in Congress.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those words. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Bush).

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have remaining?

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a great colleague and mentor of mine.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those words.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those words. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Indiana (Mr. Carson). He is extremely patient because he has been here nearly an hour to speak.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words. I know we are short on time. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).

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

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Bonnie Zee with the following Proclamation: Whereas, Bonnie Zee began her career as the elected Town of Albany Clerk in April of 1975 and has continued to serve as a valuable, and trusted asset to her community to this day; and Whereas, Bonnie Zee's vast knowledge, dedication, and outstanding performance of her duties throughout her tenure has earned her the respect, and admiration of her community; and Whereas, Bonnie Zee's service as Town of Albany Clerk resulted in efficient and effective Town government for nearly five decades; Now, therefore, I hereby proclaim April 20, 2021 as Bonnie Zee Day in honor of her 46 years of public service to her community, the Town of Albany, and the State of Wisconsin. I join her friends, family, and colleagues in offering her best wishes on her much-deserved retirement.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. As a small business owner and union member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades for 30 years, I know how important it is that every worker has a union. Giving workers a voice in their workplace, negotiating for good, family supporting wages and benefits and worker safety are crucial to a family's ability to thrive. Democrats will deliver on this important legislation today, but it is interesting Republicans lately have been trying to falsely rebrand themselves as the party of working people while opposing the strongest bill in Congress to give power to workers. The same Republicans who fought tooth and nail to reduce stimulus checks and unemployment insurance, championed union busting and prevented an increase in the minimum wage from being included in COVID relief. They claim they are the party of the working people. Their idea of helping working people is voting for a $2 trillion tax cut for corporate donors and billionaire friends but refusing to vote for a $1.9 trillion investment in the American people. Their tax breaks for the top 1 percent, by the way, even included a provision that might make it easier to send jobs overseas. Yes. That is fighting for the average worker--in China. Please, if you are the party of working people, then I am a stunt double, doppelganger for Brad Pitt. I hope you enjoyed me in ``Fight Club.'' Today, on this side of the aisle we proudly stand up to protect the right to organize for every worker. We will stand up for better worker protections in a pandemic. We will stand up for negotiating for better pay and benefits to support your family. We will stand up against antiworker so-called right-to-work laws that inevitably mean right to work for less. We will stand up for gig workers, for nurses, for grocery workers, for meatpackers, for fast-food workers, for public service workers, and, yes, for Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama. That is what the party of working people would do, and that is why we are going to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act this week. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two pieces of correspondence from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Transport Workers Union of America. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Washington, DC, March 5, 2021. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I am writing to state our strong support for H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). I urge you to support this critical legislation and to oppose any weakening amendments and any motion to recommit when H.R. 842 comes to the House floor this week. The Teamsters Union believes that this legislation is critically important to rebuilding the middle class and to begin reversing decades of income inequality and the erosion of worker rights. Today, the economy is not working for working people and their families. Wages have stagnated for workers across the economy, while income has skyrocketed for CEO's and the wealthiest one percent. In large measure, this inequality is the result of a loss of bargaining power and the erosion of workers' ability to exercise their rights on the job. Today, when workers make the decision to stand together and bargain with their employer for improved working conditions, the deck is stacked against them from day one. Under current law, unscrupulous employers, armed with limitless funds, routinely violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and block workers' ability to exercise their right to bargain for better wages and better working conditions with impunity. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act is an important step forward for workers' rights, rebuilding the middle class, and addressing inequality. It would restore and strengthen worker protections which have been eroded over the years. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act addresses several major weaknesses in current law. The legislation enacts meaningful, enforceable penalties on employers who break the law and gives workers a private right of action if they've been terminated for union activity. The bill would make elections fairer by prohibiting employers from using coercive activities like ``captive audience'' meetings and by preventing employers from hiring permanent replacements of workers who exercise their right to strike. It would establish a process for mediation and arbitration to stop stalling tactics at the bargaining table and help parties achieve a first contract. Importantly, the bill also addresses rampant intentional misclassification and ensures that misclassified workers are not deprived of their right to form a union under the NLRA. Research shows that workers want unions. However, there is a huge gap between the share of workers with union representation and the share of workers that would like to have a union and a voice on the job. The PRO Act would take a major step forward in closing that gap, addressing income inequality, and ultimately growing a strong middle class. I urge you to demonstrate to the American people that workers and their rights are a priority for this Congress. I hope I can tell our members that you stood with them and other workers in their efforts to achieve meaningful worker rights and protections and better wages and working conditions. The Teamsters Union urges you to vote yes on H.R. 842 and to oppose all efforts to weaken this bill by amendment. Sincerely, James P. Hoffa, General President.

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, it is interesting today listening to the debate. I didn't hear anything about workers, trying to actually help workers get a better wage or better benefits or better safety in their workplace from people on the other side of the aisle. But what I have heard over and over and over again are Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, and Progressive Democrats of America which, by the way, Madam Speaker, don't appear anywhere inside this bill today. I guess if you can't talk about what you are going to do on behalf of workers, you are going to talk about Planned Parenthood, Clinton Foundation, and Progressive Democrats of America, which, by the way, I would argue the free time they have given them this afternoon on national TV is probably more than the donations that actually came from union organizations. The bottom line is the other party here across the aisle has over and over said they want to rebrand themselves as the workers' party, and yet they haven't done a thing today to prove they care about workers. They have certainly proven for the bosses and corporations that they are best buddies, BFFs forever, but on behalf of workers it is this side of the aisle that is doing all the heavy lifting.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, now I had a different speech I was going to give today about the Equality Act. As an openly gay Member of Congress, married to my husband, Phil, for 14 years, I was going to talk about the need for equal treatment under the law for everyone, regardless of who they love. Human kindness, respect for others--pretty basic stuff. But the new QAnon vibe in this body has gone too far. For many in this Chamber, this isn't a debate about whether or not you should be legally discriminated against for who you love. You won't hear that debate because they can't win on hate alone. The public doesn't agree with them. So instead, some are debating that this bill discriminates based on religion, which it doesn't, because it treats everyone the same under the law. And some are debating an even sillier notion: That somehow a man will pretend to be a woman to win in women's sports--a crazy, made-up fantasy notion. This new QAnon spirit across the aisle is also occurring in a nasty and hateful way. A lead GOP opponent of this bill actually posted an anti-trans poster on the wall outside her office directly and intentionally across from a Democratic Member of Congress with a trans daughter. Wow. That is classy. Mr. Speaker, really, is that where we are here today? Who can out- crazy, out-tastelessly act to prove to the base that they will say or do anything to score points and show how inconsiderate they can be to a colleague to just get social media clickbait? Here are the facts: One in four transgender people have lost a job due to discrimination, and dozens of transgender and gender- nonconforming people were violently killed last year. And LGBTQ youth are almost 5 times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth due to discrimination. It is past time we put an end to this. A vote against the Equality Act is a vote for discrimination, plain and simple. Mr. Speaker, this isn't Iran or Somalia or Russia. This is America. Show human dignity for others by offering equal treatment under the law. That is the Equality Act.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation. On behalf of the people of Wisconsin I, Mark Pocan, United States Representative of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim February 22, 2021, as Supermarket Employee Day. Whereas, there are nearly six million supermarket employees in the United States; and Whereas, in Wisconsin there are 148,959 food retail jobs that generate $15,630,033,800 in economic activity; and Whereas, supermarket employees provide all Americans with access to safe, healthy, and affordable food; and Whereas, supermarket employees work to enhance the health and well- being of each customer; and Whereas, supermarket employees contribute and volunteer countless hours in their communities; and Whereas, supermarket employees face unprecedented challenges keeping grocery shelves stocked during the COVID-19 Pandemic; and Whereas, supermarket employees have and continue to meet and exceed these challenges, while displaying courage, compassion, dedication, and leadership, as well as exemplifying customer service and community outreach; and Whereas, the need for supermarket employees is greater than ever because of current and growing consumer demands as well as their reputation for excellence; now therefore I, Mark Pocan, United States Representative of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim February 22, 2021 as Supermarket Employee Day and ask all citizens to join in honoring our Supermarket Heroes.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, as a co-chair of the Labor Caucus, and a proud member of the Education and Labor Committee, I rise in strong support of the National Apprenticeship Act. With such high unemployment, the bill before us seeks to invest $3.5 billion over 5 years to expand access to registered apprenticeships across America. Almost 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities will result from the enactment of this bill, leading to good-paying, family- supporting jobs across the country. So what are registered apprenticeships? Well, they are a great way to earn and learn. You get paid for your work while learning the skills you need to master your trade at the same time. Not everyone chooses a path of higher education, but everyone wants to earn a good family-supporting wage for their hard work. Apprenticeships are a perfect way for many who fit this definition. From medical work to construction and more, apprenticeships mean advanced opportunities for so many. My home State of Wisconsin is a pioneer in this area. We enacted the Nation's first apprenticeship law in 1911. The results of our experience back home have been clear: They lead to a stronger, smarter, and more skilled workforce. Federally, the case for supporting registered apprenticeships is compelling. According to data from the Department of Labor, 94 percent of people who complete a registered apprenticeship are employed upon completion, and their average starting wage is above $70,000. We were fortunate to support more than 14,000 apprenticeships in Wisconsin last year for over 3,000 employers and over 200 occupations. I look forward to that total growing dramatically following the enactment of today's bill. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this bill. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter of support for the National Apprenticeship Act from the AFL-CIO.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, the American people are hurting, and they need our help now. Millions have lost their jobs over the past year through no fault of their own, and more than 100,000 small businesses have been forced to close forever due to COVID-19. The House has tried to do the right thing. We passed multiple relief packages last year that began to approach the scale needed to address the suffering in our communities, only to meet resistance from Mitch McConnell's Senate and the Trump administration. Let's be honest, the Federal Government's handling of this pandemic has been largely inept. The previous administration said it was just the flu, that it would pass before we knew it, that injecting ourselves with unproven substances would take care of the problem. Extend that magical thinking to testing and vaccine distribution and it is easy to see why the American people and the economy are in crisis today. Now those same magical thinkers tell us that more aid for people suffering across the Nation is not needed. The Congressional Budget Office told all of us on Monday that the Nation's unemployment rate will not return to prepandemic levels throughout the rest of this decade. This decade. Let's stop nickel-and-diming our response to this once-in-a-century pandemic. Let's follow the advice of almost every major economist who has urged us to act big. Doing too little is the real threat we face. State and local governments have been providing tests and assisting in vaccine distribution, all while losing tax revenue. They need our help. The unemployed are at risk of losing their homes, and working people are going hungry. They need our help. Small businesses have lost demand at a time they need it most to keep people employed. They need our help. I am proud to support additional direct payments to individuals, aid for schools, aid for State and localities' public health programs. I am proud to support more aid for struggling small businesses, addressing our longstanding need for widespread broadband access, and minimum wage that ensures no full-time worker in America lives below the poverty line. Let's do this. I urge all of my colleagues to support the resolution before us.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, the U.S. Capitol has not been breached for over 200 years, since the War of 1812--that is, until last week, when it wasn't another country that attacked us but our own President. President Donald Trump asked his supporters to march on the Capitol, inciting domestic terrorism that cost five lives, including a Capitol Police officer. We all know, whether you say it aloud or not, Donald Trump is responsible for inciting the attacks on our democracy, while he should have been the one person protecting it the most. For that, he is unfit to be President, and we must impeach him.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, this President is on a warpath to destroy the Postal Service and, through that, our elections. After months of hearing this President, and now Republican Members of Congress, spread conspiracy theories and misinformation about voting by mail, he has made GOP megadonor Louis DeJoy his new chief of chaos in voter suppression. In an attack on the Postal Service, DeJoy has removed mail processing equipment, collection boxes, and cut back on overtime. Ninety Democrats, led by Congresswoman Katherine Clark and me, already demanded his immediate removal. Because, on top of this blatant voter suppression, Trump and DeJoy are hurting millions who depend on the Postal Service every day: seniors and veterans waiting for lifesaving medications, families waiting for paychecks, small businesses with delayed packages whose very survival is already threatened by COVID-19. On Thursday, the Progressive Caucus held a hearing and heard from David Williams, the former vice president of the Postal Service Board of Directors, who resigned in protest to Trump's actions. What he told us, unfortunately, shocked no one: that the Postal Service was fully prepared for mail voting until this administration manufactured an intentional crisis; that DeJoy wasn't selected by the firm that was hired to find a new Postmaster General, but he was the only candidate interviewed and was unqualified to lead the Postal Service; and that Steve Mnuchin sought intrusive control over core Postal Service operations and wanted to impose a pricing practice that would ruin the Postal Service. This chaos is not the result of a pandemic. This chaos was manufactured by the administration and is intentional. That is why Congress is acting today. We are reversing Louis DeJoy's disastrous actions and providing the Postal Service with the funding it so desperately needs. We won't let anyone dismantle our Postal Service. The Postal Service belongs to the people.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Earlier this week, a Member of this body attacked another Member over their viewpoint, but it wasn't the ordinary debate over ideology. It turned personal and misogynistic all too quickly. What was the egregious offense? She said what we all know to be true: that poverty is a leading path to crime; that if you can't pay your rent or feed your family, you will do whatever you have to do to survive, and you could turn to crime so you aren't homeless or so your family doesn't starve. That is called survival. Thanks to our Nation's disastrous response to COVID-19, more people aren't working, and that will cause poverty--pretty simple, honest logic. Well, one Member not only took offense to that truism, but they also took offense to the person who said it, in the most frightening manner. They started to attack a person not just for their values, but for who they are, with the most antiquated view and response I have seen in this body. By swearing at someone and calling them an f-ing b, you don't denigrate the person you are attacking as much as you denigrate yourself and, honestly, this institution. By not properly apologizing for that incident, you further dig yourself into a dinosaur-sized misogynistic hole. For the Republican Party to not deal with that Member swiftly and strongly, they show a greater problem with their party. It is likely not a coincidence that half of this body looks more like a ``Mad Men'' episode than a representative governing body for the greatest Nation on the planet. Madam Speaker, I am so proud to serve with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and every other woman and woman of color in this body. This country is not just made up of older, White, wealthy men alone. We are a rich tapestry of genders, races, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, and more. We can't be afraid to look like the very country we represent, and smart women, smart women of color, shouldn't make anybody afraid. They should make everyone proud of our Nation and proud that we finally-- finally--are starting to look more like it. If our actions in this body on issues like COVID if done improperly can lead to joblessness and poverty and could lead to more hunger and homelessness and, potentially, crime, if that truth, combined with the truth teller who looks like the Nation as a whole as opposed to this Congress, if that scares anyone, well, then they should learn how not to be scared or figure out their next career, because we have got more of this coming: truth telling and representative democracy. It couldn't be coming quickly enough. Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Ocasio-Cortez for giving me this opportunity to speak.

Mr. POCAN

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), the co-chair of the CPC, and my good friend.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, if you ask just about anyone, ``What is America's greatest threat?'' the answer isn't going to be another country or a political ideology. It is going to be a disease: COVID-19. And with that answer, people will mention the need of help for the jobless, the threat to small businesses, problems paying their rent or mortgage, and the need for healthcare. What you won't hear will be the need for a Space Force or more nukes or an overseas slush fund for the Pentagon. You certainly won't hear about the need for more cost overruns or fraud and abuse from defense contractors. But that is exactly what we have. We have increased our military spending almost 20 percent in the last 4 years at a time of relative peace, but we have not kept up with our needs like healthcare, education, and, of course, fighting the coronavirus, yet we spend 90 times more on defense than we do the Centers for Disease Control. $740 billion for the Pentagon is a lot of money, and too much of it gets wasted on fraud, cost overruns, and outside contractors. We are literally flushing money down the drain, and I mean literally. Due to a design flaw in the new $13 billion Ford-class aircraft carrier, we are spending $400,000 on specialized acids every time we have to flush and unclog the toilets. I am not making this up. Almost every major defense contractor has had to pay fines or settlements for fraud or misconduct, all while getting about $1 trillion in defense contracts. We have spent billions on an amphibious vehicle that sinks due to its own weight, and don't even mention the $10,000 toilet seat covers. If we cut the defense budget just 10 percent but not our troops, we free up $74 billion to fight global pandemics like COVID-19 and much more. We need to treat the Pentagon like every other department, and that means with fiscal responsibility. We do that today by trimming 10 percent, $74 billion, to be used, instead, on behalf of the American people, not bloated defense contracts. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), my distinguished colleague and colead on this amendment, and a strong voice for peace and justice.

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentlewoman.