Stacey Plaskett

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, this manager's amendment does not fix the flaws in the bill we are considering. One of the major flaws in the bill is the authority it gives to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to hold up rules indefinitely. This amendment attempts to address that concern by requiring that any extension be agreed to by both the White House and the agency issuing the rule. It is just not realistic to believe that an agency whose top official is appointed by the President would tell the White House it cannot have an extension if the White House asks. This amendment also does nothing to address the concern that the bill could interfere with other laws. The Natural Resources Defense Council sent a letter to House Members opposing H.R. 1009. That letter states: ``The bill would also revive legislative language that Congress repealed elsewhere because it made it impossible to protect the public. Specifically, in H.R. 1009, OIRA is charged with ensuring that a regulation imposes the least burden on society. Congress removed such language when it updated the Toxic Substances Control Act because the phase had made it impossible for chemical safety regulations to pass judicial muster, even when the chemical was asbestos, well known to be a potent carcinogen.'' This amendment also includes language that says that no funds shall be authorized to carry out the bill. This does not change the fact that the CBO estimates that the bill will result in $3 million in direct spending. That is money that Congress has not appropriated that independent agencies like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would have to spend. CBO also estimates that the bill would change the operations of the Federal Reserve, which would result in $2 million in reduced revenues. CBO also estimates that agencies would have to spend $4 million in appropriated funds each year to comply with the requirements of this bill. Making agencies comply with additional requirements without giving them more money means that agencies will have to choose between which requirements they comply with and which they ignore. I oppose this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, we would say that this bill is not necessarily about transparency so much as it is about the executive branch, and specifically the White House, being able to reach into these independent agencies. There are already mechanisms in place for the transparency that my colleague is speaking about. What we are doing now is creating another level of oversight over the committees, over these independent agencies, so that this Congress can then have reach into them as well. At this time, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. There are many organizations that oppose this bill, including consumer protection groups such as The Center for Popular Democracy's Fed Up Coalition. The Fed Up Coalition sent a letter to House Members today that said: The Fed Up Coalition exists to ensure that policymaking at the Federal Reserve reflects the concerns of working families and communities of color. By encroaching on the Fed's ability to pursue sound regulation and extending the hand of the executive branch in the Federal Reserve decisionmaking, H.R. 1009 undermines the Feds's ability to keep our financial system safe and protect working families and taxpayers that our coalition represents. I strongly urge Members to vote ``no'' on H.R. 1009, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this bill. My colleagues on the other side have portrayed this bill as simply a codification of an executive order President Clinton issued. That simply is not the case. This bill makes significant changes to the regulatory process. The bill would require independent agencies to submit rules to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OIRA, for review. Independent agencies do not currently have to get the approval of the White House for regulations they issue. Congress designed independent agencies to be just that, independent. This bill would change that. In February of 2015, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz sent four letters to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission alleging that the White House had ``an improper influence'' on the FCC's net neutrality plan and that the FCC ``failed to establish the appearance that this rulemaking is independent, fair, and transparent.'' The bill we are considering would enshrine in law that very allegation my esteemed colleague Chairman Chaffetz had concerns about, political interference by the White House with the FCC and other independent agencies. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bill would increase direct spending by $3 million and reduce revenues by $2 million. These direct spending and revenue effects are caused by the fact that the bill covers independent agencies. CBO has also estimated that the bill would cost Federal agencies an additional $20 million in administrative costs. Imagine. I am fighting to keep the budget down in this matter. The bill does not include offsets for any additional spending. The bill also omits critical phrases from Executive Order 12866 that ensures that OIRA reviews do not contradict existing law. For example, the executive order requires agencies to provide the cost and benefits of alternatives to a proposed rule ``unless prohibited by law.'' The bill does not include this exception, and my colleagues on the other side have still not explained why it does not include this language. It is unclear how the bill would impact laws that prohibit agencies from considering costs when setting public health standards. The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards--an alliance over 150 labor, scientific, good government, health, and environmental groups--sent a letter to the House Members yesterday opposing this bill. That letter said in part: ``Particularly concerning, H.R. 1009 would in effect rewrite dozens of public interest laws containing congressional mandates that require agencies to prioritize public health and safety and the preservation of the environment, clean air, and clean water over concerns for industry profits. This consequence flows from another key difference between H.R. 1009 and the Executive Orders it purports codify: Whereas the Orders impose their requirements only to the extent consistent with applicable laws, H.R. 1009 recognizes no such limitations.'' Mr. Chairman, this bill would also give OIRA the ability to hold up rulemaking indefinitely. Under Executive Order 12866, the administrator over OIRA has 90 days to review a rule, and that period can be extended one time for 30 days. This bill would allow OIRA to extend its review ``for any number of additional 30-day periods upon written request by the administrator or the head of the agency.'' The bill also gives the rulemaking agencies the ability to object to an extension of OIRA review period, but it is not realistic to think that an agency would refuse a request for an extension from the White House. The Union of Concerned Scientists also sent a letter to House Members opposing this bill. That letter said: Of particular concern is the fact that H.R. 1009 aims to codify some of the most burdensome requirements of previous executive orders while gutting the much-needed flexibility that the orders provide to Federal agencies in charge of ensuring science-based protections for the public. Congress should increase protections for our constituents rather than preventing agencies from issuing science-based protections. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment is simple. It rescinds the authority to spend up to $30 million on a commission to do what Congress and the agencies already do. If you want duplication, look no further than this bill. It seeks to reduce the size of bureaucracy by establishing a new commission to serve a function already performed without the contribution of an additional $30 million in taxpayer funding. Now, $30 million may not be too much to the true benefactors of this bill on K Street, but to seniors, veterans, students, and workers all across this country, it can go a long way. For example, Social Security's meager 0.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for 2017 amounts to $4 more in benefits per month for the average beneficiary. That means that $30 million would be enough to double that cost-of- living adjustment for 7.5 million seniors. We all know that the cost of additional sequestration cuts on education, health, and the environmental protection loom at the end of this fiscal year. The double talk and schizophrenia of my esteemed colleagues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee who pushed this bill through the committee has me truly concerned for the mental state of this Congress. They want to defund Planned Parenthood, but want to fund a nine-member task force at a cost of $30 million. They drag their feet and hem and haw to assist Flint, Michigan, in funding to promote clean water and save the lives of a community, but we can sure fund a task force to duplicate already-carried-out activities by the Federal Government so we can say we did it to the tune of $30 million. The chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee wouldn't allow the people of the Virgin Islands, for 100 years as part of the United States, to receive $100,000 already earmarked for our interior. But, we have money for this bill. And let's not discuss all the block- granting discussions going on around here in this Congress. Today, the House majority is now asking to authorize $30 million on a bill that would handcuff enforcement agencies in their ability to respond to even more pressing new public health and safety problems. Let me be clear. Reducing the burden of unnecessary red tape on small businesses is a goal that we all share. I recognize that some regulation is burdensome, and there should be a review of the code to determine what can be consolidated or repealed to reduce compliance costs. One of the things that we seem to agree on is that retrospective review is helpful in the regulatory process. But, retrospective review is already going on with money that has already been authorized. All of the agencies have been required to do this under standing executive orders issued by President Obama. As has been discussed before, the results have been successful in reducing regulations. Agencies have yielded billions of dollars in cost savings and reduced reporting requirements through the modification of existing regulations. People in my district get it that there is a cost to protecting the environment, but they know that keeping our workers safe and our waters clean is worth it. There can be and is red tape that is unnecessary, and there is ongoing work and focus to eliminate and reduce that. Could there be ways to improve upon existing review regulations? There very well may be, and I am willing to work with anyone on a good idea. Even if $30 million were to come from elsewhere in the budget instead of additional spending, it would be that much less that agencies would have to conduct the already ongoing retrospective review process now going on. Furthermore, we in Congress also have existing responsibility to actively conduct oversight of government operations and make legislative changes as we see fit. There is simply no reason to spend $30 million on this messaging effort to ignore the successful work that is already going on by qualified people, and to hobble the ability of regulators to safeguard public health and safety in the process. This Congress has money to throw at solutions in search of a problem, but requires cost offsets to provide aid for victims of Flint or toward Zika funding. Please approve my amendment to save this money. Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, the CBC chair, Mr. Cedric Richmond, and myself have a great honor that I rise today as one of the anchors of the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order hour. For the next 60 minutes I have a chance to speak directly to the American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent, and all Americans. During this hour, as Black History Month ends in the next day, we believe it is important for this Congress and for the people of America to hear about the great importance of grassroots movements, which have been the fortifying effect of the civil rights movements and other movements here in this country, and have made this country very great. At this time I would yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who will speak on this subject matter here on the floor.

Ms. PLASKETT. I thank you so much, Mr. James Clyburn. There can never be enough time for you to tell these stories and to educate and highlight to all of us the experiences that you have had personally, as well as the importance of Black History Month, and particularly Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the fabric of the United States. Thank you so much, sir. Mr. Speaker, as we have been discussing, often grassroots organizations are actually born out of necessity, not only because the system has not worked for them oftentimes, but sometimes because the system has been created, has been reorganized, or is actively fighting against them. Virgin Islanders understand the importance and the value of grassroots organizations. It is our nature and our lifeblood. We are a small people on a small island who have a history that was born out of oppression. So the very need for grassroots organizations and people who are resilient and willing to resist and fight in a passionate manner has been our very nature. Our first experience with grassroots organizations was in 1733, on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands, which is probably the first slave uprising in the Western Hemisphere where a group of 150 slaves decided that they had had enough, and those Akwamu slaves of Ghana decided that they were going to throw off the shackles and rebel and organize themselves. They were so effective at it, Mr. Speaker, that they were able to hold the island of St. John for 6 months against the Danish Government. The Danes had to organize in such a manner that they brought the French and the Swiss Government to provide assistance to them. The slaves of St. John were quelled after that rebellion, but it took a grassroots group of organized individuals to be able to do that. Again, on July 3 of 1848, many people don't know that the Virgin Islands became the second place in the Western Hemisphere to receive emancipation after Haiti. We did that on July 3, 1848, through the work of General Buddhoe. But what people do not know is that John Buddhoe had an enormous organizational group that plotted and planned for months before the actual staging of that uprising, which was so effective and so organized that when they went to storm the fort against an armed militia, the militia didn't realize that all of the gun powder had been taken out of the cannons and had been replaced with molasses. The slaves were so organized and so quiet and kept to themselves so much that they didn't even realize that it had been done. The Governor of Denmark who was assigned to the Virgin Islands had to sign the emancipation on that date because he knew that this group of people were so organized that that rebellion could take the entire island out. So we received our emancipation earlier than the African Americans received theirs through that organization of grassroots. Again, in October of 1878, the slaves had been moved not from slavery to slavery but to an organized serfdom where there were labor contracts that had to be signed. People were oppressed and living in what many here would understand as the sharecropping system but was really a serf system. Four women organized the labor rebellion at that time which we in the Virgin Islands call the Fireburn. They were willing to burn the islands down for just wages for themselves and laborers throughout the islands. They forced the signed contracts to have much better wage laws in them, much better terms in them for individuals. Those women were imprisoned and sent to Denmark--many of them burned at the stake for that rebellion. But it was grassroots organizations that were able to do that. More recently, in the 1950s, there was the creation of the Virgin Islands Labor Union, the organizing of cane workers and field workers. I am proud to say that my own uncle, Raymond Plaskett, was one of the organizers of that. They were able to force the sugar plantation owners, the sugar industry, to sit down and create unionized, collective bargaining labels. But we would be remiss as a people if we kept those organizational skills to ourselves, and we brought that to the United States as well. Many people know about Denmark Vesey who organized slave rebellions in South Carolina. He did that as a freeman, coming from the Virgin Islands and understanding that oppression anywhere of anyone was an oppression of himself, and gladly laid down his life and gave up his freedom to help organize the people of Charleston, South Carolina, that my great colleague, James Clyburn, represents to bring freedom to those individuals. Hubert Harrison from the island of St. Croix was a civil rights activist. He was the mind of Pan-Africanism, along with Edward Blyden of St. Thomas, who gave form and shape to Marcus Garvey and his organizing of his Back-to-Africa movement. More recently, Roy Innis, another relative of mine, was one of the leaders of CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X are people of the Caribbean who have come to the United States and recognized that grassroots organizations must be formed to push for equal rights. The accomplishments of the civil rights movement have given us much. It created the momentum of the Civil Rights Act, Brown v. Board of Education, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ended housing discrimination, the desegregation of schools. We saw Democratic political gains and the March on Washington. But we have organized groups still growing today, because equality has not come to its full fruition in America. There is still income equality, achievement gaps, poverty, unemployment, and an increase in the use of for-profit prisons that have incarcerated Black men disproportionately. Because of that, we have seen other movements now today: Black Lives Matter, founded in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin; Moral Mondays, which began in April 2013 by the Reverend William Barber II of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, after the Governor's mansion and the State legislature was taken over related to voting rights. These are injustices that are continuing today, which African Americans and others are standing up for, whether it be Standing Rock or the Muslim ban. We had the March on Washington and the grassroots group Indivisible, which has grown with African Americans and others who stood with their constituents at recent townhalls to make sure that their Congressmen and -women hear their voices on all issues of importance. Mr. Speaker, we understand that the people of the United States need to understand the importance of grassroots organizations as we end Black History Month. This has been an outstanding time for Congress, as well as the people of America, to hear about the grassroots organizations and how they may close. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the assistant leader of the Democratic Caucus, for him to speak on the matter that is before the House at this time, that being, grassroots movements in Black history and its importance and relevance for us here today.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), who is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who formerly led this Special Order hour and has been really a great mentor and support for us here in this time. She will also speak about some of the grassroots work that has been going on in the present time as well as in the past during this Special Order hour.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) to speak on the issue of grassroots organizations. I thank the gentleman for his leadership, all the work that he has done for the people of Philadelphia in his tenure. We welcome him here to the CBC hour and the information that he is going to share with us, as well as all Americans, on this topic.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) knows that people like he and I would never be here, never have been able to be educated without people who worked in laundry rooms, who were blue-collar workers, policemen, others. Those gains from Dr. King have afforded education and support and home ownership to the first group of Black Americans who moved into the middle class and are here in Congress now. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I really was moved by the portion that Mr. Richmond talked about concerning outsiders coming to organizations and coming to protests, and saying possibly that they are outsiders. No. We are all American, and we will join with other individuals in other areas that need our support and feel oppressed, and feel that justice has not been on our side. That has been the Black American experience. That is the American experience of civil protests and working for a more perfect union. Mr. Speaker, I yield time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey), who also wants to speak about, as we close Black History Month, some of the accomplishments of Black Americans, of the Black movement here in the United States as we move to becoming a more perfect union, and how grassroots organizations have played a part in that role.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Veasey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), who is my classmate and one of my very good dear friends.

Ms. PLASKETT. We did. There are some additional conversations that we need to have, but I know that our time has drawn nigh.

Ms. PLASKETT. Sure.

Ms. PLASKETT. So we don't forget.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Lawrence so much for that discussion and inspiration she has given us. We are not going to go back. We have heard from so many of our colleagues about the achievements of African Americans. But not just the achievements--the struggles, and the issues that we are facing today. Mr. Speaker, we heard from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who outlined not just the past struggles of African Americans and their achievements, but also about the rising concerns throughout the African diaspora when she talked about what is happening in Somalia and other places, and the fact that African Americans have a duty to support other diasporas and the work that they are doing and the struggles they have. We heard about the Affordable Care Act from our assistant leader, Mr. Clyburn, the civil rights movement, the work that was done, and the assault that is occurring now on some of those issues. So we, as the Congressional Black Caucus, have a duty to present those issues here before you all, our colleagues, here in Congress, Mr. Speaker, to put those issues on the Record so that we can expound on them. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Mr. Veasey if there is anything else that he wanted to discuss or that he reflected on in hearing some of the words that our colleagues spoke about today.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Marc Veasey for assisting me and for being a leader in this Special Order hour for the Congressional Black Caucus. Of course, I thank the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, our friend and colleague, the Honorable Cedric Richmond, for his continued leadership of both our caucus and on issues impacting Black America and minority communities across this Nation. Mr. Speaker, Black History Month is a time to reflect on notable African-American icons, their achievements as a people, and our continued struggle for a more perfect Union. Not only does it serve as a source of great pride and an anchor to the African descendants in the African-American community, but it is also a vehicle to educate the masses on the totality of the Black experience throughout the history of this Nation. As we gather this evening to celebrate the life, legacy, and achievement of African descendants, it is important to remember the journey told and employ the same resilient spirit in our continued push for fair and equal access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus is a body of 49 members in both houses of Congress representing millions of African Americans and other minorities and majority people across this country. We are alarmed by the recent actions of this administration and the threat those actions pose to the hard-fought progress of African descendants and minorities in this country. The nomination of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General for many minorities across this country was a direct affront to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, our colleague John Lewis, and the many others who sacrificed and dedicated their lives to the civil rights movement and the right to vote. The concerns expressed by the great Coretta Scott King 30 years ago about the dubious past of Mr. Sessions with respect to enforcing civil rights laws remain the same for many Americans today. Mr. Speaker, the American Dream was, in fact, made possible by the plight of African descendants, and we must remain vigilant and steadfast in the fight against racial, social, and economic injustice. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise another area of concern that African Americans have, and that is for health care. My district of the U.S. Virgin Islands, home to the first African-American female physician in Congress, my esteemed predecessor, Donna Christensen, like many underserved communities across the country, is adversely impacted by disparate health outcomes. Diabetes, hypertension, along with funding for disease such as sickle cell, may be adversely affected in this administration. Programs for nutrition and preventative health, like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, or SNAP, provide critical food to the neediest in all of our communities, especially mine, the Virgin Islands, and especially to our children. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act would create unhealthy African- American communities. Since the Affordable Care Act was passed, nearly half of the African-American adults who didn't have health insurance now have health insurance. Under the Affordable Care Act, the number of working-age African-American adults who are uninsured has been cut from 27 percent to 14 percent, the lowest rate ever. The number of African- American children without insurance also decreased to the lowest rate ever, negative 5 percent. Repealing the Affordable Care Act would take away coverage for more than 3.3 million African Americans. In my district, we are looking for ways to expand coverage, not to remove or repeal it. Members of this caucus and members before us have offered policy solutions and continue to push policies and initiatives that would help African-American communities because we know the work that our communities have done, the work of our forefathers to ensure that we have a place at the table; individuals like Shirley Chisholm, as was spoken about by my colleague Sheila Jackson Lee. People who have come to America to be part of the experience of the African diaspora are people from many parts of the Caribbean. Right now we have Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, representing the Ninth District of New York, of Jamaican descent. Other notable Jamaicans who have served this country: General Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. Secretary of State; Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman appointed to the Federal bench; our previous Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose family hails from Barbados; Cicely Tyson, the Academy Award-nominated actress whose family is from Nevis; Edward Blyden, from my own St. Thomas, who has been known as the father of pan-Africanism; Hubert Harrison, a prominent political activist, writer, and orator; and my own special hero, Ruby Rouss of the island of St. Croix, who was the first Black woman assigned as a permanent staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. It is the work of these great African Americans and those who are not heralded and those that we don't know. Ms. Jackson Lee talked about her own family members. My own father, LeRoy Plaskett, and my mother, who came from the Virgin Islands and went to New York as older siblings to give back and to ensure that their younger siblings could have the things needed back home in the Virgin Islands. They have given a legacy for all of us, and we are so grateful for the work they have all done. I spoke of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.