Stacey Plaskett

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I know that there were other issues that the gentleman wanted to discuss with regard to some of these and examples that he wanted to give as well, and I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Ms. PLASKETT. I think he knows now.

Ms. PLASKETT. That was in the 1970s, I believe.

Ms. PLASKETT. Actually, they weren't men at the time. They were teenagers.

Ms. PLASKETT. Part of leadership is expressing your shortcomings and using that as an opportunity to move forward and to move the Nation forward. So many people look to our President for his leadership and for his thoughts and his out-of-the-box thinking. This would be tremendous not only to the people who are being oppressed, but to others as well. One of the things I wanted to leave us with was a quote and some work that the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is working on, that has a mission to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law, targeting, in particular, the inequities confronting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. In December 2016, Kristen Clarke, who is the president, stated: ``Hate crimes and hate-filled incidents stand as a dark cloud over our democracy. The recent spike in hate crimes is attributable, in part, to racially charged rhetoric that characterized the 2016 election cycle and the rise of `alt-right' white nationalist extremism. This is a moment that calls for Federal, State, and local officials to use every tool in their arsenal to fully investigate and prosecute these incidents when they occur.'' And we from the Congressional Black Caucus say, as well, to eradicate this from our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, this month marks the end of the school year for students. And, of course, that means graduation and promotion celebrations. I want to congratulate all of our students on their achievements and their proud family members. To our teachers, faculty, and staff, we thank you for your continued commitment to educating our children. We know that there are many challenges in today's learning environment, but amid the challenges we face, you stand strong. We appreciate all of your work. As a representative in Congress for the Virgin Islands, I pledge to continue to support legislation and initiatives that make our children, teachers, and administrators a priority. To the students of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I have a message for you: During these summer months, please take this time to continue to learn, participate in the Governor's reading challenge, find a new hobby, work, and please explore the natural wonder of our home, the Virgin Islands of the United States. Be safe, and best wishes to you all as you continue a productive educational journey. Have a safe and fun- filled summer.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my family and staff, I want to salute and commemorate the fallen veterans of the United States Virgin Islands and throughout the United States as we prepare to celebrate or participate in this Memorial Day observance. Memorial Day is the day our Nation gathers to honor the many men and women who have selflessly defended this country and have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the public and our democratic principles. The Virgin Islands proudly served and sacrificed its sons and daughters to American freedom, even before it was a part of this Nation. Our service history is rich and will continue. After becoming a part of this country 100 years ago this year, we lobbied, petitioned, for the responsibility to be a part of the draft. We shirk not from our duty. The Virgin Islands, along with the other territories, send more men and women per capita to serve in the U.S. military than anywhere in the United States, and have more fallen veterans per capita than anywhere else. I take this opportunity to thank and extend condolences to these men and women, their families, for their bravery, strength, sacrifice, and courage. We as citizens, and as a community, are forever indebted to our servicemen and -women. Our resolve is that their sacrifice is not in vain as we continue to fight for liberty and justice for all, both home and abroad. Mr. Speaker, just as we vow to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, we here in Congress will not forget any veterans when they return home.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, today the President put forth his budget proposal. The budget includes roughly $2.5 trillion in cuts to programs that help struggling families and elderly and disabled people afford the basics, like putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads, and affording healthcare. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, would be cut by $192 billion over the next decade. Medicaid, the health program for the poor, would be cut by $800 billion. TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, would be cut by $21 billion. In 2014, 20 percent of the population of my district, the Virgin Islands, received SNAP. SNAP feeds primarily poor children. In 2013, 19 percent of Virgin Islands' children were covered under Medicaid. Another 27 percent went without any health coverage at all. Mr. Speaker, budgets are about priorities. Unfortunately, our President's priorities are clear: more tax cuts for the wealthy taking precedence over ensuring that poor children have enough to eat, that people with physical and mental disabilities can make ends meet, and that low- and moderate-income Americans have access to healthcare. The budget would make inequality and poverty significantly worse, while allowing deficits, when honestly measured, to soar. Mr. Speaker, we must reject this budget.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, as I stand here, our world stands at a crossroads. As I stand here, 20 million stand at risk of starvation at the hands of what has the potential to become the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II: famine in South Sudan and impending famine in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen. Additional funding is needed to avert the destabilization of entire regions and to support refugees fleeing into neighboring countries. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of Members proposed that the U.S. allocate $1 billion in emergency funding for famine response. Thanks to those efforts, Congress pledged to provide $990 million in emergency funding in fiscal year appropriations. Foreign aid is an investment. It makes our country, and those overseas fighting for us, dramatically safer. With leadership comes responsibility. Providing aid is a moral imperative.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I thank the Congressman so much for his comments. I think it was very interesting that the gentleman was saying that the American people and people that he spoke with over the weekend want the truth. I think that is what we all here in Congress want. We want the facts. We want to hear specifically what has happened so that the people of the United States can make a decision about what happens next. I am not here to ask for impeachment or ask for any rash decision, but I am asking that the American people be able to see a transparent Congress and a transparent process that allows them to then speak to us as Members of Congress as to what they would like. Several months ago, almost 2 months now, several colleagues of mine and I wrote a letter to the Department of Justice, to the Acting Attorney General, requesting that he institute a special counsel, a special prosecutor, in this matter. We are grateful that that has happened. But a special counsel cannot replace an independent, outside commission and vigorous congressional investigation. The appointment of a special counsel speaks to the urgency of investigating the Trump connection to Russia's interference in our election and the gravity of the President's abuse of power in trying to shut down the FBI Director; but the American people need to understand that, while a special counsel could bring charges against those individuals who were, in fact, if the facts prove to be so, in collusion with the Russians, it cannot do anything to the President except bring a report to this Congress for this Congress to act on. This Congress needs to remember that we are a separate branch of government than the White House. This Congress seems to be acting as if it is part of the White House, an extension of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when, in fact, this Congress stands alone. We have a separate set of rules, a separate power, and a separate responsibility than the President of the United States. As such, Madam Speaker, it is important that we demonstrate to the American people that we are acting that way. A special counsel within the Trump- controlled Justice Department cannot replace a truly independent, outside commission, because it is the commission which would then be able to make a decision about our President. I say it is our President because we all respect the Office of the President, and we want the world to know that we respect and hold in reverence the individual who holds that and hold him accountable for that position that he holds. An independent, outside commission, as special counsel, Director Muller's actions will still be subject to review and approval by the President Trump-appointed leadership of the Justice Department. Congress must act to create an independent, outside commission that is completely free of the Trump administration's meddling. A special counsel cannot be used as a pretext for Republicans to shut down investigations by Congress or hide the facts of the President's wrongdoing from the American people. Now, I have heard the Justice Department and others talk about this being a criminal investigation, that the special counsel is using it as a special criminal investigation. As a lawyer, as someone who has been a prosecutor, I understand that the burden of proof for criminal charges are much different than this Congress would hold for a President if it were to ask for impeachment. So this Congress must not abdicate its responsibility because the work needs to be done. Jobs need to be created and infrastructure needs to be put in place so that commerce can be done in this country. Healthcare needs to be put in place for Americans. We cannot lose more Americans' healthcare. We need to gain more Americans having healthcare. We need to settle the issues of immigration. Madam Speaker, never mind criminal justice reform. It seems that this Congress has completely forgotten that, in the last Congress, we agreed, both Republicans and Democrats, to reform criminal justice. We are seeing our young people die not from the Justice Department and not just from what is happening on the streets, and never mind what is happening in our criminal justice system. I understand that a bill is going to be coming on the floor asking for minimum mandatory sentencing for a slew of charges which will again increase the school-to-prison, cradle-to-death pipeline of prisons in this country. So these are the things that we as Congress need to be concerned with. The national security issues that our President has are things that we need to continue to look at. There is an old Washington cliche: personnel is policy. The same reflects the wisdom that any President's agenda depends on his political appointees to refine and implement that vision. Trump's White House has failed first and most spectacularly in this requirement. That failure may not even be the President's failure at this time but the people he has put in place by both building a dysfunctional White House and National Security Council and by failing to staff his national security agencies with the appointees necessary to oversee and direct foreign policy. For now, the failures of Trump's political favorites with his new establishment professionals likely mean incoherence on the national security front for some time, with the White House lurching from one crisis to the next, its actions and words disconnected from any broader doctrine. Bad personnel decisions have also dogged the Trump administration during its first 100 days. Michael Flynn and K.T. McFarland hardly did well in leading the NSC during their brief sojourns there. Low-level hires have also continued poor performance. The most obvious foreign policy failures are that there is no policy, no doctrine, no strategy that knits together Trump's desired ends with the government's ways and means. That should be of concern to my Republican colleagues who want this Republican President to succeed. If you want him to succeed, you need to help him. The help needs to come in terms of the personnel that he has put in place, in terms of the transparency, and as they said, cleaning the swamp, getting rid of the swamp, so that there can be those professionals and those above reproach in the White House carrying out the mission of this President. At the agency level, the Trump's White House political appointments machine has been incredibly dysfunctional, reportedly because of fights between the White House factions over personnel picks. This has starved the Pentagon, State Department, Justice Department, and other agencies of under secretaries, assistant secretaries, deputy assistant secretaries, special assistants who actually are carrying out the President's agenda. In the absence of an entire team, the uniformed military leadership and career civil servants of these agencies have carried on, but with significant friction given the personal disdain for these people during the campaign and afterwards. The personnel failures have worsened the second category of the failures, those of process. If there was personnel, we also have process failures going on right now. The NSC was codified in 1947, along with the modern Defense Department, CIA, and Joint Chiefs of Staff to correct perceived process failures during World War II. The big idea behind the National Security Act was to create a process that could withstand poor personnel by ensuring the institution of the presidency was well served by its national security agencies and could, therefore, make better informed decisions. Despite its aspirations to run the White House like a fine-tuned machine, the administration has uniformly failed to implement processes to serve its agenda. Indeed, at times--an example being the 63-hour rush to strike Syria with cruise missiles or its announcement of a tax plan before the details were ironed out--the White House seems at war with the very idea of process, as if budgets, planning, and coordination were toxic features of the Washington swamp, to be rejected at all costs. The biggest process failures have been those that affected the entire government. Trump's failure to develop detailed budgets, let alone to agree with Congress on the funding levels and priorities, nearly led the country to the brink of a government shutdown. All indications point to the impasse being settled, but the outcome will likely be a continuing resolution once again that punts all the major budget decisions and keeps agencies in limbo on major programs, including, if we are talking about national security, major weapons systems, acquisitions, spending on important training and exercises, and outlays for servicemembers and military families. This is something that is going to cause all Americans to suffer, spectacularly in some cases. One of the President's biggest campaign promises, the pledge to build a wall on America's border with Mexico, has stalled for lack of funding, and proposals will likely remain stuck in the government contracts process for months, if not years. His immigration orders have been held unconstitutional because of errors that his Justice Department or Department of Homeland Security lawyers would have caught and corrected had they been there or had a chance. In some cases, the process failures have had deadlier consequences. President Trump ordered a risky special operations raid on Yemen over a dinner meeting with his senior staff with scant process or coordination. The raid went badly, as military operations sometimes do. Instead of taking responsibility, the White House blamed the military, both for the substantive failure on the ground and the faulty decision process that put the SEALS there. Disconnects between the White House, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Pacific Command resulted in a confusing saga regarding the movements of a U.S. aircraft carrier, resulting in the dilution of any deterrent value that President Trump's words might hold in Moscow or Beijing. The personnel and process failures contribute to policy failures across the national security chessboard. The most obvious Trump foreign policy failure is that there is no policy, no doctrine at this time. We deserve better in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in China, in North Korea, but most importantly, here on the home front. We as Americans deserve a coherent, comprehensive process oriented as well as personnel driven with career intelligence individuals at the helm and within the ranks of each one of these agencies because we have a lot to lose. We have our young people to lose if we go into wars that have not been thought out and have not been process driven. Our young people deserve better. Our world deserves better because the world is looking to America to still be the ones--although we seem to be abdicating our responsibility, whether it be in war or in the other forms of diplomacy that we engage in--to keep this a safe place. Famines that are going on in Sudan, in Yemen, and in other places, it is the American might, the might of our aid and our support to them, that keeps democracy alive, not just on the ground and in fact, but in the hearts and minds of those who yearn for it in other places. That is the national security that this America needs to be engaged in, and it is that kind of national security that this Congress needs to be concerned with. We need to get back. We have a week of bills that are dysfunctional in themselves that do not serve the best interests of the American people. This Congress needs to stop scuttling legislation, scuttling bills that their colleagues are trying to put forward. Vote them up or vote them down. Let the American people know where you stand on every issue. We need to stop the voice votes that are going on in committees that allow Members to hide behind what their positions are with their constituents. I know it is not easy, but that is why we are all adults here. We want to put on our big girl pants and be the kind of people who can stand for what we believe. So let's bring those bills forward. Let's support the infrastructure jobs activity, as well as national security and support for the world abroad. That is what we have to lose if we do not hold this President, this White House, and all of his agencies and his Cabinet accountable for the work that they are doing. Madam Speaker, it appears that I do not have additional Members who would like to speak in this Special Order hour. Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor this CBC Special Order. For the next 60 minutes, we 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. Tonight, we will highlight the President's action to undermine our national security, including, but not limited to, abruptly firing FBI Director Comey in order to ease pressure on the Russian investigation just 1 day before sharing classified information with a Russian official. Madam Speaker, many in this country believe Congress continues to have trouble accomplishing the basic requirements of its job. Up until a few weeks ago, we were still scrambling yet again to complete spending legislation to prevent a government shutdown. If the only measure of national security success during the President's first 100 days were avoiding catastrophe, okay, President Trump has succeeded: no attacks on the U.S., no new wars, no nuclear Armageddon. These are good things, and in the moment we can breathe a sigh of relief. However, these outcomes, arguably, owe more to the national security machine built by the President's predecessors than any decision of the 45th President. President Trump's first major budget proposal will be released tomorrow. It is reported to include massive cuts to Medicaid and will call for drastically and unprecedented changes to antipoverty programs. As for Medicaid, the State Federal programs that provide healthcare to low-income Americans, Trump's draconian budget plan would follow through on a bill passed by House Republicans to cut more than $800 billion over 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this would cut off Medicaid benefits for 10 million people over the next decade. That is unacceptable. The dysfunctional relationship between Congress and the Trump administration has helped to bog down and complicate the fiscal 2017 budget process and has stymied the work of this Congress when it comes to passing legislation that will help our constituents. A recent survey found that 48 percent of Americans now prefer increased government spending in areas like healthcare, veterans care, education, and infrastructure--things that the people of my district, the Virgin Islands, desperately need, with a 15 percent unemployment rate and 33 percent of our children living in poverty. It is time for Congress to get back to work for the people that have put us here. I want to highlight three pieces of legislation that I have introduced that will help my constituents in the Virgin Islands in various ways. With a special counsel now having been appointed to look into the distractions the White House has created, it is time that Congress focus on our job and proceed to hold hearings on these bills followed by a vote on the House floor, and, hopefully, these commonsense bills will be signed into law by the President. Healthcare: President Trump and the Republican Congress are planning to cut more than $800 billion out of Medicaid funding over 10 years while converting the program to a cap block grant to the States and territories and eliminating ACA's Medicaid expansion. These provisions are in the American Health Care Act, the House GOP's ObamaCare repeal bill. As a Member representing the Virgin Islands, I believe we need to get back to doing the work of the people, and that is working to pass laws that better the lives of our constituents. I introduced improving the treatment of the U.S. territories under the Federal healthcare program, which would eliminate existing inequities the territories face under Medicaid and Medicare. There are numerous bills that my other colleagues have introduced to assist their constituents and all Americans in areas of healthcare. We need to bring those bills to the floor and vote them up or vote them down. Veterans: There are few places in the United States with higher per capita rates of military service than the United States Virgin Islands. As a Member, I am committed to ensuring Virgin Islands veterans have full and equal access to health, housing, education, and employment benefits they have rightfully earned. Our constituents have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq more than 30,000 times since September 11, and about 120,000 military veterans live in the territories, yet none are allowed to cast a ballot to choose their Commander in Chief. We need to remember that nearly 4 million Americans call Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa home, a combined population greater than 22 States. We represent those Americans in the U.S. House who cannot vote for their interests on the House floor. Our constituents are denied representation in the U.S. Senate and are barred from the general election for President and Vice President. When the Presidential vote was tabulated in 2016, it was as if 4 million Americans we represent do not exist. There is a time, however, when our people are counted--when the country goes to war. I have introduced H. Res. 91, which proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding Presidential elections, voting rights for residents of all United States territories and commonwealths. Education: We have to fix the education system. We have to give our young people better choices. We need to allow our children to be able to be educated in a place that is hospitable to learning. That does not occur right now in many places in the United States. The President's budget cut would remove support to schools for infrastructure, for afterschool programs, and for summer reading programs. We cannot continue with this if we want to have national security. National security is the security of our young people to be educated and to grow safely. That is not happening in the Virgin Islands or anyplace in the United States at this time. I recently introduced the United States Virgin Islands College Access Act of 2017, which will allow college students who are residents of the Virgin Islands to receive more reasonable tuition rates at participating 4-year institutions of higher education. It is time for Congress to stop doing business as usual. With budget decisions impacting everything from national security to infrastructure investment, Congress needs to focus on doing its job and doing it with more than the next few months or current fiscal year in mind. Moving forward, we as Members of Congress need to make sure that we deal with our legislative and budgetary responsibilities with more thoughtfulness and foresight. Congressman Dwight Evans represents the wonderful city of Philadelphia and the people of Pennsylvania. He is a legislator of many years. Although he comes here as a freshman, none of us consider him as a freshman having served in the legislature in Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. I would ask him to speak on the topic that the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order hour has introduced: What Do We Have to Lose: National Security. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, on April 4 of this year, I, along with my colleagues Ted Lieu and Kathleen Rice, sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking that they appoint a special counsel to investigate any Trump campaign collusions with Russia. Yesterday, the Department of Justice took a step in the right direction by appointing former FBI Director Robert Mueller as the special counsel to oversee the Federal investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials. I have worked with Mr. Mueller at Justice and recognize his past accomplishments. His appointment speaks to the urgency of bringing some stability to this process so that Congress can get back to the business of working on what our constituents need most: issues affecting Virgin Islanders and the United States of America and the world; issues of jobs, infrastructure, education. Last week I introduced H.R. 2404, the Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under the Federal Health Programs Act of 2017, a bill to remove the existing inequities and disparities that territories face under Medicaid and Medicare, and also to provide us with a fair share of funding for our hospitals. Mr. Speaker, these are the types of issues Congress must begin to work on for the American people, and I ask my colleagues to continue to put people over politics.

Ms. PLASKETT

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

Ms. PLASKETT. I thank the gentleman, Congressman Evans, for keeping us focused and giving us the information we need to understand what real communities are going through and the environmental justice that we need to be fighting for in this administration. I appreciate that so much. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin), who has been the person who was at the forefront of this evening, bringing issues of environmental justice to our minds and exposing and explaining to the American people the assault on environmental justice that is taking place right now, and appealing to President Trump to be mindful of those communities who are going to be affected by the cuts and by other interest groups that are going after the basic needs that Americans have to stay healthy and stay alive.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), from the great city of Philadelphia.

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour with my esteemed colleague from Texas (Mr. Veasey). For the next 60 minutes, we 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. This evening, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond), my friend and colleague, I first thank him for his continued leadership of the caucus and on issues impacting Black America and other minority communities across this great Nation. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey), my colleague, for joining me in chairing this evening's Special Order hour, and my other CBC colleagues who are joining us to speak on important issues. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to address the first 100 days of the Trump Presidency and its impact on minority communities like the district I represent and those of my fellow CBC colleagues. Specifically, we will highlight 100 actions taken by this administration in the last 100 days with less than positive impact to the communities we represent. The President hails his first 100 days as the most successful in the history of the United States. These actions, however, do not spell success for low income and minority communities. Actions that, in turn, roll back Department of Justice protections designed to ensure police accountability; actions that threaten to further restrict voting rights and undermine the public education system; actions that threaten access to quality affordable health care for millions of Americans, including children, seniors, and those with preexisting medical conditions; actions that propose gutting programs, HUD, and others that provide housing assistance for extremely low-income families and the homeless; mean-spirited actions that break up families and make immigrant communities less safe; and actions that roll back important environmental protections which serve to, among other things, ensure safe air and drinking waters in communities like Flint, Michigan, and mitigating the effects of climate change in vulnerable coastal communities like my home district of the United States Virgin Islands. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus has reached out to President Trump and is willing to work with his administration to continue to build upon the greatness of this country--and not just for the privileged few but for all. As representatives of a congressional district that is home to the only HBCU outside the continental United States, I take exception to the administration's Education Secretary viewing HBCUs as pioneers for school choice, even though these institutions were founded because White colleges and universities refused to admit Black students. This statement illustrates a lack of understanding of the history of the African Americans and the Black community. President Trump's proposed budget for the Department of Education plans to eliminate afterschool and teacher-support programs, as well as slashing funding for Federal supplemental education opportunity grants, Pell grants, and instead divert Federal funds to private school vouchers. This plan would be devastating to communities like my home district where almost one-third of the children live below the poverty line and where public schools are already struggling to make the best with limited funds and resources. President Trump's budget proposal would also cut the Department of Health and Human Services' budget by $12.6 billion, a 16 percent cut. In my home district of the United States Virgin Islands, HHS funds critical early childhood education; and nutrition programs provide assistance to seniors, low-income families, and funding for mental health programs. Mr. Speaker, these and other actions that my colleagues will speak about are not to criticize the President, but more to highlight the importance of funding of these programs and, more importantly, highlighting how important these programs and government functions are to American families and to the safety and progress of our communities. America, stay woke. There are still more than 1,300 days to go. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) is correct about staying focused and, in the lexicon of the young people, to stay woke about what is happening. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) gave some great examples about some of the things that happened in this first 100 days that should make us aware how this is, in some ways, an assault on distressed communities, on minority communities. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) spoke to some of them. One of the things I wanted to highlight is a booklet that the Congressional Black Caucus has put out about 100 actions that have taken place in these 100 days: President Trump's proposed budget would eliminate the Economic Development Administration at the Department of Commerce. In 2015, EDA invested 38 percent of its funds in highly distressed areas, including communities with high minority populations, such as the gentleman from Texas' and mine. President Trump's proposed budget would eliminate the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. People ask, What is that? This is an organization which channels investments into communities in need of capital for housing, small businesses, and community facilities. That is its sole function. President Trump said that the private sector already did a good job making investments in these communities, which demonstrates how out of touch and ill-informed he and his administration are. His administration needs to tell him and give him the facts about what is going on in minority and underdeveloped communities. As we will hear from our colleagues, there are areas in which environmental protection and climate change, social justice for environmental justice needs to take place. President Trump's proposed budget would cut environmental protection agencies, environmental justice programs that work to ensure the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, and national origin or income with the respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It would simply cut it out of place. The proposed budget would cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's coastal programs, which would affect populations, including minorities living along the Gulf Coast and other coastal areas. At this time, we have other members of the Congressional Black Caucus that are here to talk about environmental justice. This freshman Member has really stepped in and just taken a hold of actions and demonstrating a love for his constituents in coming here this evening and wanting to address environmental justice areas. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin).

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McEachin for his passion and for his commitment to these issues of environmental justice. Particularly in the Virgin Islands, we know that climate change is real. We feel it, and we see it in how we operate and how our environment is changing, whether it be mosquitoes and Zika, before that chikungunya and dengue. We know that the effects of climate change are impacting our health and impacting the livelihoods of our environment. The Congressional Black Caucus supports policies that ensure that all Americans also have access to a clean and healthy environment. Studies have long shown an unsettling correlation between race and the location of hazardous waste facilities. For example, a 1983 Government Accountability Office study found that 75 percent of hazardous waste landfills in eight southeastern States were located in predominantly poor and minority communities. The places where minorities live, work, and learn are significantly compromised by air, water, land, soil, noise, and light pollutants. Black Americans and other minorities are predisposed to health issues directly linked to environmental and toxic waste. We cannot take away funding to support the eradication of these health hazards. We must continue to push for that. We are not here as the Congressional Black Caucus simply to disparage our President. We are not here to point out his fallacies. But we would be doing a grave disservice to the people that we represent, not just minorities but all Americans, if we do not stand up and discuss the issues that are of grave concern to us, to ask for support and funding, to ask that there not be a rollback on many of the gains that we have had that have supported and helped our community. At the beginning of the 115th Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus launched: ``What Did Trump Do?'' It was a rapid-response messaging document we used to inform our external stakeholders. This ``What Did Trump Do?'' is a special #staywoke edition. We are listing 100 actions President Trump and his administration have taken over the last 100 days. It was developed by 78 million Americans that the CBC collectively represent, including 17 million African Americans, as well as millions of Americans we do not represent. We want this information to be before the American people to show that work must still be done. We talked about environmental areas. I am going to list some of the things that have happened in the 100 days that we need to be cognizant of, that we need to make sure that these things do not take place, and that they not become embedded in this great America in which we live. On February 28, Attorney General Sessions said that the DOJ would pull back from using its legal authority to monitor police departments responsible for repeated instances of police misconduct and abuses by backing away from legal commitment first enacted into law by Representative John Conyers as part of the 1994 crime reform legislation. Sessions sent a signal to the African-American community that the police misconduct laws will not be equally and fully enforced. On that same day, the President signed a bill that rolled back a regulation restricting gun purchases by the mentally ill through a use of background checks. Attorney General Sessions rescinded the Obama-era order to reduce the use of privately operated prisons. The use of privately operated prisons creates a financial incentive to lock people up using African Americans, Latinos, and poor people. In addition, in comparison to the government-operated prisons, privately operated prisons are less safe and secure for both staff and inmates, don't provide the same level of rehabilitative services like educational programs and job trainings which increase the likelihood that those who are released from prison will return to a life of crime. Finally, although privately operated prisons are said to be more cost effective than government prisons, they are not because those that are in those prisons will continue to, in many instances, come back causing a burden not just on the American people and taxpayers but on the families and the communities in which those individuals reside. Other things that have happened in these first 100 days: President Trump appointed Candace E. Jackson as Acting Assistant Secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education. Ms. Jackson once said that affirmative action promotes racial discrimination and claims she was discriminated against for being White. Secretary DeVos hired Robert Eitel, an official with deep ties to the for-profit college industry, to be a Special Assistant to the Department of Education. This hire presents a serious conflict of interest and raises questions about whether Eitel can put students' needs above the interest of his former colleagues. President Trump's proposed budget for the Department of Education hurts low-income students from pre-K through college by undermining public education through the elimination of afterschool and teacher- support programs and diverting Federal funds to private school vouchers, eliminating support for college students, gutting Federal workstudy, and slashing critical funding for Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Pell grants. All of these cuts would have severe consequences for our Nation's students--not just African Americans but Latinos and students in large urban areas. No afterschool programs, no support for teachers--what will our children do? What will those families do that need those children and that support? On March 9, EPA Administrator Pruitt said that he did not think that carbon dioxide was the primary driver of global warming even though that is the public position of EPA, NOAA, and NASA. We can go on and on. We have a document with over 100 actions that have been taken in the last 100 days. In housing and homeownership, President Trump's proposed budget would cut the Department of Housing and Urban Development by $6 billion. HUD is responsible for providing housing assistance to extremely low-income families and the homeless and reinvesting in American cities and counties. Those same proposed budgets would end the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which assists families with energy costs, including home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and energy-related home repair. These are some of the many examples of what has happened. We give these examples not merely to degrade what has happened with this administration, but to show that work must still be done and that we, as Americans, must stay woke to what is happening in this country. We must keep our eyes vigilant and on the prize and ensure that Americans will see what is really happening and not be moved by the media, by the tweets, but see actual facts. We are working in real facts here to let you know what needs to be done and that we, the Congressional Black Caucus, as Members of Congress, are asking our colleagues across the aisle and in the Democratic Caucus to support us and to support the issues that are relevant not just to African Americans, but to all Americans this day. General Leave

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

Ms. PLASKETT

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

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Republican healthcare bill. There is concern with the would-be effects of this legislation, and rightfully so. But if anyone wants to see a real-life example of the detrimental impact of block granting Medicaid, look no further than across the water to the U.S. Virgin Islands, or any of the territories. It is a grim outlook because we experience it every day. Caps on Medicaid have proven to be a fiscal disaster for our budget. Unlike States in the mainland, where Federal Medicaid spending is open- ended, to Virgin Islanders, we can only access Federal dollars up to an annual ceiling because we were not included in the ACA mandate. Cuts to Medicaid affect all of you, every individual. As a result of what has happened in the Virgin Islands, 30 percent of our population is uninsured and hospitals have been left to pick up the bill. If you or your child is ill, you go to the hospital, whether you can take care of the bill or not. This situation places a tremendous burden on our hospitals, creating uncompensated care costs in the tens of millions of dollars. We have to make tough choices of removing people from Medicaid, which means loss to elderly and individuals. We ask that you reject this bill.

Ms. PLASKETT

Ms. PLASKETT. Congresswoman Demings, in fact, you do have a lot to lose. We see how Florida, with its elders, its senior citizens, will really take a major hit if this law is passed. And our colleagues have been giving us examples all the time. I am always trying to let them know that the Virgin Islands stands as an example of what it will look like if the Affordable Care Act is repealed because the Virgin Islands doesn't have the expansion. We were not put in the mandate for the exchange, and that has led to 30 percent of Virgin Islanders having absolutely no health insurance, which then means that our hospitals are strained because the hospitals have to pick up costs for individuals who are without health care. Listen, if your child is ill or sick, or you are dying, you are going to go to the hospital whether you can take care of it or not, whether you can pay the bill or not; and that has put a tremendous burden on our hospitals for them to meet the costs of those 30 percent of individuals living in the Virgin Islands who do not have health insurance, are not covered by either the government group insurance for the local government or by the Medicaid money that we utilized because we did not have the expansion. And even that is scheduled to leave after the fiscal year 2019, and we are going to have to make choices of removing people from Medicaid, of removing care from children, removing care from elderly and from individuals with disabilities. That is not a choice that Americans should have to make in this day and age, that individuals do not receive health care. I know, Congressman Veasey, that you are hearing from people in your own district who are giving you these same stories: What is going to happen if I don't have healthcare coverage? What is going to happen to my children if they are not able--they have asthma, they have juvenile diabetes, they have these issues, and I am not going to be able to take care of them because I am not going to have this insurance. Or the Medicaid is going to have to be pulled back in our State because we are going to have it capped; and our State is not a wealthy State and is not going to be able to make up the difference. I know that the gentleman has examples from other Members who have come and given statements for us to bring to the Record about what is going to happen. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas.