Ayanna Pressley

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Chair, I just think it is important to remind my colleague across the aisle that consumers are being harassed aggressively, and many of them did not even incur the debt for which they are being harassed. So we need to close these loopholes. The current rule is rife with loopholes and carveouts and will open the floodgates for debt collectors to further bombard consumers. My amendment will ensure that the Consumer Bureau continues to put consumers first and protects them from relentless harassment. We simply want this data to be accessible on a quarterly basis because it will make it easier. The Consumer Bureau is an independent agency, and it needs to continue to operate as such. Under Dodd- Frank, the Director is required to report to Congress annually, and the GAO office is required to annually audit the agency's finances. The efforts of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are intended to weaken this agency. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Chair, again, this is ultimately about honoring the very mission of the Bureau, and that is to put consumers first. I support H.R. 1500, and I urge all of my colleagues to support my amendment, which will be a further effort to protect consumers and to guard against the harassment that so many Americans are experiencing every day. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the significant cultural and economic contributions the Haitian diaspora has made to America. The month of May marks Haitian Heritage Month, an expansion of Haitian Flag Day, which is celebrated annually on May 18. As the first Black republic in the world to abolish slavery, the Haitian people continue to demonstrate patriotism, resilience, sacrifice, love, and Haitian pride. Last weekend, I joined my Haitian brothers and sisters in the Massachusetts Seventh for a Flag Day celebration in Randolph and a Haitian-American Unity Parade in Mattapan. We waved this flag, shouting, ``Haiti,'' and, ``Unity is strength,'' ``L'union fait la force.'' Massachusetts Seventh is one of the most diverse districts in the country, and the Haitian diaspora is a fundamental part of our district. We have the first-in-the-Nation Haitian-Creole pre-K dual language program at the Toussaint L'Ouverture Academy. We have some of the most influential Haitian leaders in the country, like Marie St. Fleur, Linda Dorcena Forry, Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, Natacha Clerger, and Eunice Zeigler, to name a few. With many Haitian Americans contributing to our economy and society, they deserve more than TPS renewal. They deserve a pathway to permanent residency. Haitian Americans and the Haitian-American United network have made significant contributions to this country for decades. They are owed residency. We must continue to affirm the dignity of Haitian Americans and to demand that this administration see their humanity.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act. I rise on behalf of non-cisgender Americans, on behalf of QPOC Americans, on behalf of drag kings and drag queens, on behalf of all non-heteronormative Americans. I rise today to let you know that you are seen and you are heard, and I am proud to stand in solidarity with you. It is our mandate as legislators to protect all Americans, yet we are failing entire communities. In my home State, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a leader in marriage equality, we have the second largest LGBTQ population of any State in the country. Even though our queer pride extends far and wide, 61 percent of transgender Bay Staters experienced housing discrimination in the greater Boston area, and 65 percent of LGBTQ Bay Staters experienced discrimination in public spaces, from public transportation to retail establishments, places of worship, restaurants, and healthcare settings. As we consider H.R. 5, we must remind ourselves of our values. My forever President Barack Obama once said: ``When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.'' It is true. When we defeat hate with love, we all win. During a time filled with fear, bigotry, and public turmoil, it is unconscionable that we are still debating the liberties of people who ask only to be received as their full selves. It is our fundamental right as Americans to live happily, peacefully, and unapologetically. It is our fundamental right to live free of harassment and discrimination. It is our right to pursue happiness. I extend my deepest gratitude to Congressman Cicilline, the author of the Equality Act who has worked tirelessly for years to affirm the rights and liberties of LGBTQ Americans. Thanks to the leadership, H.R. 5 takes a comprehensive approach to making the pursuit of life, love, and happiness a reality for all of us, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Equality Act ensures that LGBTQ people are protected by a nationwide standard for nondiscrimination. It is time for us to live up to our values. It is time for us to strike out against injustices that devalue our humanity. Together, we can affirm that our diversity is our strength and that our collective safety is nonnegotiable. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 5.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 986, the Protecting Patients with Preexisting Conditions Act. Quality, affordable healthcare is a fundamental human right, period. No one should have to face financial ruin while they are fighting for their life. When people are using GoFundMe pages to pay their medical bills, when parents are burying their children who ration their insulin to pay their student loans, we know that we are in the midst of a moral crisis. Yet, we must contend with an administration that is determined to roll back these rights and protections. Each of us has loved ones whose lives are put in conditional jeopardy when we erode protections for preexisting conditions. These efforts put lives at risk, and we are here today to fight back. In my district, the Massachusetts Seventh, half the residents are living with preexisting conditions. Families are struggling with some of the highest per capita healthcare costs in the Nation, even as they live in the shadow of some of the best healthcare institutions in the world. In my district, travel 3 miles from Back Bay to Roxbury, and life expectancy drops 30 years--30. Since its implementation, the ACA has provided critical protections for the nearly 3 million residents of Massachusetts living with preexisting conditions. Our families, our neighbors, our communities are depending on us to uphold the lifesaving protections for people with preexisting conditions. We can do that today by passing H.R. 986. Mr. Chair, my amendment to H.R. 986 affirms that women's healthcare isn't optional. It is an essential benefit every plan must cover. At a time when more than 67 million American women and girls are living with a preexisting condition, we cannot--no, we will not go backward. At a time when life expectancy is declining because of gun violence, opioid use, and a maternal mortality crisis, we cannot afford to compromise on these essential services. Before the ACA, Mr. Chair, typical insurance plans considered maternity care a luxury benefit, and women consistently paid more for primary care than men. In fact, women who have given birth, had a C- section, or were living with HIV or a previous breast cancer diagnosis could be considered to have preexisting conditions and denied coverage. Thanks to the ACA, many women who were previously uninsured gained health coverage, including vital access to preventative care. This administration's cruel and dangerous guidance would weaken these provisions and allow insurers to sell skimpy plans that can exclude coverage like maternity care and pediatric services. The ACA is our floor, not our ceiling. We must continue to fight for universal healthcare. We must continue to push for a healthcare system that meets the needs of the people we represent, a healthcare system that sees all people, hears all people, and cares for all people in a way that promotes safety, dignity, and respect. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. My amendment is a commonsense amendment that reaffirms the interconnection between climate change and public health disparities plaguing communities across our country and throughout the globe. Mr. Chair, despite arguments to the contrary by many, there is no such thing as planet B. This is the only Earth we have, and we need to act like it. H.R. 9 will ensure that this administration acts accordingly. It has been said that politicians consider future elections while statesmen and -women consider future generations. It is our responsibility to consider future generations, to take the necessary actions to reestablish our Nation as a leader in the global fight to combat climate change. The impacts of climate change are not some futuristic threat. The threats are imminent; we are being confronted by them daily; and we must act now. Climate scientists have made clear that, if we are to continue down this path without action, it will be too late. We must act now. We must act today. We must act at this very moment. Climate change and global warming are threatening all aspects of our society and increasing the risk to human lives and health today, particularly for vulnerable communities like Roxbury and Chelsea in my district. These communities are finding themselves on the front lines of the crisis. For example, in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, a predominantly immigrant and low-income community that falls at the crossroads of two major highways, my constituents breathe some of the most toxic air in all of Boston, air polluted with car exhaust and other irritants that are exacerbated by rising heat levels. While these are largely invisible pollutants, the impacts are crystal clear. Over the last several years, asthma rates at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in the heart of Chinatown have jumped from 18 to 25 percent. Mr. Chair, let me make this plain. Our children are breathing toxic air. These climate injustices are far-reaching. According to a report released earlier this week by the American Lung Association, more than 141 million people in the U.S. live in communities with unhealthy levels of toxic pollution, including many living in my home State of Massachusetts where air quality has worsened each year. The World Health Organization estimates that 7 million people around the world die each year as a result of these types of air pollution exposures. These toxic pollutants are affecting 9 out of 10 people, the vast majority of the world's population. These statistics are staggering and, quite frankly, terrifying. If it seems that we are being fatalists, it is because the threat is a fatal one. Again, my amendment recognizes the critical impact that climate change poses to our fundamental right to breathe clean air, to drink clean water, and to live in clean and safe communities. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

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

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I regret that a logistical conflict prevented me from making the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 170.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA. I rise today to bring our stories out of the shadows. Let us reject the myth that strong women, bold women, independent women do not find themselves in the throes of violence at the hands of someone who claims to love them. My mother, my shero, found herself in such an abusive relationship, one that threatened her physical safety and her sanity, and chipped away at her dignity and her joy. As a child, to witness the abuse and degradation of the person who is your world, your everything, it is an image, a feeling, that never leaves. To the millions of women who find themselves in the shoes of my mother and to the countless daughters who find themselves looking on: I see you. I am fighting for you and all the Sandys out there. My mom, Sandy, depending on the day, was beaten for being too pretty, too ugly, too smart, too dumb. This man beat my mother's limbs and tried to beat down her spirit. His abuse was the deepest of betrayals. For the stories that we share here today, if they make people uncomfortable, good. Let that discomfort lead to transformation, transformation in our discourse, transformation in our lawmaking, and a renewed commitment to our shared humanity. No more. Mommy, this one is for you.

Ms. PRESSLEY

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

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Kathleen M. Wilson and wish her a happy 100th birthday. Mrs. Wilson, a longtime resident of Boston and Massachusetts's 7th District, is known for her youthful spirit, her volunteerism, her sense of humor, uncontrollable laugh and her love of dance. Mrs. Wilson has spent over four decades as a public servant and a strong member of our community. She stood as the pinnacle of equality, working tirelessly with several women from Roxbury to fight segregation in the Boston Public Schools and demand a quality education for children in Boston's black community. Kay, the nickname given to her by her late husband and love of her life, regularly boarded helicopters and small service planes to deliver pay and supplies to workers in devastated areas after joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in her retirement. Mrs. Wilson is a mother of two, grandmother of three, great- grandmother of three, and beloved by all of them. She remains active with the Goldenaires, The Urban League Guild, AARP of Boston, Seniors on the Move and The Swingers at 12th Baptist Church. No matter who Mrs. Wilson meets, they do not believe that she is 100 years young.

Ms. PRESSLEY

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

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, H.R. 1, the For the People Act. H.R. 1 is bold, transformative legislation which seeks to restore the people's faith that government works for the public interest, not special interests. We were sent to Washington with a sacred task to do everything in our power to reinstate Americans' hope and faith in our democracy. My amendment to H.R. 1 strikes at one of the fundamental goals of this legislation by ensuring that those who have a stake in our democracy will also have a say in our democracy. By lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 years of age, my amendment will allow young people to have a say in our Federal elections, to help shape and inform the policies that will set the course for the future. From gun violence to climate change, our young people are organizing, mobilizing, and calling us to action. They are at the forefront of social and legislative movements and have earned inclusion in our democracy. Beginning at the age of 16, young people are contributing to both the labor force and their local economies by paying income taxes, and yet they are deprived of the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. In this country, we affirm that when a person walks into the voting booth and pulls that lever, there is no meritocracy or hierarchy. The booth is the equalizer. Despite many reasons in our lives growing up--in my family--to feel invisible and small, my mother reminded me, as a super voter each election day that, on this day, we were powerful. I believed that then, and I still do. When we step into that voting booth, we bring the totality of our lived experiences. The vote we cast absorbs and honors it all. Some have questioned the maturity of our youth. I don't. A 16-year-old in 2019 possesses a wisdom and maturity that comes from 2019 challenges, hardships, and threats. A 16-year-old will bring with them the 2019 fears that their father's insulin will run out before the next paycheck. A 17-year-old will bring with them the 2019 hopes to be the first in their family to earn a college degree. A 16-year-old will bring with them the 2019 lessons they learned picking up shifts, waiting tables to support their family while their mother was deployed. A 17-year-old will bring with them the 2019 solemn vow to honor the lives of their classmate stolen by a gunman. And now is the time for us to demonstrate the 2019 courage that matches the challenges of the modern-day 16-and 17-year-old. I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Meng and Schakowsky, for their leadership on this issue and for cosponsoring my amendment; the Rules Committee, under the leadership of Chairman McGovern, for bringing my amendment to the House floor for consideration; and I also wish to thank my staff, Aissa and Lynese, specifically. Madam Chair, I respectfully request my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng).

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Chair, I respectfully disagree with the gentleman from Illinois, and I, too, appreciate the opportunity to engage in a civil discourse with him. The data supports the fact that by extending the table of democracy, given what we have learned in Maryland, that, in fact, we have seen more robust voter participation by both 16- and 17-year-olds and those over the age of 18. I think that we should be cultivating that relationship with the young people and their government and their participation as early as possible. Although a constitutional amendment is one approach, I do think that we have a mandate from this electorate, as a Congress, to be bold; and this is the opportunity to do exactly that, and we should be acting. There is nothing spontaneous about this. There have been advocates who have been organizing in communities for decades on this very issue and, of course, colleagues in this very House. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I missed the vote due to a press conference for my first bill in Rayburn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 59 on the motion to table. Stated against:

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters for her lifetime of service and commitment to those who are ignored, left out, and left behind. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 502, the FIND Trafficking Act. Moreover, I rise today on behalf of the survivors of sex trafficking in my district, Massachusetts' Seventh Congressional District, and across our Nation. The sex and drug trafficking industry is a $150 billion industry across the globe and throughout our communities. This bill would bring us one step closer to combating this pervasive and insidious industry. I rise today to lift up the lived experience of one of its survivors: Casey, a 13-year old who grew up in the care of the child welfare system after surviving an abusive home. Before being referred to My Life My Choice, a program in my district that is survivor led that works with those impacted by trafficking, Casey had been placed in multiple residential programs. Just this year, Casey went missing for 1 week. Casey describes an experience that is harrowing and, unfortunately, not unique. Craving friendship, companionship, and safety, she built relationships online that turned into in-person meetings. Those meetings did not provide the safety or support Casey hoped for; rather, they led to her exploitation. She found herself at parties where men she trusted demanded she have sex with other men. She lived in fear, and endured many indignities. Her safety was compromised and her humanity marginalized. To Casey and survivors across the Nation watching, I affirm loud and clear: What happened to you is not your fault. We believe you and we are here fighting for you. We know that trafficking is enabled by many factors. Broken systems destroy the lives of too many. I would like to thank Representative Vargas and Representative Wagner for their bipartisan leadership to tackle these issues, and to shed light on the ways that virtual currencies are being manipulated by traffickers to commit horrific human rights abuses, and contributing to our country's drug crisis.

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, the FIND Trafficking Act will require the Federal Government to investigate the ways in which sex and drug trafficking rings are capitalizing on the anonymity, such as bitcoin, to finance the worldwide industry of modern-day slavery and sexual exploitation without fear of detection. This would provide policy and regulatory recommendations on ways to crack down on these horrendous abuses. It is estimated that more than 45 million men, women, and children are affected by sex and human trafficking across the globe. Since 2011, my home State of Massachusetts has been working to tackle this growing industry. We have been working to end this modern-day slavery and exploitation through coalitions and innovative partnerships between survivor-led, community-based organizations, businesses, and local and State government agencies. While these coalitions are making progress, they cannot do it alone. The Federal Government has a critical role to play in providing resources and research to guide this work. The FIND Trafficking Act will shed much-needed light in the ways that technology-based currencies have fueled and financed these human rights abuses. We will not rest until every survivor receives justice, and we dismantle these systems of oppression and exploitation that drive trafficking and abuse. To all survivors: We see you. We believe you, and we are fighting for you.

Ms. PRESSLEY

Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the occupant of the White House. Mr. Trump, you took an oath, just as I did 5 days ago, to protect and defend the Constitution and the American people. Sir, you dishonor that oath. You devalue the life of the immigrant, the worker, and the survivor. I see right through you and so do the American people. This has nothing to do with border security. Your shutdown, another Trump- generated crisis, has brought a tsunami of hurt on the American people. Today, I rise to lift the voices of the unheard. I rise today on behalf of the families concerned about feeding their children because their WIC benefits will run dry. I rise today in solidarity with the thousands of workers with calloused hands and broken spirits working for no pay. I rise today in support of the survivor fleeing violent hands, seeking safety, only to find the shelter door locked because of your shutdown. I rise today in support of the American people who believe in the promise of this Nation and ask for honest pay for an honest day's work. Today, I rise as one and I stand as thousands.