Jamie Raskin

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, before the gentleman leaves, I want to say a word about the distinguished gentleman from New York. We are all blessed to have Mr. Katko as a colleague. He is a brilliant lawyer and a man of exceptional character and honor. He was the one who had been tasked by the minority leader to negotiate with the majority about creating an independent commission to investigate the assault on American democracy that took place on January 6. He was given very specific instructions, and he came back a winner. He had gotten an agreement for five Republicans and five Democrats, equal subpoena power right down the middle. Alas for his caucus, alas for this Congress, alas for the country, the leadership pulled the rug out from beneath him. We are going to be very sorry to see Mr. Katko leave Congress at the end of this session. We will all be impoverished by his absence. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud today to stand for this legislation with the party of democracy and freedom for the people, rather than the party of Big Brother and failed drug authoritarianism. Do you know that 150 million Americans have used marijuana? Half of the country. That is just the people who are being honest about it. Half of the country has used marijuana, but you can still be denied a security clearance and government employment for having once used marijuana. That is plainly stupid, wrong, and unfair. We are disqualifying tens of millions of qualified and excellent job applicants for Federal Government employment, our fellow citizens, our constituents. In Democratic districts and Republican districts, we are disqualifying those people from being Federal Government employees solely because they have used marijuana. My amendment is one that every Member of the House should support. It says that Americans should not be denied a security clearance simply because they have used marijuana. The longer I spend time in Congress, Mr. Speaker, the more I realize that in America, change comes from the States. It comes from the people. That is how we got child labor laws. That is how we got women's suffrage. That is how we got direct election of U.S. Senators, and now, so too with our draconian, obsolete, and failed marijuana laws. Look at what is happening out in America. Eighteen States, plus Washington, D.C., have now passed laws allowing adult use of marijuana. In other words, they have accepted the antiprohibition principle that is in our Constitution. It is not that alcohol is so great for everybody in every circumstance, or marijuana is so great for everybody in every circumstance. It is that criminal prohibition and criminalization of large parts of our own population don't work. It is legal in 18 States. In 27 States, it has been decriminalized. In a majority of the States, it is no longer criminal. In 36 States, the vast majority of America, more than two-thirds of the States, medical use of marijuana has been approved. In other words, it is legal in the vast majority of States of the country to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. What a massive outbreak of common sense in America against the GOP's failed authoritarian war on marijuana that depends on paranoid tropes from the 1970s. It is like they saw ``Reefer Madness'' in middle school and never got over it. I concede our party is not for the kind of cocaine-fueled orgies that a freshman Republican Representative bragged about this week, but we do understand that their marijuana prohibition laws don't work for our people. In any event, Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that we should not be denying our constituents the opportunity to serve in Federal office by denying them a security clearance simply because they have used marijuana. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for pointing out that my amendment would apply not only to people who have sought public employment in the past and been denied because they have been honest enough to admit that they have once used marijuana but to private contractors. We are denying people the opportunity to do business with the government if they tell the truth about that. I am urging all of my colleagues, wherever you are in terms of your particular State, let's stop discriminating.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think the distinguished gentleman seems to concede the general principle that we should not be denying the opportunity of Federal employment to half of the country because they have used marijuana before. So, his argument seems to be: We have denied so many people that this would be an imposition on Federal bureaucrats to go back and tell people when they have been wronged in the past simply by telling the truth and saying that they have once used marijuana. In fact, most of these agencies don't even require that there was any kind of criminal prosecution or conviction. They ask you, ``Have you used marijuana?'' If people say, ``Yes, I used it once in college,'' or whatever, they can't get a job. That makes no sense. We are doing that to our constituents. Yes, let's go back and see how many people we have denied the opportunity of Federal employment to because they have used marijuana, which is lawful in most of the country now, either on a medicinal basis or on a recreational basis for adult consenting individuals who decide that is a decision they want to make. Let's grow up as a country about this, and let's stop discriminating against our own people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of my remarkable constituents, James Caponiti, on the occasion of his retirement from the American Maritime Congress and for his unwavering service of nearly half a century to the U.S. Merchant Marine. James' multi-decade career spans an extraordinary period which he began as a newly minted analyst at the Department of Commerce and which he concluded as Acting Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration. From the Nixon administration to navigating today's challenges of declining U.S. shipping, James worked to bolster the U.S. Merchant Marine's invaluable role in upholding our national security interests. For example, when he served as a Commerce Fellow on the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, James provided instrumental insight and guidance in crafting legislation that implemented the Maritime Security Program. As the Chairman of NATO's Planning Board for Shipping, he led efforts that emphasized the immense value of a robust domestic merchant fleet to our European allies. He also served as the Executive Director and President of the American Maritime Congress, a non-profit and research education association dedicated to supporting the U.S. Merchant Marine. As Executive Director and President, James provided over 38 years of industry knowledge in showcasing the important nature of maritime services to policy staff in Congress and the White House. He also spearheaded efforts to revitalize the U.S. fleet, increase the share of food-aid required on U.S. flagged vessels, educate shareholders on Export-Import Bank mandates, expand diversity and inclusion within the U.S. Merchant Marine and promote sustainability efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. James faithfully dedicated himself to the best interests of his country. His unshakable commitment to improving the quality of life of all mariners and strengthening the security interests of our country embodies true American patriotism. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the remarkable service and wonderful legacy of my constituent, James Caponiti.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we met in the Rules Committee and reported a rule, House Resolution 912, providing for consideration of two different measures; first, H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. It makes in order a manager's amendment and provides for one motion to recommit. The rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 6617, the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations and provides for one motion to recommit. Finally, the resolution adopts H. Con. Res. 69, which provides for a joint session of Congress to receive a message from the President, and the rule restricts former Members' access to the House floor during the joint session. Mr. Speaker, the Postal Service Reform Act is a major update and improvement to what is going on with our post office. Even in this increasingly digital world, Americans rely on the U.S. Postal Service for access to lifesaving prescription drugs and other essential items of living. In the ongoing pandemic, the Postal Service has been critical in helping tens of millions of Americans vote safely and securely. The Postal Service is processing an astounding 5,000 pieces of mail each second and is responsible for processing and delivering 46 percent of the world's mail. It is no surprise that first class mail used to send things like letters and bills is on the decline in the digital environment we live in. Still, the Postal Service remains a critical lifeline, especially for people who live in rural areas and Tribal communities and for people with disabilities. The Postal Service adds a million new delivery points each year. That means that the Postal Service is delivering a little bit less mail but to a lot more places. This act addresses the financial needs of the Postal Service, ensuring that we can continue relying on it for generations to come. The decline in first class mail, increasing expenses, and the requirement that the Postal Service prefund retiree health benefits have all contributed to some financial instability in the Postal Service. H.R. 3076 puts USPS on a far more stable financial footing. Specifically, it requires future Postal Service retirees to enroll in Medicare, saving the Postal Service $22 billion over the next decade. While retirees have paid into Medicare their entire careers, a quarter of retirees choose not to enroll, requiring the Postal Service to pay for higher premiums. Similarly, the legislation also eliminates the uniquely arduous requirement that USPS prefund retiree health benefits for a period of 75 years. No other company or governmental entity has this requirement, which has resulted in significant financial losses for USPS. The Postal Service Reform Act also strengthens transparency and requires 6-day integrated delivery, ensuring high-quality mail service for at least 6 days a week to all Americans. It requires USPS to develop an online dashboard detailing weekly national and local-level performance data to promote compliance with on-time mail delivery. Mr. Speaker, the consideration of this measure gives us the opportunity to celebrate the remarkable successes of the post office in our history. The Founders created the post office even before they signed the Declaration of Independence, and they named, of course, Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General for the emerging Nation. It was the post office that unified 13 divergent and quarreling Colonies into a nation as it created a great communications network that brought the news of the day and the news of public events to the doorstep of every fledgling American citizen. It was an idea that scandalized and horrified the European powers that, of course, always wanted to keep the people in the dark under the monarchies and aristocracies of Europe. The post office also created the transportation system for America, which is why so many of our towns and cities have streets and roads called Post Road or Postal Road or Old Post Road running through the center of town. The post office, of course, was an explicit delegation of power to Congress in the Constitution, as well as the power to build postal roads under Article I, Section 8. The communications and transportation network created by the post office gave rise to the democratic political infrastructure of the Nation. This is how the committees of correspondence met that created the political will for the American Revolution and developed the political philosophy of our revolutionary forebearers. The post office also gave rise to America's glorious free press. That is why so many of our newspapers, again, bear the name The Washington Post, the Buffalo-Courier Express, the Richmond Times-Dispatch. They were named after the postal operation that made the mass media possible in the country. The post office has done wonders for American commerce and business, and continues to do that right up to today, so this legislation will help the post office grow and meet our needs in the new century. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I do want to add one point to Ms. Scanlon's excellent delivery. This legislation, the Postal Service Reform Act, requires the Postal Service to develop an online dashboard that will detail for all of us weekly national-and local-level performance data to promote compliance at every level with the on-time mail delivery expectations that we all have. I too have spent time in a lot of neighborhoods of mine in Frederick County, Carroll County, and Montgomery County making sure that the Postal Service is getting on time delivery and making it happen. This new tool will allow all of us to monitor exactly what is going on in our particular communities. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a quick note on the gentleman from California's points. He concedes that our bipartisan legislation does a lot of good things, but he says that it doesn't do everything. He makes the point that the post office is not making a profit. That is true. It is not making a profit. Of course, our offices don't make a profit. There are very few Federal entities that make a profit. That is not what government does. Government serves the people. We want to be as efficient as possible in doing that, but the post office serves people from Alaska to Hawaii to Puerto Rico to Florida to Texas. Everybody gets mail, and we want to do it as efficiently and as effectively as possible, but the point is to make sure that we are all connected and that everybody gets the benefit of being able to get their prescription drugs, that small businesses are able to send out their parcels, that consumers are able to receive what it is they are ordering, and so on. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), who is a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6617, of course, extends funding for the Federal Government until March 11, 2022. We eagerly anticipate the success of bipartisan negotiations for the full omnibus package. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 912 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Someone just tuning in right now might be a little confused and think that we are somehow debating COVID-19. We are here to talk about bipartisan legislation on the Postal Service and to keep the government open until March 11. I would just point out to my good friend from Pennsylvania, who I am afraid seemed to disparage science on our side or the professional credentials of Dr. Deborah Birx, who was the former President's coronavirus coordinator; she went to Penn State medical school. I don't think the gentleman from Pennsylvania meant to disparage her educational credentials, certainly as a graduate of Penn State. Look, we don't need the Federal Government dictating to the States and the localities what their policies are going to be about masking. I just read this morning about a bunch of States--I think they have Democratic Governors; New York, California, Delaware--that have pulled back on their masking policies because the virus, today, has dramatically subsided. Are we going to pass a Federal bill every time the virus goes up or the virus goes down and tell them what their rules are going to be? Come on. I thought that we were all champions of federalism. But instead, they want to dictate it from up on high. Remember, what this legislation is about--and I wish we could focus more on it--is reform of the Postal Service. We have bipartisan support now for this. I am delighted to learn that it is not just the postal unions that I invoked before, but we have a bunch of postal associations for it. We have the American Postal Workers Union, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, the National Association of Postal Supervisors, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, the Package Shippers Association, the Major Mailers Association, the National Newspaper Association, Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, Publishers Clearing House, American Catalog Mailers Association, and the National Retail Federation. We have both the workers in the Postal Service and then big businesses and small businesses across the country, underscoring the fact that the Postal Service remains the central nervous system of commerce in America as well as our public life. That is something that we should be celebrating rather than picking an unnecessary fight, which is completely irrelevant to this legislation, about what is going on at the State and local level in other places. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman from Pennsylvania doesn't have to take it from me. He can take it from President Trump's own Coronavirus Response Coordinator, Deborah Birx. Dr. Birx said the first 100,000 deaths were perhaps inevitable, but the hundreds of thousands that came after it were avoidable and were the cost of the failure to undertake the public health precautions that were required. So, I would direct him to Dr. Birx. Of course, when the virus was out of control and President Biden came into office, he was doing everything in his power to try to reverse the damage done by the lethal irresponsibility of the prior administration. But in any event, Madam Speaker, we are here to try to get beyond all the wreckage at this point. We are here to fund the government through March 11. We are here to make these substantial reforms to the post office, on a bipartisan basis, that will make the post office far more efficient; that will guarantee 6-day service to our people all over the country; that will end that uniquely difficult and punitive policy of making the Postal Service alone have to prefund everybody's healthcare for the next 75 years, which explains a lot of its financial problems. That is what we are here to do today. We are making progress for America, and we are trying to do it on a bipartisan basis. It seems strange to me that my colleagues would try to pick a fight about COVID-19 in this context when we are just trying to recover from the wreckage left by the prior administration. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Washington Post this morning has an article about how a number of Governors--California Governor Gavin Newsom, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Delaware Governor John Carney, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont--have all announced changes to indoor masking requirements because of changes of where we are in the disease. I certainly hope that my colleagues are not saying that we never should have worn masks, although I know some of them have said that and some of them have opposed masking guidance from the very beginning. Need I remind my colleagues that we have lost more than 900,000 people, including a lot of children, to this terrible disease. We have faced an epidemic of denialism from the beginning. Of course, the former President of the United States was out hawking quack medical cures and denying the virulence of the disease for a long time saying it would just disappear at Eastertime. Maybe everybody should just be injected with bleach. We have come a long way from then, and President Biden has led us in an aggressive scientific effort, including masking where it was appropriate, in order to beat the disease, and we are making great progress. Now the States and localities are able to drop the masking requirements. So I see that they want to get on top of the wave and somehow claim that they are responsible for that when it was the President from their party who presided over an historically reckless and irresponsible approach to COVID-19, one that gave us a leading position in the spread of COVID-19. So in any event, I haven't seen the bill that they have just introduced yet. I know that the Biden administration has used the post office to ship 500 million coronavirus test kits to people across the country, which, again, underscores the importance of the legislation we are really here to talk about today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those excellent remarks and note that I think she speaks for millions of postal workers across the country who are excited about this legislation and the reforms that it is going to institute. This has the endorsement of the American Postal Workers Union, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the mail handlers, and a number of other organizations that are invested in this. So we are excited about this bipartisan investment in making the Postal Service work for the people in this new century. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his kind words for the bipartisan leadership and initiative taken in the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076. Unfortunately, I have to take exception to the suggestion that this is somehow unique on our part. The gentleman may remember the bipartisan infrastructure act that the Democrats brought forward but we incorporated lots of Republicans in the process and we passed it on a bipartisan basis. That is more than $1 trillion invested in the roads, the highways, the ports, the airports, broadband, and cybersecurity. That was something I remember was talked about during the last administration. I never saw a bill partisan, bipartisan, or otherwise come from that side of the aisle, but within the first year of the Biden administration that bipartisan infrastructure act was moved through Congress. We brought lots of Republicans in. I know a lot of them voted against it, some of whom are claiming credit for it back in their districts now. But, in any event, this is not new for us. It takes two to tango. So I am glad that the gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognizing what we are doing here, but it is hardly unique in terms of the leadership being offered. Mr. Speaker, speaking of bipartisan leadership, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), who is the chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her very lucid remarks. One other historic breakthrough of the post office, I am recalling now, is the fact that it was the first Federal public institution to provide for the hiring of women, African Americans, and other minority groups. So I am glad, again, that we have got bipartisan support for this really critical measure to reform the post office in different ways in order to make it viable in the new century. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to say a word on behalf of Stacey Abrams, who was the target of some rhetorical attacks over there. There is a picture of her without her mask on in front of a bunch of kids who did have their masks on, and it was being denounced by the speaker from North Carolina momentarily and also by the floor leader, who didn't have their masks on, standing in front of a whole group of people who did have their masks on. In other words, they were in exactly the same position Stacey Abrams was, because the rule of reason we have adopted according to medical advice, I think across the country, is where masks are recommended and indicated, people wear them unless they are speaking. To turn that into a political football to denounce a fellow public servant seems to be a little bit beneath the dignity of this body. But in any event, we are very excited about our postal reform legislation that we are moving through to guarantee excellent 6-day service to everybody, to have an online dashboard so we can all keep track of where the mail is in different parts of the country, and if there are problems, we can address them quickly. I am glad we have bipartisan legislation--at least I hope it is bipartisan--to keep the government open until March 11. As for COVID-19 policies, I think we should trust the States and the localities to deal with the manifold questions that come up as we continue to address this public health crisis, which was, of course, set into motion by a President who denied it, avoided it, said he would refuse to wear a mask even when it was indicated, who got it, who had dozens of doctors at his beck and call, who flew in a helicopter to get himself served. Look, we need to get back on track in America. That means the government has to work for everybody. We have got to stop fighting about public health. We have got to work together for public health, just like we have got to work together for the post office, a great American institution which we improve and we advance today in the 21st century. The material previously referred to by Mr. Reschenthaler is as follows: Amendment to House Resolution 912 At the end of the resolution, add the following: Sec. 4. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the bill (H.R. 6619) to prohibit the Secretary of Education from providing Federal funds to a local educational agency unless in-person instruction is available to all students and parents may opt out of student mask mandates, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and Labor; and (2) one motion to recommit. Sec. 5. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 6619.

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I salute our colleague, Congresswoman Bustos, for introducing what will certainly be the most important piece of pro-labor legislation to pass out of the 117th Congress. Our Constitution guarantees our people the right to a jury trial, but forced arbitration in the workplace brutally cheats victims of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace out of their right to a trial before a jury of their peers. And by stripping women of this right, forced arbitration is creating corporate cultures of pervasive and severe sexual harassment all across the country, like the one Eliza Dushku faced in Hollywood where she got fired for objecting to constant sexually degrading and humiliating treatment in the workplace. We heard testimony from women sexually harassed and raped by repeat offenders who have been made proud and contemptuous because their conduct is consistently buried and hidden in regimes of coerced, closed-door arbitration. We have created monsters out of repeat- offender sexual harassers across the country. Let's throw the doors open and let's let the sun shine in. Let's restore the full constitutional rights of women in the workplace. Let's pass this legislation.

Mr. RASKIN

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of my remarkable constituents, Tufail Ahmad, who passed away on January 13, 2022. Tufail dedicated his life to civic engagement and public service. His unwavering dedication to building a better future for his family, neighbors, friends and community is a true testament to the values we cherish as a country. Tufail was born on March 4, 1938 in the small village of Allahabad, India. As a young man, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in Commerce from Allahabad University before emigrating to Pakistan. While in Pakistan, Tufail worked as an assistant professor and then as the Deputy Auditor General for the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Services. Tufail later travelled to the United States in 1968 as a member of the Pakistan audit team at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. After formally emigrating to the United States in 1973, Tufail briefly worked at a shipping firm before he proudly founded his own international trading firm, Euro-America Shipping and Trade Inc. After 27 years at the trading firm, Tufail went on to volunteer community service and served as a board member of the Committee for Montgomery, Progressive Maryland and the Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board. Tufail was also well known for his outstanding active involvement in state and local politics, including serving as Precinct Chair and D15 Caucus Chair. He was later recognized as Precinct Official of the Year in 2004 and in 2018 was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame. In 2003, in what has become his enduring legacy, Tufail co- established the Montgomery County Muslim Council where he spearheaded efforts to boost civic engagement in the Muslim community. He also co- founded the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation, an organization that aspires to a hunger-free and hate-free society for all people, regardless of their faith, race or gender. Under Tufail's determined leadership, the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation became one of the largest nonprofit charitable foundations in Montgomery County. Tufail devoted his life to providing for, and sharing with, all of our people. His unshakable commitment to improving the lives of his friends, family, neighbors, and community embodies true American patriotism. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the remarkable life and wonderful legacy of my constituent, Tufail Ahmad.