Bennie Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

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

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues are starving DHS of necessary border security resources while accusing Secretary Mayorkas of not doing his job. House Republicans refuse to consider the White House's $13.6 billion border supplemental funding request that would pay for more border agents and officers and detention beds. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, the administration is enforcing the law. ICE is currently detaining over 38,000 people. This is 4,000 more than Congress has provided funding for. If Republicans want DHS to detain more people, they should provide the funds the administration has asked for in the supplemental request. Under former President Trump, Republicans cheered the doubling of drug seizures. Now, they view it as a problem. This is hypocrisy at its finest. Under Secretary Mayorkas' leadership, DHS has seized more fentanyl and arrested more criminals for fentanyl-related crimes in the last 2 years than in the previous 5 years. This impeachment has been a preplanned political stunt from the beginning. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a New York Times article detailing how Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green promised donors that the House would impeach Secretary Mayorkas prior to launching any type of inquiry. He said: ``Get the popcorn.'' [From the New York Times, Apr. 18, 2023] Key Republican Tells Donors He Will Pursue Impeachment of Mayorkas (By Karoun Demirjian) Washington.--The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee promised donors this month that he would produce an impeachment case against the Biden administration's homeland security chief, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, saying that the secretary's appearance before the panel this week would be the beginning of his demise. Representative Mark E. Green told an enthusiastic crowd in his home state of Tennessee last week that his committee would expose Mr. Mayorkas's ``dereliction of duty and his intentional destruction of our country through the open southern border.'' He said the panel would deliver charges to the House Judiciary Committee, which handles impeachment proceedings, according to an audio recording of a House Freedom Caucus fund-raiser obtained by The New York Times. He said he had a ``five-phase plan'' for doing so and that the Homeland Security Committee would ``put together a packet, and we will hand it to Jim Jordan and let Jim do what Jim does best.'' Mr. Green apparently was referring to Representative Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who leads the Judiciary panel. His comments made clear that G.O.P. leaders are serious about their threats to impeach Mr. Mayorkas. He said the plan would start with an appearance by the secretary before his committee on Wednesday. On April 19, next week, get the popcorn--Alejandro Mayorkas comes before our committee, and it's going to be fun,'' Mr. Green told the room, adding: ``That'll really be just the beginning for him.'' A spokeswoman for Mr. Green did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Green and other Republican leaders have made no secret of their desire to pursue impeachment charges against Mr. Mayorkas. Speaker Kevin McCarthy began threatening to impeach him months before Mr. McCarthy won his gavel. But their ambitions have been limited thus far by the political realities of the House; not every Republican wants to demonize Mr. Mayorkas as solely responsible for the country's immigration problems, and with a slim majority, party leaders do not yet have the votes to impeach him. As a result, Mr. Green and other House Republicans in positions of authority have been careful to avoid promising publicly that they would find evidence against Mr. Mayorkas worthy of prosecution. Behind closed doors with core supporters, however, Mr. Green was less cautious, using the issue to whip up the crowd. During a public session on Capitol Hill on Tuesday before the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Republicans hammered Mr. Mayorkas both for the border situation and for recent revelations, documented in an investigation by The New York Times, that unaccompanied migrant children have been exploited as laborers. Both Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Josh Hawley of Missouri demanded that the secretary resign. Mr. Mayorkas pushed back, saying his department was not responsible for the child labor crisis. ``You are incorrectly attributing it to our policies,'' he told Mr. Hawley. He also disputed the idea that he could be held personally responsible for the problems at the border, telling senators: ``Our asylum system is broken, our entire immigration system is broken, and in desperate need of reform--and it's been so for years and years.'' The Department of Homeland Security has dismissed calls for Mr. Mayorkas to step down as ``baseless'' and ``reckless,'' and Mr. Mayorkas has suggested in past interviews that the efforts to impeach him were simply a way of turbocharging policy disputes with the administration. Mr. Green made his comments at an event billed as a ``V.I.P. Reception and Conversation with Conservative Heroes,'' where he appeared behind closed doors alongside Mr. Jordan and other hard-right Republicans. He pointed to recent testimony before his panel by Raul L. Ortiz, the Border Patrol chief, who detailed ``an increase in flow'' in five of the nine sectors along the U.S.-Mexico border and said it had ``caused a considerable strain on our resources.'' He also recalled Mr. Ortiz's testimony that the United States does not have ``operational control'' of the southern border, which Republicans seized on to accuse Mr. Mayorkas, who had testified that the border is secure, of dishonesty. Mr. Mayorkas addressed the apparent discrepancy during a separate hearing last month, telling senators that he was using a different definition of ``operational security,'' and that the two statements were not in conflict. Mr. Green nonetheless trumpeted Mr. Ortiz's words as a kill shot against Mr. Mayorkas, telling the donors that ``he'll see that video a couple of times'' during the upcoming hearing before the Homeland Security panel. The secretary's appearances on Capitol Hill this week come as the Republican House is barreling ahead with what Mr. Green told donors would be ``the most conservative border security bill that this Congress has ever seen, or any Congress has ever seen.'' The panel is expected to debate that bill next week. On Wednesday, while Mr. Mayorkas is testifying before the Homeland Security panel, the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to debate a second border security bill aimed at restricting migrant inflows, including by restricting access to asylum and requiring all employers to adopt an electronic system that screens prospective employees' eligibility to work.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I remind my colleagues that they voted to terminate the COVID-19 national emergency and thus voted to end title 42. In addition, DHS has no role in ending this policy. Madam Speaker, I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, despite what Republicans want us to believe, the courts at the highest level have not found that Secretary Mayorkas is violating the law. Courts are where we go to determine whether a Cabinet Secretary is following the law Congress wrote, not a partisan impeachment. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, my Republican colleagues won't admit that this impeachment is a sham, but their favorite conservative legal experts will. President Trump's impeachment attorney, Alan Dershowitz, accused Republicans of ``distorting the Constitution;'' and Republicans' favorite legal witness, Jonathan Turley, said that: ``There is also no current evidence that [Mayorkas] is corrupt or committed an impeachable offense. . . . `' Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, let's look at the facts. Since May 12, 2023, when title 42 ended, DHS has removed more than 500,000 individuals. That is more people than Donald Trump removed in any given year. The border is not open. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), the ranking member of the Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record op- eds from frequent conservative legal commentators Jonathan Turley and Alan Dershowitz opposing the Mayorkas impeachment, despite their policy disagreements with the Biden administration; and a January 30, 2024, editorial by the conservative Wall Street Journal titled: ``Impeaching Mayorkas Achieves Nothing.'' [From the Daily Beast, Jan. 29, 2024] Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mayorkas' Failures Are Not Impeachable (By Jonathan Turley) Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has been denounced as dishonest, duplicitous, and derelict by his critics. In my view, all of those things are manifestly true. It is also true, in my opinion, that none of those things amount to high crimes and misdemeanors warranting his impeachment. The Republican push to impeach Mayorkas has been gaining steam as record numbers of undocumented migrants pour over our Southern border. Even many Democrats are now alarmed by the numbers and the threat that they pose to our national security and to our economy. Sanctuary cities from Chicago to New York are actively trying to prevent new migrants from seeking sanctuary within their own borders. At the center of all of this is Mayorkas, who has long been viewed as an enabling figure for illegal migrations. He is also accused of implementing Biden policy changes that removed barriers to migrants, including rescinding the ``Stay in Mexico'' rule. Some of us have also questioned his integrity, particularly in controversies like the false claims that border agents whipped migrants in Texas. Mayorkas knew the allegations against his own personnel were debunked, but showed little concern or compassion for agents, particularly after President Joe Biden promised they would be punished before any investigation had even begun. However, being a bad person is not impeachable--or many cabinets would be largely empty. Moreover, being bad at your job is not an impeachable offense. Even really bad. Even Mayorkas' level of bad. If that were the case, he would be only the latest in a long line of cabinet officers frog-marched into Congress for constitutional termination. In history, there has only been one cabinet member impeached. That was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. That alone should concentrate the mind of members. Despite decades of controversial cabinet members accused of flaunting the law or abusing their positions, Congress has only crossed this Rubicon once. There has existed a certain detente between the parties; an understanding that policy-based impeachments could open up endless tit-for-tat impeachment politics. The charges against Belknap were serious, in that he had allegedly ``disregarded his duty as Secretary of War, and basely prostituted his high office to his lust for private gain.'' The alleged bribes in contracts in the Indian territories would have constituted impeachable offenses, but Belknap had already left office. His case raised the question of retroactive impeachments for former federal officers. The jurisdictional concerns made the difference for Belknap. The final vote on the closest article was 37 to 25 in favor of impeachment--four votes short of the number needed for conviction. There is no jurisdictional question for Mayorkas, but there is also no current evidence that he is corrupt or committed an impeachable offense. He can be legitimately accused of effectuating an open border policy, but that is a disagreement on policy that is traced to the President. In fairness to the GOP, they allege that Mayorkas is violating federal law in releasing what he now reportedly admits is over 85 percent of illegal migrants into the country as well as alleged false statements to Congress. Such releases, however, occurred in prior administrations and the merits of these claims are still being argued in court. The courts have long recognized that presidents are allowed to establish priorities in the enforcement of federal laws, even when those priorities tend to lower enforcement for certain groups or areas. It is a matter of discretion. Indeed, even under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) which holds the government liable for civil damages, there is a discretionary function exception codified under 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2680 (a) for policy-based judgments. Immigration has long been an area of intense policy disagreements. Trump policies were denounced by critics as draconian or even racist. Biden's policies have been denounced as fueling illegal crossings and frustrating efforts to curtail the flow, particularly by border states. In my view, Biden has been dead wrong on immigration, but voters will soon have an opportunity to render a judgment on those policies in the election. Mayorkas has carried out those policies. What has not been shown is conduct by the secretary that could be viewed as criminal or impeachable. If Mayorkas is violating federal law, he can be brought to court to enjoin his actions. A prior case seeking to prevent the termination of the ``Stay in Mexico'' policy resulted in a win for the Biden administration in Biden v. Texas, when the Supreme Court ruled the president had the authority to revoke the Migrant Protection Protocols. During the Constitutional Convention, there was a debate over the grounds for impeachment with George Mason arguing for a broad scope of offenses that could ``subvert the Constitution.'' His view was rejected. Most notably, there was a rejection of ``maladministration'' as a basis for impeachment. An English trial of Warren Hastings weighed heavily on the forging of the impeachment standard. The former governor of India was charged with various offenses including ``mismanagement and misgovernment...and mistreatment of various provinces.'' While figures like Mason saw the need for the adoption of a similarly broad definition, his suggestion of maladministration was rejected as too broad. What Mayorkas is guilty of is maladministration. He has failed to secure the Southern border and has long denied the gravity of this crisis, including refusing to call it a crisis even as daily and monthly crossings reached unprecedented levels. None of this means that a cabinet member cannot be impeached. However, not like this. Not for maladministration. I hold no brief for Alejandro Mayorkas. However, I hold the Constitution more dearly than I despise his tenure. Absent some new evidence, I cannot see the limiting principle that would allow the House to impeach Mayorkas without potentially making any policy disagreement with a cabinet member a high crime and misdemeanor. That is a slippery slope that we would be wise to avoid. Indeed, it is precisely the temptation that the Framers thought they had avoided by rejecting standards like maladministration. That is why the case has not been made to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas. [From The Hill, Jan. 30, 2024] Republicans Who Voted Against Impeaching Trump Should Not Vote To Impeach Mayorkas (By Alan Dershowitz) When I represented then-President Donald Trump in his first impeachment case, many Republicans praised me for demonstrating that the Constitution permits impeachment only for ``treason, bribery, and other high crimes or misdemeanors.'' Trump had not been charged with any of those offenses, but rather with vague allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit Trump of the unconstitutional charges brought by Democrats. Republicans applauded that result. Now many of the same Republicans are seeking to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on equally vague and unconstitutional grounds. Whatever else Mayorkas may or may not have done, he has not committed bribery, treason, or high crimes and misdemeanors. Testifying to his opinion that the borders are secure is a far cry from perjury. Nor is failure to enforce laws a crime. Indeed, most Republicans do not even claim that his actions or inactions meet these daunting constitutional standards, but they are prepared to apply a double standard based on partisan considerations. Double standards are anathema to justice under our Constitution. There must be one Constitution for all, regardless of party affiliation. If Republicans want to amend the Constitution, let them try, but neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have the right to redefine constitutional standards on an ad hoc basis in order to serve their partisan interests. So, let's hear from some principled Republicans who may dislike what Mayorkas is doing but who understand that they have previously voted for a standard that has not come close to being met. The philosopher La Rochefoucauld said that ``Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.'' It is also the currency of politics in present-day Washington. But it is wrong regardless of which side promotes it. Congress has the power to issue a statement condemning Mayorkas, just as it had the power to issue a statement condemning Trump. But the extraordinary power of impeachment should be reserved for constitutionally impeachable offences and not invoked simply because one party has the votes to do so. In the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton warned that the ``greatest danger'' regarding the power to impeach would be if it were ``regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.'' We experienced that danger when President Clinton was impeached by Republicans and when Trump was impeached by Democrats. Now we are seeing it play out once again with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives. Hopefully there will be enough principled Republicans to prevent this abuse of the Constitution. But even if not, our system of checks and balances--which requires a two-thirds vote for conviction by the Senate--will prevent Mayorkas's unconstitutional removal. Even if Mayorkas remains in office, a House vote to impeach him would add to the dangerous precedents established by previous partisan abuses of the impeachment provision. The time has come, indeed it is overdue, for members of Congress who claim to be originalists when it comes to constitutional interpretation to recognize that the Framers explicitly refused to allow impeachment and removal for ``maladministration'' or other such vague abuses of duty. It is the voters who are allocated the power to vote against those who fail at governance. Just because the Democrats were hypocritical when they impeached Trump on nonconstitutional grounds does not give Republicans the right to do the same. Two wrongs make a fight, not a right. And the real losers are the American people, who count on Congress to uphold the Constitution, especially in areas of impeachment, where the courts have taken a hands-off view. We live in an age in which partisanship too often trumps principle, and in which noble ends are thought to justify ignoble means. There is a reasonable dispute about how to achieve border security. I may agree with some Republicans who are critical of the current administration's border policies and who place the blame on Mayorkas. But these criticisms--whether one agrees or disagrees with them--do not justify distorting the Constitution. It is particularly essential in an age of partisan division that the nonpartisan principles of our Constitution be scrupulously obeyed. So I urge principled Republicans who care about the Constitution to oppose those in their party who are seeking to impeach and remove Mayorkas based on nonconstitutional accusations.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, if my Republican colleagues were worried about the impacts of migration on our local communities, they should support DHS' Shelter and Services Program. This is the only Federal program that can provide direct assistance to cities and organizations responding to arriving migrants. Instead, they are trying to gut this program and impeach Secretary Mayorkas, which would accomplish nothing. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, though she sits on the Homeland Security Committee, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has raised doubts about 9/11 to the false assertion that 9/11 was done by our own government. She said that is all true. She also thinks Jewish space lasers cause wildfires. She fundraises off defunding the FBI. She is a person whose advice Republicans are taking today on this impeachment. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, 90 percent of fentanyl seized is interdicted at ports of entry, mostly in passenger vehicles driven by U.S. citizens and lawful residents, not migrants. If we invest in our ports of entry instead of pursuing this sham impeachment, we can scan more of these vehicles. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, the Republicans highlight the Secretary's enforcement guidelines as an example of breaking the law. They fail to mention that the conservative Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said: ``The guidance does not necessarily violate a single word of the statute.'' The Sixth Circuit also found that the provision of immigration law that Republicans frequently cite does not ``. . . creates a judicially enforceable mandate that the Department arrest or remove certain noncitizens.'' Madam Speaker I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, the border is not open. In fact, under Secretary Mayorkas' leadership, this administration has removed, returned, or expelled more migrants in 3 years than the Trump administration did in 4 years. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), who is the ranking member on our Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, Republicans ignore the fact that no administration has ever had the resources to detain all border crossers. President Trump released over 500,000 people without ever detaining any of them. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, if my Republican colleagues were serious about the border, then they would drop this baseless impeachment and bring up the Senate's bipartisan border agreement for debate. Be that as it may, they aren't serious about reform. Speaker Johnson made it clear that the bill was dead on arrival before he saw the text of the bill. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Greenville Mississippi Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. for their 70 years of service. The Greenville Mississippi Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was chartered on February 14, 1954, by the late G.P. Maddox, he late B.L. Bell, the late Dr. Charles Holmes, the late Ray Brooks, the late A.C. Isaac, the late Robert Hall, the late Dr. Henry St. Hille, the late Sunny Kyles, and the late Arthur B. Peyton, Sr. Today, the brothers who make up the alumni chapter are from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The Greenville Mississippi Alumni Chapter has sought ways to acknowledge brothers within their chapter who have made individual achievements in their path of life. Seventy years of the Greenville Mississippi Alumni Chapter has come with scholarship awards for men and women to highlight citizens who have contributed to serving the community, exceptional educational achievement, professional achievement, service to the fraternity, outstanding leadership, and brotherhood. Their continual leadership and service around Greenville, MS, and the greater Mississippi Delta have contributed positively to the region. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has sponsored events such as football bowl games, high school Greek shows, all-star basketball games, Miss Kappa Alpha Psi pageants, and the Arthur B. Peyton golf tournament. The chapter has also participated in the United Way housing initiative and pioneered events such as the inaugural All-White and Jean social events and New Year's with the Nupes. Celebrating 70 years of service is only possible with the hard work and dedication of brothers who have committed their time and effort to their fraternity. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Greenville Mississippi Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, while the do-nothing extreme MAGA Republican majority wastes the time of the Committee on Homeland Security with a phony, baseless impeachment ``investigation,'' they occupy the House floor with a symbolic resolution equally as false. Put simply, there are no so-called ``open-borders policies'' to denounce. The Biden administration is, in fact, fulfilling its Constitutional responsibility to secure America's southern border. It is apprehending, processing, and removing individuals with no legal basis to remain in the United States in accordance with the law. Instead of working with Democrats to solve the challenges along our southern border, the extreme MAGA Republicans who run the House of Representatives have consistently squandered opportunities to work across the aisle to solve the challenges facing our Nation. Last Congress, they voted against funding for DHS, to include billions of dollars in increased funding for border security. Democrats, meanwhile, put people over politics and got those funding bills enacted into law. Last year, they rejected 43 common-sense amendments during the Homeland Security Committee's markup of its portion of H.R. 2, the MAGA ``Child Deportation Act,'' a bill which would villainize nonprofit organizations and punish local officials providing aid to the needy. This year, instead of constructively participating in bipartisan negotiations on immigration reform and border security with the Biden administration and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, House Republicans are pursuing a sham impeachment of the Secretary for supposedly not doing his job. Mr. Speaker, how would the extremists in the House Republican Conference even know Secretary Mayorkas isn't performing his job? They're not showing up to do their job at the negotiating table. Instead, dressed in polos and perfectly creased khakis, MAGA Republicans fly down to Texas for photo ops while the real work of legislating remains undone--hamstrung by the endless drama within the House Republican Conference. The talented, hard-working agents and officers of Customs and Border Protection don't need more political photo ops or baseless impeachments or symbolic resolutions. They need resources. House Republicans would rather shut down the government than give those with their boots on the ground what they need to get their job done. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H. Res. 957 and reject extreme MAGA Republicans' empty gestures and false campaign rhetoric.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Dr. Jimmy Bell. Dr. Jimmy Bell was born on January 4, 1944, in Indianola, MS, and graduated from Gentry High School in 1963. He later began his professional career at Mississippi Valley State University and later transitioned to Jackson State University. He created the National Coalition of Community Researchers, Inc. at Jackson State University and started the Jackson State University Center for the Study of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Intervention (CSJDPI). In addition, he was a founding member of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ). Dr. Bell was known as a professor, researcher, and music connoisseur. His love for music allowed him to educate and mentor many up-and-coming jazz and blues musicians and established his own local jazz venue, THE JAZZ GALLERY, which was housed in the basement of the now historic site of the Summers Hotel. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the late Dr. Jimmy Bell for his dedication to education and love for music.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a Black professional, D'Ashley Cohen. D'Ashley Cohen is a native of Grenada, MS, and a graduate of Grenada High School. She is the daughter of Darin Cohen and Andrea Cohen. She is the mother of Addison Garner, and the late Madison Garner. She is also the youngest of her siblings. After graduating high school, she attended South Alabama where she received her bachelor of science in K-6 elementary education and joined the illustrious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, where she served as the leader of the Economic Development Committee. After entering her career in teaching, she pursued her master's degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on reading and language arts. D'Ashley developed the love for students during her teaching career, which motivated her to pursue her specialist degree in educational administration and supervision. D'Ashley is currently the owner/founder of Inspire Educational Services, LLC, where she provides educational consulting for struggling schools and tutoring services. D'Ashley is an English language arts instructional coach, where she specializes in training, co-teaching, and modeling effective implementation of the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards, Mississippi Teacher Performance Standards, and Louisiana State Standards. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at Nova Southeastern University. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing D'Ashley Cohen for her dedication and tenacity to serving her community and desire to be a light that shines even in her dark times.