Rashida Tlaib

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), my good colleague and fellow activist on the human right to water.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to really understand the human impact of not having clean water around our country. This would help 11,000 communities across our Nation. I urge my colleagues to support this and vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, first, I want to thank Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer for their leadership in bringing this important bill to the floor. I would also like to thank Chairman Pallone for working with me on this amendment and Chairpersons DeFazio, Waters, Scott, and others for their leadership; and my colleagues, Representatives Dan Kildee, Slotkin, Cicilline, and Moore for their cosponsorship of this amendment. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment because everyone deserves clean water, because water is a human right. I rise today because, in the richest country in the world, no family or child should live with poisoned water. My amendment authorizes $4.5 billion annually, totaling $22.5 billion over the next 5 years, to replace dangerous lead water pipes throughout our Nation. This amendment also prioritizes lead pipe replacement projects serving disadvantaged communities, communities of color, low- income communities, and environmental justice communities like mine in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. Our residents in Michigan, surrounded by the largest bodies of freshwater in the world, should not be forced to live off bottled water sold by corporations like Nestle, who make billions while paying almost nothing to bottle our water and harm our ecosystem. Contaminated water has been a fact of life for too many communities, especially Black and Brown communities like Detroit, Flint, Baltimore, Chicago, and more. My amendment will require that lead service lines must be fully replaced and removed. No partial lead service line replacements would be funded. Our residents deserve so much more than half measures. We owe them their human right to drink clean water. This amendment, Madam Speaker, would change lives for over 9 million homes across the country currently at risk of facing the harms of lead exposure. The time for environmental justice is now, and this amendment is a crucial step toward finally achieving that. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment. I urge them to tell every single individual, family, child, and community in this country that they have a right to clean, safe water. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Fire Fighter Eric Tews on the occasion of his retirement from the Garden City, Michigan Fire Department. It is evident that Mr. Tews has a strong sense of duty and public service. After he graduated from high school, Mr. Tews immediately enrolled in the United States Navy, serving for four years. He explored a career in welding before once again taking up the mantle of public service and becoming a fire fighter in 1990. In September of 1997, Mr. Tews joined the Garden City Fire Department as a full-time firefighter. Not satisfied with stopping there, he went on to earn his paramedic license. Beyond proudly performing his duties in an exemplary manner, Eric Tews has served as a mentor to newer members, sharing his knowledge and experience. Please join me in recognizing Garden City Fire Fighter Eric Tews' twenty-three years of service as we wish him well on his retirement.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman DeFazio, for his leadership on this bill, and for the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Chairwoman Waters, Chairman Scott, and Chairman Pallone for fighting to make sure we make historic investments in our country's crumbling infrastructure. I rise today in support of amendments No. 41 and No. 42. The first amendment, which I have proposed with my colleagues Reps. Barragan, Ocasio-Cortez, and Brownley, prioritizes the public health of vulnerable communities by adding detailed requirements to H.R. 2's Climate Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Study. For too long, the building of roads, highways, and other federal infrastructure has come at the expense of communities experiencing environmental injustice. Our amendment would prioritize areas like Michigan's 13 District, home to the most polluted zip code in our state, and other communities that include people of color, migrants, and low-income workers. It would center our communities are fighting against climate change, pollution, and environmental racism. My second amendment ensures proper oversight and transparency of Community Climate Innovation Grants by requiring the Department of Transportation to work with the Environmental Protection Agency and the public. Parents in my district should not live in fear of their children playing / outside due to toxic air, and my amendment will ensure accountability as we seek to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I urge my colleagues to support these amendments to ensure that the communities that our communities are not ignored and do not bear the brunt of federal infrastructure environmental discrimination.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The measures in this bill are long overdue and are a step forward in ensuring people, especially Black folks in our country, do not experience racist police violence. We can't stop here, though, Mr. Speaker. I think about Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a young girl in Detroit who would be graduating from high school this year if she had not been murdered by police when they raided her home, the wrong home, while she slept in 2010. We can't stop here. We must continue to push policies that will tear down structural racism, reimagine public safety, and divest from policing so we can invest more in education, healthcare, mental health, jobs, transportation, things that keep us safe and our communities thriving. Aiyana should be here. George should be here. Breonna Taylor should be here. They all should be here. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker, and I continue to work toward justice for all of us.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. In January of this year, I stood here to speak against this administration's continued attack on our students. Five months later, Secretary DeVos, with the support of this administration, continues to work on behalf of predatory for-profit institutions rather than the students they lied to that they scammed. Instead of ensuring that students who were cheated out of their future by this these fraudulent institutions receive debt relief, Secretary DeVos is fighting to ensure that these institutions are never held accountable. Both Democratic and Republican Members alike agreed that if you were defrauded by one of these colleges, then your Federal student loan should be forgiven. We must stop this administration's relentless efforts to protect the pockets of predatory corporations at the expense of our students. I am proud to support this veto override.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, our country continues to fail Black people. Seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, in my district, would have graduated from high school this year if she was not murdered by police when they raided her home, the wrong home. Yes, who killed George Floyd should be the focus, but also what killed George Floyd. We are talking about centuries of dehumanizing Black folks in our country, and it must end now. We cannot stop here. We are, again, failing our neighbors when it comes to public safety, education, poverty, structural racism, which is deadly, and it is up to us to tear it down. It is not enough for us to just say Black lives matter. We, in this Chamber, have the power for real policy change and implementation that truly frees our Black neighbors. Aiyana, George, Breonna, Malice Green, we failed you, but your murders may be the way not to continue the injustice that we see in our country, and we have to stop it now.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Earnestine Davis, a beloved resident of the city of Detroit. Earnestine Warnet Davis was born on January 18, 1951 to the late Dulcy B. Smith and Hubert Lee Lockett in Detroit, Michigan. Earnestine, affectionately known as ``Warnet'' or ``Net'', was the eldest of five children. She embraced the role of leader and ``big sister,'' often helping her mother with caring for her younger brothers and sisters. Upon graduating from Detroit's Mumford High School, Warnet moved to Miami, Florida to live with her late father, Hubert Lockett, and his wife, Dale Lockett, to attend Miami Dade Community College. In 1969, she married the love of her life, Michael Davis, Sr., who preceded her in death. They returned to Detroit to focus on raising a family. Warnet and her husband were blessed with five beautiful children: Desmond Michelle, Michael, Dulcy Marquita, Leigh Christine, and Robert Trevor- Blair Davis. Determined and strong-willed, Warnet did not let the challenge of raising a large family deter her from accomplishing her life's goal of becoming a nurse. After the passing of her husband Michael, Warnet reenrolled in college. Focused and driven, Warnet juggled raising her children with long hours of study and hard work to realize her dream. In 1986, Warnet graduated with two degrees and with Honors from the distinguished Nursing Program at Highland Park Community College. Warnet's passion for the healing arts drove her to focus on passing her state licensing exams to obtain her professional licensing to become a License Practical Nurse (LPN) and Registered Nurse (RN). Succeeding in her goal, Warnet enjoyed a long career in nursing, specializing as a psychiatric care nurse attending to those with mental illness. Her love for her career was evident to all who knew her. Even while managing a busy career, Warnet made the most of her time spent with family. She was known as the life of the party and took joy in organizing large family gatherings at her home. She held a keen appreciation for the preciousness of life and always went out of her way to bring family together. This sensibility extended into Warnet's strong spiritual life. She served as a deaconess at Park United Presbyterian Church in Highland Park, Michigan for many years, where she organized numerous community events. Please join me in tribute to Earnestine Warnet Davis, a generous soul who will be missed by her family and community.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the hard work and service of Dr. Cassandra Montgomery on behalf of the communities of Detroit. Over the years, Dr. Montgomery has taken on many roles, working in different capacities, but she has always remained steadfast in the pursuit of social justice. Dr. Montgomery first moved to Detroit from Alabama as a young child. She grew up in the beautiful city of Detroit in its golden age of growth. She experienced Motown's musical scene and enjoyed her youth spent in neighborhoods where goods and services could be found without even leaving the community. Dr. Montgomery also witnessed Detroit in the midst of the 1960s civil rights movement. She knew the pain of segregation through her childhood visits to Alabama, but she also bore witness to one of the most important speeches delivered by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a speech at Cobo Hall in 1963. These memories instilled in Dr. Montgomery that social justice is a need worth fighting for, something she carried through in her work. Dr. Montgomery built the foundation of her professional life in service to others, whether in social work, advocacy, or in counseling, she was a friend to the people of the City of Detroit. Those of us who knew her in her capacity at People's Community Services in Southwest Detroit know her particularly for her tenacity in preserving the culture of the neighborhood of Delray. I therefore ask you to join me in tribute to Dr. Cassandra Montgomery, a beautiful soul and fighter for justice.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late former-Michigan State Legislator Morris Hood, III, whose life was tragically cut short by COVID-19. Morris Hood was born and raised in Detroit. His roots ran deep in Detroit and Wayne County. Mr. Hood was elected to Michigan's House of Representatives, where he served the maximum three terms before he went on to be elected to Michigan's State Senate, where he served the maximum two terms. He cared deeply for the people he represented and prioritized his time connecting with them, whether it was hosting meetings about important issues or attending community gatherings. His easygoing nature and innate leadership abilities afforded him respect from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Morris Hood leaves a legacy of advocacy for policy initiatives to uplift the communities he served. He was a champion for education and remained committed to improving our public schools. Morris Hood was a true public servant and more than that, a friend. Please join me in honoring his legacy.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, access to clean water and to affordable water is essential to saving lives and stopping the spread of COVID-19. No one deserves, Mr. Speaker, to die because they are too poor to afford water. In my district alone, thousands of low-income households began this pandemic with their water shut off. Just think about it. You are being told to wash your hands 10 times a day but you can't have access. In the richest country in the world, 15 million people cannot wash their hands during this pandemic. I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ms. Katherine Boyd Brown, a resident of Highland Park, Michigan, as she celebrates her one hundredth birthday. Born one hundred years ago, Ms. Boyd Brown lives life to the fullest. The beloved matriarch of her family, Ms. Boyd Brown counts her children, grandchildren, and her many family members as blessings in her life. Her strength, grace, and love for life has had a tremendous positive impact on all who know her. Though separated by miles from her family, Ms. Boyd Brown is surrounded by the constant love and warmth of her family who holds her in their prayers and warm wishes as she celebrates this milestone. Please join me in celebrating Katherine Boyd Brown's birthday as we wish her well in the years to come.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Isaac Robinson, a public servant from the State of Michigan, who tragically lost his life to illness, suspected COVID-19. Born and raised in Michigan, Isaac Robinson grew up with a strong interest in politics. His mother, former Michigan State Representative Rose Mary Robinson, was among the first women elected to serve as a Wayne County Commissioner. Isaac looked to his mother's example and pursued a career in public service. After earning his Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Isaac went on to work for the United Automobile Workers as well as Michigan Teamsters Joint Council No. 43 before founding his own law firm. Isaac's work on behalf of laborers only galvanized his resolve to work on behalf of the public. In 2018, he was elected to serve as State Representative to Michigan's Fourth District. Isaac was a ferocious advocate for the people he served, championing environmental justice issues, disability rights, and housing rights. Isaac Robinson was a big-hearted and passionate advocate for the people he served, and he will be sorely missed. I therefore ask you to please join me in honoring the memory of State Representative Isaac Robinson.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, this bill is only necessary because, in the last bill, Republicans prioritized a half-trillion-dollar gift to corporations that turned around and laid off workers who bailed them out. Our people need us to prioritize public health and testing, and they need recurring monthly relief payments now. This is Skylar Herbert. You need to see her face because there needs to be a human face to this pandemic. She is 5 years old, died from coronavirus. Skylar loved dressing up and performing, and she loved and adored being in kindergarten. Her death should be a wake-up call that we must act in urgency. Her father, a firefighter, her mother a police officer, first responders, and the amount of guilt that they feel because maybe they didn't have access to testing, that is exactly why they are out there telling her story every single day. Please, let's act now in urgency.

Ms. TLAIB. I urge my colleagues to please do more to save lives. It is immoral for us to walk away and take a month off when people, our neighbors, are dying and losing loved ones. So, in memory of Skylar, in honor of her, please let's expand public health funding and testing for everyone.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, as individuals, families, and communities across this country and the world deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, I know residents in the 13th Congressional District are looking for immediate, lasting relief. I know that our medical workers and first responders are looking for resources and enough personal protection equipment to be able to do their jobs caring for the sick. Our hospitals are overloaded and need immediate support to provide enough beds and facilities to care for our communities. It's for our residents, frontline medical workers, and hospitals who desperately need help today that I support the passage of the CARES Act--but this is only the beginning of our fight for relief that goes to the people first. This bill does not go far enough. However, residents are in dire need of direct payments to help replace the loss of income they've experienced. We know residents who are now unemployed can't wait for an increase in unemployment insurance amounts. Small businesses and non- profits will now have access to loans that may be forgiven. Hospitals, health care facilities, and medical providers will receive $100 billion dollars to protect communities across the country. And the state of Michigan will receive nearly $3.9 billion in funding to help stop this pandemic, including $351 million for public transit systems and nearly $74 million for housing (HUD) emergency solution grants. We have already begun the work of pushing for a fourth COVID-19 response package that includes critical provisions I've been fighting for in Washington. Our local governments, municipalities, and states have been at the forefront of responding to this crisis. They have sprung into action and must have the resources they need to save lives, and are now being forced to go without crucial revenues and divert funds to COVID-19 relief. I have continuously advocated that we do more to prevent the financial collapse of state and local governments through the Federal Reserve's toolbox. This bill provides some mechanisms for the Fed to provide financial relief to our cities and states, but we need stronger requirements for the Fed to purchase debt and support our local governments. A one-time payment is not enough to provide relief to the thousands of our residents who have been laid off or will lose income for the foreseeable future. Our residents need monthly payments, like I have proposed, to continue until after the economic shocks caused by this pandemic end. We need to immediately implement a water shutoff prohibition, which 80 members of the House supported in a letter I led with Reps. Dingell and Kildee to House leadership. It is imperative that we ensure households have clean, safe water running from the faucets, especially during a time where hand washing is essential in preventing the spread of COVID-19. These critical provisions should have been prioritized over giving corporations a half-trillion dollar handout, which I am concerned that the CARES Act does. Congress must begin working immediately to develop and pass a fourth stimulus bill, one that delivers on these provisions and more for the people who will suffer most during this crisis.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the James Tatum Foundation for the Arts on the occasion of its thirty third anniversary. The James Tatum Foundation for The Arts was founded in 1987 by a coalition of concerned educators and civic leaders who recognized vast numbers of artistically talented young people in the Metropolitan Detroit area and the lack of opportunities to nurture that talent. Since then, the James Tatum Foundation, under the leadership of James Tatum, a world-renowned jazz musician and educator, has carried out its mission to provide opportunities to young artists to develop and display their talents. Furthermore, through its Youth Scholarship Program, the Foundation works to award young people with financial assistance to help attain performing art studies beyond high school. Over the years, the James Tatum Foundation has blossomed into one of Detroit's most distinguished nonprofit organizations, nurturing students with diverse talents by providing scholarships, mentoring and exposure. The Foundation has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in performing arts scholarships to graduating seniors who are advancing to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities, including Juilliard School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Curtis Music Institute, Yale University, Oberlin Music School, and the University of Michigan School of Music. Please join me in celebrating the thirty third anniversary of the James Tatum Foundation for the Performing Arts and the countless young people who have been able to pursue their dreams in the performing arts.

Ms. TLAIB

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

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of California (Mr. Lowenthal).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order is a call for reproductive justice for women, those who can become pregnant and families everywhere who believe, as I do, that reproductive rights are a human right. This Special Order hour comes as the Supreme Court, today, considers yet another attack on our right as women and those who can become pregnant to determine what we do with our own bodies. Worse, it comes less than a month after Senate Majority Leader McConnell's thankfully failed attempt to pass, not one, but two, abortion bans. Never mind the 250-plus bills to reduce prescription drug costs, improve access to the ballot box, and more that would make a real difference in the lives of the American people that he could have taken up; instead, he tried to control women's bodies. The obsession with telling women, transgender folks, and nonbinary people what to do with their own bodies must end. The obsession with trying to legislate what those who can become pregnant can do and cannot do with their own body must end. I represent one of the most beautiful, most Black cities in the country, the city of Detroit. The issue of reproductive justice is one that is very much affecting Black women and women of color and transgender people all around the world. Of all female title X patients, for example, 32 percent are Latinas, 21 percent are Black, and 4 percent are Asian American and Pacific Islander. For the 2 million transgender people in the United States, this funding makes access to the hormone replacement therapy and other transition-related care that they need very much possible for their health. How? With over 100 clinics across 17 States offering HRT, Planned Parenthood is one of the largest transition care providers in the country. This money, this funding that is often threatened by anti- abortion rights advocates is actually a critical source of healthcare for these women who already face health disparities. Indeed, title X providers are one of the few places where women of color can access reproductive and preventive healthcare services. It is really critical in this institution, in this Chamber, that we ensure that those health disparities are not exacerbated by a reduction or revocation of that funding. When we talk about 20-week abortion bans, the stories illustrating why access to them is so important are as heartbreaking as they are harrowing. Take Jenni L. from my home State of Michigan as a perfect example. At her 18-week ultrasound, Jenni and her husband were given the devastating news that their unborn son had severe brain malfunction. For weeks after that appointment, she visited multiple specialists and genetic counselors who all gave her unborn son the same prognosis: He was unlikely to survive a full term. So, at 21 weeks, Jenni terminated her pregnancy. Jenni said: ``Deciding to end my much-wanted pregnancy was difficult and deeply sad, but also deeply personal. At no point during that process did I consider my legislators a part of the conversation. I listened to my doctors, genetic counselors, my family, and my heart.'' Women like Jenni should absolutely have the right to listen to their doctors and their hearts when it comes to the health of themselves, their unborn children, and their bodies. Had the GOP had their way, Jenni would have spent the remainder of her pregnancy term living in fear that at any moment her son would pass away from this awful prognosis or the fear that she would give birth and watch him suffer. As a mother of two boys myself, I cannot imagine what Jenni went through or her emotional trauma as she considered or made that very personal choice. If she had to carry her son or not is up to her. She is just one story of many in which a mother, through no fault of her own, has had to make heartbreaking decisions about her pregnancy. Sadly, nearly 99 percent of abortions actually do occur before this deadline of 20 weeks into pregnancy, but they decide to ignore that. They decide to make this a political issue, and it is not. It is a human issue, a women's issue. For Jenni and the countless other mothers like her, this legislative body must keep their hands off of women's bodies. It is so critically important to know, when we talk about this issue, that it is an economic justice issue. It is a racial justice issue. It is interconnected to so much of what we fight for as women in this country, to have ourselves be able to make very important choices, not only about our jobs, with no fear of discrimination, but also about our health, which is so interconnected to so many other social justice issues that we face. So it is critically important that we really try to push back against this continued agenda that has been politicized and making the issue of choice and the issue of healthcare for women something that they are vilifying and trying to use to a process. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio- Cortez).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pressley for her incredible leadership on this important issue across the world and not just here in the United States. Also, this has been a wonderful experience for all of us new Members to experience a Special Order that has been coordinated and created by the Congressional Progressive Caucus to help many of us be able to give a voice to many folks at home. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley) for closing remarks.