Rashida Tlaib

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague from Massachusetts for her incredible, much-needed voice here in this Chamber. As we all know, this Sunday is International Women's Day. So let's celebrate all the women all over the world who stand up for what they believe in, who speak truth to power, and who fight for their communities as activists, voters, candidates, and elected officials. This International Women's Day I want to uplift an issue that is personal to me and so many of my sisters in service. Violence against women in politics is a global problem. Research shows that women around the world are subjected to physical, sexual, economic, and psychological violence for choosing to participate in politics. When I say around the world, I also mean here in the United States. As one of the first Muslim women in Congress, my family and I face constant death threats and harassment. But this will not stop me from fighting and being a voice for 13 District Strong. But let's be clear. Harassment, abuse, and assault are not the cost of doing politics. Women deserve to have their voices heard. They deserve a seat at the table. So this Sunday for International Women's Day let's finally commit to stopping violence against women in politics. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 81.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Aree Mikki McCampbell of 13th District Strong. She was a guiding light for her family and for all those who knew and loved her. Mrs. McCampbell was also a loving mother to Denzel McCampbell, Shawanna, and Kanita, and an incredible grandmother to Tyrone and Serina. Mr. Speaker, you can tell a lot about a parent based on their child. I did not know Mrs. McCampbell personally, but I know the type of love she shared with the world because of her son, Denzel McCampbell. Mrs. McCampbell hailed from Safford, Alabama, and studied at both Selma University and Wayne State University in Detroit. She instilled a love of humanity in her family. And 13 District Strong is forever grateful to her for the mark that she has left on this world. My heart goes out to the McCampbell family. I hope knowing that she is in Heaven watching out for all those lives she has touched can bring some peace to those who are remembering and celebrating her life.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to how corporate greed threatens our public health and environment with an alarming example from my hometown of Detroit. On November 26, 2019, a portion of a dock operated by Detroit Bulk Storage collapsed into the Detroit River sending tons of crushed limestone into the river, disturbing contaminated river sediment and exposing the public and our water supply to the decades of contamination buried at this former uranium rod manufacturing site. Detroit Bulk Storage took unnecessary risks by overloading its failing dock, caused a collapse into the river, and waited 3 days before notifying the National Response Center. When they did, they merely reported it as a dock collapse with no indication for State or Federal regulators of the contamination present at the site and the need for urgency. Testing from State regulators and the EPA is ongoing, and so far tests appear to indicate no significant radiation exposure. However, the site's owner, Revere Dock, LLC, continues to drag its feet in developing and implementing a restoration plan. This is yet another stark reminder that we cannot ever count on corporations to put the public interest ahead of their own profits and that we need drastic changes to strengthen regulatory tools and to hold them accountable to protect our public health.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Imam Abdullah El- Amin's commitment to community service. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Abdullah El-Amin moved to Detroit, Michigan at the age of 7. His interest in the sciences led him to Shaw College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry and worked for twenty years as a medical technologist at various laboratories. Abdullah El-Amin was called to pursue a more spiritual path. In 1983, Imam Abdullah, along with other members of the community, founded the Muslim Center of Detroit. It was incorporated in 1985. The mosque was formed primarily as a place for worship and as an outreach center to bring people from different religious backgrounds together. Imam Abdullah has always been passionate in his belief that interfaith dialogue creates stronger and more meaningful relationships across cultures. Imam El-Amin is known for his ability to create connections across communities, and he has served as a delegate for projects internationally. Imam El-Amin also co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (formerly, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan). His work there allowed him to forge many relationships and friendships with the broader Muslim community. In addition, he founded Crescent Janazah Services after seeing the need for quality end-of-life-care in the Metro-Detroit area, where he fostered the assistance of hundreds, if not thousands of families in their time of need. In addition to his spiritual and charitable work, Imam El-Amin is passionate about civic engagement. He served former mayor Dennis Archer as manager of the Neighborhood City Hall. Imam El-Amin is foremost a family man. He was married to the love of his life, Dr. Cheryl El-Amin who he misses terribly. They are the parents of three children, Maurice, a high school principal; Zarinah, anthropologist and cultural entrepreneur; and Idris, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Please join me in saluting Imam El-Amin, as we recognize his many contributions to the spiritual and civic life of Detroit.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ms. Helen Sekutowski, a resident of Westland, Michigan, as she celebrates her ninetieth birthday. Ms. Sekutowski was born in Detroit on February 25, 1930 to Polish immigrant parents. She carries a life-long pride in her Polish ancestry. Ms. Sekutowski's devotion to community and family are apparent. She, along with her husband Eugene, created a loving home for their six children. She is committed to living a positive and spiritual life, attending mass services every Sunday. Her light and love for life is demonstrated through the positive spirit and impact that she has on her friends and neighbors. Please join me in celebrating Helen Sekutowski's ninetieth birthday as we wish her many more to come.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the memory of Lois Warren, a Detroit native, for her legacy of tenacity and spirit. Ms. Warren valued hard work and it was evident in her everyday life. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and Social Work, a Master's Degree in Psychology and Social Work, and was among the first African- American women to earn a Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy. Ms. Warren enjoyed a wide-ranging career that included leadership roles as head of the Psychiatric Social Work Department of the former Herman Keifer Hospital in Detroit, and Executive Director of the Intake Division of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. More importantly, Ms. Warren was an advocate for civil rights and the visually impaired. Ms. Warren's own daughter, who lives with visual impairment, was the inspiration behind her relentless advocacy. She also played a key role in the wider distribution of large-print materials, such as menus, and for improved visual markers on large glass doors. Furthermore, she fought against women's wage inequities in her daily work, calling out unfair pay for work performed. Please join me in recognizing the outstanding contributions of Lois Warren, a truly exemplary person.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise very proudly, the first Muslim woman ever elected in the Congress, in support of H.J. Res. 79. Madam Speaker, what is even more interesting is what I have been hearing about this obsession to control and oppress women in the United States of America. I cannot believe it is 2020, and we are still debating the merits of the equal rights amendment. It is beyond time. I want you all to know this is about women of color, women with disabilities, transgender women, immigrant women. These women are affected by issues like unequal pay, sexual violence, lack of access for healthcare, and poverty. So much of what we are doing here, in trying to promote women's equality, is about gender, racial, and economic justice. Madam Speaker, know this: A ``no'' vote today is condoning oppression of women in the United States of America. I urge support.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter), my incredible colleague who co-chairs the Special Order within the Congressional Progressive Caucus. I do appreciate her continued leadership in fighting for families all across the country. One of the things that we need to realize is this is a destructive and irrational budget by the current administration, and we want to wonder why. This is a reflection--very much so--of the values within this administration. It is also showing that we are going to leave working- class folks and anyone who needs access to food, healthcare, housing, clean air, and relief from flooding behind. And we wonder: Why did this come about? Well, like folks in my district would say: Let's go back and figure out who is part of the administration. Right now, under the current Trump administration, a coal lobbyist runs the EPA; a pharmaceutical executive runs Health and Human Services; an oil lobbyist runs the Department of the Interior; another lobbyist runs DOD, the Department of Defense; a Verizon lawyer runs the Federal Communications Commission; a Goldman Sachs executive runs Treasury; a private equity kingpin runs Commerce; a billionaire Amway heiress runs the Department of Education. So what you have here is a reflection of those values, those folks who are completely disconnected from the American people. These folks are millionaires--some may be even billionaires--who do not understand the day-to-day challenges that our folks are facing. Madam Speaker, I represent the third poorest congressional district in the 13 District Strong, where we have, in some areas, chronic poverty, but also lack of access to food. We also face that we are frontline communities of what doing nothing looks like on climate change. We also house the worst ZIP Code in the State of Michigan-- 48217. Madam Speaker, look at the budget itself. Just gloss over it. You are talking about $1.4 trillion in tax giveaways--$1.7 billion in cuts just in the Army Corps of Engineers, where two of my communities right now are literally facing flooding of homes that they need the Army Corps of Engineers to be able to address, from communities in Dearborn Heights and all along the east side of Detroit. Madam Speaker, we have $920 billion in Medicaid cuts, healthcare to our most vulnerable, many of them, again, family members and those who have to take care of our children. Madam Speaker, a 26 percent cut to the EPA. We, right now, in the city of Detroit and throughout Wayne County, we don't even meet sulfur dioxide standards, right now, under the Clean Air Act. We suffer every single day. In one of my ZIP Codes, we have three times higher asthma hospitalization among adults. We need to push back on these cuts that, again, reflect on who is running this administration versus a reflection of the American people and their needs. It directly eliminates affordable housing programs within HUD. Not only is the food assistance being cut, the $181 billion in food assistance, they are going and proceeding on to create a culture that says that working folks, working-class residents, our most vulnerable, seniors, the vulnerable communities--like our mothers and others who are taking care of their families--have to be left behind while we give cuts to the wealthy and to corporations. And so it is really critically important the American people wake up and understand who is running our government right now, because, right now, our government is not about people. This budget is a reflection of those values that are going to be people versus profit, and this budget is very clear: Our people are not coming first. And, from a community, again, that is a frontline community that always gets left behind--if it is not around education funding, environmental funding to housing funding to food assistance, we are, again, the frontline communities of what doing nothing looks like. Madam Speaker, this budget is wrong for our country. It is destructive, and it is something that we need to be able to push back together on in a bipartisan way. I thank my colleague, again, for this opportunity to express and be a voice for many of my residents back home in 13 District Strong.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, this is Damon Clayton, the son of my dear friend, Dearborn Heights City Councilwoman Lisa Hicks-Clayton. Today, I rise in honor of his precious life. Thirteenth District Strong lost Damon to suicide last week at the young age of 28. One friend wrote: ``This man was a friend and a brother to me. We may not have shared DNA, but we shared a common desire to protect.'' He was a U.S. Army paratrooper in Afghanistan and a firefighter/EMT for the city of Ecorse. ``When we lost Damon, we lost a very special blessing from God. This special soul spent his life protecting us.'' He said: ``I finish my EMT school in 3 weeks. I would like to finish in honor of him. Damon was a factor in my choice to pursue public safety. I want him to always be remembered.'' For me, Damon was dearly loved by so many people, including his parents and his siblings. Death by suicide among veterans represents a public health crisis in our country. In 2005, over 5,700 veterans died by suicide, a number that rose to over 6,100 in 2017. In Damon's memory, I promise to do everything in my power to get our veterans the healthcare and help that they deserve.

Ms. TLAIB

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

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I would like to begin by thanking Congresswoman Lowey, our Subcommittee Chairman Price, and their staff for working with me on this amendment and for their critical leadership on this bill. I would also like to thank my sisters in service, Congresswoman Velazquez and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, for leading this amendment with me. I am so proud to partner with them to make our government more accessible, especially in times of disaster. This amendment ensures meaningful access to fellow Americans with limited English abilities to the public information maintained by grantees of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Fund. The amendment rests on two principles, Madam Chair. First, the Puerto Rican people have a right to know how this relief money is being spent in their own communities. Second, no one is in a better position to hold officials and grant recipients accountable and to ensure that the money we allocate today is used in the best interests of the community than the people of Puerto Rico themselves. That is why it is critical that we ensure that any information made available is easily accessible to all people, regardless of what language they speak. I cannot overstate how important it is that we pass this bill. The people of Puerto Rico are struggling and persevering through some of the most difficult circumstances that any of us have ever experienced. The bill provides over $4 billion in critical disaster relief and long-term recovery assistance, and funds programs and grants to get kids back in fully-functioning schools, repairing damages to infrastructure and roads, and to rebuild the island's electrical grid that has been damaged because of disasters and so forth, and ensure that no one else is affected, or that children don't go to sleep hungry. It is time--it is time to release these funds. To hold the money that can save lives is not only inhumane and immoral, but it is, more dangerously, a form of oppression. The disconnection to human suffering that we cause by doing nothing is what will continue to fail the American people. Passing this bill fulfills the central promise of our democracy governed ``of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' Passing this amendment in this bill ensures that some of the most vulnerable people have full access to democracy, regardless of who they are, where they are from, and what language they speak. I urge my colleagues to please support this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), my distinguished fellow colleague and chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I want to reiterate the importance of this amendment. As a person who was born and raised in this country and who didn't speak English when I started school, and who is now a Member of this Chamber, I can tell my colleagues personally how critical this is to our democracy and to protecting all of us. I thank my colleagues again for their tremendous support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

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

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Look, unnecessary delays in union representation elections provide corporations with more time to wage anti-union campaigns using illegal and legal tactics. That is why folks are going to be against this. When workers file a petition for union representation elections, corporations must properly notify them of their rights under the law. It is pretty clear. It is pretty transparent, and allows, again, information to get to workers, our neighbors that are there that want to organize for better wages, for protection at the workplace. I urge my colleagues to please vote ``yes'' on this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I rise to offer an amendment that protects union elections by ensuring timely notices of union representation elections. This amendment overturns a recent National Labor Relations Board regulation that undermines workers' rights to organize in their workplace. I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Scott and his exceptional staff for working with me on this amendment, and for their tireless efforts to strengthen unions and protect our country's workers. The PRO Act strengthens workers' rights to a free and fair union representation election. It does so by fostering transparency in the workplace about the right to organize and removing barriers that were solely created to undercut labor organizing at the workplace. In 2014, Madam Chair, the Board updated its union election procedures by streamlining the union representation process. The PRO Act codifies many of the 2004 requirements, including the timelines for pre- and post-election hearings. The 2014 Election Rule protected the integrity of the union representation process, which is critical, and it was upheld in every court where it was challenged. You see, corporate greed is what is driving this administration's attack on workers. In December of 2019, the Board rescinded many parts of that 2014 rule, burdening our workers with unnecessary delays and giving corporations more opportunity to stall workplace rights and organizing with frivolous litigation. The Republican Chairman of the Board, John Ring, pushed these changes without providing any notice to the public, ambushing workers with new procedures, solely designed to undermine the rights for our folks, for our neighbors and workers to organize. One important change in that 2014 Election Rule required corporations to post a notice when workers file a petition for an election. This notice is critical to informing workers about the details of the petition, and their rights, while the board processes their petition. Notably, the 2014 rule required corporations to post this notice within two business days, 2 business days after the board issues notice of a pre-election hearing. This requirement was fair, and it was just. However, once again, the agents of corporate greed are trying to cheat us out of our rights. Chairman Ring and the other Republican members of the board nearly tripled the amount of time corporations have to post that notice to 5 days after being notified about the pre- election hearing. This delay enables the corporations to take advantage of a crucial time period where workers may not know their rights or the details of the board process governing their petition for a fair election. We should be doing all we can do, Madam Chair, to ensure workers' collective bargaining rights are protected. Enough of the antiworker mentality driven by those who want to avoid paying fair wages and offering strong workplace protections for our neighbors. This amendment restores fairness and democracy into our process, Madam Chair, and it brings back the 2014 election rule by requiring the corporations to post the notice of petition for election within 2 days after the board notifies the corporations and the union about the pre- election hearing. It is pretty simple. In doing so, this amendment will foster more transparency, and will prevent unnecessary delays that undermine the right to organize in our country. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Congressman Meadows for partnering with me on the bill, as well as our Chairwoman Maloney and her incredibly strong and talented staff for their leadership and for the continued support of the work that we have to do on behalf of our residents at home. I also want to thank our forever chairman, the late Chairman Cummings, who is looking down on us from above, for his mentorship and for working with us on this bill that would help some of our most vulnerable retirees. We all know that no one deserves to be scammed out of their money, but that is especially true for our retirees. This bill, the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act, is a bipartisan effort to protect those retirees who are recipients of Federal benefits. Retirees who have been declared mentally incompetent or have another qualifying disability can have their monthly benefits paid on their behalf through a representative, frequently referred to as the representative payee. In recent years, what we have seen in our country is there has been a sharp increase in the number of representative payees who have taken advantage of their position and committed fraud, hurting many of our residents. We need to hold them accountable, and this bill does that. The bill would expand protection to over 2 million workers all across the United States. In my home State of Michigan, there are nearly 40,000 Federal retirees who are currently unprotected from this crime, impacting their quality of life. They are supposed to be living in peace during their retirement years. They are becoming targets instead, and we need to push back together, in a bipartisan way. I hear firsthand from our senior residents about their concerns, from feeling neglected in the assisted living facilities to unaffordable drug prices, and I want to ensure that our older Americans have one less worry about financial predators who will misuse their hard-earned money. For far too long, this lack of Federal protection has left some of our, again, most vulnerable civil servants without legal recourse when they are taken advantage of and their retirement funds are misused. We must ensure that the most impacted communities are protected on every front. That is what this legislation will do. It will prevent those who have committed representative payee fraud from serving as representative payees in the future and hold them accountable to their victims. Let's really ensure that our public servants and our civil servants who have dedicated their lives to serving our country are protected against this fraud. Again, I want to thank my beloved Chairman Cummings for coming to myself and my colleague, Congressman Meadows. When he did, we couldn't say no to him, so we worked together in trying to resolve this issue for so many folks, again, 2 million Federal employees across the country who need this protection. Mr. Speaker, I really do urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, this administration's rogue attempt to start a war with Iran endangers countless lives around the world and was a wake-up call for Congress that we must reclaim our constitutional role as a check on executive power to wage endless wars. Repealing the AUMF of 2002 is an important step toward reasserting that Congress alone has the authority to declare war. The 2002 AUMF was passed to wage a war ultimately deemed to be based on lies, and the United States military operations pursuant to the 2002 AUMF ended in 2011. Iraq is a sovereign nation, and passing today's amendment is an important measure of respect for our key ally. The 2002 AUMF is an outdated relic whose only function is to provide this administration with cover to claim that Congress has authorized attacks on Iran or whichever country draws its attention. Leaving it in place makes us less safe in our country. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Lee, my mentor, for her leadership on repealing the 2002 AUMF and ending our forever wars so that we can better serve our constituents at home. Madam Speaker, I know Ms. Lee was alone at one point. She is not alone anymore. We stand with her in pushing back against this very much unconstitutional measure by the President of the United States.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, as one of its first acts, this White House decided to ban Muslims from entering the United States by issuing an executive order prohibiting the entry of nationals of certain Muslim- majority countries. The people this administration banned are not all the same. They represent a diverse array of countries and cultures, including Arab communities, Black communities, Southeast Asian communities, amongst so many others. All around our Nation, especially in Michigan's 13th District strong, we understand just how dangerous this administration's racist Muslim ban is for our families. The Muslim ban fuels anti-Muslim violence and discrimination. It promotes the dangerous myth that Muslims are inherently foreign, violent, and pose a threat to the United States. The Muslim ban also harms children. In the 2 years since it went into effect, countless families have been needlessly separated. People have been denied access to lifesaving medical treatments. Children have been denied their parents, access to their grandparents, and family members have missed births, deaths, weddings, and funerals for loved ones. I rise today to say that Muslims and Muslim Americans are our friends, our neighbors, and our family members--and, yes, they are also Members of Congress. This White House might not like that fact very much, because the racist Muslim ban represents the Federal Government's endorsement of an anti-Muslim discrimination culture. The policy endorses a fear- mongering campaign that only serves to dehumanize and divide, and it leads us to question if this White House has any plans for our country that are not centered on hate or greed. I am extremely troubled that this federally sanctioned discrimination has contributed to a significant spike in hate crimes against American Muslims and attacks on mosques in Muslim communities all across the country. That is why, as Members of Congress, we must put an end to discrimination by passing the NO BAN Act. We have over 200 Members of Congress who support and cosponsor this NO BAN Act. As introduced, the NO BAN Act would immediately rescind the Muslim ban and stop discriminatory orders and abuses of authority by this administration, thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Judy Chu. By ending the Muslim ban, the NO BAN Act will also get us close to ending the extreme number of increasing religious discrimination within our immigration system now. The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, INA, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and ensure that no President ever again will be able to ban an entire community without accountability. I urge my colleagues in the House leadership to bring the NO BAN Act to the floor as soon as possible, because our communities cannot wait. Minority communities across our country and, indeed, the international community are eager for action that repeals the Muslim ban. As someone who is raising two Muslim boys in our country, I can tell you they struggle now even sharing about their faith and even worried about the rhetoric that they hear from various folks in school, but also just in passing, not only through social media, but through different kinds of conversations that they are hearing where they talk about not only folks who are of the Muslim faith, but folks of various immigrant communities. And being two sons of a father who is also an immigrant, they now really struggle very much in feeling that they can be open. At 9 years old, my son, who is now 14, remembers me--I remember speaking to his father about a terrible ad, a cartoon that was put in USA Today, where it depicted Muslims in a certain way that would evoke violence towards Muslim Americans. I remember talking to his father at that moment and just kind of whispering to him: This is terrible. I can't believe they are doing this. This is just going to invoke people to really hate and even want to kill Muslims. And my son, who came into the bedroom, said: Don't worry, Mama. If anybody asks if I am Muslim, I will tell them that I am not. That is the kind of culture that we create by allowing these kinds of discriminatory policies to be placed and for us to allow it to be codified through executive orders and allow it to go without any action. I ran a campaign to take on hate, which really started in Michigan, but was implemented throughout the country in about 12 communities. And one of the things that young people understand is you have got to take on hate with action. You can't sit idly back--because people just thought: Well, this doesn't impact me--but really trying to understand that it does connect all of us; because this form of othering in the culture that you see within the administration is real and it is dangerous, and sitting idly by and not doing anything about it, to me, will increase that form of hate towards people of different faiths. And trust me, it is not just about Muslims. It is about other kinds of faiths, people of different ethnic backgrounds. This, in essence, is creating this kind of hate culture that we can't see, not only in our American society, but it is also festering within our school culture and with our young people again questioning constantly with identity and allowing this kind of othering to be normalized through acts like this executive order. When you hear Muslim leaders and those talk about the separation that happens, I remember at Bridging Communities in southwest Detroit, we had a press conference with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell fighting back against the separation of families, and it all stemmed around: Well, I didn't understand there was supposed to have been a waiver. Well, everyone should know, many of the people we represent who are coming to our offices were not granted waivers. And we are talking about people who are married, who have legal access through the immigration, but for the Muslim ban, and are not able to reunify with their family members. I have two young children who can't see their father because of the Muslim ban. I have folks who had a green card, had access to the United States, but when this got implemented, because it was implemented in a way where there was no notice, no policy, no procedures, no structure in place for folks on the ground to understand what was going on, that is why we saw what we saw, the overwhelming call for action and people showing up to airports all across the country saying: No, not now, not ever. It is really important that we do it through action within the Congress, and I hope my colleagues understand this should be bipartisan support. This is religious discrimination. This is one of our core values as Americans. We are founded on religious freedom. And for us to allow, again, targeting of folks solely based on their faith, to me, repeats history. We have done it in the past; and it wasn't right then, and it isn't right now. And I think I can speak on behalf of Muslim Americans. They do not want to wait for an apology. Apology is not enough. They want action today. They know this is discriminatory. They know this is bias. They know this is targeting Muslims. And, yes, it is leading to, again, increased hate crimes towards Muslims in huge amounts across the country; and so it is critical that we act, that we don't sit silently by, because doing nothing is not an option anymore. So I urge the House leadership to bring this NO BAN Act forward to the floor as soon as possible. I really commend the incredible leadership of many of our colleagues, especially my good colleague from Indiana, Congressman Andre Carson, whom I lovingly call the dean of the Muslim Caucus. Yes, we are your neighbors; we are your advocates; we are your doctors, your teachers, and all of those things, and also your Members of Congress. And so, again, it is really critically important that we push back against this ban. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson).

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, as part of the incredible, large class of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I am really proud to be here helping my colleagues translate a number of policy positions and issues and in being able to translate that into action to various policies and to be able to express that. So this Special Order is very, very much an integral part of organizing within our caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, on what we call frontline community issues. So I want to thank my colleagues for helping us organize today a Special Order hour to declare loudly and very clearly to every Muslim American and to Muslims around the world that the House of Representatives will not stand idly by as this administration continues to enforce its racist Muslim ban. So with that I really rise today to send a message to marginalized communities everywhere that through our work to repeal the Muslim ban we are preventing racist bans from ever happening again. I am so incredibly grateful for Congresswoman Chu's leadership of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act, or what we call the NO BAN Act. I thank Congresswoman Chu for her leadership and courage to stand up to those who try to target folks based on their faith. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Indiana. I really appreciate the incredible public service that not only stems here but, as you all know, many of our servicemen and women who are of Muslim faith are serving our country every single day. Again, people need not try to separate us as not being part of this amazing country. The Muslim ban completely tears that down and comes from, again, a place of hate that we need to push back against. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), who I really honor and respect, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, my good colleague, one of the fighters within this Chamber every single day for communities of color and marginalized communities.

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. Her incredible leadership and mentorship are so inspiring but also completely fuels my commitment to be centered around social justice and equality. Madam Speaker, I wanted to make sure that we talk about the fact that because of the Muslim ban and some of the kind of hate agenda policies that we see coming out of the administration, it all has resulted in an increase of hate crimes that still is underreported and has not, I think, truly, under this administration, been documented by the FBI. Even when the current President just called for a total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States, just days after that report, hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs nationwide spiked up 23 percent. As we hear about the various kinds of hate crimes, we get some of these complaints and incidents being reported to even our offices. I wanted to make sure that we talk about the fact that the FBI, when it released its report this past year, that Muslim advocates in their statement--which is very accurate, based on what we hear of our community members at home--said that, yet again, the FBI annual statistics on hate crimes show us that the worrying numbers of Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and Latinos being victimized by hate crimes are not being reported, or the data does not reflect that. It is not a complete, accurate picture of the epidemic of hate that continues to threaten the safety of so many Americans across the country. Last year, an armed man drove a truck into a convenience store in Louisiana because he suspected the owners were Muslims. Also in March last year, a man deliberately tried to drive his car into a Muslim family in a parking lot in California and managed to strike the father twice. Both are clear examples of hate crimes. Neither of those were included in the FBI's data on hate crimes. Madam Speaker, it is completely unacceptable. As we push for the NO BAN Act, I also want to try to encourage my colleagues to try to have hearings and discuss the importance of accurate data around hate crimes increasing across the country. That is why we have to pass the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act to improve the hate crime reporting data collection. Many of the organizations that support the NO BAN Act also want to see a much better reflection of the data being reported by the FBI around hate crime. The only way we are able to promote or push back against these forms of hate that lead to violence, and even death, for so many folks that are impacted by these forms of racist policies and hateful agenda policies, is to be able to document and to push back against it. So I really appreciate a number of my colleagues, over 200 Members that support the NO BAN Act, and I look forward to finally being able to vote for it on the floor. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, during Roll Call Vote number 32 on S. 3201, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``yes'' when I should have voted ``no''. Personal Explanation

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairwoman Waters and her intelligent, hardworking staff for their leadership on this bill. I also thank my sister-in-service, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, for spearheading this package of bills, the Comprehensive CREDIT Act of 2020. A new decade, a new way, as our chairwoman would say. I am also proud that our package of bills before us today includes H.R. 3622, the Restoring Unfairly Impaired Credit and Protecting Consumers Act. We are all aware of how expensive medical bills are and how easily one sickness or accident can bring families to financial ruin. According to the Urban Institute, regardless of age, income, insurance status, or ethnicity, one in four individuals are at risk of losing their health, homes, credit standing, and financial security annually because of the harms of medical debt. The bill prohibits the reporting of medically necessary debt often incurred for seeking lifesaving treatment and protects the credit profile of those struggling with medical debt by stopping the credit reporting agency from reporting this debt for 1 year, twice the current practice. This bill also protects the survivors of financial abuse. A study by the Federal Trade Commission shows that 21 percent of consumers had verified errors in their credit report; 13 percent had errors that affected their credit scores; and 5 percent had errors serious enough to cause them to be denied or pay more for credit. Our bill would make sure that fellow Americans suffering from circumstances beyond their control are not punished or left out of future opportunities to responsibly build and rebuild credit because of risk factors beyond their control. By passing this bill, we will make it easier for our neighbors struggling to recover from predatory loans and fraudulent activity by requiring that credit reporting agencies remove negative information from credit reports relating to loans that are unfair, deceptive, abusive, and otherwise illegal. Lastly, and probably the most transformative provision, this bill shortens the length of time that bad marks stay on your credit report from 7 years to 4 years. This package will open up doors for economic opportunities for millions of people across our country. No one should be stopped from becoming a homeowner or bettering their life because of bad debt. Mr. Chair, that is why I urge my colleagues to support this bill.