Rashida Tlaib

Ms. TLAIB

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

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Douglas Dillard, a long-time resident of Detroit, Michigan, who celebrates his seventy-fifth birthday this year. Mr. Dillard was born February 2, 1945, the second of seven children born to the late Christopher and Virginia Dillard. He is proud graduate of historical Detroit Northwestern High School, class of 1963. Mr. Dillard earned a Computer Science and Industrial Management degree from Detroit Institute of Technology. After graduating, Mr. Dillard worked as a designer for Ford Motor Company Body Engineering, a career that spanned twenty-seven years. In his free time, Mr. Dillard was an enthusiastic softball player. He garnered numerous awards, including many All Stars and Most Valuable Player awards. Mr. Dillard has also participated in the Huntsman World Senior Games and has been inducted into its Hall of Fame. He currently operates Gray Street Housing. He enjoys his time spent with his wife Gloria and their three grown children. Please join me in celebrating Mr. Douglas Dillard's seventy-fifth birthday.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Commonwealth of Faith Church as they put down their roots in Redford Township, Michigan. Under the leadership of Pastor Torion Bridges, like-minded community members came together with the common goal of establishing a multi- generational house of worship to serve the spiritual needs of the surrounding community. They were able to establish a brand-new congregation by relighting the lamps of the building formerly home to St. Robert of Bellarmine Church. This group of people have sought to breathe new life into an existing building and work to bring a diverse group of people together in community service and in faith. Please join me in recognizing Commonwealth of Faith Church as they establish their spiritual community and teachings, and become rooted in Redford.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments and leadership of Rory Gamble, the first African American president of the United Auto Workers Union. Mr. Gamble's journey to president of one of the largest labor unions in North America is the embodiment of the American success story. Rory Gamble started his career as a welder fixture repairman for the Ford Motor Company in 1974. He immediately became an active member of the United Auto Workers Local 600 union. Over the years he took on assignments and increasing responsibility, holding several different positions in the union. His assignments have included local union health and safety coordinator, employee support services program, education director, civil rights coordinator, fitness center coordinator, family services and learning center coordinator, director of Local 600 Ford units, and retiree benefits liaison. More importantly he has advocated for union workers' pay and benefits, having served on two previous negotiating teams in 1998 and 2003. There is no doubt his hard work has led to his being appointed to the vital role of president of the UAW in 2019. Beyond his work for better wages and working conditions for laborers, Mr. Gamble gives his time as a volunteer with a number of community and charitable organizations. He serves as a board member of Bridging Communities, a grassroots organization dedicated to improving life for elders in Southwest Detroit. He is also co-chair of the Michigan Labor History Society, treasurer of the Rouge Employees Credit Union and a lifetime supporter of Southwest Detroit Little League. Mr. Gamble's efforts have been recognized numerous times, including by the City of Detroit. Please join me in recognizing Rory Gamble's outstanding contributions.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary Detroit community activist and human rights champion, Maureen Taylor. As Chair for the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Maureen Taylor has worked tirelessly to fight and advocate for families in need for nearly three decades. Maureen graduated from Marygrove College in 1983 with a Bachelor's in Social and Wayne State University in 1994 with a Master's in Social Work. Shortly after graduating, Maureen began her fight for social and economic justice for families experiencing economic hardship across the State of Michigan. Whether fighting water- shutoffs or working toward food security, Maureen has never shied away from standing up to corporations, elected officials, or others to ensure that our families have access to their basic needs. She has been instrumental in facilitating workshops and trainings with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that residents have access to public services and benefits, as well as protections against harmful policies. Maureen is a dedicated and courageous advocate and organizer whose passion and work is truly commendable and greatly appreciated. She has been recognized and honored as the first recipient of the Angelo B. Henderson Community Commitment Award, as well as countless of other awards for championing the rights of economically disadvantaged families. Maureen Taylor embodies the meaning of social change and lives it through her daily work. Please join me in recognizing Maureen Taylor's outstanding contributions to the great state of Michigan and the 13th Congressional District.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the memory of Mr. Jonathan Wolman, a man who spent forty-six years of his life tirelessly dedicated to pursuing the truth and reporting on the stories that have shaped modern-day America. Following in his father's footsteps, Mr. Jonathan Wolman began his career in journalism as a newsperson for the Associated Press's (AP) Wisconsin bureau in 1973. His talent for reading the political currents coursing through the hallways of Congress and the state capitals was readily evident to his coworkers and readers from the very beginning. Later that same year the AP sent him to Detroit for the first time, where he would cover the election of Coleman Young, the first African American mayor in a majority minority city. Mr. Wolman also reported about Fannie Lou Hamer's voting rights campaign. Hamer's effort led to thousands of African Americans gaining the right to vote. His career soon brought him to Washington D.C., where he would cover events that shook the nation like the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and the No Gun Ri massacre, the latter of which would go on to earn the AP the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2000. After a two-year stint as senior vice president of the AP, Mr. Wolman moved back west in 2004, working for the Denver Post for three years until his return to the Motor City as the editor and publisher of the Detroit News in 2007. There he would spend the rest of his life reporting on some of our great city's most uncertain years, asking the tough questions and holding our leaders to account until his passing on April 15, 2019. We owe a debt of gratitude for the hard work and dedication of Mr. Jonathan Wolman. His objectivity and journalistic integrity will be forever remembered. It is with great honor that I ask you to join me in honor of his memory and upon his recognition at Rainbow Push's Let Freedom Ring Awards.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from California (Ms. Lee), my mentor. The original squad member is what I like to call her. I so appreciate the leadership role that she plays in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, especially in trying to suspend and stop all war efforts by our country.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his incredible leadership. It is a blessing here. This administration's rogue attempt to start a war with Iran has endangered countless lives around the world. We are farther away from global peace and bringing our troops home. Just as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been disastrous, resulting in deaths of millions of people and costing trillions of dollars, a war with Iran and Iraqi Shia militias would destabilize the region and cause untold human suffering. Congress must act swiftly to reclaim our authority over declarations of war and uphold the will of the American people who loudly say no to war with Iran. Our residents want us focused on ensuring everyone in America has the opportunity to thrive. Trillions of dollars have been spent on death and destruction instead of on education and healthcare that communities like Michigan's 13th District Strong so desperately need. Instead we have wars now that have become political campaign moves. I represent the third poorest congressional district in the country. My residents don't want more endless wars in the Middle East. They want good jobs, affordable healthcare, and good schools for their children. We must reclaim our government from those who pushed the war, and we must dismantle the military industrial complex once and for all. From day one this administration has antagonized Iran, tearing up the successful nuclear deal, imposing crippling unilateral sanctions that hurt everyday people a lot more than they hurt the Iran leadership. Our foreign policy has been driven by warmongers obsessed with regime change, despite a long and bloody American track record of failed regime changes across the globe. Fueled by a military industrial complex that demands new targets for its weapons, we have roamed from continent to continent destabilizing governments and learning no lessons. We have made it actually so much worse. The American people have seen what happens when we in Congress fail to live up to our duty as their representatives. When we don't ask the tough questions of those hungry for war, our soldiers, our men and women are sent to fight and die in Iraq for weapons of mass destruction that do not exist. Families from Vietnam to Libya are torn apart by bombs and bullets, and children across Southeast Asia are born without arms and legs because weapons like Agent Orange poison innocent civilians to this day. Let us finally, mercifully learn our lesson now. We must solve our differences with diplomacy, not missiles. No war with Iran not now, not ever. We live in a country where endless wars have been normalized, but it is not normal. It shouldn't be normal. When we demand a debt-free college education or healthcare for all, the establishment, folks in this Chamber ask how much will it cost and who will pay for it? However, we throw billions of dollars away on broken weapons systems. We spend trillions on sending our Armed Forces to die in rich people's wars. When we demand basic dignity and opportunity to thrive, that is when the establishment starts pretending to care about deficits and debt. We are awake to this game, and we are not playing it anymore. We must dismantle our war economy and reinvest in the people's economy. Last week's vote on the War Powers Resolution is a great first step toward reigning in the war machine, but we must go further. We need to pass Representative Lee's bill to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which this administration is pretending authorizes their military maneuvers. And we need to pass Representative Khanna's bill to prohibit military spending on a war with Iran, right now, before another attack is ordered. We must all keep up the pressure and ask those tough questions and keep up the fight for the American people who are still to this day saying: Stop lying to us before you go to war. Stop using our men and women as campaign moves, rather than trying to keep our Nation safe. We can stop this march to war, but it is going to take all of us and take courage in this Chamber. I thank my good colleagues from the Congressional Progressive Caucus for their amazing and incredible courage to stand up and tell the truth that is sometimes lacking in this Chamber. We must do that. And sometimes staying silent or not asking those tough questions is the same as lying. Mr. Speaker, I thank the 13th District for their faith and support in the work that I am doing in this Chamber. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), my colleague and good friend.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to represent the Congressional Progressive Caucus where we have close to 100 members all across the country that are pushing forward our progressive values that I think are extremely important, especially in a district like mine, frontline communities and many communities of color that are suffering from issues around poverty, jobs, environment, education, disinvestment, and so forth. So I am very honored to be representing our caucus today with the Special Order. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), who is my good colleague from New Jersey.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chairman, I think it is really important to note that this came about because the last report that we could find on age discrimination in this particular area is from the 1970s. It is about time that we bring this forward. We could not find anything anywhere that specifically looked at this particular Federal mixed-motive age discrimination kind of study, again, since the 1970s. The burden of proof is just too high on Federal employees. We need to go back and be very centered around making sure that there is equal access to proving a discrimination case of this type. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking our chairman, Chairman Bobby Scott, and his staff for working with me on this and for their bipartisan leadership on this bill. I appreciate the chairman's help in allowing me to better serve what I lovingly call Michigan's 13th District strong. Before us is an amendment that requires, within 5 years, the United States Commission on Civil Rights to submit a comprehensive analysis and review of Federal mixed-motive age discrimination in employment claims made against Federal agencies. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has made it harder for older workers to prove that they were discriminated against at their job based on age. This bill will strengthen protections against age discrimination for our residents by placing greater accountability on the hiring practices of large corporations rather than placing it on the shoulders of our older working-class residents. We know that when an older resident and worker loses their job, they are far more likely to join the ranks of the long-term unemployed community and that their age plays a significant role in this. I heard countless stories back in my district of older residents who had significant struggles landing other jobs after they were laid off during the auto bailout in Michigan. One of my residents, Lena, was laid off at 55 years old after 22 years with Ford Motor Company. She tried for 6 months to get a similar position, to no avail. She told me: ``When they see 22 years with a company, they know how old you are.'' Since then, she had to relocate her family after her 9 months of severance pay ran out. Passing this bill means that we will be safeguarding our older Federal workers from having to go through similar challenges. My amendment is a protection measure that requires the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to submit an analysis of mixed-motive age discrimination in Federal employment claims. We have to fight back against these motivating factors that have nothing to do with a person's experience or ability. It is important that when we pass legislation, we ensure that it has public data on the outcome in order to be transparent and accountable to the residents who we serve back home. For the sake of our residents and to protect our older workforce, Congress must ensure that age is not again a motivating factor in employment decisions. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. I appreciate this time to speak on behalf of my congressional district, which I lovingly call the ``13th District Strong.'' Mr. Speaker, instead of working on behalf of students, Secretary DeVos is enriching predatory for-profit colleges that leave students with crushing debt and useless degrees, and I rise today because we have to stop it. If you want to see harm caused by the legacy of the DeVos-led policies, look no further than my district. In fact, students in Michigan will suffer for years to come because of Secretary DeVos' consistent record of putting for-profit interests first. And who are Secretary DeVos' latest targets, student borrowers who were defrauded by large for-profit colleges. Scams, Mr. Speaker. I heard from one constituent in my district who was deceived by a for-profit college that suddenly, with no notice closed its doors 6 months into her 1-year program. Now she is burdened with thousands of dollars in loans and nothing to show for them, not even a certificate or a diploma. She did apply for the forgiveness program through the Department of Education but was denied. If we don't stop this latest DeVos rule, we will guarantee that my constituent will bear the burden of unfairly paying for a diploma she has never received. It is outrageous that our residents are the ones being punished instead of protected from this type of fraud and abuse. Sometimes I think these words ``fraud and abuse'' are just not strong enough. These are scams, criminal activity by these corporations coming in and targeting communities like mine that the majority are people of color. Look at the advertisement, they are targeting specific communities where I have a number of single mothers who want to go back to school and better their lives or other folks who are nontraditional students are who they target. Again, these are the most vulnerable communities that we all represent. We need to stop Secretary DeVos from this relentless effort to protect the bottom line for corporations at the expense of our residents, the students.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Better Made, a snack foods manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1930 by Sicilian immigrants Cross Moceri and Peter Cirpriano, Better Made produces a wide array of snack foods beloved throughout metropolitan Detroit and Michigan. Its founders set out to make a better potato chip, the genesis of the Better Made brand name. The company has grown from its humble beginnings, one of countless small manufacturers of potato chips that sprang up during the Great Depression. Better Made's most popular product is still made from potatoes harvested primarily from Michigan, using upwards of fifty million pounds of potatoes annually. Better Made, a true American success story, embodies Detroit's spirit of tenacity. As a Detroiter, growing up you did not think about a potato chip without thinking about Better Made chips. That remains true to this day. Better Made is a staple to many in Southeast Michigan and those who are hundreds of miles away. It's surely at the top of the list of items put in care packages sent from the Detroit area. Please join me in celebrating Better Made's longevity.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to fight alongside Representatives Dingell and Kildee in protecting our water and environment. I also appreciate Chairman Pallone for working with us on this critical issue to Michigan and the Nation. The amendment ensures frontline communities like mine who have been directly harmed by the lack of urgency to address the public health impacts due to environmental injustices have a true seat at the table when it comes to addressing this crisis. I grew up in southwest Detroit which houses the most polluted ZIP Code in the State; where the smell isn't normal; where our kids go to schools that don't have clean drinking water, where our parks are closed down, literally, barred away from residents having access to it because the soil is too contaminated; and where so many of our residents live in fear that the polluting industry nearby is killing them. Two communities I represent within Wayne County, Michigan, found PFAS contamination. In the recent Metro Times publication, there was a powerful, yet tragic, statement on what residents in 48217 are forced to live with. ``Gone are the fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Residents no longer grow produce because the air and the ground are too contaminated with hazardous substances.'' The amendment before us clearly defines disadvantaged, exposed communities and ensures that priority for infrastructure funding to combat PFAS go to these frontline communities like our own 48217 and other neighborhoods. If we are not intentional about where we put our resources to address this crisis, then we are not serious about universal clean air and water. This amendment will ensure that we have equitable funding that goes to neighborhoods that have been ignored for far too long. I urge you to support the frontline communities amendment and safeguard the health and environmental justice of the neighborhoods that have historically been victim of structural racism and disinvestment. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan), my good colleague and partner in this fight who is the cosponsor of this amendment.

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

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, again, I support this amendment and thank my colleagues for working on this. Growing up in southwest Detroit, the stories of the smell, but not only the fact that we didn't understand why parks and certain chemicals and so forth were exposed to us, is so important. That is why this amendment is so critically important; not only for 48217, but the cities of Melvindale, as well as the Delray neighborhood within southwest Detroit, again, have been exposed to PFAS contamination. These are two communities, literally, steps away from the Detroit riverfront, and that is why it is critically important for us to push forward on addressing the PFAS contamination across this Nation. I want to thank my colleagues in understanding why it is important for the Great Lakes State of Michigan that we need to be able to take care of our frontline communities first to really be able to ensure that we have access to clean water universally. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of #13DistrictStrong. This is a district that believes in leading with compassion. They believe in a full stop to endless violent wars that only result in loss of life and the destruction of lives forever changed. For us, Mr. Speaker, it is important to protect our democracy and promote global peace. We must remove political motives and for-profit schemes from the decisionmaking process to go to war. If we don't, it would only lead to more warfare and death. We cannot allow a process that is tainted, secretive, or encompasses lies to make that choice. We need a country that easily chooses peace for generations to come. I proudly represent a district that believes in the rule of law. That is why I rise today as their voice in support of a War Powers Resolution that will give them a say in whether or not our country goes to war.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women in the United States, on its one hundred twelfth anniversary. Founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., Alpha Kappa Alpha's sisterhood has grown to more than one thousand chapters worldwide with more than seventy-five thousand members strong. Michigan alone is home to more than thirty chapters, several of which serve the Wayne County and metropolitan Detroit regions. Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded with a goal of bringing like- minded women together to uplift each other, using their bond, strengths, and passions to benefit others. This sisterhood has created a vast network of sisters in service who work on countless community projects each year. The sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha have focused their efforts to uplift the most vulnerable and impoverished individuals and advancing human and civil rights everywhere. Please join me in recognizing Alpha Kappa Alpha on this outstanding milestone as we wish them many more years to come.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fine example of Hodari P.T. Brown, a resident of Redford Township, Michigan. Mr. Brown is an active and engaged member of the community. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated from Detroit Public Schools before going on to earn his Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, and Doctorate of Management degrees. Further, Mr. Brown is a proud military veteran. He currently serves as Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration Michigan District Office, where he helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses with valuable resources and exposure. His dynamic career spans more than 15 years of excellence in leadership, customer service, project management, program management, public affairs and talent acquisition. Throughout his career, he has managed projects throughout key milestones for critical strategic initiatives and has helped bridge lines of communication between diverse groups and organizations. Mr. Brown has earned numerous accolades for his hard work and leadership. He currently sits and holds offices with various advisory boards, committees and organizations such as the United State Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), First Independence Bank Millennial Advisory Board, President of Detroit Tennessee State University Alumni Association Foundation, Co-Campaign Chair of the National Business League Inc. Detroit Chapter, Board Member of BUF Connect of Michigan, and the co-founder/creator of the Young Millennium Power Hour, which is a forum for Young Entrepreneurs to get information about how to start, grow and expand a small business. Please join me in celebrating Mr. Hodari P.T. Brown's fine example.