Rashida Tlaib

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today the 12th Congressional District recognizes and celebrates Wayne County Commissioner Abdul ``Al'' Haidous for his more than 40 years of public service to the City of Wayne and Wayne County and congratulates him on his retirement. Born in Lebanon, Al came to the City of Wayne five decades ago and made a name for himself in the community running Al's Friendly Market with the help of his wife, Mary, for 35 years. As the first Arab American mayor in Wayne County, his leadership paved the way for future leaders and was an inspiration to so many. In 2014, he was elected to the Wayne County Commission. For 14 years, he served our residents with dedication and resilience, always focusing on bringing people together. I thank Commissioner Haidous for his decades of public service. His legacy will continue to inspire our community in the years to come. Please join me in recognizing Commissioner Al Haidous as we wish him well in his retirement.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today the 12th Congressional District recognizes and celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Beta Omicron Zeta Chapter, also known as the Detroit Chapter, of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., as a pillar of service, scholarship, and sisterhood in our community. Founded in 1945, under the leadership of Dr. Mary Watson Stewart, this chapter holds the distinction of being Michigan's first graduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta. For over eight decades, the Beta Omicron Zeta Chapter has established itself as a force for positive change through strong communal partnerships and leading critical initiatives like the Stork's Nest Program to address infant mortality, and the award-winning Zetas Helping Others Excel program. Their mentorship of young women through STEAM education and their invaluable scholarships have directly impacted countless lives. The chapter's community dedication has garnered accolades from Michigan and Detroit leaders, demonstrating the lasting impact of their mission of uplifting others. I thank the Beta Omicron Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., for their unwavering commitment to Finer Womanhood, Service, and advancing equity in Detroit and beyond.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I think it is so shameful that the first bill of the new Congress will put a target on the backs of millions of our neighbors. These are neighbors who worked so hard and who build up our communities. It is also going to increase militarization of our neighborhoods. As someone who grew up in southwest Detroit, where you will find 20 different ethnicities, people from all over the world, who came together, you should see how beautifully diverse it is. They built up communities and neighborhoods. They are an integral part of our neighborhoods. One of the things that I have been seeing over and over again on social media already, Mr. Speaker, is literally militarization of Border Patrol, officials everywhere, just people scared and petrified because that is what is exactly happening because this promotes racial profiling. The bill blatantly violates due process. These have literally been allegations and charges, not actual convictions. You all act like if somebody is undocumented they can't be deported. They can. As a former immigration attorney, I know that for a fact. You are making this up so you can literally allow people to be profiled and discriminated against. Blame them for the cost of eggs? Is that what we are doing here? We are blaming them because you guys can't put corporate greed to the side? That is a disease, and that is killing our economy. People can't afford housing. You think it is because of our immigrant neighbors? No. If you truly care about fixing our immigration system, you would go fix it so that U.S. citizens married to undocumented spouses can actually adjust their status when we have mixed statuses because we have ignored and vilified immigrants for 30 years. Enough is enough. It will separate families. It would lead again to continued discrimination. It is shameful that my colleagues are giving in to racist fear-mongering at the first opportunity to pass legislation, to scapegoat our immigrant neighbors and fuel hate in our communities. I know what is going to happen. It won't just be undocumented. It will be people like my mother who will get stopped and profiled. Does she have to carry her U.S. passport around? Are we asking people now to have documentation? That is what you want to turn our neighborhoods into, is militarization?

Ms. TLAIB. I just ask all of you to truly understand what this will do to our communities. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to please vote ``no'' on this divisive bill. It is so important to understand what you are going to turn our communities and our neighborhoods into. We can't allow that to continue to happen.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, my heart breaks for the people in southern California who have lost their loved ones, their homes, memories, everything they own, and entire neighborhoods in these devastating fires. Congress needs to send aid and help those suffering immediately, and it should not be controversial. Yet here we are, with Republican leadership refusing to help those in need and wanting to put conditions on lifesaving disaster aid. It is unprecedented and simply cruel to politicize this tragedy. These are the same folks that refuse to put conditions on aid to foreign governments like Israel that are committing genocide right now, but they want to condition lifesaving aid for fellow Americans who are victims of climate disaster. Think about that for a moment. Tens of thousands of people right here at home have been displaced, many of whom won't get the help they need from greedy insurance companies. Devastated families should not be pawns in their political games.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I honor the incredible life and legacy of Romulus Councilwoman Virginia Williams, who unexpectedly passed away. She has left a void in our community and in our hearts. Councilwoman Williams was a relentless advocate for our families, ensuring that no one in our community lacked basic necessities. Her work with organizations like Forgotten Harvest and her creating her own organization because of her passion for organizing food drives, holiday giveaways, and joyful community events embodied her unwavering love for the city of Romulus and our families. She was committed to always lifting up her neighbors, often going above and beyond to bring hope and resources to those in need. Her dedication reminds us all that even the smallest acts of kindness can build stronger, more connected communities. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she has touched. We are forever grateful for her service. I thank her family for sharing her with all of us and allowing us to honor her. My deepest condolences go out to them and all her loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Councilwoman Williams. Honoring Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly, Jr.

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I honor the life of former Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly, Jr. Our community lost an extraordinary leader whose dedication to public service shaped the city of Dearborn and our communities in Michigan forever. Mayor O'Reilly served as the president of Dearborn City Council for nearly two decades and served a 15-year tenure as Dearborn's sixth mayor. I still remember my first meeting with him when he was a council president during the time I was a young law student. Mayor O'Reilly was so patient in teaching me about how some community programs were successful while others struggled. He was a champion for workforce development. His patience and his depth of knowledge and willingness to teach me and so many others left a lasting impression, I know, on me. I would have never thought that I would have the honor to be able to represent him here in the United States Congress. Mayor O'Reilly's kindness and thoughtful approach to leadership embodied what it truly means to be a public servant. I thank Mayor O'Reilly, Jr.'s family for sharing him with all of us. I know it wasn't easy. My thoughts are with his family, his loved ones, and all who were fortunate enough to know him. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations not only in Dearborn but throughout southeastern Michigan and beyond. Congratulating Abdul ``Al'' Haidous on His Retirement

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I recognize Wayne County Commissioner Abdul ``Al'' Haidous for his more than 40 years of public service to the city of Wayne and Wayne County and congratulate him on his retirement. We lovingly call him Al. He was born in Lebanon and came to the city of Wayne five decades ago. He made a name for himself in the community, running Al's Friendly Market with the help of his wife, Mary, who I love dearly, for 35 years. As the first Arab-American mayor in Wayne County, his leadership paved the way for future leaders and was an inspiration to so many of us. In 2014, he was elected to the Wayne County Commission. For 14 years, he served our residents with dedication and resilience, always focusing on bringing people together. I thank Commissioner Haidous for his decades of public service. His legacy will continue to inspire our community in years to come. Please join me in recognizing Commissioner Al Haidous as we wish him well in his retirement.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I thank the incredible families of Michigan's 12th Congressional District for sending me back to Congress. I am truly honored to be able to be your voice in the people's House. As one of the only Members of the United States Congress who created neighborhood service centers, we have already returned over $6.2 million directly back into the pockets of many of my neighbors, invested $52 million in our communities, and assisted more than 10,000 of our families who needed help. As we begin the 119th Congress, I am determined more than ever to continue to fight for clean air, clean water, ending utility shutoffs, holding corporate polluters accountable, lowering the cost of living for working families, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and growing the Congressional Mamas Caucus, as well as, of course, ensuring equality and justice for all. To my residents, I thank them for believing in me. I will always have their backs, and I will never sell out.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, my residents still pay the highest auto insurance rates in the Nation. Auto insurance discrimination continues to keep our residents in the cycle of poverty. I want to ask the American people and the auto insurance industry: What does your education level, your marital status, your occupation, your employment status, your credit score, your ZIP Code, or your homeownership status have to do with whether or not you are a good driver? Right now, the auto insurance industry is determining rates based on these nondriving factors, so I introduced the Prohibit Auto Insurance Discrimination Act with my good colleague Representative Watson Coleman. One of the factors, again, to determine driving ability should not be these nondriving factors, yet my residents still see and face higher insurance rates. University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions did a study showing somebody with a DUI, driving under the influence, was paying three times less than the person with no DUI violation. The difference was the person with the DUI had a higher credit score than the person that had a better driving record. Again, these factors should not be determining people's auto insurance rates. Again, that is why it is important for us to be able to support the PAID Act to prohibit auto insurance discrimination. My colleagues must join me in passing this important critical bill to address these shameless practices by the auto insurance industry. Social Security Is Vital

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, Social Security is a vital part of our social safety net in our country. It keeps more people out of poverty than any other governmental program, nearly 23 million people. I wasn't surprised when the number one question and concern that was brought up in our telephone townhall throughout the district--over 9,000 people participated--was what is going to happen to Social Security. For most seniors, Social Security is their largest source of income. Cutting Social Security would be a disastrous policy choice for our communities, and it would absolutely be a choice that is decided here, not a necessity. We should be strengthening and expanding Social Security, not cutting it. That is why I support the Social Security Expansion Act. It is very critical because it would increase benefits by $2,400 annually and ensure that program is funded for the next 75 years. We must protect Social Security. Every senior in our country deserves to retire with dignity, and every person living with a disability deserves to live with economic security. I won't let them cut Social Security on my watch. Water Is Life

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, we all know that water is life. Safe, accessible, affordable drinking water is a human right. In 2021, I was proud to be able to work with the Energy and Commerce Committee and Congresswoman Dingell to establish the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program where we helped establish a $1.2 billion program to help many of our families pay off their water bills and debts and keep people's water connected, especially during the pandemic. This program saved countless lives. Millions of Americans today are still struggling to keep up with their water bills and many have their water shut off. We introduced the Half-Century Update for Water Access and Affordability Act to establish a permanent low-income drinking water assistance program within the EPA. Our program will dedicate funding every single year to keep people's water flowing. We do it for gas. We do it for electricity. Why don't we do it for water? The program will include reconnection assistance, but what I also love, it will help with water efficiency upgrades like plumbing repairs to many of our families that live in old homes. We are going to set up a community advisory committee made up of residents, nonprofits, utilities, and other local stakeholders to help advise the EPA how to implement this program more effectively. Mr. Speaker, the H2O UP Act will ban the practice of water shutoffs as punishment for not being able to afford your bills. This is the richest country in the world, and we know it is just simply inhumane to have many of our families not have access to water. Watching a couple in their seventies in the city of Detroit after working all their lives retire to have to melt snow in a white bucket so they can flush their toilet is inhumane. Again, it is inhumane for us not to have a program to help people with their water bills. Congress just approved nearly a trillion dollars for weapons in war. Please, for all of my colleagues, I don't want to hear that we don't have the money to help our families here at home. We must again ensure access to water. It is critical for public health. It is critical for our families.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Lee for yielding. Of course, she cannot just let us speak about the incredible, powerful leadership she has had in this Chamber for 26 years. Of course, I was blessed. I had no idea she was going to be assigned as a mentor to me and then birth the wonderful Grants E-Newsletters because she told me this is what you have got to do is fight for your access and fair share of our resources for our districts. She got me right on the Task Force on Poverty. Thank you for that. You have been incredible, again, the last 26 years. Your determination and what I have watched you do has changed this institution forever. You have not only created this amazing momentum and movement around talking about poverty in this institution that really wasn't ready for people like us, Congresswoman Lee, but you pushed back against the stigma in health disparities of our neighbors living with HIV and AIDS when it was unpopular; ending the discriminatory Hyde amendment that restricts access to abortion care when some people in this Chamber would not even say the word ``abortion.'' You have done so much for all the incredible residents of the city of Oakland and the surrounding communities. I want to take a moment and thank them, thank them for continuing to send you here to this body; to continue letting you change this institution to be better. It will be forever changed because Congresswoman Barbara Lee served here for 26 years. There is a saying, Audre Lorde's quote, and it just reminds me of you, Barbara. She said: ``When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.'' Barbara, you sat in that well with me when I got censured. You told me to keep my head held up high. In that moment it wasn't just about me but the fact that it was about your character and the fact that you understood what it meant to be feeling alone, even, again, standing up and saying it is okay to speak truth to power, that it is okay to be able to save lives, no matter faith or ethnicity. You did it in such a powerful, graceful way. I will never forget you. You know I am going to call you all the time. You know I come from the most beautiful, Blackest city in the country. Even though you may not have been born and raised in Detroit, we are going to take you in as one of our own because you have been doing that here in this Chamber and teaching us from afar how to do it right. Thank you. Thank you for, again, making this institution better. Congresswoman Lee, it is not the same. Because of you, it is now better. It has created space for people like myself, Congresswoman Moore, Congresswoman McBath. Again, you have opened doors for many of us in this Chamber. Thank you. Thank you for your service to our country. God bless you.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this Congress is about to vote to pass another obscene military budget when the Pentagon just failed its seventh audit in a row. That is nearly a trillion dollars going to weapons and war. When it comes to the Pentagon budget, not a single one of my colleagues asks: How are we going to pay for it? Why is it, then, when it comes to addressing critical issues here like hunger, poverty, our broken healthcare system, or clean water, they tell me that we don't have the money. However, even more disturbing for many of my residents and the American people is that many of my colleagues in this Chamber are profiting personally, financially when they vote to pass more funding for war. I introduced the Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act, which bans Members of Congress and their families from owning defense stocks. My colleagues should not be able to use their positions of power to get rich from defense contractors while voting to pass more funding for war. Our elected officials should not be able to profit off of death. The American people deserve better. Fight Against Hunger

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this holiday season, too many of our children are going to bed hungry while colleagues vote to pass nearly a trillion dollars for war. In the richest country in the world, millions of our children live in poverty, lacking access to necessities like food, shelter, and healthcare. More than 44 million people across our Nation face hunger, including 15 percent in our Wayne County community in the 12th Congressional District. SNAP is a key tool in combating hunger. It has been very successful in helping vulnerable communities like ours, and it remains the most vital line of defense against hunger. However, many of my Republican colleagues want to continue to cut this essential program. We must protect and expand the social safety net and increase funding for SNAP and other programs to combat hunger. Working families in our country should not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. Children cannot learn, Mr. Speaker, when they are hungry. By investing in universal school meals, we can ensure every child has access to resources needed to thrive at school. SNAP families only receive an average of about $6 a day per person. That is it. We must not only protect this incredibly important food assistance program, but expand it to make sure it actually covers the growing cost of groceries. We know that our families are getting price gouged every single day at the grocery store. If this body has money for endless wars, we must surely find the resources to end child hunger in our country. Amnesty International Report

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I will read into the Record something from a recent report. It said: ``Israel has forcibly displaced 90 percent of Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants, many of them multiple times, into ever- shrinking, ever-changing pockets of land that lacked basic infrastructure, forcing people to live in conditions that exposed them to slow and calculated death. It has deliberately obstructed or denied the import and delivery of lifesaving goods and humanitarian aid. It has restricted power supplies that, together with damage and destruction, led to the collapse of the water, sanitation, and healthcare systems.'' Mr. Speaker, I just quoted from Amnesty International's 296-page report concluding that Israel's Government is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, as defined in international law by the Genocide Convention. Mr. Speaker, I insert in the Record a hyperlink to Amnesty International's `` `You Feel Like You Are Subhuman': Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza.'' This report confirms what we have known for months. My colleagues can no longer deny this is genocide. The hyperlink is: Https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/ 2024/en.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, from Detroit to Bhopal, we have a right to breathe clean air. This week marks 40 years since the Bhopal chemicals disaster in India, and the survivors are still sick and waiting for justice. Union Carbide, driven by corporate greed, caused one of the worst chemical disasters in history, poisoning the residents and communities. I was honored to meet some of the survivors and proud to join them in their fight for justice. I joined Senator Merkley and Representative Jayapal to introduce a resolution reaffirming the need for stronger laws to prevent these tragedies and keep communities safe. Many of our communities in Michigan's 12th District live in shadows of corporate polluters, so this fight is personal to me. We are tired of greedy corporations poisoning our communities and getting away with it. In the Bhopal chemical disaster, around 20,000 people were killed when poison gas was released into the air. Nearly half a million people have suffered illnesses and premature death after the initial incident. Of course, the U.S. refused to extradite the CEO of Union Carbide, the company that owned and ran the Bhopal facility, to face criminal charges. We need and deserve a better world, not a world where the color of your skin, your income, or your neighborhood where you were born puts you at a higher risk of being exposed to pollution that causes disease and death. We see it in places like Detroit and Dearborn's Southend communities where there are higher rates of cancer and asthma. We cannot tolerate a world where corporations take all of the profit and none of the liability. Dow Chemical knowingly took responsibility for this disaster when it bought the company. Yet, they still refused to compensate the survivors. Dow was headquartered in Michigan, and if they think their actions are just going to be lost in history, well, I am here to say they have got another thing coming. Dow must pay what is owed to the people of Bhopal. Michigan Education Compliance for Students with Disabilities

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this is a plea on behalf 182,000 families who will have students with disabilities in Michigan. Year after year, we continue to fall short on the promise to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which many call IDEA. Failing to help our students to obtain the services they need to learn is, again, years that we cannot get back for our children. With this shortfall, we continue to undermine our students with disabilities. The education gap is continuing to widen. There is currently a 22 percent drop-out rate for students with disabilities in Michigan, where, for nondisabled students it is only 8 percent. Schools use assessments to measure student proficiency and achievement, and under the IDEA, students with disabilities are expected to participate in State assessments. However, every year between 2017 and 2022, the State of Michigan has requested the Department of Education to approve a waiver to increase the 1 percent gap required by the Federal Government for the number of students with disabilities who can take Michigan's alternative assessment. It is because we are at double. We often don't do enough to support our kids who need to go through this, nor do we advise our parents properly. Budget cuts often shortchange individualized learning, plans that are crucial for students with disabilities. However, according to the Autism Alliance of Michigan, the dropout rate for students with disabilities is double the amount. Disparities are even worse for students of color with disabilities. We need to fully fund IDEA, and we know that will help Michigan serve our students. It will help reduce the amount of inappropriate assessments and improve access to information and support for our school districts. It is disheartening to see the State of Michigan's Department of Education now before an administrative hearing judge because they are not in compliance with the Federal laws. This is the first time in 27 years that our U.S. Department of Education had to drag a State through an administrative hearing process. It is shameful that we are at this point after over a year of negotiations. We have to do better. These are our children, and again, we cannot get these years back for them. We have to do right. Trump Tariffs Would Be Devastating

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, Detroit is not only the most beautiful, Blackest city in the country, but it also houses the most important trade corridor in the Nation. Mr. Speaker, 27 percent of trade comes through our amazing city. Tariffs are one tool, but they have costs and benefits that must be considered regarding trade. Used strategically, we know they can help new industries, support resilient supply chains, and even promote high- road labor as well as environmental practices. However, the cost of Trump's tariffs proposal would be devastating for our families--take our auto industry, for instance. The U.S. relies on $97 billion worth of auto parts and millions of finished vehicles from Canada and Mexico, but Trump's tariffs, as it is now, would raise the price of new cars by $3,000. Our families cannot afford that cost. What about our grocery costs? More than half of our fruits and vegetables come from Canada and Mexico. My residents are already struggling to cover the rising prices of groceries. Again, we cannot toy with our residents' ability to put food on the table or provide for their families.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to present the city of Livonia in the beautiful 12th Congressional District with $1.25 million in community project funding for their new senior wellness center. There are 30,000 seniors who are 60 or older living in the city of Livonia, and this facility will provide them with a better quality of life as an accessible resource with services and programs. Earlier this year, I was honored to attend the groundbreaking for the new project with Mayor Brosnan and a number of other elected officials. Our seniors have played a vital role in shaping our communities, especially communities like Livonia, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they retire with dignity, respect, and access to the resources they need. I am honored to be able to fight in Congress for all of my seasoned residents in Livonia and throughout the 12th Congressional District. I will continue to always have their back.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this is going to be my third time voting against this bill because I don't care who the President of the United States is. This is a dangerous and unconstitutional bill that would allow unchecked power to target nonprofit organizations as political enemies and shut them down without due process. If Members really truly cared about the hostages or Americans being held captive, the Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act is already here as a standalone bill that passed out of the Senate. Let's not make it about that. This legislation is part of a broader assault on our civil liberties, including our right to dissent in our country. It aims to criminalize the very social justice movements fighting for justice and peace here at home, as well as abroad. Make no mistake, and I constantly have said this to my colleagues. This is not just about Palestinian human rights advocacy organizations. This is about the NAACP, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, organizations that have been trying to make it safe for our kids to go to school, away from gun crises and violence.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the recent surge in anti- Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic hate crimes in our country. The constant dehumanization of Palestinians has very real and deadly consequences. The hateful rhetoric, including from many elected officials in this Chamber and in the media, is leading to violence in our communities and putting countless lives at risk. Hisham, Kinnan, and Tahseen are childhood friends, all college students. They were spending Thanksgiving break with Hisham's family in Burlington, Vermont, when they were shot by a man sitting on his porch. They were targeted while wearing kaffiyehs and speaking Arabic. Hisham is now paralyzed from the chest down. These hate crimes are not isolated incidents, Mr. Speaker. In October of last year, a man from Farmington Hills, Michigan, posted on social media, asking if anyone in the metro Detroit area wanted to come to my district to go hunt Palestinians. This threat to commit mass murder horrified our community in Dearborn, many not wanting to open their doors, as they were already grieving the loss of so many loved ones and friends from the horrific genocide taking place. Last month in Detroit, 7-year-old Saida--I wish people would take the time to actually listen to her interview as a Yemeni-American child of Muslim faith--was playing at her local park and was brutally attacked. A man approached her out of nowhere and slit her throat with a knife. Saida ran home to her parents covered in blood. As a mother, I cannot fathom the horror her parents must have felt at that moment watching their little girl come running in, bleeding and terrified. Saida survived but she would live with the trauma for the rest of her life. Nightmares keep Saida awake at night. She said she dreams her attacker is right next to her. In Texas, a mother wearing a hijab was watching her children swim in the community pool when she was approached by a woman interrogating her about what language she was speaking. The woman then jumped into the pool, attempted to drown her 3-year- old Palestinian daughter who was gasping for breath, for air, as she was pushed under the water in the deep end of the pool. The woman threatened to kill the whole family as the police were carrying her away. Her mother said: We are American citizens originally from Palestine, and I don't know where to go to feel safe with my kids. My daughter is traumatized. Whenever I open the door, she runs away and hides telling me she is afraid that lady will come back and try to attack her again. Here we go with Wadea. Everyone knows about Wadea, I hope. In Chicago, a 6-year-old child was brutally attacked in his own home by his landlord, of all people. His mother ran to the bathroom to call the police. His attacker was yelling, you Muslims must die, while he stabbed little Wadea's body 26 times. They had to pull the knife out of his small body. His mother came back, and she saw Wadea's lifeless body there. They were taken to the hospital and all she felt was just this sense that she will never ever be able to see her child. ``We are not animals. We are humans,'' Wadea's uncle, Yousef, said. These stories, as horrifying as they are--I am thinking of the fact that these are the ones who made the headlines. Behind them are countless others, unreported incidents with families living in fear and communities being targeted. I was approached by a father who said his child was on her school bus and somebody tried to rip her hijab off. I said, did you report it? Who do I report that to, he said? What terrifies me the most, again, are these acts of violence are born from a culture of dehumanization. Where is the outrage from my colleagues in this Chamber? Why don't my colleagues denounce Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab hate? We must push back against dangerous rhetoric that fuels this violence and call out those that continue to push for dehumanizing narratives that contribute to and spread this kind of violence. Stop using racist tropes that feed into this hate. I know firsthand what it feels like to be targeted with hate. I receive death threats, smears, hate mail, and relentless harassment right outside of my office. To the families of Wadea, Hisham, Kinnan, Tahseen, Saida, and so many others who we will never know about, I want them to know I see them, I grieve with them, and I stand with them.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment. I am glad to see that many of my Republican colleagues are taking a real interest, obviously, in clean air and energy production, but clean energy projects can't truly be considered clean if the permitting agencies don't have the proper time to conduct real NEPA reviews. Again, the National Environmental Policy Act is there in place and wanting to extend the time, saying it is unnecessary without actually putting it in writing to have the necessary time. We are talking about drilling permits here. Congressman Grijalva knows the challenges facing the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management, as many of my colleagues know. He has heard directly from staffers who review these permit applications that the timelines in this bill will not work. Our amendment makes simple changes to make the timelines in this bill more realistic and, in the process, protect many of our communities while we develop the clean, renewable energy we need in our Nation. I urge my colleagues to listen to the staffers who review these applications and support this commonsense amendment that gives the Bureau of Land Management's staffers the time that they need to review the permit applications.

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, we all know that water is life. Safe, accessible, affordable drinking water is a human right. In 2021, I was proud to work with Representative Debbie Dingell and the Committee on Energy and Commerce in helping establish the low- income household water assistance program, a $1.2 billion financial assistance program to help pay off bills and debts to keep people's water connected, especially during the pandemic. The program, of course, saved countless lives, but the money has run out. Millions of Americans all across our Nation are still struggling to keep up with their bills, and many are having their water shut off as we speak. We already have a permanent program right now for gas and electric utilities for our families called LIHEAP, but we have nothing for water utilities. The cost of water has gone up more than 40 percent nationwide in the last decade, and increased 285 percent in Detroit since 1980. With this bill, called the Half-Century Update for Water Access and Affordability Act, we are establishing a bill that would dedicate funding every year to keep people's water flowing. The program, Mr. Speaker, would include direct financial assistance, bill payments, and debt relief. What I also love is that it is going to help with water efficiency upgrades, like plumbing repairs that are much-needed in very old homes all across our Nation. We are going to set up a community advisory committee made up of residents, nonprofits, utilities, and other local stakeholders that will help advise the EPA on how to set up and implement these programs. Mr. Speaker, the act will also go to help fund local nonprofits to help with technical assistance to help many of our families. We are also going to collect the data that is necessary to improve this program every year to make the biggest impact. This bill would also ban the practice of water shutoffs as punishment for not being able to afford your bills. It is inhumane to have our families in the richest country in the world not have access to water. We always seem to have the money, Mr. Speaker, to send more bombs and weapons, but not support working families who can't live without water. Celebrating United Community Housing Coalition's 50 Years of Service

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I celebrate United Community Housing Coalition's 50 years of service to our communities. It is an amazing organization that, in the past five decades, worked on lifesaving housing assistance for many thousands of our neighbors throughout Detroit and southeastern Michigan. The United Community Housing Coalition has been a critical organization, helping families retain their homes, helping folks become homeowners, and helping to protect neighborhoods from abandonment and blight. UCHC serves as a beacon of hope for many of our residents in building a sense of community and empowerment. Their efforts in one of the most difficult times during the recession helped many Detroiters understand their legal rights, avoid foreclosure, fight eviction, organize, and secure housing. I am proud of these 50 years of extraordinary service to our families. Please join me, Mr. Speaker, in recognizing UCHC's impact as we continue to strive toward a future where everyone has a safe and secure place to call home. Blinken's 30-Day Humanitarian Deadline