Marc Veasey

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot to talk about tonight dealing with HBCUs, dealing with TRIO, dealing with these programs like GEAR UP, Pell Grants, jobs and job training, college workstudy. I want to invite one of our colleagues up, one of our leaders, Representative Jim Clyburn from the State of South Carolina. One of the demographics that often go overlooked in this debate is the plight of rural African-American students. Representative Clyburn, not only does he understand and empathize with the plight of the urban African- American student, but he also understands again some of the struggles that the rural African-American student faces and how their ticket out of their hometown to be able to go experience something different is education. Many of these kids, Representative Clyburn will tell you, have never had the opportunity to get far outside of their hometowns in rural America. These programs give them the opportunity to do so. So I want to invite our assistant leader to come up. He is a graduate of South Carolina State University, the Bulldogs, one of our esteemed HBCUs, and again, I just appreciate his voice on this topic. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the assistant leader. I really appreciate his comments, and I want to thank him for standing up for these students and everyone else out there who is trying to do something to help eliminate poverty. The gentleman's 10-20-30 plan was really hailed as something that we should all take a closer look at. It was a bipartisan approach and a look at poverty because it affected so many different people's districts. I just want to thank the gentleman for being an advocate in this area. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Bass). Karen Bass also is someone that really takes these topics seriously. She has always been someone who has delved very deeply into the budget and into domestic spending and how it impacts our communities. I just really appreciate her taking part to really share what we think is important as it relates to this budget.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Bass very much for her comments and remarks. I really appreciate the gentlewoman always taking this subject to task very seriously and to heart. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), who has really made this, again, one of his priorities also. Philadelphia is one of those cities where many people have benefited by a lot of these domestic spending programs, including students like I talked about a little earlier. I would now like to hear from my esteemed colleague from the State of Pennsylvania, Mr. Dwight Evans.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate Representative Evans' thoughtfulness and his participation on the topic. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters), who is my colleague from Los Angeles County. The gentlewoman is known as a fighter in her district not only on these domestic spending issues and not only in her district, but throughout the entire United States. I am very happy that she is participating, and I know that she has been very vocal about those developments, dealing with the budget and dealing with other issues that affect us here in Washington, D.C. I really appreciate the gentlewoman's participating in tonight's discussion.

Mr. VEASEY. I thank Representative Waters for her comments on this very timely matter. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), my good friend, who is also a leader on education issues and domestic spending. I thank him very much for participating tonight.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, before I close out this Special Order hour, I do want to thank my colleague from Florida, Representative Val Demings, for participating, and I want her to just share some last words on this subject: What do we have to lose? I know she has a few more things that she wants to share with everybody.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Demings for her words and inspiration, and I really appreciate her perspective, again. Now she is getting an opportunity to see this as a Member of Congress, but the 27 years that she spent in law enforcement, it gave her a bird's- eye perspective on what happens when we don't invest in education, when we don't invest in health care, when we don't invest in things that help families uplift themselves and give themselves opportunities to pull one another out of poverty. I just want to thank her again for participating in tonight's Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot to talk about because we do have a lot to lose, and I thank everybody for participating.

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

Mr. VEASEY

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

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, 7 years ago today, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Since then, the ACA has helped millions of Americans gain access to affordable healthcare insurance. We all know what is at stake in this Republican bill. It is a bill that actually has a big old tax in it called the age tax that makes our seniors pay more. In addition to that, it prohibits Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood, and Republicans are actively working hard to make access to reproductive care even tougher for low-income women. Let me tell you this about Texas: In 2014, Planned Parenthood had 34 centers that served over 120,000 women. Additionally, these centers in my home State of Texas provided birth control to over 93,000 women, conducted over 134,000 STD tests, 16,000 pap smears, and 16,000 mammograms. These crucial services allow women across Texas to take control of their own health care and help them plan for a family when they are ready. Republicans claim that their replacement plan puts patients first, but limiting a woman's ability to seek care when she seems fit directly contradicts that goal.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands. And I always enjoy hearing from the gentlewoman from the Chicago area, and I appreciate everything that she is doing as well. It is interesting the President posed that question: What do you have to lose? What he was referencing to was the African-American community. Instead of offering anything of substance, he just put out that very simple question. I have got to tell you that it is pretty evident what we have to lose now. It is not only a lot of the gains that were made under the Obama Administration, but something that is near and dear to all of us, and that is health care. I think about the district that I represent, and 40,000 people or more have actually been covered because of the Affordable Care Act. They will probably lose that insurance if TrumpCare were to become law. And if you represent low-income families and workers out there, that is a scary prospect. It is already bad enough that the State of Texas made probably what is considered one of the biggest policy blunders in Texas State legislative history when they decided not to expand Medicaid, which left so many others statewide, including in the district I represent, again, off of the insurance rolls. What do you have to lose? God, there are so many ways and so many areas that I can sort of describe what you would have to lose. The first thing I think about is, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, if you lose your insurance, of course, that means that the burden is going to fall back on John Peter Smith Hospital, which is one of our county hospitals in the north Texas area, and Parkland Hospital in Dallas. So instead of people having insurance that they pay into, that they have where they can go and see a doctor, they will end up back in the county hospital rolls and, of course, that will end up costing the taxpayers more money. During President Trump's first 50 days, the Republicans introduced this legislation that, again, will just decimate the progress that so many people around the country have seen under the Affordable Care Act. This Thursday, as we actually mark the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, the House is set to vote on the Republicans' healthcare replacement. Ironically, on a day that we should be celebrating the tremendous progress our country has made since this landmark law's passage, we will be defending the merits in our continued battle to fight its repeal. So what does the Black community have to lose? Again, we pose that question. The Congressional Budget Office--and there is a Republican appointee that runs that office, by the way--says that 24 million people are going to lose their healthcare insurance. Of those 24 million who are set to be kicked off of their healthcare plan and sent out to nowhere, African Americans are going to be hit the hardest. The ACA boosted the African-American insured rate from 79 percent to 88 percent, just slightly below the 91 percent national figure. Some of those gains stem from Medicaid expansion under the ACA, where nearly 15 million of the nearly 40 million African Americans gained coverage. That is what I was talking about a little bit earlier, Representative Plaskett. In Texas, we did not get to benefit from that. That would have been a huge benefit to us. Again, it is really considered one of the biggest policy blunders in the country. As you see, Republican governors are actually afraid right now that the Medicaid expansion that has benefited their States that they are going to lose out on that because of this repeal that is going to take place. They are pushing back. They are saying this whole TrumpCare and RyanCare plan is a hot mess and that they absolutely want nothing to do with it. It is also important to remember, under the Republican plan, the decision to cut $880 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years will translate into millions of African Americans potentially losing health care. While these numbers are alarming, it is the human impact that cannot be lost on GOP colleagues. I have heard directly from constituents that I serve how the ACA has improved or saved their lives, and I would like to actually share some of those stories with you today. One of the constituents that I serve worked for the same company for 35 years but was forced to retire because of declining health before he was eligible for Medicare. He faces drug costs of over $500 per day and requires a lifesaving procedure four times a year that costs $14,000 per treatment. You can imagine what $14,000 per treatment would do, and that is four times a year. Overall, his medical costs per month is $15,000. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, he had access to quality care that helped ease his financial burden. Under the Republican plan, this hardworking man, this taxpayer, this person that has worked hard, that worked for one company for 35 years--that used to mean so much in this country when people would give 35 years to one company and expected to be treated right--under the Republican plan, this hardworking man would pay thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical expenses for lifesaving care that would not be covered by this disastrous plan that we are actually going to have to take a vote on on Thursday. It is stories like that that I think are really sad and why we need to tap the brakes and see what we can do to help make the current healthcare plan that we have, the ACA, stronger and better, to help out people like this gentleman who are going to be left out in the cold. You have to really be wondering what our Republican colleagues are thinking, because it is not just the constituents that I represent. It is many of the constituents that they represent, too. I can tell you that out in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, while I do represent largely urban areas--Dallas, Fort Worth, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington--I know that there are a lot of people that live out in these rural areas, that live outside of Dallas and Fort Worth, that live outside of Dallas County and Tarrant County. They consider themselves conservatives, and I can tell you that they cannot afford $14,000 per treatment; but if the Republicans pass their plan, that is what they are going to be left with and they are not going to be able to afford it. They are not going to get the care that they need, and that is what they need to understand tonight and that is what the Republicans need to understand tonight. The only thing that they can guarantee individuals, like I just talked about, is that they are going to be paying a whole lot more for a lot less coverage. I think that is really a shame. Another constituent was forced to pay $100 per month for medically necessary birth control pills after her husband lost his job in 2010. Luckily, the Affordable Care Act provided access to health care, and now her birth control that she needs is covered in full. And that is important, too. We have actually seen teen pregnancy rates in this country drop all over the country, which is good. Because when people can afford to start a family when they are ready, when they are financially ready to start a family, those kids are more likely to do better in school. They are more likely to be in a stable household. They are more likely to get the education that they need to be able to achieve the things they want to achieve when they leave the house. So there are a lot of these initiatives around the country where we have really seen teen pregnancy rates drop 20, 30 percent or more. It has been great. I can tell you that in Dallas County, while the teen pregnancy rate is dropping all over the country, we have actually seen it rise at an alarming rate. So what does that tell me? That tells me that if you see the teen pregnancy rate going up and that you are going to kick all these people off their health care, that is going to be more of a strain on the social service system. Republicans used to pretend like they were for people to have an opportunity to get off the system. But once you take people's birth control away and not give them the options that they need for family planning, you are increasing the social services. The Republican CBO report actually points that out, and they are still going ahead with this. So I think that that is really what is sad. I think overall what we want to get at tonight is that the Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for African Americans and African-American families. The full repeal will snatch the safety net out from under the Black community. Despite the lies that our colleagues across the aisle and in the White House want to spread about the ACA, my colleagues and I will continue to defend it to the very end because it turns out that the Black community has a lot to lose under the Republican healthcare plan. I am so glad that so many of our colleagues came out tonight. I am glad that you are here helping lead this hour because we need to get the word out. We can stop something really devastating from happening here. The thing about it is that we really need to try to stop something devastating from happening on a bipartisan basis, such as people losing their health care, getting left out in the cold, being kicked off of their health insurance; trying to figure out, if they have a preexisting condition, how they are going to afford being pushed back into a high-risk pool. What is this going to do to so many Americans? We are here focusing on the African-American community tonight with the Congressional Black Caucus, but what is this going to do to all Americans? It is going to hurt them. It is going to hurt their bottom line. It is going to hurt their families. It is going to leave them in financial disrepair. I think it is going to be a sad day for our country. Instead of trying to destroy something, we need to be trying to work together to try to strengthen the current system and make sure that all Americans have the opportunity to be covered.

Mr. VEASEY. Absolutely, Representative Plaskett. And one of our colleagues, who also happens to be my neighbor, Eddie Bernice Johnson, you can easily make the argument that she knows something about health care, considering that she worked in the healthcare arena before she came to Congress. And not only did she work in the healthcare arena, she has a lot of people that were uninsured that live in her district that are now insured because of the Affordable Care Act. So, again, not only does she have that healthcare experience, she has been out in the community and has met with people for many years now on health care, even before she came to the Congress, when she was in the State Senate; so she has sat down and she has talked to people. She understands why it is important for people to have health care. She understands why it can be financially hard on people when they are hit by a catastrophic illness. She gave a speech on the House floor--or she has a speech that she is going to submit--where she talks about the fact that the district that she represents, the uninsured rate dropped 27.3, all the way down to 20.8 percent; and that was a huge benefit for the constituents that she serves on a daily basis. I mentioned Parkland Hospital a little bit earlier. Parkland Hospital is a Dallas County public hospital. Parkland Hospital provided $1 billion in uncompensated care in 2015--$1 billion. And if this RyanCare-TrumpCare bill were to become law, you can imagine what a large system like Parkland, that already provides so much in uncompensated care, what they are going to be hit with. It is going to be absolutely devastating. I already talked about the fact also that Texas--and Representative Johnson mentions Medicaid in her letter. I have already talked about the fact that Texas made a big public policy blunder and decided not to take the money that the Federal Government was going to give them to help expand Medicaid coverage. They just prefer to just leave all those people uninsured. So now one of the things that will happen under this GOP bill that the Congresswoman points out is that the money will be sent to people in a block grant; and you can imagine the shortfalls that that would create, particularly in a large State like Texas, because there are going to be shortcomings. So hospital systems like Parkland, like John Peter Smith, they are really going to be hit with a hammer were this ever to pass and become law just because they are already being pushed so much. Again, what just doesn't make any sense is that the Republicans so prided themselves for so many years about being the party that was about self-empowerment and helping people out, so now they want to kick people off of their insurance and leave them out in the cold and have them start going back to Parkland, start going back to John Peter Smith because they are not going to be able to afford their insurance anymore under this. It doesn't make any sense.

Mr. VEASEY. All of those are absolutely good points, and I was talking about the uncompensated costs there for public hospitals. The one thing that I did not mention--and everybody knows this--is that if you don't have insurance and you do find yourself having to depend on the county hospital system or the public hospital system in your area, and those lines get longer and longer, which is what would happen if this bill were repealed--people have to remember that if someone is having an emergency and they know that the lines at the county hospital are just out of control and long, they are going to go to the private hospital. They are going to go to the nonprofit hospital like in Dallas County that could be Baylor, that could be Huguley, and those hospitals are going to take on uncompensated costs. That is what is going to end up happening. They can't get a regular appointment there without insurance, but if they go to the hospital emergency room, they can't be turned away. Not only is it going to be a burden on our county hospital system, it is going to be a burden on our nonpublic providers as well. Again, one thing to remember is that, before the Affordable Care Act, we had over 1 million people in Dallas-Fort Worth that did not have insurance. Just in the congressional district, alone, that I represent, I have the largest uninsured rate out of any congressional district in the entire country. That surprises a lot of people just because of the growth and the opportunities that the Dallas-Fort Worth area have been blessed with. But I actually have the largest uninsured rate out of any congressional Member in the country. So when you think about the district that I represent and then you expand that across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, you are talking about 1 million people in a very prosperous area that still find themselves without insurance. That is scary. I mentioned a little bit earlier the district I represent, the uninsured rate has gone from 37.9 percent to 31.4 percent since ACA was implemented; 2,003 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services like cancer screenings and flu shots. When you start talking about kidney dialysis, for instance, I visited a kidney dialysis center in Dallas County shortly after I was first sworn in. I was taking a tour of the kidney dialysis center, and I asked the doctor who was in charge of the center, I said: Wow, there are a lot of younger people in here. About 60 percent of the patients were African American. About 40 percent were Hispanic. There was one White patient that was in there. The lady said: It doesn't matter where you go. If you go to visit any of our clinics or any of our kidney dialysis centers, this is what a typical day looks like. I asked her: Is it hereditary? What is going on? I don't understand what the problem is here. She said: No. A lot of it is because they weren't receiving the care that they needed. The sad part about that, she went on to explain to me, is sometimes it can be a person who has high blood pressure issues, and if they had just gotten those high blood pressure issues addressed, it could have been the difference between them taking some high blood pressure medicine instead of them basically having to give up their careers and go and sit in a chair to receive dialysis treatment 3, 4 days a week, 2 to 3 hours each time. That is sad. She also talked about diabetes and how some people have diabetes, and they don't get that diabetes treated in time. Maybe they didn't even know they had diabetes. Again, type 2 diabetes is something very treatable. You can imagine the difference between treating somebody, giving them a prescription to treat their type 2 diabetes or their high blood pressure versus your earning capacity being greatly diminished by you having to go sit in a chair 2, 3, or more times 3 or 4 days a week versus if they had just been able to go see a primary care physician. That is the type of thing that the Affordable Care Act is doing, giving people the opportunity to go and get those things treated before they become more costly to the system. That is something that is being missed. The other thing that I think scares everybody--and it doesn't matter if you, again, live in my district or you live in the one of many districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, when you start talking about people who have preexisting conditions and you start talking about the fact that people are going to lose consumer protections that have been put in place under the Affordable Care Act and that they are going to see those consumer protections killed--like the prohibition on annual and lifetime limits, protection against unfair policy rescissions and coverage of preexisting conditions--again, if you see the ACA repealed, it is people like that who, for the first time, didn't have to worry about those limits, and they are going to see that snatched away from them. That is just really one of the tragedies. Mr. Speaker, 27,000 people in the district that I represent, again, received financial assistance to purchase marketplace coverage in 2016. Now they are going to risk being uninsured again, and the insurance is going to be unaffordable under the Republican plan. There are just so many stories like that. One of the things that I didn't point out about some of the people that are going to lose some of these consumer protections is that some of those people have worked really hard on their jobs, they are still working on their jobs, and they are going to be hit with those lifetime limits. It is going to be completely unfair to them while they are out there working hard every day. It was something they didn't have to worry about before, or at least when the ACA was put in place. If the ACA is repealed, they are going to be subject to that, too. I think the narrative that has been put out there by the Republicans is that, no, it is just people that are taking advantage of the system. But understand, there are people that fall into these categories that we are talking about right now that get up and they go and work hard every day--every single day--and they have health insurance on their jobs, and they are going to be greatly impacted by this. Speaking of people who go and work hard on their job every day, one of the things that I know that a lot of Democrats would like to see put in place--and even some Republicans have said they would like to see put in place--is they want to see the Cadillac tax repealed. That is not happening under this Republican plan. That is completely out of it. So, again, there are a lot of problems with this and a lot of unfairness about this, about the people that are going to be harmed and affected. I hope that we can work in a bipartisan manner to really stop this from happening. And again, like we are here talking about tonight, the African-American community, in particular, will really be hit very, very hard.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life of a dedicated civil rights leader and pastor, Dr. Nehemiah Davis. Pastor Davis faithfully served the Mount Pisgah Baptist Church on Evans Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas, on the south side, for over 50 years. Along with serving as a spiritual leader in my hometown, Mr. Davis served as the president of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, where he supported churches nationwide. Pastor Davis' dedication to the community eventually led to his induction into the Religious Hall of Fame and the recognition by the Boy Scouts of America with a Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Davis not only believed in nurturing spiritual growth, but fought for the equality of all Americans. He fought fearlessly on behalf of the African-American community and led the local NAACP chapter for over 20 years. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Nehemiah Davis' life of service.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, it has been a little more than a day since our President addressed this body for the first time. Many of us hoped that President Trump would finally lay out a positive vision for America. Instead, the address flamed the fears about immigrants and refugees. I invited Syrian refugee Bothina Matar as my guest to the joint session to show our President that, despite false claims, refugees approved through our vigorous vetting program simply want to live in peace. After speaking with Bothina about her family's experience in Syria and at a Jordanian refugee camp, it is clear that our refugee program is successfully completing its mission. After Bothina and her family were first referred as potential candidates for resettlement, they endured a rigorous 18-month-long vetting process. Only then was the family offered the opportunity to seek refuge in Dallas and put on the path to self-sufficiency. Our country is welcoming, and it is a place that, despite what the President and House Republicans claim, we can both protect the American people and extend our hand to the most vulnerable amongst us.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Angela Lara Flores, a dedicated servant to her community and her family. Angela was born in Palacios, Texas, on August 2, 1926, to her parents Cesario Lara and Lydia Teran. She was a devoted, longtime member of Casa de Dios Presbyterian Church and served as the treasurer of the church for 32 years. Not only did Angela give her time and energy to the church, but she was also known for her community service. She volunteered faithfully at a local senior citizens center in Dallas and even worked full time for the senior citizens center in Palacios. Despite her busy schedule, Angela had time for her favorite pastime, and that was putting puzzles together with her family. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to her four children--Jesse J. Flores, Lucinda Flores, Diana Flores, and Steve Flores--5 siblings, 19 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren, 8 great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Angela's 90 years of life.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for leading this Special Order hour on the topic of Black History Month. We have been doing this together and doing a really great job. I appreciate everything that the gentlewoman brings and the remarks she has made during this Black History Month time because it really is a time for us to reflect about the gains that have been made, about the progress that has been made. It is also a time to see where we can make some improvements, where we can make our Nation a more perfect Union, as we really look at things and not pretend that certain things don't exist, to really use history, use present day and see where we can come together, form some public policy to really get the country moving forward and be inclusive for all people. I think that is so important. For a long time now, one of the areas--it has been talked a lot about when it comes to civil rights--is grassroots and how those grassroots movements within the African-American community, particularly from a Black history perspective, really changed things here in our country. For a long time, African Americans have long fought for the right for a fair chance of livable wages, improvement of on-the-job conditions, and the ability to provide basic necessities for our families, whether it was wages, fairness in working conditions. That was always one of the rights that we fought very hard for. Access to these basic rights that I just mentioned and privileges would not have been possible without groups of dedicated organizers working together to fight on behalf of larger progress. The right to organize is not a new theory for change. Since reconstruction, organizing has helped level the playing field for all and continues to drive much of our Nation's progress. The weekends that we enjoy, a lot of people--particularly when I was growing up in the Black community in Fort Worth, people looked forward to that end of the week. People looked forward to that getting-off time, that 40 hours a week. Those things were fought for. Those were gains that were made by sacrifice, by grassroots organizing. Much of that was done in the African-American community. We know that even around the issue of progress and labor issues that much of it was tainted by race. Organized labor has been such a big part of the advancement of the African-American community. Early on, there were some issues with some trade organizations that were established by White workers, and African Americans had a hard time gaining their footing in those areas. As a result of that, Black workers continued to push and organize. I think about one of Dr. King's quotes. It is one of my favorite quotes that he gave that is not mentioned that often. He was speaking to a group of laundry workers in 1962. Dr. King said this to the laundry workers. He said: ``As I have said many times, and believe with all my heart, the coalition that can have the greatest impact in the circle for human dignity here in America is that of the Negro and the forces of labor, because their fortunes are so closely intertwined.'' More importantly, when Dr. King gave that speech, he wanted people to know that, not only are professional jobs, white-collar jobs, important, but he wanted the people that worked in that laundry room to know that their job was important, too. He pushed for people, no matter whether they were garbage workers, sanitation workers, laundry workers, whatever they happened to be in life, to make sure that they had certain basic rights and privileges that other groups in this country enjoyed because he knew that that was going to be the vehicle that was going to provide economic mobility, upward mobility for the African- American community. The very principle of economic opportunity for African Americans laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement that Dr. King was such a big part of. And we know that that played a big part in Dr. King and what happened during his death in 1968.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, so many people that I have memories of, some are still here and some are gone, but they really laid the foundation for a Black middle class. Maybe Granddaddy worked at the school and Grandmother worked at someone's house or maybe they were fortunate enough to have two good labor jobs where they made union wages, but it laid that groundwork for the foundation that we have today. Dr. King was obviously a big part of that. Sadly, on April 4, 1968, he paid his life supporting the sanitation workers in Memphis, trying to push for them to have better wages. When Dr. King died, it wasn't about trying to open up a restaurant to make sure that all people had access to that restaurant or some other place, to make sure that people could ride on the bus; it was to make sure that people had equal opportunity in this country, again, equal opportunity for upward mobility, equal opportunity to be able to take care of their families. I just really appreciate everything that he did. We need to continue to mobilize and organize grassroots efforts around the income inequality in this country. The income inequality that we have in this country is very, very real. You see productivity rising in our country. You see companies recording record productivity, but wages are stagnant. There used to be a time in this country that wages would go up when productivity of companies went up, and we are not seeing that anymore. I think that is really, really sad. We need to organize around that because all people need the opportunity to be able to advance as the country advances and as industry advances. I think that that is a big part of that. Again, I thank all our colleagues that have come here tonight to organize, to carry the torch. We need to continue to find different ways that we can use grassroots movements in this country, not just looking back and reflecting on previous grassroots and events, but how we can learn from that history and how we can mobilize people today to better America, to better wages for all communities, for the African- American community, of course, as we celebrate and come toward the end of Black History Month, but Latino communities, White communities, people in the Rust Belt, and African-American communities in places like Gary, Indiana, that really saw their fortunes hurt more than many other parts of the country. We need to get together and work on that. So I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett). I know we have some other colleagues who are going to speak here tonight, and I thank them for being a part of this day.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, we are going to talk today about something very important: our economy, jobs, and the state of America in regards to those subject matters. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), who is a good friend of mine, our colleague, and our assistant leader, to come address us on a very important issue that relates to many of those things that we talk about. I would like to invite Leader Clyburn to come and talk to today. I really appreciate his coming and taking the time to be part of this hour.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the leader for his comments and for participating tonight. I really appreciate his words and that recognition. I want to thank everyone that is with us today to talk about our Blue Collar Caucus and jobs in this country. I think that there is nothing more important to any individual--any man or woman--than the ability to be able to have a good job, to take care of your family, and to be able to be a part of the American economy and to contribute to that economy. I want to start off talking about President Barack Obama. Under President Barack Obama, the American economy added 9.3 million jobs and overcame one of the worst economic crises our Nation has ever seen. In Arlington, Texas, which is part of the district that I represent in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we have a General Motors plant. As you know, we could have lost our car industry. We have probably the most profitable plant in the General Motors family. All of the cars that you see around here at the Capitol, all of the Yukons, all of the Suburbans, the Tahoes, the Escalades, we make those in Arlington, Texas. We are very proud of our plant, very proud of the company being there all those years and for the UAW workers there that help make that plant great. Despite the gains that we have seen with President Obama's saving the auto industry with the 9.3 million jobs and our overcoming one of the worst economic crises, again, that our country has ever seen, many workers across the U.S. felt that the economic recovery had left them behind. The rise of automation and outsourcing pushed many of those workers out of jobs that they absolutely loved. The frustration felt by these workers is understandable. Everyone--everyone--wants a good job that lets them, for their family, be able to take care of themselves, be able to pay their bills, send their kids to college, and buy a car. President Trump appealed to many blue-collar workers during his campaign with a populist message and pledges to help working America, but his actions since taking office directly contradict so many of his promises. President Trump is playing one of the slickest political scams we have ever seen on hardworking American families. It is a scam. It is not real. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order that raised mortgage rates for new homeowners. Those same people that live in those Rust Belt States are those same individuals that were Democrats that went on television and went on social media and said they were going to give this guy a chance. What does he do on the very first day? We are going to raise interest rates on new homeowners, people trying to live the American Dream. There is nothing more that embodies the American Dream than being able to buy that first home. It was a slap in the face to those blue-collar workers and a boost to Wall Street. President Trump also signed an executive order that made it easier for Wall Street bankers to make money on risky bets. His Labor and his Treasury Cabinet nominees both have track records that are very unfriendly to the middle class and have no understanding what middle class workers face. It is clear that President Trump does not have a plan to fight for the working man and woman as he promised on the campaign trail. That is why my colleagues and I--Brendan Boyle who is here with me from the State of Pennsylvania, we formed the Blue Collar Caucus to address challenges facing blue-collar workers in today's economy. We are going to stand up to the Trump administration when he turns his back on working class America. Our mission is to listen directly to middle class America's concerns and translate their needs into policies that allow them to adapt to the changing job market. We have to be able to equip our blue-collar workers with training that leads to jobs and opportunities. We just can't say ``job training.'' Those training opportunities have to lead to something of substance, which is a real job with a paycheck and some benefits. This year alone, the U.S. is expected to add 2.5 million middle-skill jobs, the majority of which employers are telling me--and they have been to my office, and Mr. Boyle has probably heard the same thing. They are saying that these jobs are hard to fill. The Blue Collar Caucus is going to prioritize training and retraining initiatives to provide real opportunity and security to working class Americans. I have a lot more to say, but I do want to turn it over to Brendan Boyle from Pennsylvania, my good friend, who also has the same passion to represent and really stand up for working class America, for blue- collar America--not just promise them things, not just get them pumped up with a bunch of hype, but to really talk about real policy initiatives that will help them be able to put some food on the table, put some money in the bank, be able to buy that first house and buy that car that they always wanted. I thank the gentleman very much for his dedication to blue-collar America.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle).

Mr. VEASEY. One of the things I remember growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, was that we were blessed to have several manufacturing facilities that were union shops. We had General Dynamics, which is now Lockheed Martin. When I was growing up, it had about 30,000 employees out there. We had Bell Helicopter, which is owned by Textron now. There are lots of employees out there. We had Miller Brewing Company, which is still there. Now it is MillerCoors. We had several places, like General Motors, which I think I mentioned a little bit earlier. So we had several places that had good benefit. I had family members that worked at many of those places. Good benefits, good jobs that people could really be proud of. One of the reasons why we have seen the decline of pay in this country is because of the Republicans and their efforts to undermine labor. When you start talking about undermining labor and when you turn on these talk radio shows--you turn on The Rush Limbaugh Show, you turn on Mark Levin, you turn on these shows--they are always talking about how bad unions are in this country. But when I think about my own experience growing up in Fort Worth and I think about towns like White Settlement; towns like Benbrook; the community that I grew up in, Stop Six and Como; and I think about the middle class jobs that many of these union shops brought to all communities, again, whether it was the White community, the Hispanic community, or Black, they allowed people to be able to put some food on the table. I have got to tell you, I was really kind of tickled and shocked at the same time by an article in the opinion section in The Wall Street Journal back on September 3, 2015. It was titled: ``The Shop Steward in the White House.'' It was taking a shot at President Obama for all of the things that he was doing for American workers, and many of the things that the Wall Street guy that wrote the article was complaining about, saying all these things about President Obama, they were all actually really good things that the President was advocating for. My question and what I want to know and what I want Rust Belt workers and people all around the country to ask: Is this Presidency, is this administration going to embody and really embrace those same principles that were talked about for President Obama when he was really trying to protect these workers? Is this President going to do the same thing? Are his partners in the legislative branch, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the Senators on the other side of the Capitol that are Republicans, are they going to also stop going after American wages, stop going after American workers and their benefits, and start standing up for these workers so they can put some more food on the table? That is what I want to know. Those are the type of questions that we should be asking and we should be talking about. President Trump can put out a statement on this right now if he wanted to, but obviously he has a lot of other things going on. The Davis-Bacon Act, as many of us know, is the rule that ensures all Federal contractors are paid a fair wage while they are working on public works projects. If there was ever a repeal of Davis-Bacon, we would see a decrease in the quality of blue-collar jobs, and we can absolutely not afford that. Stagnating wages, like I talked a little bit about earlier, has left workers unable to care for their families. As a result, one-third of blue-collar families are enrolled in one or more social safety net program. That is not what blue-collar workers want. They want the ability to be able to take care of their own families. They don't want these social safety net programs. They want to be providers and be proud of their jobs. The Blue Collar Caucus intends to defend the Davis-Bacon Act and fight any attempts to decrease wages for America's already struggling working class. We know that we can build an economy that works for everybody if we just work together. So work with us as we stand against President Trump's unfulfilled promises and stand up for these blue- collar workers. That is what we want our friends on the other side of the aisle to do. But what I would really like to see right now, even before President Trump reaches out to, again, his Republican friends in the legislative branch, is for him to come out and make a statement for these blue- collar workers, for these people in the Rust Belt, for these people in the South, for these people in Dallas-Fort Worth, and all over the country. I want him to come out and make a statement on where he stands on Davis-Bacon. It is one thing to just talk in broad categories about bringing jobs back to our country, stopping our jobs from going overseas. This is an actual policy that we know has been good for many workers in Mr. Boyle's district and in mine and, again, everywhere. Where is the President on this issue? Why is he not saying anything about Davis-Bacon? I want to hear what he has to say. I know that Mr. Boyle knows about just how important things like Davis-Bacon are and other issue areas are. Another area is the Supreme Court nominee, Mr. Gorsuch. Where is he going to rule when it comes to working families? That is what I want to know. That is the type of thing that I hope that people on the factory floors and shops across this country start talking about is how is this man going to rule? We already know that he has made several bad rulings as it relates to working families, rulings that will directly affect how big their paychecks are, literally has made rulings that have taken money right out of their pockets, right out of their bank accounts. Those are the types of things that we need to be talking about, not all this 35,000-feet-up-in-the-air-type stuff, but actual policy details that we know can impact and hurt families.