Marc Veasey

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ms. Earline Miles, a beloved member of the Fort Worth community and dear friend, who passed away on June 23, 2017. Earline Dolores Miles was born on March 2, 1930, in Sherman, Texas, to Henri Jewel and William Andrew Miles. Earline was the only girl in a household with four brothers. She attended I.M. Terrell High School and was presented as an Assembly Debutante in 1948. After high school, Ms. Miles attended Sam Houston State University where she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and was a member of the Ivy Leaf Club. She then went on to finish her undergraduate studies at Huston-Tillotson University, where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Arts in Business Administration in 1952. In 1971, Earline achieved the great accomplishment of becoming the first black female lawyer in Tarrant County after earning her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. She also became the first black attorney to work for Rattikin Title Company as a Title Researcher. While Ms. Miles had an extensive professional career as a lawyer and teacher, most people remember Earline for her fierce passion for political activism and civil rights. She spearheaded countless voter registration drives and fought hard to ensure that African Americans had equal opportunities in Tarrant County and equal representation in the media. As part of her political career, Earline worked tirelessly to ensure that African Americans were elected to public office. She broke fundraising records for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and worked on several campaigns for African American politicians in Texas. In addition to being a fierce advocate for civil rights, Earline was a devoted daughter, sister, and true friend. She was also just as much fun as she was known as the ``cool aunt'' to her nieces and nephews. Earline is survived by her goddaughter, two younger brothers, several nieces and nephews, and a host of cousins, great nieces and nephews, extended family members, and friends. I honor Ms. Earline Miles's significant impact on the African American community.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Plaskett for yielding. I really do appreciate the gentlewoman heading up tonight and coanchoring and talking about the contributions of Caribbean Americans, and also talking about this health-scare bill that is going on right now, because it seems to be what everybody is talking about. Of course, the CBO score came out today: 22 million Americans will lose their insurance, many of them that were able to get insurance for the first time under the ACA. So that should be very frightening and concerning to us. The Senate is supposed to vote on this bill, Mr. Speaker, that will have a health-scare effect on so many millions of Americans. It is going to be much less affordable and it is going to be a lower-quality healthcare. Unlike the Affordable Care Act, which boosted the African- American insured rate from 79 percent to 88 percent, the Senate Republican's healthcare plan will decimate the progress that we have made in the African-American community under the ACA. Millions of Americans are at risks of losing their insurance, as the gentlewoman pointed out earlier when she said that it is not just people in the African-American community or the minority community that are on Medicaid. It is something that affects all Americans and something that should be concerning to everyone, particularly when we talk about this opioid addiction that I know many people in many of these Republican areas, these conservative areas of the country, are hoping that they will be able to use Medicaid to be able to deal with that particular issue effectively. Because of this Senate Republican healthcare bill, they are going to be locked out. They are going to be trying to figure out how they are going to get themselves from under that addiction with absolutely no help from Medicaid. It is going to be a very sad day for them. Many of these losses will come as States are forced to phase out Medicaid over the coming years. That will hurt the African-American population in particular. Medicaid expansion under the ACA helped 15 million of the nearly 40 million African Americans in the U.S. gain healthcare insurance, and many of those were for the first time--many of those were for the very first time. In addition to stripping our most vulnerable of healthcare, Senate Republicans want to defund Planned Parenthood and block lifesaving preventive care for hundreds of thousands of women in the district that I represent and nationwide. Let me tell you something about Planned Parenthood. Oftentimes, when we start talking about Planned Parenthood, Representative Plaskett, the issue revolves around abortion. But let me tell you something: you cannot have a serious discussion in this country. You absolutely cannot have a serious discussion about social service programs, about Medicaid, and trying to reduce those programs unless you have a serious discussion about family planning. Family planning is something that people don't want to talk about. Maybe in some circles, particularly Republican circles, it is a very taboo subject, but it is something that needs to be discussed more often and we don't talk about enough. We don't talk about it enough with our kids, with our families. When you do something like defund Planned Parenthood, it is going to make that situation even worse. It is going to make people even more needy and more in a situation to where they cannot be self-dependent. Instead of supporting smart public health initiatives, Republicans in the higher Chamber would rather repeal the ACA as another opportunity to demonize one of the country's leading reproductive health organizations, and that is Planned Parenthood that I talked about earlier. We need to be doing everything that we can to make sure that Americans everywhere can lead a healthier life, but the Senate's cruel and heartless bill will cause unnecessary suffering. The Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for many in the Black community, and a full repeal will snatch that safety net out from under our community. The Black community has a lot to lose under the Republican healthcare plan, and we will not take an assault on healthcare lying down. We have got to fight this thing. We need to fight for every grandmother out there. We need to fight for every aunt out there, every mother out there, all of our loved ones out there who may be forced to make the choice between whether or not they are going to have healthcare or whether or not they are going to be able to pay for groceries; and that is just not right. We need to fight for all the single dads out there who are trying to make ends meet, the single moms out there who are trying to make ends meet, because we know that, if you take away Medicaid expansion, it is going to force individuals like that to have to make some really tough choices. We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make sure that we have access to quality healthcare, and that it is not reserved for a few of the wealthy in our country. And when you look at the Republican bill, Representative Plaskett, that is exactly what it does. This is a vehicle that will deliver tax breaks to the very rich and will leave individuals like we have been talking about in the Black community, and not just in the African-American communities, but in all communities out there that are out there working hard, suffering, in a situation where they need Medicaid and they need insurance, it is going to leave them locked out. It is going to be a sad day in America when people who thought that they were going to get insurance for the first time, or people who had insurance for the first time, they were going to get those wellness checkups, they were meeting with their family care physician on a regular basis, and they have that stolen from them because of this monstrous plan.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I am fortunate to represent the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where a blend of cultures has shaped our community, from the food that we eat to the traditions that we celebrate. The north Texas area has benefited from immigrants that now call the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex home. In fact, over one-third of the district I serve was born outside of the United States. It is the rich diversity found in Texas and across the country that have helped make our country great. Immigrants bring their skills and cultures and a belief in the American Dream that benefits each and every one of us. They work alongside us, teach our children, worship in parishes, and contribute to the innovation that has kept America on the cutting edge for decades. In honor of Immigrant Heritage Month, I remind my colleagues of our country's legacy as a nation of immigrants. I urge each of you to keep these ideas in mind as the month ends and as we promote policies that directly impact our immigrant communities.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, right now we are facing one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has reported that over 65 million people are currently displaced due to war, famine, persecution, or human rights violations. That is why, on World Refugee Day, we must resist the urge to close our doors when the world's most vulnerable need our support. As a cornerstone of American global humanitarian leadership for nearly four decades, the United States' refugee program has resettled more than 3 million refugees. I was honored to welcome one of these refugees as my guest for President Trump's joint session to Congress earlier this year. Bothina Matar and her family were forced out of their home in Syria, and after spending months in a Jordanian camp, were resettled in Dallas, Texas. Following a rigorous vetting process, the al Sharaa family successfully resettled, and they are rebuilding their lives while contributing greatly to our country and economy, just like refugees before them. Our country is a welcoming place where we can both protect the American people and extend our hand to people who need it. Let us not forget that fact, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Plaskett for starting off this Special Order hour on racism and discrimination in the age of Trump. I really think that this is important and timely that we talk about this because, as you mentioned, these incidents are on the rise and we need to start to discuss them. We need to have open and honest, frank discussions about them, to be quite forward, because, if we don't, then we are never going to be able to move past this or be able to have a better America in regards to racism, hate, and discrimination if we don't begin to have that open dialogue. Not only does the country need to have an open dialogue, but I think that, as Members of Congress, we need to be the leaders in this area, and we should be the ones who are kicking off the dialogue and starting this. Make no mistake about it, I know a lot of people will tell you that racism is dead, that discrimination is a thing of the past, that it was something that happened to people that are baby boomers and older and that the effects of discrimination are no longer with us, but we know that is not true. We know that, again, as Ms. Plaskett just mentioned a second ago, since 2016, there has been a disturbing number of incidents that have occurred, a disturbing number of things that have been said, things that have been tweeted, the rise of the alt-right, and so many other things that we should be concerned about. The Southern Poverty Law Center supports this very claim. This organization has collected over 1,300 reported bias incidents between the day after the election and February 7. Let me point out, because I know that, sadly, there are some people that will cast doubt towards the Southern Poverty Law Center, but the Southern Poverty Law Center has done a tremendous job over the last couple of decades or so of not only helping identify people that commit acts, but groups like the KKK, neo-Nazi groups, and others. Quite frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to try to undermine or put down an organization that wants to put down groups like that, like the KKK, skinheads, and Nazis. It makes no sense. I hate when I hear people say bad things about the Southern Poverty Law Center because of the time, money, and effort that they put into fighting groups like I just mentioned. Let me be clear, because oftentimes when we talk about race, it turns into a very divisive topic, and we don't need for this to be a divisive topic. We need to sit down, come together, and talk because we need to create an opportunity here in America where we can change people's attitudes and make sure that our Nation's history is not repeated. I also think that, as parents, we have to openly talk about race, bigotry, and hate with our children. One of the things that disturbs me as a parent and, quite frankly, just as a proud American is I will hear people say: Well, I don't say racist things in my house, so my kids would never hear that. If kids are saying racist things, then it must be because they are hearing it at home. But I have to tell you, as a parent of an 11-year-old, I know that there are influences outside of my home. I know that there is a lot of peer pressure on kids. I know there are a lot of things on social media, and kids want to fit in. Kids want to be cool. So you can never utter one bad thing about a different nationality or race or someone of a different sexual orientation than yours in your house, and your kid could still end up being caught up in something bad like bigotry or racism just because of inappropriate influences at school. That is why it is important, in my opinion, that, as parents, we talk about this with our children, as uncomfortable as it may make us, but we need to have the discussion. We need to know and our children need to know that it is important to us that we recognize other people's culture; that we recognize other people's faith and sexual orientation and religion so that, as they are forming and they are growing, they understand that this is a nation that is a great nation that is open to everybody, regardless of race, ethnic, or gender background. I know that for some people, having to talk about racism, it can be very uncomfortable because it makes people guilty. A lot of times when it comes up or you are talking about this, you just--you hear people trying to come up with different examples to sort of assuage any sort of guilt that they may have. It makes them very uncomfortable. But, again, we have to tackle this head-on. We have to come together to confront these issues of social injustice because it really is time that our Nation heals. It is time that our Nation heals and it is time that we break the chains of our plagued history. I know that we have other Members here on the House floor that want to talk, and I have some things that I am going to mention a little bit later, just some of the unfortunate incidents that have happened with the President, with the Commander in Chief, the history that he has with racism that I would, quite frankly, like to see him address. Whether it is HUD discrimination, Central Park joggers, after they were exonerated by DNA, I think that his comments were: ``Well, they still did something bad,'' so on and so on. Just some of the issues at the casino that he owned in New Jersey, we need to talk about those. Quite frankly, he can be a leader--he can actually be a leader in discussing these incidents that happened under his control and under his command, whether it was at his private corporation or whether it was commenting on the Central Park joggers, about how it was a learning experience for him, how he is never going to let it happen again, and how he is never going to let those words utter out of his mouth. But before I go into that, I am going to turn it back over to the Representative Plaskett from the Virgin Islands. I, again, thank her very much for kicking this off.

Mr. VEASEY. Absolutely. We do need action taken by this administration, Representative Plaskett. I mentioned to you earlier that I wanted to talk about the President's history on racism and some of the things that came out in the campaign--not anything new but, nevertheless, very disturbing--and why we need for the President honestly to lead this discussion. General Leave

Mr. VEASEY. Very briefly, we have the President's history on racism from the very beginning of his candidacy, of course, and the way he disparaged Mexicans and Mexican Americans in this country by calling people rapists and accusing people of bringing disease and crime into the United States, pretending that he didn't know who David Duke was. It is unbelievable, pretending to not know who David Duke was.

Mr. VEASEY. Even condoning the beating of a Black Lives Matter protester, his history extends before that. Of course, it was very well covered, very well chronicled during the campaign about the Justice Department suing his real estate company and his father's real estate company for not renting apartments to Black people, not renting apartments to African-American potential tenants. Of course, they ultimately settled that lawsuit because of the wrongdoing that happened there.

Mr. VEASEY. The gentlewoman is absolutely correct. In 1989, he encouraged and celebrated the wrongful imprisonment of the Central Park Five and took out full-page ads in New York area newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty in response to a very infamous case in which a woman was beaten and raped while jogging in Manhattan's Central Park. Back then, before he was President, Donald Trump said: They should be forced to suffer, and when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. I want these murderers and always will. Of course, there was a lot of public outrage over that case. It was very well talked about. It was on all the talk shows and what have you. Those men wrongfully spent time in prison because the DNA evidence exonerated them.

Mr. VEASEY. They were teenagers at the time. Even after the DNA evidence exonerated them, he still said that maybe they could be guilty of something. I thought that was a terrible thing to say. Of course, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission fined Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino $200,000 in 1992 because managers would remove African-American car dealers at the request of certain big-time gamblers that would come in. In 1996, 20 African Americans in Indiana sued Trump for failing to honor a promise to hire mostly minority workers for a riverboat casino on Lake Michigan. Let me tell you why, even despite this, the President has the ability to lead a discussion on race. You might remember Shirley Sherrod. I don't know if that name rings a bell with you. She was an African-American agricultural worker who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and was given an example of how she overcame her own bias and her own racism. Of course, her comments were misconstrued and the tapes were made to sound one way. She ultimately lost her job. She was offered her job back after it was proven this conservative newspaper had actually tried to disparage her so they could have some sort of a racism equivalent or something to try to make the readers feel better. The reason why I bring that up is because here was a woman that was being honest about and trying to give an example about how she overcame bias and how she overcame prejudice. The President has an opportunity to talk about Central Park, to talk about racism in his apartments, to talk about the issues at the casino, to talk about the other areas in his life where he has fallen quite short when it comes to fairness and honesty and racism. So we need him to lead that discussion so we can begin to talk more and begin to heal our country.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tim McKinney for his years of service in improving the quality of life of residents of Fort Worth, and the broader community of Tarrant County, as President and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County (UWTC). Mr. McKinney was raised in Fort Worth, Texas and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Christian University. After college, he served in the U.S. Air Force for five years where he attained the rank of Captain, and received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. Following his military service, McKinney enjoyed a 36- year career in banking where he eventually earned his position as the President of Bank of America's Fort Worth Region. As CEO of UWTC, Tim McKinney was instrumental in the creation and implementation of a visionary strategic plan that moved UWTC to a results-oriented ``impact'' model that embraces nontraditional community partners. UWTC and its partners help 300,000 people annually throughout Tarrant County. Tim McKinney's leadership as a fundraising professional led UWTC through transformational change. During his tenure, UWTC's strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency earned the organization a top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for five consecutive years. This recognition places UWTC among the top 6 percent of charities evaluated by Charity Navigator who have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star ratings. In addition, under his leadership, UWTC's fundraising placed it among the top 4 percent of all United Ways in America. In addition to his work at UWTC, Tim McKinney served and continues to serve on the boards of several organizations. As the Board Chair of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), he was active in its fundraising efforts and in developing the new BRIT building and campus. He also served on the JLWest Foundation Board and helped to establish the James L. West Presbyterian Special Care Center. Through his work in the Tarrant County community, Tim McKinney has earned a reputation as a highly ethical and trustworthy professional who values transparency, honesty, and innovation. I honor Mr. McKinney's years of dedicated service to the Tarrant County community, and congratulate him on his retirement.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Houston, Representative Green, and I also thank the Republicans that participate in the shoot every year. Obviously, we all play to win every time and we take the competition very seriously. Democrats only lost by about 13 shots this year. We actually did pretty good. So we are improving. I want to remind everybody that we work on issues like conservation, environmental issues, and other things where Democrats and Republicans can come together for the greater cause of the country. I want to remind the gentleman that next year we are going to find those 13 shots.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Diane Patrick Elementary School in the Arlington Independent School District for their recognition as a ``Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase School'' for the 2016-2017 academic year. Diane Patrick Elementary School opened in August 2015 with the aim of ensuring that its students were provided exceptional learning opportunities in a safe and emotionally supportive learning environment. From its inception, Diane Patrick Elementary's campus was designed with the students' interests at the forefront. Prior to its construction, school leaders performed extensive research on which program to implement, examining the most successful programs at the highest performing schools across the country. The leaders at Diane Patrick Elementary School ultimately chose to work with the Flippen Group to bring their ``Capturing Kids Hearts'' program to its campus. As a part of the program, teachers and staff use innovative methods that increase students' connectedness with both peers and adults on campus, and create an environment where students are excited to learn. For its dedication to the ``Capturing Kids Hearts'' program, Diane Patrick Elementary earned national recognition as a ``Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase Schools'' award recipient for the 2016-2017 school year from the Flippen Group. Showcase schools were selected based on how well the schools implemented their processes as well as demonstrating progress in attendance, discipline, climate/culture, and academics. As part of the selection process, a Flippen group team visited each nominated campus to gather data and perform interviews. A survey was performed to get feedback on the climate and culture of the campus, as well as its conduciveness to learning. I honor Diane Patrick Elementary School for their outstanding dedication to creating a safe and emotionally supportive learning environment.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Leighton Durham IV of Dallas, Texas, as he and his family celebrate his selection as an Eagle Scout. The Boy Scouts of America has a long tradition of preparing young men for leadership, and the Eagle Scout award recognizes the highest rank within that program. Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts are granted this recognition, after a lengthy review process which includes the verification of 21 merit badges, a demonstrated Scout spirit, and a youth-led service project. For Leighton, his involvement in the service organization began when he was only 8 years old. Since then, the Boy Scouts program has helped foster a sense of service and leadership. This past year, as part of his Eagle Scout project, Leighton led efforts to refurbish a previously neglected classroom at the Tyler Street United Methodist Church in Oak Cliff. As a result of Leighton's project, the classroom is now in use for middle school youth. Please join me in congratulating Leighton in his latest achievement. I look forward to seeing his continued leadership in our community.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Boyle. I really appreciate the points he has made tonight, just so timely. It is so important that we talk about those things during Infrastructure Week and the Blue Collar Caucus and the role that the caucus is playing in pointing out a lot of these things that need to be talked about. Again, when you talk about the infrastructure bill, if we had a legitimate trillion-dollar infrastructure program and it were enacted, we could put the United States back on a prerecession job growth path and, some people say, create close to 11 million jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, infrastructure spending today--that is what we spend on infrastructure spending right now--is directly responsible for about 15.5 million direct and indirect U.S. jobs, and you are talking about average salaries of $68,000 per year. That is 28 percent above the U.S. median income. We know that infrastructure jobs pay well. There is absolutely no doubt about that. Investment in infrastructure also adds more indirect jobs in manufacturing, logistics, transportation, and an increasing demand for steel, glass, concrete; and all those things get the job growth growing in America. According to Georgetown University, more than half of the new infrastructure jobs will go to high school graduates and even high school dropouts. So many of our young men who find themselves dropping out end up in the incarceration system, but we know that, if we can find high school dropouts a job and they are not left behind due to economic changes and economic factors, we can help those young men. According to that same analysis, jobs and occupations that are expected to grow with greater infrastructure investment pay more than typical wages for high school graduates. Engineering and management jobs, which usually require higher levels of education, also offer good opportunities. However, even construction and transportation jobs associated with infrastructure projects provide higher earnings than an average job for high school graduates. The Blue Collar Caucus advocates not only more jobs but, again, better quality jobs. I used to hear people talk around the dinner table or the domino table or the card table when I was growing up. People wanted to know where the good jobs were, how can you get on at a good job. That is what I am talking about: how we are going to create more of those. The Davis-Bacon Act, you heard Representative Boyle talk a little bit about that earlier, about how important that is. We should be troubled. When you start talking about good jobs, good-paying jobs, we should be troubled that congressional Republicans have taken steps to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. I want to talk a little bit about the Davis-Bacon Act, but first I want to talk about why the Davis-Bacon Act is important. A lot of times in Washington, D.C., we start talking about these terms. People at the Chamber of Commerce, they know what Davis-Bacon is, but maybe the average person has no idea what Davis-Bacon is. People don't come up to me at the Dollar Store in Fort Worth and say: Hey, Congressman Veasey, hey, Marc, what are we going to do to protect Davis-Bacon? But people do stop me at the Dollar Store and say: Hey, Marc, what are we going to do about putting some more money in our pockets? That is what Davis-Bacon is all about. That is where the Republicans fail the American worker. The Davis-Bacon Act requires that certain contractors and subcontractors responsible for carrying out Federal contracts pay their laborers and mechanics the prevailing wages for the area. That is what I am talking about when I say putting more money in your pocket, putting more food on the table, being able to make that light bill, being able to make that car bill, being able to make that truck payment. I want to sell more cars. We have a General Motors plant in Arlington, Texas, that makes some very good SUVs, good-paying union jobs, good union-made SUVs, American-made SUVs, and you don't get that with lower rates. You get that with the prevailing wage rates that Republicans are trying to do away with. That is what everybody needs to understand. Ensuring workers are paid a fair wage is extremely important, especially for blue-collar workers. Prevailing wage laws provide protections for both construction workers and the taxpayers. They ensure that all contractors bidding on public construction projects will pay family-supporting wages and that they also ensure projects will be built to the highest standards by skilled, safe, and well-trained construction workers. Numerous studies have shown, contrary to the claims of corporate interests, that Davis-Bacon wage protections do not increase taxpayers' costs. That is the one thing that you are going to hear from Republicans and downtown business interest people when they want to keep income inequality growing in this country instead of trying to stop income inequality is that Davis-Bacon drives up wages because it allows families to put more food on their table. I think that is a doggone shame. Fairly paid craftsmen added value to our investments in infrastructure, and Davis-Bacon must continue to be included in any infrastructure plan. Repeal of Davis-Bacon would decrease the quality of blue-collar jobs, and that is a loss that we cannot afford. A repeal of Davis-Bacon would decrease the amount of money that you take home every week or that you take home every 2 weeks, however often you get that check, however often you look for that direct deposit so you can make those bills. If we repeal Davis-Bacon, you will not be making those bills as easy as you were before. You need to let your Republican Member of Congress know that you want to bring more money home, that you want these prevailing wages, that you do not want to lose these, that it would be absolutely devastating for your family. Another area that Blue Collar Caucus has talked about, another area that we are going to continue to talk about and that Congress should press forward on in great speed is the Buy America provisions. They have to be in any infrastructure package that we pass. Buy America generally requires that projects carried out by State and local governments use U.S.-made iron and steel and that they also require domestic production and assembly of other manufactured goods be made right here in the good old USA. These projects--again, mainly highways, public transportation, aviation--are vitally important to our economy, and ensuring that these projects are made with quality American-made goods means that we get better value and that we put our own people to work. All of this means more and better jobs for hardworking Americans out there. As we set about rebuilding America's infrastructure, we have to make sure that we are building an economy that works for everyone and not just the corporate interests in this country because, again, we have to do something about income inequality in this country. It is very real. Productivity is up. People's paychecks are stagnant. That is why people still feel the economic pinch and the economic pain, because they see the growth, they see the technology, but they don't see their paychecks getting any fatter--but they do feel themselves struggling more and more and more. We have got to change that. I would like to again thank Representative Boyle just for being an advocate for the hardworking citizens in the Philadelphia area in his district, just for being a voice on this, and other Members of Congress that came out tonight--Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Lipinski, and others--because we know that this is important. We have to keep talking about this. We cannot continue to let the American worker fail. We cannot continue to let the American worker's dollar not grow while we see our economy grow and while we see new technology and fat cats getting rich, seeing corporate America getting rich but the average, everyday American just continues to fall further and further behind. It has to end. It has to end. Congress needs to work together to do something about that. I am glad that the Democratic Party in the United States House of Representatives is taking the lead on this issue.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from the great State of Pennsylvania for helping cofound the Blue Collar Caucus and just doing a tremendous job. As you know, the hardworking men and women of Pennsylvania, and particularly the Philadelphia area, have been so responsible for many of the things that have really made our country what it is, many of the great public works, many of the amazing museums, and many of the amazing things, bridges, just things like that that people take for granted that there was someone that built those things, there was someone that toiled possibly in the heat and in the snow, but they were able to bring home a good wage doing it. They were able to take care of their families. They were able to send their kids to college. I love when the gentleman talks about his family and the sacrifices that the gentleman's parents made working in a blue-collar job that ultimately helped him go to one of the most prestigious universities-- Notre Dame. So I just really appreciate the fact that the gentleman appreciates the hardworking men and women that really make this country great. We need to do more for them. One of the ways that we can do more for them is to pass an infrastructure bill. I don't think that there is any doubt about that. We know that this is Infrastructure Week. With roughly $700 billion a year that is being invested at the local, State, and Federal level, infrastructure is vitally important to our economy. We have to have good infrastructure to meet the basic needs of the American people. That may sound like quite a bit of money, but we can't spend enough money to repair and replace our crumbling roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure. I listened to Elizabeth Esty last night, one of our colleagues from Connecticut, talk about the dangers that are involved in not investing in infrastructure and some of the deaths that tragically have occurred on American roads because of collapsing bridges and things like that. That is not what we want. We need for the American taxpayer to have confidence that the roads that they are driving on and that the airports that they are using are up to date, that we have the best ports, that we have the best transit systems in this country, and that we have the money to keep those things world-class systems and efficient systems in our country. They have to be safe. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, one out of every five miles of highway pavement in our Nation is in poor condition. That is an estimated 56,000 of the Nation's bridges that are structurally deficient. Think about the truck driver who drives every day, think about the person who makes their living on the road. Think about how many families want their loved ones to travel on safe roads. Think about all of the families who depend on their loved ones to make a living on those roads. That is how they put food on the table at the end of the week, at the end of every 2 weeks, at the end of the month, however they get their check. They need to be safe. Those families need to know that those hardworking men and women who work on those roads every day and use them to help fuel American exceptionalism, they need to know that those roads are safe. Some estimates say that modernizing our infrastructure to meet our needs is going to require an additional $5 trillion in Federal spending over the next decade. Federal investment in infrastructure is an economic boost that can also create good-paying jobs for blue-collar workers. I have to tell you, many were encouraged, a lot of people that I know--Democrats, Republicans, Independents--they were very encouraged when the Trump administration floated the idea of a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. But instead of presenting a detailed infrastructure plan that puts Americans back to work, the Trump administration has basically offered a plan that lacks details. It doesn't really go into how we are going to get this done. The reports that I have seen say that the Trump plan, if you want to call it a plan, like I said, contains very few details. It contains tax incentives for private industries that make up as much as 80 percent of the cost of the bill. Let me tell you two reasons why that is bad. It would simply enrich companies that would have built their projects anyway, and the only private investment it would encourage is for projects that contain a funding stream such as toll roads. I have to say, if toll roads are the only choice that people have, they will maybe take them. But I know that a bipartisan group of Texans, and I saw this especially when I was in the State legislature before I came to Congress, they are really upset with toll roads. They feel we have too many of them, and they want to see the infrastructure investment that we need in this country to get our roads back up to par and to help relieve congestion. Encouraging private investment in infrastructure is not necessarily a bad idea, but it requires the proper oversight and the selection of the right kinds of projects. I have to tell you, there is a bipartisan group that believes in that. Both the Obama administration under Secretary Foxx and the Bush Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, they both agree that public-private partnerships are only able to address a small segment of what is needed. Without careful attention, we risk wasting taxpayer funds by giving big tax breaks to companies on the backs of hardworking American families. Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk some more later about job creation and about Davis-Bacon and about some other things that need to be addressed, but I want to be sure that we hear from another one of our colleagues and friends from the Rust Belt, Ms. Marcy Kaptur who is here. So I am going to turn it back over to you so you can introduce her. When she talks about what is going on in the heartland and in Ohio, she works directly with those men and women who work in manufacturing and who work in construction. I bet you she has some things that we need to hear about dealing with infrastructure and how it can help our States and help our country.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Reverend Dr. N.L. Robinson, the longtime pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church who passed away last Friday. Reverend Robinson proudly served our Nation in the Army during World War II and was honorably discharged on November 25, 1945. It was during his time of service that he found spiritual enlightenment in Jesus Christ and his passion to serve the community. After leaving the Army, Reverend Robinson worked for the Dallas Housing Authority from 1946 until he retired in 1976. A graduate of the Southern Bible Institute of Dallas, Dr. Robinson began his ministry at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Prairie in 1962, and he was also the pastor very briefly at the Lucille Baptist Church in Palmer, Texas, before jointing Mount Olive in 1966. Under his guidance, Mount Olive grew to become a 12,000-member church. I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that everybody, from the workers that built the cars at the General Motors plant in Arlington to one of the past mayors of Arlington, has been a member at that church throughout time. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Reverend N.L. Robinson, whose spiritual leadership touched so many lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington community.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for all of her hard work on this Special Order hour. I enjoy coanchoring with the gentlewoman because of her commitment and wanting to get out these important messages. I think the message we want to talk about today is the first 100 days. I don't know about you all, but I am disappointed in these first 100 days. There were a lot of things that we were told were going to happen, and many of those things just hadn't happened. There has been a lot of flip-flopping. I know that you have seen that. We saw it on Syria. We saw it on NATO. We saw it on many other things that there was a whole lot of talk that happened in 2016, but there ain't a whole lot of walking that has happened in 2017 as far as follow-up is concerned. That is the sort of thing that all Americans should be worried about in these first 100 days that ended on Saturday. Many of us hoped that the rhetoric, that the foolishness, the tweeting, that those types of things would stop. That hasn't stopped. A lot of us actually hoped that--hey, if you want to talk about bringing some jobs back to somebody, I am for bringing jobs back. I am more committed to jobs and having jobs here in this country, and he hasn't done anything when it comes to jobs. There has been absolutely no follow-up whatsoever when it comes to helping the American man and woman reopen factories, when it comes to helping the American man and woman help pay for their child care. When it comes to things like Davis-Bacon and putting more money on the table at the end of the night and in the bank accounts, absolutely nothing has been done, and that is what we should be concerned about. The President promised on the campaign trail that he was going to help these hardworking Americans that I talked about earlier. One of the things that he talked about was the Buy American, Hire American. Ain't nothing happening on that. We know that not only did Trump fail to deliver on these promises, but that he has actually worked against the best interests of American workers. He has also gone on to contradict himself on his commitment to job training. Instead of investing in job training and these crucial programs, the Trump administration has proposed $2.5 billion in cuts for the Department of Labor. We have, by many estimates, about a half a million or more jobs in this country that are high-skilled manufacturing jobs that we can't fill. These are jobs that could fill factories back up in the Rust Belt. These are jobs that could fill factories back up in Texas. These are jobs that could be filled up in other parts of the country. You want to cut back on job training when we need to be training people for these new jobs? These are new manufacturing jobs that deal with robots, deal with programmers and different areas like that where the young people don't necessarily have the skills that they need to be competitive. You hear about these companies that have come to America, they locate here--foreign car manufacturers, for instance--and they have to work with the local community colleges to get the kids on par to work these new manufacturing jobs. Now is not the time to cut back on job training. So that is what bothers me in these first 100 days. The administration has rolled back worker protections that keep Americans safe while on the job. Last month, President Trump changed the law so that employers now only have 6 months to report workplace injuries and illnesses instead of the previously required 5-year reporting window. Scaling back the requirement does not allow the Department of Labor to get a full picture of a given workplace. It makes it more difficult to spot a trend of endangering employees. Trump also gutted another worker protection that would have made it harder for companies to secure Federal contracts if they have a history of labor law violations. That protection is now gone. It is gone. It has disappeared. Above all else, President Trump has still not put forward a single, concrete, job-creating bill like he pledged. He betrayed his promise to make rebuilding America's infrastructure a top priority of this administration. He has failed to mention a word about protecting the Davis-Bacon Act which, as you know, would ensure that workers are paid fairly should an infrastructure bill come together. Again, when you are talking about money, I mean that is a very serious topic. Money decides whether or not you can pay your bills, whether or not you can put food on the table, whether or not you can buy your kids clothes, whether or not you can make the car payment. The Davis-Bacon Act is a basic fundamental. If you cannot protect that, those prevailing wages that give people the opportunity to earn a good income, again, then you are just talking and you ain't walking. That is what I am worried about in these first 100 days. You are going to hear a lot from the Congressional Black Caucus tonight about how the President has failed to deliver on so many of his campaign promises, how he is trying to take away health care from 24 million Americans. High-risk pools are absolutely terrible. One of the things the Obama administration did was it gave people who have preexisting conditions the chance to have affordable healthcare insurance. Thinking about taking insurance away from 24 million people, thinking about taking those protections from individual families that have those preexisting conditions, I think, is absolutely terrible. There are just so many policies that actually directly affect the American family. Remember, the very first day--and there have been so many bad things that have happened in these 100 days that we don't even have enough time to cover all of them tonight, but you probably remember the very first day, the first-time home-buyer program was suspended. There is nothing that exemplifies what it means to be American as it means to own a home. That is the first day, the first action, the most antiworker, most antifamily action that anyone could take--got rid of the first-time home-buyer program. He got rid of the first-time home- buyer program that helped individuals have a piece of the American Dream: homeownership. We have seen the statistics about what homeownership means to the American family, what that means for the stability of American families, kids being able to have that backyard to play in, being able to go to that neighborhood school, to have that home to call your own to raise your family. It is so much more than just a home. It is really the foundation of who we are as Americans. Getting rid of the first-time home-buyer program, that is not doing anything to help American families. That is not doing anything to help American workers. I am glad that we have so many great voices here tonight within the CBC that are going to talk about these first 100 days and about the failings of these first 100 days and about how the people that were there, the people that thought that there were going to be some real changes, how they have been misled. They have been misled. They have been taken down this road, and it is not a road of prosperity. It is a road of less prosperity. It is a road of dismay, despair, less money, more expensive insurance, no insurance, and it is going to hurt the American worker and the American family. So I just really appreciate everything that the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) is doing today and hope that we can continue to get the media and the newspapers and the cable TV news people out here to really focus in and hone in on some of these problems that we are seeing coming out of the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday marks 100 days of broken promises made to the American worker by the Trump administration. On the campaign trail, he promised to fight for the American worker and create jobs right here at home. Since he has taken office, he has done the opposite. During the first few weeks of his administration, the President signed an executive order to raise mortgage rates for new homeowners. The administration also killed worker protections for individual workers in this country, and then they also have done nothing, absolutely nothing to deal with Davis-Bacon and prevailing wages, which guarantees American workers the right to earn more money. Finally, the administration gutted another protection that would have made it harder for companies to secure Federal contracts if they have a history of labor law violations. It is more than clear that this administration does not plan to fight for the American worker, the American man and woman out there making it every day in America. Instead, they are doing everything they can to help the President's billionaire buddies and to promote golf courses and other businesses that they own. Mr. Speaker, that is why we will continue to stand up to the administration when it turns its back on working class Americans.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bishop Jimmy W. Glenn, Sr. who was recently elevated to Auxiliary Bishop of Texas Northeast Forth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Glenn was born in 1954 to Superintendent Emuel Robert Glenn Sr. and Mrs. Dixie Jewel Glenn. Bishop Glenn was raised in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth, where he proudly graduated from Trimble Technical High School in 1973. His legacy of ministry started at the early age of 8 when he began singing in a number of church programs at Wayside Church of God in Christ. He embraced his call to service at a very young age and sang at revival services around Texas with Bishop R.E. Ranger and his father. By the time Bishop Glenn turned 21 in 1979, he was licensed to preach. The Church of God in Christ ordained Bishop Glenn as an Elder in 1981, and he served for two years under his father at the St. Paul Church of God in Christ. In 1983, he was named pastor of Gospel Lighthouse Church of God in Christ in Cleburne, Texas. Bishop Glenn served in that parish for 10 years before spending time at several churches in Fort Worth, including Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, the St. Mary Church of God in Christ, and Greater Love Chapel Church of God in Christ. Bishop Glenn has served in a number of leadership positions at the state and national level within the Church of God in Christ. He served as Chief Adjutant to the late presiding prelate of Texas Northeast First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop James Neaul Haynes. Bishop Glenn served as a National Adjutant to Bishop Haynes as well during Haynes' tenure as one of the 12 General Board members of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Glenn served loyally in this capacity with Bishop Haynes for over 30 years until Haynes' death in March of 2015. Currently, he holds the title of Vice President of the National Evangelist Department at the national level. The Church of God in Christ will honor Bishop Glenn's lifetime of service and his appointment to the post of Auxiliary Bishop of Texas Northeast Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction at an inaugural banquet and celebration in Fort Worth, Texas on May 5, 2017. I honor Bishop Jimmy W. Glenn, Sr.'s decades of service to the Church of God in Christ.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bishop Jimmy W. Glenn, Sr., who was recently elevated to Auxiliary Bishop of Texas' Northeast Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Glenn first embraced the call to serve at the young age of 8 years old when he began singing at revival services around Texas. By the time he was 21, Bishop Glenn was licensed and ordained to serve as minister and began to travel across the State of Texas to help spread the word of Christ. Bishop Glenn has served in various Fort Worth churches, including Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, St. Mary Church of God in Christ, and Greater Love Chapel Church of God in Christ. A true servant with a heart for others, he took on a major leadership role within the Church of God in Christ and now serves as the vice president of the National Evangelist Department. On May 5, Bishop Glenn will be recognized for his recent elevation to Auxiliary Bishop of Texas' Northeast Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction during their inaugural banquet. I hope you will all join me in congratulating Bishop Glenn on this momentous achievement.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my alma mater, Texas Wesleyan University. On March 21, 2017, Texas Wesleyan's men's basketball team brought home their second NAIA title to Fort Worth, Texas. From the start, Texas Wesleyan Rams were up against a tough fight as they faced off with Life University in the championship match. Thanks to the Ram's MVP, Dion Rogers, who scored 28 points in the final match, and with another 21 points scored by Ryan Harris, the Rams were led to victory. But the road to the championship wasn't easy. The Rams showed true perseverance, heart, and dedication to win 5 games in 6 days against the toughest competition in the Nation. Congratulations to the Rams, the coaching staff, parents, families, and the city of Fort Worth for this hard fought victory. Go Rams. Mr. Speaker, the Rams were not the only team making Fort Worth proud. Just 9 days later, Texas Christian University across town also won a championship, and my colleague, Kay Granger, who represents west Fort Worth, is here to tell that story.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to continue the call for an independent commission to investigate the President's ties with Russia. Congress has the responsibility to ensure we investigate these matters appropriately. We must provide the American people with answers, transparency, and accountability. We know that there are issues with the House Intelligence Committee on the Republican side, so it is time that we ask for an independent commission to take the lead. Let's be honest, at the end of the day, you are the company you keep. So far, President Trump's team has included a national security adviser who was paid by Russian companies to appear at Russian events, a former campaign manager who had a multimillion-dollar contract to advance Putin's agenda, and now we have the issues again with the Republican side of the Intelligence Committee to cover up tracks left by the Trump administration. As we further untangle the web created by Trump and his team, it is clear that some Republicans are fearful of what potential investigations may reveal. The American people deserve answers.

Mr. VEASEY

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order is going to be about the theme: What do we have to lose? That was something that you heard during the Presidential campaign. Specifically, we want to focus on what do we have to lose: $54 billion in domestic spending. Earlier this month, President Trump released his budget named America First, a Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again. After reading Trump's budget, I can't help but wonder: Is this truly a mirror of his campaign to put Americans first? The easy answer to that is ``no.'' According to the Trump budget, America comes dead last. In fact, this budget proposal is all talk when it comes to helping U.S. students access education and well-paying jobs. One of the most alarming things about the budget is how it affects the education of students at minority-serving institutions. Mr. Speaker, HBCUs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, were first created in 1964 to educate Black Americans excluded from segregated public and private universities, and this budget will perpetuate the inequalities that currently exist for Black students. Today, HBCUs continue to provide students--no matter their race or their economic background for that matter--the ability to receive a quality education. According to the United Negro College Fund, 70 percent of all HBCU students rely on Federal grants and workstudy programs to finance their education. After Trump pledged to support and strengthen HBCUs during a meeting with the presidents of HBCUs in the Oval Office, the budget at hand is another unfulfilled promise. A recent letter from the president of the UNCF, United Negro College Fund, explained the complete elimination of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, as proposed under the Trump budget. This would negatively impact more than 55,000 HBCU students. Helping low-income students achieve higher education is very serious, and we know that these cuts would hurt. Proposed reductions would also hurt the Federal workstudy initiatives, and it would eliminate another 26,000 students the ability to pay for college expenses or to improve their employment prospects. I knew a lot of students who worked under the college workstudy program when I was a student in college, and I can tell you just how critical that program is. For a lot of kids, that is the difference between going to college and not being able to go to college. Having that job on campus allows you to earn money, but stay on campus, affording you more time to be able to study and do other things that you need to do in order to be a successful student. Also, according to the Center for American Progress, the Trump budget will hit minority communities the hardest. The budget also calls for $200 million in cuts to Federal TRIO programs, which help low-income, first-generation, and disabled students; and GEAR UP, a program that helps prepare low-income middle and high school students for college. It shouldn't be any surprise to us that President Trump would want to gut funding to help disabled students succeed. We saw this sort of nastiness on the campaign trail, and we really do need to see how we can, again, boost these programs because they have been helping so many kids for a long time. I can tell you of someone who utilized a Pell Grant Program. I am sure there are many Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle that had to use the Pell Grant Program. Similarly, the Trump budget keeps the Pell Grant Program, but it cuts $3.9 billion in critical funding for many students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the Pell Grant Program is the largest Federal grant program. The same study found that the program sends up to $5,900 to students and families that earn less than $40,000 a year and prioritizes funding for families earning closer to $20,000 or less. Again, if you are a low-income family, being able to utilize that money, particularly at that level--$40,000 and below, $20,000 and below--even if you were doing a little bit better than that, you know that that is not a lot of money, and that is why these Pell Grant Programs are so important. Pell Grant continues to be an important program that helps level the playing field for African Americans and helps to minimize student loans after graduation. A study by Brookings reported that Black students who graduated, as of October 2016, owed over $52,000 in student loan debt, compared to White graduates who owed approximately $28,000. By reducing funding, Trump is limiting a child's ability to achieve economic mobility and move toward the American Dream. I am going to ask that my colleague from the great sunshine State of Florida (Mrs. Demings), who is going to help lead this Special Order hour, talk a little bit about how important a lot of these programs are to her State. Her State has many great universities, including, in Tallahassee, Florida A&M University, one of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities that have produced so many great graduates from that school. Although the African-American students may not go to FAMU--but they may go to Florida State, they may go to Gainesville to the University of Florida, they may go to the University of Miami--they need this money in order to be successful. In the gentlewoman from Florida's work as a Member of Congress and her previous work in law enforcement, the gentlewoman works closely with families, with kids who are trying to pull themselves up and make a difference. I think that America would love to hear from the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings) just because she has seen firsthand, again, what these grants, this job training, TRIO, and these other programs mean to these students. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings).