donald, especially like when it comes to getting rid of janet itlen, anything -- obama, it's rid of. that was the smartest lady to grace the face of the earth. it she knew how to double clutch --ar, knew how to speech speed shift, keep the gear and she did achronized, fantastic job on the economy. i don't know what was wrong with it. this hyper hypocrisy we have going on with the enforcement of the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. >> we are going live to the floor of the house. will be

conducted as a 15-minute vote. remain egg electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business the vote on the motion of the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamb born, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 835 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar 441, h.r. 835, a bill to update the map of and modify the maximum increase available for inclusion florissan fossil beds national monument. the speaker pro tempore: members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 385, the nays are 3. recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. the house will come to order. the speaker: members will please take their seats. members will please take their seats. he house will come to order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. the chair would ask all present to rise for the purpose of a moment of silence. the chair asks that the house now observe a moment of silence in memory of the late honorable louise mcintosh slaughter.

the speaker: five-minute voting is the unfinished to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4851. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to establish the sendy-king site in the state of indiana. the speaker: will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned

coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 391, the nays are zero. recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek

recognition? >> mr. speaker, i send to the desk a privilege red port from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 78 , resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 4566, to amend the dodd-frank wall street reform and consumer protection act to provite relief to banks from certain stress test requirements under such act providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 5247. to authorize the use of eligible investigational drugs by eligible patients who have been diagnosed with a stage of a disease or condition in which there's no reasonable likelihood that death will occur within a matter of months or with another eligible illness and for other purposes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed.

he house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, it's the highest honor to offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 788, resolved, that the house has heard with profound sor of the death of the honorable louise mcintosh slaughter, a representative from the state of new york. resolved that a committee of such members of the house as the speaker may designate, together with such members of the senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the funeral resm solved that the sergeant at arms of the house be authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of these

resolutions and that the necessary expenses and connection there with be paid out of applicable accounts of the house. resolved, that the clerk communicate these resolutions to the senate and transmit a copy there have to the family of the deceased. resolved, that when the house adjourns today it adjourn as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. without objection the resolution is agreed to and the motion is considered -- and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? without objection. >> mr. speaker, i am joined here

today by members of the florida delegation to honor the victims of the tragic pedestrian bridge collapse at florida international university. last week a pedestrian bridge designed to protect students and other campus personnel and visitors from the traffic of one of our busiest thor rogue fares collapsed. taking the lives of six innocent people. r. diaz-balart: and leaving -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. speaker. taking the lives of six innocent people and leaving others gravely injured. so many of us, particularly the south florida dell fwation have a close and meaningful relationship with f.i.u., florida international university, and its students this tragedy has hit our community exceedingly hard. we also know that today, six grieving families are mourning in the wake of this horrific,

horrific event. i know i speak on behalf of my colleagues when i say that we are truly heart brecken after thursday's horrendous bridge collapse. mr. speaker, we're thinking of the slims -- victims, those injured, and are mourning with their families during this very difficult time. this florida delegation, mr. speaker, this congress must and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that something like this never happens again anywhere. anywhere. in our great country. alex duran, in a vor row brown. brandon brownfield. ernandez, and alberto arias. we will never, never forget them. we'll remember them and grieve the lyes cut short by this tragedy. mr. speaker, may their legacy live on with us, with all of us,

with our community and in the hearts of their loved ones. mr. speaker, i would respectfully ask that the house observe a moment of silence in honor of these victims. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous cop sent to address the house for one minute

and revise and extend my remarks. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to congratulate the youngsville high school marching band winning the 48th annual limerick band competition in ireland. they still the show as they were crowned the overall winners in the band competition. the warren county students braved blizzard like conditions to bring home the top prize. snow was piled high on umbrellas, hats, and even brass instruments were quoted -- coated in a later of snowflake. the weather couldn't dampen the kem pet tores or spectators. mr. speaker, the marching eagles worked hard to fundraise to make this international possible. for many it was the first time they traveled outside the commonwealth, let alen the country. the band also performed in dublin at the st. patrick's festival parade where they were

named the best small band. they dazzled the cruds in dublin and limerick, i'm proud of their incredible achievement. congratulations to the band and the band director, cindy shehy, thank you and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the extraordinary life of dr. stephen hawking who pass aid way last week at the age of 76. stephen hawking was a brilliant student of the universe a giant on the world stage and inspiration to me pers -- personally and an inspiration to us all. mr. langevin: professor hawking challenged humankind to ponder the mist roif the cosmos. he was curiosity personal fied, having once remarked , my goal is simple, a complete understanding of the universe,

how it is, why it is, and why it exists at all. he was diagnosed with a.l.s., also known as lou gehrig's disease at the age of 21, also personified the unconquerable human spirit he tooken the challenge of his disability with unparalleled tenacity and a trademark sense of humor all while reminding us to look up at the star, not down at your feet. mr. speaker, in short, he was a force of nature and he made a difference. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: for inclues in the florissant fossil beds national monument. i would have voted aye. i ask unanimous consent that my vote as indicated will be placed appropriately in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentlewoman's statement will be placed in the record.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: it is with deep respect that i recognize the tragic loss of staff sergeant carl the leap ennis, pictured here. one of seven brave u.s. service members killed in a helicopter crash last thursday, march 15, 2018, in western iraq. carl a south florida native, who grew up in my congressional district in pinecrepe crest was pararescueman serving for the 308th rescue quad ron from patrick air force base, supporting operation inherent resolve, when his helicopter went down. sergeant ellis was the reserve citizen airman combat rescue and recovery specialist who supported air force and special

operations. carl's job truly embodied his heart and spirit where he consistently put his own life at risk to save others both in combat and humanitarian environments. he always tackled every challenge with a smile on his face no matter the danger or difficulty. carl was also an active outdoorsman who emwraced his passion for fish, hike, hunting and scuba diving and lived his life to the fullest. he was a graduate of gull vert prep in my congressional district and florida state university. he's survived by his wife, angela, his mother coleen and his brother edward. their families, our community and all americans can be proud knowing that sergeant ennis gave his last full measure performing his mission and serving the most nobleararescue creed. these things we do, that others may live. thank you, mr. speaker. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek

recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. payne: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the north community solutio for its tnd work on reducing crime -- for its continued work on reducing crime and strengthening connections between courts and the community. newark community solutions works with young people who are at risk of being victims or perpetrators of gun violence. they provide job training, counseling, and peer mentorship. the organization also develops support networks for crime victims, provides mental health counseling, -- counseling for veterans, and -- veterans and schoolchildren to avoid expulsion. the newark community solutions programs produce real results and they're felt throughout essex county. in cities throughout my district, we are seeing safer streets, reduced incarceration

-- incarceration and improved neighborhoods' perception of justice. the program at newark cmunity solutions can be a model for cities throughout the country. newark community solutions shows that by investing in the community, we can build a foundation for sensible and thoughtful criminal justice reform. and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. paulsen: i ask con sent to address the house for one minute -- consent to address the house for one minute. i rise to recognize and congratulate the boomington fferson high school cheerleaders for their national championship victory this season the team looked to replicate their historic success, having won five stat titles and two nional championships in just the past five seasons. the team qualified for the national championship at the universal cheerleaders association 10,000 lakes regional competition back in october, and in february they made the trip down to the 2018

u.c.a. national hi school cheer leadi championship in orlando, florida. at the national championship they competed against 28 other teams from across the country. they placed first in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the final round. in the final round, they were able to best sev other teams and emerged with their third nation title in five years. mr. speaker, the consistent hard work and ills of these student athles is impressive. and it's a credit to their dedication, their perseverance, that i coaches and all the families who offered them support. congratulations again to bloomington jefferson on your tional championship. go jaguars. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlan from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, t gentleman is recognizefor one minute. >> mr. speaker, members, i rise today to congratulate the university of houston men's basketball team on their remakable performance in the 2018 ncaa tournament. the cougars entered the tournaments the number six seed from the american athletic

confence, led the 2018 a.c.c. coach of the year, calvin sampson. mr. een: this was their first ncaa tonament apprance since 2010 and their spectacular win in the first round agait san diego state was the cougars' first ncaa tournament win since 1984. their loss against mhigan in the second round was hard-fought and truly a heartbreaker. on behalf of the city and the fans, we're proud what have the accomplished this season. i wish the team best of luck for next season. i alsoive special congratulations to seniors davis, wes, nuro, and rob for their exciting season. thank you, mr. speaker. and go cougars. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. tenney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the distinguished constituent from my district named goldy small.

from binghamton, new york. goldy currently resides at the good shepherd fairview home in binghamton, where she will turn 110 years old on april 1. goldy was born in paris, new york, on paris hill, as we call it. on april 1, 1908, and lived there until 1940, when she moved to new milford, pennsylvania. as a child, goldy went to a one-room school house until she attended high school in waterville, new york. in order to get to and from the school bus, she either had to hitch a ride, take a train, walk one mile to catch a train, or to use a horse and carriage to travel all the way to waterville. after high school, goldy went to school in rochester, new york, fat day mouse -- to the famous eastman school to become a dental high generals i -- high generalist. she went back to school to become a secretary. after getting married and moving to pennsylvania, goldy had two

children. glen and marianne. goldy has an amazing memory, never forgetting any of the birth days of her six grandchildren and now nine great-grandchildren. to this day she continues to play bridge and other card games, as well as complete the daily crossward in the newspaper. -- crossword in the newspaper. mr. speaker, i ask you to have everyone join me in wishing goldy a very happy 110 years. she's an inspiration to all of us. on a long, clean life. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last friday president trump had andrew mccabe, the deputy director of the f.b.i., fired. his offense, well, he's about to be a witness in the mueller investigation and had copious notes about his conversations with the president. mr. pocan: what better way to

nullify damming -- damning testimony than to fire the person about to give, it all while signaling to anyone else the consequences of crossing the president. but it's worse than just that. the president fired andrew mccabe in a way completely devoid of human decency. two days before his full retirement. the message to mccabe and anyone else who would cross him was that i won't just go after you, but your family and your future too. i will destroy you. like a thug in a mafia movie, trump made his move. fortunately the founders of this country made sure we had checks and balances in the system to avoid this dangerous style of governing. i and others have offering andrew mccabe a 21-year law enforcement professional in the f.b.i. a job to ensure he'll be able to get his hard-earned pension. no one should feel harm to their family, their pension, their future, by a pet lent man child or a ruthless demagogue, depending on the mood of the day. i stand with you, andrew mccabe, and so do the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: members

are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. newhouse: thank you, mr. speaker. in recognition of women's history month, i want to honor three incredible women that have had an enormous impact on central washington state. rumlylow,lup, violent and sister kathy ross. with a vision to create a community and inspire others to serve, they brought education to the underserved populations of the valley. today heritage university has grown immensely and now offers more than 50 undergraduate -- undergraduate and graduate majors. the high-quality education and inclusive environment has led to over 9,500 graduated students that will continue to grow their

legacy. martha, violent and sister kathleen saw an opportunity to have an impact on the lives of their friends and neighbors and it is safe to say they exceeded their goal. their perseverance, ambition and service to the community are an inspiration for all of us in central washington and it is a privilege and honor to serve them during women's history month. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom illinois seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, study after should can -- study has shown employers and employees find that on-sight child care -- on-site child care provides the greatest value of any employer-provided child care option. mr. krishnamoorthi: despite this, only 11% of all private sector workers in the u.s. receive child care assistance through their employers. of that 11%, only 7% have access to child care at or near their place of work.

as child care costs dramatically increase each year, rel toive family income, -- relative to family income, the time has come for new approaches that provide affordability and flexibility for working families, and increase productivity for businesses. on-site child care accomplishes this and has been repeatedly shown to reduce absenteism and increase staff retention. that's why i'm introducing the child care at responsible employers act this week, to incentivize employer investment in on-site child care, by providing a small preference in government contracting to those who do so. with child care costs rising, we can't afford not to act. and on-site child care helps both businesses and families. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. olson: mr. speaker, president lincoln used the term fourscore and seven years ago at gettysburg. president lincoln, if he reappeared today, he might say, nescore and zero years ago a new houston hospital was brought forth in sugar land, texas. dedicated and conceived in medicine and dedicated proposition that all texans have the best care. ,000 patients in 1998 became 225,000 in 2017. over that 20-year score, houston methodist sugar land scored numerous awards like the best

metro area hospital from fortune magazine. there's a very simple reason for this amazing success. i care values. i, integrity, c, compassion, a, , ountability, r, respect, e excellence. as c.e.o., chris said in a recent interview, quote, houston methodist sugar land is committed to cultivating a safe, spiritual and healing environment for every single patient. congratulations on 20 amazing years, 20 more to come. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom nevada seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. kihuen: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to remember the life of jennifer irvine. she attended the route 51 festival in las vegas on october 1. jennifer devoted her life and career to defending people in family court and criminal court. she opened her own law firm in downtown san diego, california, where she worked tirelessly to defend each of her clients. in her free time, jennifer loved snowboarding, hot yoga, cats and sailing. she had even earned a black belt in tae kwan do. she hoped to one day learn indoor rock climbing and to later experience sky diving. jennifer's remembered by all those who knew her as loyal, fierce and passionate. she had a genuine devotion for helping people and was always driven to be her best self. i would like to extend my condolences to jennifer irvine's family and friends. please note that the city of las vegas, state of nevada, and the

whole country grieve with you. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to remember the life of thomas rousseau. thomas was born in new orleans and grew up in louisiana, where he received a degree in broadcast journalism from l.s.u. i got to know tom in this role as assignment manager at the wpmi television station in mobile, alabama. tom was a consummate professional. mr. byrne: always with a smile on his face, and a contagious positivity about himself. in all my experiences, tom was a true joy to work with. tragically, tom passed away unexpectedly on march 3 at the young age of 56. to tom's wife, christine, and his children, ryan and nick, please know that tom helped make southwest alabama and the world

a better and happier place. his legacy will live on in each of you. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: so ms. jackson lee: so many of us when we go home get the question, what is going on in washington and why this behavior continues? i think it's important for the american people to know we have the responsibility of oversight and i believe as a senior member of the judiciary committee we need to address the question of the firing of andrew mccabe. we understand there may be a report, the i.g. report, i don't challenge it but it's not been made public. but the precipitous and heinous unfair firing in the manner that it was done i think that our i on is better than that

believe it's important for the judiciary to hold hearings and we should also hold hearings on the cambridge situation. we should find out why the private information of millions of americans through facebook has been utilized to skew the election of 2016. no, i'm not complaining, mr. speaker, about the results. what i am saying is that the american people are owed a fair and just election and that the responsible people are the members of the united states congress to determine how their private information has been skewed and used and still being used without their permission. it's time for us to exercise our oversight, mr. speaker. let's do it now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate both the grandview high school boys and girls basketball teams.

these two teams from grandview high school are now colorado's 5-a school basketball champions. the grandview wolves boys team triumphed over george washington high school from denver by a score of 57-52. he girls team prevailed over regis jesuit by a score of 67-61. the grandview boys basketball team had a spectacular season, finishing the season with an impressive 24-4 record and the accumulation of its season was the first ever boys basketball state championship title. the grandview girls basketball team also had a tremendous season, finishing with equally impressive 23-3 record and the cumulation -- culmination of its season was the second consecutive girls basketball state championship title. the teams were led by their

respective championship -- to chair respective championship titles by their coaches josh yliski for the girls team and mike rogers for the boys teamism commend these two coaches they coaching staffs and their supporters at grandview high school for all they've contributed to the success of the school's boys and girls basketball programs. again, congratulations to the grandview high school girls and boys basketball team on this impressive victory in colorado's 5-a state championship. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. kaptur: yes, mr. speaker, our law enforcement and intelligence community, most notably the f.b.i., is sustaining an unprecedented coordinated attack led by the president of the united states. no one is above the law in our

country including the president. f.b.i. director andrew mccabe a 20-year veteran of the f.b.i. is the latest to fall to this concentrated effort to undermine special counsel robert mueller's investigation into the trump campaign's entanglements with russia during the 2016 presidential election. incidentally, former f.b.i. director mullin has served our nation for 36 years. as a soldier in the u.s. navy with a purple heart. as a u.s. attorney and also f.b.i. director, including after 9/11 when he oversaw the transformation of the f.b.i. from a domestic law enforcement agency into a tpwhrobal counterterrorism and counterintelligence agency. wow. this administration is making every effort to degrathe grade our federal law enforcement institutions and even more insidiously by negative media campaign to erode public faith

in these institutions. let truth will out. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise this evening to stand with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as well as us on our side in recognition of a life well done. and that is the passing of our colleague, louise slaughter, to me, tonight, is something we should take a moment to reflect upon and recognize. her life, her commitment to this body. having served with her on the rule committees, i can personally attest, being a fellow new yorker that we shared a commitment to our home area. we always brought the passion of our belief both on the left and the right into the room but at the end of the day, louise slaughter represented us well. in the sense of how she represented and carried 4ers in

this chamber as she represented her people, her folks back home, of rochester new york, and i'm proud to call her and remember her this evening as a member of this body and her service to all of us. she was a southern lady at heart, had a good i wit and she will be missed by many members, if not all members, on both sides of the aisle. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north dakota seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, as we observe women's history month and continue celebrating the historic olympic gold medal won by the u.s. women's hockey team, i rise to recognize two remarkable cysters from grand forks. lameriuux monique grew up in one of hockey's premier hockey families. they have played together and

were standouts at university of north dakota. they brought home silver medals in 2010 and 1014. mr. cramer: and last month they made this win golden. since returning home, they have joined team u.s.a. in appearances across the nation, inspiring a new generation of women athletes this echeering crowd filled the hockey arena in grand forksmark of them young girls and women on area hockey teams who came to congratulate their hometown champions who brought the u.s. women's hockey team their first golded me. a i salute jocelyn and monique. we honor high bar and your achievements. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> this national agriculture

week i rise to recognize hardworking farmers across this nation who get up every day and by the sweat of their brow grow the food we eat. the district i represent in west texas is home to 14 million acres of harm fand -- farmland making it one of the largest agriculture production regions in the world. our farmers an ranchers feed an clothe the american people and help fuel the american economy. mr. arrington: agriculture contributes to 20-plus million jobs. more importantly it provides a safe, affordable, abundant supply of food for our citizens which has tremendous national security inchations -- implications. we can never put ourselveses in a situation where we depend on others for food. that's not a safe, strong, free america. when we sit down to eat din they are week, remember to thank god for our food and the farmers he uses to help make it. mr. speaker, these folks work hard and take enormous risk so this country can maintain its greatness so america can continue to be the most

powerful, the most prosperous and most generous country in the history of the world. god bless our farmers. god bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: are there any further requests for one-minute speeches? seeing none, the chair lays before the house the following message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, pursuant to international emergency economic powers act 50 u.s.c. 1701, i hereby report that i have signed an executive order with respect to venezuela that takes additional steps with respect too the national emergency declared in executive order 13692 of march 8, 2015, and rely upon for additional steps taken in 148-08 in august 24rk017. the executive order prohibits all transactions relating to provision of financing for and other dealings in by a united

states person or within the united states any digital currency, digital coin or digital token that was issued by, for, or on behalf of the government of venezuela on or after january 9, 2018. i have authorized the secretary of the treasury in consultation with the secretary of state to take such actions including promulgating rules and regulations and to employ all powers granted to the president by ieepa as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the exicktive order. i am enclosing a copy of the executive order i have signed. signed, donald j. trump, the white house, march 19, 2018. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committees on foreign affairs and financial services and ordered printed. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. cleeve leave of absence requested for mr. condition the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. danny davis

for march 19 and 20, mr. poe of texas for today, mr. jones of north carolina for today and the balance of the week. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the gentleman from georgia, mr. ferguson is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. ferguson: i rise today to share how the tax cuts and jobs act is helping folks around the united states and throughout the third district of georgia. over 400 major companies across our great nation have announced bonuses, pay raises, new investments in their businesses and communities that will benefit for -- that will offer benefits to over four million americans. i'm thrilled that a number of great georgia companies included in this, like columbus, georgia, based aflac and total system services as well as companies like home depot, nancy brothers, cox enterprises, suntrust and united parcel service to name a few. these are all major companies in my home state of georgia that are making investments in their

people and their industries so they can better serve their customers and it is paying big dividends. it's always commiting to hear about these announcements from major employers around the state. but these -- the benefits of tax reform are not just felt by employees at major corporations, they're being felt by job creators on main street and here in georgia's third district. two i will highlight at some point tonight will be shred-x in griffton georgia and custom truck and body work. both are expanding and hire manager workers. this is a great story for the state of georgia and the third district and we're awfully proud of them. the positive impacts of tact reform -- tax reform have been felt by millions more americans as the updated withholding tables took effect. as employers i remembermented these tables americans across the country have seen tax cuts reflected in bigger pablings. this means keeping more of your hard-earned money to spen as -- spen as you see fit. i've long said americans know

how to spend their hard-earned money far better than the bureaucrat here's in washington. i look forward to seeing how our economy continues to improve and now i'd like to yield some time to my good friend, paul mitchell, representative mitchell has become a dear friend and does a wonderful job of representing michigan's 10th district. i want to thank him for setting up these specialed orers to tell the truth about tax reform and how it's helping americans. mr. mitchell's district, people that are making the median household income will see a tax cut of just over $150rks0. i yield two minutes to mr. mitchell. mr. mitchell: i want to thank my colleague from west point, georgia, i also thank the georgia and alabama delegations, members who are part of the tax truth squad have come here to share impacts of the tax cuts and jobs acts on their district. the last major tax reform was conducted 31 years ago. i believe many people had simply given up the idea that we'd

achieve what we hay chiefed at the end of last year. in less than three months since the tax reform bill passed, as my colleague said, more than 440 companies have given a pay raise, bonus, increased 401-k contributions or in the case of utility companies lowered rates dramatically. in michigan, rates will be lowered by $400 million this number $440 million doesn't include -- this number 440 doesn't include mom and pop businesses on main street. at least four million americans are receiving special tax reform bonuses announced already this year in three mobs. direct bonuses have surpassed $4 million. smalm business owners are showing unparalleled confidence in the economy as the optimism index reached record high numbers in february according to the nfib. let me say, record high numbers. all a result of what we achieved at the end of the year this optimism and economic strength is reflected in data recently

released. last month the united states economy created 313 new jobs. more importantly, 800 million people reentered the labor force that weren't trying to go to work. unemployment rate remained the for at 4.1% but most employment and wage growth over last year increased 2.6%. 2.6% already in terms of wage growth. these are good things for americans, wage earners, and as my colleague said, even more important good things because they keep money in the pockets of workers and faplies to make decisions what to do with their hard earned money rather than depend on those here in congress or worse yet, bureaucrat, spend it for them. i want to thank all the member of georgia and alabama as part of the tax truth squad to put their thoughts forward tonight and i yield back. . >> thank you, mr. speaker.

aflac was one of the very first companies to announce benefits to its employees and shortly after christmas, aflac announced that they would increase their investments by $250 million in the u.s., ine crease the company's 401-k match for employees and make a one-time contribution of $500 to each employee's account. mr. ferguson: this is a long-term investment in aflac's employees and to the united states economy. our new tax code helps companies like aflac to reinvest in their workers and their communities. mr. speaker, my next speaker is mr. palm who are represents the sixth district of alabama. and a household earned in the district's median income would $1,534.x break of i yield three minutes to the gentleman from alabama. palm palm i thank the gentleman from -- mr. palmer: i thank the gentleman from michigan for setting this up and the gentleman from georgia for leading it. mr. speaker, i rise today to highlight the impact that the tax cuts and jobs act is having in alabama's sixth congressional

district. millions of americans across the country are now reaching -- reaping the benefits of tax reform if the form of higher paychecks and in my district is no exception -- and nye district is no exception -- and my district is no exception. i'd like to give a few examples of how my constituents are using the additional money to benefit their family. one woman noted that her employer was paying out bonuses of $1,000 as a result of the tax cut and jobs act. and that she will deposit that money in her health savings account. another woman talked about how the savings would help with tuition payments for her two college-aged daughters. the ability to help with tuition payments was a common theme among my constituents. another gentleman from birmingham noted that his family used their larger paychecks to help pay for college and have a place -- and have placed additional money in savings. a man from hoover shared he was able to make additional payments toward his mortgage principal, increase the amount he was contributing to his 401-k and able to take his wife out to

dinner and a movie. seems the tax cuts and jobs act may be having an additional benefit for marriages in way we hadn't considered. finally another gentleman from my district noted and i'd like to quote him here, we now have an additional $250 a month thax to the tax plan. we love the -- thanks to the tax plan. we love the crumbs. that was the same message i got from a lady in our church who received a $1,000 bonus from her company. these are just a few of the numerous examples of the individuals and families in my district that continue to benefit from the tax cuts and jobs act. but the benefits don't stop there. regions bank which is headquartered in birmingham recently announced that they would be making a range of investments as a result of the tax cuts. including raising the minimum hourly wage in their branches to $15 per hour. and that without a government mandate. they're also contributing $40 million to the company's charitable foundation and creasing their capital expenditures budget by $100 million in 2018. it's not just the big companies

that are doing this. there's smaller businesses that are getting in on the act as well. one small business in my district sent a note along with their employees' paychecks letting them know that as a result of the tax cuts and jobs act, they would be getting cumulatively $22,000 in bonuses. despite fierce opposition from those that wanted to maintain the broken status quo, republicans in both houses of congress were able to deliver a significant win for the american people. going forward we must maintain this momentum and continue to enact policies that strengthen our economy, create jobs and increase the pay and benefits for american workers. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. ferguson: mr. speaker, as i said early on, we're seeing tremendous growth in businesses, both large and small, and previously i high light a great american company, aflac. but an example of a small company that's seeing the benefits of tax reform is a company called shred-x.

they are a small business. it's paper shredding and recycling services to approximately 3,000 clients throughout atlanta and central georgia. and they're using their tax savings to invest in their business. they're planning on buying a new truck and hiring a potential employee. for a company like shred-x that's -- that's a small -- true small business, that employees 10 people, the adiffings another truck and another employee makes a big difference. as the owner told me, this is just one practical example of how tax reform is helping us here on main street. it is really exciting to see our small business owners really beginning to see the benefits of tax reform and beginning to see the benefits with their employees as well. mr. speaker, my next guest is mr. buddy carter, representative carter has been an outspoken advocate for the benefits of tax cuts and jobs act. he represents a district where the median household income in

the first district of georgia will see an average savings of $1,220. mr. speaker, i would like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia, representative carter. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. and thank you for your leadership in this area and for putting this together tonight. this is an important message. a message that all americans should hear. and that all americans will share in. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak about the benefits already impacting the first congressional district of georgia, since the tax cuts and jobs act was signed into law. a few weeks ago i traveled the district and visited with businesses, with students and senior citizens to discuss how tax reform is helping them. nine line apparel, a business in savannah, told me that the tax cuts and jobs act allows them to give more to their employees. a small difference helping their

employees to take vacations, buy christmas presents for their children, and make it easier to provide for their families. lee container company in homerville that i visited a couple of weeks ago said the tax cuts and jobs act will enable them to purchase more equipment and grow their business. i also had the opportunity, mr. speaker, to visit with students at savannah state university. i shared my excitement that for upcoming graduates, job creation from the tax cuts and jobs act will generate high demand for employees, increasing wages and making the job search easier than it has been in years past. needless to say, they were excited to hear this good news. mr. speaker, the results from my trips around the district were encouraging. and i am proud we could pass tax

reform, benefiting all income levels, american businesses and our whole economy. mr. speaker, this legislation will truly go down as some of the most significant tax reform this country has ever seen. and certainly the most significant tax reform in the last 30 years. the tax cuts and jobs act will put money in people's pockets, will stimulate our economy, will create jobs. it's good for our economy and good for our country. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. ferguson: mr. speaker, as we go through tonight and begin to highlight some of the benefits of tax reform, we talked a lot about a large business such as aflac, a small business such as shred-x. but this is having an effect on individual families as well. and i've heard from people all over georgia's third district that are telling me that it is having an impact in their paychecks and that's helping their families.

robert and thomas wrote into my office -- robert thomason wrote into my office to say he had more money in his retiree account statement in his military pension because of the tax reform. that's helping him meet his monthly finance goals. erin told me she has $132 more in each paycheck. she said, while it may not seem like a lot to some, it's her money and every little bit helps. and these are just two of the millions of americans who are seeing larger paychecks because of comprehensive tax reform. and if you aren't sure of tax -- if tax reform is helping you, i want to encourage you to check your check. see how much more money you're saving each and every month. mr. speaker, my next guest is the distinguished gentleman from georgia's 12th district, mr. rick allen. mr. allen represents a very broad swath of the eastern part of our state. and he will distribute median income family in his district will receive a tax savings of

$875 a year thanks to the tax cuts and jobs act. i yield now three minutes to the gentleman from augusta, georgia, mr. allen. mr. allen: thanks for doing this tonight and just to give you some news from the other side of the state. i rise today to highlight the significant impact that comprehensive tax reform has had on georgia's 12th district. as a businessman, i bring a different perspective to the halls of congress. during my ten pour that congress iverbings been focused on -- tenure in congress, i've been focused on three goals. get folks back to work, reduce the size and scope of the government, improve the economy. we're getting our economy back on track and nothing can compare to the effect that tax reform is having on jump-starting our economy and expanding small businesses and creating jobs. over the past few months i've had the opportunity to meet with several small businesses as i've traveled across georgia 12, to discuss how tax reform is making

real changes for them and their employees. i'd like to share a story of georgia tire company. a 72-year-old business located in georgia. in 1946 two brothers, after world war ii, decided to buy a small gas station. one of their sons, rusty, began working alongside his father and uncle during the summer of 1965. and then began working full-time at the family business in 1972. with a third generation of workers not far behind. now they are known as a reputable business selling tires across the district and providing automobile repairs. the family has built their business through hard work, treating customers fairly, a little bit of luck and, most importantly, through their employees who are treated like part of their family. when i had the opportunity to speak with rusty moses about the success of his family business, he told me that his employees are hardworking, honest,

law-abiding people. high taxes and complex laws continued to stifle their income. mr. moses promised his employees that if the tax laws were changed, they would share in the business tax savings through performance bonuses and salary increases. thanks to tax reform, this promise has become a reality. georgia tire company has seen an increase in take-home pay and plans to issue employee bonuses at the end of this fiscal year. there are so many family businesses like georgia tire company who are truly the life blood of our communities. before tax reform, these businesses were struggling to make ends meet. an under -- and unable to provide their employees with well-earned benefits. don't just take my word for it. there are more than four million americans who have already seen just like it at this tire company, the impacts of tax reform.

with congress and the president working hand in hand, we've made great strides and i can't tell you how happy i am to see our local businesses striving in the new american economy, growing this economy, and giving all americans the opportunity to have a good job. i'd like to thank my fellow colleagues and president trump for their support of comprehensive tax reform, for all americans. and with that i yield back. mr. ferguson: i'd like to thank the gentleman from georgia for those great words. as i mentioned earlier, another great company in the third district of georgia is a company called total system services, as tss.fer to it, it's a major credit card processes and employees thousands of people in our area. because of tax reform they were able to give their employees a bonus and just as importantly, they've been able to invest in their business, to grow at a more profitable rate and continue to return the benefits to the community. i've heard a lot of folks say,

and talk about tax reform being just crumbs. but to middle class americans in my district, if you talk about crums, it is not about tax reform. tax reform is making a difference in middle america and lives every single day. and it's helping families make their ends meet, go on a vacation that they've worked so hard for or to invest in their home. these tax cuts are making a difference and companies like t.s.s. that are returning these benefits to their employees and making investments in their business are continuing to do their part to make this nation the most competitive place in the world to do business. now i'd like to call on my colleague from georgia, representative loudermilk, representative loudermilk represents georgia's 11th district and the median household income in his district will see an average savings of $1,780. i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia's 11th. mr. loudermilk: thank you, mr. speaker. and i especially thank my good

colleague and friend from west point, georgia, for managing this hour so that we can share really the excitement that we're seeing back home for what adding a little bit of money into people's paychecks is doing. i've often, mr. speaker, contemplated what have transformed america from an enthusiastic rag tagrable who had this idea of freedom into the strongest economy, the freest nation, and the strongest military in the entire world. and the reality of that is the freedom that this government and the rights that were given by god that we protect has give the american people. when you think about the innovation that has come from america, innovation that has changed the face of the world, most of it came from here because of the freedom that we have now. . if you go to the air and space museum, you will see a testament

in that freedom where two bicycle mechanics were able to accomplish what the engineers couldn't plib because they have the freedom. we have taught our children to dream big. in america, you can accomplish anything. but in the past couple of decades, we have squashed the dreams of these kids because as we put out the fire that we tell them they can have a fire, we are quell muching that. i want to share a story, a letter from a 14-year-old thanking me for the tax reform bill, the tax cuts and jobs act which put more money in the back pocket of his parents. he dreamed of being a pilot. he wanted to be a pilot. but as a pilot myself, that is a very difficult thing to accomplish. not only is the training difficult, but it can be very expensive. but he thanked me because of the

bonus that his dad received from his company because of the corporate tax cut and the money they are going to save because of the individual tax cuts. his parents are using that money to ensure that he gets flight lessons at 14 years old. he is accomplishing a dream because we removed government out of the way. we need airline programs and what government programs can we put in to get people to fly when all we have to do is get out of the way and let our children dream big. and we are getting out of the way. when you look at georgia, the results have been appear stounding. home depot is head quartered in my district is investing 20,000 trades people to fill the gap. let me bring up that the number of jobs that we have available

in this nation is about equivalent to the number of people we have unemployed. we need to continue to get out of the way. and i yield back. thank you, mr. ferguson, for the time. mr. ferguson: i thank the gentleman from georgia's 11th district. you are right, if we get the federal government out of the way, great things happen. as i mentioned earlier, another small company that is doing big hings is custom truck and body works. this small company creates vehicles for first responders and had been hoping to grow their business but were burdened by a tax code. and they are able to hire workers and give their employees additional benefits and i got to the see the impact on a recent isit to their facility in wood

bury, georgia. and it brought home that the act was making in the 3rd district of georgia. i call on my colleague from alabama, congressman mike rogers and represents alabama's third district and median family household will see a tax cut of almost $1,000. i yield three minutes to my colleague. mr. rogers: i thank you for leading this special order and i want to rise to highlight the impact of the tax cuts and jobs act. fter working under an outdated tax code, alabama and the entire country are feeling relief. from bigger paychecks, to bone must newses and raises, many companies have distributed $4 billion.

russell lands distributed $500 bonuses to each of their 500 employees as a direct result of the tax overhaul. three companies in a district rewarded their employees after fleck and total system services. this is putting more money back in the pockets of some my constituents right across the state line in russell county. regions bank, cogeent building roup overseas hard are other companies across our great state that have been giving bonuses. i'm applied of ben russell and the other companies i mentioned leading the way. because of tax reform, over four million workers have received a bonus or pay increase. these bigger paychecks and

bonuses can help save for a kid's school or appliance or making a car payment. this represents opportunity. at a time when every penny counts, tax reform is giving them more money to take home. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. mr. ferguson: i would like to thank the gentleman from alabama for his remarks and share some of the great things that are happening just across the state line to our neighbors. mr. speaker, one of the things that -- one of the reasons that tax reform was so important to me and one of the things that i campaigned so hard for is growing up in a community where we lost our manufacturing backbone and our job base, we saw families just begin to lose everything. they began to lose their homes, their cars, their small family

businesses and saw a generation move away from our communities to look for better opportunities because the jobs simply weren't there. and i know that every single job is important. and so every time that we are able to do something in this great nation to create the environment where this is the best place on the planet to do business and grow jobs, it's good for our communities, good for our friends, family and neighbors and makes our community stronger. one of the things about tax reform that is important to remember, it is not about lowering the rates but about helping american families. companies are making decisions based on their employees and what is best on their bottom line. and so every time i hear someone from the other side is say all we did was give a tax break, i think it is disingenuous and

shows a lack of willingness to dig down into what this tax reform is all about and that is changing how american families operate so they can be competitive on the world stage and can make this place the greatest place in the world to do business and hire more of our friends and family members, your neighbors, in the best paying jobs on the planet. it is my distinct honor to call the 7th eague from district of georgia. bob woodall. i thank him for his leadership. i would like to thank you for the time you have spent with me as a freshman guiding me along the way. and the folks back home truly appreciate your efforts. families making the median ncome in your district receive

$1,866 increase in their paychecks. i yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia's southern. mr. woodall: you know that he may call himself a freshman, but mr. ferguson, dr. ferguson, has made his weight felt around here. he ran on a commonsense platform and said let's make a difference and let's stop fussing about it. he is a doer here and i'm proud to serve him and i appreciate him putting this time tonight. we talk about tax reform as if it is a line item. it's a feeling. it is a collective sigh of relief that has gone on in every congressional district. we have gotten those calls. i got one from a father whose dult daughter had fell on hard

times and he was trying to figure out how hes was going to help his daughter make the bills balance. when he wound up with a $1,000 bonus from one of our local employers, came at the right time. it's that collective sigh of relief that better days are coming tomorrow than we had yesterday. i have heard it from the biggest companies in the district and i have heard it from the smallest companies in the district. home depot, proud georgia company, my friend mentioned it is head quartered in mr. loudermilk's district. 1,000 bonuses from home depot, ot to the upper-level budget employees but to their rank and file employees at the store. that is real money.

and that is the kind of company that home depot is. we remember during the economic crisis that people were trying to make the books balance. please come out with your kids and build a train together, where you could come together as a family. even when you didn't have enough dollars to go to a ball game, come to your local home depot and be present. that's the kind of company they are. my friend from georgia knows u.p.s. has a proud tradition and won them over from connecticut. and they made that decision. 1,700 s., brown, employees in my district getting bonuses because u.p.s. has more money to go around. it didn't, $5 billion.

how many times have we talked about pension fund being underfunded and wanting someone to do something about it. they put the dollars in the pension fund for their employees. and announced last month 14 additional 747 purchases. boeing isn't headquartered in my district. but if you live in south carolina, 14 new planes means something to those suppliers, those contractors. for new 767's being purchased as a result of extra money that wasn't coming to the federal government. my friend from georgia said it best. companies are making decisions based on what is best for them, their customers, for their employees and their communities. mr. speaker, we can argue about what kind of public policy we should have, but can't we agree

that one who prioritizing people rst is one we could be pleased. i'm glad to talk about the impacts and i'm grateful for your leadership on this for making it possible. i yield back. mr. ferguson: i would like to thank the gentleman from georgia's 7th. well said. as i close out tonight, i first want to thank all of my colleagues who shared some of their amazing stories from their districts and states about what is happening as a result of the tax reform and jobts act. and it's clear, it's clear this is having a real impact and the benefits are clearly more than just crumbs. they are meaningful to every single family. and i think one of the things that i see and i'm beginning to see more and more of, it's not simply an employee is getting a

bigger paycheck, that is great. but that enthusiasm that they have, not only in their jobs they are being rewarded for a job well done, but seeing new opportunities because of growing businesses that they never had before. and it's exciting and wonderful to see our friends, family and neighbors, the people we care about, the people we represent being affected in a positive way. as our economy grows and as we do things here to put more and more back into our communities in the forms of people's freedoms, for them to make lisks and raise their children and do with their families that they think is best, i see a bright future. just looking right now, four million people receiving bonuses on top of their tax cuts, huge impact, it's making a difference. this is a promise that was made

and it's a promise that has been kept. and because of our growing economy, we will promise and defend thrl country against foreign invaders and our important safety nets are there in the future, making sure we can keep every promise made to our seniors in terms of social security and medicare and making sure we keep our promises to the men and women of our armed services that were willing to die for our freedoms. we can keep our promises to make this nation a wonderful and great place to them because we are beginning to have the resources that we need to tackle one of the most important challenges that we will ever face and that is the $21 trillion in debt that we have burdened future generations with. growing the economy gives us the resources to do just this and i cannot wait to see what this

future looks like because i know it is strong and bright and it is right, because we will be able to keep our promises. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. . . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for 60 minutes the ass the designee president of -- as the designee of the minority leader. mr. clarke: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i -- ms. clarke: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. clarke: it was with great who aren -- honor that i rise today to anchor this congressional black caucus special order hour. i'd like to thank the congressional black caucus chairman, cedric richmond, for his leadership in this effort. for the next 60 minutes we have an opportunity to speak directly

to the american people about issues of great importance to the congressional black caucus and the millions of constituents that we represent. tonight's special order hour opic is women's history month. mr. speaker, during women's history month, we salute phenomenal women who refuse to sit on the sidelines of history. after the passage of the 19th amendment, millions of women have continued to march, like the women who came before them. for generations, women, particularly black women, have been on the front lines fighting for key rights for america's women, including the right to equal pay, the right to equal access to educational opportunities, the right to equal access to opportunities in the workplace. in that spirit, i rise today on behalf of the congressional black caucus and re-- in reclaiming 2018 as the year of

the black woman. 2018, the year of the black woman, and i like the sound of that. black women are a force to reckon with and we shall nobt moved -- not be moved. new york, my hometown, has a long standing and illustrious legacy of leading the way to advance women's rights from seneca falls to the united states congress and even on the road to the white house. it was where madam c.j. walker and billy hollywood laid down their root -- billie holiday laid down their roots. it was the home of the late great congresswoman shirley chiss , -- shirley chisholm, the first african-american woman to serve in this house, and whose congressional district i represent today. i'm not a candidate of black america. although i am black and proud. i'm not a candidate of the women's movement of this country, although i am a woman

and i am equally proud of that. i am the candidate of the people of america. these are the words she spoke. this year marks the 50th anniversary of shirley chisholm's election to the house of representatives as a reformer from brooklyn and the 46th anniversary of her historic bid for the presidency. in doing so, shirley chisholm blazed a pathway for millions of girls and women to dream unthinkable dreams. shirley chisholm's labor and contribution to brooklyn, congress and the nation continues to bear fruit today. she paved the way for many other women, myself included, to run for elective office at all levels. shirley chisholm opposed war, racism, sexism and inequality. she stood up to republicans and demanded more from her own party.

she won, she lost, she never backed down. 46 years ago the unbought and unbought shirley chisholm announced her candidacy for president of the united states, making her the first woman in history to run for the highest office in the land. i can because she did. congresswoman chisholm used the authority of her experience to create nutrition assistance programs, expand health care services for parents and children, increase the minimum wage, support the veterans of our armed forces. and provide opportunities for women in college, graduate school and collegiate and professional sports with the enactment of title ix. but that's not all. shirley chisholm pushed this country forward. i can recall growing up in brooklyn and just being so proud as a young girl growing up.

knowing that there was a woman who looked like me, who came from my neighborhood, who came from my origins, sitting here in the house of representatives. she was somewhat of a rock star in brooklyn. her intellect, her ability, her savvyness was something that she exuded in every environment that she found herself. she's pretty stylish as well. but it was indeed her strategic thinking and her ability to be a voice for the voiceless that really propelled shirley chisholm into the hearts and minds of all americans. shirley chisholm pushed this country forward. and for this and other reasons, she deserves a permanent place among other figures in the united states -- of united states history, right here in the capitol. in january i introduced h.r. 4856. what i've named the shirley

chisholm statue bill. the bill would do just that. honor shirley chisholm's legacy ith a permanent, among those statues in our hallowed halls. h.r. 4856 directs the joint committee on the library, which is responsible for oversight of the operations of the library of congress and management of statuary hall collection, to obtain a statue of chisholm for permanent placement in the united states capitol. i'm very pleased to say that over 70 members in the united states house of representatives are co-sponsors. my sister, colleague and friend, the senator cam la harris of california, -- cam la harris of california, in late february introduced the companion bill. among sponsors are the c.b.c. members, senatory corey booker of new jersey, in addition to

senators warren and sanders. and senators chuck schumer and gillibrand as well. senator harris and i agree, shirley chisholm created a path for black women, members of congress, who have served after her. her legacy encourages us to keep up the fight for our most voiceless and vulnerable, senator harris stated. mr. speaker, rosa and sojourner, giant figures in american history, and other -- the only two african-american women cremeanted permanently here in are lonely. mr. speaker, i hope you'll join us in this effort. let's pass the shirley chisholm statue bill right away. thank you and i now yield to the gentlelady from michigan, the honorable brendsa lawrence, one of the -- brenda lawrence.

one of the staunch supporters of women's rights here on capitol hill, and co-chair of the bipartisan women's caucus. mrs. lawrence: thank you. mr. speaker, i want to thank congresswoman clarke and thank you for all of your strong leadership as a member of congress and also as a co-chair of the congressional caucus on black women and girls. as you advocate for awareness, fairness and equality for all. mr. speaker, i stand here today during women's history month to acknowledge the impact and legacy of black women in america. black women have blazed trails, set standards and broken barriers in every job sector, elected position and civil rights movement in america. i'm especially proud of the strong leadership of african-american women during the suffrage movement. the suffrage movement was the

demand and struggle for the right for all women to vote and run for office. and was a very important part of the overall women's rights movement. faced with constant opposition, threats of violence, women of various social classes, economic classes, and race traveled across the country to make their proclamation loud and clear. they have a voice and they deserved a vote. as women fought and marched for the right to be treated as first class citizens, in addition to their gender, african-american women were also faced with the barriers of racism in america. while women were united by gender, they remained divided by race.

and in the march for respect and dignity, black women were asked o march at the back of the suffrage parade. despite being asked to going to the back of the parade, 22 founders of the amazing delta sigma theta sorority marched. this sorority was the only african-american women's organization to participate in pat raid. and i'm proud to say i am a proud member of delta sigma theta. another member of delta thinking masset -- sigma theta sorority marched for the right to vote. a journalist. anti-lynching crusader. d outspoken suffrage et, founded the first african-american women's suffrage organization, the alpha suffrage club of chicago. the members of the identifya b.

well organization joined her in -- ida b. well organization joined her in the suffrage march parade in washington, in 1913. mr. speaker, this is just one of the examples of how black women have faced head-on the double barrier of being black and being a woman in america. s a black woman of congress, and as vice chair of the democratic women's working group, and the congressional caucus on women issues, i stand on the shoulders of women who refused to accept the status of being a second class citizen. a second class woman or a second class race. i stand on the shoulders of shirley chisholm, as my colleague has outlined this amazing woman being the first african-american woman of congress.

i stand on the shoulders of women like irma henderson. she was a detroit civil rights activist who became the first black woman to be elected to the detroit city council. she was the first woman i was able to look up to as a little black girl growing up in the city of detroit. she inspired me to believe that one day i too could have a seat at the table. mr. speaker, the legacy of black women are far from over. i'm proud of how far we have come and i'm encouraged by the hope of what's next. i'm encouraged by my colleagues, white, black, men and women, who continue to fight for fairness, justice and equality for all women and for black women. i thank you, mr. speaker, and before i yield back to

representative, my colleague, the gentlewoman, yvette clarke, i want to also add two statements that i have received that i would like entered into the record. one being from the honorable eddie bernice johnson, the gentlewoman from texas, and also the congresswoman, teri sewell, the gentlewoman from alabama -- terri sewell, the gentlewoman from alabama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's request will be covered under general leave. mrs. lawrence: thank you of i yield back. ms. clarke: i thank my colleague for her extraordinary comments this evening. really highlighting the triumphs and the challenges of both race and gender, when we talk about black women and this is women's heftry month. and we wanted to bring a unique lens to the conversation of

women's history month, because oftentimes indeed black women tend to be the hidden figures. having said that, it is now my honor to yield to the gentlelady from california, the honorable barbara lee, one of the outstanding mentors and black women here in congress, who has done extraordinary work, whether it's in leading this, the conscience of this congress, around the iraq war, or many other causes that we have seen her leadership as a north star to the really -- making this nation the best that it can be. so it's my honor to yield to the gentlelady from california. ms. lee: let me thank you for your tremendous leadership, yourself, you all have really not only through the special order but through your work with the congressional black women

nd girls' caucus have really women up that show black lead and i appreciate that. and hidden figures, we are not hidden anymore thanks to you. i want to take just a minute and begin by saying what a huge void it is on the floor of this house tonight without the presence of our beloved congresswoman louise slaughter. she was a brilliant and beautiful woman. the first woman to chair the rules committee, the only microbiologist in the house. my heart is broken tonight. louise would be right there. she encouraged us and supported our agenda whatever we were doing and she was a true mentor and i know on behalf of all of

us, we are praying for her family and constituents tonight. and it feels different without louise being on this floor. i'm glad to be with my sisters this evening and congressional black caucus members because this is a moment we have to pull together in her absence. each year in march, we pause to honor the countless contributions that women have made to this nation. as a black woman, i'm uniquely aware that our stories tend to be really lost in mainstream celebration of women's history month. that's why i'm glad to be here to declare that yes, 2018, this is the year of the black woman. for generations, black women have blazed trails throughout this nation. mary mcleod, audrey lord and

michelle obama, this list of historical black girl magic could go on and on because in every chapter of american history, black women have stood up and spoken out and pushed this nation closer to freedom and justice for freedom of all. we saw the influence that black women have on our society through the emergence of the me movement.ll metoo t was started to support them. burke worked in the movement and revolutionized the way we approach sexual assault. the story of black women is lost in main street coverage of this

movement. once at is a shame it is, again, 2018, this is the year of black women and thank you for giving us a chance to highlight these hidden figures. bold women have been fighting for the soul of this country. and despite of being locked out of opportunity, like our agelou the late dr. said, still we rise. we rise in the spirit of ida b. lls who was born on july 16, she was a journalist and truth to o spot power. we rise with the hope and determination of black women like my mentor, congresswoman he vet clarke has taken up her

ageppeda and standing on her shoulders, shirley chisholm, the first african-american and women candidate who ran for the united states candidacy. missy broke many barriers while advocating for the most vulnerable nation. and i have to say i got to know her very well. i was honored to have coordinated her northern california campaign and i saw the many obstacles that she overcame as a block woman in politics. i happened to have been honored be a shirley chisholm delegate. talk about meantors, ongresswoman chisholm, she championed me. she was a catalyst for change and he was unbought.

and i think black women today are unbought and unbossed and we are the catalyst for change. i can't help but honor congresswoman shirley chisholm and thank her for her contributions to our country and being so special in my life because i shared many, many, many moments with her. thank you , again and we want to recognize her on this floor. we rise with the courage of fear less courage like anita hill, who spoke out against sexual harassment despite of being humiliated by white senators. and i was reminded by andrea mitchell, congresswoman slaughter was one of those who marched over there and held that hearing up for a couple of days.

when we rise, when we stand up together, when we refuse to be sigh lept, black women and women can change history. because anita hill, she refused to let the abuse she was subjected to dissuade her from working to create a world where other young female professions wouldn't accept sexual harassment as part of the job. a movement was begun because of that. it led to the passage of the civil rights act of 1991 that allowed employees to sue for damages due to sexual harassment. and anita reminded us she was the first one who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in the mid-1980's. this led to women being elected to office. and because of that movement, there are 22 women senators and

104 members of the house. make no mistake. we still have a long way to go to achieve lasting equality for black women. black women make 60 cents for every dollar as white males make. we have to fight for access to health care and structural sexual harassment stands in the way for black women being able to achieve the american dream but still we rise. no matter what obstacles we face, as long as we fight for what is right, we will win. and let me say as a block woman who has been fighting for social justice and equality, all of my entire life, the fight is worth it. i'm proud to stand here with you toght in memory of my mother, a woman who taught me never to

back down. b. f black women like ida wells, commang chisholm and anita hill gave up, might not be standing here today as the -- 17th american african-american woman in congress and the 163rd women to serve, i know i would not be here if it weren't for these phenomenal african-american warrior women. thank you for giving us a chance to talk about our great heroes. and i hope we continue to educate the public and lift up black women so the entire country will really understand and value and know where we have been so they know where we're going and that's to achieve liberty and justice for everyone

in this country. thank you, again. ms. clarke: i thank the gentlelady from california for her eloquent presentation this evening and it is now my honor and privilege to bring to the , oor a the gentleman from great city of philadelphia, brotherly love and sisterly love, dwight evans. mr. evans: i would like to thank my colleague from the great city of bling and the she reminds me there is not a better place than brooklyn. and if you haven't been there, i encounseling you to go to brooklyn. what can i say about my colleague from congresswoman lawrence. i compliment both of them. i want to thank my colleagues

for holding this special order hour to talk about our queens, our rock and black women. and i say that, because i was raised by a black woman, who was single head of the household, better known as my mom, jean evans. she was someone, then and now, who was always very consistent in her message in terms of stay strong and always look forward. as we paint a picture of the black community in 12018, it is clear we have a lot to lose because too many of our neighborhoods are still plagued crime.ant poverty, and last week's special order, and tonight theme, when the

connor report was should and even today, black women had to deal with racism and sexism. but i'm comforted that black women continue to outshine the doom and gloom that some of these problems bring. fact, the fastest growing category of entrepreneurs are black women. and i don't have to look too far because of philadelphia, home of some of the most dynamic women and black women in america. there is a woman who is very good and i have known her for a long time, city councilman jamie counselwoman, jamie blackwell and seasonned advocate and 30-year reputation for serving community members, the poor,

underprivileged and making her a leader in our city. congresswoman jamie blackwell. della clark, has played an integral role in the technical and professional progress in development over the course of her life. estelle richmond, former secretary of public welfare and hief operating office officer. richmond oversaw agencies' efforts that saw an increase percentage of foster children. a drop in the waiting list for mental retardation. anda grant is the president c.e.o. of the philadelphia convention bureau and oversees

the departments and operating duties prior to being named as the senior vice president of the staff 25 people. she leads that organization as she represents the face of philadelphia. the late see do lores tucker who was the first african-american to serve in the governor's cabinet. and saro reese, president and , a al manager of w.r.d. black-owned radio station. all of these women i have mentioned have affected me personally and have played a key role in my life. i join with my colleagues and talk about these beautiful

women, our queens, our rocks, our great women. i yield back the balance of my time and thank my colleagues for allowing me this opportunity to join this discussion. thank you, mr. speaker. ms. clarke: i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for bringing to the floor all of these extraordinary black women philadelphia. this does not ex toll the virtues of everyone who is laboring and trailblazer and making things happen for communities and municipalities and states across this nation. and we are illuminating hidden figures this evening and i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for doing a tremendous job. it is now my honor and privilege to bring forward the gentleman from from just across the river

from the district i represent in new york, he is the the gentleman from new jersey. he has been an extraordinary advocate for communities of color in the state of new jersey, who has done a tremendous job and work on the committee for homeland security and who i know has been an advocate for promoting and putting forth black women in leadership positions as he was responsible for electing the first black woman to be lieutenant governor of the state of new jersey, donald payne junior from new jersey. . mr. payne: let me thank you for hosting tonight's special order hour. these are two dynamic colleagues of mine. ms. clarke, as she stated, right across the river from me.

and has really been a mentor to me since my arrival here in congress. and there is never anything i have ever asked her to do that she hasn't done and i just want to acknowledge the great support that she's been for me since i've arrived at this body. a true leader from across the river. and also mrs. lawrence from the great state of michigan, who has -- secondin her first term, second term. with us here in the congress. and has demonstrated her leadership day in and day out as well. the year of the black woman will for me, mr. speaker, of course every year is the year of the black woman for me.

just as black women like late and great shirley chisholm and barbara jordan paved the way for other black women to run for office, the work you do has inspired a new generation of black women to change the course of our nation. and for that we are all grateful . throughout american history black women have been undervalued and undercompensated. nationally black women who work in full-time jobs make only 64 cents for every $1 a white man makes. in new jersey black women only make 58 cents for every $1 a man makes, white man makes. and black women both in new jersey and nationally make persistently less than white women, despite the fact that black women have the highest

labor force participation rate in the united states among women. regardless of their educational level, black women are less likely than other workers to be employed in higher paying careers. they're more likely than other groups to be employed in service industry jobs and -- with low pay, no benefits, and outside the scope of the labor laws in this country. black women are key to building long-term success in our communities. yet they are disproportionately incarcerated. they're more likely to face employment discrimination and housing discrimination. they're more likely to be disciplined at school and they are still undervalued and under-represented in our

society. what should we be doing in congress and in our communities? first, we should be strengthening black women's political participation. we need more black women in office at the levels of government -- at all levels of government. each us should mentor young black women who want to serve. we should uplift their voices and give them the microphone and build infrastructure that gets them into office. secretaries -- second, we must protect the right to vote for black women and all people of color. over the past five years, the supreme court has gutted the voting rights act, legislatures in states like texas and south carolina have passed voter i.d. laws that are disproportionately re-- that disproportionately restrict the right to vote for people of color. and russian social media accounts have targeted the black

community to sow division and discord in our elections. as members of congress, we have the power to restore the voting rights act. protect the right to vote. and ensure our elections are secure from foreign interference. third, we need to support increased employment and higher earn earn -- higher earnings for black women. that includes raising the federal minimum wage to make it a livable wage. that means strengthening collective bargaining. mr. speaker, there are many examples of women in new jersey that have made great accomplishments. throughout 2018, the year of the black woman, it's vitally important that we elevate black women's voices and their experiences. here are just a few black women

from my district who are making difference. iptahaj mohamed. the first american olympian to wear a hijab during her event. she was also a model for the first hijab wearing barbie doll. she's a trail blazer. she fenced in this year's -- the past olympics, summer olympics. sheila olver, as ms. clarke intimated, a newark native, just became the first african-american lieutenant governor in new jersey's history. she'd already broken the glass ceiling by becoming the first african-american woman to serve as assembly speaker in new jersey, and only the second african-american woman in the

country to lead a state legislature. the first, of course, was our colleague, karen bass from california. sheila oliver and karen bass are trail blazers. maddie holloway from hillside, new jersey, has spent nearly 40 years uplifting young women in her community. for the past three decades, she's led hope inc, a community service organization that helps pregnant teens and young mothers stay on track during and after their pregnancy. maddie holloway is a trail blazer. and there's a young woman named jae wilson. she's 9 years old. jae was at the mall one day when she noticed a homeless man wasn't wearing sox. jae saw a need and stepped up to

fill it. this young woman now spreads -- spends her spare time collecting socks and soup to distribute to people in need. jae wilson is a trail blazer. there are countless black women whose contributions to our collective freedom have gotten us to this point today. too often there have been -- they have been sidelined and as i stated, undervalued and disrespected. let's do a better job to celebrate and uplift and empower our sisters this year and every year. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back to the gentlelady from new york. ms. clarke: i once again thank the gentleman from new jersey for, again, highlighting all of one, black which, is women have excelled beyond expectation.

despite all of the challenges and the obstacles that they have faced. we continue to see black women rise and i want to thank you for your observations, for your experience, your interactions as part of this special order hour. and we know that, again, these are hidden figures. but today i say, hidden no more. they're in the congressional record. and i thank the gentleman for adding such richness to the record this evening. is now my honor to yield to the gentlelady from texas. the honorable sheila jackson lee . who will be sharing with us her insights during this special order hour, as we highlight the accomplishments and we speak to the concerns in the year of the

black woman. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentlelady for her leadership and that of her co-author -- co-anchor, the honorable brenda lawrence, and the honorable yvette clarke, for their tenacity and they are so correct . this is the year, black woman rising. and i can't help but celebrate the quote from the honorable shirley chisholm, who i had the privilege of introducing more than once as a younger woman and one will never forget that experience. and never forget the experience of just being around the honorable cheryly -- shirley chisholm and the honorable barbara jordan. they both came from similar stock on opposite sides of the nation. but they were strong, stearn,

committed and ready to serve. and serve i'd like to think without foolishness. so i love the quote of congresswoman chisholm that said , if there's no chair for you, i'm paraphrasing, at the table, then bring a folding chair. what a celebration. and let me be very clear. it can go for black women today in the 21st century. do want to acknowledge and to thank all women in this women's history month for their leadership and service and particularly take note of our lost late colleague, the honorable louise slaughter, and say that if there was ever a mighty woman of great leadership , tenacity and strength, it was our dear friend, louise slaughter, and we honor her now and as well in the months to come. but as we talk about women of

color, and in this instance black women, let me tell my colleagues that was before, bout 400 or 500 on saturday, i must take mention or make mention of our president, and we were talking about the famous number 98 and let me make sure i note all of the different sororities. for those of you not familiar with the sorority, that is a particular unique and special part of black women's life. i know there are many other sororities but we take it very serious i -- seriously. and you can be many colors. i happen to be pink and green. but there are many colors and i call them all my sor sombings. they are my sisters. but we were -- soros. they are my sisters. but we were talking about the power and use the number 98. i use that same number when i spoke with stacy abrams in georgia just a few weeks ago. that may in fact be the first african-american woman nominee for governor and she's running

for that position in georgia. she may be one of the great leaders coming forward. but the 98 number is, as my colleagues know, 98% of african-american women cast their vote that catapulted senator doug jones into the united states senate. they are change makers and tree shakers. and that's what i want to say about black women rising. they are in fact those tree shakers and might i say and pay tribute to ida b. jackson, my mother, sara jackson, olive jackson, my grandmother, vanny bennett, my grandmother, mrs. my , my great grand mother, aunts, all of these women surrounded me and gave me the kind of tenacity and strength that i can be proud of. and i also want to acknowledge

women like dr. alexa kennedy, the first african-american woman neurosurgeon. and oprah winfrey, a mississippi native, who has turned into a multimillionaire, upwards of a billionaire. and the story of sojourner truth. who was left off of the suffrage jette statue, but women gathered, myself, and senator clinton carried the legg legislation. dolores tucker was the inspiration. and she did not rest until sojourner truth found her place in the united states congress. rosa parks, who now sits in statutory hall to the tribute of many members of the congressional black caucus. i thank our chairman, mr. rich mnd, for creating opportunities for us to have this kind of experience. let me get to the crux of what we need to do to be fair to

black women. we need to quash, extinguish the stereotype of welfare queen, incarcerated women, women with children and no spouses and talk about the mountains black women have climbed to raise children and to create heroes across the spectrum of leadership from science to medicine to education and yes, to sports. let's make sure that we never have a president that says sons of a b to malign the many mothers, many of them african-american, who are the moferse sports persons who only because of their upbringing had a sensitivity to criminal justice reform. let us always characterize the mothers of the movement for what they are. not individuals who are against law enforcement or order. but mothers who have lost their children in an unfair way.

and as we work toward how things should change, criminal justice reform and improving police- community relation, the mothers of eric garner, michael brown, alter scott, tamir rice, trayvon martin, jordan davis, of course. some of these were not directly police issues but they were sons that lost their lives as african-american young men and sandra bland, her mother is a dear friend of mine, lost their lives in ways that should not be. the same morse of those law enforcement who have lost their lives and they mourn. what about bringing them together? many of the mothers of young african-americans are obviously people of color but we've lost many in the law enforcement in the same way my point is that the pain of mothers, the pain of african-american mothers, should be treated with dignity.

the idea of a mother being on assistance to provide for her children, to be in public housing, should be no labels. there should not be a definition of supplemental food stamps as a handout as much as it is a hand up. and no one should be trying to save money in the united states congress by providing boxes of food versus a nutritious system or nutrition system that food stamps allow which is to allow someone to go and buy what their family needs and to buy what formula or what their child with allergies needs. let's establish dignity. and if young women who happen to be african-american happen to be incarcerated, let's make sure we are looking to end mandatory minimums so that young women who are caught up in a conspiracy, the law that wraps everyone up, and because of some elements of a spouse or a significant other, boyfriend, they get caught up in the criminal justice system that

we respond to them as mothers and recognize that they should be having an opportunity to not be entrapped with mandatory minimums so they are never able to return to their children. or what about women who are pregnant and incarcerated? many of them latino and african-american women. we should have a situation with those women, not separated from their children. as i heard mr. payne mention, the 64 cents per dollar that many women, many african-american women are in those kinds of hourly wage jobs and therefore we must have the increase in the minimum wage but more importantly increase in wages for women working in all capacities so that the stagnant wages that have not been impacted positively by the $2 trillion tax cut we midwest ensure that we must ensure the ability of all persons to vote without on instruction and the dastardly voter i.d. law that was been put in place

specifically to stymy the vote of people of color, latinos and african-americans. i would hope that the courts would find them unconstitutional. motherhood must be promoted. as i indicated for those incars rated but those not. the support of health care which is what the affordable care act was all about. it was to equalize and to give a protective system for our working mothers or our mothers who could not afford insurance in another way. it's unfortunate that we have tried to, the congress, the republican congress, has attempted to unravel a very strong health care system. women in the united states military, first i salute them all but i also salute those african-american women who have served in the military who have become generals. i do want to take note of an organization that i have a deep nasa, on for and that is i want to make it clear, i want

nasa to be on notice that i'm still going to foe tchoins precipitous removal of an african-american well-qualified astronaut with no explanation, the only explanation is we did this wrong and need to fix it. but the explanation needs to be why this person is not put back on the astronaut list and what excuse did you have to remove her other than the fact she was an african-american woman? if you have another reason then you in this month , in this time we're honoring women, you need to come forward and discern or to explain why an african-american woman with the credentials, an m.d., the credentials, who had been in training for a large number of year, was precipitously removed and no explanation. these are the kinds of challenges that we face. so i depess my message is, let us give dignity to these women who are characteristically different. sojourner truth represents a powerful example of that.

because she was a tall, dark, regal woman and the story gos that when she was at the suffragette meeting in new york, or in the midwest, let me correct, and she either raised her hand, attempted to be recognized and the person in the front said, yes, sir, what do you want, the gentleman in the back and she began this long, statement -- this long statement that said, ain't i woman, i bosh 13 children and seen most all sold into slayry. although i may be strong looking and manly looking, and you may not have recognized that i am a woman that's born children and had them snatched away from me, i think the underlying premise of what we need to do for girls is to stop having the bias of young boys and girls that are african-american being expelled or suspended from school in larger percentages than others.

we need to make sure that the schools in our community that happen to be latino and african-american, these neighborhoods, that they are equal to other schools, we need to invest in education, we need to invest in historically black college well, need to invest in technology and coding and we need to invest in giving our young people opportunity. i want to conclude my remarks by, this is an amaidsing array of outstanding women. i cannot call all of their names. but i hope that as acall their names, my singular theme of dignity, dignity doesn't write legislation but it causes us to write legislation and policies that give women of color and in this instance african-american women as we honor them in women's history month to give them dignity and whatever the tools are that gives them dignity, the increase in the minimum wage, the better access to jobs, better access to house, better respect for the work they do, the welcome of dismissing an astronaut with no explanation

and no explanation that they is find but tracy morgan the model, oprah winfrey, maya angelo. aretha franklin, historic, wonderful artists, hedy mcdaniel. althea gibson. dor think dandridge. chemist marie daley. sara good, the inventor. we know the wonderful movie that occurred that talked about nasa women. della reese. ms. mohammed, an athlete. may jimmerson, doctor and astronaut. tie are banks. whoopi goldberg. loretta lynch. patricia roberts harris, many of us are familiar with her work as secretary in this -- in our

united states. mary jane patterson, an educator. alice coachman. so many and i conclude by simply saying what we want is dignity, respect, and the ability to serve and to be americans as we should. i yield back. ms. clarke: i thank the gentlelady from texas for really bringing to the floor so many of the issues that black women have been in the lead of or have been fighting for. social justice, the criminal justice reform that is the hallmark of the leadership of congresswoman sheila jackson lee, we are grateful to her for expressing today all of these obstacles that we must overcome and that we are focused on here in the house of representatives. i want to yield some time now to congresswoman brenda lawrence for her closing statement. mrs. lawrence: thank you,

congresswoman clarke. i just want to close with some words of wisdom from black women who absolutely have inspired me. it is not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you car reit, lena hornee. i did what my conscience told me to do and you can't fail if you do that, anita hill. mistakes are a fact of life, it is the response to the error that counts -- nicky j. vonta. don't feel entitled to anything you didn't sweat and struggle for, that is the legendary marion wright edelman. and to close with the amazing woman we've talked so much about, service is the rent that you pay for the room on this earth. by shirley chisholm. thank you and thank you and i am so proud to be a woman in

america and to be blessed by god with this beautiful black skin, to be a black woman in america. thank you. ms. clarke: i thank the gentlelady from michigan for sharing those quotes with us this evening. it is so important in terms of inspiration and motivation that we are able to pull from the work that is being done by black women and those who are -- who have preceded us. i want to take this moment, i would be remiss if i did not take this opportunity to honor another distinguished woman from new york, the gentlelady this edearly departed, congresswoman louise slaughter of new york's 25th district. words cannot adequately express the sense of sadness that i and many in our delegation feel to receive word of the passing of congresswoman louise slaughter, the dean of the new york congressional delegation. ms. slaughter dedicated her life's work to the people of

western new york and indeed all americans across our great nation. she embodied a spirit of strength, wisdom, grace, beauty, inside and out. she represented the very best of the american spirit, our values, and our ideals. she was a trail blazer and was the first woman to serve as chair and ranking member of the powerful house rules committee. she commanded the respect and admiration of her colleagues. having had the honor of serving with her has enriched my passion for service and my commitment to fight for the most vulnerable amongst us. i was indeed -- she is indeed a woman on whose shoulders i stand. the united states congress has lost an esteemed leader and the new york delegation has lost a beloved dean and i have lost a cherished friend and mentor. my thoughts and my prayers are with her three daughter, may began, amy, emily, and her

grandchildren and great grandchildren in this time of their bereavement. we extend our deepest condolences. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 inutes.

mr. gohmert: with so much going on these days in the way of investigations and still have robert mueller's special counsel -- of course, he was supposed to look into potential illegal president etween trump and russia and it has gone into whatever he wants to pursue, kind of like the , vestigation that james comey as the deputy attorney general ecommended that the then attorney general, john ashcroft, should recuse himself, which he followed that advice and then mr. comey was able to appoint his very dear friend and child's

friend, special attorney. special attorney, special apparently mr. comey knew at the time the investigation began that the person that leaked valerie plame's identity as c.i.a. agent was named richard hermtadge, someone they did not want to go after. but they were not interested in the crime but interested in nailing a person or persons. and it really appears that's not only what patrick fitzgerald did, he wanted somebody's hide and apparently it was dick cheney's, i'll settle for karl rove and the offer was made more

than once and reported that fitzgerald was offering scooter libby, if you could give me anything that will convict vice president cheney, we'll make sure you don't have anything to worry about. scooter libby wasn't going to lie to get himself out from under the gun. , witness reported against him, judy miller, when she found some notes, whoops, libby had not lied. apparently he was innocent just as he had contended. and apparently would have walked away with any problems without the full force of the federal government coming after him, given him anything that comey

tells his godfather, give him anything that would have allowed him to convict vice president cheney. and it appears mueller's investigation now now has ceased looking for a crime involving trump and russia and is focused on just finding something, kind of like the effort that comey's buddy, comey buddy, comey and mueller are basically joined at the hip, must have been mueller's friend, too, but they wanted vice president cheney and when scooter libby wouldn't lie to do that, they convicted him of lying when apparently he did not lie. he was innocent. which you could go back and find these type of things in robert

mueller's wake, whether it was as the assist ant u.s. attorney in charge of criminal investigations in boston when they were found to have later to have had people that worked for with who were in bed leader and r, mob mueller insisted these four people should remain in prison and not be paroled. two of them died in prison and there was ultimately a settlement, but mueller couldn't be bothered with the settlement because of the actions of the people that work for him, just like he went after dr. hatfield,

claiming that he was the anthrax killer and some say that was the highest profile case, that others would say it was the prosecution and conviction of ted stevens, u.s. senator, which we later found out was a frame out. the f.b.i. was reported to have hidden evidence that completely exonerated him and manufactured evidence and after that came to light, his conviction -- all the cases were dropped, as it should have been, well before it was ever pursued. but it got the intended result. the trial, the week or so before his election, he was convicted

and therefore lost the election. kind of like what mueller as do to director, as f.b.i. kirk weldon as i saw numerous times and that the f.b.i. had information that showed they could have stopped or something like that. he kept beating up on the f.b.i. i didn't have any idea what kirk weldon was talking about, was true or not. but i do know that just a few weeks before his re-elect, and after he was shown to have a decent lead over a good democratic opponent, three weeks before the election, the f.b.i. formed his daughter's office and

mueller's f.b.i. had leaked the information apparently because place was covered with reporters of all kinds so they could ocument the raid and shortly thereafter, protestors showed up at kirk's office, claiming that he had been caught red-handed and the implications were clear from the f.b.i. that kirk weldon was guilty of something and that 2%. ht about his defeat by and as i understand, year after , the aid on the weldons b.i. contacted kirk weldon's daughter and said you need to pick up this stuff. there was never a grand jury

that we know of. there was no real investigation. mueller's investigation were tired of the investigation and they silenced him as a representative. so and there is much more. but we find out and there is an article in the quole american their" by daniel john sabinski, and it talks about uranium one and this is back in july, called for a criminal investigation into hillary clinton's collusion to turn over our uranium supplies in return for $145 million in donations to the clinton foundation. now it turns out there was one. and f.b.i. investigation dating

back to 2009, with current deputy attorney general rod rosenstein and special prosecutor robert mueller up to their eyeballs in covering up, bordering on treason with putin. prior to proving the controversial deal in 2010, giving president bush yeah 20%, russia nuclear officials were nvolved in kickbacks and money laundering in order to benefit putin. john solomon, federal agencies said this. they used u.s. witness working inside the nuclear industry to gather records and make secret recordings and intercept

recordings as early as 2009 that owed moscow compromised with bribes and cutbacks. f.b.i. and court documents show. so from today's report, we find the report was supervised by then u.s. attorney rod rosen teen who is president trump's deputy attorney general and then apped drew mccabe who is the deputy director under trump. from 2001 until james comey took over in 2013. they were both involved in this ush and scam being this scam ended in 2015. let me insert parenthetically.

i don't know who recommended that the u.s. attorney investigating russian collusion with hillary clinton and with trucking firm, with others here in the united states, but whoever recommended rod rosenstein to president trump as deputy attorney general should be fired, whoever that was. they are not there to help president trump. on further down, the article says, tuesday on fox business editor-at-large peter said, there needs to be a federal investigation into the uranium deal and the clinton state department approved after the clinton foundation received $145 million from the share holders of uranium one.

the article goes on to point out about the investigation into quotes clinton and it and said people do not realize that american soil is owned by putin's government because this deal went through. he goes on and makes some interesting observation. at the conclusion he says we no longer need an investigation into hillary clinton and uranium one. this investigation is evidence of criminal corruption and intentional putting of american national security at risk for personal financial gain. and this article from lee smith,

arch 13, titled robert mueller's beltway coverup and this points out that if the deep state here -- and it does cross party lines -- they wanted someone to effectively cover up all of the leaks, each one of which is a crime punishable by time in prison. if the deep state here in washington wanted somebody that could protect all these criminals that are working in intelligence or f.b.i., that regularly leak information to hurt people that threaten their power here in washington, then they could not have a better person as special counsel than robert mueller, as overseen by od rosenstein, points out that

mueller took his job not at the beleft by the man by all accounts who is professionally and disdain donald trump but the blue chip elite. that the attorney general, rod rosenstein appointed him a year ago to lead an investigation without parameters. that's because mueller's job is to obscure the abuses that occurred under the obama administration. the fact that someone at the level of former f.b.i. director was called in to sweep in the mess left by bad actors in the bureau and central intelligence agency and other agencies suggest that the problems are even worse than previously thought. and that means the constituency for mueller's political

intervention is enormous. mueller is said to believe there are meeting -- referencing back in 2017, with a russian banker, that would be well after the election, obviously, was set up -- was to set up a back channel with the kremlin, but that makes no sense. according to the collusion narrative, the dossier allegedly written by steele, the kremlin cultivated trump for years. what is the purpose of a back hannel when putin had a key to mar-a-lago. the trump circle teamed with the high level officials with the pup of winning the 2016 election. how does a meeting advance the

crooked election victory plot? it doesn't. it contradicts it. . he talks some about eric prince but the idea that anyone who supported trump or voted for him met with a russian national the dish on the table is treason is the stuff of cold war b movies but it's also something more, prosecutorial overreach. the fact that mueller has zeroed in on prince points to a key motive behind the investigation he talks about prince thrown into thed my tholve russia-gate after the april 23, 2017, "washington post" reported his meeting with the russian banker. how did anyone know about the meeting? after the story, prince said he was shown specific evidence by sources from the intelligence

community that the information was swept up in the collection of electronic communications and his identity was unmask the u.s. official or official whogs gave his name to "the washington post" broke the law when they elected -- leaked classified information. further it says mueller presumably knows whether prince's name was unmasked and then leaked to the press and that the leak was a crime. mueller certainly knows most of the case he has regarding russian interference in the 2016 election was built by abuses of the foreign intelligence surveillance apparatus and other related crimes that are punishable with jail time. the identity of trump's short-term national security advisor michael flynn was swept up and leaked to the press in the same way prince's -- as prince's. it was leaked to the same newspaper, the "washington post." as i explained last week, the

identity of attorney general jeff sessions was also unmasked from an intelligence intercept and leaked to "the washington post." the fact that the f.b.i. had a -- had secured a foreign intelligence surveillance act warrant on carter page was also leaked to the post. the warrant on page was secured on the basis of findings in the steel dossier and unverified piece of opposition research paid for by the clinton campaign and democratic national committee. as director of the f.b.i. during the post-9/11 period, when foreign intelligence surveillance and its abuses were made regular front page headlines, mueller knows exactly how the system can be abused and what the penalties are. he also recognizes that russiagate is evidence of how it was abuse and who abused it including some of the same people he worked with during his 12-year tenure as f.b.i.

director. the much of the mueller inquiry is therefore not to investigate the most ludicrously seeming charges in the steele dossier but to protect the institution of the f.b.i., former colleagues, as well as the national security surveillance system. therefore the inquiry has to cover up the simple origins of the collusion narrative itself. which was born in repeated abufse power and subsequent crimes committed by u.s. officials in the intelligence bureaucracy and the obama administration. regardless of what anybody thinks of president donald trump, and i know there are some -- there are some republicans that are unhappy that he was elected president, ant him gone at all costs. and i know that most of the democrats i know it just grieves

them to no end he was elected. they want him gone at all costs. but at some point, members of congress in the house and senate have got to wake up to the fact that we have crimes being committed in the f.b.i. and in ur intelligence apparatus. there are people who are being paid with government checks who are out to destroy people who disagree with their power grabs and their crimes. this article points out, mueller's investigation has got to drag on as long as necessary to prevent any of the people who have committed the crimes of leaking and other crimes,

leaking, lying, perjury, obstructing justice, trying to create an insurance policy to take out a sitting president of the united states, it's time we wake up. when elected officials in this ity have to fear for their political lives by people that they have given power in the , b.i., d.o.j., c.i.a., n.s.a. then the system is broken. it is out of control. and it's how you lose a democratic republic like we have or like we used to have. it's time to get it under control. muler is not the answer, he's the problem. he is the poster child for the

problem that he's created during he had re tenure and if any decency he would have never accepted this special prosecution on anything involving russia because he'd been involved in that investigation and because he remained silent or perhaps spoke up to keep it hush-hush. but he and rosenstein both hould have stopped the sale of 20% of our rue rain yum to a national enemy. apparently the obama administration was so intent on that reset because they felt like, you know, george w. bush overreacted, all putin did was invade georgia, one country invading another, smaller,

weaker country, and bush, they felt like overreacted, said you shouldn't be doing this. put some sanctions in place. so they wanted to show we're just fine with you invading adjoining countries, maybe even those that don't adjoin. but sure at least adjoining countries. they gave the red light, whether they knew it or not, to putin to invade the crimea, invade ukraine. and they gave the green light, they had to know this, because it was part of what they did, they gave the green light to the sale of 20% of our uranium to a had y that most recently bragging orial leader that he had missiles, that he

could put those nukes on, that the united states couldn't stop. and those nukes can be tipped at least 20% of them with what illary clinton, mueller, rosenstein, had to be complicit n giving, letting them have. this is serious stuff. the ntil the leakers and abusers of our intelligence system are brought to justice, then nobody that believes in representative government is safe. we end up like china, like russia, where you're scared to death of the people behind the scenes, behind the government,

or even the dictatorial leader because you know they made you and they can destroy you. and when the free press is not free, they're complicit in assisting in the committing of crimes by gladly accepting the leaks, publishing them to complete the crime, we're in big trouble. so i would say, you know, if mueller had any decency he would just resign. and he doesn't even have to explain how wrong it was for him to accept the appointment. i'd hoped that the damage he did to the f.b.i. would have come to up nd when his 10 years was but no, president obama was so thrilled with the things he was

doing, he extended his term two years and pushed through congress, people wouldn't listen to me, oh, no, this is not a guy you want for two more year, he's done enough damage. any republican that says oh, he'll be fair, is either desperately wanting president intentionally ignoring the facts of mueller's ackground from the days as the assistant u.s. attorney in charge of crime in boston, up through the present. there's a lot of innocent people that lie in his wake. some of them got million dollars, multimillion dollar settlements for the damage mueller did to them but most didn't even get an apology.

mueller couldn't be bothered with how many millions were paid out in boston because of what he oversaw. he couldn't be bothered with the $5. million that was paid to hatfield because the f.b.i. under mueller and under his direction apparently from what the article said he took direct oversight over the hatfield investigation, assuring when there was no evidence that he committed any wrong that he was still the one. 's time that mueller's investigation come to an end, i hink lee smith had it right. think the article by daniel john sobiewski had things right.

we've already had an investigation of russian collusion. it was done by u.s. attorney rob rosenstein and f.b.i. director robert mueller and they shut her down, shut up the information, so the clinton foundation could be the beneficiary and goodness sakes they were big-time beneficiaries. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. does the gentleman have a motion. mr. gohmert: mr. speaker, i move that we do now hereby adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. accordingly, pursuant to house

resolution 788, the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debate as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late honorable louise mcintosh slaughter.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. the house will come to order. the speaker: members will please take their seats. members will please take their seats. he house will come to order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. the chair would ask all present to rise for the purpose of a moment of silence. the chair asks that the house now observe a moment of silence in memory of the late honorable louise mcintosh slaughter.