Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. Hou

Further legislative session. We now bring you live coverage here on cspan. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] the speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers rooms, washington, d. C. November 18, 2020. I hereby appoint the honorable Henry Cuellar to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of house of january 7, 2020, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate redskin nation between the parties with time equally allocated between the parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan, police talib, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chair. I rise today to join my colleagues in calling for immediate action on covid relief. It is an outrage that Senate Republicans and the impeached president S Administration are more focused on undermining our Election Integrity and faith in our democracy rather than delivering relief to millions of americans who are struggling right now. With over 20 million unemployed and more than eight million have fallen into poverty, reoccurring Monthly Payments are desperately needed to protect the American People from further harm and loss. Due to the black of federal commitment and funding, the maximum amount of worker the maximum amount my worker in my district gets on unemployment is 362 a week, mr. Chair. 962 under the first stimulus payment. Now you are asking my workers, our families, our neighbors, to live with 362 a week. Not anyone here could survive on that. Due to the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, new stay at home orders and restrictions are necessary to protect our health. We must couple this with orders with strong, reoccurring federal support putting money directly into the pockets of americans so they can actually afford to stay home and support our local governments and businesses on the brink of collapse without more stimulus. This pandemic has also made it clear, the need of guaranteeing access to clean water to our neighbors. Washing ones hands is crucial to preventing illness and spread. We need to treat water as a human right. And ban water shutoffs nationwide and ensure every american has what they need to protect themselves during this pandemic. So, mr. Chair, spending stimulus checks, supporting state and local governments, Small Businesses, and preventing water shutoff are some of the first steps we must take to not only control the spread of this coronavirus but to recover from its devastation. I urge my republican colleagues to please join me in taking urgent action. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Shimkus, for five minutes. Mr. Shimkus thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of us know that the house could not function without the professional, nonpartisan bern nell who ensure we can do our job. We do it times as an institution pause and thank them them. Now is a time for me to do it personally. I thank them for their commitment, dedication, and their hard work. It would be difficult to start without mentioning the capitol police. They are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Since my time here, some have fallen in the line of duty. Others injured protecting those placed in their care. These are only the events that i know. Can i only iimagine the stories that they could tell. Thank you. I owe thanks to the office of attending physician. This Service Helps us stay healthy and keeps us informed on how this job affects our health. There have been many times when i watched and scrambled to attend the health needs of a member or one of our visitors. In the army, we are fond of saying the army moves on its stomach. So does the house of representatives. We and our guests can find food in numerous locations. This morning i picked up my breakfast right here in the basement of the capitol. Lunch, who knows . But i do not fret that i will not be able find something. When we depart for the day, the cleaning crew comes in. They are long gone by the time most of us arrive the next day. Mail and newspapers are dropped off by couriers. Light bulbs are replaced. Pictures are hung up. And in my case, taken down. Photos are taken of us and our guests and major events. Audio visual connectivity for chame letter and Committee Activities so the public can observe is ensured. And again as i observed this morning the electronic Voting System was turned on and checked. The recorder takes down every word. Sometimes in the heat of a rhetorical exchange, which eventually helps the chamber sort out the claims, reconcile them, and return to business. I also want to point out the Friendly Faces and voices from the office of the clerk of the house. Many of them are right in front of me, mr. Speaker. These nonpartisan employees record, file, keep in order, track time, and help the speaker or speaker pro tempore identify members and call on them. The wizard of the house is the parliamentarian and their staff. I have known four over the my career. They are the keeper of the jeffersonian rules and precedents. Any member who is smart and up to some trickery best run their idea by the parliamentarian. They will not only provide great counsel, but keep the discussion confidential. My thanks go to the office of member services. They process me in and are now processing me out. They are our office of Human Resources and as with everything as time passes, so do your needs. I have checked with them often over the years, and that has helped prepare for my departure. Also assisting me is the office of house ethics. The last thing i want to do is screw something up as i walk out the door. They, too, are 24 7 and only a phone call away. Any time you create a list, you risk forgetting someone or some office. If i have done so, please forgive me. It has been a great ride and the nonpartisan professional staff who cover the everyday activities deserve my thanks. With that, i thank you. I yield back the balance of my ime. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from georgia, mrs. Mcbath, for five minutes. Mrs. Mcbath thank you, mr. Speaker. And i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Mcbath as we move into the last weeks of 2020rks as we move into a dark and uncertain winter, our nation continues to face an increasingly deadly pandemic. Economic hardship and anxiety can be felt in every corner of cour country of cour country. The despite the challenges, the past few weeks have seen millions of americans stand up and make their voices heard. And millions of americans have chosen unity over division. Stability over chaos. And looked forward to a future filled with faith and hope for a brighter world. That world requires something from each and every one of us. That we all must do our part. We all have a role to play in transforming our aspirations into real effective progress. Over the last two years i have heard from thousands of families who have called on my office in a moment of need. A grandparent whose Social Security checks just simply stopped gomcoming. A veteran who desperately needed an appointment at the v. A. Hospital. A Small Business that required assistance to keep their employees paid during this pandemic. For many of these people, their call to my office may have been the first time that they have ever interacted with a government official. Maybe the first time they ever asked their government for help. Each and every day we are called upon to serve our communities in congress. They are trusting us to do everything that we can to advocate on their behalf. We must never lose sight of that faith and that trust that they have placed in us. Hardworking families across georgia and from around the nation understand that the days and months ahead may be the most important of our lifetime. Americans have been very clear, they have asked their leaders to put aside their partisan bickering and focus on american fellship fellowship. And the mandate they have given us is one of compassion and cooperation t its a mandate to heal fractures and mend their wounds. It is a mandate to solve problems and protect them. And it is a mandate to compromise with common sense. Its a mandate to enact policies that provide every person in this nation an opportunity to fight for their very own american dream. For many years, before i had the honor of serving my community in congress, i worked as a Flight Attendant for delta airlines. I shared journeys with people from every corner of our globe. And every color, and every creed and every race and every religion. Yes, we all come from different backgrounds. We share different beliefs. But we all belong to different political parties, but what we must understand is that we share a common purpose that transcends partisanship. We are all uniquely american. We are all far more alike than we are different. And we all need to spend time with those that we love to share our stories with those who make us smile, make us laugh. We all want whats best for our families. On these journeys across america, i watched first generation americans chart a course toward a lifetime of new and exciting experiences. And i watched men and women in uniform fly home to surprise their young children, their mothers who have been worried sick, their who havent seen their best friend in years. I watched parents beam with pride as they reunited with their new college graduate. After decades of hard work, they knew with faith and with certainty that the days of their children would be better than their own. This is the america that our constituents sent us here to fight for and sent us here to lead. To preserve the ideas that this nation was founded upon. To protect the values that must endure long after every single one of us in this chamber is gone. Our strength as a nation has always been on our ability to come together to address americas greatest challenges, which we are in right now. And that is the opportunity that we have in this very moment. And when we look back at this time in years to come, i pray that we can all take pride in our response. That we fought against all those who seek to sow the seeds of hatred and division and all those rooted in peace and prosperity. That we fought to strengthen our fellow americans with love and with unity. That we fought for progress alongside our brothers and sisters of this great nation with unshakable resolve. That we fought for a future that we can all believe in. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne, for five minutes. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, i rise today in recognition of mayor dane heygood of daphne who recently retired after eight successful years in office. It is truly the jewel of southwest alabama, the fastest growth in alabama in recent years, daphne has led the way. No city could experience such rapid growth while retaining the sense of Community Without good stewardship, and the mayor deserves a tremendous amount of credit for his eight years of steady leadership. With him had he dell many, daphne was one of the chief beneficiaries in the past decade of economic exexpansion. He can leave office knowing that daphne is well positioned to continue on the path to prosperity. I congratulate him and his family. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for them in the years ahead. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to thank mayor david baker of simms on his many years of service. He recently left the Mayoral Office after a distinguished and diverse history of service to his community. He began viss serving as a city councilman for sims n 2011. He has always been a highly visible public servant. He has overseen a period of growth and sends us well prepared to continue the growth. A proud graduate of the university of South Alabama in mobile, he retired as an officer in the United States army after 20 years of honorable service. Since becoming an educator in 2003, countless High School Students in the community have benefited from his wise instruction. I have every confidence mayor baker will remain involved in the community and i wish him and his wife the best in the days ahead. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to congratulate terry downy upon his recent retirement. Since his election in 2016, mayor downy has guided the city through a series of significant challenges, including sever severe hurricanes and recent pandemic. They have a unique heritage as a diverse home with a fishing and seafood processing industries, and the leadership helped them weather the storms and protect the lively hoods and culture of his residents. The city is well prepared to continue handling whatever else may come its way. Thank mayor down downy for his service and wish him all the best in the next phase of his life. Mr. Speaker, i rise to congratulate jimmy lines upon his retirement as director and c. E. O. Of Alabama State Port Authority. Over more than two decades, jimmys created leadership led to transformative growth at one of alabamas premiere assets his steady stewardship guided the Port Authority during economic highs and lows. Despite the challenges, the port has thrived under his leadership. The port is now one of the Fastest Growing Container Terminals in the country. It has added a steel terminal and vastly expanded its ability to load and unload automobiles. Those are a few examples. Jimmy played crate cal part in securing upgrades at the port and the channel that allow a higher number of increasingly largeships around the ships from around the globe. While he will be missed, the Alabama State Port Authority and economy is better positioned for future success than its tfer been because of him. I wish him the best. William, known by most as monty, passed away at 90 years old on only one day before his wife who was 88. Remarkable rried a 66 years. They married and found their way to mobile. Partnership enabled them to raise four wonderful children and mondayy monty to a long successful career, culminating his retirement at of mobile. Ank he served as a field representative for my and served two terms in the Alabama House of representatives. Marriage they r maintained a love and engagement to mobile. Leave behind a legacy of love for each other, their family and their community that to match in cult its intensity and longevity. Hey will be deeply missed and finally fondly remembered and felt heartfelt out to their family. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from arkansas, mr. Hill, for minutes. Mr. Hill i thank the speaker. To speaker, today i rise address a pressing problem that concerns americans Constitutional Rights. Liberties enshrined in the constitution still apply to very american, even in the midst of a national emergency. Its becoming clear to many our National Life has slid towards a double standard. For weeks, officials have asked to put life on hold and help fight this virus. People did their part and are doing their part, help our sacrifices to nation and continue to do their part. Pandemic, out this weve seen a troubling trend of tate leaders leaning on religious institutions harder than any other group or organization. 2018, pope francis, while martyrdom, those who face persecution on account of he r religious beliefs, arned our nations about white martyrdom when freedom of religion is restricted. Lawsuits saying restrictions on religious filed in have been kentucky, california, louisiana, virginia, and elsewhere. Virginia, at Lighthouse Church on psalm properly ey were social distance, yet the pastor to a criminal citation. In kansas, two churches settled democratic governor kelly. A federal judge ruled that the state appeared to have singled activities for stricter treatment. Now, kansas churches can hold as long as they abide by the protocols for businesses and other establishments. As providing hand sanitizer, facemasks, and social distancing. In kentucky, despite claiming allowed order congregants to attend drivethru services, governor bashir had state police leave notices to churchgoers to windshields on Easter Sunday Maryville Baptist church outside louisville. Defiance of the mandate, the his r, jack roberts, and congregants, ripped up those notices and filed a lawsuit. Appeals court sided with the pastor and blocked the to r, allowing congregants attend drivein services. In the ruling, the threejudge circuit the sixth u. S. Court of appeals expressed support for the churches wasnt being it reated fairly, noting, quote, hundreds, closed quote, of cars parked in the lot of the nearby rocery store on the same day the police informed churchgoers law. Were violating the the ban on religious services ogether with the haven of numerous secular exceptions should give pause to anyone who freedom. Ligious thats what the judges wrote. They continued, but its not what is sy to decide cesars and what is god and assurededly true in the context of a pandemic. I commend the judges for standing up for the fundamental religious freedom, including the freedom of wo worship. Shown they can convene for religious services in a responsible way. The compassion and care for of faith throughout the pandemic are needed now more ever. Our first chief executive, president washington, prized our ir