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Congressional Record—House H365 February 4, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H365 When we came back into our office, about 700,000 people. Meaning, you have that you have. We know and felt how we walked in, and we started to see on to represent those who love you, those many staffers were willing to put our televisions people breaching doors. who despise you, those who voted for themselves on the line in order to pro- I remember thinking, Is this actually you, those who swear they will never tect the Members that they serve what is happening? cast a vote for you, people who talk alongside, and that is a weight that no The more I watched, people were call- like you or people who don’t look like one should have to carry. ing this a protest. Let me say this: you. And so we say thank you to our That was not a protest. I have been to Building better communities, build- House clerks. We say thank you to hundreds of protests in my life. I have ing better lives, building a better soci- every single staff member of the United co-organized, co-led, led and organized ety is not a Democratic or Republican States Congress. We say thank you to protests not only in Ferguson, Mis- issue. We can’t build a better society if our food service workers. We say thank souri, alongside the amazing Ferguson Members are too scared to stand up you to our custodial workers, sweeping front line that most people don’t even and act to reject the white supremacist up the glass on the floor shattered by acknowledge—they don’t even know attack that happened right before our white supremacists, cleaning up after their names. They don’t even know eyes. their mess. who died. They don’t even acknowledge How can we trust that you will ad- There are not enough ways to say the amazing people who put their lives dress the suffering that white suprem- thank you. We say thank you to our and livelihoods on the line for our safe- acy causes on a day-to-day basis in the Capitol Police who were willing to de- ty, believing that Black Lives Matter. shadows if you can’t even address the fend us. And, again, to our staffers we Because they actually do. And we white supremacy that happens right in say thank you. shouldn’t have to say it. It should just front of you in your House? I would be remiss if I did not specifi- be true. But it is not evident in our so- Does your silence speak to your cally thank my staffer right here to ciety when we have to continue to say, agreement, is the question. my left, Gerardo Bonilla Chavez, who ‘‘My life matters.’’ In St. Louis, the COVID–19 pandemic was with me on the day of the attack, And then they hit us with things like is disproportionately hospitalizing and and who did everything he could to this. So I remember sitting in the of- killing Black and Brown people. I have protect me. fice with my team and just thinking to lived that. We have people dying from I want his community to know that myself, I feel like I am back. At this gun violence, a crisis that stems from he is a hero. I want his parents and his very minute, I feel like I am back. I decades of economic disinvestment and family to know that he is a hero. Our feel like this was one of the days out disruption from an overreliance on po- staff already know that he is a hero, there on the streets when the white su- licing that this very Chamber has con- and I believe he is a hero, too. premacists would show up and start tinually voted to endorse. And I know it is not just him. He will shooting at us. This is one of the days b 2000 be the first one to say that. But to when the police would ambush us from I have cried those tears. You don’t every one of our House clerks, we say behind, from behind trees and from be- know what that is like. So I ask you thank you; to our Capitol Police we hind buildings, and all of a sudden now today, take a moment to think about say thank you; to our food service we are on the ground being brutalized. what it is like to live what we live workers, our custodial workers, every It felt like one of those days. through. If you cannot do what is right person here that was standing to fight And I just remember taking a second in the face of a blatant, heinous, foul, for our democracy, we thank you. thinking, if they touch these doors, if white supremacist attack like the one Madam Speaker, I yield back the bal- they hit these doors the way they hit we just saw, how will you do right by ance of my time. that door, if they hit these doors and the Black and Brown people you rep- f come anywhere near my staff—and I resent who just want to know that our BIDEN’S UNILATERAL EXECUTIVE am just going to be real honest about children will have safety, that our chil- ORDERS ARE HARMFUL it—my thought process was, we bang- dren will have life, and that they will The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under ing to the end. I am not letting them have shelter, because you represent us, the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- take out my people, and you are not too. taking me out. We have come too far. So on January 3, we stood together uary 4, 2021, the gentleman from Wash- So, Madam Speaker, St. Louis and I to swear our oath of office to the Con- ington (Mr. NEWHOUSE) is recognized rise with a message for our Republican stitution. We swore to defend it against for 60 minutes as the designee of the colleagues. On January 6, I thought all enemies foreign and domestic. Well, minority leader. about January 3, and I thought about it was attacked by a domestic enemy GENERAL LEAVE how we all raised our right hands up called white supremacy and we must Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I and took an oath, each and every one stand together now, today, to uphold ask unanimous consent that all Mem- of us, on this very floor. We swore that that oath and hold every single person bers have 5 legislative days in which to we would support and defend the Con- who helped incite it accountable. revise and extend their remarks and to stitution of the United States against Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Madam include any extraneous material on the all enemies, foreign and domestic. Speaker, I thank Representative BUSH topic of my Special Order. Even though that Constitution for her comments today and for how The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there wasn’t written for people who look like she carries herself in this Chamber objection to the request of the gen- me, even though that Constitution every day, which is just a powerful tleman from Washington? wasn’t written by people who look like demonstration of why so many people There was no objection. me, and even though that Constitution are inspired by her example. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, in cemented an unjust nation for people Madam Speaker, how much time is the first days of his administration, like me, my team and I got to working. remaining? President Biden has taken a record- We unveiled legislation to investigate The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- breaking number of executive actions and expel those who were responsible tlewoman from New York has 41⁄2 min- and he has signed more executive or- for inciting this attack so that we utes remaining. ders than any President in recent his- could defend it because we have a duty Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Madam tory. to fight for a more perfect Union. Speaker, lastly, I would like to close, I am very proud this evening to be Because if you cannot stand up to speaking to some of the individuals joined by some of my colleagues from white supremacy in this moment as who have already been mentioned, and the Congressional Western Caucus. As Representatives, then why did you run some of the folks who have already a group, we represent constituents for office in the first place? been mentioned in prior remarks: our across the country who have been neg- No matter what district you rep- staff, our Capitol Police, our House atively impacted by these actions of resent, no matter where you live, no clerks, we thank you. President Biden. matter Democrat or Republican, you We know how many of you were put On his very first day in office, the represent a district that is, on average, in the line of danger because of the job President signed an executive order to VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:05 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K04FE7.072 H04FEPT1 ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with HOUSE H366 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 4, 2021 revoke the Presidential permit for the America’s workers and American en- the failed Obama-era policies and sup- Keystone XL pipeline. This innovative, ergy independence. port an all-of-the-above energy strat- first-of-its-kind energy project has Under the Trump administration, egy that will create jobs, keep energy been in the works for years with local America came first.
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