May 20, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3999 Although we are facing challenging CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: graphs and biographies of 36 such vic- times and political divide in our Na- HONORING JUDGE DAMON J. tims, including the Reverend Dr. Mar- tion, one thing we can absolutely agree KEITH, DISCUSSING ROLLBACK tin Luther King, Jr. ‘‘By denying the on is this: Child abuse and neglect are OF SAFETY NET PROGRAMS most vulnerable the right to vote, the heartbreaking, immoral, and simply The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under majority shuts minorities out of our inexcusable. the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- political process. . . . The unfettered As many of you know, the opioid epi- uary 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from the right to vote is the bedrock of a free demic has devastated families and Virgin Islands (Ms. PLASKETT) is recog- and democratic society. Without it, communities across our country, which nized for 60 minutes as the designee of such a society cannot stand.’’ has been a major factor in the recent the majority leader. One of America’s oldest Federal ju- rists, Mr. Keith served in the seg- uptick in child abuse and neglect cases. GENERAL LEAVE regated Army in World War II, cleaned H.R. 2480 assists States in addressing Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I ask bathrooms at the News, at- this recent increase in child neglect by unanimous consent that all Members tended historically Black under- improving data collaboration between have 5 legislative days to revise and ex- graduate and law schools, and wit- States, strengthening accountability, tend their remarks and include extra- nessed deadly riots in Detroit in 1967. supporting evidence-based services, and neous material on the subject of this developing best practices for reducing Special Order. b 1945 child neglect linked to parental sub- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there My colleagues are here with me stance abuse. objection to the request of the gentle- today to discuss his legacy and the Most importantly, it provides par- woman from the Virgin Islands? work of Judge Keith, not just for Afri- ents with parental education and lead- There was no objection. can Americans, but for the American ership skills developed to help keep Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, it is people. them and their families safe and to- with great honor that I rise today to I am happy to be coanchored in the gether. co-anchor the Congressional Black CBC Special Order by my friend and Caucus Special Order hour. For the colleague from Nevada, STEVEN We have a duty to ensure that Amer- next 60 minutes, we have a chance to HORSFORD. ican children are protected from mal- speak directly to the American people Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I join treatment and neglect, and the Strong- on issues of great importance to the with my colleague, Congresswoman er Child Abuse Prevention and Treat- Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, PLASKETT, and I am very honored to be ment Act sets us on the right path to the constituents we represent, and all able to join with her as one of the co- do so. Americans. anchors for the Congressional Black Tonight, we will discuss and honor Caucus Special Order hour. f the legacy of Judge Damon J. Keith Tonight, as my colleague indicated, from Detroit, , and discuss, as we are here to honor the life and legacy CELEBRATING CENTENNIAL OF SE- well, this administration’s, President of a civil rights icon, the honorable CURING WOMEN’S RIGHT TO Trump’s, recent attempts to roll back Judge Damon Keith, who was also a VOTE safety net programs. member of the Frater- Damon Keith, a Federal judge in the nity, Incorporated. (Mr. LAMALFA asked and was given Midwest whose rulings championed Judge Keith was born on July 4, 1922, permission to address the House for 1 equality and civil rights, notably in a the grandson of slaves, who went on to minute and to revise and extend his re- landmark Supreme Court decision become an internationally revered marks.) striking down Nixon administration champion of justice. Judge Keith has Mr. LAMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise wiretapping in domestic security cases vigorously enforced the Nation’s civil tonight to celebrate the centennial of without a court order, died April 28 of rights laws, most notably in the areas the House passing an amendment this year in Detroit, Michigan. He was of employment and education. granting women the right to vote in all 96 years old. In Stamps v. Detroit Edison Com- States in this country. In one of the Federal judiciary’s pany, Judge Keith ruled the Detroit One hundred years ago, the unrelent- longest and most prolific careers, Edison Company had practiced sys- ing efforts of women suffragists over Judge Keith was a fountainhead of re- temic racial discrimination, resulting the course of a 72-year campaign paid gional rulings with national implica- in fines against the company of $4 mil- off in the passage of the 19th Amend- tions. He attacked racial segregation lion and against the employee union of ment. in education, housing, and employ- $250,000. He ordered the company to in- For example, the first woman to hold ment; conservative efforts to limit Af- stitute an aggressive affirmative ac- Federal office, Republican Representa- rican American voting; and after the tion program. tive Jeannette Rankin of Montana, was terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, In 2016, Judge Keith wrote a searing actually elected 3 years before women secret hearings to deport hundreds of dissent when an appeals panel ruled were allowed to vote at the Federal immigrants deemed suspicious. that Ohio’s voting rights laws did not level in all the States at the time. She Judge Keith’s tenure spanned more discriminate against minorities by re- went on to introduce legislation simi- than a half century, first as President stricting early and absentee ballots. He lar to what would eventually become Lyndon B. Johnson’s choice for a dis- said in that dissent: ‘‘The birth of this the 19th Amendment. trict court judgeship in Detroit, with Nation was founded upon the radical jurisdiction in eastern Michigan, and principle that we, as a people, would My home State Republican Senator, then as President ’s se- govern ourselves. And voting is the ul- Aaron Sargent from California, intro- lection for the Sixth Circuit Court of timate expression of self-government. duced the first legislation to amend the Appeals, presiding in Cincinnati over Instead of making it easier for all per- Constitution and grant women the cases arising in Kentucky, Ohio, Michi- sons, unrestrained and unfettered, to right to vote. It failed on the Senate gan, and Tennessee. exercise this fundamental right to floor, but it represented the beginning In a blistering 2016 dissent in an Ohio vote, legislators are making it harder.’’ of an unstoppable movement that cul- case that restricted early and absentee He concluded by saying: ‘‘With every minated in the ratification of the 19th voting, Judge Keith, even in the later gain in equality, there is often an Amendment in August 1920. years, worked tirelessly and accused equally robust and reactive retrench- This Chamber is where it all began. I two circuit court colleagues of scorn- ment. We must never forget that con- am proud to be standing here today ing African American voters and the stant dialectical tension. For every ac- and joining my colleagues from both memory of Black people slain in the tion, there is a reaction. The major- sides of the aisle to celebrate the 100th struggle for voting rights. ity’s decision is a fateful reminder that anniversary of this great victory for In a, frankly, emotional rebuke, he we can never fool ourselves into believ- women and the values of our Republic. incorporated into his opinion photo- ing that we have arrived as a nation.’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20MY7.045 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H4000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 20, 2019 That is a statement that is ever so working families. The administration The passing of a civil rights icon like true even today. wants to change the way poverty is Judge Damon Keith is also a time to Judge Keith recalled many of the measured to artificially reduce the focus on one of his priorities: helping civil rights activists and innocent chil- number of people who are considered future generations to succeed. This is dren who were slain to make sure mi- poor. That means fewer people will be also a priority of the members of the norities had access to the voting polls. eligible for programs like SNAP and Congressional Black Caucus. Unfortu- They include: Emmett Till, Herbert WIC and Medicaid. nately, it has not been a priority of the Lee, , Jimmie Lee Jack- I am disappointed, but I am not sur- occupant of the White House. son, Benjamin Brown, Dr. Martin Lu- prised. The latest attempt to gut the In August 2016, he asked African ther King, Jr., and the four little girls social safety net just goes to show how Americans: What the hell do you have who were, sadly, killed in the 16th out of touch this administration is to lose? It has been crystal clear in the Street Baptist Church bombing in Bir- with the needs of everyday Americans. last few years that African Americans mingham, Alabama. This administration has proposed of all ages have a lot to lose as long as Judge Keith fought on their behalf cutting nutrition benefits for an esti- Donald Trump is in the White House. during his tenure on this Federal mated 755,000 people just because they The latest example of this is the court. cannot find jobs. They have threatened Trump administration’s plan to strip Some of his other rulings had a pro- to take money away from the Pell Medicare, food assistance, and other found impact on American life as well, Grant Program that provides a path- basics away from hundreds of thou- the biggest being his decision that pro- way to higher education for millions of sands of working-class Americans. hibited the Nixon administration from low-income students. They are trying to change how the warrantless wiretapping in domestic The President has consistently tried Census measures poverty so they can security cases. to cut funding for essential programs count fewer people as poor. As costs go He ordered the Nixon Justice Depart- like Medicaid, public housing, Head up each year, the fake Trump poverty ment to end all wiretapping that was Start, and more. And while passing a line will take basic benefits away: not approved by the courts. This was in tax cut to benefit corporations and SNAP, WIC, Head Start, school the midst of the Nixon administra- millionaires, the little people have lunches, legal services, and even tax tion’s attempt to go after radicals ac- been left out. credits under the Affordable Care Act cused of conspiring to bomb a CIA of- We need serious solutions to combat that help working people to get fice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He stated income inequality. Pretending that healthcare. it violated the Constitution’s Fourth poor people don’t exist is not the solu- It is basically a backdoor tax in- Amendment rights from ‘‘unreasonable tion at all. Instead of changing the way crease for those who can afford it least. searches and seizures.’’ we measure poverty, we need to It is an outrageous sequel to the tax The Nixon administration appealed strengthen programs that help people cut that Trump and the Republicans his ruling, and the Supreme Court, who are struggling. gave to millionaires and big corpora- with a vote of 8–0, rejected the admin- We need to raise the minimum wage. tions. It is classic Trump: Don’t actu- istration’s claim of constitutional au- We need a living wage. Working hard is ally solve the problem; just pretend thority to protect the Nation from in- not enough if you don’t make enough. that it doesn’t exist anymore. ternal subversion by wiretapping dan- We need to expand access to quality I stand with my colleagues in the gerous radicals without court war- nutrition and housing, and we need to Congressional Black Caucus in oppos- rants. make sure that students have equal ac- Along with this case, he ruled in ing the Trump poverty line change. I cess to higher education. favor of integration of the Detroit Po- stand with all of those who did not in- I am proud to stand tonight with my lice Department and made the decision herit millions of dollars from a parent colleagues against the administration’s that deportation hearings could not be like the President did. ongoing attacks on working people and Let us honor the work of Judge Keith held in secret after the September 11, families and so proud to praise and and others like him by renewing our 2001, terrorist attacks. He has left an indelible mark on the honor Judge Damon J. Keith, who commitment to help lift our future judiciary. Judge Keith has received worked so hard to preserve our rights. generations. We can do this by making Mr. Speaker, I look forward to con- over 40 honorary degrees from colleges college affordable again, raising the tinuing our efforts to make sure that and universities across the country and minimum wage, and preserving the working families and low-income is the recipient of numerous awards. He safety net. Each of these proposals will Americans have access to all of the was awarded the from go a long way toward repairing the lad- services that they need. the NAACP, and the Edward J. Devitt ders of opportunity and making this a Ms. PLASKETT. I yield to the gen- Distinguished Service to Justice more just society. tleman from Nevada. Award, the highest award that can be This dedication today to Justice Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I bestowed on a member of the Federal Damon Keith is our commitment as thank Congresswoman ADAMS for her judiciary. the Congressional Black Caucus to Judge Keith fought on all of our be- leadership on these issues and her un- raise him up in his legacy that he has half to make this country more just, derstanding of the dire impacts that done for all of us in this country. fair, and less discriminatory. the Trump administration’s proposed It is a real honor as one member of Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield rule change would mean on working this body, the Congressional Black to the gentlewoman from North Caro- families and the poor. Caucus, that I stand here today to join Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield lina (Ms. ADAMS), my colleague. my colleagues and show the kind of Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank to the gentleman from Pennsylvania support for what Justice Keith dem- my colleague for yielding. (Mr. EVANS), the Congressman and my onstrated to all of us. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my good friend, whom I have the honor to So I am here to lend my voice, to colleagues in honoring Judge Damon J. serve with on the Ways and Means make it clear that this is not accept- Keith, who passed away last month. Committee. He is fighting for the peo- able, retreating on the people, particu- The grandson of slaves, Judge Keith ple of his district in Philadelphia. larly African Americans. served more than 50 years on the Fed- Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my Since the President made that state- eral bench, where he consistently ruled colleagues for their leadership and vi- ment in August of 2016—and he made it to uphold civil rights and civil lib- sion for leading this effort, under the in the city of Philadelphia—it is clear erties. leadership of Congresswoman BASS. to me that this is not acceptable. Mr. Judge Keith leaves behind a legacy of I think, as the gentleman from Ne- Speaker, we, as members of the Con- fostering equal opportunity and fight- vada has demonstrated along with my gressional Black Caucus, will not stand ing for the little guy. Unfortunately, other colleague from the great Virgin for this. this legacy is under threat. Islands, they both have shown the kind Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I The Trump administration is pro- of leadership that is extremely essen- thank my good friend and colleague posing yet another idea that will hurt tial. from Philadelphia who always stands

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20MY7.047 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE May 20, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4001 up for the rights of the working class wakes up in the morning and says: ‘‘I people in my communities, and that of those in cities and elsewhere who are want to be poor today.’’ That is just means all the people. We have to pro- struggling, the working poor. not reality. And let me add this: I have tect our most vulnerable and those in Mr. Speaker, I thank him so much never met a person who wakes up at 5 need. Let us end the administration’s for the work he is doing and for trying a.m. to go to her first job; comes home war on the working poor and help to maintain working neighborhoods in at 1 p.m. to take a nap; and heads out make their lives better for all of our our many cities that are, through so to her second job at 4 p.m., yet still constituents. much of these rule changes, so much of lives paycheck to paycheck. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- these executive orders, the ones who I never knew anyone that said: ‘‘I bers are reminded to refrain from en- are being most affected. like the struggle. I like the difficulty. gaging in personalities toward the b 2000 I like being poor.’’ That person does President. not exist. That is just not how the Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, may I Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman world works. inquire as to how much time I have re- from New Jersey (Mr. PAYNE), who is Social safety net programs like maining? from the city of Newark, New Jersey, SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assist- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- our good friend, my good friend, and ance are supplements that help people tlewoman from the Virgin Islands has champion as well, of those in the urban struggle just a little bit less. Yet, my 33 minutes remaining. areas, as well as to others. He has re- colleagues across the aisle and their Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, you cently taken on issues related to friends in the White House keep push- can see we have had a lively discussion healthcare. in recognition of Federal Judge Damon Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me ing a false narrative that people who first thank my colleagues, Delegate rely on government assistance to make Keith. I would like include in the RECORD an article on his obituary from Plaskett and Congressman HORSFORD ends meet are freeloaders or take gov- for hosting tonight’s Special Order ernment handouts and buy drugs. The dated April 28 of hour on Judge Keith’s legacy and the 45th President keeps pushing his cal- 2019. Trump administration’s recent at- lous, immoral narrative in order to [From the New York Times, April 28, 2019] tempts to roll back the social safety tear apart our social safety net. DAMON KEITH, FEDERAL JUDGE WHO nets in our country. In my district, 17.9 percent of the CHAMPIONED CIVIL RIGHTS, DIES AT 96 Judge Keith’s legacy cannot be over- households rely on SNAP to feed their (By Robert D. McFadden) stated. He was an icon for African families. They aren’t lazy. They aren’t Damon Keith, a federal judge in the Mid- Americans and, indeed, all Americans. addicts. They are hardworking people; west whose rulings championed equality and He was a Black pioneer in the legal some of them with two or three jobs civil rights, notably in a landmark Supreme field whose rulings took on Presidents just trying to make ends meet. Court decision striking down Nixon adminis- tration wiretapping in domestic security from to George W. Bush. And now the President is trying to define them out of existence. Accord- cases without a court order, died on Sunday For 60 years he sat on the Federal in Detroit. He was 96. bench and consistently ruled in favor ing to reports, his administration His death was confirmed by his daughter, of expansive civil rights in this coun- wants to change how inflation is cal- Debbie Keith. try. It is because of Judge Keith and culated in the official poverty measure In one of the federal judiciary’s longest others like him that thousands of in order to define poverty out of exist- and most prolific careers, Judge Keith, a young Black people have entered the ence and deny people access to our so- Democrat, was a fountainhead of regional legal profession and rose to the top. cial safety net. rulings with national implications. He at- He was a judge who always extended Well, Mr. President, that is not going tacked racial segregation in education, hous- to work for the American people. The ing and employment; conservative efforts to a hand down to help lift others up. limit African-American voting; and, after That is the American way, and it is United States Government should be the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, secret worth fighting for. Sadly, we live in a making it easier for Americans to hearings to deport hundreds of immigrants time when people in power don’t al- maintain a decent standard of living. deemed suspicious. ways help uplift others. We have a The fact of the matter is that 70 per- Judge Keith’s tenure spanned more than a President who is doing his best to beat cent of Americans rely on at least one half-century, first as President Lyndon B. down everyone who doesn’t think, Federal program at some point in time Johnson’s choice for a district court judge- ship in Detroit, with jurisdiction in Eastern look, or vote like him. in their lives. The President’s focus on ripping apart our social safety net with Michigan (1967–1977), then as President Now we see that the President has Jimmy Carter’s selection for the Sixth Cir- set his sights on America’s neediest heartless cuts is wrong, it is immoral, cuit Court of Appeals, presiding in Cin- people. He and his cronies are peddling and it is shameful. cinnati over cases arising in Kentucky, Ohio, a myth that the vulnerable people who It isn’t about cleaning up waste, Michigan and Tennessee. rely on our social safety net are lazy fraud, or abuse. It is about pulling the In a blistering 2016 dissent in an Ohio case folks who just want a government rug out from under people. Programs that restricted early and absentee voting, handout. like SNAP are not just some unlimited Judge Keith accused two Circuit Court col- But we know that is not true. Some handout for people who are sitting at leagues of scorning African-American voters home doing nothing. and the memory of black people slain in the people just need a hand up every once struggle for voting rights. In a frankly emo- in a while. The Trump administration’s Currently, 44 percent of the people tional rebuke, he incorporated into his opin- attempts to roll back the social safety who use SNAP have at least one person ion photographs and biographies of 36 such net is a life-and-death matter for thou- in the family working. But even victims, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Lu- sands of Americans who struggle to though they are working, they might ther King Jr. make ends meet. We live in an unpre- make minimum wage and are still ‘‘By denying the most vulnerable the right dictable world. One day you can be on below the poverty line. to vote, the majority shuts minorities out of top, but the next day you might be When it comes to families with chil- our political process,’’ he wrote. ‘‘The unfet- dren who are on SNAP, more than half tered right to vote is the bedrock of a free knocked down. The social safety net is and democratic society. Without it, such a our country’s promise that we will help of them bring home wages. But the society cannot stand.’’ people get back up again. problem is, their income isn’t enough One of America’s oldest federal jurists, Mr. Sometimes people need a little help to actually live on. So when the self- Keith served in the segregated Army in buying food, or getting healthcare, or proclaimed billionaire in the White World War II, cleaned bathrooms at The De- just scraping by. There is nothing House talks about making people who troit News, attended historically black un- wrong with that. We all know someone receive SNAP benefits work or defining dergraduate and law schools and witnessed who has had hard times, and when we poverty out of existence, he is just re- deadly riots in Detroit in 1967. In the most prominent case of his tenure, are having a good time, we need to peating the same old fake news that Judge Keith ordered the Nixon Justice De- look out for each other. That is the the Republican Party has peddled for partment in 1971 to halt wiretapping without American way. decades. court orders in its zeal to prosecute radicals I have said this before but let me say This is unacceptable, and as a Mem- accused of conspiring to bomb a Central In- it again: I have never met a person who ber of Congress, I am here to serve the telligence Agency office in Ann Arbor, Mich.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20MY7.048 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H4002 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 20, 2019 As grounds, he cited the Constitution’s of Perry and Annie (Williams) Keith, who cans of food assistance, though other Fourth Amendment freedoms from ‘‘unrea- had migrated from Georgia. Mr. Keith estimates suggest it could be as much sonable searches and seizures.’’ worked at the Ford Motor Company’s River as 1 million individuals and cut SNAP After the Sixth Circuit Court upheld Judge Rouge plant for $5 a day. Damon and his sib- by $15 billion, slashing more than Keith’s decision, the Nixon administration lings, Luther, Perry, Napoleon, Marie and appealed to the Supreme Court. At stake, po- Annie, grew up in poverty. For a time during 178,000 jobs over the coming decade. tentially, were warrantless wiretaps in many the Depression, the family received welfare In the last Congress, Republicans and prosecutions that Attorney General John N. assistance. Democrats had a long, protracted con- Mitchell had brought against antiwar activ- Mr. Keith graduated from Northwestern ference on the farm bill, much of it re- ists and other opponents of administration High School in 1939. At West Virginia State lated to SNAP. Much of it was because policies. College, he waited on tables and cleaned a of discussions about ensuring that The high court, by 8–0, rejected the govern- chapel and the college president’s house to there is a safety net for those who reg- ment’s claim of constitutional authority to pay his way. He earned a bachelor’s degree in ularly without it would go hungry. protect the nation from internal subversion 1943. Drafted into the wartime Army, he by wiretapping ‘‘dangerous’’ radicals without served in Europe in a black unit largely as- We see that this administration did court warrants. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., signed to kitchen duties. He was discharged not want to take what Congress ruled who wrote the opinion, leaned heavily on the as a sergeant in 1946. on—what the President even signed— threat to free speech that he saw in the un- He received his in 1949 at the and is now, through his own executive bridled government wiretapping of dis- Law School, where his order, attempting to change the law. senters. mentors included , the fu- The administration’s most recent at- The American Civil Liberties Union said: ture first black justice of the Supreme tempt to cut SNAP comes on the heels ‘‘If this claim had been upheld, there would Court, and William Hastie, the nation’s first of President Donald Trump’s failed at- have been virtually no limits to the range of black federal judge. Mr. Keith received a governmental intrusion on the liberty that master of laws degree at Wayne State Uni- tempt to achieve similar SNAP cuts in would have been implicitly authorized once versity in 1956. that farm bill; cuts that Congress re- the government invoked the talisman of ‘na- In 1953, he married Rachel Boone, a promi- jected on a bipartisan basis. tional security.’ ’’ nent doctor in Detroit. She died in 2007. Be- This proposed rule is not just cruel. In another case, the Supreme Court de- sides his daughter Debbie, survivors include It is also bad policy. Making people clined to review Judge Keith’s order to bus two other daughters, Cecile Keith Brown and hungrier will not help them find work 8,700 of 23,000 students to desegregate public Gilda Keith, and two granddaughters. any faster. It will only kick under- schools in Pontiac, Mich. His 1971 order, one In 1964, Mr. Keith helped founded one of employment and unemployment work- of the first of its kind in the North, led to ex- Detroit’s first African-American law firms tensive busing, attacks on school buses, and was named co-chairman of the Michigan ers when they are down. death threats against the judge and the con- Civil Rights Commission. Three years later, Most working-age SNAP participants victions of Ku Klux Klansmen for dynamit- he became a federal judge. He was chief who are not receiving disability bene- ing 10 school buses. judge for Eastern Michigan from 1975 to 1977, fits are working, but they are often in But five years after Pontiac’s busing when he joined the Sixth Circuit Court. In unstable jobs with volatile schedules, began, The New York Times reported that 1995, he assumed senior status on the appel- low wages, making them especially bitter feelings that had all but paralyzed the late court, with a reduced caseload. likely to being affected by the rule. school district had faded, and that busing A lifelong Detroit resident, Mr. Keith re- I want to talk about how this is had become a fact of life. ‘‘Both blacks and ceived some 40 honorary doctorates and was whites are learning to understand each other showered with honors, including the going to affect rural communities. In better, to fear and distrust each other less, Spingarn Medal of the N.A.A.C.P. and the 2010, the U.S. Census found that 22 per- and to see individuals as individuals,’’ the re- federal judiciary’s Edward J. Devitt Award. cent of the population in the Virgin Is- port said. He was the subject of a 2016 Jesse Nesser lands lives in poverty. Fifty percent of In 1973, a year before Nixon resigned in the documentary, ‘‘Walk with Me: The Trials of those living under the poverty level Watergate scandal, Judge Keith ordered the Damon J. Keith.’’ One highlight: When he were families led by single mothers. government to disclose whether it had used was 69, one of the nation’s most distin- The Congressional Research Service sabotage, agents provocateurs and ‘‘other es- guished jurists and national chairman of a discovered that on average, children pionage activities,’’ including a burglary at a Williamsburg, Va., judicial conference on the law office, to make its case against militants Constitution’s Bicentennial, he stepped out- living in female-headed families were known as the Weathermen. They were ac- side the hotel during a break—and was taken more likely to live in poverty than cused of plotting a campaign of bombing and for a parking attendant. children living in two-parent house- terrorism. ‘‘A white man drove up,’’ he told a crowd holds. Later, government lawyers appeared in screening the film at Howard University, Given that 76 percent of rural adults Judge Keith’s court and withdrew their case ‘‘and said, ‘Boy, park my car.’ ’’ report that good jobs are scarce in against the Weathermen rather than undergo Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, in their area, it is not as if they are not a hearing on how their evidence had been ob- tained. Defense lawyers said the Nixon ad- looking at those things that this Fed- looking. The jobs are simply not there. ministration had plotted its own campaign eral judge fought for while he was Rural communities like mine in the of domestic intelligence-gathering oper- alive, I think it is a great segue into Virgin Islands will be among the hard- ations, including breaking and entering and the other discussion that the Congres- est hit by the President’s proposed wiretapping to foster a ‘‘malicious prosecu- sional Black Caucus has been engaged rule, as it will tie States’ hands and re- tion.’’ in in this hour, and that is poverty. move the flexibility they need to help In 1979, Judge Keith and the Sixth Circuit Many of the communities that this residents of high unemployment areas upheld the Detroit Police Department’s af- judge was fighting for were poor com- firmative action program. A lieutenants and put food on the table. sergeants group had sued to overturn the munities. Indeed, while the urban areas experi- five-year-old program, saying that white of- Unfortunately, at this day and age, it enced a net gain of 3.6 million jobs ficers had been unjustly passed over for pro- is still primarily people of color who from 2007 to 2015, rural areas lost motion. But Judge Keith wrote that pro- disproportionately are affected by pov- 400,000 jobs during that same time, motion tests had been slanted against erty. But the Trump administration is meaning that many rural areas have blacks, and that affirmative action ‘‘undoes on the verge of making an end run struggled to recover still from the years of discrimination.’’ around Congress now, attempting to Great Recession. And in 2002, the Sixth Circuit Court held Moreover, rural populations already that the Bush administration had violated slash the Supplemental Nutrition As- the First Amendment freedoms of speech and sistance Program by fiat. face additional barriers to work. For the press by conducting hundreds of secret The latest effort was a proposed rule example, lack of access to broadband is hearings to deport immigrants suspected of that would open for public comments impeding the growth of rural econo- ties to terrorism. Other courts issued con- until April 10. This rule would restrict mies, hampering total employment tradictory rulings, and the secret hearings SNAP eligibility by limiting States’ growth, and the opening of new busi- went on for some time. But the case yielded flexibility to help the jobless or under- nesses. Additionally, rural economies one of Judge Keith’s more memorable opin- employed workers in struggling re- have less industrial diversity than ions. ‘‘Democracy dies behind closed doors,’’ he gions. By the administration’s own es- urban areas and, in some communities, wrote. timate, enacting this rule would sub- in particular, the departure of a cen- Damon Jerome Keith was born in Detroit stantially increase hunger and hard- tral employer has led to tremendous on July 4, 1922, the youngest of six children ship, stripping at least 755,000 Ameri- job loss.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20MY7.018 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE May 20, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4003 In the Virgin Islands, one of the Since we have adopted the Affordable that would recalculate how we measure world’s largest refineries based in the Care Act and Medicaid expansion in my poverty would actually impact 633,000 Virgin Islands on St. Croix shut down home State of Nevada in 2008, we have Nevadans who would be kicked off of in 2012, driving a decrease in jobs. At cut the rate of uninsured in half. Prior Medicaid and the Children’s Health In- the time of the shutdown, the unem- to the Affordable Care Act and the surance Program. ployment skyrocketed to 18 percent. In Medicaid expansion, our uninsured rate So I would ask my colleagues on the the same year, refined petroleum ex- among children was over 30 percent. other side why they would support the ports for the U.S. plummeted by 90 per- Now it is below 14 percent and con- administration impacting their con- cent. tinuing to decline. This administration stituents in this way? Given these challenges, States need wants to take us backward. We won’t It is not just the constituents in my more flexibility, not less, in order to go backward. district. It is not just the constituents decide how best to protect and invest Over 3,000 young toddlers in Nevada in Delegate PLASKETT’s district. Every in rural areas, as the administration’s would be at risk of being removed from Member of this body has constituents economic policies have not decreased the Early Head Start and Head Start who would be negatively impacted if the widening urban and rural divide. I programs. That is unconscionable to this rule by the Trump administration believe that my coanchor, as well, has me because the Acelero program that is enacted. examples how poverty is affecting helps administer Head Start in my dis- By allowing for these additional sub- Americans; not just African Ameri- trict already has a waiting list. There stitutions, chained CPI, which is the cans. are already families who can’t get into measurement by which the administra- tion is looking to measure poverty, b 2015 the program because there is not ade- quate funding based on this adminis- shows a slower rate of inflation. But The purpose of the Congressional tration’s lack of priorities around the for many families who are already Black Caucus Special Order hour is not poor. choosing between paying the rent and solely to talk about African Americans So while this rule may seem mun- buying food, they are already living as but to really champion the issues of dane to some, the impact on families is frugally as possible. those Americans who do not often have real. So we are bringing attention to Time and time again, the Trump ad- a voice. this issue so the voters and constitu- ministration has attacked programs Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman ents across the United States can have that help struggling American families from Nevada (Mr. HORSFORD) to discuss a voice in this process. The rule that put food on the table and keep a roof this further. the President is proposing to make has over their heads. But they ran and Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I a 45-day window for the American pub- passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. thank my colleague, the gentlewoman lic to comment on just how harmful They did it in 51 days without one from the Virgin Islands (Ms. PLASKETT) this rule would be. The deadline to sub- hearing, and now there are all these for yielding. mit comments is June 21 of this year, unintended consequences from that This is a very serious and important and I would encourage all of the public measure that was passed in the pre- issue that we are talking about to- to make sure that their voices are vious Congress, and they want to come night. I really want to provide the con- being heard. back here and balance the budget on text to what got us to this point where So just to underline again, the the backs of the poor. We say, No. the Trump administration is now try- Trump administration has proposed a The Department of Education has ing to balance the budget on the backs rule that would recalculate how we said that more than 1 million school- of working people: the poor, seniors, measure poverty, a move that would children were homeless in the 2016–2017 children, and needy families. more than likely kick people off of cer- school year. One million schoolchildren The President and Republicans in tain Federal programs that are meant in America are homeless, and this ad- Congress during the last Congress to assist poor and low-income families. ministration wants to deny them passed the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs So why would they do that? health insurance coverage under Med- Act. What that Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Because they have targeted the icaid and a school lunch during the actually did was add $1.5 trillion to our working poor in order to balance the school day? deficit. The tax cuts that were so- budget to pay for the tax cuts that The Department of Agriculture said called were supposed to help the work- they gave to big corporations, the that 15 million households faced food ing poor. Eighty-three percent of the wealthy, and the well-connected. insecurity in 2017, meaning that they benefit from those tax cuts went to 1 The administration is considering experienced difficulty affording food, percent of the wealthiest, the well-con- switching to a different inflation meas- and this administration—the Trump nected, and the powerful. Now, to bal- ure that rises more slowly, a change administration—wants to pass a rule ance the budget, they are proposing that over time would make it harder to that would recalculate how we measure these draconian measures—cuts and re- qualify for assistance. It is already poverty in order to deny more children visions—on our budget, and they are hard enough for many constituents in and families receiving this care. De- targeting the poor, those who are rely- my district to receive aid. spite that, 70 percent of voters indi- ing, as my colleague said, on important Mr. Speaker, I talked to you about cated that they had experienced at programs such as SNAP, Head Start the waiting list of families at Acelero least one form of economic hardship funding, the Children’s Health Insur- Head Start program. It is right there last year—70 percent. But we can find ance Program, the National School on the corner of Martin Luther King ways to give tax cuts to big corpora- Lunch Program, and other anti-pov- and Carey in my district. I have talked tions, to the wealthy, and to the well- erty programs. to the parents at that program, and connected. Let me talk to you for a moment, those families that are in it depend on The President’s proposed rule would Mr. Speaker, about what these cuts the Head Start program in order to be harmful. It is misguided and unfair mean to the people in my home State give their children a good head start to so many Nevada families and fami- of Nevada. Nearly 434,000 Nevadans and be able to prepare them for school. lies all across the country. Again, I would be at risk of losing their SNAP But without it, they would be left would urge the public to write their benefits. SNAP benefits help families without adequate childcare and with- Member of Congress and ask them put food on the table and also help con- out adequate support for their families. what they are doing to protect the pub- tribute to our local economy because The Children’s Health Insurance Pro- lic on this issue. After the public has they are buying those groceries at our gram is something that I had worked written their Member, they should sub- local grocery stores. They are ensuring on when I was in the State senate. This mit their comment before the June 21 that we keep workers working at our is not a partisan issue. In fact, many of date to the administration so that we local grocery stores. my colleagues on the other side have can rescind this proposed rule and pro- The proposed rule would impact Ne- supported funding for the Children’s tect working families and the poor. vadans, by putting 633,000 Nevadans at Health Insurance Program, but the Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I have risk of being kicked off of Medicaid. proposed Trump administration rule to tell the gentleman that his remarks

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20MY7.050 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H4004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 20, 2019 were very enlightening and thoughtful. time and now the chair, COLLIN PETER- derstand that balancing the budget on The logic of this administration and SON, and many of the Democrats were the working poor isn’t the solution. what they are thinking just does not aghast that we weren’t going to have Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, when make sense. In the end, it is going to hearings, that there wasn’t going to be the gentleman talks about the working cost us more. As you said, how is deny- a markup, and that there wasn’t going poor, I think about those individuals in ing 1 million children lunch benefiting to be discussion on the farm bill which the Virgin Islands where we have lim- us as a country? contains essential nutrition programs ited jobs. Many of these individuals Mr. HORSFORD. I am at a loss for in there. It wasn’t until it got to the have jobs in government. words how we choose to balance the Senate that we were able to have in You have an individual who is the budget on 1 million homeless children, conference a discussion about SNAP head of a house, a husband-and-wife but find a way to give tax cuts to the because the Republicans over here de- house, making $20,000—three children, wealthy. We added $1.5 trillion to our cided that that was not important. a wife—trying to make ends meet off Federal deficit, but now we have 1 mil- They didn’t want to fund it, they didn’t that kind of salary. They qualify, as we lion homeless children in last year’s want to take care of children, and they now have it functioning, for assistance school year whom we are struggling to didn’t want to take care of families of for their family—for Medicaid, in some make sure they get adequate support those with disabilities and of veterans instances. But this administration is in their schools and a nutritious meal. who rely on SNAP programs, on sup- trying to take that away. And this administration wants to deny plemental nutrition programs. It Are they going to take it away from them that by this rule change. wasn’t until we got to conference that those people who are doing what they say they are supposed to do? They are Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, if you that happened. want to be calculating about it, how is The President signed the farm bill, out there working as best they can. They are trying to take care of their it helpful to us in the long run? and lo and behold, here comes the boo- families. This Congress has provided a If you don’t want to do it out of merang where he is trying to ram this safety net to them, and now we are Christian goodness, out of the depths of through by executive order and by pro- humanity, then think about the long- going to strip that away. posed rule changes to the law. This is untenable, and this has to term ramifications. Think about what People in this law it doesn’t just af- stop. it does to us to have 1 million children fect, and if you are not interested in Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of Mr. not being fed properly, not being able families that are single-parent fami- HORSFORD the timeframe that individ- to think in a classroom, to be able to lies, female-run families, African uals have to send a letter to their function, and to be able to do their American families, what about those Member of Congress, to send a letter to work. veterans who are affected? this administration to let them know What will that do to us 10 years from What about those with disabilities? what their thoughts are. now? The proposed rule purports to apply Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman How many dropouts will there be? only to able-bodied adults without de- from Nevada (Mr. HORSFORD). How many young people will be un- pendents. But what people are unaware Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, the able to function, to be able to read and of is that under the rule, 11 million comment period for the American pub- write, and to be able to find a job? people with disabilities who receive lic for this proposed rule by the admin- That will cost us, I am sure, entirely SNAP assistance could lose that assist- istration ends on June 21. more money. ance under the rule as people who face The Trump administration floated Mr. HORSFORD. We have to have a limited work capacity due to disability this proposal through what is called a more balanced discussion in this body. or poor health are regularly request for comment, essentially a re- I believe that we need to be competi- misclassified as able-bodied for the quest for the public to provide informa- tive, and we need to make sure that we purpose of SNAP. tion and views to the Federal Govern- are doing things to help incentivize our b 2030 ment on this potential change. They private sector. There is a way to do are expecting them not to know that that, but, unfortunately, our col- That means those individuals be- this is happening. leagues took the approach to ram this tween the ages of 18 and 59 who have at This administration presented no re- measure through in 51 days with not least one physical, functional, or work- search on how low-income families’ one hearing. They didn’t discusses the ing limitation and are not counted as costs for basic necessities has changed impacts, and none of the issues that we disabled under SNAP may, in fact, be over time, nor did they provide infor- are now bringing forward on how the affected. So this is cutting across so mation on the implications of changing working poor, the middle class, and many individuals. the poverty line for individuals’ and those who are struggling and aspiring Mr. HORSFORD. Would the gentle- families’ access to needed assistance. to be part of the middle class are being woman yield on that point? That is why tonight’s Special Order negatively impacted by these policies. Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield was so important and timely, for us to So there is a direct correlation. We to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. bring awareness to this. I don’t know can’t just talk about the budget or the HORSFORD). how many Members of this body know cuts to the budget that this adminis- Mr. HORSFORD. There was a recent that the administration is doing this. tration is making without talking article that showed many of the work- Again, I would ask my colleagues on about what this administration and ers of large employers who don’t pay a the other side, who have constituents Republicans in Congress did last Con- livable wage are on SNAP benefits. just like we do who will be impacted, gress by adding $1.5 trillion to our Fed- These are people who are working, but whether they support this administra- eral deficit. It is not just these Federal because they are not being paid an ade- tion in this proposed rule change that programs that we are talking about to- quate wage, they are eligible for SNAP will take away fundamental benefits night. It is Medicare, it is Social Secu- benefits. from their constituents, just like it rity, and it is the Affordable Care Act. On top of that, based on the rule will ours. I am sure we will have a Special Order change and the discussion the gentle- This is not a handout. This is a hand on those topics as well, but we wanted woman just outlined, 11 million could up. It is a hand up in order to help indi- to bring attention to this tonight, be- lose their benefits. These are people, viduals bridge, if you will, while they cause we only have 45 days for the pub- some of whom are working but because are going through difficult times. lic to get their comments in to, hope- employers aren’t willing to pay them a Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I fully, reverse this rule so that it won’t living wage, they are on benefits, Fed- think people don’t understand that go into effect. eral benefits, being subsidized by the SNAP benefits represent $1.40 per per- Ms. PLASKETT. In the last Congress, Federal Government. son, per meal—$1.40. I can’t get a cup of and again in this one, I am a member Either we need these employers to coffee in Washington, D.C., with $1.40, of the Agriculture Committee. I recall step up and give America a raise so but that is the benefit we are giving that when that farm bill initially was they don’t have to be on SNAP benefits per person, per meal, for SNAP bene- presented, the ranking member at that or we need this administration to un- fits.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 May 21, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K20MY7.052 H20MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE May 20, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4005 We should not be talking about cuts homeless in the 2016–2017 school year, and ment on this potential change. But the Ad- to SNAP. We should be talking about the Department of Agriculture (USDA) says ministration presented no research on how how to increase this benefit to the that 15 million households faced food insecu- low-income families’ costs for basic neces- American people, to American chil- rity in 2017, meaning that they experienced sities has changed over time, the adequacy of difficulty affording food. the poverty line itself as compared to the dren, to our elders, to veterans who are This proposal is entirely discretionary on cost of basic necessities, or the implications relying on this. the part of the Administration. No statute or of changing the poverty line for individuals’ Something must be done. As the Con- regulation requires it to alter the method- and families’ access to needed assistance. gressional Black Caucus, we are here to ology for updating the poverty line. Rather, Asking for public comment in apparent prep- raise the alarm. the Administration is choosing to consider a aration for a policy change that could harm Raising the Federal minimum wage policy that would weaken basic assistance millions of struggling Americans over time, programs and thereby increase hardship. without providing the public with research would save, even if we raised it to $12 The Administration is considering using a an hour, $53 billion over the next 10 and data on these basic questions, suggests lower inflation measure to adjust the pov- this is not a serious effort to explore the im- years, nearly four times as much as the erty line while wholly ignoring other ques- portant substantive issues that poverty proposed rule, by ensuring that work- tions about the adequacy of the poverty line measurement presents. ers earn more so that they are better as a measure of whether households can The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities able to afford food, instead of pun- meet basic needs. And, it has failed to put is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organi- ishing labor market struggles with forward evidence about whether the chained zation and policy institute that conducts re- hunger, as the gentleman said. CPI itself accurately captures changes in the search and analysis on a range of govern- cost of living for low-income households. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman ment policies and programs. It is supported Indeed, the issue of what measure to use in primarily by foundation grants. from Nevada (Mr. HORSFORD) for any adjusting the poverty line for inflation is additional thoughts he may have as we only one of a number of questions about the Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I close out this Special Order hour, and I poverty line and the official poverty meas- thank my colleague, the co-anchor for thank the American people for listen- ure. Considerable research over the years— this hour. This has been a very enlight- ing. including a major report by the National ening topic for us to bring attention to. Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I Academy of Sciences (NAS)—has identified a Each one of us has constituents who number of ways in which the poverty line ap- thank the gentlewoman for yielding. are impacted, to whom we speak on a pears to be inadequate. For example, the regular basis. We cannot allow this ad- Mr. Speaker, I include in the RECORD poverty line doesn’t fully include certain information from the Center on Budget costs that many low-income families face ministration to make this type of an and Policy Priorities titled ‘‘Trump like child care. In accordance with the guid- executive order and not have the con- Administration Floating Changes to ance of the NAS panel, federal analysts sequences explained to the American Poverty Measure That Would Reduce worked carefully with researchers over a people. or Eliminate Assistance to Millions of number of years to develop the Supplemental That is what tonight was all about. Low-Income Americans.’’ Poverty Measure (SPM), which more fully Sometimes the other side questioned measures the cost of current basic living ex- President Obama making executive or- [From the Center on Budget and Policy penses. With this more careful accounting, ders. Well, this executive order that Priorities, Tuesday, May 7, 2019] the SPM’s poverty line is higher than the of- President Trump is proposing directly ficial poverty line for most types of house- TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FLOATING CHANGES impacts the working poor in this coun- TO POVERTY MEASURE THAT WOULD REDUCE holds, and its poverty rate is slightly higher OR ELIMINATE ASSISTANCE TO MILLIONS OF than the official poverty rate. try. We cannot allow that to happen. LOWER-INCOME AMERICANS Another indication that the poverty line is We cannot allow children who are too low is the high rate of hardship among (Statement by Sharon Parrott, Senior homeless, families who are struggling, families with incomes just above that mark- Fellow and Senior Counselor) and the working poor who are trying to er. Near-poor families, using today’s poverty The Trump Administration yesterday do everything they can to keep it to- line, face high rates of food insecurity, dif- gether to be impacted by this mis- floated a proposal to use a lower measure of ficulty paying rent and utilities, and high inflation when adjusting the poverty line rates of uninsurance. guided, reckless, and totally unneces- each year. Consistent with other policies the The Administration’s announcement, how- sary rule change being proposed by the Administration has pursued, this policy ever, ignores all other issues regarding pov- Trump administration. would over time cut or take away entirely erty measurement that the NAS and other Again, we urge the American public food assistance, health, and other forms of analysts have raised and cherry-picks just to have their voice heard and submit basic assistance from millions of people who one issue—the measure used to adjust for in- their comments by June 21 or contact struggle to put food on the table, keep a roof flation—to focus on in isolation. Simply their Member of Congress. over their heads, and see a doctor when they switching to a lower inflation measure would need to. The reductions in assistance that likely make the poverty line less rather than We are fighting on their behalf, but this proposal would produce stand in stark more accurate as a measure of what families we need to make sure that every Mem- contrast to the Administration’s 2017 tax need to get by. ber in this body understands the impli- law, which conferred large new benefits on Moreover, it is not at all clear that the cations of this proposed rule change. the highest-income households. chained CPI is a better measure of inflation Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield If the poverty line is altered in this fash- for low-income households’ basic living ex- back the balance of my time. ion, fewer individuals and families will qual- penses, even if we had a poverty measure ify over time for various forms of assistance, that measured those living expenses more f including many who work hard but are paid adequately. Research on different inflation REPORT ON RESOLUTION PRO- low wages. That’s because using a lower measures generally focuses on the best way VIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF measure of inflation like the chained CPI to to measure inflation for the economy and H.R. 1500, CONSUMERS FIRST adjust the poverty line each year would consumers overall. But the consumption pat- ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDER- make the eligibility thresholds for various terns of low-income households—and their programs that serve people in need lower and ability to change their consumption in re- ATION OF H.R. 1994, SETTING lower over time, compared with what the sponse to changes in prices—may be different EVERY COMMUNITY UP FOR RE- thresholds otherwise would be. This, in turn, from those of typical consumers. A recent TIREMENT ENHANCEMENT ACT would lower the income eligibility limits for study indicates that inflation tends to rise OF 2019; PROVIDING FOR PRO- programs like SNAP (formerly known as faster for low-income households than for CEEDINGS DURING THE PERIOD food stamps) and Medicaid, which are tied to the population as a whole. As just one exam- FROM MAY 24, 2019, THROUGH the federal poverty line. It also would reduce ple, housing costs comprise a significantly MAY 31, 2019; AND FOR OTHER the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) premium larger share of low-income households’ budg- PURPOSES tax credits—and thereby increase the out-of- ets, on average, than they do for middle- and pocket premium charges faced by millions of upper-income households. And Labor Depart- Mr. PERLMUTTER (during the Spe- people who purchase health insurance ment data show that costs for rental hous- cial Order of Ms. PLASKETT), from the through the ACA marketplaces. ing, which low-income people rely on dis- Committee on Rules, submitted a priv- The notion that the nation does too much proportionately, have been rising faster than ileged report (Rept. No. 116–79) on the to help struggling families stands in contrast the overall CPI. to a broad set of data. For example, even The Administration has floated this pro- resolution (H. Res. 389) providing for with our current poverty line and set of sup- posal through a ‘‘Request for Comment’’—es- consideration of the bill (H.R. 1500) to ports, the Department of Education says sentially a request for the public to provide require the Consumer Financial Pro- that more 1 million school children were information and views to the federal govern- tection Bureau to meet its statutory

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