H2508 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 7, 2019 Right now, candidates can use cam- tionary War and was among the first High blood pressure is the second paign funds for a whole range of ex- women to receive a military pension, leading cause of kidney failure among penses, from pizza for exhausted staff and modern-day women like Lisa African Americans and remains the to cybersecurity for digital devices, but Jaster, a major in the United States leading cause of death due to its link the law does not make it clear that Army Reserve who completed Army with heart attacks and strokes. childcare is among those allowed ex- Ranger School, which is one of the With these troubling statistics, penses. toughest courses in the military. where do we go from here? Awareness, Like so many laws, there is an as- Major Jaster was in the first Ranger education, and access are the keys to sumption of a female caregiver behind class that allowed women, and she is changing our Nation’s health, and food every male elected official. In part be- the first female Army Reserve officer and nutrition practitioners play a very cause of that, moms who continue to to become a Ranger School graduate. important role in leading the health shoulder the majority of childcare re- Mr. Speaker, many women have left revolution. sponsibilities also struggle to run for their imprint on the pages of history, Obesity is partially attributed to Congress. and there are numerous leaders who poor nutritional intake and has been Until women are fully and equally will continue to guide this Nation into implicated as a contributor to cancer, present in Congress, women’s perspec- the future. May we celebrate and honor heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. tives will continue to be underrep- them, not only during Women’s His- Food and nutrition practitioners resented. The result is a weaker democ- tory Month, but all year long, and have an opportunity and an ethical ob- racy for the people. thank them for their incredible con- ligation to positively influence the Mr. Speaker, I very much look for- tributions. healthcare experience of individuals. ward to the enactment of H.R. 1 and f These experts have the power to influ- the Help America Run Act. ence factors affecting health dispari- HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL CHAL- ties at the individual and the popu- f LENGES FACING AFRICAN AMER- lation levels, including programs such WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH ICAN POPULATION as SNAP, WIC, adult care food pro- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The The SPEAKER pro tempore. The grams, and other nutrition programs. Chair recognizes the gentleman from Chair recognizes the gentleman from By connecting with individuals who Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON) for 5 Illinois (Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS) for 5 min- are most at risk, food and nutrition minutes. utes. practitioners can make a huge change Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. when it comes to the health of African Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Speaker, I thank the Academy of Nu- Americans, as well as the health of all March as Women’s History Month. trition and Dietetics, which prepared Americans. Throughout history, countless this statement for me in acknowledge- I thank the Academy of Nutrition women have contributed to the char- ment of Black History Month. and Dietetics for preparing this infor- acter and success of the United States Minority populations, especially the mation for me. of America. During Women’s History African American population, continue Month, we celebrate the scores of to remain in relatively poor health f women who have worked to improve when compared to the majority popu- STATE OF AMERICAN WORKFORCE our society and who have fought in- lation and also continue to be under- equality and discrimination in every served by the healthcare delivery sys- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The form. tem. Chair recognizes the gentleman from These women have created a legacy One of the biggest health challenges Pennsylvania (Mr. SMUCKER) for 5 min- that lives on and continues to inspire facing our country today is obesity, utes. generations of Americans, from Harriet and the African American community Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise Tubman to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is especially at risk. In a 2015–2016 today to talk about our economy and and Susan B. Anthony to Helen Keller. study by the CDC, the report found the state of the American workforce. Women’s History Month is a time to non-Hispanic Black adults, at 46.8 per- With reforms enacted by the Tax honor the lives and legacy of all cent, had a higher prevalence of obe- Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as needed women, living and dead. Through shar- sity than non-Hispanic White adults, regulatory relief, nearly every eco- ing their stories, we are able to ac- which was 37.9 percent. nomic indicator is pointing up. The lat- knowledge how their contributions Compared to other States, Illinois’ est U.S. jobs report shows our economy have enriched our lives. obesity rate is a significant area of is at its strongest rate in 13 years. Un- In the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- concern, with 31 percent of adults hav- employment is at a record low across vania, legendary journalist Ida Tarbell ing obesity. This statistic is higher the board. Wages are growing at the was born at the onset of the oil boom. than the U.S. median. fastest level in over a decade. Business She is best known for her 1904 book, Illinois has the 27th highest adult investment is strong. Best of all, Amer- ‘‘The History of the Standard Oil Com- obesity rate in the Nation and the 7th ican families are keeping more money pany.’’ Ida Tarbell was known for her highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 in their pockets. But new success ability to take complex subjects and to 17. Chicago’s African American com- brings a new set of challenges. break them down into articles that munity is the demographic with the The number of job openings in the could be easily consumed by the gen- highest obesity rate at 39.8 percent. U.S. hit a record high last month of 7.3 eral public. With such a high percentage of the million. We have gone from, ‘‘Where She had a successful career as an in- African American community falling are the jobs?’’ to, ‘‘Where are the work- vestigative journalist, and the Oil Re- in the obese category, this demo- ers?’’ While it may seem positive that gion Alliance in northwestern Pennsyl- graphic runs a higher risk for obesity- there are more jobs open than workers vania recently completed a full res- related conditions, including heart dis- to fill them, I fear that, without ad- toration of Ms. Tarbell’s childhood ease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cer- dressing the needs of our workforce, we home in Titusville so that it would be tain types of cancer that are some of will stifle our incredible economic preserved for generations to come. the leading causes of preventable, pre- growth. Mr. Speaker, by honoring women and mature death. According to a study conducted by their achievements, we can honor the Compared to the general population, the National Federation of Independent past, inform the present, and inspire African Americans are disproportion- Business, 22 percent of business owners the future. ately affected by diabetes. African cite the difficulty in finding workers as Many women have served as part of Americans constitute more than 35 per- their single most important business our Armed Forces throughout history cent of all patients receiving dialysis problem. I hear this from every em- and proudly continue to today, women treatment for kidney failure but only ployer I meet with in my district. The like Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, who represent 13.2 percent of the overall number of job openings is staggering fought in battles during the Revolu- U.S. population. and must be addressed.

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