[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8303-H8304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TAKING A KNEE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I think it is appropriate this morning 
to rise to share my passion and my love for this country, but also my 
frustration. I will use this graphic to set the tone for my remarks 
this morning.
  Although the Republican tax proposal will be introduced tomorrow, I 
believe, if you look at this graphic and the headlines, it says that 80 
percent of the tax relief will not go to you and you and you and to the 
American people, or maybe even staff and Members who are here who are 
Americans, salaried individuals; it will go, 80 percent, to the 1 
percent of Americans.
  Now, I am not going to talk about the tax legislation this morning. I 
want this to be a symbol of the wrongness of the direction of this 
country and the leader who leads this Nation. We are going down a wrong 
path.
  Many of us thought we had come together in unity, we had overcome the 
divisiveness because we were different,

[[Page H8304]]

we had recognized the beauty of all of us, rural citizens in West 
Virginia, Ohioans in the mountains of the Appalachian area, 
Midwesterners, Southerners, Northerners, Westerners, Far West, 
immigrant and nonimmigrant. But, unfortunately, in 2016, although some 
lost and some won, as we moved toward a new administration with the 
hopes and dreams of those who had voted, we looked for the unifying of 
what I know that all Presidents have done.
  It has been a privilege of mine to work with President William 
Jefferson Clinton, who didn't have an easy time but sought to unify the 
country. I worked with President George W. Bush, who did not have an 
easy time or an unconflicted election but sought to unify the country, 
in fact, was an enthusiastic signer of the reauthorization of the 
Voting Rights Act; and President Barack Obama, who rode in on a sense 
of hope and unity. That is the task of a President.
  In the midst of this, again, having been appointed to the Homeland 
Security Committee in the ashes of 9/11, having gone to Ground Zero 
while our brave first responders were recovering, were still looking 
for remains--it will penetrate my soul forever--unity was what we 
sought in spite of our difference of opinions.
  So I rise to thank the first responders and the quick response of the 
NYPD and Fire Department on yesterday's terrorist act. Yes, it was a 
terrorist act. We live in a different world. But rather than rise to 
the occasion, this morning the words come from the White House:

       The terrorist came into our country through what is called 
     the ``Diversity Visa Lottery Program,'' a Chuck Schumer 
     beauty. I want merit-based immigration.

  You tell me how many immigrants, how many Italians, how many Irish, 
and how many of those who escaped the Holocaust, who came before that 
from the Jewish community, how many of them would have met any test of 
merit. Did the slaves who were brought here as slaves meet a test of 
merit? All of these individuals helped build this Nation.
  And on the morning when people are mourning of their lost loved ones, 
rather than bringing the country together, there is a politicizing, 
calling out names of Members. We are working on merit based.
  Does he even understand what merit based is? Absolutely not.
  Taking away from the conspiracy charge against Manafort, taking away 
from the conspicuous collusion with Russians that George Papadopoulos 
has indicated, oh, he is worrying about him lying. But I am worrying 
about him telling the truth, and he is. They wanted dirty stuff on the 
opponent; they wanted to work with Russia; they wanted to work with 
Putin; and they wanted to conspire against the United States of 
America--as well as the misunderstanding or the devastating comments of 
his chief of staff about the civil war and NFL players being called 
inmates in a prison.
  Mr. Speaker, I am fed up with dividing this Nation. We are going in 
the wrong direction, and I am not going to accept it. I am taking a 
knee with all of those who believe in justice and what is right. I did 
it before. I do it now. I take a knee.

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