[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 180 (Thursday, December 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6366-H6367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FROM DETROIT TO BHOPAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, from Detroit to Bhopal, we have a right to 
breathe clean air. This week marks 40 years since the Bhopal chemicals 
disaster in India, and the survivors are still sick and waiting for 
justice.
  Union Carbide, driven by corporate greed, caused one of the worst 
chemical disasters in history, poisoning the residents and communities.
  I was honored to meet some of the survivors and proud to join them in 
their fight for justice. I joined Senator Merkley and Representative 
Jayapal to introduce a resolution reaffirming the need for stronger 
laws to prevent these tragedies and keep communities safe.
  Many of our communities in Michigan's 12th District live in shadows 
of corporate polluters, so this fight is personal to me. We are tired 
of greedy corporations poisoning our communities and getting away with 
it.
  In the Bhopal chemical disaster, around 20,000 people were killed 
when poison gas was released into the air. Nearly half a million people 
have suffered illnesses and premature death after the initial incident.
  Of course, the U.S. refused to extradite the CEO of Union Carbide, 
the company that owned and ran the Bhopal facility, to face criminal 
charges.
  We need and deserve a better world, not a world where the color of 
your skin, your income, or your neighborhood where you were born puts 
you at a higher risk of being exposed to pollution that causes disease 
and death.
  We see it in places like Detroit and Dearborn's Southend communities 
where there are higher rates of cancer and asthma. We cannot tolerate a 
world where corporations take all of the profit and none of the 
liability.
  Dow Chemical knowingly took responsibility for this disaster when it 
bought the company. Yet, they still refused to compensate the 
survivors. Dow was headquartered in Michigan, and if they think their 
actions are just going

[[Page H6367]]

to be lost in history, well, I am here to say they have got another 
thing coming. Dow must pay what is owed to the people of Bhopal.


      Michigan Education Compliance for Students with Disabilities

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this is a plea on behalf 182,000 families who 
will have students with disabilities in Michigan. Year after year, we 
continue to fall short on the promise to fully fund the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act, which many call IDEA.
  Failing to help our students to obtain the services they need to 
learn is, again, years that we cannot get back for our children. With 
this shortfall, we continue to undermine our students with 
disabilities.
  The education gap is continuing to widen. There is currently a 22 
percent drop-out rate for students with disabilities in Michigan, 
where, for nondisabled students it is only 8 percent.

                              {time}  1015

  Schools use assessments to measure student proficiency and 
achievement, and under the IDEA, students with disabilities are 
expected to participate in State assessments.
  However, every year between 2017 and 2022, the State of Michigan has 
requested the Department of Education to approve a waiver to increase 
the 1 percent gap required by the Federal Government for the number of 
students with disabilities who can take Michigan's alternative 
assessment. It is because we are at double.
  We often don't do enough to support our kids who need to go through 
this, nor do we advise our parents properly. Budget cuts often 
shortchange individualized learning, plans that are crucial for 
students with disabilities.
  However, according to the Autism Alliance of Michigan, the dropout 
rate for students with disabilities is double the amount. Disparities 
are even worse for students of color with disabilities.
  We need to fully fund IDEA, and we know that will help Michigan serve 
our students. It will help reduce the amount of inappropriate 
assessments and improve access to information and support for our 
school districts.
  It is disheartening to see the State of Michigan's Department of 
Education now before an administrative hearing judge because they are 
not in compliance with the Federal laws. This is the first time in 27 
years that our U.S. Department of Education had to drag a State through 
an administrative hearing process. It is shameful that we are at this 
point after over a year of negotiations.
  We have to do better. These are our children, and again, we cannot 
get these years back for them. We have to do right.


                   Trump Tariffs Would Be Devastating

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, Detroit is not only the most beautiful, 
Blackest city in the country, but it also houses the most important 
trade corridor in the Nation. Mr. Speaker, 27 percent of trade comes 
through our amazing city.
  Tariffs are one tool, but they have costs and benefits that must be 
considered regarding trade. Used strategically, we know they can help 
new industries, support resilient supply chains, and even promote high-
road labor as well as environmental practices.
  However, the cost of Trump's tariffs proposal would be devastating 
for our families--take our auto industry, for instance. The U.S. relies 
on $97 billion worth of auto parts and millions of finished vehicles 
from Canada and Mexico, but Trump's tariffs, as it is now, would raise 
the price of new cars by $3,000. Our families cannot afford that cost.
  What about our grocery costs? More than half of our fruits and 
vegetables come from Canada and Mexico. My residents are already 
struggling to cover the rising prices of groceries. Again, we cannot 
toy with our residents' ability to put food on the table or provide for 
their families.

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