    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Pages H840-H841]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

    RECOGNIZING RESILIENCE, RESISTANCE, AND RELENTLESS STRUGGLE, LESSONS OF
                                 BLACK HISTORY

      The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
    Ohio (Ms. Brown) for 5 minutes.
      Ms. BROWN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Black History
    Month.
      Black History Month means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my
    constituents in northeast Ohio.
      Just in the last few days, we have been reminded of how the past and
    present are connected. Last week, in Cleveland, we celebrated the 90th
    birthday of the Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., and his wife, Edwina Moss,
    two local civil rights icons who have fought for justice, fairness, and
    opportunity for Black people in Cleveland for decades.
      Sunday was also the 100th birthday of Congressman Louis Stokes, the
    first Black American to represent Ohio in Congress. Congressman Stokes
    was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and represented
    northeast Ohio for 30 years. He also established a legacy of leadership
    that carried on to Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Marcia Fudge. They are
    three strong Black leaders who represented the district I now
    represent.
      Black History Month isn't just about trailblazers, icons, and famous
    names. It is also about Black culture, community, and excellence, and
    the history and experience that binds us all. It is often a time of joy
    and celebration.
      Black History Month feels a little different this year. President
    Trump and his MAGA allies have frozen funding for programs that address
    inequality and support equal opportunity, rolled back decades of civil
    rights and discrimination protections, and tried to erase Black history
    in our schools. He jumps at every opportunity he gets to attack Black
    America, using DEI as a racist dog whistle and pushing false and
    offensive ideas that Black Americans haven't earned or deserved their
    success.
      Let's call this what it is: Trump's resegregation agenda.

                                  {time}  1015

      We know what happens when prejudice prevails. Opportunity is
    obstructed, and red lines are drawn with Federal funds. We have seen
    this story before.
      Yet despite the dark clouds gathering above 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
    Black Americans have long battled bigotry, broken barriers, and built a
    brighter future despite the odds.
      The fight is familiar. Black history teaches us the power of
    resilience, resistance, and relentless struggle. That is what I owe my
    constituents, and that is what we owe each other.

                         elon musk must justify his job

      Ms. BROWN. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, unelected, unaccountable,
    unvetted, and unconfirmed billionaire, Elon Musk, demanded every
    Federal worker justify their job. He demanded five reasons they deserve
    to keep it.
      Let's turn that around. Here are five things the world's richest man
    did just last week:
      One, DOGE deleted the five biggest spending cuts it bragged about
    just last week, because nearly one-half of those savings don't exist.
    The receipts didn't add up.

    [[Page H841]]

      Two, more than 20 employees resigned from DOGE, refusing to
    ``jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public
    services.''
      Three, one of Musk's companies secured a lucrative FAA contract,
    laying bare his blatant conflicts of interest. Somehow, I doubt that
    one will be canceled.
      Number four, he fired 6,000 veterans serving the American people.
      Why? Apparently, it is because a disabled vet's salary is wasteful,
    but $4.5 trillion in billionaire tax breaks are necessary.
      Five, he axed bird flu experts, nuclear safety officers, and IRS
    workers, right in the middle of tax season.
      So before Elon Musk demands five justifications from a VA nurse in
    Cleveland, maybe he should justify his own job. Instead of asking
    nurses, firefighters, air traffic controllers, and Federal scientists
    to justify their jobs, let's ask the billionaire to justify his.
      Mr. Speaker, I promise you, the American people won't need more than
    five reasons to fire him.

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