[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 144 (Wednesday, September 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3765-H3766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PROVIDING RECOVERY FOR FLOOD VICTIMS

  (Ms. Tlaib of Michigan was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I was proud of the community members who 
stood with us and partnered with me in creating the Fix Our Flooded 
Basements Act.

[[Page H3766]]

  Many people might not know this, but FEMA will provide financial help 
toward getting a new furnace and water heater, but they will not help 
in mitigating the toxins and the mold that can be created if they don't 
get rid of the water in order to clean out the basement.
  In southeastern Michigan, we have seen that firsthand. We had two 
national emergency declarations.
  Water damage, as you know, can lead to long-term issues created by 
toxic mold, which impacts the health of the family in the home.
  Again, too many of our families were denied FEMA assistance because 
the current rules do not cover repairs to most basements where floods 
are often the most destructive. Again, it can lead to toxic mold if not 
mitigated.
  Mr. Speaker, as flooding becomes more frequent due to the climate 
crisis, it is crucial that we take action to require FEMA to provide 
flood victims with the full resources that they need to rebuild their 
lives.
  I still remember the senior in Inkster, Michigan. She was in her 
seventies, Mr. Speaker. After the first declaration, her basement was 
flooded. She did not have the means, nor the capabilities to be able to 
get rid of the water that was in her basement.
  When I came by to visit her again, the water froze in her basement 
due to the weather. Years later, she is now dealing with toxic mold.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to have a legislative fix that will help to 
mitigate those issues to make sure that our families are not living in 
unsafe conditions by being exposed to serious health risks from mold, 
mildew, and moisture damage.
  Mr. Speaker, these are people who are recovering from a disaster. To 
have FEMA say: No, we cannot help in this regard, even though they were 
exchanging the water heater, helping with the furnace, the fact that 
they will not mitigate the basement, again, leaves many of our families 
out.
  Mr. Speaker, a lot of my colleagues who have signed on to support 
this bill have realized for the first time that FEMA did not do this, 
and maybe it was created because it was for the coastal communities, 
but we know communities like Michigan are now impacted in the Midwest.
  The Fix Our Flooded Basements Act will make sure that Federal 
disaster assistance finally covers all of the mitigation needs for 
basement water damage. The bill would expand the coverage for Federal 
assistance to cover the cost of repairing property and flood damage to 
basements after a major disaster.
  Mr. Speaker, our residents must be able to live safely and fully 
rebuild their lives after disaster strikes. I urge my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. It is critically 
important for our families.


              Ending Corporate Greed Through Price Gouging

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, families in our communities are facing an 
affordability crisis. We hear it at our townhalls. We hear it on every 
corner of our communities. Families are struggling with rising grocery 
costs. The cost of groceries has gone up 28 percent, and the majority 
of Americans say that grocery prices are the major source of stress for 
their families.
  Corporations are now using new technology to raise prices in new ways 
and without the knowledge of the consumer. Electronic shelf labels 
allow stores to change prices in seconds. The industry is not shy about 
it. They admit to raising the price of water and ice cream if it is hot 
outside. Even worse, corporations are tracking consumers and using 
their own personal, private information against them.
  We all know that companies collect and purchase a tremendous amount 
of our private data and personal information. These custom, personal 
profiles on many of our families and residents allow companies to 
charge different people different prices for the same exact item by 
using things like mobile apps, online shopping, and facial recognition 
technology.
  This is called surveillance pricing, and all of us need to wake up 
and see that this technology is fixing prices and increasing costs for 
our families.
  Target, for example, charged higher prices to consumers who were 
using their app when they were inside their stores, assuming that the 
consumer either wouldn't notice or was unlikely to go anywhere else.
  Mr. Speaker, this is outrageous and wrong. Companies should not be 
able to use consumers' online history, past purchases, the color of 
their skin, their income, where they work, or their ZIP Code to charge 
them a higher price.

  Surveillance pricing will lead to increased costs for food and basic 
goods. It will harm working families who are already struggling to make 
ends meet. This is not just about discriminatory technology. It is 
about corporate greed in our country, and CEOs are getting richer while 
working people struggle.
  I introduced the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act to ban 
personalized price gouging by grocery stores, and I urge my colleagues 
to join me in this effort.

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