[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H146-H147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MOTHER PEGGY NOBLE

  (Ms. Tlaib of Michigan was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I will take a moment to honor the 
extraordinary life and legacy of Mother Peggy Noble. She was an 
inspirational leader and a champion for economic justice and for 
working families.
  Mother Peggy has dedicated her life to her College Park neighborhood 
where she lived. She was a community organizer, supporting her 
neighbors, advocating for children, and bringing people together. She 
believed deeply that real change is built through relationships and 
advocacy and showing up for our communities. Year after year, that is 
what she did.
  Peggy was a fierce advocate for our families from standing up for her 
neighborhood to fighting for fairness in our broken auto insurance 
system. Detroit is stronger because of her voice, her leadership, and 
her unwavering belief in people. We carry her spirit forward in how we 
organize, how we protect one another, and how we show up for our 
neighbors.
  My thoughts are with her loved ones, Rochelle, Eugene, Kimberly, 
Jaimi, Asante, and all of Peggy's loved ones, during this difficult 
time. May she rest in power and in love.


                            ACA Tax Credits

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, we always seem to have money for war, to bomb 
countries, but we never have money for healthcare for our families.
  On January 1, Republicans ended the Affordable Care Act tax credits 
and raised healthcare premiums for millions of Americans, our neighbors 
throughout the Nation. This comes, of course, after Trump's big budget 
betrayal ripped healthcare away from 17 million Americans and cut 
Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion.
  Last year, Congress did approve over $1 trillion for the Pentagon 
budget, which just failed its eighth audit in a row. I want folks to 
think about that. They are cutting money for healthcare and spending it 
on bombs and death.
  The ACA tax credits are what help keep insurance affordable for many 
of our neighbors across the country. They are the difference between my 
neighbors having insurance or going without healthcare. It is 
heartbreaking to read the emails and messages I get from so many 
families that are putting off seeing a doctor and filling their 
prescriptions and now rationing their medication.

  No parent, Mr. Speaker, should have to choose whether to take their 
child to the doctor because healthcare is too expensive. Our healthcare 
system is already broken, and it is inhumane.
  My residents always tell me: Don't call it healthcare. Call it sick 
care. Because we know right now the for-profit schemes within our 
healthcare system are making it so unaffordable for our families. Why 
have we not passed the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act?
  Again, we are so grateful for the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries as we 
push forward a force vote for a 3-year ACA tax credit extension today.

[[Page H147]]

  Again, instead of extreme cuts, we should be expanding access to care 
and guaranteeing healthcare as a fundamental human right in our 
country. We must pass this tax credit extension today and put pressure 
on the Senate to take it up immediately.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to help fix this mess 
they have made by restoring the extreme Medicaid cuts and joining us in 
extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.


                        Housing is a Human Right

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, housing is a human right, but as everyone 
knows, we are facing a housing crisis right now.
  On any given night right now, more than three-quarters of a million 
people are unhoused nationwide. The last time the Federal minimum wage 
of $7.25 an hour was increased was in 2009.
  Since then, average rental costs have increased 76 percent. That is 
just completely wild.
  We need action at every level of government. I know that many of our 
local elected officials are desperate to reduce housing costs and need 
the Federal Government's partnership. We know often here in this 
Chamber there are officials that will not promote affordable housing or 
address the unique barriers that our communities are facing.
  That is why I introduced the Housing Our Communities Act, and it is 
meant to address it immediately. This is part of a legislative package 
that passed out of the Financial Services Committee this past year.
  My bill directs the HUD Secretary to establish a competitive grant 
program to support a wide array of affordable housing planning and 
implementation activities.
  For example, grants, Mr. Speaker, can support officials in crafting 
their own housing plans, updating zoning codes, and increasing the 
capacity to conduct housing inspections so that developments are 
completed faster, reducing project costs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Housing for the 21st 
Century Act and provide policymakers and our local governments with the 
resources they need to make affordable housing a reality.

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