[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING NATIONAL KIDNEY MONTH

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize National Kidney Month 
and to speak plainly about it and what it means for my constituents in 
the Virgin Islands.
  Chronic kidney disease affects more than one in seven American 
adults. When it progresses to end-stage renal disease, Black Americans 
bear four times the burden of other Americans.
  The Virgin Islands already carries elevated rates of diabetes and 
hypertension, the primary drivers of kidney failure. Also, there is a 
genetic dimension that too few people know about: APOL1-mediated kidney 
disease. AMKD is caused by gene variants found almost exclusively in 
people of West African descent.
  I was proud to introduce a resolution and host a roundtable, along 
with my fellow Georgetown alum, Alonzo Mourning, and the American 
Kidney Fund to raise awareness of AMKD.
  I urge my colleagues to recognize that for thousands of Virgin 
Islanders and millions of Americans most vulnerable to these diseases, 
Medicaid and Medicare are lifelines. Any efforts to cut these programs 
is a direct attack on the most vulnerable among us.

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