[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             WORST OF TIMES

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, when President Trump was campaigning, he said 
that these were the worst of times for African Americans, conveniently 
or ignorantly forgetting slavery and Jim Crow. He said it couldn't get 
any worse.
  Well, it is getting worse with a Justice Department that has already 
retreated on voting rights and that has empowered private prisons to 
take advantage of people which are disparately proportionate to African 
Americans for prison incarceration; a HUD department where the 
Secretary has said slavery was akin to immigration and where $6 billion 
is to be cut from the budget; an education department that doesn't 
believe in public education that has given African Americans a chance 
for the American Dream; and a healthcare bill that takes away health 
care from the poorest and makes it to where many will not have health 
care, and Medicaid will be decimated and possibility eliminated.
  These are the worst of times and President Trump, Mr. Speaker, is 
showing African Americans things can get worse. They are getting worse, 
and they are on a daily basis.

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