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House Democrats continue to urge Senate Republicans to do something to end the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our country. The House has acted by passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, in February. This legislation is supported by the vast majority of Americans, and I urge Senator McConnell to allow a vote on it.
 

The U.S. Census annual data released for 2018 shows that the Trump Administration’s sabotage of the Affordable Care Act is leading to more Americans losing their insurance coverage, with nearly 2 million Americans losing coverage last year.  Meanwhile, out-of-pocket costs are rising for individuals and families, and the Trump Administration continues to try to dismantle the ACA, including by encouraging states to promote junk plans that provide inadequate coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. 

Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a further reminder that this President’s policies are putting our nation’s economy at risk.  The 129,000 private-sector jobs added in August under-performed expectations, wages for workers continue to stagnate, and our manufacturing sector has contracted for the first time in three years as a result of uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s trade policies. 

I join in thanking Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner for four decades of service to his constituents in Wisconsin. He has been a leader in protecting the right of every American to vote and have that vote counted accurately, introducing and ensuring passage of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and introducing the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 after the Supreme Court struck down a key section of the law.

It is abhorrent that the Trump Administration is choosing to defund 127 critical military construction projects all over the country, including in Maryland, and on U.S. bases overseas to pay for an ineffective and expensive wall the Congress has refused to fund.  This is a subversion of the will of the American people and their representatives. 

On Labor Day, we recognize the hard-won victories of the worker’s rights movement and the contributions of working men and women across the country and throughout our history who have worked to build our economy and a strong middle class. I’m proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with labor organizations and working Americans as they continue to fight for fair wages and benefits; affordable, quality health care; and the right to retire with dignity and economic security. 

The Trump Administration’s announcement of its intent to provide a smaller pay adjustment to the federal civilian workforce in 2020 than what House Democrats have proposed is just one more example of how little regard it has for federal civilian employees who work for the American people every day.

This Women’s Equality Day, which marks the ninety-ninth anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, we celebrate the courage of suffragettes and all those who worked to secure women’s right to vote.

President Trump ought to be broadly and strongly condemned for suggesting that American Jews or any group could be considered disloyal to our country if they do not vote for Republicans or for this president.

The decision of the Israeli government to deny entry to Israel by two Members of Congress is outrageous, regardless of their itinerary.  This action is contrary to the statement and assurances to me by Israel’s ambassador to the United States that ‘out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any Member of Congress into Israel.’  That representation was not true.