Question of Personal Privilege

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud Member of this body, as a woman of color, and as a sister in service to my colleague, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was verbally assaulted by a Member of this same Chamber.

Gaslighting my colleague in our country won't work here. I rise to tell my sister in service: I believe you. I believe you not just because reporters happened to be standing there to hear the sexist attack, but because I believe women across our country when they tell us of the violence they experience at the workplace.

Violence against women in politics specifically is a global problem. I know. I would invite any of my colleagues across the aisle to answer the calls into my office for just 1 day to hear the vile sexist remarks made about me and other women serving in this Chamber.

When my colleague from Florida made the remark in question, he echoed and perpetuated those sexist and violent calls.

Madam Speaker, we must condemn in the strongest terms possible this kind of violent sexism so that women and girls across the country know that there is no room for it in any workplace, not in Congress, not anywhere.

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