Condemning the Horrific Shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, what happened on March 16, 2021, in Atlanta is a senseless tragedy. It is an unconscionable act of irrational violence. We grieve with the victims' families, friends, and loved ones as they now must cope with this tremendous loss.
Justice must prevail, and the perpetrator must be held to account for these atrocious murders. That is why it is so very unfortunate that this resolution that we are discussing and considering tonight on the floor came on a rule when it wasn't even marked up in committee. I want to talk about the process--both the committee process and due process.
Taking the former first, the committee process, I have only spent 4 months here in Washington serving this august Chamber, but I did serve 8 years in the Texas legislature. What I noticed was nearly all legislation becomes better when it goes through the committee process.
So if this issue was so important, as my friends on the other side of the aisle state--and it should be, it is very important--then Members would have been allowed to offer amendments through the proper committee process, which might have, and most likely would have, greatly improved this resolution as it comes to the floor today and helped garner broader support.
Our aim should be to send the strongest message possible to the American people that all bigotry is to be condemned and not tolerated.
We are the most diverse nation on the face of the Earth, and our diversity is our strength. We value the priceless contribution of our American brothers and sisters of Asian descent, and that should be the point, not to make this resolution unnecessarily partisan and eventually become specious political talking points.
To the latter point, due process, this resolution threatens the rule of law by assuming facts in an individual case that have yet to be proven. There is no question that the shootings in Atlanta were horrific, but their motivation has yet to be determined under law.
While all illegal violence will and should be roundly and justifiably condemned, it is inappropriate for the House of Representatives to opine on the facts of an individual case when those facts will be decided by an impaneled jury, a jury that will hear all that evidence. A jury should not be pressured into deciding the facts one way or the other based on political spin and partisan pressure directed by this Chamber.
Do my colleagues on the other side of the aisle understand how this resolution could damage the ideal of legal due process by putting forth an assertion of facts before our justice system has had the ability to function?
The trial for this tragedy in Atlanta isn't over. In fact, it hasn't even started yet. This resolution sets a dangerous precedent at this time the way it is written. It is a possibly reckless path to embark down for such an important legislative body as the United States House of Representatives.
While this resolution threatens some political theater, it is remarkable also for what it seems to be conveniently omitting from this resolution addressing anti-Asian bias.
House Democrats have left out the many ongoing and high-profile lawsuits filed by Asian Americans alleging anti-Asian discrimination in schools' and universities' admissions policies.
So why would our friends across the aisle ignore these allegations in this resolution?
At the same time, this resolution includes the strange statement that references the Wuhan virus as anti-Asian. There are other elements that are clearly anti-Asian that are in this resolution, and should be. But the Wuhan virus is where this virus originated.
Historically, viruses are often named for their place of origin. A case in point is the West Nile virus. It wasn't in Montana. It was in the West Nile district of Uganda.
Zika was named after the Zika Forest in Uganda. Ebola was named after the Ebola River in Zaire, in central Africa.
Here in America, we have the Rocky Mountain spotted fever named after a big mountain chain in the West. A disease in my native New England, Lyme disease, was found in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
So is that going to be geographically prejudiced?
Of course not.
There are no resolutions condemning the use of the words Ebola, Zika, or West Nile. So not only have we not seen resolutions condemning these names, they have also been embodied in the United States Code many times in reference to the very diseases being combated. It is just descriptive. It is not insulting by any stretch.
I could go on, but I think the point is made.
We should be more cautious in this legislative body with the statements we pass as certainty and the procedural precedents we set forth in the context of the judicial system. We should be focused on allowing the due process to play out with justice served, and continue to condemn vile and evil acts of violence against all Americans.
We should say this to our brothers and sisters of Asian descent: We appreciate you, we respect you, we love you, and we grieve with you.
When you break down Americans demographically, Asian Americans are a successful group in our country. Asian Americans, in their journey, epitomize the promise of America.
I thought it was interesting, the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019, the median household income for Asian Americans was $98,174 compared to, for all Americans, $68,703. That is 43 percent higher.
The history of the Asian-American journey is one of prosperity, hope, and promise fulfilled. Our Asian-American brothers and sisters should be congratulated, admired, and emulated.
Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), who is the chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and sponsor of this important resolution.
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
My colleague just mentioned that it must be nice to be born male and White. I was born both, and I didn't choose it. That is the way it happened. And then he went on to say: Must be nice that no one has ever attacked you because you are male and White.
That is an interesting comment because I have a dear friend who was beaten to within an inch of his life in a section of town that was right outside of Duke University, and he was beaten primarily because he didn't ``belong in that neighborhood.'' And do you know who is at fault for that? The very people who beat him. No one else. Unfortunately, hate occasionally fills all hearts, regardless of someone's shape, size, or shade.
And that comment in and of itself was divisive.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), a distinguished member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a distinguished member of the Oversight and Reform Committee and the chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee.
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague that no one, no American, should live in fear, Asian American, African American, European American, Hispanic American, or otherwise. No one. Because if you are not safe, then you are not free.
That is what we are here for, to guarantee equal protection under the law. Safety and freedom are our most solemn tasks while serving in this Chamber.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath), a co- leader of this resolution.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Bourdeaux), co- leader of this resolution.
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Mr. FALLON.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), a distinguished member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I will close with a statement of principle that no House resolution can come close to matching in its compelling moral clarity. It is the statement of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I will be honest, it gave me goose bumps as a child and it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it or if I say it.
To quote this great man: ``I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.''
Asian Americans certainly have demonstrated great character with their numerous and countless contributions to this American experiment.
We all mourn the victims of this attack, including the family members and community they leave behind.
I join my colleagues in seeking the fullest expression of justice that our system is designed to deliver.
That gets back to culture, the culture of this Chamber. Sometimes you hear from the mouth of babes. Well, I am a rookie and a freshman. I have only been here 4 months. This is the most hyperpartisan legislative body in this country, and it is awful. I am not saying that my party may not have done something similar in the past. I don't know; I wasn't here.
I served in the Texas Legislature, both the House and the Senate, and I was very proud of the fact that almost 99 percent of the things we passed in that body had at least some bipartisan support because we worked together, for the betterment of our State, to make Texas better.
Why can't we do that here, for the betterment of our country?
Not everything has to be partisan. I know it is now, but it doesn't have to be. We need to work together to change that culture.
I am a back-benching freshman. I don't have a lot of say. My voice isn't really heard here yet. That is okay. But if there is ever a day where it is, I pledge to do everything I can to work, when possible, on a bipartisan basis because it is better for this country.
We don't always have to score cheap political points, looking down the road for the next fundraiser or the next election. We can really do what is best for the country. Not red America, not blue America. America.
We had that opportunity here with this resolution. It could have been written if we had the committee process. The minority party could have contributed to it. We could have worked together on it. We could have pretty much guaranteed a 435-to-nothing vote. Because, at the end of the day, what I can recall in the Rules Committee was talking about sending a strong message that hate will not be tolerated, bigotry will not be tolerated.
Yes, this country has had an ugly past. It disgusts me. But when you are raised the right way, you see it for what it is: evil, unacceptable.
We are the greatest country history has ever known. By working together, we can ensure that our children and their children enjoy the fruits and the benefits and the labor and the bounty of this country. I wish that were the case with this resolution, because it could have been.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleagues, Representative Chu, Representative McBath, and Representative Bourdeaux, for their thoughtful and important resolution.
The House of Representatives must take a stand against anti-Asian bigotry and hate, and condemn the terrible shootings in Atlanta.
H. Res. 275 does just that. I urge every Member on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. FALLON. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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