Issues of the Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am very proud to have a dear friend and colleague on the floor with me.

Ocasio- Cortez).

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her message, and I assure her that I will be part of that fight.

There are some fights that you cannot escape. I believe that women should have the right to choose. It is not my choice. It is the choice of the woman. I hope that we will see a time when the Supreme Court will realize that it has made a mistake that has to be corrected.

But today I am here primarily and principally to talk about a state of affairs in Texas. Sadly, regrettably, and unfortunately, the GOP-- the Grand Old Party, the party of Lincoln--has degenerated and devolved into what I call the COT, the cult of Trump. The party of Lincoln has devolved into the cult of Trump. It is no longer the Lincolnian party firmly planted on the bedrock of the democratic principles, government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It has deteriorated into the Trumpian party firmly planted on the dubious ground of ``government of Trump, by Trump, and for Trump.''

This is best evidenced and evinced by juxtaposing the public policy stance taken by the GOP with the public policy stance codified and voted on by the Texas Republican Party--the COT, the cult of Trump--on June 18, 2022, at their party convention in Houston, Texas. And juxtaposing, the GOP, the party of Lincoln that took a stand and fought to keep the Union together, the COT, the cult of Trump, has taken a stand to secede from the Union literally. Texas now under Republican leadership desires to leave the Union.

When I say Republican leadership, I mean those persons who participated in the convention. The Governor sent a message and State- elected officials were a party to it. Either directly or in some vicarious way they were all affiliated and associated. They knew about this vote that was taken, and either they voted for it, or they have acquiesced to it.

The GOP, the party of Lincoln historically, accepted and participated in the peaceful transfer of Presidential power. The COT, the cult of Trump, rejects the certified results of the 2022 Presidential election and holds that President Biden was not legitimately elected by the people. This is all news that has taken place in the State of Texas recently--as of June 18, 2022--Texas wanting to leave the Union by and through the GOP.

Now the cult of Trump and also the Texas Republican Party indicated that President Biden is not the President. They went so far as to say that they reject the certified results of the 2022 Presidential election that holds that President Biden was elected but they say not legitimately elected.

Lastly, of the many things that I could mention--but it is something that is critical to people of color and women--the GOP, the party of Lincoln, forged the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution recognizing the right of former slaves to vote. Under the hand of GOP President George W. Bush, a 25-year reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

On the other hand, the COT, the cult of Trump, urges that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized. The Texas former Republican Party, now the cult of Trump, would repeal and not reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.

Should this happen, the gender, complexion, and diversity of the Congress will change significantly.

Here is why: In 1965, when our dear colleague and brother, John Lewis, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what we now call Bloody Sunday, when he crossed the Edmond Pettus Bridge that day, he had to sense what fate was awaiting him on the other side of the bridge. I am not sure he anticipated it would be as dastardly imposed as it was. As he approached the bridge--I have been to the bridge many times; it has a zenith, and it has crest. As you approach the crest, Mr. Speaker, you can see what awaits you on the other side.

On Bloody Sunday in 1965, peaceful protesters were marching from Selma to Montgomery. They were peaceful, doing no one harm, and simply wanting to peacefully demonstrate that they were willing to walk to a city that for years had been a place where there had been persons who were being mistreated and not having the opportunity to vote as other people were voting. But in any event, they were walking, and they came upon the police and the constabulary on horses.

I spoke to my friend, John Lewis, about this. He said he thought he was going to die because they started beating them. They beat them all the way back to the church where they started. It was a sad day in history. It was a sad day in the history of this country and a sad day in the history of the world. The camera's eye caught what was happening, and it was broadcast around the world.

A President from Texas, Lyndon Johnson, wanted to do what he ultimately did. But he didn't have the momentum to get it done until Bloody Sunday when people saw the meanness, the hate, and just the desire to harm peaceful people. When they saw all of this, it gave him that momentum that he had been seeking. I admire him. He was able to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed.

That Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed the diversity in Congress, the complexion of Congress, and the agenda of Congress. This is the same Voting Rights Act, Mr. Speaker, that the cult in Texas--the COT, the cult of Trump, no longer the Grand Old Party, the GOP--they would not reauthorize, they would repeal it.

President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. At the time he signed it in 1965 in the 89th Congress, there were four Asian Members--four. There were four Latino Members, six Black Members, and 13 women in the Congress.

There were four Asians in 1965. Now, fast-forward to 2022, the 117th Congress. There are 21 Asian Members. Before the Voting Rights Act became law, there were four. In 2022, there are 21. Before the Voting Rights Act, there were four Latino Members. In 2022, there are 52. The Voting Rights Act has afforded opportunities that were not there prior to Bloody Sunday.

There were six Black Members in 1965. In 2022, there are 61 Black Members. I am proud to be one of them--61. I would daresay that but for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I would not be one of the 61. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has made a difference in the complexion of Congress. There were thirteen women in 1965. In 2022 there are 151 women.

You see, Mr. Speaker, when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it possible for African Americans to have these opportunities, it did open the door for others as well. It opened the door for people of color. They were not the slaves that benefited from the 13th Amendment, but they were people who benefited from the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

It also provided people in my congressional district to have a ballot printed in more than one language. Houston is a polyglot city. Many languages are spoken. The ballot in the Ninth Congressional District, where I am fortunate enough to serve, is printed in four different languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese. The Voting Rights Act made that possible. It has been reauthorized and amended such that language has been made a part of the Voting Rights Act giving people the opportunity to simply vote in a language that they understand. Some people would say: Well, they should all speak English.

Well, there are some Native Alaskans who don't necessarily find English as their native tongue. They are citizens. They ought to be able to vote. They are people who acquired citizenship and speak another language. They speak English well enough to have the kinds of conversations that can help in your daily life, but when you are casting a vote for President of the United States or some other public office such as judgeships, it would serve people well to be able to do this with the language they are most comfortable with. Hence, we have the ballot in these four languages.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has made, and continues to make, a difference notwithstanding the fact that a significant portion of it has been eviscerated. We still have section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to help prevent invidious discrimination that Texas is known for, by the way. Texas is the home of invidious discrimination. Texas has twice left its place in countries where slavery was not acceptable. Rather than remain, Texas has seceded. Texas left Mexico because of slavery, and Texas left the United States because of slavery. So the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has made a difference.

But the State of Texas through many of its agents, and especially those associated with the cult of Trump--formerly known as the GOP, the Grand Old Party--many of those agents would repeal the Voting Rights Act which would make a great difference in who speaks at this microphone and who walks the Halls of Congress.

It seems that in Texas if you can't conform with the law or you don't want to, then you just simply change the law.

And that is what they seek to do now, to change the law, rather than allow the diversity to exist that we currently see. They would change the law and roll back the clock; and I assure you, the diversity that we currently experience would cease to exist.

So I am here to say that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 must be reauthorized. It must be.

I understand that the Supreme Court seems to be hostile to the rights of minorities, hostile to the rights of women. My dear friend, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, spoke quite eloquently on the subject.

I indicated that this was my last topic, as it relates to the cult in Texas, but I do have to confess that in Texas, the former GOP, now the cult of Trump, bans abortions, or would ban abortions--this is what they codified and published--would ban abortion from the moment of fertilization. That means that there would be no legal abortions in Texas from the moment of fertilization.

I do have sympathy for women who are raped. There would be no options, from the moment of fertilization. It appears, at least to some, that this would also mean, even if the mother's life is in question. This is as draconian as a law can be.

Women should have the right to choose. It is their body. I can have opinions, but they have to deal with the reality. And it is not an easy reality for many women to confront.

So this is something they should have the opportunity to talk about with their most trusted confidantes and make hard choices. I don't wish the choice upon anyone, but I do think that women ought to have that choice.

And my hope is that, as I indicated earlier, I live long enough to see a Supreme Court that will realize that Roe v. Wade--the decision in Roe v. Wade was a decision that gave women the opportunity to make choices that only they should have the opportunity to make.

Mr. Speaker, these are some very difficult times. I see many people celebrating. But I also know that when I called a friend to discuss this, there were many tears being shed. And not everybody is happy today. For many people, this is a very dark day in the life of our country.

Just yesterday, or the day before--the days run together sometimes when you are up late--the Supreme Court ruled that you can carry your gun openly, notoriously.

I don't want to live in a world where my safety is dependent upon my having an automatic Kalashnikov model 47, or some replica of an AR-15. I don't want my safety to depend upon my being--having the quickest draw. I don't want to resolve my disputes with a gun.

I just think this is a very difficult time for us. And my prayer is that we will have persons in the Senate who will understand that there is little time left for us to make a difference.

We have the House, meaning Democrats. We have the Senate, and we have the Presidency. There is just little time left. But there is enough time left for us to make a difference if we choose to.

And my prayer is that those Senators will understand that either we take up our agenda now, or we risk not having the opportunity to take it up within the foreseeable future. That is what we risk.

I hope that they will see that now is the time to deal with a woman's right to choose. The legislation is there.

Now is the time to deal with gun safety laws that can prevent 18- year-olds from having weapons of war.

Now is the time to take up voting rights, so that all persons will have an equal opportunity to serve.

Now is the time to take up an agenda that will make America the beautiful a more beautiful America.

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