Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank our co-anchors and all the Members who spoke.

I send one very clear message: The actions of the Tennessee Legislature led by the GOP were a direct assault on our democracy and on people's duly elected Representatives. It smacks of overt racism that they would expel two of the youngest Black men in their body for simply speaking on behalf of their constituents.

This is still an ongoing threat that we should be concerned about because what happened in the Tennessee Legislature was a blow to our democracy, and if it can happen in Nashville, it can happen in communities all over our country.

This should concern every American, including my Republican colleagues, because the hallmark of a vibrant and healthy democracy is the very thing that the Republicans in the Tennessee Legislature shut down: freedom of speech.

The Congressional Black Caucus won't stand by and allow another Jim Crow era to take root while GOP legislatures abuse their power, as we saw in Tennessee.

We stand with the ``Tennessee Three.'' We stand with the parents calling for gun violence to end in their communities. We stand for free speech. We stand for our democracy.

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