Strengthening Democracy: the People United Will Never Be Defeated

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, today is 9/11, and I start our Special Order hour by paying tribute to the 2,977 people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and the thousands of people who were injured that day.

I ask that we observe a minute of silence as we remember the families torn apart, futures stolen and irrevocably changed, and the lives that we lost that day.

As Progressives, we are committed to making our democracy work, repairing the places it is fractured, strengthening the places it is vulnerable, and defending the places it is effective.

In April, the Congressional Progressive Caucus released our platform for 2025. In it, we outlined the work we are committed to, ensuring our democracy is strong.

Today, I have the honor to stand with a number of my colleagues who have been the movers and shakers in protecting our democracy and working toward strengthening our democracy and helping expand our democracy. I am pleased, as we get started with our Special Order hour, to yield to my colleagues who will share the progress that they have made and what Congress must still accomplish to further deliver on the work their communities sent them here to do.

Mr. Speaker, I will start by yielding to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Raskin is absolutely right. We are committed to progress. We are committed to moving forward. We are committed to strengthening our voting rights. We are committed to improving representation. We are committed to campaign finance reform. We are committed to fully funded Federal agencies. We are committed to ethics, courts, and filibuster reform.

There is someone who has been doing this work for a very long time and has developed the leadership among other Members to continue this work even after he leaves this Chamber.

I am committed to make sure that we carry on this legacy of progress.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Sarbanes for his remarks. He couldn't have said it more perfectly as we are wrapping up here.

I often ask myself what it would look like if money didn't determine elections, if qualifications did, if competency would. What would it look like if we got big money out of politics, which is exactly what we should all be prioritizing?

I don't think anyone can speak better about that issue than him.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Bowman for his remarks, and I am committed to working with him here and out of here to ensure that happens.

When we talk about the issues that matter most, as Congressman Bowman mentioned, everything from housing to healthcare to education, we understand that when democracy is weakened, our ability to move reforms because of these issues is also impacted.

Balint), someone I have had the opportunity to serve with for the last 21 months, a fierce advocate for our communities, not just in Vermont but all over, making sure that justice, equity, and strengthening democracy is at the forefront.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Balint. Her words could not have been more powerful.

We are at a crossroads right now, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus is committed to strengthening voting rights because our caucus wants to make sure that we protect the right to vote by passing broad and comprehensive voting rights bills that eliminate barriers to voting for U.S. citizens.

We want same-day, automatic, and online voter registration. We are committed to improving representation because we are the party that wants to abolish the electoral college, grant statehood to the District of Columbia, and establish a democratic process for the people of Puerto Rico to determine the island's future political status.

We are committed to bold campaign finance reform. We are the party that wants to end corruption and get big money and corporations out of politics by finally eliminating dark money in elections.

We are committed to fully funding Federal agencies that invest in Americans' health, education, and well-being. We are the party that wants to ensure that Congress funds vital Federal agencies and prevents the privatization of government services.

We are committed to eliminating or reforming the filibuster, and we are the party that wants to allow for the democratic consideration and passage of essential legislation.

We are committed to ethics reform. We are the caucus that wants to ban stock trading and ownership for Members of Congress and the Federal judiciary and impose an enforceable code of conduct on the Supreme Court, including instituting accountability measures and restrictions on gifts and requiring judicial disclosures and recusal.

We are committed to reforming the Court. We are the party that wants to expand the number of Justices on the bench, implement term limits, and create new judgeships across the Federal system.

Folks, as you heard from my colleagues here, we are committed because it is important to remember that this week extreme Republicans are attempting to hold the government hostage so they can advance a bill that creates barriers to voting for U.S. citizens.

Bottom line: It is already illegal under current law for noncitizens to register to vote or to vote in Federal elections. Despite numerous recounts, challenges in court, and the deep dives by Conservative think tanks, there has been zero evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Folks, it is a scare tactic, and extreme Republicans are trying to scare Americans--the fear-mongering--into giving up their right to exercise their vote in an accessible and unburdensome election process.

The SAVE Act is voter suppression, plain and simple. Requiring citizens to show documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote places an extreme burden on countless Americans, including military voters, Native voters, people who have changed their names, including tens of millions of American women, the elderly, the young, the poor, and naturalized citizens.

The SAVE Act's burdens on rightful voters are extreme because most Americans would be unable to register to vote using their driver's license or other State-provided identification alone. Even Real IDs do not meet the SAVE Act's requirements.

Millions of Americans, including tens of thousands in each congressional district, would be prevented from registering to vote easily, if at all. Americans would not be able to use military IDs or Tribal IDs alone when registering to vote. U.S. citizens who are putting their life on the line would have to go get a passport and other documents to prove their citizenship.

People who have changed their names, including millions of married women, would not be allowed to use their birth certificates when proving their citizenship.

Registration applications would need to be presented in person, essentially ending mail-in voting and creating barriers for same-day voter registration.

The SAVE Act makes it clear exactly who extreme Republicans believe should have an easy time accessing the right to vote and, more importantly, who they believe should have a difficult time.

It is in this moment, in this context that my colleagues and I come to this Chamber to convene this Special Order hour, to make it crystal clear exactly who is committed to doing the work of repairing and strengthening democracy.

Repairing, strengthening, and protecting our democracy is one of my greatest priorities in Congress. I have the honor of co-chairing the House Task Force on Strengthening Democracy, where I meet with my colleagues to discuss legislative solutions to act on Americans' desire to fortify the basic building blocks of healthy democracy.

During the August recess, I launched my democracy working groups in Chicago and DuPage County. I convened constituents, grassroots leaders, and organizations to share what they have seen, what they have learned, and what they have felt as they do the work on the ground of building a democracy that works for everyone.

I hosted a teletownhall focused on making government work for Illinois-3 and a Wheaton townhall focused on the topic of defending democracy. Listening to the voices of our communities and ensuring those voices are heard and valued is part of our democracy, and it is what is most important.

What we learned and affirmed is that democracy is a work in progress. It is not perfect, by any means. We have heard that we cannot simply strengthen democracy, simply preserve democracy. We must repair it and expand it where it is not living up to its potential.

We need democracy that truly works for the people, where government is responsive to the needs of its citizens, where we keep big money out of politics, where there is ethics reform both in our Supreme Court and Presidency, where we protect our election workers and our right to vote, where we defend public institutions from privatization and elimination.

That is why I am so proud to cosponsor numerous substantial pieces of legislation across the broad aspects of democracy and good governance, including bills like the Freedom to Vote Act by Congressman Sarbanes and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act by Congresswoman Sewell, which must be among the first bills we take on in the 119th Congress.

As I wrap up our Special Order hour in a few minutes, I do want to talk about some of the movers and shakers that are helping do this work to repair, strengthen, and protect our democracy.

To do so, I want to start by recognizing an organization that serves the State of Illinois led by one of my constituents, Mary Ellen Daneels. She is improving access to information, amplifying the voices of young people, and breaking down barriers to their participation.

Illinois Democracy Schools Network is a vital initiative committed to educating the next generation about the civic process. The growing network of middle and high schools is dedicated to expanding civic learning opportunities across Illinois, particularly in schools serving students of color to ensure all students are prepared to meaningfully participate in public life.

By creating high-quality learning experiences, the Democracy Schools Network helps foster informed, active, and equitable civic engagement among young people. On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, I do want to thank the Illinois Democracy Schools Network for nurturing the foundations of our democracy.

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. It is why I cosponsored and am cosponsoring several pieces of legislation that protect and expand ballot access, as we just talked about.

I do want to go into H.R. 11 a little deeper. Expanding voter registration and voting access prohibits voting roll removal, establishes election day as a Federal holiday, and enacts other voting rights and election reforms.

H.R. 14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, strengthens voting rights by expanding and strengthening government's ability to respond to voting discrimination.

Defending the right to vote is defending our communities. Let me say that again. Defending the right to vote is defending our communities. Therefore, I will continue resisting and challenging any attempt from extremists in our government to undermine our democracy and erode our rights.

We all have a role to play. I encourage us all to get engaged: register people to vote, serve as election judges, combat misinformation. We have to fight for the democracy that we deserve.

There is an organization that has been doing this work around the clock, defending democracy, and that is Midwest Voting Rights Program of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.

This vital initiative focuses on ensuring fair access to the vote and upholding election laws. Through their Election Protection program and litigation, they provide critical resources on election day. They partner with incarcerated and returning community members to expand voting rights. They ensure racial equity in redistricting. They defend civil rights and advocate for equitable election laws in Illinois and Indiana.

A notable leader in this work is Clifford Helm, senior counsel for the program and a proud constituent of Illinois' Third Congressional District. I thank Clifford and Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights for their dedication to eliminating barriers to voting and enhancing civic participation, especially in marginalized communities.

We also need organizations that create and provide citizens tools to hold our officials accountable, and that is why I am proud to recognize Indivisible, a grassroots movement dedicated to strengthening our democracy through education and civic engagement.

Through Indivisible Civics, they provide invaluable resources, training, and tools to empower local groups and activists, including to engage with their local elected officials and hold them accountable.

Since the beginning of 2019, Indivisible members have made 73,625 calls to Congress and have organized over 2,000 grassroots events in all 50 States. Their focus on building civic knowledge and skills helps individuals become effective advocates and informed citizens.

In Illinois' Third Congressional District, active Indivisible chapters in Illinois and civic leaders like Dianne McGuire, Deborah McCoy, Kathy Tholin, Geri Kahn, Patricia Graham, and Denise Poloyac are working tirelessly to engage their neighbors in the civic process. I thank Indivisible for their commitment to fostering a well-informed electorate and a stronger democracy.

While extreme Republicans demonstrate which Americans they believe should have access to vote and who they believe shouldn't, I am honored to recognize the nonprofit Chicago Votes for their efforts in fostering civic engagement among the next generation of leaders in our city.

Their Unlock Civics program works to increase democratic participation from justice-impacted adults, from registering over 5,000 voters in Cook County jail to advocating for legislation to make the jail the first in the Nation to serve as a primary election voting location.

Chicago Votes also works to engage young people in local civic processes, from their regular parade to the polls to creating nonpartisan voting guides to support educators around civic curriculum.

Their fellowships and leadership development opportunities for youth and justice-impacted individuals, including their Democracy Corps, build stronger leaders for a stronger, more informed democracy. I thank Chicago Votes.

I also want to acknowledge the work of organizations like the Latino Policy Forum. The Latino Policy Forum is doing the work to protect our multicultural, our multiracial democracy from attempts to scapegoat, silence, criminalize, and persecute our Latino and our immigrant communities.

Through their efforts in coalition, the forum has engaged Comunidades Latinas in the civic process of our democracy.

Whether by expanding participation in the Census or access to multilingual and culturally competent educational voter material, the organization is fighting to ensure equitable representation and fair investment in our communities.

The work has been possible thanks to the efforts of its staff and its president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, Sylvia Puente, who after 16 years of service, announced her well-earned retirement.

Her unwavering leadership has been instrumental in driving positive, meaningful change for our communities.

In the face of the cruel policies that are looking to hurt our communities, I thank Sylvia for inspiring us with her leadership. ``Gracias por luchar por nuestra comunidad contra viento y marea.'' ``Thank you for your fight for our community against all odds.''

As I wrap up here, I want to thank all my colleagues who join tonight's Progressive Caucus Special Order hour. I want to end with this: I am the product of community organizing. I am the product of a movement that continues to fight for what is right even when the attacks just keep coming and coming and even in the face of fear, even in the face of loss and hardship.

We are and have been a nation at a crossroads. We say we are facing an existential crisis, but the truth is that we have been facing this crisis for a very long time. This country has consistently faced a crossroad to choose fear or to choose hope, to choose love or to choose hate, to choose bigotry or to choose equity, to choose oppression or to choose justice.

We face those all-too-familiar crossroads again. Will we choose democracy or will we submit to dictatorship?

Democracy is a grand experiment of collective experience, and it cannot be taken for granted. It is precious and fragile, and it requires that we strive to be the best of ourselves.

I am encouraged that each time this country faced a crossroads, organizers were there bending the arc of history towards justice; fighting like hell.

We fight like hell for our communities. Our communities have always been the target of injustice. We also know that we fight like hell for our children and the future. We fight like hell against Trump and MAGA Republicans and Project 2025, as they are a fundamental threat to our children.

The people want big money out of politics. The people want us to reform the Supreme Court. The people want us to protect the integrity of our elections. Our democracy will be repaired, strengthened, and preserved when we fight for democracy.

I believe that the people united will never be defeated because we have something to fight for. I fight for my husband, a Dreamer. I fight for my nieces and nephews. I fight for every Latino who aspires to public office. I fight for the movement. The fight ahead is worth it.

There is no greater honor to fight alongside you, to protect, preserve, and expand democracy.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source