Censured but Not Silenced

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, and I rise now to proudly yield to a person with great honor and integrity. She is a Member of this Congress who has been on the right side of righteousness. She is a Member of this Congress who stands for those who are among the least, the last, and the lost. She hails from the 14th Congressional District in the great State of New York.

Ocasio-Cortez). The Kirk Resolution and Political Violence

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. I bid the gentlewoman a good day, and we will proceed now, Mr. Speaker, again.

And still I rise.

And I rise today, Mr. Speaker, with the notion in mind that what I have stood for I still stand for. What I have stood for I still stand for. It wasn't that long ago, Mr. Speaker, that I stood right over to my right, the seat next to the aisle. Mr. Speaker, when the President of the United States of America was here for a joint session of Congress, the President of the United States of America indicated that he had a mandate.

I, with a degree of spontaneity, Mr. Speaker, from right over there, the second seat from the aisle, collected my portable items and was about to make my departure. I traversed up to the doors and made my exit as a means of protesting what the President was saying.

However, Mr. Speaker, as I did this, I became overwhelmed with just the notion that something was going to happen very ugly and it would be something that would hurt people who are on Medicaid and Medicare. I also brought up Social Security when I spoke, but these are the things that I was overwhelmed with. As a result of understanding what was about to happen and knowing that the committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid had a mandate to cut more than $800 billion, I was overwhelmed, Mr. Speaker. I did rise to my feet, and I did say to the President: You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.

My colleagues across the aisle became very rambunctious and decided that what I was saying did not merit being heard, so they performed very loudly. I am not angry with them. They performed loudly. I wanted to make sure that the President heard my statement, and I repeated myself and added Medicare and Social Security.

My colleagues continued, and I continued.

I was evicted, and I was later on censured, censured but not silenced. Yes, I stand today where I stood then. Censured but not silent I stand today where I stood then. It is best captured in this photo that depicts what occurred: censured not silenced.

So I stand today where I stood then, and I stand today where I stood then because there is a CR that has been brought before this House, and if I had voted for that CR, then I would legitimize what I stood against.

I refuse to legitimize what I stood against when I said: You don't have a mandate to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and I introduced Social Security into the equation.

That is what this was about for me, today. The question was whether I would stand where I stood then or whether I would now agree that what was done then is something that I condone now. I condemned what happened then. My mind has not changed. The people who will suffer will still suffer.

Mr. Speaker, why would I now decide that I am going to bless, if you will, condone, a CR that continues what happened, when my Republican colleagues did what they thought was right, I assumed, and passed the legislation without the help of Democrats?

If you can pass the initial legislation without the help of Democrats, Mr. Speaker, then why do you want me to join in your CR?

Pass this without my help.

Censured but not silenced. I stand now where I stood then. I went out, and I addressed the press. I didn't go out to address the press, the press asked and appealed to me to come over. I was making my way to my home where I could watch the rest of the joint session of Congress, but I went over to the press, and I said to them what I said to the President. I am on record.

Why would I now decide that I somehow conclude that what was done to Medicaid and Medicare is somehow something that I would now condone?

I have said, and I continue to say that this piece of legislation that was passed--not the CR, but the original legislation, that one big, ugly steal of a bill--this piece of legislation as it continues to develop is going to hurt people on Medicaid. If you live long enough, Mr. Speaker, you are going to need Medicaid because if you live long enough, then you are going to need some sort of long-term healthcare if you are fortunate enough, and you are going to get that from Medicaid.

I refuse to change my position. I stand now where I stood then, and I believe that what we are doing is the greatest cut in healthcare history. It is the greatest cut in healthcare ever.

All we are trying to do as Democrats, or at least this one Democrat-- I don't speak for the Democratic Party. I speak for myself and everybody who agrees with me.

What we are trying to do is to protect Medicare. That is all that CR is about for me. It is about a lot of other things as well, but I am trying to protect Medicare as I tried at the joint session of Congress. I am going to stand where I stood then.

I am proud to tell you that Democrats have produced some documents that encapsulate--that are terse but very much substantive in terms of what this appeal is all about. The style of it is: What are the elements of the Republican healthcare crisis?

There is a healthcare crisis. The Democratic Party has passed this on to me. I want to give them full credit for it. I am going to adopt it as my own, but I did not produce it.

It says here--this is a part of the crisis--slashing Medicaid with the largest cut in history. I said that. I am repeating myself. Some things bear repeating. Slashing Medicaid with the largest cut in history. I can't condone that. If I had voted for this CR, that is what I would be doing. You passed it without my help before. Why would you expect me to support it now? I want to change that. I am not a status quo politician.

Next point: dramatically raises premiums, copays, and deductibles for tens of millions of Americans. There are people who are living on the margins, barely capable of affording healthcare, and this legislation is going to make it impossible for some of them to afford healthcare. These premiums and copays and deductibles are going to go up for a good many people who can't afford them. We are trying to change that, or I am. I support this.

It goes on to say: forcing hospitals and community health centers across the Nation to close. That is no joke. People are starting to see it. They are starting to express their consternation. They are starting to let the people know that somehow this must not happen. They want to change it. If they want to change it, why would I vote to continue it? I refuse to change my position. I stand now where I stood then.

It goes on to indicate: setting in motion $536 billion in cuts to Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, that sums it up.

I stand now where I stood then. I am a liberated Democrat, unbought, unbossed, unafraid, censured, not silenced. I stand for the people I have been faithful to in my congressional district. I am going to be faithful to them until the very end, wherever and whenever that occurs. I stand for what is best to help them through these turbulent times and the crisis that the GOP healthcare initiatives have introduced to people who are in need of healthcare.

I close with this, Mr. Speaker. This is the richest country in the world. We cannot allow healthcare to become wealth care. We also cannot allow healthcare to line the pockets of the wealthy. That is another form of wealth care, healthcare to become wealth care for the wealthy.

The cuts are going to line the pockets of the very wealthy in this country. That has been published. It has been accepted, it seems, by all or a good many except me. I don't accept that. I refuse to allow healthcare to become wealth care and do it in the sense that it becomes the wealthy who benefit the most from the cuts that are taking place.

Mr. Speaker, I stand now where I stood then, censured but not silenced.

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