This is why I reintroduced the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in September, because it would restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.

Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy. Far too often, many Americans confront significant obstacles when they try to exercise the franchise.

D.C. residents are American citizens. I think all of us would agree on that.

I believe, Mr. Chairman, we have a duty to ensure that registering to vote and the practice of voting is simple, accessible for all the American people that are eligible to do so.

There are currently right now in D.C. 712,000 residents of D.C. that do not have full voting representation in Congress.

It is time to close that gap in our elections to protect our democracy...

The right to vote, as all of us know, is an American democracy cornerstone.

I agree with my colleagues, both Ranking Member Morelle as well as Representative Torres, that we are looking for a solution to a problem that does not exist.

Voting is a fundamental civil right, and it should not be infringed upon no matter what your race or ZIP Code is.

The decision that they make for their communities are often overridden by the interests of those who do not live in the District of Columbia, i.e., us in Congress.

Generations of Americans, many of whom are from my hometown of Selma, Alabama, march, fought, bled, and some even died for the equal right of all Americans to vote.

The brave foot soldiers that day were advocating for the fundamental constitutional right of access to the ballot box and freedom of speech.

We cannot allow anti-Semitism or Islamophobic or any form of hate to grow anywhere, but especially here in America.

I represent Alabama's Black Belt, a very proud product of Alabama's rural Black Belt. But our rate of poverty is much higher than the rate in Alabama writ large.

So, when I think about the face of welfare or the face of SNAP or the face of CTC, it is a child's face that I see, not some, you know, welfare queen.

I really would hope that this committee would try to find some solutions to deal with the reality of poverty that is in America.

I have to tell you I am proud of the fact that during the pandemic--that the House Democrats decided to make fully refundable the Child Tax Credit.

Our military is the best in the world, and it will stay that way as long as we have the best players on the field.

Diversity is truly America's strength. It is something that we should take seriously and not politicize or weaponize.

To assume our students cannot handle this information is truly an insult to their intelligence and ours.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Without a doubt, we are at a great inflection point in our Nation's history.

The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment strikes in its entirety subtitle D of the bill, through which Republicans would impose their wish list of restrictive voting policies upon the District of Columbia.

This amendment is very common sense. It would require States to provide at least 14 days of early voting.