Barbara Lee: “I thank Chairman Nadler for yielding. I thank Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Whip Clyburn, and so…”

“I thank Chairman Nadler for yielding. I thank Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Whip Clyburn, and so many Members for their leadership in keeping our eyes on the prize. Now, the Supreme Court gutted critical protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, we are restoring that constitutional right that so many States are taking away from Black and Brown people, rural people, people of color--everyone. Sooner or later, it will be all of us who will be subject to these voter restrictions acts. So make no mistake, these are efforts to turn the clock back to the days of Jim Crow. That is not something I am imagining. Madam Speaker, I vividly remember, as one who was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. So I, too, salute our Texas legislators for their boldness in protecting the right to vote. H.R. 4 can restore these crucial protections that our beloved John Lewis and so many others fought for. John said that the right to vote is ``precious, almost sacred.'' In honor of his legacy as a paragon of democracy, let us vote to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I thank Congresswoman Terri Sewell, G. K. Butterfield, our Speaker, everyone who has brought this bill to the floor.”