Janice Schakowsky: “First, I want to thank my friend, Ayanna Pressley, the wonderful congresswoman from Massachusetts. I have had the…”

“First, I want to thank my friend, Ayanna Pressley, the wonderful congresswoman from Massachusetts. I have had the pleasure of knowing Ayanna Pressley well before she was even 16, and she was ready to vote as soon as that. I want to say that all over the country, and especially in my district, I feel we see young people, young activists, who are working tirelessly to make their voices heard, from battling climate change, battling gun violence, to advocating for racial justice and economic equality. This is their century, and our national leadership should be accountable to them, to these young people in their generation who will be most impacted by the existential threats that are looming before us today. This is a serious proposal. Sixteen-year-olds are doing the work of adults, and they should be treated with the respect that they deserve and the participation that they should be able to have. So I heartily support this amendment and urge my colleagues to consider it carefully and vote for it.”