Robin Kelly

I ask Congress to put forth more research into trauma.

Thank you for your leadership in this area, and I want to welcome all of my colleagues to Chicago and thank all of the witnesses for taking their time to be here.

We can't be an oasis of common sense surrounded by States beholden to the gun lobby.

Gun violence is an epidemic that kills nearly 100 Americans each and every day and forever changes the lives of 250 others.

We need strong Federal laws against straw purchases and gun trafficking because these common sense ideas are proven to save lives.

We need a national solution to this national problem.

The majority of our crime guns come from Indiana and Wisconsin.

It's been very difficult to get any legislation passed about gun violence.

It's because of the lack of national trafficking laws, straw purchasing, we can't even get a background law passed.

Before I ask my questions, I have to--my mic's on. Before I ask my questions, I just have to make a comment about where I represent, Chicago.

Until we pass some national laws to deal with this, there are going to be those issues.

The majority of our crime guns come from Indiana and Wisconsin.

We do need to invest more, you know, in various communities, but the other reason is because we don't have the laws that we need.

The hard truth is that no law can legislate away racism.

In the State of Washington, American Indian moms die eight times the rate of their White counterparts.

In my home State of Illinois, that disparity climbs to six times.

Nationwide, Black mothers die three to four times the rate of White mothers.

This crisis, like too many others, takes a disproportionate toll on communities of color.

Like you, I am shocked by our Nation's growing maternal mortality crisis.

What patients need most is a real change to the system and congressional action that will bring down drug prices.

I'm grateful that the bill has passed the House Energy and Commerce and Judiciary Committees, and I really hope it gets over the finish line as soon as possible.

As a founding member of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, I made it a priority to address the gaps in our healthcare system which result in black mothers dying at two to six times the rate of their white peers.

The MOMMA Act will help save the lives of mothers across the country.

Extending coverage for a full year will simply save the lives of many of those mothers.

This is absolutely unacceptable. We need a comprehensive solution to this crisis.