Brenda Lawrence

I want to talk a little about maternal and infant mortality and morbidity because that is a huge issue.

I am very interested in knowing how we are going to accomplish the narrative that is throughout your budget.

One of my top priorities in the 117th Congress is to 'fix the damn roads,' a pointedly accurate statement championed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Let us be clear about one thing: social infrastructure is infrastructure, and it is critical to our overall competitiveness.

We need to ensure that we are open and inclusive in letting of the contracts of these billions of dollars that we are going to invest in our infrastructure.

We cannot rebuild back better if it is not rebuilt back better by all of our community.

We move our Nation in the right direction by ensuring that the infrastructure package is inclusive.

We know that the American Society of Civil Engineers 2018 report stated that Michigan received an overall grade of a D-plus.

For example, the Paycheck Fairness Act takes us closer to closing the gender pay gap, and the FAMILY Act established a comprehensive national family leave program, and the Child Care for Working Families increased affordable childcare.

I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), our final speaker tonight, who came to Congress with a mission. She has made her voice heard, and she has made such a difference. We…

I now yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning), a woman who has made a difference. I am looking forward to the brilliance of her future.

I thank the gentlewoman from Georgia. I know there is a tradition that says, as long as you say the names of your forefathers, they will never leave you. So I just want to introduce into the Record Etta Cranford, who was my grandmother. At…

I want to thank Congresswoman Lee for being a voice for women year after year after year. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who has been one of our fighters from the beginning.

I can't wait for that museum. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), another leader and fighter for women's rights.

It is also significant to note that the majority of the diversity in Congress is represented by the women Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), a fighter for the ERA.

I thank my amazing co-chair for everything she does. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Recently, President Biden announced his administration's American Jobs Plan, including an effort to invest heavily in workforce development.

I would be willing to work with you to remove any barriers.

We want them to be skilled. We want them to have mental health treatment. We want them to have good healthcare.

The women in prison get the same budget as the men, but men do not need medications to help navigate through menopause

I am zeroing in on is the treatment of women, particularly the Federal inmates, when it comes to receiving proper care and access to feminine hygiene products.

Last week, our subcommittee heard from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

I need to know, because I have visited prisons, and I have been told that, because of the budget, that each facility is given the same budget.

So, Director, I find these reports to be incredibly disappointing.

I want to focus on issues faced by too many female inmates during this pandemic.