Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague from California again for her tremendous leadership and for reminding us about the history that brought us to this day, the fact that it was the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery; that it was the 14th Amendment that granted us citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to freedom; but it was the 15th Amendment, which was the last of the Reconstruction Amendments, which was designed to guarantee Black men the right to vote. As the gentlewoman rightly noted, Black women were a significant part of that effort, despite the fact that they weren't included in those initial rights until the 19th Amendment was passed. The fact is that we have come so far and made so much progress with the Voting Rights Act and know that this body, we passed H.R. 4, but we can't get agreement with our colleagues on the other side and the colleagues in the Senate to pass the Voting Rights Act. Fifty-five years after the initial Voting Rights Act was passed, to reauthorize that in this body shows just how much of a struggle we have, whether it is with our voting rights, whether it is with legal protections, or whether it is with the values that are reflected in the budget that we are deliberating this week that the President will submit. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much for her words of wisdom and know that, with the gentlewoman in this fight, we will continue to make progress and people will be heard.”