Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from California for yielding and for her leadership as well as her support, in addition to Ranking Member Grijalva, Chairman Bishop, Chairman LaMalfa, and the entire committee for moving this bill expeditiously to the House floor and for their leadership and partnership in this regard. I also want to thank my good friend and fellow Judiciary Committee member, Congressman Chabot, for his support, leadership, and cosponsorship of this legislation. Words definitely matter. They can cause great harm and division, particularly when they are embedded in Federal statute. So this step that we are taking today, as it relates to the 21st Century Respect Act, is important, as a symbol from this Congress, the people's House, to the Nation that we can come together, that we are all fellow Americans, and that outdated, antiquated, and racially stereotypical terms like Negro and Eskimo and Oriental are not appropriate at this time in America. They reflect a more divisive bygone era. Mr. Speaker, I am thankful to all of my colleagues for coming together in this regard, a small but meaningful step in an era otherwise characterized by great division, and perhaps an indication that we can come together as Democrats, as Republicans, and as people of diverse racial backgrounds to heal whatever divisions may remain in our society. Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues for their leadership and support.”