Jim Clyburn: “I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise to take note of the sad irony that the extreme Republican…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I rise to take note of the sad irony that the extreme Republican majority is bringing this appropriations bill to the floor on the 75th anniversary of President Truman's desegregation of the Armed Forces. President Truman's heritage would suggest that he would be an unlikely champion for civil rights. He grew up in a segregated town in Missouri, in a family that owned slaves and defended slavery. When our 33rd President heard of the blinding of Sergeant Isaac Woodard, Jr., a decorated Black World War II veteran who was brutally attacked by a police officer while traveling home to Winnsboro, South Carolina, on a Greyhound bus--still in his uniform after being honorably discharged--Truman was moved to forsake his upbringing and desegregate the Armed Forces. President Truman courageously recognized and acted to further our Nation's fundamental obligation to our servicemembers and veterans, regardless of their backgrounds. We should be working to build upon the progress he made, but regrettably, the MILCON-VA bill that the majority is bringing to the floor today would constitute a significant step backward. This ill-conceived legislation, in addition to reducing funds for the military construction projects that are fundamental to our servicemembers' quality of life, is also an attack on the dignity of our veterans.…”