What Gregory W. Meeks said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the life, service, and enduring legacy of Staff Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad, a proud daughter of Carol and Basdeo Rampersad, whose extraordinary courage, selfless sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to our nation will never be forgotten.”

“One of the three that lost their life over the last weekend, Sergeant Angel Rampersad, is from my district, my constituent, in Ozone Park, New York, who was killed on July 17 in Jordan.”

“Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill for the State Department and foreign operations. Last year, the Trump administration illegally dismantled USAID and fired over 1,300 State Department employees.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable achievements, leadership, and enduring impact of the Howard University (HU) Men's Basketball program. Led by Head Coach Kenneth Blakeney and his entire coaching staff, HU's historic 2025 to 2026 season brought immense pride to the University, the Washington, D.C. community, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide.”

“Mr. Speaker, the question before this House is simple: Will we help Ukraine negotiate from a position of strength, or will we help Putin outlast American resolve? The Ukrainian people, our NATO allies, and the United States national security cannot afford to wait any longer for this body to act against Russia's brutal war in Ukraine.”

“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(c) of rule XV, I rise to provide notice of my intent to offer a motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House Resolution 518.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my motion to discharge House Resolution 518 so that we can consider my bill, the Ukraine Support Act, on the floor this week.”

“Mr. Speaker, the vote we will be taking tomorrow is of historic importance. It is a question of whether we will be able to vote to support Ukraine, punish Russia, and stand for our values.”

“American people tens of billions of dollars. Congress cannot abandon its constitutional responsibility over matters of war and peace, and we should not be reducing ourselves to be a rubber stamp.”

“Mr. Speaker, I don't know about the gentleman, but I encourage him to read the resolution again because the words ``imminent threat'' to the United States of America are not in there.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Representative Gillen's bill to extend temporary protective status for Haitians until 2029. In fact, to me, it is outrageous that it actually took Representative Pressley's bipartisan discharge petition to force this consequential vote.”

“When I think about this country being established, it was people from other parts of the world--in the beginning, especially from Europe--who were trying to find a place to come to in order to get away from dangerous conditions.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my War Powers Resolution, and I do so today because the Constitution of the United States actually demands it, and so does the conscience of the House of Representatives.”

“Just yesterday, we heard more American troops were being sent to the Middle East. The Constitution ultimately, again, no matter whether you agree with the war or do not agree with the war, Mr.”

“Mr. Speaker, you know, the gentleman is from Florida, so he knows oranges. I am from New York, the Big Apple. I know apples. The gentleman's argument, clearly, he doesn't know apples from oranges.”

“Mr. Speaker, let me just say, I support 100 percent our troops, but I strongly disagree with anyone who would say to trust, just simply trust, the President of the United States.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Clyburn and Brother Fields for the opportunity, and I thank the young man here who has Jesse Jackson's DNA in him, the Honorable Jonathan Jackson.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, and every day since his passing, we mourn the loss of a true public servant, an NYPD officer, a major in the United States Army National Guard, Sorffly Davius, an American hero who dedicated his life to serving people at home and abroad.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Ethel L. Cuff Black, a trailblazing educator and one of the 22 visionary founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Neguse for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it is Groundhog Day again in Washington, D.C. You know, this week is an opportunity to drive down electricity costs, create jobs at home by bolstering our exports of goods made in America.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Crystal Bonds, an extraordinary educator and leader retiring after more than 27 years of distinguished service to the New York City Department of Education and to the students and families of Southeast Queens.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and enduring legacy of Mr. Rick Cotton, one of the most impactful transportation leaders New York has ever known.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I hope I am wrong about the President's motivations, and he brings Congress a real strategy to transition Venezuela to democracy.”

“Mr. Speaker, I just wonder what kind of man, when a woman earned the Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Corina Machado, said that he wanted it, and she, trying to fight for democracy, came in, and he took it.”

“Reclaiming my time, yeah, okay, that is funny. It is because he does not care. It never was about drugs. It was always about oil. That is why.”

“Mr. Speaker, we should vote today to end these tariffs and lower costs for everyday Americans. Instead, this House majority is paralyzed by fear, making it one of the least effective in modern American history.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6504, the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act. First, as all have done, I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, Dr.”

“Madam Speaker, as a longtime proponent of the African Growth and Opportunity Extension Act, I rise today in support of this bipartisan bill, H.R. 6500, the AGOA Extension Act.”

“Honorable late Charles B. Rangel. He always spoke and thought of doing what he could for the continent of Africa. The African Growth and Opportunity Extension Act delivers significant economic benefit to the United States.”

“Madam Speaker, there are certainly improvements we can make in terms of encouraging countries to better utilize the trade preferences offered under AGOA and to maximize their government strategies to take full advantage of those benefits.”

“Mr. Speaker, we were diplomatically working together. We were trying to help the people of Venezuela. In fact, we can also see how long ago that was. I had all-black hair at the time.”

“If the administration did want to stop drugs, Trump would not have pardoned the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, or Ross Ulbricht who operated the Silk Road drug marketplace.”

“Following another strike, on October 16, the Department of Defense repatriated two survivors to their home countries rather than prosecute them in the United States courts, as we would expect if these individuals were, in fact, dangerous drug traffickers bound for the United States.”

“United States courts and in jail, be pardoned if this is about drugs. I am waiting for an answer. I haven't heard that yet. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am still waiting to hear why major drug dealers, two major drug dealers, were pardoned by the President of the United States. I will wait.”

“Mr. Speaker, the gentleman can use my time if he can answer why the President of the United States pardoned major drug dealers who were convicted and doing time.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank Chairwoman Wagner, Chairman French Hill, Mr. Gottheimer, and to my dear friend and person that I respect and admire, the Ranking Member Maxine Waters, for their leadership.”

“Mr. Chair, 16 of these bills have passed the House nearly unanimously in this Congress, and I supported every individual bill when we considered them before the Financial Services Committee, as did many of my committee colleagues.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McGovern for his continued leadership on the Rules Committee. I thank him for his leadership in the people's House and for him always putting the working American first.”

“The House should have a say. Even last Congress, the Republican majority had votes on privileged resolutions under the emergency law. I can understand why some of my colleagues across the aisle might wish to avoid such a vote.”

“Crucially, the bill also does not alter or undermine congressional oversight over direct commercial sales. In short, while I have strong concerns about the arms sales and security assistance policies of the Trump administration, I support efforts to provide our allies and partners with improved timelines and processing for defense articles that they need for our shared national security goals.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3357, the Enhancing Multi-Class Share Disclosures Act. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Hill and Ranking Member Waters for their leadership and efforts to bring my bill to the floor today.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for allowing me to speak. Mr. Speaker, this rescissions package isn't about fiscal responsibility. It is about abandoning America's legacy of compassion, ceding global leadership, and turning our back on the most vulnerable.”

“Mr. Speaker, Republicans who have complained about executive overreach and rules distortions for years, now is the chance to put their money where their mouth is. This is the time.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for allowing me to speak. I thank the ranking member for all of his hard work because for sure what the President of the United States has done was lied to the American people and broke a promissory note.”

“While Trump may have started this, if this Republican majority chooses to duck a vote on my resolution ending these tariffs, then they will own this, too. They will own the higher prices.”

“Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that Donald Trump's policies are collapsing our economy. Unemployment is rising. The NASDAQ had its worst day since the COVID crash.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened today for the passing of Dr. Hazel Dukes. We called her Ma Dukes. Ma Dukes' lifelong commitment to equality, from breaking racial barriers in New York to leading the NAACP at the national and State levels, has left an indelible mark on our society.”