What LaMonica McIver said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Joanne Rajoppi, the longtime Union County clerk who dedicated more than five decades to public service and passed away on Thursday, July 16, at the age of 78.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Davison Igbinosun for being selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 62nd pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Davison is a graduate of Union High School and was New Jersey's top recruit in the 2022 high school football class.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Qaadia Roberts, the New Jersey Tenth's native and founder of She Is, Inc. She Is is a Jersey City-based nonprofit that empowers girls through mentorship, leadership, development, and community engagement that directly strengthens access to opportunity and workforce readiness.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand alongside my colleague Congressman Tim Kennedy to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Tops supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York. Ten people, ten loved ones, ten members of a community left home to run errands on what should have been a normal day.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lucia Ranieri for her victory at New Jersey's State wrestling championship. Lucia made program history with her win, becoming the first Roselle Park high schooler to win a State title since 1953.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for yielding. I rise today to stand alongside my colleagues in honor of Black Maternal Health Week. This time is about confronting inequities and downright racism in maternal care and ending our Nation's maternal health crisis.”

“For too long, the experiences and concerns about Black women have been cast to the side in our healthcare system. Today, they are being flat-out ignored. This administration has directed programs to erase words like ``Black'' from funding applications.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Patricia Guerra-Frazier for her appointment as mayor of Union Township in New Jersey's 10th Congressional District. Mayor Frazier has made history, becoming the first Latina to hold this role.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and remember the life of former New Jersey assemblyman and pillar of the New Jersey community, Alberto Coutinho, better know as Al Coutinho.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the fine gentlewoman of Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for anchoring tonight's Special Order hour to celebrate Women's History Month and to celebrate and speak truth tonight.”

“Black women have always looked at this country and thought and asked: How can I make it better? They then fought for that ``better.'' When we weren't given a seat at the table, we made it our mission to bring a folding chair.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Sophia Angelica for her work in empowering children through music, acting, and writing. Sophia, a singer and songwriter from Argentina, uses her talents to advocate for human rights across the globe.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate New Jersey 10th's very own Michael B. Jordan for his Oscar win this Sunday. The Newark native won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in ``Sinners,'' making him the sixth Black man to win this award.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the leadership of President Acebo, the 13th president of New Jersey City University in Jersey City. A proud Hudson County native and the first-generation son of Cuban immigrants, President Acebo grew up in Union City and now leads one of our State's most vital Hispanic-serving institutions.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Principal Terry Woolard, a dedicated leader in Essex County education for 34 years. Terry served for decades as an educator in New Jersey.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Lieutenant John Swandrak on 30 years of service to the Cranford Police Department and wish Lieutenant Swandrak the best on his retirement.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the 2025 New Jersey 10th Black History Month Essay Contest winners. I love this contest because it showcases the amazing talent found in the halls of our New Jersey-10 schools.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Hayes) so much for leading this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Department of Education are vital to all communities, including the one I represent.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to say Go Bulldogs and Go Jaguars, better known as Malcolm X Shabazz High School's boys basketball team and Arts High School's girls basketball team, the champions of Newark Board of Education's Annual Holiday Basketball Tournament.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise to wish a happy heavenly birthday to my predecessor in representing New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, the Honorable Donald Payne, Jr. He served as Newark City Council president and went on to succeed his father in this body.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Akbar T. Salaam, a distinguished entrepreneur, statesman, and community leader whose decades of service have made an extraordinary impact on the people of Newark and the broader New Jersey community.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend a warm welcome to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, an esteemed leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, upon his visit to the United States.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with deep concern for our Nation's Capital, also known as chocolate city. The four Republican bills on the floor this week are a direct attack on the people of this city, particularly the Black and Brown communities who have called D.C. home for generations.”

“H.R. 5143 discourages basic public safety, pushes lies about crime in the Black and Brown communities, and puts everyone in harm's way and at risk. That is why it is no surprise of who the sponsor is of this very dangerous and wicked bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, the fine gentleman from Virginia, for his remarks and for coming here this evening to talk with us. Mr. Speaker, home health aides are some of the most essential workers in our economy, taking care of our parents and grandparents as they age and ensuring that sick and disabled people can live with dignity.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks and for joining me this evening. At this very moment, the Department of Labor is working to rescind the Farmworker Protection Rule, a Biden-era standard that gave farmworkers, many of them seasonal workers here under the H-2A visa program, the basic right to speak up about unsafe working conditions without fear of being fired or deported.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar) for joining me tonight and for her remarks. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to Trump's attacks on the diversity of our workforce, the Department of Labor is his biggest cheerleader and superfan.”

“Thank you so much to the gentlewoman from New Mexico for joining us and for your remarks. Mr. Speaker, tonight we have heard about the increased discrimination in the workplace, the repealing of protections for those with disabilities, and the dangerous construction sites our neighbors are forced to show up to.”

“Mr. Speaker, once again, we find ourselves staring down a deadline to fund the government--deadline after deadline after deadline. Once again, we expect to see our colleagues across the aisle use this as an opportunity to put partisanship over people.”

“Better is possible. We know that better is possible. We know better, despite what the other side of the aisle does. That is why we are going to continue to fight like hell for the people we serve because we know that they deserve better.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am telling you, it is time for us to work for the people. I thank the fine gentlewoman from California for those remarks. It is time for us to work for people.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Andres Acebo, J.D., as the 13th President of New Jersey City University, located in the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a new voice, as a new face, as a new generation, but still living by the words: ``When you see something that is not right, you must say something.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my amazing Ranking Member Velazquez for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2966, a bill that does not serve our small business community, despite its name.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me the time. My colleague across the aisle, obviously, wants us to be ``sleep'' because that is the opposite of being woke.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong opposition to the efforts to undermine American small businesses by the very agency tasked with fueling them. Let me be clear.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of Catherine Willis, a woman who lived to help her community realize the dream of justice and equity, and whose legacy lives on in every neighborhood she touched.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on an issue that has devastated families and communities across this country: gun violence.”

“We need a President and an administration that says enough is enough. If you don't want to do anything to actually take the guns off the street, then at least invest in the root causes of violence because it is too easy for someone desperate enough to take their life to get a gun and do it.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark, the largest city in New Jersey and my hometown. Through his life of leadership, Mayor James transformed Newark's skyline and spirit.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1804, commonsense and bipartisan legislation, which I am proud to co-lead with my colleague, Congressman Meuser, to bring better oversight and real accountability to one of the Small Business Administration's most important loan programs, 7(a).”

“Mr. Speaker, ``I probably wouldn't be alive because I wouldn't have been able to afford [my] medicine.'' That is what Dominique from East Orange, New Jersey, said about Medicaid.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise and stand here today not as a politician, but as a daughter, a mother, and a product of public schools. I am here because I know what education can do, what it did for me, what it has done for millions of children across this country, and I cannot sit quietly as one of the cornerstones of our democracy is chipped away.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Sahli Negassi, a NJ-10 student at West Orange high school who received a perfect score on the SAT this year. Less than 1 percent of SAT test-takers earn a perfect score each year, and Sahli's accomplishment is nothing short of extraordinary.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the New Jersey-10 winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge. Aman, Alexa, Charlie, and Gabriel teamed up to make Tailored Trivia.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Sahli, a New Jersey-10 student at West Orange High School who received a perfect score on the SAT this year. Less than 1 percent of SAT test takers earn a perfect score each year, and Sahli's accomplishment is nothing short of extraordinary.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Bynum and Figures for organizing this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Black History Month and the profound and vibrant legacy of the many Black Americans who have made our country.”

“Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. COVID-19 shuttered the doors of many beloved local businesses, and many more are still continuing on a path of financial recovery.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the incredible voices and stories captured in ``We Were Strangers Once, Too.'' This is a powerful memoir retelling the immigrant journeys and stories of students from my district.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Inez Rosalie Alick Elliot, who just celebrated her 108th birthday. Known as Rose to family and friends, she celebrated her 108th birthday on January 20.”

“Madam Speaker, I introduced the SNAP Benefits Fairness Act in the U.S. House with Representative Shontel Brown to remove the housing cap on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and make SNAP benefits more accessible to those who need them.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to announce that on Friday I was proud to introduce the Amputation Reduction and Compassion, or ARC, Act to help combat preventable amputations brought on by peripheral artery disease, also known as PAD.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to object to the dangerous bill, H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, better known as the child predator empowerment act.”