What Madeleine Dean said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, Private First Class Isabella Gonzales, First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, Sergeant Angel Rampersad, and Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton. Mr. Speaker, it has been 5 months since President Trump started his reckless war with Iran, 1 week since these young servicemembers lost their lives.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for this opportunity to talk about the Sunshine Protection Act. I rise in opposition to the bill and the danger it poses to our health and safety.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McGovern for his remarks, and I could not agree with him more. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule for many reasons, as expressed--the outrage about what is in here regarding veterans and their deserved, earned benefits.”

“Mr. Speaker, for the past 27 years, the Bipartisan Women's Caucus has held an annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington's Military Women's Memorial. It is a solemn event, a time when Republicans and Democrats come together to honor the immense service of women in the United States Armed Forces--until this year.”

“Agriculture is the largest industry in my Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Farmers are stewards of our land. For some, they carry generations of family work. For all, they fulfill our most basic need.”

“Mr. Speaker, Tuesday was primary day in Pennsylvania. It was a safe, successful election where thousands of voters made their voices and their vote known. Yet, it was a dark reminder that voting rights across the country are under attack.”

“Mr. Speaker, ``I don't think about Americans' financial situation at all . . . I don't think about anybody . . .'' Madam Speaker, over the past too many years, I have found it important to point out our leaders' failures to tell the truth.”

“Mr. Speaker, the world watched in awe as three astronauts from NASA and one astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency became the first people to travel to the Moon in more than 50 years.”

“Mr. Speaker, last weekend, I flew through Philadelphia International Airport where three security checkpoints are now closed. The lines were long, yet our dedicated TSA officers moved us through security with speed, efficiency, and professionalism.”

“Mr. Speaker, President Trump has launched us into a war of choice with Iran, with no clear explanation. Yet we know some of the consequences. Six U.S. servicemembers have been killed, dozens injured.”

“Mr. Speaker, Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress, and Congress alone, the ``power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.'' As Chief Justice John Roberts correctly noted last week, the Framers were explicit: The executive has no given power to reach into the pockets of the people to impose taxes and tariffs.”

“Mr. Speaker, on January 1, Republicans in Congress allowed the Affordable Care Act credits to expire. Instead of celebrating a new year, millions of Americans confronted healthcare premiums skyrocketing overnight.”

“Mr. Speaker, ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.'' I read these words today, the very first of the Articles of our Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, because 250 years later, our President does not seem to recognize them.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member DeLauro and Chairman Cole, and my sincere sympathies to Chair Womack and his family on the passing of his beautiful wife. Mr.”

“The Defense bill restores funding for Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs of $1.3 billion following massive cuts in fiscal year 2025. Further, it includes over $100 million for PFAS remediation efforts at military installations.”

“Mr. Speaker, the core of NATO is Article 5: An attack on one is an attack on all. Since the end of World War II, the U.S. and our allies have honored and operated on this mutual trust.”

“Mr. Speaker, perhaps the greatest casualty of the Donald Trump administration is the truth. The President and the courtiers who encircle him traffic, intentionally and carelessly, in falsehoods, misinformation, and lies.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the negotiated FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act. As a new member of the CJS Committee, I am pleased to have been part of crafting this legislation.”

“Madam Speaker, I try to slow down at this time of the year, a season of giving thanks, coming together, and counting blessings. It is a season, regardless of one's faith--maybe really because of all of our faith traditions--to celebrate light, light over darkness.”

“Mr. Speaker, I began this week in my district at Penn State Abington's new Collegiate Recovery Program with students in recovery for drug or alcohol addiction or who have been affected by others with addiction.”

“Mr. Speaker, commanding our Armed Forces and safeguarding our national security requires exemplary honor, experience, and loyalty to the Constitution. Yet time and time again, the President and his Defense Secretary have proven themselves unfit.”

“Mr. Speaker, for more than 40 days, families across our country suffered through the longest government shutdown in history. How did our President and Congressional Republicans respond? They responded by amputating the East Wing of the White House to make way for a $300 million gilded ballroom.”

“Mr. Speaker, when I came =========================== NOTE =========================== On September 19, 2025, page H4460, in the first and second column, the following appeared: (Ms. DEAN asked and was given per-. . .”

“Mr. Speaker, when I came ========================= END NOTE ========================= to Congress in 2019, I knew it was a time of great tension, yet I was motivated all the more to do this work.In the almost 7 years since, our empathy and our common humanity has been tested in unimaginable ways.”

“Mr. Speaker, in my suburban Philadelphia district, more than 75,000 people struggle with not enough food. They struggle with hunger every single day. That is why I voted against the cuts to SNAP, our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”

“Mr. Speaker, there are places on this Earth with unbearable suffering. Right now Gaza is starving. Children are starving. These photographs are very difficult to look at, but I ask you to look because this is a man-made famine.”

“Mr. Speaker, for nearly 2 years, I had the privilege of working alongside Walt Hartnett, a man who was a decorated soldier, a compassionate advocate for veterans, and a loving father and husband.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4233, the ARMOR Act, legislation that I was proud to work on with Representative Kim and Representative Zinke. AUKUS was a historic initiative launched under the Biden administration.”

“Mr. Speaker, our children are under attack. Mr. Speaker, $6.8 billion in education funding, dollars appropriated by Democrats and Republicans, is frozen. These are funds that should have been available on July 1.”

“Mr. Speaker, the United States airstrikes in Iran, which we hope to be briefed on today, is the latest in the signature chaos and erratic decisionmaking from the Trump White House.”

“I thank God that our extraordinary military appears to have exquisitely executed its mission. We can be grateful to our military's carrying out of a decision while we ask questions about that decision.”

“Mr. Speaker, Gaza is starving. Since March, Palestinians have waited for food, water, medical supplies, and nutrition kits that have not come. Instead, an estimated 170,000 metric tons of aid sits right outside the Gaza Strip, prohibited to enter by Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

“Mr. Speaker, addiction is a public health crisis from which no community is immune. We saw the worst of it in 2021, when, in a 12-month span, more than 110,000 people died of overdose.”

“Mr. Speaker, one of the latest targets of President Trump's vicious cuts is AmeriCorps, a program that engages 200,000 Americans every year in community service. In Pennsylvania, AmeriCorps supports 1,000 service sites, more than 10,000 teachers in the Philadelphia region, and various food pantries in the Lehigh Valley.”

“Mr. Speaker, hunger is an all-consuming pain. Many of us are lucky never to have known that pain. Yet, in my district alone, nearly 25,000 households rely on food assistance to stave off hunger.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Marcy Kaptur and Representative Mike Quigley for so ably, faithfully, and loyally co-chairing the Congressional Ukraine Caucus for us and for bringing us here to the floor tonight to remember how urgent it is that we support Ukraine and how urgent it is that we support the peace process that results in the protection of the sovereignty of Ukraine and its democracy.”

“Mr. Speaker, maybe I will end by just thanking Representative Kaptur again for the lead she has taken on this. It means a lot to my district. As my friend knows, I have a very large Ukrainian-American population, cultural center, churches, and just extraordinary constituents.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bilirakis and Ranking Member Pallone for bringing this bill forward. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the TAKE IT DOWN Act. Senate bill 146 was my bill, and it is still my bill.”

“As a former educator, and a mother, and as a grandmother, this sickens me. As an elected official, I am moved to protect our children. Congress must create guardrails to protect Americans' privacy and dignity at a time when online exploitation is easier than ever.”

“Mr. Speaker, in just 2 days, Wall Street lost $6 trillion in value in the worst selloff since 2020. Many of my constituents lost tens of thousands of dollars, money saved over decades.”

“President Trump swore up and down he would do no such thing. Sadly, we cannot trust a word our President says, let alone plan around his erratic behavior.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are in a dark time, but this is no time to retreat or to despair because we have been in dark times in this country before.”

“Mr. Speaker, my Pennsylvania district is home to more than 32,000 veterans, many of whom rely on physical and mental health care from three VA medical centers: Lebanon in Berks County, Coatesville in West Norriton, and Philadelphia for Montgomery County.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government runs out of money in 2 weeks. Republicans, who lead both Chambers and the White House, have yet to produce an actual funding plan.”

“Mr. Speaker, for the uninsured, the working poor, Medicaid recipients, and rural communities, healthcare is hard to find. Yet, for 60 years, community health centers, or CHCs, have cared for people who would go otherwise unseen and untreated.”

“Mr. Speaker, shuttering USAID, gutting the Department of Education, threatening the Department of Labor, firing FBI agents, buying out civil servants, vilifying workforces over grotesque DEI concerns, stripping away legal protected status of refugees, giving an unelected billionaire access to the most sensitive information of everyday Americans, and unchecked control of our institutions.”

“Mr. Speaker, after more than a year in captivity, 15 months of pain, fear, and horror, Israeli hostages are finally coming home. The first three to finally return to their families' arms are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher.”

“Mr. Speaker, for 2 weeks we have watched brutal, orange flames engulf homes, leaving ash and heartache in their wake for both rich and poor southern Californians. Four months ago, North Carolina confronted horrifying destruction from Hurricane Helene.”