What Robin L. Kelly said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my chief of staff, Matt McMurray, for his service to my office and the Second Congressional District of Illinois. Matt has been with me since day one.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to speak on my bipartisan bill, H.R. 2001, the Action for Dental Health Act, to reauthorize vital oral health workforce grants through 2030.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my health fellow, Dr. Melanie Yates, for her service to my office and the Second Congressional District of Illinois. I am so lucky Melanie joined us.”

“Mr. Speaker, Representative Jackson is going to stand with me, but this is not his 5 minutes. He is just standing with me. I rise today to honor the life and extraordinary legacy of Spencer Leak, Jr., a devoted father, husband, son, brother, and faithful community leader whose service left a lasting mark on the Chicagoland area.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my communications director, Jessica Lee, for her service to my office and the Second Congressional District of Illinois. Jessica came to my office from Giffords, bringing a steady commitment to public service and community safety that has shaped everything she touches.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman for convening us tonight on this extremely important topic. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because, as we all know, there is a gun violence epidemic in our country.”

“Black Caucus, but more so, because this is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, and I am very, very aware of this month. I make time and effort every single year during this month to continue to highlight the scourge of gun violence in America as a public health crisis.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of two people on my staff: Billy Dwyer and Michelle Galdamez. They have both moved on to new opportunities, but I will always remember their hard work, contributions to my office, and their wonderful personalities.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the 49 lives killed and the 58 people injured in a hateful mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub ten years ago. Today, I stand to speak, but I remember when I sat on this House floor for over 24 hours in protest.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there is a gun violence epidemic in America. I have spoken loudly and clearly on gun safety again and again, shooting after shooting.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Kennedy so much for gathering us. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I rise today to remember the 10 lives stolen, the 3 people injured, and the survivors of the hateful mass shooting in Buffalo 4 years ago.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman McClellan for organizing this Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise because the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, dealing a devastating blow to our democracy.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the late Reverend Jesse Jackson. Reverend Jackson, as you know, is a global civil rights leader and a moral voice for our Nation.”

“Mr. Speaker and our two hosts, I rise today to join the Congressional Black Caucus in celebrating Black History Month and honoring the Divine Nine, the historically Black fraternities and sororities that have fostered generations of bold leaders.”

“Mr. Speaker, before my colleague from Texas walks out, I will do whatever I can do to help him because the Chicagoland area is number three. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce I will be impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defiance of President Trump's threats to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. He wasted $1 million every day to house the National Guard in D.C., and now he wants to further misuse taxpayer dollars instead of investing in real, permanent solutions to gun violence.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to President Trump's rescission package that steals $400 million from PEPFAR, a lifesaving global health program. Let me remind my colleagues that PEPFAR is a bipartisan effort first led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and signed by President George W.”

“Mr. Speaker, on May 31, 2025, Ms. Teri Gage retired from her position as Superintendent of the Pullman National Historical Park. Today, I include in the Record the following Proclamation to recognize and honor her accomplishments and contributions to Chicago's first National Park.”

“WHEREAS, she was notably enthusiastic, forward-thinking, and creative regarding her many managerial and budgetary responsibilities, working with the National Park Service, state and local officials, community organizers, and park visitors; WHEREAS, she emphasized the growth of her colleagues to find increasingly new and illuminating narratives to describe Pullman's long, complicated, and important history to enhance the visitor experience at the Pullman National Park; WHEREAS, she worked closely with the Historic Pullman Foundation, the National A.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McClellan and Representative Carter for inviting me to speak tonight. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there is a gun violence epidemic in America.”

“Thoughts and prayers have never been enough. Americans need real action by Congress to end gun violence. That means universal background checks, funding and support for community violence intervention organizations, safe storage laws to prevent unintentional shootings, and an assault weapons ban.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Minority Health Awareness Month. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Clyburn and Congresswoman McClellan, for holding this Special Order hour to bring attention to our country's health disparities.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in defiance of the House Republicans' partisan funding bill. Democrats pulled up a seat for Republican leadership at the negotiating table to discuss a bipartisan solution, but Republicans walked away.”

“Republicans loved to talk about Article I of the Constitution and insisted on clear checks and balances. What do I hear now? Silence. Now that Republicans are in control of Congress, they decide to bend the knee to Donald Trump.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today because, just 2 days ago, my Republican colleagues jammed through a budget plan that puts the 0.1 percent above hardworking Americans. The Republican budget would give $4.5 trillion to CEOs and big corporations.”

“Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, President Trump was sworn into office. He won the popular vote and the electoral college. I didn't like the results, but I accepted them.”

“Mr. Speaker, we have entered Black History Month, but now Federal agencies are uncertain about how to recognize it due to new executive orders. The Pentagon even paused training about the Tuskegee Airmen because they weren't sure if teaching American history violated the President's mandate.”

“Mr. Speaker, every child should be afforded the opportunity to learn the essential lessons of sportsmanship, resilience, and discipline that playing team sports offers. This includes transgender children who make up a very small number of young athletes.”