What Shomari Figures said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Act of 2026, which would authorize Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated to establish a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the service, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Tariff Impacted Farmer Support Act of 2026, which would establish a temporary Farmer Support and Revenue Loss Assistance Program to provide targeted relief for producers of cotton, peanuts, soybeans, corn, and poultry.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay honor and tribute to one of the best that my hometown has ever had to offer: Mikhail Torrance. An incredible young man, who tragically and suddenly passed away last week at the age of just 37 years old.”

“Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced the Affordable Youth Enrichment Opportunities Act to provide a federal tax deduction for parents who work hard to provide enrichment opportunities for their children, only to find those opportunities increasingly expensive and out of reach.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Defending American Property Abroad Act because it is the right thing to do. We have talked here today about this being a U.S.-based company.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2247, the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, as amended. Current law requires airmen to carry physical versions of their pilot license in case a representative of the FAA ever needs to verify the airman's status.”

“Madam Speaker, recreational drone use is a rapidly growing pastime here in America, and we must put in place sufficient guardrails for safety. That is why I support H.R. 6460 and urge my colleagues to do the same.”

“Madam Speaker, Congress has delivered victories for the flying public before, and it is time we do so again by modernizing the ACPAC. Ticket agents are in many cases the face and the voice of airlines.”

“Ocean Carrier Advisory Committee which will provide critical informed insight to ensure a more fair and efficient international ocean freight system. I support this legislation, and I thank my colleague from South Dakota, Congressman Johnson, as well as the Democratic cosponsors of this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, before I express support for that, I will associate myself with the comments of my colleagues for the previous resolution, condemning the violence against members of the National Guard from West Virginia and condemning that horrific act that took the life of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and has left Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe gravely injured.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise with the Alabama delegation, including one of our U.S. Senators and many others here on the House floor, to pay respect to the end of an era.”

“Mr. Speaker, again, I support House Resolution 728, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Again, I express my sincere appreciation to Congressman Chip Roy for helping out my district and the citizens of my district during this critical time.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. It is a time to recognize the challenges faced by those living with this debilitating genetic disease.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, this is one of those speeches that I wish we did not have to give and one of those moments in our history that I wish we did not have to acknowledge in the first place.”

“I obviously never had the opportunity to meet any of them. I have had the privilege to meet several of their family members throughout my life, but to them I owe an enormous debt of gratitude because without acts like this, as violent and as vicious and as terrible as it was, without moments like that, there would not have been a Civil Rights Act.”

“Mr. Chair, during Roll Call Vote number 246 on H.R. 3838, I mistakenly recorded my vote as Aye when I should have voted No. Amendment No. 15 Offered by Ms.”

“Mr. Chair, during Roll Call Vote number 247 on H.R. 3838, I mistakenly recorded my vote as No when I should have voted Aye. Amendment No. 16 Offered by Ms.”

“The commissions were created to consolidate a complex web of State, interstate, and Federal efforts into one. For example, the history of the Potomac Basin Commission reminds us how the commission was formed in response to extreme pollution levels in our Nation's River that required a regional, cooperative response by all jurisdictions.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue. I support H.R. 3428, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.”

“Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3425, and I thank my colleague, Mr. Kennedy, for his leadership on this important matter. The POST Act of 2025 is something that I urge all of my colleagues to support, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

“Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3423, the FROST Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same with this commonsense piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”

“Mr. Speaker, I support the Mental Health in Aviation Act, and I recommend my colleagues do the same. It is an important piece of legislation that will work to better the lives and better the safety of our aerospace professionals.”

“Mr. Speaker, I have listened to many of my colleagues' views on the issues before us today. I respect them all, and I respect their views. I don't disagree with many of the points that my colleagues who are in opposition are making, especially as it relates to executive conflict of interest concerns.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish the happiest of birthdays to the most beautiful woman on the planet. She is my wife, Dr. Kalisha Dessources Figures. I thank her for her investment in me.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the critical importance of both SNAP and Medicaid, not just to Alabama's Second District but in every congressional district across this country.”

“Cutting these benefits would force impossible choices amongst some of these people between food, medicine, utilities, housing, and overall stability. It wouldn't reduce the need because the need would still be there.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are talking border security, and the same administration just let in El Chapo's family. El Chapo's family. I rise today as somebody representing one of the poorest districts in this country.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a true hometown hero, a legendary trailblazer, a family friend, a mentor to me and many others, and the former Secretary of Labor for this great Nation, Alexis Margaret Herman.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on an urgent issue that affects the health, well-being, and prosperity of Black families, not just across the State of Alabama that I call home, but across this country, the staggering healthcare disparities that persist across this country and across too many counties in districts like mine, the Second Congressional District of Alabama.”

“Mr. Speaker, all of my colleagues today are speaking about this bill, and it is personal to me because I represent Alabama. I represent the birthplace of the civil rights movement.”

“Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege last night of sitting in this Chamber yet again, and I witnessed a lot of my colleagues cheering as the President rattled off the numbers, the statistics, and the data of how many people he has terminated and has laid off or fired.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Mfume for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a question similar to many of the questions we just heard the distinguished gentleman from Maryland raise as it relates to historical events that happened across the country, particularly in Tulsa, but it is a question that gets to the core of what he is saying, and that is: Who are we as Americans?”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath). Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I am so honored and privileged to be here tonight to speak on the Congressional Black Caucus, with our Special Order hour tonight specific to honoring Black History Month.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of New Jersey (Mrs. McIver). Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Bynum and Figures for organizing this Special Order hour.”

“Mr. Speaker, as we bring this Special Order to a close, I again highlight the fact that the celebration of Black history is not a celebration of just a few individuals who did some notable things.”