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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 18, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority:

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “The July 1, 2024, Federal Register notice extending Haiti’s TPS cited ‘grave insecurity, gang violence, socio-economic collapse, and environmental disasters’ as an ongoing crisis warranting protection. However, your February 2025 notice asserts that the 18-month period lacked justification. This decision ignores the overwhelming evidence that Haiti remains an unsafe place for anyone to return to. These conditions cited on the July 1, 2024 Federal Register Notice have worsened. Armed groups now control over 90% of Port-au-Prince, terrorizing civilians with widespread kidnappings, sexual violence, and indiscriminate killings. The UN reports that at least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, over 1,000 more than the total killings for 2023. As of September 2024, nearly half the population of the country— 5.5 million Haitians—require urgent humanitarian aid, with 1.6 million facing ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity. Gang sieges and arson attacks have internally displaced over 1,041,000 people.”

The Members continued, “The decision to rescind Haiti’s TPS designation is not a thoughtful policy in the best interest of the United States. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump explicitly singled out Haitian TPS recipients in rallies and interviews. This rhetoric mirrored his 2017 termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, which a federal court blocked for violating the Administrative Procedure Act and failing to consider country conditions. The administration’s current vacatur revives this legally dubious playbook, seeking to destabilize the lives of Haitian immigrants through shortened protections and heightened uncertainty.”

“We request that you extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS for the statutory maximum of 18 months. Failure to extend and redesignate TPS would violate the INA’s requirement for data-driven decisions and abandon over 500,000 Haitians to a warzone the U.S. government has explicitly deemed unsafe. Congress intended TPS to be both a humanitarian tool and a pragmatic response to unstable conditions abroad. While DHS has discretion, that authority must be exercised with diligence, transparency, and fidelity to the law,” they wrote, before requesting responses to a series of questions regarding the legal basis and humanitarian and national interest considerations that led to the administration’s questionable decision to cancel Haiti’s TPS designation.

House Signers (64): Clarke, Pressley, Adams, Amo, Beatty, Beyer, Carson, Casar, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Clark, Davis (Danny), Frost, Garcia (Jesus), Garcia (Sylvia), Goldman, Hayes, Hernandez, Jackson (Jonathan), Jacobs, Jayapal, Jeffries, Johnson (Henry), Latimer, Lee, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, McClellan, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Meng, Mfume, Moulton, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pallone, Pingree, Pocan, Quigley, Ramirez, Raskin, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Scott (Bobby), Sewell, Soto, Suozzi, Swalwell, Thanedar, Thompson (Bennie), Tlaib, Tonko, Trahan, Vargas, Veasey, Velazquez, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson Coleman, Wilson (Frederica)

Senate Signers (24): Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Booker, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Gillibrand, Heinrich, Hirono, Kaine, Kim (Andy), Klobuchar, Markey, Padilla, Reed, Sanders, Schumer, Shaheen, Warner, Warnock, Warren, Welch, Whitehouse

This letter has been endorsed by more than 100 organizations, including: UndocuBlack Network, African Communities Together, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Church World Service, Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP), FWD.us, Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Family Action Network Movement, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Muslim Advocates, National Employment Law Project, National Partnership for New Americans, Nigerian Center, Presente.org, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Quixote Center, Refugees International, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), The Advocates for Human Rights, The Border Network for Human Rights, United African Organization, Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center, Witness at the Border, Baker Interfaith Friends Refugees International, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants, TPS-DED AAC, Haitian Support Center, Faith In Texas, Center for Law and Social Policy, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), Just Neighbors, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Immigration Hub, New York Immigration Coalition, Human Rights First, Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Oasis Legal Services, Immigrants Rising, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, National Immigrant Justice Center, Borderlands Resource Initiative, Alianza Americas, Community Solutions, NH Conference, United Church of Christ Immigrant & Refugee Support Group, Immigrants Act Now, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, National Bar Association, Gainesville Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Cameroon Advocacy Network, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants – LORI, Women Watch Afrika, International Refugee Assistance Project, Sanctuary for Families, Minnesota Freedom Fund, scaleLIT, Win Without War, Urban Mom Collective National Black Mom Coalition, We Are All America, Westside Justice Center, Freedom for Immigrants, Partners In Health, Service Employees International Union, SEIU, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice, EqualHealth’s Campaign Against Racism,  Immigration Center for Women and Children, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), Refugee Advocacy Lab, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, CASA, Immigration Law & Justice Network, Immigrant ARC, National Immigration Project, The Sidewalk School, TPS-DED AAC, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, United African Organization, United We Dream, Urban Mom Collective National Black Mom Coalition, We Are All America, Westside Justice Center, Win Without War, Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center, Witness at the Border, Women Watch Afrika, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, Working Families United, Hope Border Institute, Washington Office on Latin America, La Raza Community Resource Center (SF), Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Alianza Americas, The Episcopal Church, MomsRising, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB), Asian Law Caucus, and the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA).

The full text of the letter is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 14, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement:

“Like many thousands of New Yorkers and countless other Americans, I am incredibly disturbed by the illegal detainment of Columbia University student, Mahmoud Khalil. You may disagree with his cause, you may disagree with his tactics, but the laws of this nation are clear. As are the facts of this matter: Mr. Khalil is a legal permanent resident and husband to a U.S. citizen who has been wrongfully arrested by the Department of Homeland Security on Donald Trump’s orders. Despite being charged with no crime, this administration has denied him access to his family and lawyer, denied him the due process our Constitution grants every person in the United States, and denied him a future in this country that he has every right to see.

“In this dire moment, we cannot and must not lose sight of the consequences of allowing the president’s overreach to go unchallenged. Our unambiguous rejection of Donald Trump’s cruelty, bigotry, and tyranny is the only acceptable path forward if we are to remain a nation of laws. Otherwise, I can say with certainty that Mahmoud Khalil will not be the last person this administration disappears for their political opinions. He will not be the last person of color with a legal right to be here to face an unconstitutional crusade toward their arrest and deportation. This crisis does not begin and end with the fate of one man. Our options are to rise today or find out which of our neighbors is next tomorrow. Donald Trump wants the American people to fear him. He will fail.

“For these critical reasons, I joined 105 of my colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand answers regarding the detention of Mahmoud Khalil and the stripping of his green card – we expect their response promptly.”

Read the full letter here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 5, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement regarding the passing of the Honorable Congressman Sylvester Turner of Houston, Texas:

“I’m heartbroken to have learned of the passing of my friend and colleague, the good Congressman Sylvester Turner. Sylvester was a career public servant in the great state of Texas, who championed progress for decades in its House of Representatives and for 8 years as mayor of Houston. Throughout his political career, he stood tall as a stalwart advocate for our nation’s most vulnerable peoples and the causes that mattered most to them. Whether you were an immigrant, a woman, a Black American fighting for your right to prosper, or a gay American fighting for your right to love, Sylvester Turner was proudly and resolutely in your corner. Truly, his name will stand among the annals of Texas’ greatest leaders.

“During their season of bereavement, my condolences are with Congressman Turner’s family and loved ones, as well as the countless others he inspired over his lifetime of service and advocacy. My heart also goes out to the people of Houston, who only months ago said goodbye to another of their most dedicated public servants, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. May the leader who follows in their footsteps share the compassion, commitment, and drive of these two true giants of Texas’ history. And may Congressman Turner rest in power and rest in peace.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 1, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement regarding the passing of civil rights icon and president of the New York chapter of the NAACP, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes:

“New York and our nation have lost a true giant today. I have known Dr. Hazel Dukes for most of my life, and I consider it one of my greatest blessings to have called her my friend, mentor, Soror, Link Sister, and inspiration. My mother, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, and Dr. Dukes were Democratic Convention companions and were often in the trenches together fighting for the Black Community at each other’s sides. She lived a life of courage, resolve, and unmatched tenacity, and I will miss her warmth and wisdom so very dearly.

“For more than 70 years, Dr. Dukes devoted her life towards advancing the rights of Black Americans and our fight for equal treatment. Her advocacy and work for racial diversity, equity and inclusion, social change, and economic development within the Black community as a leader within the NAACP and other organizations solidified her as a force for social action and change. She stood tall against the oppressive status quo of Jim Crow and paved the way forward to a more enlightened, more accepting, more loving era for our country and world. Truly, we owe her a debt that can never be measured.

“My heartfelt prayers and condolences are with her son Ronald, her daughter-in-law Janet, and all friends and loved ones of the Dukes family during this season of bereavement. May they find comfort in knowing Dr. Dukes’ memory will long serve as a guiding light to those of us who remember just how bright she shined.”

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” – Matthew 25:23 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman David Scott (GA-13) will attend Lockheed Martin’s ceremony to rollout the C-5M Super Galaxy. Media interested in attending the ceremony should contact Chandra Harris at 770-210-5073 or Peter Simmons of Lockheed at 770-494-6208 for more information.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Keynote Speaker – Mundy’s Mill HS 2006 Graduation

WHAT: Congressman David Scott (D-GA) will participate as the keynote speaker for the 2006 Graduation Ceremony of Mundy’s Mill High School. Constituents from the Clayton County community are encouraged to attend this special ceremony. WHEN: Saturday, May 27, 2006 – 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Twelve Oaks Stadium 1586 Lovejoy Road Jonesboro, GA 30236

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman David Scott will join Governor Perdue in observing the National Day of Prayer at the Metro Atlanta Prayer Breakfast. Congressman Scott will deliver a prayer for our government and military.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Eager to provide long-term relief for Georgians facing rising gas prices, Congressman David Scott will participate in the House Agriculture Committee’s special hearing, “Review of the Futures Market and Gasoline Prices.” At a time when America has diminishing oil resources and gas prices are skyrocketing, oil companies continue to rake in record profits. Congressman Scott has called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate oil companies for price goughing and for the President to suspend deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13) and Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03), both senior members of the House Financial Services and Agriculture Committees, led a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging him to take a proactive approach to combat Chinese government-backed cyberattacks aimed at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The letter follows reports of hackers breaching CFIUS network systems as a result of a broader attack targeting the Treasury Department.

“The increasing rate of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-sanctioned hacking assaults highlight the urgency of more robust cybersecurity protections inside Treasury,” said Congressman David Scott. “Secretary Bessent must take a proactive approach to combat future cyberattacks aimed at CFIUS and ensure the committee can continue to investigate high-risk foreign investments. While it may be small in size, CFIUS has caught the ire of our most capable adversaries looking to inflict economic and national security harm. The Secretary has a responsibility to ensure CFIUS is equipped with the manpower and technological capabilities to safeguard sensitive information and prevent a future breach ever from happening again.”

“The news that Chinese hackers breached CFIUS comes as an alarming reminder that the CCP is a belligerent actor and a serious threat to our national security,” said Congressman Frank Lucas. “It is imperative that we bolster our cyber defense capabilities to prepare against future attacks. I look forward to working with my colleagues and Secretary Bessent to adequately equip CFIUS with the necessary tools in this effort.”

CFIUS is an office and interagency committee inside the Treasury Department and chaired by the Treasury Secretary authorized to review foreign investment and real estate transactions to determine their effect on U.S. national security. The recent Treasury breach highlights how CFIUS is being targeted by adversaries like China due to its work reviewing sensitive information that can reveal vulnerabilities in critical infrastructures or even disclose how the U.S. evaluates investment risks. Congressman Scott has previously raised concerns around CFIUS’ cybersecurity infrastructure and advocated for greater funding and authorities to defend from future cyberattacks.

In addition to offering strong support for the committee, the letter urges Secretary Bessent to:

·       enhance internal CFIUS cybersecurity measures by adopting the latest encryption technologies and robust network security protocols to secure communications and data related to foreign investment reviews;

·       prioritize regular security audits and penetration testing to help identify and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited;

·       ensure CFIUS employees understand the risks associated with cyber threats and are equipped with the knowledge to identify suspicious activities; and

·       foster increased collaboration between CFIUS and cybersecurity experts from both the public and private sectors.

 The text of the letter can be found HERE.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

WASHINGTON- This week, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), was joined by Reps. Mark Takano (CA-41) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to announce the re-introduction of the Making Advances Kinetic, Education, Research & Skills (MAKERS) Act, legislation to promote the development of a STEM-capable workforce.

“Creating the next generation of STEM leaders is paramount to our nation’s future,” stated Congressman David Scott. “The MAKERS Act will provide students with the skills needed to excel in the STEM fields by allowing them to apply a concept learned in classrooms to a project in their school’s makerspace. Utilizing hands-on equipment to develop a prototype or inventing the next new piece of technology is the spirit of makerspaces. The goal is to work together to learn, collaborate, and share these experiences. Most importantly, the MAKERS Act will allow academic institutions to facilitate the exploration, inventiveness, and skillset of their brightest students.”  

“Makerspaces represent a vital resource in the landscape of 21st-century innovation—it is critical we support funding to our community colleges and educational institutions to not only enhance their facilities with cutting-edge technology but cultivate a highly skilled STEM workforce for the future,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1). “Our MAKERS Act represents a bipartisan mission to harness the innate curiosity of our students. By providing them with hands-on experiences in an environment that fosters forward-thinking creativity, we are empowering individuals from all backgrounds to develop the skills necessary to contribute to the promising world of innovation.”

“I am proud to cosponsor the MAKERS Act to ensure that all students have the training to join strategic and growing sectors in our labor market,” said Congressman Mark Takano. As a former teacher I have seen the power of coupling talent with opportunity. Connecting underserved communities with funding from the National Science Foundation will ensure that diverse and highly skilled students can be active in science and technology industries.”

The bipartisan MAKERS Act would direct the National Science Foundation to award research grants, prioritizing community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for purchasing technologies and equipment to outfit makerspaces. Makerspaces allow students a workplace to use innovative tools, such as 3D printers, sewing machines, digital production equipment, and more to explore and create.

As technology continues to advance, investments must be made in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly ensuring that students and workers of all backgrounds can be trained in these essential skills.  Unfortunately, not every institution of higher education has the resources to construct a makerspace or fund repairs and modernization courses. According to the National Science Foundation, research shows that Black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in STEM jobs. Hispanic or Latino workers make up 18% of the U.S. workforce but represent only 14% of STEM workers. Black or African American workers make up 12% of the U.S. working population but represent only 9% of STEM workers.

The text of the bill can be found here.