Ayanna Pressley
Representative for Massachusetts · Democratic · United States
“I recently returned from rural Louisiana where my colleagues and I went behind the wall at two remote detention facilities. These facilities have a history of unjust and unsafe conditions.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here to mark National Minority Health Awareness Month and to do so shoulder to shoulder with two of my esteemed colleagues, Mr. Clyburn and Congresswoman McClellan. Thank you both for the strength of your convictions. Mr.”
“The same report detailed that our Hispanic and Latino neighbors were four times more likely to end up in the emergency room for asthma emergencies compared to White residents and our Black neighbors nine times more likely than our White residents. The disparities don't end there.”
“These health disparities persist despite the fact that we in Massachusetts are home to some of the finest hospitals and brightest minds in healthcare worldwide.”
“A cage is a cage at a for-profit prison or at a detention center. Everyone deserves to live free from fear. Policy is not abstract. It is not a dusty document on a shelf. Policy determines who lives. Policy determines who dies. Policy determines who survives. Policy determines who thrives.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Waters for her leadership, under which we have advocated to create an economy that works for all people, not just Elon Musk and wealthy billionaires.”
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“A cage is a cage at a for-profit prison or at a detention center. Everyone deserves to live free from fear. Policy is not abstract. It is not a dusty document on a shelf. Policy determines who lives. Policy determines who dies. Policy determines who survives. Policy determines who thrives. These disparate outcomes are the result of policy choices. There is no deficit of resource in this country, only a deficit of empathy. I will tell you this: Every day I will use each tool I have to fight for the lives of my constituents, neighbors, and families across this Nation that I have never met. Lives depend on it. Our greatest wealth as a nation is the health of our people, and Black health matters.”
“I recently returned from rural Louisiana where my colleagues and I went behind the wall at two remote detention facilities. These facilities have a history of unjust and unsafe conditions. Behind the wall, as co-chair of the House's Reproductive Freedom Caucus, I met women who were pregnant, entering the latter months of their pregnancy and being denied routine prenatal care. I spoke to a woman diagnosed with cancer who has pleaded to anyone she can reach to spare her life and to deport her. While that may put her safety at risk, she said at least if she is deported, she may be able to get cancer treatment and fight for her life. Mr. Speaker, what the other side wants is for us to harp on our differences and to get distracted, but let me say this: A threat to one of us is a threat to all of us.”
“The same report detailed that our Hispanic and Latino neighbors were four times more likely to end up in the emergency room for asthma emergencies compared to White residents and our Black neighbors nine times more likely than our White residents. The disparities don't end there. They persist for cancer, heart disease, life expectancy, and more. The work to address these injustices is urgent. It is a matter of life and death. {time} 2015 Meanwhile, we have a Trump White House threatening to gut and defund essential health programs. They are gutting Medicaid and tearing away school lunches. They are coming for Planned Parenthood. They are cutting regulations, poisoning the air we breathe and the water we drink. The cruelty is the point.”
“These health disparities persist despite the fact that we in Massachusetts are home to some of the finest hospitals and brightest minds in healthcare worldwide. In the Congressional Black Caucus, we are daily organizing and legislating towards a different vision: one of true healthcare justice, a vision where Black men can grow old, where birth is safe and sacred, where every baby has clean air to breathe and safe water to drink, where health equity is a given and not an afterthought, where Black pain is believed. As we stay head down working toward that vision, the status quo is stark. In 2023, the Boston Public Health Commission reported that diabetes mortality for Black women was three times that of White women.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here to mark National Minority Health Awareness Month and to do so shoulder to shoulder with two of my esteemed colleagues, Mr. Clyburn and Congresswoman McClellan. Thank you both for the strength of your convictions. Mr. Speaker, today in America the color of your skin and the ZIP code you are born into are critical determinants of health. I represent Massachusetts' Seventh Congressional District where in a 3-mile radius from Cambridge to Roxbury, the Blackest part of my district, life expectancy drops by 30 years. Now, some have tired of hearing these sobering statistics, but I will enumerate them time and again until they change. If you are tired of hearing them, imagine how tired people are of living them.”
“It is by studying our history we learn how to overcome the systems of oppression, the reckless whims of petulant men thirsty for power, and the will of dictators. My Blackness is beautiful, and Black history is American history. ____________________”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that centuries of bondage and enslavement brutalized Black bodies and tore apart Black families, that Black women have been the mothers of movements, that Black folks have endured redlining and pay disparities, and yet, still, we rise. Black brilliance exists in every corner of this Nation, from the stage to the court to the classroom to the Halls of Congress. I want every single person, certainly every single child who calls this Nation home, to walk into our Smithsonian museums including our beautiful Blacksonian and see our collective history, accurate history on full display. I want them to see themselves in our struggles and our triumphs. I want them to be inspired by the lyrics of Etta and the speeches of Malcolm, and the leadership of Fannie Lou.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)] [House] [Page H1555] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON BLACK HISTORY (Ms. PRESSLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in vigorous opposition to occupant Trump's hostile attacks, hostile and insecure attacks on Black history. Black history is American history. Dictators try to shutter museums, censor history, and whitewash the truth, but we know the truth.”
“Mr. Speaker, they are struggling to make every dollar stretch because of the harmful policies advanced by your dictator in chief. Vote ``no.'' The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.”
“For the single parent who has to pay bills today with money that is coming tomorrow, overdrafting may be their only option. The exorbitant fees, sometimes $35 for every overdraft, would further push them into debt. It is a shame the Republicans are attacking poor people just to help greedy bank CEOs get richer, the shame and the sham of it all. I oppose this resolution and encourage everyone to stand with working people who are struggling to make every single dollar stretch. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Waters for her leadership, under which we have advocated to create an economy that works for all people, not just Elon Musk and wealthy billionaires. That is why I oppose this measure to overturn the Consumer Financial Protection--emphasis on ``Protection''--Bureau rule that caps overdraft fees by banks at $5. The work of CFPB has been cost-saving and life-changing, but this resolution would undo that progress. Whether it is an elder whose Social Security [[Page H1521]] check was delayed into her direct deposit, likely because of Trump's mass firings, or the young college student who makes the innocent mistake of confusing a savings and checking account, anyone can be affected by unnecessary junk fees. Let's be honest, it is our most vulnerable who will bear the brunt of the harm.”