Shut Down Line 5 Pipeline

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, we know that oil and water don't mix. Right now, there is a dirty oil pipeline, called Line 5, running through the most critical part of the Great Lakes, operated by a company called Enbridge, with a disturbing history of faulty infrastructure and environmental destruction.

A Line 5 spill would be catastrophic for the Great Lakes region and the entire country. The Great Lakes hold 21 percent of the world's fresh surface water; are home, as we all know, to precious ecosystems and wildlife; and tens of millions of people rely on them for water, jobs, and recreation.

We cannot allow the water we rely on to live, the water that helps make Michigan such a special place for so many, to be sacrificed for corporate greed.

The good news is that President Biden could end this threat today by revoking Line 5's Presidential permit and committing to the truth that water is life and that it is critical to protect.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon the Biden administration to stand with the people of the Great Lakes and shut down Line 5 once and for all. Building a Democratic Financial System

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today, big banks bring in billions in profits while our financial system promotes inequality and instability for many of our families.

Right now, millions of people--millions--the majority being people of color, lack access to a checking or savings account, but an alternative does exist. We can build a democratic financial system that puts the livelihoods of our residents above private profit and greed.

Instead of serving Wall Street, public and postal banks can ensure that everyone has access to basic financial services. Instead of investing billions of dollars annually in fossil fuels, like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo does, public banks can facilitate the transformative changes that our communities desperately need, like real affordable housing for all, disaster preparedness, and a clean energy future that creates real jobs for all.

That is why Representative Ocasio-Cortez and I introduced the Public Banking Act of 2023, which provides a regulatory and institutional framework for the creation of State and local public banks, like the Bank of North Dakota, which has been incredibly successful for over a century.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please join us in supporting a financial system that works for everyone. End-of-Year Wins

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I take a moment to celebrate the incredible accomplishments that my team and I have been able to do on behalf of our constituents.

At the beginning of the year, we opened three new Neighborhood Service Centers in Detroit, Inkster, and Southfield.

Through the Neighborhood Service Centers, we have returned over $5.5 million in constituent services dollars that goes directly into the hands of 8,000 residents, returning over $306,000 this year alone.

We served and responded to over 164,000 letters from our neighbors ranging from advocating for clean water, clean air, utilities for all, housing for all, and so much more. We have hosted and participated in over 120 events, including coffee hours and townhalls and resource fairs and more, really trying to help our families get through everyday challenges and issues.

Our legislative advocacy has spanned from affordable housing to medical debt cancellation and ending auto insurance discrimination once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, we have introduced 160 bills and amendments, and 39 of them have actually passed.

This year, we celebrated the 1-year anniversary of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus where we are committed to advocating for working mothers and their families on issues of affordable childcare, pay leave, Black maternal health, and economic justice.

These accomplishments would not have been possible without our residents. Thank you for believing in me and sending me here to Congress to do the people's work. It has been truly an honor to serve you and to be your Congresswoman.

This is just the beginning of what we all can continue to accomplish.

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