DeLauro to Congress: We Must Do the Right Thing for the American People
WASHINGTON, DC (June 23, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) tonight spoke on the House floor at 12:49 AM to demand that Congress vote to address gun violence. During her remarks, DeLauro noted the history of Congress as an institution that has been able to respond to the American people and enact meaningful change. The post-midnight speech was the second time that DeLauro spoke on the floor during the Democratic sit-in. Democrats have held the House floor since 11:25 Wednesday morning when Congressmen John Lewis (GA-05) and John Larson (CT-01) started calling for #NoBillNoBreak.
Click here to watch the full remarks.
Here are the remarks, as delivered:
"Thank you, John. Thank you for many reasons—for who you are, for what you have done this evening, and for really helping to focus our time and our attention on this issue.
"I was elected to this body in 1990. I took office in 1991. I had never run for political office before. It was a steep learning curve for me—never been in a legislature, but always a politician.
"When I came here, I went to the Cannon building to take my office. I passed by the office of John Lewis and I stopped at the plaque and I cried. Never in my lifetime—the daughter of an immigrant—would I believe that I would serve with someone who would change American history.
"It is an honor for me—I love this chamber—it is an honor to serve in this body. And when you listen to the quality of the debate that we had here tonight, it makes you so proud that we have been given this body.
"You may not know this, my colleagues, but since 1789, less than 11,000 people have served as Members of Congress. Yes, an honor, a blessing. And the people of this country have said to us, ‘Represent me. Understand my needs. Understand my family's needs. Keep us safe. Protect my children. Protect us from harm.'
"And you know, the greatest strength of this institution—is not in what it does every day, because you and I know that some days it does exactly the opposite of what it should do—but its greatest strength is in its potential to do great things, to transform people's lives, to make a difference in their lives.
"And historically, it has done that. It did that for Social Security and with Medicare, with the G.I. Bill, with civil rights, with the ability for the working men and women of this country to be able to send their kids to school. And it did it, yes, with the Affordable Care Act.
"We have pushed the edge of the envelope. We have made this institution move in directions that our Founding Fathers believed it ought to move in. That is the power—the power—of this institution that we serve in. And today, the American public is clamoring to say, ‘Help us prevent gun violence. Save our kids. Save our families.' And we have that power to address this issue. To again push the edge of the envelope and make this body reach its potential.
"We have a moral obligation. We have a moral responsibility to address the issue of universal background checks, of saying ‘no' to put guns in the hands of potential terrorists, to allow research to be conducted, and for me personally, to ban assault weapons.
"What's at stake for our families? It's about their safety. Also at stake, is their ability to believe in this institution once more, that we are here, that we are relevant, that we can respond to their needs. Let us vote on these pieces of legislation, because what we need to do is to tell the American public that we deserve the privilege of serving here, that you have given us. We need to do this. We will do this. It's a great institution. We serve at the will of the public. Let us do the right thing for the people of this great nation."
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