UNHOUSED TRAGEDY

UNHOUSED TRAGEDY

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)] [House] [Page H691] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] UNHOUSED TRAGEDY (Ms. TLAIB asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I want to share the words of a mother in Detroit who today said she was sorry but she tried. She is talking about the fact that she was evicted. A mother of five, she had no choice but to park her minivan in the parking lot of downtown Detroit on one of our coldest nights. She lost two of her children, a 2-year- old and a 9-year-old. They froze to death in the car. We know that last year we saw a record 18 percent rise in homelessness in our country. Nearly 150,000 children are unhoused every night. We know, again, that our country spends trillions of dollars, though, on weapons and war, while children freeze to death in our country. It is estimated that ending homelessness in our country could cost as little as $11 billion. The Pentagon spends $12 billion a year on F-35 jets that can't even fly in the rain. Our priorities are fundamentally broken. I want to tell Ms. Williams we failed her. She should not be apologizing because she tried. We are not trying hard enough here in this institution to protect her and her children. ____________________